Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

Liu Dawang began setting up the mourning shed. With the help of the villagers, the shed was built properly. They were just waiting for Feng to return from shopping when the coffin was already carried to the courtyard gate and set up.

Ma Qiao'er and the others were also busy. They started twisting hemp rope, cutting paper money, and making mourning sticks. Huang Lanhua cautiously approached, but no one paid any attention to her.

The paper craft shop owner arrived at Liujia Village with a cart full of paper crafts. He saw a villager and asked him for directions to Liu Dawang's house, explaining that he had come to deliver something.

"I'll take you there. Who's going to buy this?"

"It was a woman."

Upon arriving at the Liu family's old house, the villagers went inside. "Uncle Dawang, the people from the paper craft shop have come to deliver something. Please accept it. It should be something your aunt bought."

Liu Dawang asked everyone to help put the things in the yard. Not long after, Feng returned and carried the things in one by one. The villagers were dumbfounded. They bought so many good things for the old lady, and she was the first in the village to receive them. The old lady hadn't lived in vain!

"Honey, we've bought everything. Shall we wash and change Mother's clothes first, and then invite her out of the house to the mourning hall?"

"Okay, you guys go ahead and do it. Let me know when you're done."

"In August, go and fetch a basin of clean water. Third son's wife, come inside with me and help Mother tidy up."

When the water was brought in in August, Madam Feng told her to leave, "None of you sisters should come in. Just wait outside."

The clan chief's wife came in to help. "Auntie, you don't need to do anything. Just watch from the side and we'll feel at ease."

"Second Sister-in-law, I'm a little scared." Ma Qiao'er said, trembling as she held a cloth.

The clan chief's wife took the cloth from his hands, saying, "None of you have experience with this, so let me do it. You just watch."

The clan chief's wife began to clean and tidy the old woman, asking, "Why are there injuries on her body?"

"Auntie, Mother must have been dead for a long time before we found her. She was lying on the ground, probably bitten by rats."

The clan chief's wife sighed, "Why did you choose this path? What's wrong with you? There are plenty of people who are not as good as you."

Look at yourself! What kind of taste do you have? You don't want two good sons and daughters-in-law, but you dote on your unfilial son. When you get to the underworld, you'll definitely be reborn into a good family and remember this lesson.

We used to be good friends, but we've been estranged and stopped talking for a while now. Oh, I remember now, it was because we couldn't agree on how to find a wife for Dawang, and we had a falling out.

"Go in peace. I will live a few more years and see the world for myself. When I get down there, I'll tell you that I have a better eye for people than you do. You'd better listen to me from now on, okay?" The clan chief's wife muttered as she washed herself.

She stood up. "You're all cleaned up. Come and change your clothes. I'll comb her hair later. She's always been clean and concerned about her appearance. Let her leave looking her best."

"Okay, Mother has two more pieces of jewelry. I'll look for them and put them on Mother in a bit."

The two sisters-in-law quickly dressed the old lady in her burial clothes. The clan leader's wife began combing her hair. She searched through her bones but couldn't find it. It must have been taken by the eldest son's family. Her mother treasured her two pieces of jewelry the most. She usually couldn't bear to wear them and always hid them in a box. The box was gone.

"Third son's wife, Mother's jewelry is missing, and the box is gone too. Do you know who took it?"

"I don't know! It must have been someone from the eldest son's family who took it. I'm going to go and ask them for it right now."

Ma Qiao'er stormed over angrily, "Huang Lanhua, come out here! Where did you take Mother's jewelry?"

Ms. Huang was very guilty and spoke in a very soft voice, "I didn't take it."

"You didn't take it? Who would believe your lies? You live together, if you didn't take it, who did? Hand it over right now!"

"I really didn't take it; maybe my mother sold it."

"You're talking nonsense. Mother has said before that it's her life, and she'll take it with her to the grave even when she dies. You won't hand it over, huh? Then I'll go find it myself."

In April and August, you will come with me to find them.

Huang Lanhua blocked their way, saying, "You can't just barge into my house and rummage around."

Ma Qiao'er shoved her aside and walked into her room with her head held high. Huang Lanhua was filled with regret. She should have pawned it for money earlier. She prayed silently that it wouldn't be found during the search.

Ma Qiao'er was overjoyed. She had finally defeated Huang Lanhua's daughter, and she was laughing wildly inside.

After searching Huang's house thoroughly, they finally found it under the bed. Huang had tied it under the bed, so it was hard to find without careful searching.

Ma Qiao'er went out and waved the things in front of Huang Shi, saying, "You are shameless! You even stole my dowry. Your whole family is utterly shameless."

Huang Lanhua was filled with anger with nowhere to vent it. She clenched her fists tightly. Those two ungrateful wretches were truly a waste of their lives, joining others in humiliating their own mother.

Ma Qiao'er handed the jewelry to the clan chief's wife, saying, "Auntie, please put it on your mother; she'll be even happier."

The clan chief's wife put the hairpin in her hair, put the table bracelet on her wrist, and covered her face with a veil. "Alright, you can burn paper money and get out of bed to go into the mourning hall now."

Madam Feng went out and found Liu Dawang. "Husband, you can burn paper money now to ask Mother to get out of bed."

Liu Dawang turned to Liu Daniu and said, "Third brother, you burn the paper money."

"Second brother, you're older than me, it's not my turn."

"No matter what, I've severed ties with my family, so it's perfectly legitimate for you to come and burn paper money for me."

"Second brother, this..."

"Master, we'll listen to Second Brother."

They carried the paper effigies of carriages and horses into the house and placed them by the bed. Liu Daniu burned the paper while crying, and a long line of Liu family descendants knelt behind him, crying along with him.

Liu Siyue's tear ducts were particularly sensitive today, and she cried especially hard; she felt like crying whenever someone else cried.

The old lady was carried to the mourning hall, where paper offerings and other items were laid out and placed on the altar. The table was full of fine things, and the villagers were amazed. "Old lady Liu really lived a worthwhile life. Look how dignified she is. She'll be a cut above the rest in the underworld."

"Who says otherwise? It's all about the child being successful. When he dies, people will burn paper money for him, and he won't be poor in the afterlife. Look at the old lady, she has everything she needs. When she gets there, she travels by carriage and spends money on gold ingots. How extravagant!"

The funeral hall was ready, and everyone began to pay their respects. The musicians played mournful music, and cries rang out in waves.

The villagers of Liujia Village were mourning the old lady when a large group of women arrived. Upon closer inspection, the villagers realized they were women from Bainiwan. Some of them quickly went to find the village chief.

Liu Jinsheng came out and saw these people. "What are you doing here?"

"Village Chief Liu, we are not here to cause trouble. We heard that Old Madam Liu has passed away, so we came to offer our condolences. If you don't believe me, look, we brought paper money."

They were there to mourn the deceased, so how could she stop them? A group of people placed paper money on the incense table, and the village chief's wife led the way in burning incense and then began to cry. After they had cried for a while, the village women invited them aside, and the others continued to mourn.

The gossipy women from the two villages quickly gathered together; they hadn't chatted together in a long time.

Zhu Cuihong asked, "Da Ya, you guys are really well-informed. We know that Old Lady Liu from our village has passed away."

"Don't you even know who I am? I also heard that April cried her heart out."

Actually, we're innocent. We were implicated by the Lu family. We hope that in April, they can be magnanimous and help us.

"That depends on your performance and April's mood."

"Could you please invite April over for me? I have something to say to her."

"Really, I'm not lying to you, I will never cause you any trouble."

"Alright, for the sake of our sisterhood, I'll help you. But I can't guarantee I'll see you in April."