Chapter 112: Erica’s wonderful mother-in-law
“Who are you saying is the abandoned child?”
All eyes turned towards Mrs. Hani as she approached. Erica’s mother-in-law stood beside Erica. Mrs. Hani’s haughty gaze glared directly at Kora. Mrs. Hani had been present for a while, but upon seeing Erica talking to the two individuals, she thought they were Erica’s acquaintances and didn’t want to disturb them. Given that Erica also had her own private social relationships, Mrs. Hani needed to respect that. However, Mrs. Hani was mistaken; they were not Erica’s friends. Upon hearing what Kora and Kora’s mother were saying about Erica, Mrs. Hani couldn’t bear it any longer and had to step forward to intervene.
“Are you the one who just spoke correctly?”
“Yes, it’s me. So what?” Kora replied with a defiant and disrespectful attitude towards the adult. Immediately, Mrs. Hani swung her hand and slapped Kora, causing her to feel a painful sting. Mrs. Hani’s sudden and decisive action left Erica, Mrs. Lani, and even Kora stunned, unable to react in time.
“You crazy woman!” Kora cursed, immediately receiving another slap from Mrs. Hani.
“How dare you hit me?” Kora held her cheek, angrily interrogating, “Who do you think you are?”
“Your filthy mouth has insulted my grandson. You deserve to be slapped.” Mrs. Hani’s voice was cold and unyielding.
“What?” Kora stammered in the face of the radiant aura emanating from Mrs. Hani.
“If nobody has taught you proper manners and kindness, then let me, on behalf of your parents, teach you how to behave properly,” Mrs. Hani sternly warned.
“How dare you? Do you think you’re entitled to do that? You…” Kora attempted to retaliate by raising her hand to hit Mrs. Hani, but Mrs. Hani’s hand held her back.
“When an adult provides guidance and you refuse to learn and dare to strike back, it is truly audacious.” Mrs. Hani scolded sharply. Kora had never been treated like this before and suddenly felt overwhelmed.
“Excuse me, madam! How dare you lay hands on my daughter?” Mrs. Lani, after a moment of being motionless, regained her composure and immediately spoke up in defense of Kora. Mrs. Lani pushed Kora aside to confront Mrs. Hani directly.
“Is she your daughter?” Mrs. Hani asked, scanning Mrs. Lani with her eyes.
“Yes, she is,” Mrs. Lani asserted proudly and questioned, “Who are you to dare to hit my daughter?”
“Your daughter deserves to be beaten,” Mrs. Hani asserted. “As a mother, you don’t know how to educate your children, and instead, you go along with it and even cheer your daughter on as she bullies others. Your mistake is extremely serious.”
“Who do you think you are to meddle in other people’s business?” Mrs. Lani angrily shouted: “And here you are, loudly teaching others? Don’t call yourself a saint. What does our story have to do with you?” Mrs. Lani haughtily asked, “Who are you after all?”
“I find your behavior quite irritating, so I wanted to intervene and set things right; why wouldn’t I?” Mrs. Hani stated this resolutely. “And I happen to be Erica’s mother-in-law.”
“What? Mother-in-law? Daughter-in-law?” Mrs. Lani exclaimed in disbelief. Standing beside her, Kora was equally taken aback. They never expected that Erica had actually gotten married.
“What is your problem with my daughter-in-law? And who are you?” Mrs. Hani politely asked the question.
“So it turns out you’re the mother-in-law-the daughter-in-law,” Mrs. Lani responded sarcastically instead of answering. “Well, both of you look equally poor, lowly, and uneducated.”
“What did you say?” Mrs. Hani angrily asked.
“I’m simply stating the truth; what’s wrong with that?” Mrs. Lani deliberately provoked the fish, patiently waiting for it to bite.
“How dare you insult…” Mrs. Hani was about to say something, but Erica was quicker to respond.
“Mom, calm down. Getting angry is not the right thing to do,” Erica urged, realizing Mrs. Lani’s dark intentions, which were to tarnish her mother-in-law’s reputation. She didn’t want her mother-in-law to endure unnecessary hardships, so she quickly intervened.
“Erica, what’s going on with them?” Her mother-in-law turned to her and asked.
“It’s not important, Mom,” Erica said gently. “Don’t pay attention to them. Let’s go to another store.”
As Erica spoke, she gently pulled Mrs. Hani’s hand to leave. However, Kora and Mrs. Lani weren’t willing to let it go. They were determined to retaliate for the two slaps that Kora had received from Mrs. Hani.
“Hey, you low-class people! You can’t just hit someone and then walk away as if nothing happened. That’s not acceptable!” Mrs. Lani exclaimed, calling for attention from everyone. “They are truly uncivilized, lowly individuals. They don’t know how to behave, even though they are poor. They make mistakes but refuse to take responsibility.”
“Everyone, gather here and bear witness! These two individuals assaulted my daughter and callously left, disregarding the consequences. I implore all of you to stand up for justice on behalf of my daughter.” Mrs. Lani once again presented herself as the victim.
Seeing everyone’s gaze on her, Mrs. Hani suddenly realized that this was Mrs. Lani’s intention. For a moment, Mrs. Hani felt confused and unsure of what to do. Sensing this, Erica swiftly urged her.
“Mom, let’s go. Please don’t pay attention to the words of this woman,” Erica encouraged.
Once again, Erica calmly took Mrs. Hani’s hand and led her away. Realizing that her verbal attack had no effect, Mrs. Lani immediately switched to another plan. She suddenly rushed forward, grabbing Mrs. Hani’s hand, and began berating her:
“You can’t leave. You dared to hit my daughter, and I must demand justice for her.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
“Let go,” Mrs. Hani demanded, but Kora, Kora’s mother, stubbornly refused to release her grip. As Erica attempted to assist her mother-in-law, Mrs. Lani forcefully pushed her away. Witnessing Erica’s unsteady state, teetering on the verge of falling backward, an outburst of anger escaped from Mrs. Hani:
“How dare you push my daughter-in-law! Can’t you see that she is pregnant? If anything happens to the baby and Erica, will you be able to bear the responsibility?”
“I don’t care,” Mrs. Lani replied defiantly.
“You’re insane!” Mrs. Hani scolded. “You’re rude; you’re cruel.”
“You’re just cursing yourself,” Mrs. Lani retorted without hesitation. “Daring to hit my daughter, I must seek revenge for Kora.”
Mrs. Lani rushed forward and grabbed Mrs. Hani by the hair, prompting Mrs. Hani to defend herself in a similar manner. Both sides engaged in a physical altercation, creating a chaotic scene.
Seeing that people were watching, Kora, fearing embarrassment, intervened and pulled her mother away. Some nearby individuals also stepped in to help. Eventually, the two parties separated from each other.
Both sides glared at each other with hostile eyes and showed no signs of stopping. Mrs. Lani was determined to humiliate Erica’s mother-in-law by stirring up old issues.
“It’s true that, like a mother, like a daughter, Your daughter-in-law is a despicable person.” Mrs. Lani pointed directly at Erica’s face, speaking loudly. “Do you all know? She is a heartless and disgraceful individual. She plotted to seduce my daughter’s boyfriend. She even physically harmed my daughter, resulting in her miscarriage. Tell me, can someone as wicked as her have a good ending?”
The crowd gathered and began to argue, directing their attention towards Erica. Some eyes showed disdain and criticism towards her. Seeing that she had successfully attracted public support, Mrs. Lani smiled triumphantly and continued her attack on Mrs. Hani.
“She caused my daughter so much suffering and loss, and yet she easily got married and is soon to become a mother. Tell me, where is the justice in that? It seems that fate is truly blind. If any of you were in my position as parents, would you accept a daughter-in-law like her?”
“It should have been that way. And yet, this woman accepts it. That proves these two are similar. I bet this guy also seduces men all the time, not to mention married men.” Mrs. Lani shows no fear or shame as she openly slanders the Brown lady. Mrs. Lani’s behavior is foolish and ignorant.
When faced with such humiliation and unable to tolerate it any longer, Mrs. Hani was about to speak up in rebuttal. And Mrs. Lani was eagerly waiting for Mrs. Hani to speak, as she wanted a reason to continue belittling her.
“What did you say? Do you know who you’re offending? Be careful, I will make…” Mrs. Hani angrily exclaimed, intending to warn Mrs. Lani, but Erica intervened.