The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 818 An Arranged Marriage

Peggy asked Allen to go back to the room and then turned to Sue. She looked at her in the most generous manner and said, "Sue, please consider the family ties between you and Allen. Why not make things a little easy for him?"

"Do you mean to say that Allen is suffering a lot?" Sue's lips curved into a sarcastic smile as she spoke in an utterly cold voice, "Peggy Li, it is I who had to overcome untold sufferings and struggle in order to survive in the city. And what about Allen? He has been living a life of comfort and solace under your protection!"

She looked at Peggy coldly and continued, "Peggy Li, did it ever occur to you about sparing a bit of love and care for me, at least a fraction of the indulgence that you shower on Allen."

"Shut up!" Peggy blurted. The very mention of her love for her son completely changed her facial expression from being generous to absolutely defensive. "I have every reason to love Allen more than you!" she added in a defiant manner.

Peggy treated Sue as someone absolutely insignificant and irrelevant.

It never occurred to her that her words could even hurt Sue. She spoke her mind without any hesitation, caring least about how Sue would feel, "The fact that I gave birth to Allen uplifted my position in our family, while your birth was a bane to me. Don't you know villagers prefer boys to girls? If a woman gives birth to a girl, she will be cursed while a boy child brings respect for the mother." A glow came to her face as she justified the reason to be more devouring towards a son instead of a daughter.

"How could you say that?" Sue forced a smile and said, "Peggy Li, don't you know a woman should be duly respected?"

"A woman?" Peggy stared at Sue as if she had uttered something absolutely obnoxious. Peggy sneered at her and continued, "I have completed every duty since the day I stepped into this family after my marriage according to my father's wish. The betrothal gifts obtained from my marriage was used in establishing a house for my brother. You father was gone without regrets because I have lived up to his expectation."

Peggy put a satisfying smile on her face and continued, "It is the duty of a woman to assist her husband, bring up her children and remain occupied with household chores."

She looked at Sue coldly and continued, "I am fully aware of your new ideas that are developed by social undertaking these years. But you have to take the responsibility of assisting your younger brother. Can you make any sense out of it?"

"The responsibility?" Sue could not help but laugh coldly and asked, "What is my inherent responsibility?"

"You must do something to help your younger brother get married and settle down. And then marry a good man to live peacefully." Peggy continued her argument in a calm and gentle voice, "Let go of your wishful thinking and turn towards your inherent responsibility."

She looked at Sue coldly and said, "Your good looks can only trigger beastly courage of a man. It is not something that you are meant for."

"Stop nonsense!" Sue blurted out at Peggy. Her thoughts turned to Anthony and her abortive romance. Suddenly she felt as if Peggy had touched upon her sore point. She flared up and sneered, "Have you come here to persuade me to marry someone to serve your purpose?"

"Mind your language, Sue!" Peggy frowned and continued, "Born in a village, we are destined to marry someone and live an ordinary life."

Sue did not have words to curse her misfortune to have been born to this woman. There was a mixture of pain and frustration on her face. She sneered and said, "I would rather be adopted by someone than be raised by you!"

"Definitely! I did think of that!" Peggy sneered and continued, "But since you were a grown up girl, it prevented me from doing so. Now it is your duty to pay for my pains in bringing you up! Do you understand?" Hearing Peggy's unapologetic confession, Sue became absolutely quiet. She did not need another word to prove the fact that she meant nothing more to her mother than just a scapegoat who could be sacrificed for the benefit of the son of the house. Had Peggy not been her blood mother, she would have slapped her right across her face to vent out her anger.

Seeing Sue rendered speechless, Peggy tried to persuade her to accept the arranged marriage. "The family has a very respectable reputation in our village and has promised to give us handsome betrothal gifts that would be enough for your younger brother to marry a good woman upon your acceptance into the family."

Peggy looked at Sue meaningfully and continued her persuasion, "Born a woman, you have to accept your destiny. And you will marry a good man, so will your younger brother -- both of you will be happily settled in respective lives."

"Are you referring to the son of Li family head in our village?" Sue took a guess of the possible bridegroom and replied in a cold voice.

"Yes..." Peggy was a little surprised at Sue's correct assumption. After a moment of silence she continued, "The family has sent us the betrothal gifts and promised to renovate our house later. Besides they are ready to cover the wholesale expenses of wedding. Such opportunity knocks but once! You must seize it!" Peggy looked at Sue with persuasive eyes expecting her to give in after such a long and eloquent discussion.

Sue sneered and looked at Peggy helplessly. "Peggy Li, by no means would I marry into the family no matter what you tell me."

She forced a sarcastic smile as she realized Peggy's unscrupulous ways to make things easy for Allen.

"Despite my absence in the village for so many years, I know that the man is an idiot. My acceptance into the family would mean untold sufferings!" Sue could no longer tolerate the nonsense and illogical bantering of the uneducated woman. She felt immensely wronged and said, "Since you have developed an illicit relationship with the idiot's father, why not solemnize that?."

Sue had hardly finished her sentence when Peggy's rough palm landed on her cheek. Sue covered her cheek with her hand and caressed it gently.

Peggy stared at Sue and said, "Sue, just stop you nonsense or be prepared to suffer the consequence!"

"I am telling the truth!" Sue let off a cold smile and said, "Your scandal has been known to one and all in the village!"

"I am telling you for the last time, I will make you suffer a lot if you continue speaking nonsense in front of me!" Peggy was so humiliated and angered that she pulled Sue's hair and scowled, "Your disrespect towards me does injustice to my painstaking efforts in raising you!"

Peggy could not hold back her temper and pointed at Sue menacingly. "Today I must teach you a good lesson or you always remain discourteous to your seniors."

Peggy was a strong woman, the strength of her arms to be attributed to her heavy manual labor. Sue knew that she had to protect herself.

As Peggy caught Sue in her strong arms, Sue shielded her face as it was the important thing for her job.