Helen Parker Makes False Accusations
"Lucky! Protect my mother—don't let those two crazy old women lay a finger on her!" Lily shot up, her eyes cold as she stared down Grandma Evans and Helen Parker.
Helen Parker, already feeling guilty, was unnerved by Lily's glare. She stuck out her neck and cursed, "Lily, what's with the attitude! You little thief, you stole the hairpin I bought for Mom and gave it to your own mother. How shameless can you be! If you want a hairpin, earn your own money and buy it. Why steal mine?"
Grandma Evans shouted, "That's right! The eldest daughter-in-law is so filial, she used her earnings to honor her mother-in-law and bought me jewelry. But who would have thought you'd steal it! Look at you, so young and already up to no good—stealing chickens, sneaking around, even stealing men!"
"That hairpin was clearly bought for my mom. Since when did I steal yours?" Lily sneered. These two shameless women were twisting the truth!
"It was my eldest daughter-in-law who bought it for me! I hadn't even worn it yet before you stole it!" Grandma Evans screeched, her eyes bulging. "Your family's so poor, where else would you get a hairpin if not by stealing?"
By now, a bunch of villagers had been drawn over by the commotion, eager for some drama.
Seeing the crowd, Helen Parker raised her voice, playing the victim for all to hear. She turned to the villagers, "Everyone, help me judge this! A few days ago, I went to town to sell goods and made a little money. As you all know, I'm always filial, so I bought my mother a hairpin. But on the way home, I shared a ride with Lily, and she got greedy for my jewelry. When I wasn't looking, she stole the hairpin I bought! I was so confused about how it went missing, but now I know—it was Lily, the thief!"
Spotting Old Man Qian, who drove the cart that day, Helen Parker called out, "Old Man Qian, back me up! A few days ago, Lily and I rode your cart into town, didn't we?"
Old Man Qian quickly waved his hand, "You two did ride my cart, but plenty of folks did that day. How can you be so sure it was Lily who stole it?"
Helen Parker insisted, "I only showed the hairpin to her on the road, then wrapped it up and put it in my bag. I remember Lily's shifty eyes staring at my bag when I put it away—she must've been eyeing it! You see, she was the only one on the cart who knew about the hairpin and where I put it. As soon as I got off, the hairpin was gone. It had to be Lily who stole it!"
Turns out, Helen Parker had swindled a tael of silver from a restaurant that day, but when she got home, Susan Evans mocked her, saying, "Didn't you say you struck it rich? So why'd you only buy a few things? Where's all your money? I think you're just a braggart!"
Stung by Susan Evans's words, Helen Parker quickly hatched a plan. She lied, claiming she'd spent a lot of money on jewelry for her mother-in-law, but had accidentally lost it.
Today, Helen Parker and Grandma Evans went out together. Helen Parker happened to see Margaret Evans wearing a new hairpin and instantly knew it was the one Lily bought with her mushroom money. Jealous and greedy, Helen Parker wanted to snatch it for herself. But she was afraid of Lucky, and figured Grandma Evans, being the elder, could get away with it—even if they fought Margaret Evans for the hairpin, Lily wouldn't really let Lucky hit her own grandmother.
Helen Parker came up with a plan and lied to Grandma Evans, claiming the hairpin Margaret Evans was wearing was the very one she'd lost.
Grandma Evans genuinely believed Helen Parker had bought her jewelry, never suspecting she was being fooled. Hearing this, she charged at Margaret Evans, trying to snatch the hairpin. The self-proclaimed shrewd Grandma Evans had no idea she was being used as a pawn by Helen Parker this time.