A woman who was fastidious and thorough in everything got a daughter-in-law who was a careless and easy-going person contrary to her mother-in-law. The villagers talked in whispers, “From now on, the daughter-in-law will have no good days,” thinking that the daughter-in-law would not bear up under the control of her mother-in-law.
As the people anticipated, the mother-in-law forced her daughter-in-law to do lots of work in order to get the start on her at her early married life. Even at a small mistake of the daughter-in-law, the mother-in-law picked on her, saying, “Didn’t you learn such a basic thing from your parents?” Whenever the daughter-in-law heard that, she politely replied, “I make mistakes often because I’m not careful enough. I’m really blessed to have a careful and thorough mother-in-law like you. I’ve learned many things from my parents, but I learn more from you since I got married. Whenever I make a mistake, please rebuke me and teach me more.”
To the daughter-in-law, who humbled herself with a modest attitude every time, the mother-in-law gave her daughter-in-law the key to the barn, saying, “From now, you are in charge of housekeeping.” The daughter-in-law, who inherited the key to the barn, did the housework with the greatest care, asking her mother-in-law even about small things. The mother-in-law, whom the people around her felt uncomfortable with because of her character, became gentle gradually.