Chapter 843 - 846: Causing Trouble
Chapter 843: Chapter 846: Causing Trouble
Jin Qianqian knew she wouldn’t be able to finish copying the scripture today. Seeing that the ink on the page had dried, she carefully set her brush and paper aside.
"While we can still stay in the village, you should go over and spend more time with Mother when you’re free." Jin Qianqian stretched her joints. "I’ve noticed that whenever you appear in front of the old lady, her mood improves significantly."
Although Li Cuicui never said it out loud and had always complained about Gu Dashi in the past, they had been married for a lifetime. His sudden departure was still too much for her to accept right away. Even though her sons’ wives stayed by her side to keep her company, it just couldn’t compare to having her own sons and grandsons around.
Gu Wenheng said, "It’s inevitable for the elderly to be a bit biased. If she says anything harsh or unpleasant, just ignore her.
"As long as we do what we’re supposed to do, we can consider our duty fulfilled."
Gu Wenheng still couldn’t fully invest himself emotionally, which allowed him to see things more clearly. Spending more time together this round, he could easily detect the difference in how the old lady treated her direct descendants versus her sons’ wives. The old adage that distance makes the heart grow fonder, while familiarity breeds contempt, truly made sense.
Jin Qianqian, however, didn’t mind. "I can understand all of this. If it were me, I might not even handle it as well as she does.
"Speaking of this, I feel a bit conflicted. I don’t know what kind of wives our two children will find in the future.
"I’m in my late thirties and already have to prepare to be a mother-in-law. I really have no confidence about it."
Jin Qianqian felt the old lady was already doing a decent job; at least on the surface, everyone maintained harmony.
Gu Wenheng held her hand and said, "It’s good that you understand. No matter what the two children think, in my heart, no one is more important than you."
Gu Wenheng took the opportunity to express his affection again, making Jin Qianqian smile. "We’ve been married for so long. You saying this is just a reminder that the two children won’t keep me in their hearts either."
Gu Wenheng tapped the tip of her nose and laughed. "Isn’t that obvious? They will have their own lives in the future. Stop constantly worrying about them, and spare some attention for me sometimes."
"You really are holding a grudge against those two." Jin Qianqian understood immediately. He was still dissatisfied with the two boys complaining behind his back and was trying to win the upper hand here. "Understood, I’m definitely on your side. But shouldn’t you go check on Mother now?"
Gu Wenheng replied, "I’ll go get Yuan Jin and the others to come along."
Jin Qianqian was speechless. "You need companions just for this?"
"Of course," Gu Wenheng answered righteously. "We are all her sons. How could it be enough if I go keep her company all by myself? There’s strength in numbers, naturally."
Jin Qianqian didn’t care about his ulterior motives. She waved her hand and said, "Then hurry up and go. It’s a good time for me to go visit Ruyi."
Gu Wenheng stopped walking and looked back at her. "Just take a quick look. We shouldn’t get involved in their other affairs." Every household had a pile of messy problems. If they hadn’t come back, these issues wouldn’t have found their way to them. But since they were staying at home now and had heard about certain things, they still needed to make an appearance to prevent people from calling them cold and unreasonable.
Jin Qianqian naturally understood this logic. After Gu Wenheng left, she took an older female servant with her and walked toward Gu Yuanjin’s house. Passing by Gu Yuanhuo and Gu Yuanshui’s homes, she didn’t forget to call for Li Xiaohua and Liu Liu to join her. As for Wang Caiyue and Hong Da who lived on the other side of the village, female servants were naturally dispatched to fetch them.
"The funeral just finished. I wonder why Song Xiuyang has to make a fuss at a time like this?" the women gossiped as they gathered.
"It’s all because of the children," Liu Liu, who knew more about the situation, explained. "That day, when Dashi was being buried in the mountains, Yunrui, as the eldest great-grandson, naturally had to stand at the front. At that moment, I saw the Song Family’s expression change.
"It’s not that I want to speak harshly. She has been married into the family for years but hasn’t given birth to a single child. Yet for some unknown reason, she always finds Yunrui to be an eyesore. Such a young child hasn’t provoked her at all, but no matter what he does, she thinks it’s wrong."
Jin Qianqian chimed in, "They’ve already split the household and are living apart. If she wants to throw a fit, she should do it in her own small home. If Ruyi doesn’t want to manage them, that’s fine, but why get angry at her?"
Rumor had it that because of this matter, Le Di and the Le Family actually got into a physical fight yesterday, and they were still keeping it a secret from the old lady.
Li Xiaohua said, "Have you forgotten that back then, Yunrui was almost not born because of the Song Family?
"But it was also because the Song Family caused that disaster that she ended up being despised by the Le Family.
"She must be shifting her anger, pinning all her grudges onto Yunrui."
"That’s completely unreasonable," Jin Qianqian frowned, also aware of the incident. "Yunrui was still in the womb at the time. Even if she suffered some grievances back then, she should have taken it up with the Le Family and the others. She really is just going after the easiest target."
"That’s exactly it," Liu Liu nodded in agreement. "From what I’ve observed as a bystander, she has acted more and more like a bitter woman over the years.
"It’s not that I’m biased toward our family’s children, but if it weren’t for our family rules, the Le Family would have taken a concubine long ago.
"I think she is kicking up a fuss now because she sees the Le Family getting older, drawing nearer to the day they can finally take a concubine.
"Actually, there’s something you don’t know. Ruyi mentioned once that Song Xiuyang had the audacity to demand adopting Le Di’s family’s third child.
"At that time, Mrs. Xie was still pregnant, and she nearly miscarried over this issue. It was only after Xie Ruyi and Le Di promised they wouldn’t give the child away that her mood stabilized, finally managing to keep the baby.
"Because of this incident, the Song Family ended up harboring a deep hatred for Mrs. Xie.
"Anyway, as long as it involves those four—mother and sons—the Song Family will always find a flaw to pick on.
"I actually find it bizarre. How does a younger brother’s wife have the nerve to pick on the older brother’s wife? They really gave her too much face."
Reaching this point, Liu Liu suddenly covered her mouth. "With her causing such a scene, could it be that Ruyi and her husband secretly approve of it?"
Jin Qianqian harbored the same suspicion. For a daughter-in-law from a divided household to cause such a ruckus, there were only two possibilities: either Xie Ruyi couldn’t suppress them, or she was intentionally indulging them. Otherwise, since Song Xiuyang had given birth to no children and had no backing, how would she dare to stir up so much trouble? Clearly, the other two had thought of this as well. For the rest of the journey, they remained somewhat silent.
Meanwhile, over at Xie Ruyi’s side, she was leaning against the heated brick bed, her head pounding with a splitting ache. Yesterday’s commotion had truly made them a massive laughingstock in the village.
Gu Letian brought her a cup of water and set it on the small table over the bed. "Mother, if you can’t eat anything, at least sit up and drink some water.
"Le Di and the Le Family have been kneeling outside for so long. If they kneel any longer, their knees won’t be able to handle it."
"Let them kneel to death," Xie Ruyi said angrily. "Yesterday, they looked ready to beat each other to a pulp. Since neither of them wants to live anyway, they can just kneel outside until they die!"
"Mother," Gu Letian sighed. "Truth be told, neither of my brothers can be blamed for this. They are just caught in the middle, trapped in a dilemma."
"They got into a brawl, and you still say they did nothing wrong?" Xie Ruyi suddenly sat up, glaring at her eldest son. "How long has it been since our village saw a fight like that? Let alone the fact that they are blood brothers!"