Chapter 892: Staring
Gu Yuanjin kicked the wall viciously, leaving behind a pitch-black footprint. Wang Caiyue’s mouth twitched at the sight. Did Yuan Jin forget that this wasn’t his house? Fortunately, it wasn’t the old wooden cabin they used to live in, or he would have kicked a hole right through it.
Seeing his eldest brother find an outlet for his frustration, Gu Yuanmu followed suit and kicked the corner of the wall.
Wang Caiyue was left speechless.
The other brothers, equally furious, all copied them.
Wang Caiyue couldn’t hold back anymore. “If you brothers are angry, don’t take it out on my wall! You’ve kicked so many footprints onto a perfectly good wall, and I still have to host guests here in the future.”
With large footprints stamped all over the wall, who knew how future visitors would silently judge them?
“You foolish woman, you’re still worrying about these lifeless objects at a time like this,” Gu Yuanmu scolded. “No matter how bad Gu Yuanfeng was, she was still my biological sister. Now that she’s dead, you’re actually making sarcastic remarks.”
Hearing this, Wang Caiyue wasn’t having any of it. “Why are you taking your temper out on me? It’s not like I took her life.
“If you’re angry, go straight to the Shi family! What’s the point of venting your frustration on me and my wall?”
“You…” Gu Yuanmu pointed a trembling finger at Wang Caiyue, so furious he didn’t know how to reprimand her.
Gu Yuanjin intercepted his hand. “Yuan Mu, Caiyue is right. I was the one who acted recklessly first.
“I’ll have someone come over later to patch it up for you. For now, let’s discuss what we should do about the Shi family.”
“What else can we do now?” Gu Yuanshui asked. “If we just show up at their door, what excuse could we use? Don’t forget, our two families have already severed ties. If we want to intervene, we’ll have to acknowledge those nieces and nephews again. The Shi family certainly calculated this well.”
“So we’re just going to let it go?” Gu Yuanhuo demanded, his fists clenched tight.
“Then what do you propose we do?” Gu Yuanshui retorted. “Gather some men and beat them up at their door? Wouldn’t that be slapping our own faces and disrespecting our elders?”
The brothers fell silent. The Shi family had definitely considered this, which was why they dared to act so ruthlessly. Since they had officially cut ties, if the Gu family were to confront them, they would need a legitimate reason.
Jin Qianqian sighed. “We need to find a way to get someone to investigate. Other than Gu Yuanfeng not receiving timely medical treatment for her injuries, were there any other factors?
“It’s not appropriate for our family to take direct action right now, but we can at least gather more information first.”
Gu Yuanjin and his brothers all looked at Jin Qianqian. “Qianqian, what are you implying?”
Jin Qianqian explained, “We can’t easily interfere, but the government can.
“If she was abused or deliberately killed, the government has the authority to intervene.”
Gu Yuanjin clapped his hands together. “You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that?
“I’ll send someone to investigate right away. If the Shi family truly dared to commit such a brazen act, I’ll make them pay with their lives.”
Jin Qianqian cautioned, “Yuan Jin, let’s first think about whether we know anyone reliable in Stone Village. It would be best if someone is willing to step forward and testify. Our family cannot be the ones to make the move in this matter.”
Gu Yuanshui stood up immediately. “I’ll go out for a bit. Leave this to me.”
“I’ll go with you,” Gu Yuantu added. “I used to visit their village all the time, so I’m familiar with the place.”
As the two brothers left together, Jin Qianqian turned back to Gu Yuanjin. “It’s best if we can find solid leverage, so I can send an official petition to the county government when the time comes.”
With concrete evidence, County Magistrate Gao wouldn’t be able to make any excuses to deflect the case. However, it was about time for County Magistrate Gao of Fu County to be transferred. She just wondered how her husband’s preparations were coming along.
Gu Yuanjin nodded and immediately went to arrange for more men to be sent out.
“You all still need to keep a close eye on Mother,” Gu Yuanjin reminded them before leaving. “I’ve already issued orders forbidding anyone from mentioning this topic, so make sure you keep your people in check.”
Jin Qianqian, however, shifted her gaze to Xie Ruyi. “Ruyi, how is that woman from the Song Family doing lately?”
Xie Ruyi’s face paled. How could she have forgotten about that person?
“Guards!” Jin Qianqian immediately called out to the men at the door. “Go stand watch over the old madam at once. Without my permission, absolutely no one is allowed to see her.”
She then turned to her sisters-in-law. “Make sure you keep the younger generation in line. You don’t want a repeat of what happened with the old master, do you?”
Xie Ruyi stood up abruptly. “I’ll take some people and keep an eye on her right now. I won’t visit Mother for the time being.”
With that, she summoned the older maidservants and headed toward Gu Lejia’s residence.
A short distance away, Song Xiuyang stared at the old madam’s house. In the end, reason triumphed over the resentment in her heart.
She didn’t think for a second that the Gu family would spare her if anything happened to the old lady. Having no family or support system here, her fate could end up even more tragic than Gu Yuanfeng’s. She simply didn’t dare to take the gamble.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, she noticed the guards who usually watched the village entrance appearing around the house. A cold sweat broke out over her back.
Swallowing hard, she dragged her weak body back home, only to find her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law already sitting inside, waiting for her.
“Where did you go?” Xie Ruyi asked coldly.
Song Xiuyang felt a surge of guilt. “Nowhere… I was just taking a walk around the village.”
Xie Ruyi stared at her for a long time. “It better be as you say. Since Lejia isn’t home, pack your things. You’ll be staying at my place from now on.”
“No, there’s no need, Mother. I’ll be fine on my own,” Song Xiuyang refused. Living with her parents-in-law would never be as comfortable as living by herself.
However, Xie Ruyi wasn’t going to let her off the hook this time. “You have no room to bargain. Pack your bags and move over right now.”
Her tone was completely unyielding. She had even brought older maidservants with her, giving off the clear message: if you don’t pack your things, we’ll do it for you.
Song Xiuyang looked at the two sisters-in-law standing next to Xie Ruyi and noticed their indifferent expressions. “What about them? Are they moving in too?”
“Never mind what others are doing. Just focus on yourself,” Xie Ruyi replied. “What’s wrong? As your mother-in-law, can’t I ask you to show some filial piety for once?”
Today, no matter what, she had to keep Song Xiuyang confined by her side. Until this entire ordeal was resolved, she needed someone keeping a close eye on her. They had already dealt with Gu Yuanfeng’s mess once before; they couldn’t afford to have someone else ruin their plans again.
Song Xiuyang bit her lip. Since Lejia wasn’t around, it made sense for her parents-in-law to take charge of the household. If she disobeyed, they could divorce her based on the grounds of unfilial conduct alone. The Gu family had long found her an eyesore, so she couldn’t hand them an excuse on a silver platter.
“I’ll listen to you, Mother.” She thought to herself, “I didn’t plan on causing any trouble in this matter anyway. I might as well go along with them so they have no excuse to make a fuss. It’s just living together, isn’t it? It’ll even save me some trouble.”
Xie Ruyi then spoke to her other two daughters-in-law standing behind her. “That’s for the best. The two of you will take the children and move to my place as well. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t wander outside.”
After ordering the maidservants to keep watch, she finally led the group away.
Meanwhile, at the Shi family’s residence.
Shi Dayong squatted on the threshold, his brows knitted tightly together. “Look at the lot of you! You can’t even look after someone properly. Your mother passed away last night, and none of you even realized it.”
He harbored a much deeper worry. If the Gu family caught wind of this, they certainly wouldn’t let the matter slide. He didn’t believe for a second that severing ties meant complete estrangement. Now that a life had been lost in their hands, the Gu family was bound to demand answers.
To his dismay, no one else in the family seemed to care in the slightest. He was the only one pacing with anxiety.