Chapter 897: Notification
This was exactly what gave the Gu Family Brothers the biggest headache. To keep the old madam from noticing anything amiss, they had been doing their best to avoid her. But while they could keep the secret for a while, they couldn’t hide it forever. With so many people coming and going in the village, it would be devastating if some clueless kid accidentally let it slip one day.
“We still have to tell her,” Gu Yuanshui was the first to speak. “Breaking the news to her gently is much better than letting her hear it from an outsider.” He was already thinking about bringing over doctors from the clinics in Fu County so they could be well-prepared in advance.
Gu Yuanjin was still a little hesitant. “We’ve assigned more people to stay by her side, and we’ve already warned everyone in the village…”
Gu Yuanshui, however, wasn’t as optimistic. “Yuan Jin, don’t forget that our village has a clan school. Children from other villages come here too. There are also women married out of the village returning for visits, kids just passing by… We can’t guard against everyone, can we? No matter who let it slip, such a sudden blow would be unbearable for her.”
Gu Yuanjin looked at the group. “So, which one of you is going to tell Mother?”
No one dared to accept the task. Gu Yuanjin cast a pleading look at Jin Qianqian.
Jin Qianqian shook her head immediately. She had no intention of playing the bad guy; the old madam would only hold a grudge against her.
“Yuan Jin, you and your brothers are all very important in Mother’s heart,” she said. “Why don’t all of you go over and have a good talk with her? If only for your sakes, Mother will surely take care of her health.”
Gu Yuanjin turned back to his brothers. “Then we’ll go together.”
Hearing this, Jin Qianqian quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness they didn’t dump this mess on the daughters-in-law. If Gu Yuanjin had insisted on her stepping forward, she would have dragged her other sisters-in-law along with her. After all, based on seniority, it wasn’t her turn anyway.
Li Cuicui looked at her sons as they appeared in the courtyard together, asking curiously, “Didn’t you say you’ve been busy lately? How come you’re all free now?”
Gu Yuanjin glanced back at the carriage parked at the entrance, where two doctors were already waiting on standby. The brothers surrounded the old madam, with Gu Yuanshui and Gu Yuanhuo each supporting one of her arms.
“What are you all doing?” Faced with her sons’ sudden display of affection, Li Cuicui didn’t feel happy; instead, a sense of panic washed over her.
“Mother,” Gu Yuanjin called out before looking at his brothers. To his dismay, the other guys all turned their heads away, refusing to meet his eyes.
“Do you have something to tell me? Have you brothers stirred up some trouble outside?” Li Cuicui grabbed Gu Yuanshui’s hand. “Tell me, what exactly is going on?”
Gu Yuanshui was speechless. He wondered why she was coming after him when Yuan Jin had been the one speaking.
“You tell her,” Gu Yuanjin hastily said to Gu Yuanshui, the breath he had been holding suddenly rushing out in a sigh of relief.
Under Li Cuicui’s intense gaze, Gu Yuanshui braced himself and said, “Mother, I need to tell you something, but please don’t get agitated. Even if the sky falls, you have us sons to hold it up for you, not to mention all your capable grandsons…”
“Speak,” Li Cuicui gritted her teeth. “Speak. What is going on? I knew you were hiding something from me these past two days. Don’t think I couldn’t see you all biting your tongues. And those extra guards outside the door—don’t tell me you’re just worried about my safety.”
Seeing that these wretched sons had finally come to her door, Li Cuicui dropped the act, her face darkening. Gu Yuanjin and the others felt a wave of relief that they had made this trip today, realizing they had no idea when the old madam might have lost her patience and grabbed a villager to interrogate them.
Gu Yuanshui licked his lips before finally saying, “Mother, there’s bad news. You need to prepare yourself.”
“Speak,” Li Cuicui repeated, unwilling to make wild guesses and having no patience for her son’s suspense. She squeezed the single word through her gritted teeth.
“Yuan Feng is gone,” Gu Yuanshui said, closing his eyes, too afraid to look at the old madam’s reaction. Gu Yuanjin and the rest tensed up, their eyes locked on Li Cuicui’s face.
“What did you say?” Li Cuicui looked utterly bewildered. “I didn’t hear you clearly just now. Say it again.”
Gu Yuanshui felt a sharp sting in his arm as the old madam’s fingernails dug into his flesh. “Yuan Feng is gone. She passed away yesterday,” he repeated.
Gu Yuanhuo gently patted the old madam’s back. “Mother, have a sip of water first. Take a moment to calm down.”
Gu Yuantu was already standing by with a cup of water, but to their surprise, the old madam took two deep breaths and glanced at the brothers. “I don’t have a daughter, and you don’t have a sister. This matter has nothing to do with me, so don’t speak of it to me…”
Seeing this, Gu Yuanjin grew even more worried. “Mother…”
Li Cuicui completely ignored him. She pushed past Gu Yuanmu, who was blocking her way. “All of you, leave.”
Gu Yuanshui carefully trailed behind her to protect her from falling. “Mother…”
“I’m fine. Go about your business.” Li Cuicui glanced at the right wing room and silently sighed. “This is her fate. She has gone to apologize to your father.”
Gu Yuanjin stepped forward and supported the old madam. “Mother, we are going to handle Yuan Feng’s funeral.”
Li Cuicui stopped in her tracks. “We’ve already severed ties. That is a matter for the Shi family to handle. Don’t go. If we are cutting ties, we must make it a clean break.”
Catching the look from Yuan Jin, Gu Yuanshui knew he was destined to play the bad guy today. “Mother, the father and son of the Shi family are currently sitting in the county government prison. Gu Yuanfeng’s body gave out because they refused to hire a doctor to treat her. She lost her life because of their petty, scheming ways, and we brothers are going to settle this score with them. Right now, there is no one in charge at the Shi family. We cannot just sit by and do nothing.”
Li Cuicui’s footsteps faltered. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t forced her to remarry, if I hadn’t found such a beast for her, her life wouldn’t have been so bitter.”
Gu Yuanshui had a daughter of his own, so he understood the old madam’s mentality. It was easy to speak of severing ties, but how could a parent truly let go?
“Mother, how are you feeling?” Gu Yuanmu asked. “If you’re feeling unwell anywhere, should we have a doctor take a look?” He felt the old madam was just trying to put on a brave face, and he was ready to turn around and call the doctors in.
“You boys can set your minds at ease,” Li Cuicui said. “From that day at the ancestral hall, I knew the bond between us as mother and daughter was over.
“I just need a little time to accept it. I am not as heartbroken as you might think. Since you said you need to handle her funeral, go and get busy. You don’t need to watch over me here.”
Despite her words, the Gu Family Brothers couldn’t put their minds at ease, ultimately deciding to leave Gu Yuanshui and the doctors behind. Li Cuicui turned a blind eye to all of this, sitting blankly in the courtyard.
By the time Gu Yuanjin and the rest of his brothers arrived at Stone Village, their fury had reached a boiling point. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it with their own eyes was entirely different. The red New Year couplets hadn’t even been taken down yet, and the entire Shi family residence was dead silent, without the slightest trace of funeral preparations.
“Are you the only one home? Where is everyone else in the village? Are all the Shi Family Members dead?!” Gu Yuanhuo’s fiery temper flared up, and he began shouting curses before he had even stepped through the door.