Chapter 591 - 509: Commotion (Part 2)
Chapter 591: Chapter 509: Commotion (Part 2)
"I’m not going! I’m just not going!" Gu Shaoling’s face was a mask of resentment as she struggled, twisting like a pretzel. "I hate Tang Manman! I absolutely refuse to go to her house. What gives her the right to come to ours? The nerve of her is just unreal!"
"What nonsense are you spouting, child? Are you looking for a spanking?" Granny Gu raised her hand threateningly and lectured, "That’s your future sister-in-law. You’ll need to rely on her in the future."
"Pah! Who does she think she is that I’d have to rely on her? That simpleton? A country bumpkin, a hick, a jinx who brings nothing but disaster! How is she even worthy of my older brother? If you let her marry into the family, she’ll end up ruining the Gu family completely!"
Granny Gu glanced around, secretly relieved that she had sent her eldest daughter-in-law away on an errand. The two maids were in the backyard, airing out some things, and hadn’t heard.
Hardening her heart, she gave Gu Shaoling several sharp smacks on the bottom. "That’ll teach you to not learn your lesson and keep spouting nonsense!" she said, her voice filled with frustration. "How many times have I told you? You’re still so dense. Where did all your childhood cleverness go? What devil has possessed you? Damn it! Was it Tian Xueqin? You were out all day yesterday, did you meet with Tian Xueqin? Did she teach you to say these things? That shallow, vain idiot! If she corrupts my granddaughter any further, I’ll kill her!"
Gu Shaoling was already a fourteen-year-old young lady, yet she was still being spanked. The humiliation and resentment went without saying, but deep down, she was also afraid her grandmother would transfer her anger to her mother. If that happened, her mother would have even less of a chance to come back. Nowadays, her eldest aunt and third aunt barely acknowledged her behind her back, making her feel more and more like a motherless child, truly pitiful.
Gu Shaoling burst into tears with a loud WAIL. "My mom was driven far away!" she cried out. "Where am I supposed to find another mother to teach me to say these things? The truth is right in front of us! What did I say that was wrong? Ever since Tang Manman set foot in the Gu family home, I’ve had no place here! No one loves me anymore! Dad and Mom were driven away and argue all the time, my brother won’t listen to anyone and just casually found some country girl to marry... Granny, do you know? Mom said Dad moved out, and he’s demanding a divorce! Our family is going to fall apart! Granny, remember how united our big family used to be? Now do you see? After our second branch falls apart, the entire Gu family will be next... And it’s all because of that jinx, Tang Manman!"
Granny Gu’s hand remained raised, but she felt a stabbing pain in her temples, as if they were being pricked by needles. Her granddaughter, now a tear-streaked mess, looked so pitiful. In the end, the slap never fell. She only gave her a couple of shoves and chided her:
"Quiet now. No more nonsense. Your parents are just having a little argument; they’ll make up afterward. They’re adults, they know what to do. Don’t you worry. Now come on, wipe your tears, wash your face, and let’s go."
"Granny, I’m really not going. Tang Manman has it in for me; she definitely doesn’t want me at her house."
"More nonsense!"
"I’m not! You saw it yourself! Just because she gave our family a few pills, Tang Manman got Grandpa and Eldest Uncle to forbid me from practicing the Ancient Martial Secret Manual!"
"Oh, honestly, what do you need to practice martial arts for? You’re our family’s pampered young lady. All you need to do is eat well, drink well, and dress well. You can have any kind of life you want. Living in comfort and ease is enough. Why are you so eager to seek out hardship and suffering? Are you silly or what?"
"Granny! Don’t you get it? The Ancient Martial Secret Manual has methods for preserving beauty and staying young forever! Practicing it would be a huge benefit for me! The women and children of the Bai Family all get to practice it. For all we know, Eldest Aunt and Third Aunt are practicing it too! Why won’t they let me and my mom practice? It’s all because of that damn witch, that rotten woman, Tang Manman! Grandpa listens to everything she says. Sooner or later, our family will..."
CRACK! This time, Granny Gu didn’t hesitate. She gave Gu Shaoling a solid slap across the face.
In the end, Granny Gu couldn’t get Gu Shaoling to go to the Tang family’s home. She gave up, leaving Gu Shaoling to sit on the floor, covering her mouth and whimpering. She only instructed a maid to keep an eye on her before leaving with a heavy heart, full of regret and pain, and getting into her car.
Granny Gu knew what Shaoling was talking about—that Ancient Martial Secret Manual that could supposedly preserve one’s youth and beauty forever. The last time Shaoling had pestered her endlessly about it, she had gone to ask her old man why he wouldn’t let Shaoling practice that darned Ancient Martial Arts.
Grandpa Gu had explained it to her: practicing that form of Ancient Martial Arts required a certain talent and spiritual aptitude. The Gu family’s ancestors were practitioners, and the potential was passed down through their bloodline. As a child of the Gu family, Shaoling naturally had it. However, she was truly unsuited for cultivation. First, she had been spoiled since childhood and lacked a strong, resolute will. Second, her temperament was unstable. She was easily instigated and manipulated by others without even realizing it, willingly serving as cannon fodder for them. Letting her practice martial arts would be pushing her toward her death, because she was far too susceptible to qi deviation!
Qi deviation leads to either death or disability—becoming a raving, senseless lunatic. ’Do you want a granddaughter like that?’
That was what Grandpa Gu had asked her. Granny Gu had shivered and shaken her head forcefully. ’Even if her old man allowed Shaoling to practice, she herself would never permit it!’
The banquet prepared at the Tang Mansion was a lavish spread. The atmosphere was cheerful and festive, with everyone eating and chatting, as boisterous and happy as if it were the New Year.
Granny Gu felt a pang of bitterness. Shaoling was clearly missing, yet not a single person had asked about her.
There was no need to even mention the Tang family. Ever since that incident where Manman was called a jinx and a harbinger of disaster, whenever the two families gathered, it was one thing if Shaoling wasn’t there. But even if she were sitting right at the table, Old Mrs. Tang wouldn’t bother to spare her a glance. Mr. Tang was even more extreme—he’d simply pretend she didn’t exist!
But today, the members of the Gu family who had come to the Tang home also, by some unspoken agreement, didn’t ask about her or show any concern. Even the little pixie, Gu Shaoying, and Gu Shaoqin, who was about Shaoling’s age and would normally exchange a few words with her, seemed to have forgotten all about Shaoling. Not one word was said about her.
Granny Gu sighed, heartbroken. She felt both resentful and miserable. ’My precious granddaughter, whom I doted on and raised with such care—is she really ruined just like that?’
’Damn that Tian Xueqin and the Tian family! Just you wait, you’ll get what’s coming to you!’