The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!

Chapter 607: Don’t Make Excuses for Your Shamelessness

Gu Ruinian returned home, put down the hoe, picked up some firewood, and walked towards the kitchen.

The kitchen had two stove eyes, one used by Gu Fengnian’s family, and the other by Mr. Gu’s family.

Gu Xiaoxue was on vacation these two days, so she was cooking at home.

Gu Ruinian sat by the stove, using a fire stake to ignite the stove fire, waiting for Mrs. Jia to come in and stir-fry.

In his past life, although Gu Ruinian also lived in the countryside, he never even stepped into the kitchen, let alone carried a bowl of rice.

Therefore, he was quite unfamiliar with kitchen tasks.

He fumbled with the fire stake and took a long time to light it. A burst of thick smoke surged up, causing him to cough incessantly.

Gu Xiaoxue gave him a cold glance, then silently continued stir-frying.

The meals after Gu Xiaoxue’s family divided from the old house were vastly different. Xiaoxue made money from the weaving workshop, Mrs. Wei took on some tasks from the workshop, and Gu Fengnian had been growing cotton with Gu Dashi recently, ensuring one meat meal every day with the money the three of them earned.

Gu Xiaoxue was stewing braised pork in the pot.

The pork was from the local pig in Tong Huaqiong’s pigpen; simmered in the big firewood pot, it made people’s mouths water.

Gu Ruinian hadn’t eaten meat for a long time and was eager to lift the pot lid and grab a few pieces to satisfy his craving.

As he was thinking about this, suddenly thick smoke rushed out from the stove, stinging his eyes so he couldn’t open them. After a fuss, he finally got the fire going, tired enough to feel his arms would snap.

"How are you so useless? You can’t even start a fire; you waste more firewood every day than your whole self. You shouldn’t go to the fields this afternoon. Go chop firewood on the back hill." Mrs. Gu stood at the kitchen door, scolding.

Thinking two scoldings would suffice, but Mrs. Gu, mocked in the village for having a grandson who was marrying in, grew angrier the more she thought about it, unleashing her pent-up anger by endlessly scolding Gu Ruinian.

She scolded from Gu Ruinian’s failing in the imperial examination to his illicit affair with Xu Zaohua.

Gu Ruinian sat by the stove, stifled and feeling agonized by the scolding.

After scolding, Mrs. Gu went to the main room to sulk, leaving only Gu Ruinian and Gu Xiaoxue in the kitchen again.

Gu Ruinian sighed and said, "This life is unbearable."

Gu Xiaoxue said indifferently, "Is this just the beginning?"

Gu Ruinian protested, "Haven’t I suffered enough?"

Usually, Gu Xiaoxue had nothing to say to Gu Ruinian, but today she unexpectedly opened up.

"You can’t take this suffering? What suffering do you have? Isn’t it just making a fire, fetching water, weeding, plowing... This is exactly what I’ve always done."

"If you think this is suffering, what kind of life have I lived before? How come you never said a just word for me then? We’re both Gu family members, what I do is normal, but what you do is suffering?"

"You blew up the roof of two rooms at home, spent all the family’s money on your studies, did shameful things with Xu Zaohua that humiliated the whole family, made gunpowder privately causing worries to the entire clan, yet the family neither sold nor drowned you."

"Open your eyes and see, what are you dissatisfied with?"

Gu Ruinian was stunned by these words.

He thought Gu Xiaoxue was wrong, particularly because he was the son, and Gu Xiaoxue was the daughter.

Since ancient times, aren’t daughters supposed to sacrifice for sons?

But facing Gu Xiaoxue’s bright eyes, Gu Ruinian guiltily turned his head away.

"You keep blaming me, but your past life wasn’t caused by me, it was caused by societal norms." Gu Ruinian mumbled.

Gu Xiaoxue didn’t understand what societal norms meant, but she knew Gu Ruinian was still the selfish, indifferent, cold-blooded Gu Ruinian.

Gu Xiaoxue said, "Societal norms? You’re saying that most people treat daughters this way, so you justifiably watched me suffer? Is that why you comfortably want to use me to pay your debts? Don’t excuse your shamelessness. Sister Taohua was right, you’re just selfish and self-centered. Even if society treats me poorly, we are siblings, born of the same mother. Have you ever given me a piece of meat at the table? Have you ever stopped our parents from hitting and scolding me? You could easily have helped, but you chose to watch me suffer indifferently. How dare you blame it on society?"

"You really have no shame."

"Now you’re trying to make nice with me just to try to win back my sympathy. Sorry, I don’t feel your so-called suffering is suffering at all. I think heaven is still good to you. Despite all the bad things you’ve done, you’re not condemned to hell but only marrying in."

Exposed, Gu Ruinian was ashamed and angry, pointing at Gu Xiaoxue.

Gu Xiaoxue brushed off his finger and said, "Next time you point at me, don’t blame me for chopping your finger off."

Gu Ruinian, furious, sat down heavily in front of the stove.

Without looking at him, Gu Xiaoxue uncovered the pot lid, spooned the savory braised pork into a large white porcelain bowl, then swaggered past Gu Ruinian while humming a song.

Aunt was right; living well is the biggest punishment for the undeserving second brother.

Gu Ruinian: "..."

Now anyone could step on him.

It was one thing for Mrs. Gu as an elder to step on him, but now Gu Xiaoxue too.

It was simply outrageous.

Gu Ruinian ground his teeth in anger.

Just hoping Gu Xiaoxue would get married soon.

"Ruinian, how are you managing the fire? It’s almost burning you. This outfit is meant for your engagement, pay attention to it, or your grandma will scold you again when she sees." Mrs. Jia rushed into the kitchen, seeing the flames shooting out of the stove, and pulled Gu Ruinian up in fright.

She sniffed the scent of meat, looked outside, and discontentedly said, "Xiaoxue is becoming more arrogant, probably learned it from working at the weaving workshop with the main family. She earns money but doesn’t turn it over to the family, and she doesn’t even share the meat she buys with us."

Hearing this, Gu Ruinian casually remarked, "Xiaoxue is capable now, I just wonder with her personality, what kind of family she could marry into later, she might end up like Sister Taohua, with no one proposing yet."

His words sparked Mrs. Jia’s thoughts.

It was previously agreed upon during the family division that Gu Xiaoxue would live with Fengnian and Mrs. Wei, but talking about marriage was still to be decided by her and Gu Youtian.

For the past six months, she was drowning in Gu Ruinian’s tragic situations, forgetting that Gu Xiaoxue was at the age for marriage proposals.

Now, her oldest son’s family treated her indifferently, and her hopes shattered with her younger son’s dream of becoming a scholar, necessitating marrying into the Xu family, Mrs. Jia had several times not wanted to live anymore.

Now the only thing she could grasp onto was Gu Xiaoxue’s marriage.

The only thing to hold over Xiaoxue was the marriage.

Mrs. Jia said, "Once you’re engaged, I’ll find a matchmaker."

Gu Ruinian was about to say something when he saw Gu Honglian humming and coming in, forcing him to swallow his words.

Since Gu Xiaoxue ridiculed him and didn’t let him feel well, he would trip her up.

...

Soon it was Gu Ruinian and Xu Xinghua’s engagement banquet.

Because Gu Ruinian was marrying in, the Gu family hadn’t prepared anything; all the engagement arrangements were made by the Xu family.

Mr. Gu felt ashamed to send away a grandson, and through his efforts, the engagement banquet was held at the Gu family’s old house.

Tong Huaqiong thought, this was simply unnecessary, like taking off pants to fart.

Who in the whole village didn’t know Gu Ruinian was marrying in?

Engagements are supposed to be joyful events, but the old Gu family house showed no festive atmosphere.

As soon as Tong Huaqiong entered the old house, she saw Mrs. Jia wiping tears.