blueteamnovel Chapter 608: Honest Words Hurt Even More
Chapter 608: Honest Words Hurt Even More
"Are you satisfied now that my son has ended up like this?"
Mrs. Jia had nowhere to vent her anger, and seeing Tong Huaqiong walk in, she felt utterly displeased.
Just as Gu Jingzhe returned from the city, he and Gu Taohua, Gu Dahuan, and others followed Tong Huaqiong inside, further irritating Mrs. Jia.
Words filled with jealousy spewed from Mrs. Jia’s mouth.
Tong Huaqiong felt bewildered and had no desire to pay attention to Mrs. Jia.
But Mrs. Jia wouldn’t let it go, grabbing Tong Huaqiong’s sleeve, she continued, "Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied? My son’s luck has all been sucked away by your son. If it weren’t for your son, my son wouldn’t have ended up like this."
Tong Huaqiong brushed off Mrs. Jia’s hand and spat on her face, saying, "For all the things your son has done, just having a life left is already a blessing from the heavens."
Then she looked Mrs. Jia up and down, sneering, "People shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket. Don’t you just want a promising son? If one doesn’t work, have two; if two don’t, have three. You don’t seem old to me, and Youtian still seems capable. Why not start another family with Youtian; it’s not too late to have another one."
Such wild and outrageous words.
Mrs. Jia was left speechless.
Chen Sufen passed by Mrs. Jia and said, "Second Aunt, don’t listen to my mother. Having sons is not a good thing. Think about it, raising a son only for him to become a son-in-law for someone else, and he can’t even bring in any bride price."
Honest words hurt even more.
Mrs. Jia, angered, wanted to tear Chen Sufen’s mouth apart, looking at the little girl in her arms, she asked, "If you’re so capable, why can’t you even have a son?"
Chen Sufen replied indifferently, "It’s because I’m afraid of giving birth to a son like Ruinian, so I’d rather not."
Mrs. Jia: "You..."
Mr. Gu shouted into the courtyard, "Enough, stop arguing! What does this look like?"
"People from the Xu family will come soon; won’t it be embarrassing for our in-laws to see this?"
Tong Huaqiong then entered the house.
People from the clan gradually gathered at the Gu family’s old residence, and Tong Huaqiong looked around, noting that everyone wore an unpleasant expression.
After all, no one in the village has ever become a son-in-law before, and Gu Ruinian setting this precedent made it hard for the Gu family members to show their faces in the village.
Gu Ruinian, the son-in-law-to-be, sat in the room, dressed in a new blue outfit, with no expression on his face.
"Ruinian is really becoming a son-in-law? Great Uncle, you have no idea how harsh the villagers’ words are. I’d say, even if he remains unmarried, he shouldn’t go to the Xu family and endure humiliation." Gu Dahu complained to Mr. Gu as soon as he entered the room.
The Clan Leader seemingly glared at Gu Dahu, but internally, he agreed with him. He said to Mr. Gu, "Why don’t we discuss this matter again? Anyway, today is just a meeting for marriage proposal discussions; if the discussions go well, it’ll be settled, otherwise, it’s not like we have to confirm the marriage today."
There was an unspoken thought, though, that if Gu Ruinian managed to pass the imperial exam with flying colors and caught the eye of Princess Shengjing for marriage, it would be an honor for the clan. How is becoming a son-in-law to the former village chief’s family any commendable?
Even though the Xu family is wealthy, the Gu family is not to be trifled with either. My niece-in-law is a county lord and the richest in Yan Guan Town, which should count for something over the Xu family.
Having someone in the family as a son-in-law still leaves the Clan Leader feeling ashamed in the village.
Mr. Gu said, "The Xu family agreed to treat Ruinian’s leg, and if he goes there, maybe the leg can be fixed, giving him a chance to resume his studies. Staying with us his whole life will lead nowhere. Plus, the Xu family promised that in the future, one of Ruinian’s sons will be returned to our lineage, and isn’t raising sons all about continuing the family line and bringing glory? Since the future sons will bear the Gu surname, we’re not losing out."
The Clan Leader looked dissatisfied, raising his voice, "Treat his leg, treat his leg—his leg has been lame for years; can it really be cured?"
Then he looked towards Gu Youtian.
But little did he know, if it weren’t for Gu Youtian wanting to leverage Xu family’s money to do business, would he be willing to let his son become a son-in-law?
Gu Youtian avoided the Clan Leader’s gaze.
"In any case, no joking with one’s son; treating the leg and reading is not without other options..."
The Clan Leader thought of suggesting that Gu Xiaoxue should be married off; given Gu Xiaoxue’s appearance, marrying into a wealthy family in Pingchuan County would be seamless.
But remembering Gu Xiaoxue’s ruthlessness in threatening to poison the whole family, he had second thoughts and suppressed his words.
He then spoke to Tong Huaqiong in a consulting tone, "Niece-in-law, now that you’ve become a county lord, having a son-in-law in the clan doesn’t reflect well on you. Later, when Jingzhe becomes a high official, having a cousin who is a son-in-law won’t sound good. Might as well call it off."
Tong Huaqiong said calmly, "I don’t care about how I’m perceived, and neither does Jingzhe care about such empty reputations."
The Clan Leader, gritting his teeth, looked towards Gu Jingzhe.
Gu Jingzhe said, "My mom’s right. I’ve come back from the city to visit my grandparents, not to interfere with Ruinian’s marriage affairs. Since my grandparents are in good health, I’ll be heading back to town."
Mrs. Gu asked discontentedly, "So, the top-ranked student now has wings and can fly? Why are you going back to town?"
Mrs. Gu didn’t care about Gu Ruinian becoming a son-in-law; what concerned her was the possibility of the Xu family saying unpleasant things at the engagement banquet. Gu Jingzhe’s presence here could support the family’s image. With the golden grandson planning to leave, naturally, she tried to stop him.
Gu Jingzhe answered, "The provincial exam results came out this year; my classmate Meng Yanping passed and is holding a celebration today. I came back from the city because he sent me an invitation, and a few of us classmates plan to bring Mr. Su to the Meng house."
Mrs. Gu snorted.
Upon hearing about this year’s provincial exam results, the Clan Leader sighed conspicuously, seemingly unintentional, "I almost forgot the results were coming out this year. What a pity; I thought we’d have another scholar in the clan this year, but it turns out there wasn’t even one candidate."
Gu Ruinian, who had been silently sitting, suddenly raised his head.
With all the piled-up events, he had long forgotten about the provincial exam.
He recalled the grand send-off from the whole clan last year, setting off to the city brimming with confidence, believing it was the start of him stirring up the world, only to end up with nothing.
His heart, which had resigned itself to fate, suddenly felt a stirring.
Mrs. Jia began to wail loudly.
Mr. Gu had a deeply unpleasant expression, waving over to the Clan Leader, saying, "On a joyous day, don’t mention these things; it’s all fate."
Initially intending to admonish Gu Jingzhe for not mentioning anything but instead turned to the fact that Gu Jingzhe was his most pride-bringing grandson, masking his emotions.
Second Uncle Gu said, "Folks from the Xu family will be arriving shortly, let’s get busy. Stop sulking; wives, go light the fires and cook, Dahu and the others, go chop wood."
The Gu family’s old courtyard was piled with meat and vegetables, bought ahead for Gu Ruinian’s engagement banquet.
Seeing the Clan Leader only focused on arguing with Mr. Gu, Second Uncle Gu stood up to rally everyone into action.
His joyous demeanor seemed slightly out of place among the sullen clan members.
Not only did he support Ruinian becoming a son-in-law, but he was also eager for Ruinian to rush off to the Xu family immediately.