novelraw Chapter 170 How about marrying into the Zhu family?
Chapter 170 How about marrying into the Zhu family?
Chapter 170 How about marrying into the Zhu family?
Grandma Zhu was speechless for a long time, her mind a jumble of thoughts, unable to sort out and understand these things for the time being.
How could such a distressing thing happen to such a well-off family? And it wasn't just one thing, but several in a row. No wonder the Gu family elders fell ill.
After recounting everything in one go, Gu Mei pursed her lips and reluctantly added, "My father forbade anyone to tell anyone about my stepmother and aunt's theft of silver. He said that if word got out, outsiders would say that our Gu family is a den of thieves!"
Her brother is a good-for-nothing, often stealing chickens and dogs. If this gets out again, people will definitely say that the Gu family has a bad family tradition and is a den of thieves. Otherwise, how come the big and small kids all become thieves?
"Just listen to this, don't spread it around. My father is determined to marry me off, and if this gets out, it will affect my marriage."
Gu Mei gave the Zhu family women some instructions, feeling a little regretful that she shouldn't have mentioned the theft of silver earlier.
Yan twitched the corners of her mouth, feeling a surge of satisfaction, and couldn't help but retort to Gu Mei.
"You just called me a thief! Aren't you all the same? Lai An is dishonest, and the two wives he married into the family are also thieves. And your own mother, who died young, was also a thief."
"You're no better yourself! Did you secretly take less of anything from the Gu family? We're all the same kind of people, who's any better than whom? You act so high and mighty, do you really think you're clean?"
"You!" Gu Mei stood up abruptly, glaring at her fiercely.
Startled by the fierce look on her face, Yan immediately shouted, "Look at her! Look at her! She looks like she wants to devour me alive! How can a young woman who hasn't even left home yet have such a vicious air about her? Bah! She's truly a born scoundrel!"
Gu Mei was so angry at these words that she trembled, forgetting that she was no match for Yan Shi, and raised her hand to slap Yan Shi.
Yan was quick-witted and blocked the slap. She was about to slap back when Old Lady Zhu stopped her with a stern voice.
"Third son's wife!"
Yan froze, not daring to bring down the raised hand.
Gu Mei's mind cleared for a moment, but she was also panicked and scared. She quickly broke free from Yan's hand and hid behind Old Lady Zhu again.
Old Mrs. Zhu shielded the person and pointed at Yan's nose, cursing: "You heartless, rotten wretch! With what you just said, not only would Mei want to hit you, but I would also want to slap you twice!"
Yan's heart trembled, and she quickly lowered her head, no longer daring to be arrogant.
Old Mrs. Zhu was still seething with anger. "It's one thing to talk about the Gu family, but you had to bring up An and my daughter who died young! An lost his mother at a young age, and his father remarried. It's inevitable that a boy with no one to care for him would go astray. You elders should be teaching him, not gloating and exposing his shortcomings!"
And my daughter, she passed away so young. Even if there were many issues between you, you should at least show her some respect, just for the sake of her passing. But you, instead of showing any respect for my daughter, you even smeared her reputation! Is this how a sister-in-law should act?!
Yan bowed her head and accepted the scolding without saying a word, but in her heart she hated Old Lady Zhu to death.
Seeing that things were getting increasingly unpleasant, Qin, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhu family, and Ding, the second daughter-in-law, got up to mediate.
“Mother, my third son’s wife always speaks without thinking and only cares about getting her way. Why bother arguing with her? You’ll only hurt yourself.”
"Sister-in-law is right. Third sister-in-law doesn't have any bad intentions, she just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Don't listen to her."
Old Mrs. Zhu's expression softened, and with the help of her eldest and second daughters-in-law, she found a way to raise the price herself.
"You don't need to clean up here. Go back to your room. In the future, change this temper and think before you speak!"
"Hurry up, thank your mother!" Qin and Ding tugged at Yan's clothes, signaling her to stop while she was ahead.
Madam Yan didn't look up, keeping her head down, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Thank you, Mother..."
After saying this, Madam Yan left the kitchen without looking back.
Seeing Yan's appearance, Qin and Ding felt uneasy. Although they disliked Yan, if they had to choose a side, they would definitely side with Yan!
It's all because my mother-in-law's daughter, Zhu Xiuer, who died young, is truly a terrible person!
Yan suffered countless losses at Zhu Xiuer's hands, and even lost two children because of her.
If it were them, they would have torn Zhu Xiuer to pieces!
Recalling these events, Qin and Ding felt conflicted. Seeing their mother-in-law still protecting Gu Mei, they suddenly understood why Yan had said those things earlier.
Gu Mei's biological mother, Zhu Xiuer, caused Yan Shi to miscarry two children. Back then, Zhu's parents, relying on the fact that all of Yan Shi's family members had died, favored Zhu Xiuer and married her off without punishing her.
Now, more than a decade later, Zhu Xiuer's daughter has once again taken the lead over Yan Shi, showing no respect for her elders. Originally, I thought I could teach her a lesson, but unexpectedly, my mother-in-law once again sided with her.
Qin and Ding couldn't imagine what Yan must be feeling right now.
Thinking of all this, the two sisters-in-law were also dissatisfied. They told Old Lady Zhu that they had something to do inside, and without waiting for Old Lady Zhu's reaction, they left the house one after the other.
The Zhu family's daughters and sons were all eating in their own rooms. The kitchen was too crowded, and Gu Lianshan wouldn't allow them to sit at the table in the main room, so they had to take their food back to their own rooms to eat.
Therefore, after Qin and Ding left, only Old Lady Zhu and Gu Mei remained in the kitchen.
Watching her daughters-in-law leave one by one, Old Mrs. Zhu's eyes darkened, knowing that they were harboring resentment.
They hadn't forgotten or forgiven what their daughter had done back then, especially the third son's wife, who always kept it in mind. Even her third son was the same, becoming increasingly indifferent to her and her husband.
In earlier years, she and her husband didn't care much, but in recent years, their health has been deteriorating year by year, and they don't know when they might pass away. So they thought about trying to ease their relationship with their third son and his wife.
The third son's wife had lost two children in succession years ago, which probably damaged her health, and she has not been pregnant since.
Now, the third son and his wife only have one son, and he is in poor health, often sickly.
The third son's wife is dishonest; she's always trying to "get" more money to save, firstly to treat her son's illness, and secondly so that when her son gets married and has children, the couple can help raise their grandchildren.
It was because of this incident that her third son became increasingly dissatisfied with the two elders.
The eldest and second eldest sons each had three or four daughters and sons, but the third eldest son only had one sickly child.
If it were fate, that would be one thing, but it was man-made. Who wouldn't be angry in that situation?
Old Mrs. Zhu felt saddened when she thought about these things, and she kept thinking about how to make it up to her third son and his wife.
Giving money directly won't work; the eldest and second eldest are watching closely. We have to find a way to make up for it elsewhere.
"Grandma, are my aunts angry with me?" Gu Mei asked worriedly from behind Old Madam Zhu. She had offended all three of her aunts at once. Would she still be able to come to the Zhu family in the future?
Grandma Zhu snapped out of her daze and absentmindedly reassured them, "Nothing's wrong. Your aunt and uncle have been making winter clothes for your cousins lately, and they're rushing back to their rooms to finish them."
Gu Mei's gaze darkened. She believed that her eldest and second aunts had gone back to their rooms to make winter clothes, but she was certain that her third aunt would hold a grudge against her!
Gu Mei looked worried as she recalled how she had just recounted everything that had happened to the Gu family.
“My eldest and second maternal aunts are alright, but my third maternal aunt is very vengeful. Grandma, now that she knows about the things the Gu family has been keeping secret, will she deliberately spread rumors and ruin my reputation? My father is trying to find me a husband everywhere, and if any bad news comes out, I'm afraid I won't be able to get married…”
"No, no, Grandma will tell your third aunt again later, and I promise she won't go around spreading rumors and it won't affect your marriage." Old Mrs. Zhu looked at Gu Mei, her eyes filled with longing.
Her granddaughter looks about five parts like her daughter who died young.
For this reason alone, she should lend a hand in arranging a marriage.
"Did your father say what kind of family he wanted to marry you into?"
"He didn't say. Father told me to think about it myself. He said the matchmaker would be coming to the door in the next couple of days. He told me to think it over carefully and then tell the matchmaker when I've made up my mind."
Is this being done according to Mei Yatou's wishes?
Grandma Zhu asked again, "What about the dowry? Don't feel ashamed or angry. Your father has been won over by his stepmother's son, so he won't plan for you. You have to plan for yourself!"
Gu Mei knew a little about this: "My father said a few years ago that he would give two taels of silver to buy cabinets, clothes, bedding and other items as part of my dowry."
Old Mrs. Zhu paused for a moment. Two taels of silver as a dowry? That's quite a generous sum!
A hint of envy flashed across her face. If the Zhu family's sons could marry girls with two taels of silver as dowry in the future, she would be more than happy to give up a few years of her life.
Unfortunately, girls with such dowries have no trouble finding husbands; they are all highly sought-after. How could the Zhu family possibly have a chance?
There's nowhere to look for it!
With a sigh inwardly, Old Lady Zhu, whose thoughts were wandering elsewhere, suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
His gaze slowly fell on his granddaughter, Gu Mei. A girl with two taels of silver as a dowry... there was one right in front of him!
Grandma Zhu's eyes flickered, she hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth and made a decision.
She feigned concern and defended Gu Mei, pulling her into her arms: "My dear granddaughter—whose daughter doesn't look for a husband two or three years in advance? The elders of both sides should communicate first, and the two families should observe each other for two or three years. If everything is good, then a matchmaker can be asked to come and propose marriage."
Who arranges a marriage within a month or two before the New Year? Even if you're in a hurry, you have to wait until after the New Year. But look at the way your father is handling this matter—rushing it like this, what kind of good family can he possibly find?!
Gu Mei said with resentment, "This is all because of Siya's instigation! My father only listens to Siya now! Whatever Siya says is right!"
"Your life is so miserable!" Old Mrs. Zhu's eyes reddened, and she forced out two tears.
"It's already this hard being a daughter at home. If you marry into another family and become a wife, without your family to support you, your life will only get harder!"
Gu Mei was stunned for a moment, broke free from Old Madam Zhu's embrace, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is life even harder after marriage than this?!"
"Silly girl, look at those wives around you. They're only a few years older than you, but haven't you seen the kind of lives they lead in their husbands' homes?"
"Let's not talk about anything else. Just take your Gu family as an example. Did your stepmother have a good life at home? She endured more than ten years of hardship and gave birth to a son and a daughter. Your father beat and scolded her every day. If you were in her shoes, could you bear all that suffering?"
Beating and scolding is one thing, but to divorce her so easily! It's just taking her own daughter's money, is that stealing? A daughter who hasn't married should have all her earnings kept by her mother; how can she let a young lady take it all!
"Your aunt was even worse off! Years ago, I heard from your mother that your aunt had miscarried several children. Your uncle and your grandmother scolded her for being useless, saying she couldn't even get pregnant!"
Later, although they raised two daughters and a son, your grandmother and your eldest uncle still thought your eldest aunt was unlucky! During the days she was missing, who worried about her? Who looked for her every day? Without her, your whole family still managed to get by, didn't they?
"As you can see, being a daughter-in-law is a life of hardship, like chewing bitter herbs. Only after decades of hardship, when you finally become a mother-in-law, can you enjoy a sweet life!"
These words sent a chill down Gu Mei's spine. Was marriage really this terrifying?!
"Grandma! I don't want to get married! Please beg my father for me! I promise to behave myself and never make him angry again!" Gu Mei panicked and pleaded.
Old Mrs. Zhu sighed, "You can delay it for a while, but you can't delay it forever. Have you ever seen a girl who never gets married?"
Gu Mei's face turned pale, and she shook her head. She had never seen one; all she had ever seen were girls who married young.
She hadn't paid attention to it before, but now that she thought about it carefully, she realized that those girls who loved to laugh and play before getting married had lost all their smiles after marriage, and all of them looked tired and worried.
"Grandma is really going to postpone this marriage for you, at most by six months. In the end, you still have to get married. You'll be sixteen next year! If you don't get married soon, you'll be an old maid! By then, you won't be able to find a good family!"
Grandma Zhu sighed repeatedly, looking as if she was genuinely worried about Gu Mei.
Sure enough, Gu Mei completely panicked and lost her composure. She grabbed Old Lady Zhu's hand and pleaded repeatedly, "Grandma! You have to help me! Grandma! I don't want to live a hard life! I don't want to become an old maid who can't get married!"
Grandma Zhu remained silent until Gu Mei's inner turmoil was fully revealed, then she spoke to her meaningfully.
"That's not always the case. For example, the family to the west of ours, their daughter married her nephew, so the uncle and aunt became the parents-in-law. And the maternal grandparents also became paternal grandparents. The girl's life is even better than when she was at her parents' home!"
This is called "double the family ties." Regardless of who it is, they're all relatives, family. You can't treat family members the same way you treat outsiders. That's why that girl's life after marriage was so wonderful!
Gu Mei didn't react at first, thinking that it was none of her business how well others were doing. Right now, she just wanted to find a way to get out of her predicament.
Old Mrs. Zhu had been secretly observing her. Seeing that the woman didn't understand what she meant, she hesitated for a moment and decided to try asking her.
“Your mother is heartless. She gave birth to your brother and then left. You look just like your mother. Looking at you, Grandma can only feel heartache!”
Now your father wants to find you a random family and send you away to get married. This is tearing my heart out!
Grandma thought, rather than let your father harm you, it would be better for Grandma to plead with him to marry you into the Zhu family, so that you could live a happy and comfortable life like the girl from the family to the west..."