novelraw Chapter 174 Bad idea
Chapter 174 Bad idea
Chapter 174 Bad idea
Back in the west wing, Zhu Laosan sent his son to rest in the inner room, sat down next to Yan Shi, and asked her what she really thought.
Over the years, he knew how much his wife hated Zhu Xiuer, and even Gu Mei was implicated.
Gu Mei's temperament is partly due to his wife's efforts.
Now, for the sake of that two taels of silver dowry, can his wife really let go of all the hatred from back then?
Yan spat viciously, "Let go? I'll never let go, not even until I die!"
He knew this would happen.
Zhu Laosan sighed: "Since you can't let go, once this woman marries into the family, she'll be in front of you every day, and you'll probably be furious again. Why bother? Aren't you just making yourself suffer?"
Yan fell silent, her head bowed, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Zhu Laosan was at a loss with her; he couldn't be too lenient or too harsh. He could only break things down and explain them to her in detail, hoping to bring her back to her senses and stop her from getting stuck in a rut.
"After Mei'er marries into the family, you can just let her go find her mother. We won't interfere. If she needs money, let her go back to her father's house to ask for it! Anyway, her father is not short of money, so he can help us out."
Just think of it as bringing home a girl who can generate wealth. If you're happy, you can talk to her a bit; if you're unhappy, you can scold her a bit. You're her mother-in-law; as long as you don't beat or scold her unjustly, her mother won't find fault.
Upon hearing this, Yan's original plan wavered somewhat.
If Gu Mei can keep getting money from the Gu family, then we can keep her.
If we can't get it...
A ruthless glint flashed in Yan's eyes. Once the person entered the door, their life or death would still be in her hands!
……
When Gu Lianshan was halfway there in his oxcart, the gloomy sky began to rain again.
When the raindrops started falling on his face, he realized he had forgotten to bring a raincoat and a straw hat.
Fortunately, the rain wasn't too heavy. I hurried along and finally made it home before my clothes got completely soaked.
Upon entering the courtyard, Gu Lianshan dismounted from the oxcart and habitually called out towards the west wing, "Daughter!"
After waiting for a while, the west wing remained quiet, and no one opened the door.
Gu Lianshan called out again, but still no one came out.
Just as he was about to knock on the door, Gu Ping'an came out from the kitchen and said that Gu Tang was not in the house.
"Not inside?" Gu Lianshan looked surprised. "That's unusual. Your second sister is always most afraid of the cold. Instead of staying inside to warm herself by the fire, she's running outside?"
Gu Pingan pointed to the backyard: "My second sister and my grandfather are in the backyard."
What are you doing running to the backyard?
"What did you say?" Gu Ping'an's eyes widened. "Didn't you say yesterday that you were going to hire people to build a chicken coop and a cowshed today? Well, you've been gone for ages. This work can't wait. The people my grandfather hired are all in the backyard building the chicken coop and cowshed."
Gu Lianshan slapped his forehead, his tone of annoyance: "I've lost my mind! I completely forgot about this! It's all the fault of those bastards from the Zhu family!"
As he spoke, he began to lead the oxcart to the backyard.
"Don't rush off! The eldest sister is still sitting on the oxcart and hasn't gotten off yet." Gu Ping'an stopped the person and glanced at the oxcart.
Gu Lianshan looked back and, sure enough, Gu Mei, wrapped in a thin blanket, remained on the oxcart.
Gu Lianshan was immediately enraged: "You idiot! It's freezing cold, we're already home, what are you still doing on the oxcart?! Get off right now!"
Gu Mei was frozen stiff. She didn't dare to talk back after being scolded. She gritted her teeth and shakily got off the oxcart.
Once everyone had stopped, Gu Lianshan eagerly led the oxcart to the backyard.
Gu Ping'an didn't follow, but turned around and went to the kitchen again.
His second sister had instructed him to brew tea, which was about to steam, but the tea hadn't boiled yet, so he had to keep an eye on it.
As for Gu Mei, he completely ignored her, treating her as if she were invisible.
In the past, Gu Mei would have exploded long ago and used the opportunity to scold Gu Ping'an. But at this moment, all she could think about was how to tell her father that the Zhu family wanted to propose marriage.
On the way, she mustered up her courage several times to speak, but each time the words were on the tip of her tongue, she swallowed them back, afraid that her father would stop the oxcart and beat her!
After hesitating for a while in the cold wind, Gu Mei went to Gu Lai'an's room to hear what he had to say.
Asking Gu Lai'an would be the stupidest thing to do, but Gu Mei didn't think so.
She felt that she and Lai'an were the family who depended on each other for survival, and that if she married well, she could help her younger brother in the future.
When it comes to important life decisions, the siblings should come up with ideas together.
With this in mind, Gu Mei told Gu Lai'an everything and asked him if the marriage was a good idea.
Gu Lai'an didn't know what was good or bad; after hearing Gu Mei's words, he only had one thought in his mind.
If his sister marries into the Zhu family, he'll be able to stand even straighter when he visits them in the future!
He could eat and drink freely at the Zhu family's house, and stay there for a long or short time as he pleased, playing and frolicking with his cousins. There couldn't be a better marriage than this!
"I'm asking you a question! So tell me." Gu Mei frowned, dissatisfied that Gu Lai'an didn't speak.
Once Gu Lai'an came to her senses, her eyes shone with an astonishing light: "This marriage couldn't be better! After you marry into the Zhu family, they can support us! Didn't Father want to separate me from the family? Then you can bring the whole Zhu family over! Force Father to give me all the money the family has saved! Once I have money, you can also benefit from it, and the Zhu family will fawn over you!"
Gu Lai'an's thought process is unusual, and his words carry a kind of naive foolishness. Anyone with a modicum of sense would not believe what he said.
But Gu Mei's thought process was also different from ordinary people. Not only did she not think Gu Lai'an's words were outrageous, but she also thought they made a lot of sense!
“I also want to marry into the Zhu family. My grandmother told me that once I get married, I won’t be allowed to do any housework. I’ll be treated the same way I am at home, and no one will be allowed to ask me to do anything!”
"Grandma really knows how to care for people! Now that Grandma has said so, what are you still hesitating for?"
Gu Mei paused, then pointed outside: "Father probably won't agree to this marriage. I'm afraid if I tell him, he'll beat me to death!"
Mentioning Gu Lianshan made Gu Lai'an irritable, and he complained, "Dad is such a biased father!"
Gu Mei wholeheartedly agreed: "Father is not only biased, he also can't stand to see me doing well. You can see how good this marriage is, how could Father not see it? If we agree to this marriage, then Father still cares about you and me; if he doesn't agree, then he probably has other intentions..."
If that's the case, then this marriage is truly in jeopardy...
Gu Lai'an grew anxious and paced back and forth in the room. After a while, he suddenly remembered something. He stopped in front of Gu Mei and quietly asked her, "Do you remember what happened a few years ago when we visited Grandma's house, and the girl from the Zou family next door to the Zhu family caused trouble?"
The girl from the Zou family next door to the Zhu family...
Gu Mei thought back for a moment, then her heart skipped a beat, and she remembered.
But soon, the man glared at Gu Lai'an with shame and anger and cursed, "Why did you bring that up? Do you want me to act like that despicable person too?!"
Several years ago, when the siblings went to play at the Zhu family's house, they happened to see a big show being staged at the Zou family's house next door.
The daughter of the Zou family and her cousin Sun from her maternal aunt's side developed feelings for each other, so the Sun family asked a matchmaker to come to the Zou family to propose marriage.
However, the Zou family wanted to marry their daughter to Beian City, so they disagreed with the marriage.
Unexpectedly, the Zou family's daughter said that she had gone into the mountains to dig for wild mushrooms with her cousin from the Sun family. Later, they encountered a heavy rain and took shelter in a cave. During the rain, the two had physical intimacy. She said that if she did not marry her cousin from the Sun family, she would have no way to survive.
If this had been discussed privately, it wouldn't have been a big deal and could have been covered up. But since the Zou family's daughter said it in front of both the Zou and Sun families, as well as the matchmaker, there was no way to cover it up anymore.
Left with no other choice, the Zou and Sun families had to hastily arrange the marriage.
Gu Mei wasn't stupid; she naturally guessed what Gu Lai'an's intention was in bringing this up.
She shook her head and refused, rejecting the terrible idea: "After that incident, how badly was the Zou family's daughter vilified by the villagers? If I follow her example, what kind of good reputation can I possibly have?"
"The Zou family's daughter is too stupid! She actually said this in front of the matchmaker. If she had only said it in front of the Zou and Sun families, would it have gotten out later?"
Gu Mei paused. If she only mentioned this to the Zou and Sun families, it would definitely not be spread outside. After all, it involved both families, and it would be embarrassing if it got out.
Seeing that Gu Mei was wavering, Gu Lai'an said again, "Don't wait for the Zhu family to send a matchmaker. Go to the Zhu family later and discuss this matter with them properly. Don't show up yourself, let the Zhu family do it! I feel sorry for those two little brats. No matter if this matter is true or false, I will endure it and marry you off to the Zhu family."
Gu Mei was very tempted by these words. She wouldn't have to step in, which meant she wouldn't have to face her father's anger. She could just stay quietly in the Zhu family, and the Zhu family would handle everything and talk to her father on her behalf.
"I've already given you an idea, and it's the only good idea I could come up with after racking my brains! If you really want to marry into the Zhu family, then do as I say."
If you're unwilling and follow your own wishes, then your chances of marrying into the Zhu family are slim. You can only wait for your father to find you a marriage match, but whether it will be good or bad is anyone's guess.
These words made Gu Mei feel a sense of urgency. Her father had already asked a matchmaker to help her find a husband. It would be troublesome if they arranged a marriage behind her back!
“We’re both young, so there are bound to be things we can’t think of. Why don’t you go to the Zhu family and ask Grandma to think it over with you and see if it works?” Gu Lai’an knew he wasn’t very smart, but he was anxious about this matter, so he simply urged Gu Mei to go to the Zhu family for advice.
These words struck a chord with Gu Mei, who got up and walked out, saying, "You're right, let's go ask Grandma first."
Gu Lai'an beamed with joy as he happily saw the person off, whispering a reminder: "While Dad isn't in the front yard right now, go to the village and find Uncle Shunzi. Have him drive the oxcart to take you to the Zhu family!"
As long as his sister marries into the Zhu family, she will definitely bring the Zhu family to support him in the future!
Gu Mei hurriedly left the hospital, but halfway there, she suddenly remembered Li Shunzi's greed.
In this kind of weather, if he were to drive an oxcart to the Zhu family's house, he would probably refuse if he didn't offer a few copper coins.
Thinking of all this, Gu Mei had no choice but to grit her teeth and go back.
Back in his room, he took out some of his savings and carefully put it into a hidden pocket in his sleeve before finally letting out a sigh of relief and heading to the Li family's house.
Li Shunzi was about to lie down; it was too cold outside, and it would be warmer inside the blankets.
When Gu Mei came to the house, she didn't see him, so she had to tell Li Shunzi's mother, Gao, about it and reluctantly gave her five copper coins.
Looking at the five copper coins in her palm, Gao was overjoyed. She personally ran to her son's room to wake him up, telling him to quickly get dressed and take the family's oxcart to send Gu Mei to the Zhu family.
Li Shunzi was reluctant, but after his mother showed him the copper coins in her hand, his expression immediately brightened. He quickly put on his clothes and shoes and went out to hitch up his carriage.
After harnessing the oxcart, he moved some straw onto it, then led the oxcart out and pointed to the straw on it, saying that it was for Gu Mei to use to keep warm.
This was no time for formalities. Gu Mei climbed onto the oxcart, sat in the straw, and covered herself with the straw.
The oxcart swayed and bumped its way out of the village without encountering any villagers, which relieved Gu Mei, who was feeling a little guilty.
Once they were far from the village, she finally poked her head out of the straw.
Li Shunzi glanced back at her, then suddenly started making small talk with Gu Mei.
Gu Mei had no interest in talking to him and remained silent for a long time.
Sensing that Gu Mei didn't want to talk to him, Li Shunzi also quieted down.
But it only stayed quiet for a short while.
A short while later, he suddenly asked Gu Mei, "I heard that Tang's mother is ill. Has your father gone to Bei'an City to look for her?"
"What did you say?" Gu Mei brushed the straw away from her ear, thinking she had misheard.
Tang's mother... Zhang Shi?!
Li Shunzi patiently repeated, "I heard that Tang's mother, Zhang, is ill. Has your father gone to look for her?"
Gu Mei heard this clearly and immediately rolled her eyes: "Zhang Shi has already been divorced by my father! Let alone if she's sick, even if she's dead, it has nothing to do with my family! My father would never go looking for her!"
Li Shunzi pursed his lips, displeased by what he heard.
Zhang had already told him the whole story, and that Zhang was wronged in being divorced. The Lianshan brothers were too cruel!
How can a mother who takes her daughter's money be accused of stealing?
Just ask any household and you'll find that unmarried girls are not allowed to manage money; the money they earn should be handed over to their elders.
Unfortunately, the Lian brothers were foolish and spoiled their daughter rotten. Not only did they let her manage the money herself, but they also gave her all the family's savings to keep safe. How could Zhang Shi put her face like that?
As a stepmother, Zhang was already in a difficult position in the Gu family. She couldn't be too lenient or too harsh, and her two children were not on her side. She lived in constant fear, and only the Lin siblings could comfort her.
Over time, it's only natural that people would become biased towards the Lin siblings.
But Tang was a heartless girl. She was jealous and even came up with the idea of getting her father to divorce her mother!
In order to force the Lianshan brothers to divorce Zhang, they even tried to pin the loss of money on the Lin siblings and report them to the authorities so that the Lin siblings could be exiled.
In order to protect the Lin siblings, Zhang had no choice but to be divorced.
Thinking of all this, Li Shunzi sighed, feeling even more worried about Zhang and her two children.
He was planning to find an opportunity to go to Beian City to look for Zhang and her son and see if they were doing any better.