novelraw Chapter 245 Mother and Son Reunited!
Chapter 245 Mother and Son Reunited!
Chapter 245 Mother and Son Reunited!
Seeing her son like this, Madam Wei's heart sank, and she had a bad feeling that things might be worse than she imagined.
"Tell me, Mother can handle it."
Gu Tianbao hesitated for a moment: "Why don't you rest well for the night and tell you tomorrow when you're refreshed?"
Madam Wei shook her head: "Let's talk about it now. If you don't explain clearly, I'll keep worrying about it and won't know what to do. Whether it's good or bad, just tell me, and I can handle it."
"My mother suffered this calamity, and the fact that she managed to endure until you came to rescue her shows the suffering most people could not bear. She survived this ordeal; nothing else, however difficult, is truly insurmountable."
Hearing this, Gu Tianbao felt relieved. Whether he told his mother about the family matters today or tomorrow, she would find out sooner or later.
After a moment of silence, he said, "After you disappeared, my grandma and my dad weren't keen on looking for you. They just asked around the village and then gave up..."
A few days ago, my second uncle came to my house and said that he saw a man named Wang Er wearing your pants in Bei'an City, and he suspected that you had been kidnapped by Wang Er.
My second uncle asked the family to spend money to find a few relatives to go to Wang Er's house to take a look, but... my grandmother and father were unwilling to go, and they didn't want you to come back either, saying that bringing you back would ruin the family's reputation.
Not long ago, my father went to the Wei family in person, and then someone from the Wei family came and said that you had died in the mountains and your remains had not been found. In order not to delay my father's imperial examination, they persuaded the family to hold a funeral for you so that you could be laid to rest in peace..."
"Hold my funeral?" Wei looked somewhat dazed, finding the whole thing absurd.
But considering the Gu family's character, especially that old hag and her own husband, it's not surprising that they would do such a thing.
Selfish and callous, each running away when trouble arises, with no one capable of shouldering the responsibility for the family – this is the common problem of the Gu family.
Now that she has lost her reputation, she could have predicted that the Gu family would no longer tolerate her.
"Mother..." Gu Tianbao looked at her cautiously, feeling that his mother's reaction was not quite right. "I haven't finished speaking yet. Are you so angry that you've lost your mind... or are you not angry at all?"
His mother's reaction didn't seem angry at all.
How could I not be angry when something like this happened?
"Angry?" Madam Wei looked at her son and shook her head: "I'm not angry, and I don't intend to be angry."
Upon hearing this, Wei should have been angry, but for some reason, she felt only relief at having survived a disaster.
She had anticipated everything the Gu family had done, and upon reflection, she realized she didn't seem to care anymore.
Turning her gaze to her son, Gu Tianbao, Madam Wei looked at him steadily and said, "During these days of suffering, all I've thought about is you! And your eldest sister and second sister, I worry about them too. The only people I think about are the three of you!"
Tell your mother, do you despise her? As long as you don't despise her, your mother will risk everything. This time, I'll shamelessly live on. Even if outsiders point their fingers at me and curse me, I won't be afraid!
"If I despised you, would I have begged my second uncle to save you so many times?" Gu Tianbao comforted her, and then said, "I had already thought it through. If the family can't accommodate you, I will take you and my second sister to live with us! I found some of the money you had hidden away, enough for us to live on."
"Yes! Mother has money! If your father and the others can't tolerate me, Mother can take you all and move out!"
Wei's eyes brightened, and she came alive again.
Seeing this, Gu Tianbao tentatively brought up the matter of his father arranging a marriage: "There's something else I need to tell you, it's about my father... After you finished your 'funeral,' my father... he..."
Seeing her son hesitate again, Madam Wei had a suspicion: "Is your father asking matchmakers to find you a wife everywhere?"
Gu Tianbao's eyes widened: "How did you know?!"
Wei smiled sadly: "Your father and grandmother had long wanted to take a second wife, but unfortunately your father kept failing the imperial examination, so he couldn't find an excuse to take a second wife."
Now that your mother is 'gone,' it gives your father a convenient excuse to remarry. The moment you mentioned it concerned your father, your mother guessed it."
Gu Tianbao remained silent. It turned out that his father had long been considering remarrying... He was completely unaware of these things.
"Don't be sad, look, your mother isn't sad at all. Now all your mother wants is for you and your brother to live a good life, I don't want anything else."
Instead of being angry, Madam Wei comforted her son.
After offering her words of comfort, Madam Wei calmly asked, "Has your father's marriage been arranged yet?"
Gu Tianbao: "..."
How should he respond?
His mother is really not angry?!
Seeing her son remain silent, Madam Wei immediately understood: "Judging from your expression, it must be settled. Which family has it been settled with?"
"...There is a widow in San'an Town, surnamed Qian, who lives about fifty miles away from here. She said she doesn't care about the amount of the betrothal gifts, but she wants a marriage certificate approved by the government. She also brings her own dowry."
At first, Madam Wei didn't think there was anything wrong with what her son said, but as she pondered his words, her expression became strange.
The more she thought about it, the more something seemed off.
The conditions this widow proposed were similar to those she had proposed back then. She hadn't cared about the betrothal gifts either, only wanting the marriage certificate from the government office, and she even brought a considerable dowry with her.
The reason she didn't want a betrothal gift back then was because she was caught having an affair with a scholar many times.
Originally, this was nothing; as long as that person married her, she wouldn't have to worry about what others said.
But who would have thought that the man would turn around and marry his cousin, thus deceiving himself!
Because of this incident, her reputation was ruined. In order not to implicate her family, her mother was forced by her family to marry Gu Liansheng to her. They did not ask for a dowry and even brought a large dowry with her.
The widow Qian's actions were remarkably similar to her own actions years ago.
She had ruined her reputation back then, and she had no choice but to do this in order to get married as soon as possible.
So what was Qian's purpose?
If a normal woman remarries, she usually doesn't bring a dowry or betrothal gifts. She just carries a small bundle into the man's house, and they simply set up two tables.
After all, remarrying is not a good thing, and many people will talk behind your back.
It is extremely rare for someone like Madam Qian to both request a marriage certificate from the government office and prepare her own dowry!
The more Wei thought about it, the more suspicious she became.
But she didn't tell her son about this. She just said nonchalantly, "If your father wants to remarry, then let him. But no matter how many wives he marries, they can only be concubines! I am the legal wife! You, your eldest sister, and your second sister are the legitimate children, not illegitimate ones!"
Farmers don't really care about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, but Wei had heard Gu Liansheng say that one of his former classmates was a large landowner with thousands of acres of fertile land and a dozen shops.
With money in his hands, the old man of the house began to indulge himself, taking in one concubine on the left and another on the right, eventually taking in four or five concubines in total!
Moreover, all of these concubines had given birth to children.
After the old man passed away, all the children in the family were thinking about how to inherit the family fortune.
Unfortunately, the imperial law stipulated that illegitimate children could not inherit the family business.
Gu Liansheng's classmate used the law to seize all the family property and drove away all his half-brothers and their mothers.
Wei knew that her mother-in-law, Feng, had hidden money. The Gu family wasn't poor; they just had to support two scholars to make ends meet in case they ran out of money later. Feng and the old man were both getting on in years and didn't have many years left. After they died, the money they had saved would naturally be passed on to her husband.
As long as Tianbao is the legitimate daughter, regardless of whether her husband is biased or not in the future, as long as he dies, Tianbao can take legal action to inherit the family business.
Gu Tianbao didn't think much about his mother's talk of legitimate and illegitimate children. Although he had studied for several years, he didn't understand these things.
Hearing his mother say this, he didn't say anything, but only asked, "Are you saying this out of anger or from the heart?"
"To be honest, everything Mother said is true! After all this, all Mother wants is to live a good life, nothing else matters..."
Gu Tianbao seemed to be deep in thought.
If his mother were to give in like this, his father should be able to tolerate her staying.
Just as he was lost in thought, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Gu Tianbao immediately snapped back to reality and saw that his mother's face had turned pale.
"Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Madam Wei clutched her chest with both hands, panting heavily: "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I get scared whenever I hear a knock on the door."
"It's alright, it's alright, I'll go see who it is." Gu Tianbao reassured her, and was about to head towards the door when he heard Gu Lian's voice from outside.
"Tianbao? Is Mother asleep? I asked the waiter for a basin of hot water so Mother can wash her face and soak her feet, so she can sleep more comfortably."
"It's Second Sister!" Gu Tianbao exclaimed happily, turning to look at Madam Wei. "Mother, it's Second Sister! Second Sister brought you hot water!"
After saying that, he happily went to open the door.
Upon hearing that her second daughter had arrived, Madam Wei's eyes instantly reddened. This child had been scolded and beaten countless times since she was a child, but unexpectedly, she and Tianbao were now the most filial.
Upon opening the door, Gu Tianbao saw his second sister carrying a basin full of hot water, and he quickly reached out to take it from her.
"Come in quickly! Your mother has been talking about you all this time!"
Hearing this, Gu Lian was flattered and walked in with her hands clutching the hem of her clothes, looking very reserved.
The guest room wasn't large; as soon as you entered, you could see your mother, Madam Wei, sitting by the bed.
The Wei family has changed drastically. They are extremely thin, have gray hair, and their faces are dry and sallow, making them look several years older.
Just by looking at him, you can tell he has suffered a lot.
Gu Lian burst into tears instantly: "Mother..." she murmured, her heart aching terribly, but she was still somewhat afraid of Wei Shi.
Wei Shi was different. In her eyes, Gu Lian was still not as good as Gu Tianbao, but she had surpassed others and become her second beloved treasure.
She stood up, walked over to Gu Lian, and hugged her tightly, bursting into tears.
While crying, Madam Wei continued to list her faults: "...It's all my fault. You don't know how much I've hurt you in the past. I feel like I'm slapping myself every day!"
"Your mother is a terrible person! She used to beat and scold you all the time, but only when she was in despair did she finally remember how good you were to her..."
These words made Gu Lian burst into tears, all the grievances and worries in her heart pouring out at once.
"Without you, Tianbao and I are not even human! It's one thing for them to make me wash clothes by the river in the dead of winter, but even Tianbao is made to cook and chop wood!"
“My father doesn’t care, and my eldest sister sides with Grandma, so all the work for the family falls on me and Tianbao! Tianbao doesn’t even have time to study anymore; he’s always being bossed around!”
Hearing this, Madam Wei gritted her teeth in hatred: "Don't be sad anymore. Now that your mother is back, I have something on your grandmother. When we get back, I will definitely get revenge for you!"
"And eldest sister!" Gu Lian didn't forget Gu Qing. "The other day, Siya and I encountered kidnappers. Tianbao went to call for help to save us, but eldest sister deliberately led the people Tianbao called to another place!"
If it weren't for Siya's skill in using the medicine powder to subdue those kidnappers and rescue me, I would probably have been kidnapped and sold by now!
"Kidnapping?!" Madam Wei's face paled. "How could you possibly run into a kidnapper?!"
Gu Lian tearfully recounted the events of that day to her mother, emphasizing Gu Qing's wickedness!
Gu Tianbao chimed in, "It's true! I was so scared that I begged everyone I could, and finally managed to get them to come, but then my eldest sister deliberately led me somewhere else! If it weren't for Siya's abilities, my second sister probably wouldn't have made it back!"
Wei felt dizzy and then fearful.
She cursed with a dark face, "Has Qing girl been bewitched?! She's actually harming her own sisters! That brat is really asking for a beating!"
After scolding Gu Qing, she gently comforted Gu Lian, saying, "When Mother gets home, she will definitely teach your older sister a lesson!"
That's exactly what Gu Lian wanted to hear.
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried for a while. After Gu Tianbao persuaded them, they finally stopped crying.
Gu Lian wiped away her tears and remembered something.
She looked at Gu Tianbao and pointed outside: "The manager is looking for you. He said the banquet is almost ready and asked where it will be placed. Should it be in a private room or in the main hall?"
When it came to serious matters, Gu Tianbao also became serious and hurriedly asked, "Has Second Uncle returned yet?"
"Not yet, but it should be soon."
"Okay, I'll go find the manager first and arrange the banquet in advance."
After saying that, Gu Tianbao discussed with Wei Shi: "Mother, I also prepared a table of food for the four aunts and elders who came with us today. It would be best if you could accompany them. If not, then let my second sister accompany them."
“Mother will go and keep them company!” Madam Wei agreed without hesitation. “They have all been kind to me, and I must remember that. I should keep them company. And your second sister too, I will take her with me.”
As she spoke, she looked at Gu Lian and said, "You're not a child anymore. There are some things your mother hasn't taught you before. From now on, your mother will teach you about interpersonal relationships little by little."
"Yes!" Gu Lian replied crisply.
……
While the Wei family was being affectionate with their son, the atmosphere at the Gu family's courtyard was equally joyful and warm.
Hearing that Gu Lianshan was going to the inn to drink with people later, Gu Tang asked Gu Pingan to serve her a bowl of mutton soup and two mutton ribs so that her father could have something to eat first.
"Eat more mutton soup and mutton. Once you're full, you'll be able to eat less when you go over there for drinks."
Gu Tang was afraid that her father would drink too much and get drunk, so she had to feed everyone first.
Once you're full, you can't drink any more wine.