The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 30 Not to be buried in the ancestral grave after death
"These fifty taels of silver were lent to the family by Bai Shuang," Tong Huaqiong said with a faint smile.

What a coincidence, exactly fifty taels.

Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e felt as if they had escaped from a dead end; all their strength had been drained, and they slumped to their knees on the ground.

Then his eyes lit up with ecstasy.

Their family's illustrious ancestors are saved!

“I told you my elder sister wouldn’t stand by and watch me die. I’ll go to her place in a couple of days to apologize again, until she opens the door for me.” Gu Dashu’s affectionate address of “elder sister” gave Tong Huaqiong goosebumps.

Gu Dashu wiped away his tears, thinking that he hadn't gone to the Nie family for nothing by carrying the thorns. Although the door wasn't opened at the time, his eldest sister still cared about their father and was ultimately willing to lend him money.

"You have such a big face! Do you think your older sister is doing this because of you?" Tong Huaqiong pointed at Gu Dashu and scolded him.

“Regardless of whose face we’re talking about, my eldest sister borrowed money. I always said that even though my eldest sister has cut off ties with our family, we’re still connected by blood. She still cares about Yaozu being her nephew.” Liu Yue’e clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with tears, and sobbed.

The rest of your life!
My son is saved!
My son is saved!
Tong Huaqiong looked at her adopted son and daughter-in-law, patted the silver, and sneered, "I can't give you this silver."

What?
Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e looked incredulous.

Liu Yue'e tried to stand up and bump into her mother-in-law, just like she had done last time when she was trying to send Man'er away.

Perhaps only by knocking her mother-in-law unconscious again can her mind be brought back to normal.

"Why? Mother, Yaozu is also your grandson. Are you willing to watch him be taken away?"

Gu Dashu cried.

This time, the crying was a heartbreaking cry.

Gu Dashu was heartbroken; he was truly heartbroken.

His mother was willing to sell her granddaughter for Gu Jingzhe's sake, so why doesn't she care about him?

"Listen to me. Liu Yue'e, what's with that look you're giving me? What, you want to kill me?" Tong Huaqiong slammed her hand on the table.

Liu Yue'e cried, "Mother, please try to understand my heart as your mother."

Tong Huaqiong pouted: "Now you know what a mother's heart is, so why don't you raise Yaozu properly? If you still remember that you are Yaozu's mother, you should act like a mother. Don't you see how badly you've raised Yaozu? He's so young, yet he's full of foul language, loves to cause trouble and bully others. He's really unlucky to have a mother like you."

After Tong Huaqiong launched into a tirade, Liu Yue'e dared not utter another word.

“I said I can’t give you this silver, and there’s a reason for that,” Tong Huaqiong said calmly. “Why are you all so anxious? You didn’t even let me finish speaking before you started crying and wailing. Yaozu is my grandson, and he was dragged down by Gu Jingzhe this time. Gu Jingzhe was spoiled by me, so I also bear responsibility. I’ll pay this fifty taels of silver.”

Not only were Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e stunned, but Gu Taohua and Chen Sufeng were also speechless with shock.

Everyone knows the Gu family's situation all too well; where would Tong Huaqiong possibly come up with fifty taels of silver?

"Mother, what are you talking about? We don't have fifty taels of silver!" Gu Dashu muttered.

"I earned it. What do you think I've been doing these past few days, leaving early and returning late? I've been making money," Tong Huaqiong said with a faint smile.

"Making money? You rely on dry bread, steamed buns, what's the point of relying on mung bean cakes?" Gu Dashu didn't believe it.

Gu Taohua found it even more unbelievable; she and her mother sold pastries together, and when did they earn fifty taels of silver?

“It’s not just about these things. These past two days I’ve figured out a recipe for mung bean cakes and mung bean pancakes. Today I got the favor of Mr. Huang, a wealthy man in town. He ordered a batch of pastries and gave me a deposit of fifty taels of silver,” Tong Huaqiong said.

"Mother, Master Huang..."

“I said fifty taels, and that’s what I mean.” Tong Huaqiong interrupted Gu Taohua and said gently, “When you went to relieve yourself, Master Huang came back and gave me fifty taels as a deposit. I was worried that you might blurt it out and get robbed on the way, so I didn’t dare tell you.”

Gu Taohua was a simple-minded person, so she believed it.

Master Huang naturally did not give a deposit of fifty taels of silver. She estimated that even if she won the order for pastries for Master Huang's mother's birthday, she might not be able to earn fifty taels.

She planned to return the fifty taels to the Zheng family, which was the late old man's inheritance.

But she had to say it this way. Because she couldn't tell Gu Dashu and the others that the old man had left her seventy taels of silver. If she did, Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e would think that she clearly had that much silver but didn't take it out.

Then their torment of the past few days will turn into hatred and rush towards her.

Even though she didn't like the couple, they were still her son and daughter-in-law, and she still needed them to work for her.

Only if these two are grateful to her and remember her good deeds will they be willing to listen to her, and only then can she completely correct them.

"Mother, is this true?" Liu Yue'e asked in a trembling voice.

It wasn't that she didn't believe it, but rather that her mother-in-law hadn't usually demonstrated the ability to earn fifty taels of silver.

"Liu Yue'e, what do you mean? Do you think I can't make money through honest means? Do you think a widow like me has to sell my body to earn money?" Tong Huaqiong gave Liu Yue'e a cold look.

Liu Yue'e hurriedly waved her hand and explained, "I didn't, Mother, that's not what I meant."

Gu Dashu took the opportunity to reprimand Liu Yue'e: "How dare you speak to your mother like that?"

“I know you two don’t believe I can come up with fifty taels of silver.”

Tong Huaqiong went into her room, took out some silver, put it in the package she had brought to collect the money at the market, and then came out to open it.

Gu Dashu and the others were stunned; their mother could actually earn fifty taels of silver.

"I told you last time that we need to work together to make our lives better. I wasn't just saying that; I genuinely want to help you all make your lives better. You see, if I hadn't been determined to make a good life and hadn't been trying to earn money these past few days, would I have had such great luck?"

Tong Huaqiong took the opportunity to teach the wicked bamboo in front of her a lesson.

Tong Huaqiong's resolute attitude inspired Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e.

"Mother, I will follow you and live an honest life from now on." Gu Dashu's sadness vanished.

"Then...then me too." Liu Yue'e nodded. She had no choice but to believe her.

Tong Huaqiong nodded and said to Gu Dashu, "Since I have a way to deal with the Zheng family's fifty taels, Dashu, go and return the money to your eldest sister first thing tomorrow morning. Tell her that your mother remembers this favor. Tell her that I promised to place her mother's memorial tablet next to your father's, and that after your eldest brother comes home, we'll choose an auspicious day for her mother and father to be reburied together. Also, I will not enter the Gu family's ancestral graveyard again."

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "That damned old man, he's a deadbeat. Whoever wants him can have him, but I don't want him!"
As soon as Tong Huaqiong finished speaking, Gu Dashu and the others were stunned, as if struck by lightning.

It's understandable that Tong Huaqiong agreed to have Gu Baishuang's mother buried with Old Gu and to have their memorial tablets placed together, since Gu Baishuang's mother was the first wife. But what does it mean that Tong Huaqiong wasn't buried in the Gu family ancestral grave after her death?
"Mother, are you planning to remarry in the future?" Gu Taohua asked absentmindedly.

Tong Huaqiong glared at Gu Taohua and said, "If a young man of eighteen years old were willing to marry me, I might remarry. But with a bunch of you burdens, who can I marry? I married your father, this old widower, when I was fourteen, and I've always felt wronged. I don't want to have to serve him in the fields after I die."

“Mother, I understand! What you said makes sense. I will take good care of you from now on. I will go wherever you go,” Gu Dashu said.

Gu Dashu thought that his mother had deliberately embarrassed his older brother and sister at his father's funeral because his first wife was buried with his father. Now that his mother had come to terms with it, there was nothing wrong with it.

From now on, let Dad stay with his older brother and sister's mother. He and Gu Jingzhe will set up a separate memorial tablet for their mother.

“I’ve remembered what you said, Mother. I’ll repeat it to my eldest sister tomorrow,” Gu Dashu said.

"Yue'e, and you have such a big face. Don't complain that your father only lent you ten taels. No family is well-off. You still have your sister-in-law and brother. You should be grateful that they lent you ten taels."

“Your father lent you ten taels of silver, so take it to your father as well, and catch a chicken as a thank you gift.”

Tong Huaqiong took the opportunity to give Liu Yue'e a lecture.

Liu Yue'e nodded with tears in her eyes and said yes!
After giving all these instructions, Tong Huaqiong told Chen Sufeng, "I'm hungry! Sufeng, stew the mutton I bought. We'll have mutton soup tonight. Stew all four catties of mutton and everyone can have a good meal."

"Mom, I'll go stew it right away."

Chen Sufen was still reeling from the shock of Tong Huaqiong refusing to enter the ancestral grave. As she walked towards the kitchen, she thought that she would have to have a good talk with him when the Great Cold arrived. Her mother-in-law's sacrifice of not entering the ancestral grave was too great.

"Sister-in-law, let me help you start the fire."

Liu Yue'e rubbed her eyes. These past two days, she had been worried that Yaozu would be taken away, and she finally understood Chen Sufeng's situation back then. So she rushed to help Chen Sufeng cook.

(End of this chapter)