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

Chapter 35: Dropped out of the private school
"What kind of look is that?"

Gu Dashu opened his palm and waved it in front of Gu Jingzhe's eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you so happy because you heard that your mother earned fifty taels of silver?" Gu Dashu asked with a delighted expression.

Gu Jingzhe was at a loss for words.

Mother actually earned fifty taels of silver?

It wasn't that he didn't believe her, but rather that his mother, aside from her usual tantrums and unreasonable behavior, hadn't demonstrated any ability to make money.

If she had the ability to make money, why didn't she use it before?

"Second brother, don't lie to me," Gu Jingzhe said, his eyes red.

He should ask for clarification. If he easily believes it and it turns out to be false, wouldn't that be an even bigger blow?

Why would I lie to you?

Gu Dashu was somewhat dissatisfied with Gu Jingzhe.

What does Third Brother mean by this? He's disrespecting Mother!
The third brother may not believe what he says, but he cannot look down on his mother.

"Gu Jingzhe, do you think you're the only one in the family who's good at studying and has great abilities? Do you think that no one else can earn fifty taels of silver besides you?" Gu Dashu said with a displeased expression and a reproachful tone.

“You’ve only learned a few things, and you’re already looking down on your own mother. Think about it, is your mother an ordinary person? Just the fact that she’s the only one in the whole village who sent her son to school shows you that she has the courage and insight to not look down on her.”

Although Gu Dashu was a carefree and unruly man, his understanding of his own mother was far superior to that of Gu Jingzhe.

Gu Jingzhe opened his mouth, then after a long pause, muttered, "How could I possibly look down on Mother? I just don't believe that Mother could earn fifty taels of silver in just a few days selling pastries. I saw Mother selling pastries in town yesterday, and I also know that she sells mung bean cakes for one yuan and six wen, mung bean pancakes for one yuan and eight wen, and dried biscuits for one yuan and three wen. I estimate that she can only sell two baskets of pastries for a maximum of five taels of silver, and that doesn't even include the cost. How many days has Mother been selling pastries? She'd be lucky to earn seven or eight taels in those few days."

That's why Gu Jingzhe is called a child prodigy. He figured out how much money Tong Huaqiong made from her two baskets of pastries in no time.

These grains, however, cannot be calculated during the Great Heat.

“You’re right! Mother certainly doesn’t earn her money solely from selling cakes at her stall.” Gu Dashu nodded.

Gu Jingzhe's heart pounded like a drum upon hearing this.

He thought of how his widowed mother went to the Zheng family to break off the engagement, sacrificing her reputation in the process. Could it be that the money was also obtained by his widowed mother by exchanging her reputation?

If that's the case, he deserves to die even more.

“To tell you the truth,” Gu Dashu said, “Master Huang bought some of our mung bean cakes and mung bean pancakes, saying they were even better than those from Su Shi Yuan. His mother’s birthday is coming up in a few days, and he said he was tired of Su Shi Yuan’s cakes and wanted to try something new, so he ordered a batch of cakes from her for his birthday banquet. His mother asked Master Huang for fifty taels of silver as a deposit, and he gave it to her.”

“I saw that silver clearly yesterday. If you don’t believe me, go home and see for yourself.”

"You know what, rich people are really willing to spend money on their mother's birthday. Thinking about it, we brothers are really too unfilial. We should be the ones earning money to support our mother, but now she's the one earning money to clean up our messes."

Gu Dashu's voice was muffled, and his eyes were full of remorse.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingzhe recalled the image of his widowed mother selling cakes yesterday, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions, his eyes reddening again.

“I came to the private school specifically to find you and bring you home. Now that the wheat is growing, it needs our help. Mother is making pastries to earn money, so we can’t let her stay in the fields. From now on, don’t even think about studying anymore. Our family doesn’t have the means, and we don’t often run into such a treacherous person as Master Huang.”

“Come back with me and apologize to your mother. Don’t think about anything else anymore. Just stay home and farm.”

Gu Dashu gave Gu Jingzhe a lecture.

Gu Jingzhe naturally didn't want to farm; if he had a choice, he would still prefer to study.

But after thinking about it, his second brother's words made sense. His widowed mother was earning money to support the family, so naturally he and his second brother had to take on the work in the fields.

He planned to go home and finish harvesting this season's wheat first, and then go to the county or prefectural city during the off-season to find a wealthy family to work as an accountant. He hoped to win the favor of the master and perhaps continue his studies.

"Alright, second brother, I'll go home with you."

Gu Jingzhe gritted his teeth and stood up.

Gu Dashu accompanied Gu Jingzhe to their residence to pack up their bedding and clothes, and they packed a large bundle.

After packing his things, Gu Jingzhe bid farewell to his teacher. The teacher initially thought that Gu Jingzhe was going to study at Wanliu Academy in the prefectural city and encouraged him a lot. However, when he learned that Gu Jingzhe would no longer be studying, he expressed his regret.

"There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time: you have exceptional talent and are a promising student. But you must remember, being a good person is more important than studying."

The master vaguely learned that the young man was going to sell his niece for his future, and he was extremely disappointed in him, wishing he would leave as soon as possible.

Now that I know he's not going to study anymore, I feel a little sorry for him.

The Master lamented that this talented young man had been ruined by his wicked widowed mother.

Gu Jingzhe left the private school with Gu Dashu, looking back every few steps. On the way, Gu Dashu told Gu Jingzhe about what had happened at home in the past two days, focusing on Gu Baishuang's visit to deliver silver and Tong Huaqiong's decision not to be buried in the ancestral grave after her death.

Gu Jingzhe remained silent after listening.

His hatred for Nie Xiaofeng's sarcasm lessened by half.

At the same time, he began to hate himself, feeling that Tong Huaqiong's failure to be buried in the ancestral grave after her death was all because of him.

Everything that happened stemmed from my desire to study at Wanliu Academy.

If Tong Huaqiong knew that even the arrogant Gu Jingzhe had begun to reflect on himself, she would surely feel a little gratified.

At this moment, Tong Huaqiong was busy in the kitchen.

The first batch of jujube cakes is ready!

The moment she lifted the lid, Tong Huaqiong knew she had succeeded.

She made this jujube cake many times in her past life, adjusting the recipe countless times; she could bake it with her eyes closed.

The aroma of the jujube cake made the village dogs bark incessantly.

Chen Sufen looked at her mother-in-law with admiration. She increasingly felt that her mother-in-law was like a deity, and there was no pastry she couldn't make.

"Oh my god, Mom, are your hands blessed by a fairy? How did you make the jujube cake smell so good?"

Liu Yue'e showered the audience with compliments.

Two days ago, she also smelled the aroma of her mother-in-law's pastries. She was preoccupied with Yaozu's matter and had no heart for anything. Now that her worries are gone, she has returned to her sycophantic self.

"No wonder Mother can earn fifty taels of silver; these pastries are just as good as those of the master chef at Su Shi Yuan."

Tong Huaqiong smiled broadly, as she was about to make jujube paste pastries, walnut pastries, chestnut pastries, and Sachima, among other pastries.

Making jujube cake was just a small test.

"It would taste even better if there was an oven."

Tong Huaqiong is preparing to set up a barbecue grill.

"Mother, can I have a piece first?" Gu Taohua's tone was full of pleading.

It smelled so good that her stomach rumbled with hunger.

"Eat, eat, all you know is how to eat! This is a sample for Master Huang's family." Tong Huaqiong said sternly.

"I'll just have one piece."

Despite Tong Huaqiong's disdainful gaze, Gu Taohua remained unfazed, willing to endure a beating for a meal.

"Grandma, I want to eat too," Man'er said.

“Me too,” Yaozu called out.

"Since Man'er wants to eat, I'll cut off a piece for you."

Given that Man'er could pull out items from her spatial storage, Tong Huaqiong couldn't refuse Man'er's request.

Tong Huaqiong cut a piece with a knife, then divided it into three pieces: one large and two small. She handed the large piece to Man'er and the two small pieces to Gu Taohua and Yaozu.

Gu Yaozu's bullying nature resurfaced. Seeing that the jujube cake in Man'er's hand was bigger than the one in his own, he reached out to snatch it.

It was snatched away by Tong Huaqiong.

"Liu Yue'e, if you don't discipline your son, I'll have Butler He take him away tomorrow."

"It's only been a day, and you've already been instigated to become a heartless villain. Now you're bullying Man'er, will you come and bully me when you grow up?"

"Parents only care about giving birth, not about raising children. If you don't teach them, then I'll find someone else to teach them."

Tong Huaqiong didn't scold Yaozu, she only scolded Yaozu's mother Liu Yue'e.

Being scolded in front of Chen Sufen made Liu Yue'e lose face, and she was also worried that she would really anger her mother-in-law, so she grabbed Yaozu and slapped him hard on the buttocks a few times.

Tong Huaqiong felt refreshed and invigorated; it was better for Liu Yue'e to take action than for her, her grandmother, to do so.

Thank you for your support!



(End of this chapter)