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

Chapter 40: A Direct Confrontation with Butler He
Tong Huaqiong came to the courtyard and reached out to stop Butler He, who was trying to rush into the house.

"Widow Tong, how rude of you! I'm here to collect a debt, and you won't let me in?" Butler He said with a sneer.

Tong Huaqiong laughed and said, "You can collect debts in the courtyard, why come inside? Butler He knows I'm a widow and still came inside. Don't you know there's a lot of gossip around a widow's house? What if some unpleasant things get out of you and ruin my reputation?"

"Just tell me what you're after."

She wasn't in the mood to invite anyone in for tea so early in the morning.

Why can't we resolve things in the yard? Why make such a big deal out of the formality of coming inside and sitting down?
"you"

These words left Butler He speechless for a long time.

Widow Tong is really too difficult to deal with.

She doesn't even look at herself. She acts all high and mighty like an eighteen-year-old virgin, and even spreads unpleasant rumors about herself. Who would want to gossip with her? Isn't that shameful?

Seeing that Steward He was leading four or five servants carrying weapons, Chen Sufeng was extremely nervous and quietly stood next to her mother-in-law with a stick in her hand.

If Steward He or the servants dare to lay a hand on her mother-in-law, she's ready to fight them to the death.

Tong Huaqiong patted Chen Sufen on the shoulder to indicate that she could handle it.

"Steward He has brought so many servants to collect debts. Anyone who didn't know better would think he's here to kill us," Tong Huaqiong sneered.

"Who knows if they've come to collect a debt or to take a life? If you can't pay the debt, your grandson's life will be mine as compensation, won't it? I wonder if Widow Tong still remembers our agreement?" Butler He said menacingly.

Hearing the commotion, Gu Dashu, Gu Jingzhe, and others got up and came to the courtyard, gathering around Tong Huaqiong to support their mother.

The fact that Butler He kept calling her "widow" made Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe look very uncomfortable.

Gu Jingzhe, in particular, couldn't stand people calling his widow "widow" to her face. He always felt that people who called their widow "widow" to her face were deliberately stabbing her in the heart.

"Butler He, I advise you to watch your mouth. Have you been someone's lackey for so long that you've forgotten your place and started looking down on people?" Gu Jingzhe scolded.

When Butler He heard Gu Jingzhe call him a dog, his expression changed, and he retorted sarcastically, "I thought Gu was such a cultured scholar, yet his insults are so down-to-earth. I may be a dog of the Zheng family, but even a dog knows to protect its master and family. You, on the other hand, are pushing your family into a fire pit. Tsk tsk tsk!"

Gu Jingzhe's heart was touched, her face flushed, and she opened her mouth but didn't know how to retort.

He now truly regretted trying to marry into the Zheng family; this would become a stain on his reputation for the rest of his life.

He doesn't even know how to clear his name.

"Widow Tong, where is your precious grandson?"

After winning this round, Butler He was in a good mood and started looking for Gu Yaozu.

"You want to kill my son? Let's see if you have the guts to take his life."

Gu Dashu casually picked up the hoe he had used to weed the wheat field the day before and held it firmly in his hand.

He carefully assessed the opponent's fighting strength. He and Gu Jingzhe, two men, plus the chubby girl Gu Taohua and his mother, were not necessarily going to lose.

However, Gu Dashu felt that his confidence did not come from the fighting power of the Gu family's horde of bad bamboos, but rather from the confidence that his mother had given him by offering him fifty taels of silver.

He really wanted to throw the silver in Steward He's face.

He actually dared to call his mother a widow. What, does he want to be the Gu family's stepfather? Doesn't he even know if he's worthy?

"Alright, enough nonsense. Butler He is just here to collect a debt, why are you spouting nonsense?"

When Tong Huaqiong heard Steward He taunt Gu Jingzhe, she deliberately did not retaliate. In her opinion, Gu Jingzhe should have been provoked by outsiders.

Look, Butler He is working for the Zheng family and colluding with them to try and bring good luck to the eldest son of the Zheng family by using Man'er. Even so, Butler He still looks down on Gu Jingzhe's behavior.

Things obtained through crooked means are despised even by dogs.

Gu Jingzhe should wake up completely.

"I won't waste your breath. How's the money preparation going?"

After enjoying his verbal sparring, Butler He saw Gu Dashu leading Gu Jingzhe and Gu Taohua in a fierce stance and knew that this group of wicked bamboos was not to be trifled with.

He came to ask for money, not to die.

If Widow Tong couldn't repay the fifty taels of silver, he would take Gu Yaozu away, castrate him, and send him to Shengjing.

This wasn't his idea, but the eldest son's.

"I've prepared it long ago."

Tong Huaqiong turned and went into the room, opened the cabinet, took out a box, put fifty taels of silver in a bundle, and carried it out. Steward He's eyes flashed with surprise when he saw the silver.

I'm afraid the young master will be disappointed.

"Steward He, what's with that expression? Don't you believe my family can come up with fifty taels of silver?" Gu Dashu said.

It has to be said that money can give people confidence; Gu Dashu's voice was even louder than before.

"Steward He, have you looked carefully? Is it fifty taels?"

Tong Huaqiong counted the silver in front of Steward He.

It was exactly fifty taels, no more, no less.

Steward He's eyes flickered; he had underestimated this widow Tong, who had managed to raise the money in just five days.

Tong Huaqiong handed the package to Butler He, who was about to reach out to take it when Tong Huaqiong pulled her hand back.

Butler He's eyes sharpened.

Tong Huaqiong laughed and said, "Where's the contract? One hand holds the contract, the other holds the money."

Does Steward He really think she's just a rural widow who only knows how to throw tantrums and cause trouble? Why would she give money if she doesn't hand over such an important contract?
Butler He took out the contract from his pocket and unfolded it.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at the money a few times, confirmed it was in order, and handed it to Steward He. Under the watchful eyes of Gu Dashu and the others, Steward He handed the contract to Tong Huaqiong. Liu Yue'e lit a fire poker in the kitchen, carried it to the courtyard, and burned the contract.

In Liu Yue'e's mind, only by burning the evidence could her Yaozu be completely safe.

"Alright, I've got the money." Having received the money, Steward He didn't want to make things difficult for the Gu family, and besides, he couldn't afford to make things difficult for them, so he turned to leave.

"Butler He, please wait a moment," Tong Huaqiong suddenly said.

Butler He turned around and said unhappily, "I've already given you the contract, what more do you want?"

Tong Huaqiong asked with a smile, "I heard from Matchmaker Wang that Steward He wants to send my son to be castrated."

"That was my young master's idea. Don't worry, now that your family has paid back the money, your grandson's lineage is safe. Widow Tong, to be honest, even if you couldn't pay back the money, I wouldn't have the audacity to ruin someone's family line if I were to take your grandson away; that would be a sin against heaven," said Butler He.

The young master, who is about to die, is not afraid of being struck by lightning, but Butler He is!

Upon hearing this, Tong Huaqiong actually looked at Steward He with newfound respect, realizing that the old scoundrel actually had some principles.

“I’m not talking about that. I want to ask the eunuch master if you know where to stay?” Tong Huaqiong asked.

"Why are you asking this?" Butler He couldn't help but look Tong Huaqiong up and down. Could this widow be so vicious as to castrate her own grandson?

The rest of the Gu family and Butler He had similar ideas; Liu Yue'e was planning to run away with Yaozu.

“My pig,” Tong Huaqiong said, pointing to the pigpen. “This boar eats a lot but never seems to gain weight. People say that older sows grow faster, so I’m thinking of having a castrator castrate the pig. Maybe a castrated boar will gain weight faster.”

Butler He's expression was as if he had been struck by lightning.

He'd heard of eunuchs, but never of anyone castrating a boar.

This widow Tong is really good at coming up with new tricks. She has no man of her own, and her twisted mind is so extreme that she won't even spare a boar.

If a boar eats a lot but doesn't gain weight, then just wait patiently; why insist on castrating it?

Not only was Butler He surprised, but the rest of the Gu family were as well. Gu Dashu even felt a vague pain in his testicles.

"Just tell me, where does the eunuch live?" Tong Huaqiong didn't care what Steward He thought; she was determined to find out where the eunuch lived.

"The eunuch's surname is Tan. His house is on Quanshui Street, next to the big elm tree in front of the door," said Butler He.

"Thank you very much. After my pig is castrated and ready for market, I must let Steward He taste the pork."

After receiving the address of the purifier, Tong Huaqiong smiled broadly and expressed her gratitude to Butler He.

That widow Tong is too perverted; she even castrates boars. He wouldn't eat meat without roots.

"gone."

Steward He clutched the silver tightly and darted away faster than a rabbit.

It was as if if he didn't leave soon, Widow Tong would tie him up and send him to Master Tan along with the boar.

(End of this chapter)