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

Chapter 58 The First Signs of a Twisted Fate
"Mother, it cost exactly two taels of silver," Gu Jingzhe said.

"Did it really cost two ounces?"

Tong Huaqiong expressed her doubts, while also feeling the pinch.

Two taels of silver! How many pastries would she have to sell to earn that?

“Mother, why would my brother and I lie to you? The eunuch is a heartless man. At first, he didn’t want to cut our pig’s eggs, but he only agreed after my third brother pleaded with him. He asked for five taels of silver right off the bat. Our pig only has a few eggs, and he’s asking for five taels of silver? He might as well rob us!” Gu Dashu couldn’t withstand Tong Huaqiong’s suspicious gaze and hurriedly defended himself, also giving the eunuch a good scolding.

That eunuch was truly heartless, even more so than Mother had been towards my elder brother.

Not only did he charge two taels of silver for each cut, but he also kept the eggs he cut off, saying he would cook them.

Gu Dashu had originally thought that with two taels of silver, he and Gu Jingzhe would have a few hundred coins left, enough to buy meat soup noodles or big meat buns.

In the end, the eunuch stubbornly refused to give up the two taels of silver.

The two brothers had no money left, but luckily they had sorghum buns they had brought from home that morning, otherwise they would have gone hungry.

“Mother, the purifier said it was the first time he had cleaned a pig, so he was inexperienced and charged a bit more. If we need to clean pigs, cattle, or sheep in the future, we can go to him and he will only charge a small amount of money,” Gu Jingzhe said.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself that this eunuch was really ruthless, using her pig as an experiment and still trying to do her a favor.

That's why they say they're doing a business that will lead to the extinction of their lineage.

What surprised Tong Huaqiong even more was that Gu Jingzhe pulled out a contract for clean slate from his pocket.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at it twice; it seemed to be similar to the disclaimer notice from the hospital in her previous life.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "This Master Tan, whom I've never met, is quite cautious. I guess he already knows about the procedures for medical disputes in later generations."

Tong Huaqiong said that this disclaimer is very necessary. If her own piglet suffers an accident due to castration, Tong Huaqiong will bear the risk herself, except for feeling sorry for it. But if she encounters a troublesome person like the original owner, Tong Dajiao, it will be terrible.

I guess I'd only feel better if I cut off the castrator's testicles.

"Mother, what are you doing? Young Master Lu is still on the flatbed cart. Brother asked where Young Master Lu lives?" Gu Taohua asked as she led Lu Zhaozhao to the pigsty.

Oh no, I was so focused on talking about the pigs that I forgot about Lu Zhaoyang in the car.

Gu Dahan was still unaware of his stepmother's intentions and dared not rashly help Lu Zhaoyang out of the carriage, because he needed to follow his stepmother's instructions on where to settle the person.

"They ask me everything. This family would fall apart without me," Tong Huaqiong complained.

Is Gu Dahan a sincere person?
Didn't you know to help the person down to sit and rest?
I just have to act according to her mood.

It's clear how ruthlessly Tong Dajiao manipulated him.

Tong Huaqiong put away the free book on castration and pulled Man'er away from the pigsty.

"Ouch."

Lu Zhaozhao, a wealthy young lady, was visiting a pigsty for the first time.

Out of curiosity, she craned her neck to look into the pigpen. The tassels hanging from the hairpin in her hair swayed, and the startled piglet squealed and stood up. Lu Zhaozhao was so frightened that she almost fell over.

Gu Jingzhe reacted quickly and helped Lu Zhaozhao up.

"Is Miss Lu alright?"

"fine."

Tong Huaqiong frowned slightly.

The way Lu Zhaozhao looked at Gu Jingzhe was no different from the way Gu Taohua looked at Fan Tong.

She noticed it on the way; Lu Zhaozhao lifted the carriage curtain and her eyes were fixed on Gu Jingzhe.

What a terrible thing! It's a karmic entanglement from a past life!

And you know what? Gu Jingzhe was a shining ray of light in the dilapidated courtyard of the Gu family. He was born with good looks and his intelligence was off the charts. Otherwise, how could he have been chosen as the third-ranked scholar? How could he have captured the heart of a princess who had seen countless romantic young men in the capital?

Moreover, it's perfectly normal for Lu Zhaozhao, who is only fourteen years old and still a naive young girl, to fall for him.

Even Tong Huaqiong herself would marvel at Gu Jingzhe's looks and figure every time she saw him. If she could travel back to the modern world, she wouldn't bring anything but Gu Jingzhe. She would send him to talent shows or post videos on Douyin to make him a top celebrity, and then she would just sit back and collect the money.

"Jingzhe, it's time to make dinner. Go to the kitchen and start the fire," Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Jingzhe.

Emotionally speaking, Gu Jingzhe in his previous life was also very affectionate towards Lu Zhaozhao, but that affection could not overcome his future and interests.

To prevent Lu Zhaozhao from repeating the same mistakes, she must start with Gu Jingzhe. While Gu Jingzhe still doesn't dare to have any designs on Lu Zhaozhao, she must nip the sparks that occasionally fly between them in the bud.

So she sent Gu Jingzhe to tend the fire and keep him busy, so that Gu Jingzhe had no chance to spend time with Lu Zhaozhao.

Anyway, the Lu siblings will be going back tomorrow.

“Young Master Lu still needs someone to help him,” Gu Jingzhe said.

"Are your eldest and second brothers dead? Do they need you to help Young Master Lu?" Tong Huaqiong's sharp eyes did not spare Gu Jingzhe.

Gu Jingzhe was so frightened that she went into the kitchen.

Startled, Lu Zhaozhao stuck out her tongue and whispered to Gu Taohua, "Is Aunt Tong your third brother's stepmother?"

Gu Taohua chuckled and said, "My mother is indeed a stepmother, my eldest brother's stepmother."

"It's so cold, are you just going to leave Young Master Lu sitting here like this? Don't you know how to help him inside?"

When Tong Huaqiong arrived at the flatbed cart, she saw Gu Dahan standing there waiting for her instructions, and she became furious.

Gu Dahan, stabbed by Tong Huaqiong, didn't know where to put his hands and feet.

"father."

When Man'er saw her father, Gu Dahan, return home, she let go of Tong Huaqiong's hand, rushed into Gu Dahan's arms, and cried out "Dad!" in surprise.

Gu Dahan mechanically embraced Man'er!
After returning home, Gu Dahan's attention was focused on Lu Zhaoyang, and he didn't see Tong Huaqiong interacting with Man'er in front of the pigsty.

When Gu Dahan saw Tong Huaqiong holding Man'er's hand and Man'er clinging to Tong Huaqiong, he felt as if his father had been resurrected.

What's wrong with his stepmother? He felt something was off on the way here, and seeing her attitude towards Man'er now made him feel even more uneasy.

How could his stepmother be so good to his Man'er? Wasn't Man'er always considered a money-loser by her? Why was he working so hard to earn money outside? It was because his stepmother always threatened to send Man'er to a wealthy family as a maid if he didn't bring money home.

He wasn't mistaken, was he? The stepmother was holding Man'er's hand—a treatment even Gu Yaozu, the eldest grandson of the Gu family, didn't receive.

"Daughter, Daddy's busy, I'll talk to you later." Gu Dahan rubbed Man'er's little head.

“You’ve been away from home for so long. When you come back, your daughter kisses you. Shouldn’t you be happy? Why are you turning your back on us? We don’t need you here. Let your second brother take care of Young Master Lu. Go and have a good talk with your daughter and wife.”

Tong Huaqiong noticed a momentary sadness in Man'er's eyes and began to reprimand Gu Dahan.

Gu Dahan was once again at a loss, taken aback by his stepmother's attitude. He didn't know if she was being sarcastic or if she meant it sincerely.

Chen Sufen was busy making room for Lu Zhaoyang when she heard Tong Huaqiong's words. Her heart warmed, and tears almost rolled down her cheeks.

She planned to tell Gu Dahan about what had happened at home in the past few days, especially her mother-in-law's change.

"Dahan, you're not needed here. I can manage on my own."

Lu Zhaoyang felt a little better and, after catching his breath, used Gu Dashu's help to get off the flatbed.

Chen Sufen has already prepared her accommodation.

The Gu family didn't have many rooms, so Chen Sufeng vacated one of the rooms where Gu Jingzhe used to study and write.

Seeing the clean bedding and bed, Tong Huaqiong expressed her satisfaction.

Given the Gu family's rural circumstances, it would be quite an achievement if they could even provide Lu Zhaoyang with a clean room.

Gu Dashu helped Lu Zhaoyang into the house.

"Young Master Lu, please rest here," Tong Huaqiong said to Lu Zhaoyang.

(End of this chapter)