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

Chapter 60 Pocket Money

Chen Sufeng felt a surge of satisfaction when she heard her mother-in-law and Gu Taohua reprimand Xu Si today, as if her mother-in-law had also vented her anger.

With Chen Sufeng in charge of the kitchen, a table full of dishes was quickly prepared.

Lu Zhaoyang's food was served in a clean bowl.

Tong Huaqiong made a special check and only said it was okay to bring it in after confirming there were no flour products inside.

When Lu Zhaozhao took it in and then took it out again, Tong Huaqiong noticed that he had barely touched it.

This is probably just the appetite of a rich young master, like a cat.

Tong Huaqiong didn't ask any questions. As long as Lu Zhaoyang didn't eat noodles, he wouldn't get sick. As for whether he could save his life in the future, that was none of the Gu family's business.

Tonight's meal was exceptionally lavish, featuring lamb, fish, and roast chicken.

Tong Huaqiong tore off the four legs from the two roast chickens and distributed them to herself, Man'er, Gu Taohua, and Chen Sufen.

Gu Yaozu stared longingly, but Tong Huaqiong remained unmoved and tore off a chicken wing for him.

Having learned his lesson from the jujube cake incident, Gu Yaozu dared not snatch Man'er's chicken leg again and obediently started gnawing on the chicken wing.

He was afraid that if he made a scene, he wouldn't even get to eat chicken wings.

Although Liu Yue'e felt uncomfortable, she gradually accepted Tong Huaqiong's favoritism towards Man'er.

This scene shocked Gu Dahan so much that he almost dropped his rice bowl.

In the past, the stepmother would never even let Man'er and Chen Sufen eat the bones of the roast chicken, let alone the chicken legs.

Chicken drumsticks were reserved for Gu Taohua and Yaozu.

Before dinner, while they were in the house, Chen Sufeng told him that his stepmother had become nicer recently and was showing favoritism towards their eldest son's family.

Man'er tugged at her clothes, saying they were new ones her grandma had bought for her, and that her grandma doted on her and even slept with her in her arms.

He naturally didn't believe his wife and daughter's words.

Even though Tong Huaqiong's favoritism towards Man'er and Chen Sufen was right before his eyes, he thought he was seeing things.

It's no wonder he thinks this way, because he was severely oppressed by his stepmother in the past. He doesn't understand why his stepmother is so good to his family, and from the way she's been on the road, she seems to have become more sensible than before.

He didn't understand what had happened while he was away, so Chen Su-fen went to cook without explaining.

Gu Dahan was itching to find out what had happened.

After the meal, Tong Huaqiong ordered Liu Yue'e, Gu Dashu, and Gu Jingzhe to clear the table, while she pulled Chen Sufeng into the room and handed her a tael of silver.

Chen Su-fen was too scared to accept it.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Take this, it's your pocket money. You've been working hard making pastries these days."

Chen Sufen said in a trembling voice, "Mother, I don't want to."

Tong Huaqiong said, "Take it. I've given you the peach blossoms too. A woman needs to have some money in her hands."

Chen Sufeng still dared not accept the money, saying, "I have no use for it."

Tong Huaqiong insisted, "Whether you use the money or not is another matter. Whether you save it as your own money, spend it on yourself, or give it to Man'er is your freedom. I won't interfere and you don't need to tell me."

While Chen Sufen was still hesitating, Tong Huaqiong lost her temper.

"Have you gotten too cocky these past few days? You dare to disobey me now?"

Chen Sufen was most afraid of Tong Huaqiong's anger. Her mother-in-law's anger triggered her fear of Tong Huaqiong, and she accepted the money without thinking twice.

"Mother, thank you, Mother. I will take good care of you and work hard from now on," Chen Sufeng hurriedly promised.

At the same time, she felt a little like crying. This was the first time in her life, from her parents' home to her husband's home, that she had any money of her own.

Chen Sufen gripped the silver tightly.

Tong Huaqiong smiled and said gently, "I'll give you all the money I earn every month. I saw that you made all those pastries at home today, that's really good."

Chen Sufeng's eyes welled up with tears after receiving praise from her mother-in-law. She even added a scene for Liu Yue'e, who was tending the fire, saying, "Sister-in-law has been a great help!" Tong Huaqiong then shooed Chen Sufeng back into the house.

"Alright, we don't need you tonight, you can go back to your room."

Chen Sufeng knew that her mother-in-law wanted her and Gu Dahan to have a good get-together; it was her mother-in-law being considerate of her.

She didn't continue being sentimental, and since she already had a lot to say to Da Han, she wiped away her tears and went back to her room.

"Tell me what happened, what exactly happened? I don't think she's ever been nice to you and Man'er at all."

As soon as Chen Sufen entered the room, Gu Dahan took her hand and asked her a question.

The "she" that Gu Dahan was referring to was naturally Tong Huaqiong.

After Chen Sufeng sat down, she stretched out her hand with red eyes, and the silver in her hand almost blinded Gu Dahan.

"This is the money my mother gave me. She said it was for me to keep as my private money, and that she would give it to me every month she earned money." Chen Sufeng choked up a little.

Despite her repeated insistence that she didn't need the money, the feeling of having the money in her hands still excited her.

My mother-in-law is right. Having money gives you confidence.

Gu Dahan carefully observed Chen Sufeng under the lamp. Chen Sufeng was wearing new clothes, her cheeks were fuller, and she looked younger than before when she smiled.

More importantly, the timid and petty air about him was gone, replaced by confidence and vitality.

Gu Dahan remembered that Chen Sufeng was so gentle and cheerful when she first got married, but later, under the torment of her stepmother, she became more and more silent and sorrowful.

Thinking of this, Gu Dahan felt an overwhelming sadness.

"Is she trying to do something to us by becoming like this?" Gu Dahan asked with a worried expression.

Chen Sufeng thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I think Mother has really changed. You asked me what happened at home? This goes back to half a month ago, when my third brother wanted to study at Wanliu Academy."

When Gu Dahan heard that Gu Jingzhe was going to send Man'er to the Zheng family for a marriage of convenience so that he could study at Wanliu Academy, he stood up abruptly.

He let his stepmother torment him, working hard outside to earn money to support Gu Jingzhe's schooling. What was he after?

He just wants them to treat his wife and daughter better.

He almost sold his daughter out of his sight.

The usually honest Gu Dahan couldn't take it anymore and went to Gu Jingzhe to demand an explanation.

"Don't rush, let me finish." Chen Sufeng pulled Gu Dahan back.

"I stopped Man'er from going out, which knocked my mother unconscious. When she woke up, she was completely different."

"First, she beat and scolded Taohua's second brother and sister-in-law, along with Yaozu, and returned the money from the Zheng family, saying that she would turn over a new leaf and lead everyone to live a good life. At first, I didn't believe it, but the next day my mother started to make money. Every day she baked pastries and took Taohua to town to sell them. She has been selling them for many days now."

"Otherwise, how could you have run into Mother and Peach Blossom on the way today?"

"You know what, just from the fact that my mother learned to read from my uncle when she was a young girl, you can tell that she was no ordinary person. The pastry recipes she came up with were very popular. Even the wealthy man Huang in town had them once and then asked us to make the pastries for his mother's birthday banquet."

Seeing Gu Dahan's disbelieving expression at Tong Huaqiong leading the family to a better life, Chen Sufen hurriedly explained to Gu Dahan about Tong Huaqiong's work in making and selling pastries.

Tong Huaqiong also mentioned that the whole family should respect her as the eldest sister-in-law.

The plot twist left Gu Dahan completely bewildered.

“I know you’re heartbroken that Man’er was almost sold, and I am too. But don’t go after Third Brother anymore. Mother has already stopped him from going to school and told him to stay home and farm. For Third Brother, not being allowed to study is worse than being killed.”

When Chen Sufeng spoke about Gu Jingzhe's dropping out of school, she seemed to have a look of regret on her face.

At the same time, they felt that preventing Gu Jingzhe from studying was the best punishment for him.

When Gu Dahan heard that Gu Jingzhe had dropped out of school, he was speechless.

Gu Jingzhe's studies were the most important thing in the Gu family; nothing else mattered as much as Gu Jingzhe's studies.

What triggered his stepmother to stop him from studying?
(End of this chapter)