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

Chapter 67 Gu Jingzhe Gets Beaten

After Tong Huaqiong's advice, Chen Sufen felt deeply ashamed.

I underestimated my mother-in-law.

She wanted Gu Dahan to stay at home, but she was worried that her mother-in-law would be reluctant to part with Gu Dahan's three taels of silver. Last night, I learned that Gu Dahan had a monthly allowance of three taels of silver, and I was worried that my mother-in-law, in her excitement, had mentioned letting Gu Dahan stay at home in the future, unaware that Gu Dahan had such a good job in the Lu family.

Fearing that her mother-in-law would be reluctant to part with the three taels of silver she earned each month, the honest Chen Su-fen decided to test her mother-in-law's reaction.

Now her mother-in-law's attitude is very clear: Gu Dahan should quit his job at the Lu family. Chen Sufeng is both happy and guilty.

"Mother, I've remembered everything you taught me today. From now on, I'll say whatever comes to mind and never hide anything again," Chen Sufeng said, mustering her courage as she caught up with Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong snorted.

Chen Su-fen smiled apologetically and said that breakfast had been cooked and that she would serve it to Tong Hua-qiong.

"Just set it up in the yard," Tong Huaqiong instructed Chen Sufen, enjoying the pleasant morning breeze in the yard.

Chen Sufen agreed and went to the kitchen.

Having already fed and watered the pigs to their hearts' content, Liu Yue'e, like a lackey, rushed to the kitchen, leading Gu Yaozu to move tables and chairs, and serve rice.

"Ouch, third brother, what happened to you? Did you trip over the water while watering the field?"

When Tong Huaqiong heard Liu Yue'e's loud shouts, she looked up and saw Gu Jingzhe, with two large purple bumps on his head, carrying a hoe as he entered the room.

Gu Jingzhe's face was ashen. He ignored Liu Yue'e, put the hoe against the wall, and began to wash up without saying a word.

"Oh dear, third brother, what's wrong with you?" Chen Sufen almost dropped the bowl she was holding, quickly put it down, and handed Gu Jingzhe a towel to wipe his face.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Gu Jingzhe's voice was a little muffled, as if he didn't dare to look Chen Sufen in the eye.

"I'm fine." Gu Jingzhe seemed unwilling to talk about his injuries.

Tong Huaqiong observed for a while without making a sound, and concluded that Gu Jingzhe definitely did not slip and fall while watering the ground.

Because he wasn't wet.

Gu Jingzhe had two large bumps on his forehead, one on each side, and bruises at the corners of his eyes and mouth.

This guy clearly got beaten up.

Tong Huaqiong's eyes were dark and unreadable. Her first thought was that it was Xu Si's brothers who had done it.

Yesterday, she and Gu Taohua offended Granny Yan and Xu Si very badly. Gu Jingzhe even threatened Xu Si.

The Xu family has always bullied others in Qinghe Bay because they have many sons. It wouldn't be surprising if Xu Si and his brothers beat up Gu Jingzhe while he was watering the fields.

Especially since Gu Jingzhe was a scholar before, and the Xu family was wary of him, but now that he is an ordinary person, there is no need for them to be wary of him at all.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself that if it really was the Xu family who beat her up, she wouldn't need to set up her stall today. She would definitely bring her weapons and lead a bunch of thugs to smash up the Xu family.

Only she can fight Gu Jingzhe. If she doesn't protect her if an outsider hits her, then Tao Hua and she will be the next ones to be beaten.

"Third brother, who hit you?"

"Is it the Xu family?"

Where are your eldest and second eldest brothers?

Tong Huaqiong asked a series of questions.

"What? Third Brother got beaten up by the Xu family? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and fight them!"

Gu Taohua came out of the house, and the Xu family triggered her reaction. She rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a stick, and was about to rush outside.

"Peach Blossom." Tong Huaqiong called out to Peach Blossom.

Tong Huaqiong then thought that the cunning Gu Jingzhe was not the kind of person who could tolerate things. If anyone hit him, he would definitely retaliate. It was impossible for him to be squatting by the pool washing his face like this.

I'm afraid there's more to the story.

"Third brother, speak up, who hit you?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Gu Jingzhe said in a low voice, "It's nothing."

After saying that, she went back into the house, leaving Tong Huaqiong looking astonished.

Gu Jingzhe, that seemingly innocent but actually cunning person, actually has a time when he's willing to suffer a loss.
"Mother, the bump on Third Brother's head was from being hit by Eldest Brother," Gu Dashu said as he carried in buckets.

"What? Da Han hit my third brother?" Chen Sufeng's hands trembled with shock.

Gu Dahan is usually very tolerant, but Gu Jingzhe's insistence on marrying Man'er to the eldest son of the Zheng family crossed his line. Last night, Gu Dahan wanted to confront Gu Jingzhe, but Chen Sufeng stopped him. In the end, her husband couldn't hold back and beat his third brother this morning while watering the fields.

Her first reaction was that he did a good job, but the next second she worried about the situation her man would face.

Even though her mother-in-law has been treating the eldest son's family better these days, Gu Jingzhe is still her mother-in-law's own son, and Chen Sufen is worried that her mother-in-law will be angry.

If the mother-in-law gets angry, the eldest son's family will be engulfed in a storm.

"Second brother, why didn't you stop him?" Chen Sufeng asked Gu Dashu.

"well played!"

Gu Dashu was about to say that he wanted to stop him, but his usually honest and easy-going older brother had gone crazy and he couldn't stop him. Fearing that he would also be beaten up, he didn't dare to stop him anymore.

Before he could even speak, he heard his mother's definitive conclusion.

Gu Jingzhe has been doing nothing but studying, so we have to make Gu Dahan vent his anger.

In Gu Dahan's memory of Tong Dajiao, she was always an honest man who couldn't hold back a fart for half a day.

On the contrary, in order to please his biological father and stepmother, he endlessly caused his wife and daughter to suffer grievances, so Tong Huaqiong looked down on this stepson.

His beating of Gu Jingzhe today shows that he still has a shred of courage and can be saved, which makes Tong Huaqiong think more highly of him.

"Mother, I apologize to you."

Gu Dahan couldn't help but hit Gu Jingzhe. He didn't regret it, but he was a little flustered afterward and didn't know how to face his stepmother.

He had already planned it all out: once he got home, he would kneel before his stepmother and let her beat and scold him.

His stepmother's attitude surprised him.

He hit his stepmother's most beloved son, and she actually said it was a good thing.

This was even more unbelievable to him than his father coming back to life.

"Mother, your son is unfilial."

Gu Dahan knelt down in front of Tong Huaqiong with a thud.

Tong Huaqiong was startled. She had no idea how Gu Dahan was unfilial. Was he unfilial just because he hit Gu Jingzhe? That was a very low line of unfilial conduct.

She quickly realized that Gu Dahan had been manipulated by PUA tactics. He would kneel down and start blaming himself for hitting Gu Jingzhe and upsetting his stepmother.

“You are not unfilial. Your third brother is wrong. As the eldest brother, it is right for you to discipline him,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Dahan was moved by Tong Huaqiong's understanding.

“They say the eldest brother is like a father, and you are like a second father to them. Not only your third brother, but also your second brother, you can beat him if he does something wrong,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Dashu: "."

"Mother," Gu Dahan choked up.

"The second and third brothers used to be disrespectful to you, which was related to their lack of understanding, but you, as the eldest brother, also bear responsibility. You always indulged them, knowing they were wrong but still tolerating them, even if it meant your wife and daughters suffered. So who else would they bully if not you?"

“I’m especially happy that you disciplined your third brother today. Why am I happy? I’m happy that you’ve finally become like an elder brother, that you’ve finally stood up for yourself. This is a sign of the prosperity of our Gu family. So you have done nothing unfilial, and you have nothing to apologize for.”

Tong Huaqiong's outburst warmed up Gu Dahan's heart, which had been tormented by Tong Dajiao.

He finally understood Chen Sufen's feelings; his stepmother was truly different from before.

"Mother, I'm not capable enough to earn much money, which is why my third brother wanted to marry into the Zheng family." Moved, Gu Dahan began to take the blame for Gu Jingzhe's inability to study.

“This has nothing to do with you. You, as the eldest brother, have already done enough. I just wanted to discuss something with you. You should quit your job after you escort the Lu siblings to the prefectural city today and stay home to serve them.” Tong Huaqiong made her request to Gu Dahan.

Hearing her mother-in-law say this, Chen Sufen's eyes welled up with tears.

Gu Dahan was stunned. Chen Sufeng told him that his stepmother hoped he would live at home in the future, but he didn't believe it.

Unexpectedly, his stepmother really wanted him to quit his job. But did his stepmother know that he could earn three taels of silver a month?
"Mother, I'd better not quit my job. I can earn at least three taels of silver a month," Gu Dahan said.

Upon hearing this, Tong Huaqiong channeled her inner Tong Dajiao, feigning anger as she retorted, "I see you just want to enjoy a life of luxury at the Lu family's house in the prefecture, leaving your wife and children at home to do the work for you. You've been in the prefecture for so long, and look, our wheat is the worst growing in the whole village. I see you don't want to farm at home. If you don't take care of the crops, do you expect me to?"

Tong Huaqiong is once again channeling her inner Tong Dajiao (a character from a popular TV series).

Gu Dahan and Chen Sufeng, two pure-blooded people who are extremely filial, can't stand it once Tong Huaqiong labels them.

As expected, when Gu Dahan heard Tong Huaqiong accuse him of not wanting to take care of the crops and trying to push the work in the fields onto Tong Huaqiong, he was immediately too frightened to mention continuing to work as a hired laborer in the Lu family.

(End of this chapter)