Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Tit for Tat
This was the first time Gu Jiaojiao had seen a real-life wedding from this era. Pushing Su Shuochi’s wheelchair, she stood in the crowd and watched with curiosity.
Dong Baozhu and Su Qinchun stood at her sides. Dong Qiming was nowhere to be seen, likely busy with something.
"Cousin Jiaojiao, Brother-in-law, Sister Qinchun, would you like to go inside and sit?" Dong Baozhu’s voice was placid, betraying no emotion.
"Baozhu, if you have something to do, go ahead and get busy. We’ll just stand here and watch the festivities," Gu Jiaojiao said with a glance at the young girl.
"Cousin Jiaojiao, we don’t have to do anything today. They’ve hired people for every task."
"It’s like this, Sister-in-law," Su Qinchun said with an air of importance. "Today, even the people pouring tea and moving chairs get red envelopes, so everyone’s fighting for the work. There’s nothing left for the family to do." When her second sister and oldest brother had gotten married, no one had asked her to do anything, either.
"The bride is here! Everyone, look! She’s gorgeous!" someone in the crowd yelled.
Dong Baozhu nervously gripped Gu Jiaojiao’s hand, and they both turned to look.
The bride had a head of permed curls, the most popular hairstyle this year, which was a clear sign of her good family background.
She wore a red chiffon blouse, black bell-bottoms, and a pair of high-heeled leather pumps.
A woman in her twenties, her face was full and youthful. She was one of those beauties who looked good whether her makeup was light or heavy.
The groom, Second Uncle Dong, had brought his bride home on a brand-new bicycle. Both wore sweet smiles, their faces radiating happiness.
The bride appeared somewhat reserved, but the mature, charismatic groom was different—his heartfelt joy was plain to see on his face.
The newlyweds wore large red flowers pinned to their clothes. The groom pushed the bicycle through the crowd, accepting everyone’s well-wishes.
"Look at them. The bride and groom look like a pair of intellectuals."
"Hah! They really are an educated couple. The bride’s a middle school teacher, I heard."
"That’s right, and the groom is even more impressive. He became a bureau director at such a young age. He’s definitely an educated man."
"Sigh! That Li Dahua really was a fool. To have such a good husband and still raise hell every day until she got a divorce!"
"Look, the bride and groom are holding hands! They’re such a perfect match!"
"It’s true, I saw it too! The bride and groom seem too shy to speak to one another. Their joy is tinged with bashfulness—it’s such a beautiful scene."
Gu Jiaojiao thought the gossiping crowd was surprisingly eloquent; their descriptions were quite fitting.
She squeezed Dong Baozhu’s hand and asked in a low voice, "Is this stepmother of yours good to you and your brother?"
"So far, she’s been very good. I get the sense that she’s a gentle, poised woman—a little better than our own mother, to be honest."
Dong Baozhu would tell Gu Jiaojiao anything and everything; she never lied to her.
"Just like everyone is saying, she and your father are a very good match. She seems like a gentle and refined woman. As long as she doesn’t stir up trouble, you and your brother should try to get along with her."
Gu Jiaojiao had dealt with a stepmother in her previous life, but she wouldn’t call herself an expert on the matter. After all, she had always lived with her grandfather.
"My brother said the same thing. As long as she’s genuinely good to our dad, that’s all that matters. We won’t deliberately give her a hard time."
Dong Baozhu felt a little happy inside. ’It’s not that I’m heartless,’ she thought. ’But my own mother not only favored boys over girls, she also focused all her attention on her younger brother and my dad. For me, it was always either a beating or a scolding. She was worse than this stepmother!’
’This stepmother is at least gentle to me on the surface. She even bought me two stylish new dresses.’
"Cousin Jiaojiao, this dress I’m wearing today... my stepmother bought it for me. My own mother never once bought me clothes!"
"You should probably just call her ’Auntie’ from now on. You’re already sixteen, so ’Mom’ would feel strange, but nobody says ’Stepmother’ to someone’s face either."
Gu Jiaojiao had only been six when her own father remarried, and she had always called her stepmother ’Auntie’.
"Cousin Jiaojiao, is that really alright? Just yesterday, my brother told me he didn’t know what to do because he can’t bring himself to call her ’Mom’!"
"There’s nothing wrong with it. ’Auntie’ is perfectly fine. Calling her ’Mom’ would be the awkward thing to do."
"Then I’ll go tell my brother right now! Thank you, Cousin Jiaojiao. I’m going to go inside and find him."
"Okay, go ahead."
Gu Jiaojiao stayed behind to watch the couple perform the formal bows of the wedding ceremony. The Dong Family’s courtyard was huge, the same size as the one the three households of the Su family shared, only this one was occupied by the Dong Family alone.
In this day and age, the Dong Family’s wealth was considered top-tier.
Many of the guests attending the wedding banquet were people of status and position, including directors and heads of various factories...
Although Su Shuochi was in a wheelchair, many people came over to share his table and chat, most of them drawn by the reputation of Divine Doctor Su Gu.
Gu Jiaojiao rested her hand on the wheelchair, fading into the background. None of the people who came to curry favor with Su Shuochi recognized her.
She didn’t feel right leaving Su Shuochi to face these people alone, so she remained quietly by his side.
Just as Sheng Shiwu had said, his father and Sheng Shiwen didn’t come. He wanted to squeeze his way to Gu Jiaojiao’s side but couldn’t find an opportunity.
The Song Family were also among the honored guests. Uncle Song and his wife had come to the banquet, bringing Song Zijin and Sheng Yueyue with them.
At home, Sheng Yueyue and Aunt Song might fight like cats and dogs every day, but they always did it behind Uncle Song’s back.
In front of Uncle Song, the mother- and daughter-in-law appeared relatively harmonious. The moment they were out from under his nose, however, they were at each other’s throats, constantly clashing.
When Uncle Song saw crowds of people flocking to Su Shuochi, and even his own younger brother joining them, he decided to head over as well.
Song Zijin had already noticed Gu Jiaojiao, who looked as beautiful as a goddess. Seeing his father head in that direction, he immediately followed.
Seeing her husband and son leave, Aunt Song turned to Sheng Yueyue and spoke in a sneering, passive-aggressive tone.
"Look at your husband. Staring so intently at that adopted sister, he won’t even sit at the same table as you."
"My father-in-law saw how pretty Gu Jiaojiao is and abandoned a sallow-faced hag like you to go suck up to that slut." Sheng Yueyue’s retort was merciless, intended to provoke.
She had always hated Gu Jiaojiao, but right now, the person she loathed most was this vile mother-in-law of hers.
Aunt Song looked over at Gu Jiaojiao in the distance. Dressed in white, her dark hair dancing in the gentle breeze, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
’But she’s surrounded by countless handsome and talented young men. There’s no way she’d be interested in my old geezer.’
Thus, her mood improved, and she launched her counterattack. "Gu Jiaojiao is certainly beautiful. But if she were going to seduce anyone, it would be my Zijin!"
"Your hair isn’t as silky as hers, and your sallow face makes you look like a middle-aged woman. No wonder my Zijin can’t stand you."
’This damned old hag,’ she thought. ’Her words are completely merciless.’
She glanced again at Gu Jiaojiao, who was chatting and laughing happily in the distance. ’Damn, she’s beautiful.’
Sheng Yueyue clenched her fists so tightly that her long fingernails nearly broke the skin of her palms.
Rage flooded her chest, and her entire body trembled with fury.
’That slut should be a sewer rat crushed under my heel! How dare she shine more brightly than me!’
’Impossible! Absolutely impossible!’
’Something must have gone wrong somewhere!’
