Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Claiming Credit
"Look at him, his wings have hardened." Chen Suxiang started wailing dramatically to Gu Jinhua, "I’ve toiled my whole life away, thinking I could finally relax a bit and have a daughter-in-law to help with the work. But look at this mess! Why does it feel like our family has brought home a goddess to worship instead?"
"Mom, stop it." Gu Jinhua felt uncomfortable too. She had originally thought her second sister-in-law was a gentle sheep, but it turned out she was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
"What? Are you tired of me too? I might as well just die. Raising sons and daughters my whole life has all been for nothing."
"Mom, please stop dragging other things into this. When have I ever been tired of you? Do you really want Eldest Brother and Second Brother to split from the family?" Gu Jinhua was getting fed up herself, but she asked patiently.
"They can split from the family over my dead body," Chen Suxiang said fiercely. ’This is the time when I can finally order my daughters-in-law around. If they split off, wouldn’t my whole life of suffering have been for nothing?’
"If you don’t want them to split, then stop making a scene. Second Brother is only backing down because he’s being forced to by his Yue Family. If you really push him too far and he insists on splitting, what will you do if Eldest Brother gets the same idea and wants to split too?"
"But... but am I supposed to just watch my second daughter-in-law live a life of leisure with her feet up and steal my grandson?"
"He’s her son to begin with, how can you say she’s stealing him? If she wants to raise him, then let her. She’s never looked after the child before, so do you really think he’ll listen to her? Maybe after a few days, she’ll get tired of it and give him back to you." Gu Jinhua was quite dismissive of Chen Suxiang’s words. "As long as your grandson’s last name is still Gu, he’s your grandson. He’s bound to be close to you. As for Ye Rong, just do as Second Brother said. Let her do whatever she wants, and you can just pretend she doesn’t exist. It’s not like you only have one daughter-in-law. If you want to put on the airs of a mother-in-law, do you think you won’t have the chance?"
As she spoke, Gu Jinhua gave Chen Suxiang a mysterious smile. "In front of *that* one, you can act like a mother-in-law as much as you want. What she did was shameful enough. If she gets a reputation for being unfilial to her mother-in-law on top of that... tsk, tsk. Once she marries in, won’t she have to walk on eggshells around you? What right would she have to challenge you...?"
"Exactly."
The thought made Chen Suxiang burst out laughing. She slapped her thigh, her eyes shining with a startling light as if she had seen a bright future. But a moment later, her spirits deflated. "You don’t know how much your eldest brother values that mother and her two children. What if he takes their side?"
"Mom, what are you afraid of? Once she’s actually in the door, how could things stay the same? Men are all like that. As the saying goes, ’a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a stolen affair.’"
"But, she’s already given him two children..."
"What’s the use even if she’s had ten? You don’t have to be so obvious about it. Can’t you just put on an act in front of Eldest Brother? As long as you keep him happy, think about it: on one side is his own mother, and on the other is just an outsider—an outsider who caused him to get hurt, no less. Could his heart really side with her? As for those two children, they’re older now. You can try to win them over if you can, but don’t waste too much effort if you can’t. Blood ties can’t be changed, and the Lin family will definitely not take them back. What other surname can they have besides Gu?"
"My daughter really is educated. You’re much more clever than I am." Chen Suxiang’s face bloomed into a smile as wide as a chrysanthemum as she looked at Gu Jinhua with admiration.
"Don’t even mention it. I was a good student back then. It’s a shame you forced me to come home right after I finished primary school. Otherwise, I could have gone all the way through high school like Second Brother, and I wouldn’t be stuck just working a sales counter now. With my father-in-law’s connections, I could have easily gotten an office job." The subject of her education was a sore spot for Gu Jinhua. At the time, even her father hadn’t said she should quit. But her mother had insisted she drop out and come home, claiming she was too busy and needed help around the house.
"You should be content. Even your eldest brother only finished primary school. So many girls from other families have never even set foot in a school." Chen Suxiang’s expression changed instantly, and she shot her a look. "How can you be so ungrateful when you were able to finish primary school?"
"Why don’t you mention that Eldest Brother couldn’t keep up with his studies? You’re just biased," Gu Jinhua muttered.
"Is it wrong for me to favor my sons?" Chen Suxiang stood up, hands on her hips, and poked Gu Jinhua’s forehead. "Your second brother was right. A daughter is like spilt water; only a son is truly your own. For a girl like you, I’ve already done right by you by letting you learn to read a few words. What more could you ask for?"
"If I’m just spilt water, then why do you call me day in and day out, asking me to subsidize our family?" Gu Jinhua’s "delicate heart" was instantly and deeply wounded.
"Ha! And now you’re playing the victim? As if I’ve treated you so poorly! I gave birth to you, raised you, and even paid for your schooling. When you got married, I only took a two-hundred-yuan betrothal gift and even gave you a dowry. Now you’re unhappy just because I ask you to chip in a little now and then? Why don’t you talk about how other families’ daughters support their parents? You ungrateful thing! You only remember the times you think you’ve lost out. Why don’t you remember when that pig butcher, Liu Erbiezi, came to propose? He was offering a full five hundred yuan as a betrothal gift and even said we didn’t need to provide a dowry, but I wasn’t tempted and didn’t marry you off to him, did I?"
Chen Suxiang was so moved by her own words. ’If this incident wasn’t enough to prove how much I dote on my daughter, what else could?’
At this moment, she had completely forgotten that back then, she had actually been tempted and had almost agreed to it. It was only when she went back and told Gu Wuyi that he had adamantly refused. He said that Liu Erbiezi was on his second marriage, not only had two sons already, but his previous wife had even been beaten to death. Their family wasn’t so desperate that they had to sell their daughter. To be honest, she had regretted it for a long time back then. Even now, thinking about it, she felt she had missed out on a great deal.
’In her opinion, what was the big deal about a second marriage, having children from a previous wife, or getting beaten? If he already had children, she wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to produce a son after marrying him. As long as you knew how to handle him, a man on his second marriage would surely dote on his wife even more. And if you could make him dote on you, how could you possibly get beaten often?’
’And even if, taking a step back, the man really was incorrigible and insisted on beating his wife, it wasn’t a big deal. Isn’t she herself beaten by Gu Wu all the time?’
’Hmph. In the end, men are really all bastards. They can beat their own wives but can’t stand to see their daughters get beaten by their sons-in-law.’
She smacked her lips. ’Thankfully, marrying her daughter into the current Liu Family wasn’t a loss for her either. Although the betrothal gift was smaller, it was like harvesting leeks—she could cut one crop after another. The deal with Liu Erbiezi, on the other hand, would have been a one-time transaction. I heard that shameless oaf never lets his wife visit her family, not even for the traditional homecoming visit after the wedding. Even when his wife’s parents and brothers came to ask for handouts, Liu Erbiezi would never open the door. He’d just shout all over the place that the money and goods had been cleared, so the two families had no reason to interact anymore.’
After he did that a couple of times, his wife’s family felt too ashamed and eventually cut off all contact.
Chen Suxiang’s heart finally felt a little more balanced. ’Hmph, it’s clear that five-hundred-yuan betrothal gift wouldn’t have been so easy to get after all.’ Her expression softened, and she poked Gu Jinhua’s forehead again. "You search your conscience. Haven’t I been good enough to you?"
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