Chapter 71: Chapter 71: How Dare You Ask for Face?
"From now on, Nuannuan will come back to stay for two days at the beginning and end of each month," Gu Wu said flatly, glancing at Chen Suxiang.
"Uh..."
’So much for being happy.’
Chen Suxiang resentfully gripped her chopsticks. It was a long moment before she managed to control her anger. "Why bother cleaning a room for her when she’s only staying at the beginning and end of the month? She can just squeeze in with someone else, can’t she?"
Gu Wu shot her a dark look.
"I know, I know. I’ll clean it." Chen Suxiang trembled. No matter how resentful she felt, she didn’t dare say another word. ’It’s just cleaning a room. I’ll just clear a space in the storage room, throw a bed in there, and call it a day.’
"Clean out the remaining large room on the second floor," Gu Wu tossed out casually, looking down at his food. He was already planning in his head. ’When I have a moment, I’ll buy a lock myself and keep the room locked.’
The Gu Family’s second floor had three rooms: two large and one small. The two large rooms faced a good direction, making them spacious, bright, and comfortable. The small room was cramped, stuffy, and poorly ventilated. Originally, Gu Lihui and Zhang Minzhen’s room had been the largest and best one, so naturally, it would go to the eldest son and his new wife in the future. As for the remaining two rooms—one good, one bad—Chen Suxiang already had a plan. Her grandson would get the large room, and her granddaughter would get the small one. Who would have thought Gu Wu would suddenly demand the large one be reserved for Gu Nuan Nuan? ’This is unacceptable!’
"She’s just a girl, and she won’t even be staying for two full days a month! Why should we save such a good room for her?" Chen Suxiang wasn’t having it this time.
"I’ll give you three days, tops, to get it cleaned out." Gu Wu ignored her, setting a firm deadline.
"Let her stay in the small room, then! The large one should be kept for Jia Bao," Chen Suxiang pleaded, still trying to secure the room for her eldest son’s boy. As for her other granddaughter, she couldn’t be bothered to think about her. ’There are no spare rooms downstairs. It’s her own fault for being a girl. If it comes down to it, she’ll just have to make do and sleep in the storage room.’
"Enough of this nonsense."
Gu Wu tossed his chopsticks down, stood up, and added before leaving, "When you’re done here, come to my room. I have more to say to you."
The color drained from Chen Suxiang’s face, and Gu Jinhua’s knuckles whitened around her chopsticks.
Ye Rong shot the two of them a curious look.
After the meal, as she helped clear the dishes, she noticed the mother and daughter were not only dawdling but also completely distracted. Chen Suxiang even let a bowl slip from her grasp and shatter. Ye Rong watched them in silence, her curiosity piqued, but she held her tongue. Back in her room, she found Gu Lihuang lying down again, listening to the radio. Her son, Gu Qian, was imitating his father, lying on the bed with his legs crossed. Ye Rong couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "Why are your mom and your sister acting so strangely? They seem terrified of Father. He’s usually just quiet, I’ve never seen him as a bad-tempered person."
"You’ll find out in time. Dad’s temper isn’t as good as you think," Gu Lihuang said vaguely. ’It probably won’t even take that long,’ he thought. ’You might see it today.’ Despite this, he had no intention of getting up and getting involved.
"I know! I know!" Gu Qian scrambled up, not wanting to be left out. "Grandpa can be really fierce sometimes! He disciplines Grandma!"
"You’re a little chatterbox," Gu Lihuang said, lightly patting Gu Qian on the head. The boy stuck his tongue out at him defiantly.
"..."
Ye Rong stared at Gu Lihuang in astonishment. ’No wonder my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are so terrified. They must have done something to provoke Father-in-law and have guilty consciences.’ She opened her mouth to speak, but seeing his completely unconcerned, leisurely attitude, she decided against it. ’Besides, it’s just my mother-in-law—and one who doesn’t wish me well, at that. Even if she gets a beating, what’s it to me...’
「The Main House.」
A long while after Ye Rong left, having stalled for as long as she possibly could, Chen Suxiang finally shuffled her way back to the room.
Gu Jinhua watched her mother go in. After a moment’s hesitation, she gathered her things and slipped away without a word.
’Besides,’ she thought, ’there’s no room for me at my parents’ house. If I stay, I won’t even have a place for a nap. And if Mom really gets beaten, I definitely wouldn’t dare go in to break it up. What’s the point in my staying?’
When Chen Suxiang entered the main house, she saw Gu Wu sitting there smoking, his expression dark and unpredictable. She had the urge to bolt, but didn’t have the courage; she was afraid that if he caught her, the beating would be even worse. So she quickly said, "Our second son’s wife is home! You can’t hit me! You have to let me keep some dignity..."
"Dignity? After all the things you’ve done, you have the gall to talk about dignity?" Gu Wu sneered and took a heavy drag from his smoke. "I’ll give you one chance. Tell me everything you’ve been hiding from me all these years."
"W-what... what else... could there be?" Chen Suxiang stammered, trying to bluff her way out. She had done so many things behind Gu Wu’s back over the years; if she confessed now, she feared the consequences would be dire.
"Think carefully before you answer. If you tell me the truth now, we’ll settle the score this one time and be done with it. But if you insist on hiding things, and I find out later... it won’t be resolved so easily." Gu Wu stared at her and gave a cold smile.
Chen Suxiang: "..."
’It must be the Zhang Family,’ she thought, her heart filling with resentment. ’They must have told this damn old man something.’ After a long, internal struggle, she tentatively confessed to a couple of things she’d done over the years. When she finished, she cautiously watched Gu Wu’s reaction. Seeing him smoking calmly without any change in expression, she grew a little bolder.
...
"Is that everything?" Gu Wu asked as Chen Suxiang finally fell silent. Every last thing she confessed to was far more than what he’d heard from the Zhang Family. With an unreadable expression, he put down his pipe and stood up.
"I’ve... I’ve told you everything. That’s all. There’s nothing else." Chen Suxiang stood up as well. Seeing that Gu Wu hadn’t exploded in a rage, the knot in her chest loosened slightly. She thought he was actually holding back because their second son’s wife was home and felt that having them back had its perks after all. It felt like she had dodged a bullet. But the words had barely left her mouth and her heart hadn’t even had a chance to settle when she felt a rush of air against her face. A bloodcurdling scream shattered the tranquility of the quiet afternoon...
"Hey, are you sure you don’t need to go and break that up?" Ye Rong winced at her mother-in-law’s increasingly shrill howls and couldn’t help but nudge Gu Lihuang, who was sleeping beside her.
"Break what up? How would I even do that? Just go to sleep. Ignore them. You’ll get used to it. This happens all the time. My dad knows what he’s doing; he won’t really... do any permanent damage. Just wait. By tonight, I guarantee she’ll be right as rain. So don’t worry about it."
"..."
Ye Rong felt herself reeling. She glanced at her son; he was completely unaffected, just muttering something in his sleep before rolling over and falling soundly asleep again.
"If you ever dare to follow in your father’s footsteps and treat me like that, I won’t let you off easy." She reached over and twisted Gu Lihuang’s ear. "And don’t you think I’m easy to bully just because I don’t have any brothers. I have plenty of cousins, and they’re not just for show."
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