xymnovel Chapter 556: Should Have Gone Mad Sooner
Chapter 556: Should Have Gone Mad Sooner
"Madam."
"Brother Jingzhe."
Gu Ruinian came out of the house and greeted Tong Huaqiong and Gu Jingzhe.
The yard was filled with a heap of things; Tong Huaqiong glanced inconspicuously at the pile on the ground and recognized the sulfur in it.
Gu Ruinian was up to some mischief again.
"Xiao Xue, you’ve been neglecting your grandparents and parents these past few days, and everyone is very worried about you. You’re so grown up, yet you don’t understand anything?" Gu Ruinian lectured Gu Xiaoxue with a stern face.
Tong Huaqiong thought Gu Ruinian’s brain had rusted.
At this point, he was still putting on airs in front of Gu Xiaoxue.
In Tong Huaqiong’s opinion, Gu Xiaoxue should just slap him hard.
The person involved, Gu Xiaoxue, sneered and said, "Who can be more sensible than Second Brother?"
"Xiao Xue, how are you speaking to your Second Brother? Don’t you understand the hierarchy between elders and juniors?" Gu Ruinian continued to lecture Gu Xiaoxue.
"Ouch."
The next second, Gu Ruinian was slapped.
The person who slapped him was not Gu Xiaoxue; it was Gu Jingzhe who had come along.
Gu Jingzhe had tolerated Gu Ruinian for a long time.
During the poisoning incident, Gu Ruinian had wanted to slap this beast but refrained because Magistrate Yao was present.
"You dare hit me?" Gu Ruinian looked incredulous.
Gu Jingzhe wasted no words on him and immediately slapped him twice again.
"Why wouldn’t I dare to hit you? In terms of hierarchy, I’m your elder brother. When you make mistakes, it’s my duty to teach you. Secondly, as Xiaoxue’s brother, you have no sense of responsibility. You got into trouble and incurred debts, yet you used Xiaoxue to pay them off. Do you even deserve to be called a brother? Lastly, as a descendant of the Gu family, you caused trouble outside without considering your elderly grandparents, not only worrying them but also bringing shame to the clan. You don’t repent and still argue nonsense with your sister here. I’m being lenient by just hitting you; I should have opened the ancestral hall and expelled you from the Gu family."
Gu Jingzhe, hands behind his back, lectured Gu Ruinian.
A year ago, he himself wasn’t much better than Gu Ruinian. If it hadn’t been for his old mother’s insistence on setting him straight, he might not have been much better than Gu Ruinian now.
Gu Jingzhe used Gu Ruinian as a mirror to reflect on himself and felt Gu Ruinian was even more deserving of a beating.
The people inside the old house heard the commotion in the yard and stood at the doorway.
Seeing Gu Jingzhe beating Gu Ruinian and hearing what he said, no one stepped forward to defend Gu Ruinian.
Even Mrs. Jia didn’t dare.
There was nothing they could do, as Gu Jingzhe’s words made sense, and he was the first scholar in the clan.
"Dashi’s mother, Jingzhe, since you’re here, come on in." Second Uncle Gu said.
Tong Huaqiong and Gu Jingzhe walked into the main room, with Gu Xiaoxue following behind.
In the room, besides Grandma Gu, Grandpa Gu, and Gu Youtian’s family, there were also Second Uncle Gu, Second Aunt Gu, and the Clan Leader.
"Xiaoxue, dear, are you startled?"
Second Aunt Gu pulled Gu Xiaoxue to her side and patted her head.
Gu Xiaoxue said, "I’ve been eating and sleeping well at Madam’s house."
Second Aunt Gu nodded reassuringly and smiled at Tong Huaqiong.
It seemed that today’s discussion was mainly about Gu Xiaoxue.
Tong Huaqiong plopped down next to Second Aunt Gu.
Mrs. Jia and Gu Youtian both looked unpleasant.
"You’ve grown wings, haven’t you? Do you still consider us your family? Fine, you’ve got the nerve to poison your Second Brother, so what else can’t you do?" Mrs. Jia, angry about Gu Jingzhe hitting Gu Ruinian as soon as he entered, didn’t dare to criticize Gu Jingzhe, so she vented her anger on Gu Xiaoxue.
Grandma Gu said to Mrs. Jia, "Shut up."
Ever since Mrs. Jia and Gu Ruinian wanted to substitute Gu Honglian for Gu Xiaoxue to marry Xu Dabao, Grandma Gu hadn’t shown a good face to Mrs. Jia and Gu Ruinian.
But this didn’t mean Grandma Gu didn’t have complaints about Gu Xiaoxue; not marrying was one thing, but causing such a scene made them a laughingstock.
Grandma Gu said, "Xiaoxue, you poisoned Xu Dabao and Ruinian, which ruined your reputation anyway. Who will dare to marry you in the future? People will think twice about how vicious a girl who dares to poison can be. So, for your sake, your grandfather and I have decided you might as well agree to Liu Qingsong’s proposal."
This was also the result of discussions with the clan.
Marrying Liu Qingsong would shut outsiders’ mouths and protect the reputation of other Gu family girls.
Gu Xiaoxue raised her head and said, "I’m not marrying, I already said that day I’m not marrying."
It was the first time Gu Xiaoxue defied her elders.
Gu Youtian glared at her and said, "It’s understandable you don’t want to marry Xu Dabao, but what’s wrong with Liu Qingsong?"
Initially, Gu Youtian wanted to marry Gu Xiaoxue off somewhere else, but later he thought marrying Liu Qingsong wasn’t bad either.
Liu Tieshan was the village chief, his family was well-off, with good farmland. The Liu family’s eldest son had the skill to build houses and earn money, while Liu Qingsong earned a good monthly wage working at Tong Huaqiong’s pig farm.
This marriage could establish his reputation in Qinghe Bay.
Besides, Liu Qingsong was willing to protect Gu Xiaoxue at all costs. In the future, Liu Qingsong would go east if Gu Xiaoxue told him to and not west, and since Gu Xiaoxue listened to her family, Liu Qingsong would also listen to him for Gu Xiaoxue’s sake.
Second Aunt Gu shot Gu Youtian a look and said, "Look how you’re scaring the child; can’t you speak nicely?"
After speaking, Second Aunt Gu looked at Gu Xiaoxue with confusion.
She couldn’t understand why Gu Xiaoxue refused the Liu family’s proposal either.
She had watched Liu Qingsong grow up; he was handsome, smart, and had a good character. Moreover, the Liu family had a good family ethos, and Liu Tieshan and his wife never mistreated their eldest daughter-in-law.
Since girls inevitably marry, it’s best to marry into a family that cares about them with good family traditions.
Gu Xiaoxue said nothing.
Tong Huaqiong said, "Second Aunt, Liu Qingsong is great, but our Xiaoxue is not bad either. Marriage should be about mutual consent; if Xiaoxue is unwilling, let’s not force it. It saves them from becoming a resentful couple, which is no good for anyone. Don’t you agree?"
For the past couple of years, Second Aunt Gu had gotten along well with Tong Huaqiong, so she took it to heart when Tong Huaqiong spoke for Gu Xiaoxue.
She sighed; it’s a pity that Gu Xiaoxue and Liu Qingsong had no fate together.
She didn’t blindly side with the Gu family’s old house to force Gu Xiaoxue into accepting the Liu family’s proposal.
"Enough, enough, if Xiaoxue doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to. After all, she’s still young; let her stay a few more years," Second Aunt Gu said to Grandpa and Grandma Gu.
Second Uncle Gu didn’t understand either, but since his wife said so, he agreed.
"Xiaoxue, since you don’t agree to marry Liu Qingsong, we won’t mention this proposal. But Grandpa has to tell you, poisoning like you did a few days ago was too much. You should speak up when something happens, not drag everyone into death with you."
Grandpa Gu sternly lectured Gu Xiaoxue.
The more he thought about it, the more scared he became.
He worried that one day Gu Xiaoxue might poison him when unhappy.
He wondered why he hadn’t noticed Gu Xiaoxue was so fierce before; indeed, barking dogs seldom bite.
Grandpa Gu planned to calm Gu Xiaoxue down first, not provoke her, and then marry her into a suitable family when he found one.
Tong Hua expected Gu Xiaoxue’s issue to cause a storm of bloodshed but took the opportunity to take Gu Xiaoxue away.
Unexpectedly, without much commotion, the issue was resolved.
It seemed Gu Xiaoxue’s madness had genuinely scared Grandpa Gu and others.
Gu Xiaoxue looked at Tong Huaqiong, a mocking smile on her lips.
If she had known this earlier, she would have gone mad like Aunt and Sister Taohua much sooner.