Still, hearing his wife’s constant nagging was somewhat irritating.
“What’s there to be happy about? With a broken shoe like her, even if she manages to find some fool willing to take her, he’s bound to be a pauper. Would someone with good prospects ever look at her? They’d find her too dirty for their liking.”
Hearing this, Jiang Shutang couldn’t help but clench her back teeth.
A man like this deserves to be called a father?
No matter what, they were connected by blood. Even if she had made a mistake back then, it had been forced upon her—she was the victim.
A father who couldn’t provide protection was bad enough, but instead he was kicking her while she was down.
Hearing her husband speak, Wu Xiuling shrank back, not daring to raise her voice, though she still felt happy for her daughter in her heart.
Just then, a woman wearing a red Bulaji dress walked out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of herbal tea in her hands.
This person was none other than Wu Xiuling’s younger sister, Wu Xiuyun.
Seeing Wu Xiuyun here, Jiang Shutang was taken aback. Hadn’t Wu Xiuyun gotten married? Why was she here?
“Brother-in-law, don’t be angry. There’s no need to work yourself up over this. Have a sip of herbal tea to cool down—I made it specially for you.”
She placed the herbal tea on the coffee table, then sat down naturally beside Jiang Dahai.
Jiang Shutang watched this scene, her eyes widening in disbelief.
A smile crept onto Jiang Dahai’s face. “Xiuyun, you’re the thoughtful one. If only this unfilial daughter of mine were half as sensible as you.”
After saying this, Jiang Dahai shot Jiang Shutang another fierce glare.
“So you’ve found some pauper, have you? No need to come home and tell us about it. We’ve already cut ties anyway—you’re no daughter of mine now. I won’t be attending your wedding either. I can’t afford the shame. The two of you get out and talk elsewhere. Don’t chatter on in this house—it’s nothing but noise and it annoys me to hear it.”
Wu Xiuling cast a fearful glance at Jiang Dahai, then tugged Jiang Shutang’s arm and led her outside.
After the two left, they went straight to the small grove behind the courtyard, where wooden benches sat nearby. Once they sat down, Jiang Shutang couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Mom, why is Aunt here at our house? Didn’t she get married?”
Wu Xiuling’s face was full of complicated emotions. She lowered her head and hemmed and hawed for a long while without getting a single word out.
Jiang Shutang grew anxious. “Mom, what’s going on? I feel like something’s off between her and Dad.”
Logically speaking, Wu Xiuyun, as a sister-in-law, should keep her distance from her brother-in-law when visiting her elder sister. But just now, she had brewed herbal tea and brought out only one bowl—no one else got any, only Jiang Dahai could drink it. And she had sat down beside Jiang Dahai so naturally. No matter how she looked at it, it was strange.
“There’s nothing going on. Your aunt had a fight with your uncle, so she’s staying at our place for a few days. She’ll leave in a couple of days. Don’t go letting your imagination run wild, child. Now hurry and tell Mom—what kind of man did you find? What’s his character like? Does he treat you well?”
Seeing her mother so eager, Jiang Shutang pushed down the unease in her heart and briefly recounted the situation.
When Wu Xiuling learned that her daughter had found that man from back then, she was happy inside. No matter what, this man was the biological father of the children. After they married, he would surely treat the three grandchildren well. If she had found some random man, the three children would just be a burden to him, and he might even mistreat them—that was the last thing she wanted to see.
“That’s good, then. At least he’ll treat the three children well. But this man has no conscience—why is he only taking responsibility for you now?”
Jiang Shutang didn’t hide anything and told her mother the whole story from beginning to end, leaving Wu Xiuling stunned. Even a TV drama wouldn’t dare write such a plot.
“That really is a twist of fate. Don’t worry, Shutang. Tomorrow Mom will go with you. I promise I won’t embarrass you. I’ll wear my new clothes tomorrow and dress up nicely.”
After saying this, Wu Xiuling seemed to suddenly think of something, and her whole demeanor sank again.
“But Mom doesn’t have the ability to prepare much of a dowry for you. I haven’t earned much money over the years, and whatever I did earn was taken by your father. Shutang, Mom has let you down.”
At this, Wu Xiuling couldn’t help but redden around the eyes.
Hearing these words, Jiang Shutang’s heart ached with sympathy. Her mother had truly done everything she could for her. In fact, the reason Wu Xiuling was living like this now, with no standing whatsoever in the household, was all because of her.
If it weren’t for the fact that she had given up her job to Jiang Shutang at such a young age, she wouldn’t have so little say in the family.
“Mom, don’t say that. If it weren’t for your help all these years, the kids and I would have starved to death long ago. I may not have any ability right now, but once I make something of myself, I’ll definitely repay you and give you a good life. I don’t need a dowry. As long as you can come with me tomorrow, that’s enough.”
The mother and daughter spoke, unable to hold back their quiet sobs.
They chatted for quite a while, until the sky grew darker, before Wu Xiuling finally let Jiang Shutang leave.
On the way back, Jiang Shutang kept making a silent vow to herself—once she hitched herself to the Gu family, she was going to make something of herself.
With Gu Zhengnan’s connection, she’d like to see who would dare make things difficult for her at Jixie Chang from now on!
Back at the dormitory, Jiang Shutang tiptoed into the room and only then noticed that the three little ones were already asleep.
In the darkness, Jiang Shutang gazed at the three children’s sleeping faces through the moonlight and couldn’t resist leaning over to plant a kiss on each of their little cheeks.
The next day, after getting off work at noon, Jiang Shutang dressed the three children in their finest clothes and waited at the entrance of Jixie Chang. When Wu Xiuling arrived, the five of them headed to Guoying Fandian.
Guoying Fandian wasn’t far from Jixie Chang—only about a ten-minute walk.
Gu Zhengnan had originally wanted to drive over to pick them up, but his parents thought the eldest son’s reasoning made sense and didn’t agree. Since Gu Zhengnan had just returned to the country and hadn’t been assigned a car yet, and a bicycle couldn’t carry that many people, he had no choice but to head to the restaurant early and wait.
Today, besides Father Gu and Mother Gu, Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu had also come. They hadn’t dared tell any other relatives about this matter—after all, it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, and they were afraid word would get out if others knew.
But the old couple was different—they were the backbone of the Gu family. Such a major matter couldn’t be kept from them; they had to be informed.
Old Master Gu had heard the news yesterday. Upon learning that he now had three great-grandchildren, he was so excited last night that he couldn’t sleep well and was still sporting dark circles under his eyes.
When Jiang Shutang and the others arrived, they found Gu Zhengnan already waiting at the entrance.
“You’re here.”
Seeing Jiang Shutang, Gu Zhengnan walked over to greet her.
Jiang Shutang gestured toward Wu Xiuling beside her. “Let me introduce you—this is my mother. You can just call her Auntie.”
Gu Zhengnan nodded. “Hello, Auntie. My family is already waiting inside. Let’s go in.”
Before coming, Wu Xiuling hadn’t held much hope. She figured that with the other family’s wealth and status, it was already quite fortunate, and her daughter wouldn’t exactly be at a disadvantage.
But upon arriving, she discovered that her son-in-law was actually so handsome and distinguished—quite the match for her daughter.