Li Wenxiu watched this war without gunpowder from the sidelines and silently curled her lips.
This eldest daughter-in-law was usually quite the troublemaker, but she couldn’t even outtalk Jiang Shutang.
It felt like Jiang Shutang had a sharper mind.
Wasn’t it said that women like her were all brawn and no brains? Why did she seem so clever?
After the meal, Gu Zhengnan went straight to work at his unit.
By all rights, when a young couple got married, the unit would definitely give them a few days of marriage leave. During this time, it was popular for newlyweds to go on a trip—just to nearby tourist spots.
But since the two had no real feelings for each other, Gu Zhengnan hadn’t considered any of that. He hadn’t shorted her a single cent of the bride price—everything due was given in full.
But being sweet and loving like a normal couple? That was out of the question.
So Gu Zhengnan went to work the day after the wedding.
Before long, the others also left for work. Wang Na deliberately lagged behind, and once she saw no one else was home, she began her sarcastic remarks.
“Sister-in-law, this is only your second day of marriage, and Zhengnan isn’t even taking you out for a stroll. When I married Zhengbai, we went out for a whole week. Looks like your relationship is in trouble—you’d better work hard to hold onto his heart.”
Wang Na said this just to spite Jiang Shutang.
But Jiang Shutang didn’t take it to heart at all.
“A man who knows how to earn money is a good thing. If he doesn’t work hard, where would the money come from to support his wife and kids? Besides, my bride price alone was six hundred yuan—that’s pretty expensive. He has no choice but to work hard.”
Jiang Shutang always knew how to hit the key point. Sure enough, the moment she heard “six hundred yuan,” Wang Na’s whole demeanor soured.
Jiang Shutang sneered inwardly, went out, and got on a bicycle, planning to head over to Elder Gu’s place to pick up the three children.
She had taken the day off today and didn’t need to go to work.
The three kids hadn’t slept with her last night, and she found herself missing them.
She hadn’t brought the children back yesterday—probably because her in-laws assumed the newlyweds would want some privacy on their wedding night, and having three kids around would be inconvenient.
In reality, they were overthinking it entirely.
That said, it had to be admitted that her living conditions had indeed improved quite a bit after marriage.
Jiang Shutang didn’t own a bicycle herself—every time she went out, she either walked or waited for the bus.
The Gu family wasn’t extravagant enough for everyone to have a car, but they certainly weren’t short on bicycles.
When she arrived at Elder Gu’s place, the three children were gathered around eating, looking obedient and adorable.
The eldest spotted Jiang Shutang first and stood up excitedly.
“Mom’s here!”
The youngest, seeing Jiang Shutang, immediately started crying with a snot bubble forming, running over to hug Jiang Shutang’s leg tightly.
“Mom, Haohao missed you!”
Jiang Shutang’s heart ached with tenderness. She bent down and wiped away the little one’s snot bubble. “You’re five years old now—you’re a little man. You can’t just cry whenever you want. Didn’t Mom come to pick you all up?”
Elder Gu and the others greeted Jiang Shutang with smiles, but they weren’t too happy inside.
Last night, the three children had slept with them, and Elder Gu was so delighted that he woke up in the middle of the night just to secretly hold their little hands.
They said grandparents dote on grandchildren—well, great-grandparents dote even more.
They didn’t want Jiang Shutang to take the children away. If only the kids could just live here with them.
Jiang Shutang sat down and exchanged pleasantries with Elder Gu and the others, then prepared to take the three children and leave.
Elder Gu gritted his teeth and looked over at his wife.
“How about we move to the second son’s place? That way we can help them watch the kids in the future, and Xiao Jiang can have an easier time.”
The old couple lived in their own separate courtyard, living quite comfortably. Previously, all their sons had urged them to come live with them, but Elder Gu would refuse with a dark face, saying the two of them living alone was more comfortable, and they’d only move in with the children when they truly couldn’t manage on their own.
But now, for the sake of these three great-grandchildren, he was making the offer.
Old Lady Gu smiled warmly. “Alright then. Let the driver know—we’ll pack a few things and just move straight into the second son’s house.”
The Gu family home was a two-story building with a courtyard. It could fit not just two more people, but ten more with room to spare.
Jiang Shutang was overjoyed inside. Before, she had to work and take care of the kids at the same time, exhausted like a donkey on a production team.
Now that Elder Gu and Old Lady Gu were willing to help watch the children, she could relax a lot more in the future.
Besides, the three kids were already five this year—next year they could be sent to school. Getting them started on learning early was a good thing.
And so, Jiang Shutang brought the old couple straight back home.
When Li Wenxiu and the others returned at noon, they saw Elder Gu sitting in the living room, playing with his great-grandchildren.
“Wenxiu’s back? By the way, let me tell you something—from now on, your mother and I will be living here with you. Sorry for the trouble.”
Li Wenxiu’s heart leaped with joy at hearing this. This wasn’t trouble at all—this was a great blessing.
With so many sons, which one of them didn’t want Elder Gu to come live at their house? He was a living money god—wealthy and powerful.
Whoever he stayed with would surely receive preferential treatment and resources. This was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
“Dad, don’t say that! Your mother and you coming to stay with us—we couldn’t be happier. Please, make yourselves at home!”
Li Wenxiu was so excited that she went straight to the kitchen to cook a few extra dishes.
Before long, Gu Hongwei and the others returned as well. When they learned that the elders had moved in to stay, they were secretly pleased.
Sure enough, during the meal, Elder Gu directly took out a brown paper bag.
“Second daughter-in-law, since your mother and I are staying here, we can’t let you suffer a loss. This is our food allowance. From now on, make sure the meals are better—my precious great-grandson needs to eat well.”
Li Wenxiu looked at the thick stack of money and smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits.
Although their family was well-off, who would ever complain about having extra money?
“Dad, no need, no need! There’s no reason for us to take your money. Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make it—no payment necessary.”
Elder Gu waved his hand. “I said take it, so take it. Don’t make me say it twice.”
The old man carried an imposing presence. After he spoke, Li Wenxiu didn’t dare make another sound and obediently put the money away.
Wang Na craned her neck to sneak a peek—good heavens, there had to be at least a thousand yuan in there.
No wonder everyone said Elder Gu was a living money god. It was true.
The three children were somewhat reserved, after all, there were so many strangers around.
But Jiang Shutang had raised the children well—they were all very polite and chewed their food slowly and carefully during the meal.
Wang Na’s gaze swept over the three children from time to time, a hint of resentment stirring in her heart.
In her opinion, these three kids didn’t look that much like Gu Zhengnan anyway—maybe they were bastards.
With so many people in the Gu family, how could they all be so muddled? Couldn’t they see through such a simple scam?
She was purely deceiving herself, because in truth, the three children really did look a lot like Gu Zhengnan.
Seeing everyone fussing over the three children, Wang Na lost her appetite entirely.
When she went back to her room to rest after the meal, she couldn’t help but start complaining again.
“When will I finally get pregnant? We’ve both had checkups and there’s nothing wrong with us—so why can’t I conceive?”
Gu Zhengbei was anxious about it too.