Gu Shiyu had actually done it on purpose. She had assumed that with the new sister-in-law present, Wang Lihua would not dare make things difficult for her, but clearly her eldest sister-in-law was bolder than she expected.
“Eldest sister-in-law, my tuition for this semester has already been paid. Please just let me finish this term.”
As Gu Shiyu pitifully pleaded, she kept shooting meaningful glances toward Lin Baozhu because she knew Lin Baozhu was a teacher with an excellent reputation at school. Surely she would not just stand by and watch a student lose the chance to study.
But when she realized Lin Baozhu was deliberately pretending not to notice her, she turned toward the two elders of the Gu family instead.
“Father, Mother.”
Wang Lihua immediately cut her off. “It’s useless no matter who you call. The family has already split up, and our parents are staying with us now.”
Lin Baozhu had the feeling that this little sister-in-law would start begging her directly any second, so she quickly stood up and pretended she had something urgent to do before hurrying outside.
In the end, Gu Shiyu softly called out, “Fourth Brother.”
Father Gu had never approved of letting his youngest daughter continue studying in the first place. In their village, girls only attended elementary school long enough to become literate because daughters were destined to marry out eventually.
The only reason Gu Shiyu had been allowed to continue school was because Mother Gu had spoiled her. Back when all three sons were still supporting the household together, Father Gu could turn a blind eye to it. But now Wang Lihua had made it clear that if they still wanted to support the youngest daughter’s education, then the two old people could pay for it themselves.
Mother Gu looked up and saw the deep helplessness on her youngest son’s face as he was being dragged into the matter, and her temper immediately flared.
“Shiyu, have you thought about the marriage proposal I mentioned last time? It’s not that your father and I don’t support your studies anymore, it’s just that you’re already nineteen years old. Which girl in the village isn’t married by seventeen or eighteen? If you keep delaying like this, once you’re older it’ll be hard to find a match.”
Gu Shiyu’s eyes instantly reddened with tears.
“You’re all biased. In your eyes, nobody can compare to Fourth Brother, not even me.”
Crash!
Father Gu angrily hurled his chopsticks at her.
“You ungrateful wretch, try bringing up favoritism again and see what happens. In this family, you’re the last person who has the right to accuse us of being biased.”
After this family split, Father Gu had truly become terrified of anyone bringing up favoritism again. The older he got, the more guilty he felt inside. Yet he believed he and Mother Gu had treated this youngest daughter extremely well. But she was like an ungrateful wolf that could never be fed enough, always trying to compare herself to her Fourth Brother.
Mother Gu was exhausted too and no longer wanted to coax this greedy youngest daughter. She merely nudged Father Gu lightly.
“Enough already. Why are you getting so angry at your daughter this early in the morning?”
Gu Shiyu turned and ran out through the door in tears.
Wang Lihua shouted after her, “Go work in the fields and earn work points, or hurry up and get married already.”
Although the bride price from her little sister-in-law’s marriage would not end up in Wang Lihua’s own pocket, once the two old people had money in hand, they would stop meddling in the affairs of the younger generation.
Gu Shiyu cried even harder.
The moment she ran outside, she saw Gu Shiye carrying a plate of eggs stir fried with cured meat, making her mouth water instantly.
Hatred surged inside her.
It was all because these brothers insisted on splitting the family. Now that they had divided up, each household was secretly eating delicious food behind closed doors while the main family could only survive on sweet potato porridge with a plate of pickled vegetables.
She deliberately raised her voice and shouted, “Father, Mother, Third Brother’s family is eating white rice and eggs stir fried with cured meat first thing in the morning. How extravagant.”
Mother Gu cursed angrily from inside the house, “Let them squander food recklessly. Once they’ve used it all up, I’ll see how they survive the winter drinking the northwest wind.”
Gu Shiye shot Gu Shiyu a glare and said, “You’ve loved tattling ever since you were little, haven’t you? Serves you right that you can’t even stay in school now.”
Gu Shiyu retorted, “At least I’m better than you people who only graduated from literacy classes in elementary school.”
Gu Shiye glared fiercely at her, then replied sharply, “Then I’ll just wait and see how you high school students, who grew up sucking your brothers dry, end up starving on the streets.”
Gu Shiyu was so angry she nearly choked on her own breath.
Her Third Brother was becoming more and more vicious with his words lately.
Hiding in the kitchen, Lin Baozhu listened to the siblings arguing, and the unease in her heart only deepened further. Why had the dull, silent background character from the novel suddenly become so vivid and sharp tongued?
She turned toward Ruan Hongmei, who was tending the fire and cooking in the kitchen, and asked, “Second sister-in-law, is Third Brother always this mean with his words?”
Knowing this fourth younger sister-in-law was not a simple person, Ruan Hongmei merely smiled and said, “No, the two of them are just joking around like siblings do.”
Lin Baozhu carefully swept her sharp gaze over Ruan Hongmei.
She had realized that even this supposedly meek and submissive second sister-in-law was not as honest and simple as the novel described. Just the way she answered earlier sounded smooth and calculating.
More and more, Lin Baozhu desperately wanted to obtain the jade token and awaken the golden finger that belonged to her because only lifeless objects would never change.
After the Gu family finished eating in the main hall, she voluntarily took over cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks.
Seeing the gratified smile Mother Gu gave her, Lin Baozhu also felt a sense of comfort in her heart.
But while she was happily washing dishes in the kitchen, she suddenly heard Mother Gu outside in the courtyard saying she was heading out to work.
Lin Baozhu panicked. She immediately dropped what she was doing and hurried out.
“Mother, did you forget there’s something you’re supposed to give me?”
Mother Gu turned to look at her. “No… I don’t think so.”
At this point, she was genuinely afraid this daughter-in-law would ask her for something. Although she and Father Gu had secretly kept some money back after the family split, that money would only continue dwindling. She had no intention of spending another cent.
The moment Lin Baozhu realized her mother-in-law did not seem to be lying, panic gripped her heart like she had been cut apart and thrown into boiling oil.
Then she turned and saw Gu Shicheng hoisting a hoe onto his shoulder as well, instantly making her so furious she felt smoke rising from every orifice.
She dropped the act completely and snapped angrily, “Acheng, you’re a proper teacher with a respectable job, and these three days are supposed to be our wedding leave. Instead of taking me out to spend time together and build our relationship, you’re actually going to work in the fields?”
She clearly remembered that in the novel, Mother Gu had not only handed over the jade token to her, but had even given the couple several dozen yuan to spend in the city so they could nurture their relationship.
Gu Shicheng sighed deeply. He did not even have the heart to tell Lin Baozhu that she also needed to work in the fields now. Otherwise, with Wang Lihua’s sharp and venomous tongue, the two of them would be cursed to death.
Besides, their future salaries would have to go toward repaying the bride price debt. Their financial pressure was enormous.
Mother Gu endured and endured, but in the end she still held back from losing her temper at this newly married daughter-in-law. Suppressing her anger, she said, “Old Fourth, explain things properly to your wife.”
Gu Shicheng also felt his head ache. He truly could not bring himself to say, “Wife, from now on let’s live frugally together.”
Honestly speaking, even he himself could not accept this kind of life anymore.
When Lin Baozhu saw Mother Gu simply walking away like that, she panicked and shouted loudly, “Mother, stop right there. Aren’t you supposed to give me a jade token too?”