They had already fallen out completely.
Everyone stood there, stunned. Aside from Zhao Xun, no one had expected Zhao Wu to be so resolute.
Feeling his mother’s hand tremble, Zhao Xun instinctively clasped it tightly.
Soon, the faint trembling in her hand stopped.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
His opinion of Gu Yunxiao worsened.
Gu Dashan and the others fell silent.
Zhao Wu was right. Everything she had said was true. Without her, they really would have been at a loss all these years.
Besides, there was no way her son hadn’t had time to write home over the years. He hadn’t sent back even a bit of his military pay, either. Yet he simply hadn’t done so.
But now was not the time to talk about any of that. The two elders exchanged a glance.
Their eyes conveyed the same message.
Shuanzi couldn’t go with Zhao Wu.
Gu Chun and Gu Xia had never seen Zhao Wu like this before, and for a moment, they didn’t dare say a word.
Still, they couldn’t help feeling that their Older Brother had acted dishonorably.
But he was their Eldest Brother. What could they say as his younger sisters?
Gu Yunxiao hadn’t expected Zhao Wu to react so intensely, either. He had thought that after he said all that, she would consider Shuanzi’s future and give in. But now it seemed she wouldn’t give Shuanzi up so easily.
That left him in a bit of a bind.
In fact, things had reached a complete stalemate by now.
He had to get a Divorce.
And Zhao Wu couldn’t possibly give up Shuanzi.
After a few seconds of thought, a dark look flashed through Gu Yunxiao’s eyes.
He drew a deep breath and tried to resolve the matter gently. After all, he was the one who had wronged A Wu first.
And after what A Wu had just said, Gu Yunxiao felt even more guilty.
“A Wu, calm down first. Since we each have our own opinion on this, why not let Shuanzi decide? He’s still young, but he understands some things. What do you think?”
Gu Yunxiao said this because he was certain that, given his status and circumstances, it would be hard for anyone to turn him down.
Children might not understand much else, but with a little guidance, he was sure Shuanzi would take his side.
Of course, he would also need to make the necessary guarantees.
After speaking, Gu Yunxiao gave his parents and two younger sisters a meaningful look.
After more than a decade together, they immediately understood what Gu Yunxiao meant.
Gu Dashan frowned deeply.
He had a feeling this was a terrible idea.
For a moment, he said nothing.
“That’s right! Shuanzi may be young, but he has his own thoughts. We adults can’t force a child, either!” Wang Shi hurriedly chimed in, afraid Zhao Wu would refuse.
“I think Eldest Brother has a point, Sister-in-law. Why don’t we ask Shuanzi what he thinks?” Gu Chun, the Eldest Younger Sister, said softly.
Gu Xia said nothing. She only looked back and forth between her Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, before finally fixing her gaze on her little Nephew, Shuanzi.
She had a feeling her Eldest Brother’s proposal was exactly what her Sister-in-law wanted.
Sure enough, the next moment, her Sister-in-law’s cold voice rang out.
“All right, but on one condition.”
Zhao Wu sneered inwardly.
Gu Yunxiao didn’t understand her son at all. That was why he had come up with this idea.
“What condition?” Gu Yunxiao frowned.
A Wu was different from before, sharp and confrontational. She had never acted this way in the past.
Gu Yunxiao disliked it.
“Once Shuanzi has made his decision, neither you nor I can go back on it, no matter what. Actually, none of you in the Gu Family can go back on it. If you can agree to that, then let Shuanzi choose. If you can’t, there’s no need to say any more. That’ll save us all the wasted breath.”
At her words, Gu Yunxiao frowned deeply again.
Still, he was confident in himself. What child wouldn’t yearn for a better life? Most importantly, he had an ace up his sleeve.
Just as he was about to agree, Gu Dashan spoke up.
“Nonsense! How can we let Shuanzi, a child, decide something like this? This is absurd! Daughter-in-law, Yunxiao is the one who wronged you. This old man apologizes.”
With that, Gu Dashan bowed directly to Zhao Wu.
Zhao Wu’s expression turned cold, and she quickly stepped aside to avoid him.
It wasn’t that she felt unworthy of the gesture. He was her son’s own grandfather, and she couldn’t accept such a grand bow from him. Besides, did he think he could use this to gloss over certain things? As if.
Sure enough, the next moment, Gu Dashan’s firm voice rang through the room:
“Daughter-in-law, I’ll speak plainly. Shuanzi can’t go with you. His surname is Gu, not Zhao. Since ancient times, children have taken their father’s surname. Shuanzi has been entered in the Old Gu Family’s ancestral register. He’s a member of the Gu Family, and you can’t deny that. I understand that you want to take Shuanzi with you, but staying with Yunxiao is what’s best for him. You know that, too. Why make the child choose?”
He knew perfectly well who Shuanzi would choose. He would definitely choose his Daughter-in-law.
Was that rascal Yunxiao out of his mind? What made him think Shuanzi would choose him?
If his Eldest Grandson had been greedy for wealth and glory, their family wouldn’t have ended up like this in the first place.
After all, one of the five children Shuanzi had saved before belonged to a wealthy and influential family. Their head had asked Shuanzi to become his adopted son, but Shuanzi had refused.
That showed just how little such riches meant to Shuanzi.
Shuanzi was young, but he had plenty of thoughts and a firm mind. How could he choose that rascal just for this?
What a terrible idea!
Wang Shi quickly chimed in. “That’s right, that’s right. Daughter-in-law, Shuanzi is frail. How will you manage to care for him on your own from now on? How will you find the time? If he stays with us, the two of us old folks will be here, and Yunxiao won’t dare mistreat him. As for what you’re worried about, that won’t happen. No one can take my Eldest Grandson’s place. Shuanzi is still young. Don’t make him choose.”
“That’s right, Sister-in-law. Staying with Eldest Brother is best for Shuanzi. Then you won’t have to struggle so much in the future.”
Heh. They really were a family.
Zhao Wu sneered inwardly and swept a cold gaze over everyone.
Her gaze lingered on Gu Xia for a moment, then settled on Gu Yunxiao.
Her eyes openly challenged him. “Looks like you don’t get to decide, either.”
Gu Yunxiao glanced at his parents.
Gu Dashan and his wife held their ground, not yielding at all.
Their eyes made their meaning perfectly clear: there was no room for discussion.
Gu Yunxiao had a headache.
He stopped expecting them to cooperate.
“Don’t mind them. What I said still stands. I agree to your condition, but you have to keep your word, too. You can’t interrupt while I’m speaking.”
At that, Zhao Wu readily agreed. “That works. I won’t interrupt.”
As soon as she finished speaking, both of them turned to look at Zhao Xun.
Seeing this, Zhao Xun, who had remained silent all along, looked at Gu Yunxiao.
How could this man be so confident that he would choose to go with him?
Just as he was thinking this, Gu Yunxiao said to him, “Shuanzi, I haven’t fulfilled my duties as your father all these years. From now on, I’ll take good care of you. I was a scoundrel, and I wronged your mother. I admit that. But I won’t shortchange her, either. I’ll give your mother the compensation she deserves. For now, though, I hope you’ll think this over carefully.
“Your mother raised you, so of course you’re close. But have you thought about it? You’re still so young, and you’re frail. You need medicine all year round. You’ve surely seen how hard your mother has worked all these years, and how much she’s given to this family and to you. I don’t need to say more—you have a good head on your shoulders.
“After your mother and I get a Divorce, I’ll give her some Silver, that’s true. But it still won’t be enough to cover your medical needs. Your body needs long-term care, and the cost is impossible to estimate. As her child, you don’t want your mother to have to work so hard, do you?”
Seeing a flicker of hesitation, sympathy, and struggle cross his son’s face, Gu Yunxiao’s lips curled almost imperceptibly for an instant.
Then he continued to gently coax him. “Your mother is still young. If she meets a good man in the future, she’ll likely marry again. If you go with her, how will her future husband treat you? How difficult will that make things for your mother? Besides, life is hard for women, and your mother would be marrying for a second time. Even if you go with her when she remarries, your position will inevitably be awkward. You’re still young and may not understand, so I have to explain it all clearly. Think carefully about everything I’ve said.”
“My child, you’re a good boy. I’m glad you and your mother are so close. I won’t stop you from seeing each other in the future, either. I’m now a Loyal and Martial General of the Fourth Rank. Once I’ve taken care of things at home, I’ll take your paternal grandparents and two aunts away from Kaoshan Village. We’ll hardly ever come back. My child, come with me.”
Zhao Wu watched her son shift from cold indifference to hesitation. Her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves. Some of the things Gu Yunxiao said were things she had thought about but hadn’t dared to discuss with her son—such as the difficulties he might face if she really did remarry with him someday.
Gu Yunxiao was truly shameless!
She was about to interrupt when she caught Gu Yunxiao’s warning look. Furious, Zhao Wu glared at him and silently cursed:
【You despicable villain】
Gu Yunxiao saw it and understood. He couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.
Whether he was despicable or not didn’t matter. As long as he achieved his goal, that was enough.
“I’m done. My child, I won’t interfere with your choice. Think about it: does what I said make sense?”
Everyone in the room looked at Zhao Xun, including Zhao Wu.
She watched her son nervously.
Truthfully, Gu Yunxiao’s words frightened her.
If Gu Yunxiao hadn’t said all that, she would have been certain her son would choose to stay with her without hesitation. After all, they were so close—he wouldn’t be led away by a few words.
But her son had a weakness, too.
He was afraid she would struggle. He was afraid she would be put in a difficult position. He was afraid she might never find happiness.
For these reasons, he might really choose Gu Yunxiao.
Just thinking about it made Zhao Wu’s heart ache.
And more importantly, Gu Father, Gu Mother, and Gu Chun had a point. She couldn’t give her son the best environment to nurse his health. If she went out to earn Silver in the future, who could help her take care of him? He was still so young. Even though he was very sensible, she couldn’t deny the truth. These were all real problems.
She took a deep breath.
Zhao Wu’s expression was somber.
Staying with the Gu Family was the best choice for her son. She should learn to let go.
After preparing herself as best she could, she felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she swayed unsteadily.
She closed her eyes. Zhao Wu steeled herself, and was just about to speak when her son’s clear, crisp voice rang out.