The old lady hadn't expected her to choose Clan Expulsion either. She had only brought it up because she never imagined Gu Nuan would actually pick it—and now she had!
Since the words had already been spoken, there was no taking them back.
The old lady's face darkened. "Fine then. I hope you don't regret today's decision. When the clan head returns tomorrow, you'll be struck from the family registry. After that, you'll have no connection to the Gu family whatsoever."
With that, the old lady shot a glare at Cuiniang, who stood by the bed, and swept out of the room.
The moment the old lady left, everyone in the room cast strange, sidelong glances at Gu Nuan before filing out in quick succession—all except Cuiniang, the original body's mother, who remained behind.
Cuiniang's face was ashen as she swung her palm across Gu Nuan's cheek. "You worthless, reckless girl! Is Clan Expulsion something you can just choose so lightly? Are you trying to ruin me, huh?! And this child—nobody knows who the father is! Why keep it?"
Gu Nuan pressed her hand to her stinging face and looked at the furious woman. "If I'm worthless, then what are you? Besides, it's me being expelled, not you. How does that ruin you? This child is mine—if no one else will love her, I will."
"You being defiled already cost us our dignity, and now you're getting expelled! Your father and I won't have any face left—how can we even step outside?" Cuiniang's face twisted in rage, completely abandoning the composed demeanor she'd shown in front of everyone earlier.
Gu Nuan genuinely felt sorry for the original body's owner. To be born to a mother like this—she must have been cursed in her past life.
But then her thoughts turned. She herself had been cursed too, being reborn into this body, saddled with a mother like this and a whole family of such insufferable relatives.
"At the end of the day, it's all about losing face. Did any of you ever care whether I lived well or poorly?"
"None of you ever cared about me—so why should I care about your face?" Gu Nuan lifted her head to meet Cuiniang's gaze, her eyes sharp and fierce.
Cuiniang flinched at the ferocity in her daughter's eyes, her heart skipping a beat. "I'm your mother! Is this how you talk to your mother? Heaven should strike you down—I gave birth to you for nothing, you worthless thing."
Gu Nuan let out a cold laugh. "Ha. Then thank you so much for giving birth to this worthless thing—otherwise I wouldn't exist at all."
"And speaking of mothers, there's no mother in this world like you. 'A mother is strong for her child'—maybe you've never heard that saying. Then again, how could someone who can't even read understand such a profound truth!"
Cuiniang indeed couldn't read. The dignified, refined air she put on every day had been bought with her own private savings, hiring someone to teach her.
She came from a farming family—how could she have had the chance to learn to read and write? She'd only managed to marry Gu San through scheming; otherwise, how could a peasant girl have wed into the wealthy Gu family in town?
Still, she did know the saying "a mother is strong for her child." But for her, as long as she could hold her position in the Gu family, that mattered more than anything—even if it meant sacrificing a daughter.
With that thought, Cuiniang glanced at the daughter she'd decided to abandon and said coldly, "Then keep digging your own grave. Once you walk out those gates, you'll have nothing to do with us anymore. We won't care whether you live or die." She flicked her sleeves and strode out.
Gu Nuan paid her no mind. She looked down at the baby in her arms and murmured softly, "As if you'd care whether I lived or died even if I stayed inside the Gu family gates!"
She stroked the child's little face, thinking to herself: This child didn't make a peep through all that noise—she's not slow, is she?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, the baby in her arms raised a tiny hand.
"Wow, my baby is so well-behaved, both obedient and clever."
Gu Nuan felt a bit strained, so she set the child down. She needed to plan carefully—otherwise, after being expelled from the clan tomorrow, she'd be left on the streets.
Gu Nuan glanced around the room. Everything in sight was worthless, and the only thing of any value was the dull-looking necklace she wore around her neck.
Of course, if it had looked nice, it probably would have been taken away long ago. Fortunately, the original owner had sewn some bits of silver into the hem of her clothes.
She thought about what she would do after leaving the Gu family, and as she thought, she drifted off to sleep, unaware that the dull necklace had begun to emit a faint glow.
The child who had been sleeping soundly suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was nothing like that of a newborn—cold and calm.
He turned his head, glanced at the person sleeping beside him with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
On the other side—
"Mother, are you really going to expel that girl from the clan?" Gu Yujin asked as she helped the old lady take a seat in the chair in the back hall.
The old lady picked up her teacup and said coldly, "It was her own choice. Since she was foolish enough to do this, there's no need for me to keep her. A discarded piece isn't worth wasting my time on."
She took a sip of tea and pursed her lips. Then, as if something occurred to her, she continued, "Jin'er, have Gui'er prepare herself. Pick a date as soon as possible and send her to Town Chief Xu's place. We can't afford any delays."
Gu Yujin frowned. "Mother, are you really going to send Gui'er there?"
Gui'er's full name was Chen Guixiang, the daughter of Gu Yuyin. The Chen family wasn't exactly a prominent wealthy household in Wutong Town, but they weren't badly off either.
That was why Gu Yuyin had been married into the family in the first place. If Chen Guixiang were married off there, it might not necessarily benefit the Gu family.
"I know what you're thinking, but it's the only option we have. Among the unmarried daughters of the Gu family, she's the only one of suitable age. The rest are either too young or already betrothed. Would you be willing to send Jing'er instead?"
Of course she had thought of what her daughter was thinking.
Gu Yujin immediately shook her head. She certainly wouldn't be willing to send her own daughter to be someone's concubine, let alone just a town chief's.
Chen Guixiang was a daughter of the Chen family. If there were benefits involved, she would naturally prioritize her own family. The Gu family was merely relatives by marriage—never as close as one's own kin.
They had already promised Town Chief Xu. If they went back on their word now, the Gu family would be the ones to suffer. Why not do both families a favor? She wouldn't lose out either way.
Gu Yujin was different from Gu Yuyin. Gu Yujin had lost her husband and had returned to her natal family with her daughter of her own accord. The Gu family's interests were her interests.
And her only daughter, Cheng Wenjing, was stunningly beautiful. While she wasn't a master of the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she was by no means lacking.
In Wutong Town, she wasn't exactly one of a kind, but she could certainly be considered among the best. Not just Gu Yujin—even the old lady herself was unwilling to see such an outstanding granddaughter married off as a concubine to Town Chief Xu's family.
The only one the old lady secretly resented was Gu Nuan. How could she have caused such trouble at such a critical moment? If not for this, Gu Nuan would have been married into Town Chief Xu's family by year's end, and she wouldn't be in such a passive position now.
"Mother, will Father agree to the clan expulsion?" Gu Yujin knew all too well how rigid her father could be.
She still remembered how strongly he had opposed her decision to return to the family. If not for her mother's intercession, she might still be suffering in her husband's household!
The old lady's head ached at the thought. "Even if he doesn't agree, she won't be staying. I'm sure your father won't go against my wishes. I'll have a good talk with him tonight."
"Gu Nuan has already come to this. Expelling her from the clan is the only way to salvage some of the Gu family's reputation. You go back first, and see what Jing'er is up to. Don't let her hear about these filthy matters."
"Yes, Mother." Gu Yujin gave a curtsey and withdrew.