The first step was to take back everything that originally belonged to the previous owner! Thinking of this, Gu Rou couldn’t help but sigh.
The Gu family had three sons and two daughters; Gu Jianguo was the youngest. Presumably, when the old Madam Gu was alive and had her older children, she had exhausted all her cunning. By the time the youngest came along, all that was left was pure sincerity.
It is said that no matter how vigilant you are, it’s hard to guard against family thieves. Gu Rou’s vocational school admission notice had gone missing. The book made it clear: it had been deliberately hidden by Gu Dali, from the Gu family’s main branch. Gu Dali worked at a brick kiln outside the village. Whenever the family needed packages or letters, he would bring them along on his way back. In the past, whether money or goods, he had always delivered them honestly to the recipients.
But this time, Gu Rou’s admission notice also went through his hands. How did it end up in Gu Li’s possession? Gu Rou frowned in thought, then suddenly slapped her forehead—how could she have forgotten that little bitch! She quickly recalled the plot from the book.
Indeed, the person responsible for harming the previous owner’s family, besides Gu Li, was someone behind the scenes—Gu Li’s cousin, Zhang Nian, the daughter of Zhang Cuihua’s elder brother. Zhang Nian would come to Xiangyang Village to see Gu Li from time to time, and the two of them were extremely close. Many of the malicious schemes originated from this cousin.
The book said Zhang Nian was quite attractive and often visited Zhang Cuihua’s house. Gu Dali from the main branch had seen her a few times and had become infatuated. Zhang Nian wasn’t the kind to behave properly; seeing someone fawning over her, she deliberately led Gu Dali on—never too close, never too far—making him constantly think he had a chance.
Gu Dali, completely smitten, obeyed her every word. One day, when the two met, Zhang Nian saw Gu Rou’s admission notice and immediately claimed she wanted a closer look. How could Gu Dali refuse? He handed it over, and Zhang Nian never returned it. She pretended that it was her first time seeing such a rare item in her life and that she wanted to keep it to motivate herself, planning to have Gu Li pass it back to Gu Rou the next day.
Once the item was in the hands of these two cousins, there was no way it would be returned. Zhang Nian was a high-level “green tea” type—while she kept her own feelings hidden, it didn’t stop her from exploiting those who admired her for her own gain.
Over the past six months, Gu Dali had constantly sent her hair ties and snacks, even doing most of the labor for her in the fields. Once she had the admission notice, she could finally attend school and pursue the man she liked. Even after marriage, she remained restless, later colluding with the male lead and scheming against Gu Li.
Thinking of this, Gu Rou’s lips curved into a cold smile. Whether it was Gu Li or Zhang Nian, whether green tea or white lotus—fists would reveal the truth! Wasting words on them was a waste of life. Once they met, a fist—or some other “useful tool”—would do the talking.
…
In Gu Li’s room, she was still sobbing. After a week of recovery, her body was somewhat healed, but her feelings of resentment and panic were growing by the day. The lingering pain in her body only fueled her hatred of Gu Rou—how could she survive a wild boar attack and come back alive? Once back, she caused Gu Li such a loss, and her reputation was completely ruined.
“Cousin, what should I do?” Gu Li cried, her voice choked with tears. “Now the whole village is calling me a venomous snake! I have no face to go outside… the third branch will never let me off!”
She was terrified. The entire village sided with Gu Rou. Even if she suffered, everyone would say she deserved it. If only she had known Gu Rou was so tough back then, she should have truly gotten a man to destroy her completely and caught her in the act—that would have been safer!
“Whatever others say, you must never admit it!” Zhang Nian forced herself to remain calm, speaking softly despite her irritation. After Gu Li got into trouble, Zhang Cuihua immediately sent this “good cousin” to comfort her.
Gu Li cried herself out all night, leaving Zhang Nian dizzy. If it weren’t for the admission notice, she wouldn’t have stepped foot in this house again. At first, she had just casually encouraged Gu Li to act, never expecting her to actually go all out! Seeing how cruel she had been even to her own cousin, Zhang Nian’s heart raced—afraid one day she would be caught in the crossfire.
Thinking of the notice, Zhang Nian suppressed her impatience and spoke a few gentle words of comfort. Once it was in her hands, it was never coming back. How could the Gu family do anything about it? It had been personally delivered by Gu Dali! It wasn’t stolen or taken by force—it was willingly given, so it was hers.
Gu Dali had treated her well: for half a year, he never missed giving her hair ties or snacks and had done a lot of labor for her. It was good, but he was still a peasant. She, Zhang Nian, deserved a better man—like Zhang Ren: a high school graduate, full of scholarly aura, handsome. Once she entered vocational school, Zhang Ren would surely notice her, not the lowly Gu Rou!
Gu Rou, fortunate in life, was also a rural girl, yet she didn’t need to work in the fields, her clothes rarely patched, and her face prettier than city girls—even Zhang Ren looked at her differently.
Zhang Nian gritted her teeth. She would not lose! With the face cream Gu Dali sent her, she would become more beautiful. Once she went to school, everything would be different.
As for Gu Rou, wounded like that, she would be stuck at home for a long time. By the time Zhang Nian improved her own looks, Zhang Ren wouldn’t even notice Gu Rou anymore. Zhang Ren must be hers! She, Zhang Nian, would live more gloriously than both Gu Rou and Gu Li!
Gu Jiandang and Zhang Cuihua saw that their daughter had someone comforting her. After hastily finishing breakfast, they grabbed their farming tools and went to work. Both had slept poorly the night before, and stepping outside made them acutely aware of the odd glances around them.
Not far off, small groups of villagers gathered, pointing at them and whispering. The news of Gu Rou “spitting blood from anger” had already spread throughout the village. Everyone knew how stingy and ungrateful the Gu family was, taking advantage of Gu Jianguo’s family.
With parents so shameless, raising a malicious daughter like Gu Li was unsurprising. Many villagers thought it best to stay far away from this family in the future, lest they suffer the same fate as Gu Jianguo.
Xiangyang Village was a large village, with the Wang family as the main surname. The Gu family had been rooted here for decades, and people once considered them “one of us.” But after this incident, everyone drew a line—they were not the same bloodline, and their behavior was far from respectable.
All morning, no one willingly spoke to Gu Jiandang or Zhang Cuihua. Some even deliberately passed by them, sneering with thinly veiled sarcasm. The couple stood surrounded by the villagers’ blatant disdain.
But Gu Jiandang suppressed his anger and remained unfazed. As long as his daughter Gu Li could marry the city’s Pei Jing, gain backing for the family, wealth and status would naturally follow.
By then, what were these villagers? People forget quickly, and reality always wins. As long as there’s profit, who cares about past reputations? Those current looks of disdain were only temporary. Eventually, the villagers would regret it!