“Dad, Mom, Fourth Brother, hurry up! Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law are fighting—it might turn deadly!” Gu Qin shouted while running to knock on doors in each room.
Upon hearing their daughter’s urgent cries, Gu Wenlin and Wu Minzhen immediately came out.
Gu Bai, however, calmly set down his book and said to Ruan Tong, who was playing with the two children, “You and the children stay inside. I’ll go check.”
As he reached the doorway, he still felt uneasy and instructed Dabao, “Keep an eye on your mother, understand?”
Ruan Tong’s eye twitched slightly. Why should he watch her?
Dabao, imitating someone, patted his little chest and said, “Got it!”
Only then did Gu Bai leisurely stroll out.
Inside the room, Dabao looked at Ruan Tong’s belly, his small brow slightly furrowed. “Mom, Grandma said you’re carrying a little brother or sister for me in your belly. So, is it a sister or a brother?”
Ruan Tong had been fiddling with medicinal herbs in her hands, but upon hearing Dabao bring up the topic, she immediately focused. “We don’t know the gender yet. Does Dabao prefer a brother or a sister?”
Dabao rested his right index finger against his cheek and thought seriously. “A little brother. Little sisters cry too much. The sister of Erdan next door cries all day long, and he really hates her.”
Ruan Tong couldn’t help but smile slightly. She hadn’t expected Dabao to be so accepting of the baby in her belly. Perhaps she had overthought things earlier.
On second thought, Dabao was just a five-year-old child.
Children of this era were pure-hearted, without so many complicated thoughts.
Just as mother and son were chatting happily, Gu Qin rushed in!
“Ruan Tong, it’s all because of you!”
The moment she stepped into the room, accusations flew.
Ruan Tong looked up, her gaze icy as she glared at her. “Get out! Who said you could come in?”
She had little patience for this seemingly underdeveloped sister-in-law and impatiently shooed her away.
Gu Qin was stunned by Ruan Tong’s imposing presence, frozen in place.
It felt as though if she said one more word, Ruan Tong would strike her, making her too afraid to take even half a step forward.
“Am I wrong? Ever since you married into this family, our home hasn’t had a single peaceful day, all because of you…”
Gu Qin was on a roll, almost blurting out the words “jinx,” but she managed to stop herself just in time.
Ruan Tong looked at her with a half-smile. “It seems you’ve learned your lesson! Let me warn you again: if you ever dare to act up in front of me again, I won’t mind teaching you some manners!”
As she spoke, Ruan Tong flexed her knuckles, and the sound of cracking joints echoed instantly.
“You, what are you trying to do?” Hearing this, Gu Qin inexplicably felt a surge of fear and involuntarily stepped back.
Dabao, who was playing nearby, naturally overheard their conversation. A hint of displeasure appeared on his face as he looked up at Gu Qin.
“Auntie, you’re so noisy!”
Gu Qin widened her eyes in disbelief. “Dabao, you… you’re actually siding with an outsider!”
“Grandma said you’re the one siding with outsiders!” Dabao frowned, trying his best to argue with Gu Qin.
Ruan Tong scooped Dabao into her arms, patting his back to soothe him. “Don’t be angry, Dabao. Let’s ignore Auntie. Why don’t you and Erbao keep playing with your picture cards?”
Dabao nodded obediently and immediately took out the picture cards, resuming the game with Erbao, taking turns slapping them down.
Ruan Tong stood up and slowly approached Gu Qin.
Gu Qin retreated in fear, trembling as she pointed at Ruan Tong: “Ruan Tong, if you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll… ah!”
“Gu Qin, didn’t your parents teach you not to point at people when you speak? It’s very rude!”
Ruan Tong grabbed Gu Qin’s finger and said sternly!
“Ahhh, let go of me, it hurts!”
Gu Qin hopped in pain, which only made Dabao look at her with even more disdain.
Dabao gave her a fierce glare and said with a hint of pride, “Auntie, how can you be so rude? Let my mother teach you properly! You should learn humbly!”
Ruan Tong curled her lips slightly and coldly stared at the person before her: “Get out of here now!”
With that, Ruan Tong released Gu Qin’s hand and said coldly:
“You’d better remember this: if you ever come to me again like today, throwing a tantrum without asking for the truth, I will make sure you never forget it. Keep my words in mind—I, Ruan Tong, mean what I say!”
Gu Qin was rubbing her sore finger, and upon hearing this, she swallowed hard, her back soaked in sweat. Her wide eyes were filled with terror.
Looking at Ruan Tong, she seemed like a demon—fierce and intimidating.
Wuwuwu, Ruan Tong in a rage was too terrifying!
She burst into tears with a loud “Waa—” and turned to run away.
Just as she ran out the door, she bumped into Gu Bai, who was coming toward her.
“What are you doing? So reckless!” Gu Bai frowned and scolded.
“Ruan Tong… Ruan Tong… she hit me!” Gu Qin said with righteous indignation.
Wu Minzhen, who had just come out of Gu Rong’s room, hurried over with Gu Wenlin upon hearing this and asked worriedly, “Where did Tongtong hit you? Did you fight back?”
Hearing Wu Minzhen’s anxious and concerned questioning, Gu Qin felt even more wronged, tears streaming down her face.
“Wuwuwu… she, she…”
At this moment, Gu Qin felt somewhat guilty. After all, Ruan Tong hadn’t actually hit her—she had only squeezed her finger until it hurt. It had been painful at the time, but now… she couldn’t feel it anymore.
Mostly, she had been frightened by Ruan Tong. In her eyes, Ruan Tong had always seemed weak and easy to bully and manipulate. She never expected her to suddenly become so fierce. Ruan Tong’s ferocity had deeply terrified her.
“Aiya, you silly child! You didn’t hit Tongtong, did you? She’s pregnant now and can’t handle any kind of agitation.”
Seeing her hesitate, Wu Minzhen grew anxious.
Gu Bai, standing nearby, heard his mother’s words, and his gaze darkened even more. He gave Gu Qin a cold warning glance before turning and heading back to his own room.
Watching her son’s hurried and unsteady steps, Wu Minzhen felt both heartache and helplessness.
Turning back, her anger toward Gu Qin grew even stronger.
“You foolish girl, come inside with me!”
With that, Wu Minzhen angrily pulled Gu Wenlin back to their room, muttering as she walked, “Old man, this girl needs discipline. If we don’t do something, she’ll cause a disaster sooner or later!”
“She really needs to be taught a lesson!” Gu Wenlin also wore a stern expression.
Gu Qin stood in place, watching her parents’ furious retreating figures, and couldn’t help but shiver violently.
Had she done something wrong?
She just liked Sister Qiuhong and disliked Ruan Tong—what was wrong with that?!
Meanwhile, Gu Bai anxiously entered the room and saw Ruan Tong sitting calmly by the bed, playing cards with the two children. Only then did his cold, stern gaze soften slightly.
Ruan Tong heard the door open and looked up toward Gu Bai.
Seeing the man walking toward them, she gave him a sweet smile.
“Are Second Brother and the others alright?” Ruan Tong asked with concern.
“They’re fine, just a few scratches on Gu Rong’s face. If you see him, don’t ask about it—he’s sensitive about it,” Gu Bai explained softly.
Ruan Tong blinked. “Did Second Brother fight back?”
“He did.”
“…” Ruan Tong was speechless.