15
Threatening the Gu Family
A sharp voice came from not far away: “Try hitting me with that stick, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Gu Wenshu and Li Xiuran both turned toward the source of the voice and saw two tall, sturdy young men in their twenties storming over angrily. As soon as they arrived, they positioned themselves beside Bai Xiuying and Gu Aiguo. The older brother, Gu Jianan, who was darker and thinner, glared at Gu Wenshu and said, “Big sister, is this how you treat your own parents?”
“Mom and Dad just want to have a meal at your place, yet you’re threatening to drive them out with a stick. Even if my mom isn’t your birth mother, she’s still your stepmother. As a daughter, you have a duty and obligation to care for her.”
The younger brother, Gu Jiandang, nodded repeatedly: “What an ingrate, turning your back on your own parents.”
Gu Wenshu was so infuriated by the brothers’ shameless behavior that she laughed coldly: “Since you’re so filial and capable, why don’t you take your parents away? Stop crowding around my home.”
If they thought they could freeload a meal from her household, they couldn’t be more mistaken—there wasn’t even a window of opportunity, let alone a door.
Hearing his daughter’s words, Gu Aiguo’s eyes flashed with menace: “You wretched girl, are you refusing to listen when we try to reason with you?” He moved to strike Gu Wenshu, but Li Xiuran swiftly pinned him against the wall. Li Xiuran said coldly, “Listen carefully, all of you. Gu Wenshu is married to me now. She is my wife and a member of the Li Family. If you keep showing up like this to extort money from her, I’ll make sure you suffer the consequences.”
“I have a hundred ways to make your lives miserable. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and test me.”
Gu Wenshu thought to herself: I should find a chance to ambush this whole family and give them a thorough beating.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she noticed Li Xiuran shift his gaze to Gu Jiandang: “You brothers love roaming around outside. You should know that walking the night streets too often always leads to trouble.”
“For instance, losing an arm or a leg, lying in bed covered in injuries for a year or so, or getting hurt in a place that strips you of the ability to ever become a father.”
Hearing this, the entire Gu family turned pale with anger—this was a threat, a blatant threat.
Gu Jianan gritted his teeth and said, “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Feel free to test that theory, but the cost of being wrong is steep. As long as you’re willing to bear the consequences, I’ll gladly oblige.” He offered a gentle smile: “If I take action, I have countless ways to ensure no one traces it back to me. So even if you report it after something happens, no one will believe you.”
His icy, merciless words frightened them, their faces paling. They all knew Li Xiuran had done well in the military and was even recommended for officer training. If not for his recent troubles, his future would have been limitless. If someone like him truly decided to target them, how could they possibly escape?
After a long silence, Gu Jianan finally said, “No matter what, she’s still our older sister. If she neglects her filial duties, we can report her.”
Li Xiuran laughed: “Go ahead. I’ll take the opportunity to expose your brothers’ speculation and profiteering activities. In that case, your sister might only get a reprimand, but you two will end up in a far worse situation.”
“And let’s not forget your mother’s attempt to sell off a military dependent. Your whole family could end up neatly bundled together in jail.”
When Bai Xiuying and the others planned to sell Gu Wenshu to the Butcher, he hadn’t yet been discharged from the military. According to the timeline, Gu Wenshu was still a Military Dependent.
Just thinking about this charge was enough to send Bai Xiuying to prison.
When Gu Jianan and his brother faced the smiling Li Xiuran, they instantly felt this man was a demon who had crawled up from hell—he knew everything about their family affairs.
Seeing both brothers were frightened, Li Xiuran patted Gu Jianan’s shoulder and said, “Take your parents and leave. I’ll pretend I never saw you here today. I’ll send gifts during festivals and on my father-in-law’s birthday.”
The family, already terrified by Gu Jianan, quickly supported each other and hurried away from the place.
Gu Wenshu glanced at Li Xiuran: “I didn’t expect your combat skills to be so formidable. How did you know about Gu Jianan and his brother’s activities?”
Those two brothers were actually involved in Speculation and Profiteering—quite bold indeed.
Li Xiuran sneered, “I had people investigate these matters yesterday in the county town, and I received the information this morning.”
Everything that had happened in the Gu and Li Families over the past few years had been thoroughly investigated. Naturally, he also learned that when Gu Wenshu first married him, she had been a very hardworking woman. Later, after being bullied repeatedly and still not getting enough to eat, she simply gave up and stopped working.
After all, whether she worked or not, she still went hungry and faced beatings and scoldings—so why bother putting in effort without any reward?
It was from that point onward that the Li Family began spreading rumors about her being lazy and gluttonous.
Upon learning this, his resentment toward her diminished somewhat. He understood clearly that if he hadn’t returned in time this time, the fates of both the children and Gu Wenshu would have been dire.
To put it bluntly, it was his own failure as a husband that had allowed his wife and children to live in such misery.
As they walked back, Gu Wenshu murmured, “The Gu Jianan brothers aren’t the type to compromise easily. They’ve been scared off for now, but they’ll eventually come knocking again.”
Li Xiuran grunted in agreement, closed the gate, and caught up with her: “It’s fine. I’ll be home from now on. If they dare show up, I have plenty of ways to deal with them.”
Gu Wenshu turned around with a smile to look at the man: “Bag their heads, give them a thorough beating, leave them bedridden for half a year or more. Once they recover, beat them again—that should keep them quiet for another year or two.” From the original host’s memories, she had seen far too many scenes of Gu Jianan and his siblings bullying the original host. She had long been itching to teach these people a lesson.
Today, they came asking for trouble. Not wanting to make too big a scene in the village, she had let Li Xiuran threaten and scare them off.
In her opinion, this approach wasn’t satisfying enough.
Hearing this, Li Xiuran couldn’t help but look at Gu Wenshu. Their eyes met, and he clearly saw the eagerness in her gaze—she genuinely wanted to physically strike the Gu family members.
Perhaps the people she wanted to hit weren’t limited to Gu Jianan and his brother, but the entire Gu family, including the already married-off Gu Chunfang.
He said calmly, “If they disturb our lives again in the future, I’ll take you to bag their heads.”
For now, they hadn’t actually done anything—they just came to make a scene and then left. Acting rashly wouldn’t be appropriate.
At this thought, a contemplative glint flashed in his eyes.
Just as Gu Wenshu had said, the Gu family definitely wouldn’t remain so docile—it was only a matter of time before they showed up again. When that happened, he’d settle the score with them all at once.
First courtesy, then force—he had executed this principle thoroughly.
After the meal, Gu Wenshu tidied the kitchen while Li Xiuran washed the dishes.
She said, “I’ve already put your clothes in the second room on the left.”
All three rooms in this house had beds, though none were large—each only one and a half meters wide. She could accept living under the same roof as Li Xiuran, but she couldn’t bear the thought of sharing a bed with this man indefinitely.
Moreover, the child was still young and couldn’t sleep alone in a room.
Li Xiuran’s hand, holding a bowl, paused. When they moved in, she had been in charge of arranging their belongings, so he hadn’t realized she had placed his clothes in the second room on the left. Was she planning to sleep separately from him?
“I understand. Sanbao can sleep with me at night,” he said calmly before resuming washing the dishes. “Now that I’m back, you don’t need to go to work anymore. I can provide for you and the child.”
“Your responsibility is to take good care of our two children.”
He placed the last bowl in the bamboo basket and gave Gu Wenshu a deep look. “Now that I’m back, I won’t let you suffer as you did before. I hope you won’t let our children suffer either.”
Meeting his penetrating gaze, Gu Wenshu’s heart tightened abruptly.