The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 15 Why don't you just become sworn brothers with your father?

"Gu Jingzhe, you deserve to be struck by lightning! You've only worked one day and you're already complaining about being tired? What kind of rich young master are you dreaming of, having your sister-in-law serve you when you get home? Do you think you're a bodhisattva in a temple, with your whole family having to worship you?"

"Your sister-in-law has to wash your clothes too? Do you not have hands or feet? If you can't wash your own clothes, then you might as well not wear anything at all and just go out naked."

"Don't think you can act like a Buddha just because you've studied for a few days. You can't just order people around at home. You treat Su Fen like a maid. Let me tell you, she's your sister-in-law. Even if you were the Emperor of Heaven, you'd still have to treat your sister-in-law with respect."

Tong Huaqiong's temper was ignited by Gu Jingzhe.

If he hadn't gone astray, would she have had to throw a tantrum at the Zheng family's house?

Although she knew that the original owner of this body, Tong Dajiao, had contributed a lot to this matter, she was no longer Gu Jingzhe's biological mother, so she was going to teach this wicked person a lesson.

If not properly repaired, the destructive power of this genius boy when he becomes vicious would be too great for the entire Gu family to withstand, even if they were all tied together.

Tong Dajiao stepped out of the house, grabbed a fire poker from the corner of the wall, and started hitting Gu Jingzhe.

Of all the bamboo sticks in the house, only Gu Jingzhe hadn't been hit with a stick. To be fair, she had to make Gu Jingzhe experience that a fire poker could not only be used to poke fires, but also to poke people.

"I'll teach you to act like a big shot at home! I'll teach you to disrespect your sister-in-law!"

"Other people study to understand principles, but you study to act like a big shot. If you think you're too low-ranking, you might as well become sworn brothers with your dead father."

"You think you're so great just because you know a few words? You can't even stand weeding for a day? You good-for-nothing bastard, I think it's right not to let you study. You're only a student now and you dare to bully your sister-in-law. If you become the top scholar, you'll have to dig your father out of his grave and kowtow to him."

"You heartless, rotten bastard, you actually went to the docks to ask your brother for money without my knowledge."

Tong Dajiao vented his anger by swinging a fire poker around.

Gu Jingzhe wanted to escape, but he was so pampered by Tong Dajiao that he was powerless and exhausted after a day of weeding that he was completely helpless. He was like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of Tong Huaqiong.

Gu Taohua and Gu Dashu remained unmoved by Gu Jingzhe's wailing. They couldn't let two of their three children be tortured with fire sticks while Gu Jingzhe escaped alone.

Anyway, he didn't lose out by getting beaten up; he was the one who caused all the trouble in the Zheng family.

Liu Yue'e looked delighted.

Beat them up, beat them hard!

If it weren't for her brother-in-law's education, would the Gu family have owed the Zheng family fifty taels of silver? Would her son have been hanging by a knife?

The thought that her son might be sent to the Zheng family as a servant in five days made Liu Yue'e want to kill Gu Jingzhe.

Tong Huaqiong got tired of beating people and finally stopped.

She was afraid that if she really beat Gu Jingzhe to death, the stick would only hit Gu Jingzhe's thighs and buttocks.

Gu Jingzhe was whipped until he was covered in bruises.

I originally wanted to ask Tong Huaqiong about the Zheng family, and then take the opportunity to kneel down and cry to persuade Tong Huaqiong to let me continue my studies.

But after being whipped with that fire poker, all his thoughts were extinguished.

"Third brother, you deserved to be slapped. Do you know that Mother sacrificed her reputation today to persuade the Zheng family to break off the engagement..."

Gu Taohua recounted to Gu Jingzhe how Tong Huaqiong had forced the Zheng family to break off the engagement.

Although Gu Jingzhe was bad to outsiders, he was very filial to his widowed mother. Upon hearing that Tong Huaqiong was willing to risk her reputation, he immediately knelt down and cried.

Tong Huaqiong remained unmoved and asked, "Gu Jingzhe, let me ask you again, can the fifty taels of silver from Wanliu Academy be returned?"

Gu Jingzhe shook his head slightly and said, "I don't think we can get it back."

Liu Yue'e burst into tears on the spot. Her only hope was that her brother-in-law could get back the fifty taels of silver from Wanliu Academy so that her son could be prevented from becoming a servant.

After hearing Gu Jingzhe's words, Gu Dashu's face also turned very ugly.

Gu Jingzhe was already jealous of his widowed mother's favoritism towards him, and now, thinking about where his son was, he felt even more uneasy. He didn't dare to blame his widowed mother; he felt that Gu Jingzhe was the one at fault. He was too clever and had bewitched his widowed mother, making her dote on him as if he were under a spell, granting him every wish.

"You're not even going to Wanliu Academy anymore, how can the academy keep the money? There's no such logic in the world!" Gu Dashu sneered. "Gu Jingzhe, did you pocket the money?"

Gu Jingzhe was so angry at Gu Dashu's slander that he froze, and his buttocks, which had been slapped, felt an excruciating pain.

"Second Brother, you can't slander me with baseless accusations. That's the rule at Wanliu Academy. Once you pay the tuition, you don't get a refund if you don't attend or drop out halfway through the course," Gu Jingzhe said.

"You know this ridiculous rule perfectly well, yet you still eagerly hand over the money." Gu Dashu was so angry that he wanted to take Tong Huaqiong's stick and continue to beat his brother. Gu Jingzhe, with red eyes, remained silent, his heart filled with grievance. How could he have known that in just a few days, his widowed mother's temperament had drastically changed, depriving him of his right to study?

“Gu Jingzhe, I can talk to you about brotherhood on ordinary days, but if I do it today, my son will be in danger. Tomorrow I’ll go to the prefectural city with you. Whether this silver was stolen or robbed, you must get it back for me,” Gu Dashu said.

Gu Jingzhe opened his eyes wide.

What does it mean if my son can't be saved?
Chen Sufen also looked puzzled. She had noticed something was wrong with her second uncle's family of three as soon as they entered the door.

She also wanted to know what was going on.

"...It's true that the Zheng family broke off the engagement, but the third brother used fifty taels of silver from the Zheng family. Would the Zheng family be willing to accept that? On our way here, we were stopped by the Zheng family's steward, who said that if we couldn't repay the fifty taels of silver in five days, he would take Yaozu to work as a slave for the Zheng family."

Liu Yue'e hated Gu Jingzhe to death.

Chen Sufen's expression changed.

Although she disliked the second wife's family, when her own daughter was to be sent to the Zheng family, not a single member of the second wife's family spoke up for her, and Yaozu bullied Man'er every day.

But the kind-hearted Chen Su-fen believed that Yao-zu was influenced by adults. After all, the child was still young, and going to the Zheng family to become a servant would probably ruin his life.

"Mother, is this true?" Chen Sufen looked at Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong remained silent, her face ashen.

"Of course it's true, Mother has already signed and stamped it."

"Yaozu, my poor son."

Liu Yue'e hugged Yaozu and cried bitterly.

"Gu Jingzhe, you good-for-nothing! Our whole family treats you like an ancestor, and we still have to be your slaves. What does your going to school have to do with my son? Why make my son pay for your education? I think Gu Jingzhe should be sent to the Zheng family as a servant, a slave. What's the point of making my son go?"

“The eldest son of the Zheng family doesn’t have many days left to live. When he dies, there will be no one to break the pot and beat the flag. Why don’t you, Gu Jingzhe, go and beg Zheng Juren to let you be adopted by the eldest son of the Zheng family as his son?”

“Anyway, your mother doesn’t need another son. Even if you leave, Gu Dashu will still be there to continue the family line.”

……

Liu Yue'e cried and cursed at the same time.

Yaozu burst into tears along with Waaaaa.

Gu Dashu squatted to one side, holding his head in his hands, looking distressed.

Chen Su-fen stood by, at a loss.

Tong Huaqiong sneered, "It wasn't like this when we sent Man'er to the Zheng family."

The Gu family of three should really experience the fear of being separated from their own flesh and blood.

Gu Jingzhe spent the whole day weeding, only to be scolded by Tong Huaqiong and then berated by Liu Yue'e.

Gu Jingzhe, who had always been pampered by the Gu family, had never felt so lost and embarrassed as he did today.

"Alright, stop howling. You can howl all you want, but you won't get your money back."

"The Zheng family's troubles were caused by the Awakening of Insects. You and your wife are not innocent either. You know what you two were doing running around in there."

The couple didn't hesitate to ask Butler He for favors.

Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e blushed and paled as they were being talked about.

"Of course, I, this old codger, am also at fault for raising such a bunch of spendthrift brats. Since Wanliu Academy is not returning the fifty taels of silver, and since you don't want Yaozu to become a slave, let's start thinking of ways to get the silver from now on."

Tong Huaqiong threw down the stick in her hand, smashing it into the ground and splashing dust all over Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e.

Fifty taels of silver! Where are you going to get fifty taels of silver in five days?

Gu Dashu and Liu Yue'e were on the verge of tears.

(End of this chapter)