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

Chapter 151 Nobody is allowed to say I'm fat

Xu Zaohua angrily defended herself under the scrutinizing gazes of passing villagers.

From childhood to adulthood, Gu Taohua always imitated what she wore and used. No matter how valuable the hairpins in Gu Taohua's hair were, she didn't care about them.

Even if you gave her something that Gu Taohua had used for free, she wouldn't accept it.

“I have so much jewelry at home, why would I steal your hairpin? Don’t you even look in the mirror? Why would I want to steal your things? It’s bad luck to wear the same hairpin as you,” Xu Zaohua said loudly.

“It’s precisely because your family has so much jewelry that no one suspects you stole my hairpin,” Gu Taohua said matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, how would my hairpin have ended up on your head?”

Xu Zaohua said angrily, "Didn't you pull it out and stick it in my head yourself?"

Gu Taohua rolled her eyes and said, "Am I stupid? Would I give you such an expensive pearl hairpin on my own initiative? Let me tell you, Xu Zaohua, your uncle is in jail in the county, and no one is backing you up anymore. Do you think it's like before, where everyone could bully you at will? You stole my hairpin, and I'll settle the score with you."

Xu Zaohua choked upon hearing this.

Gu Taohua was stabbing her in the heart.

She used to be arrogant and haughty in the village, and the villagers would always greet her. But ever since Xu Yong was kidnapped, the villagers have ignored her.

The contrast between her previous situation and her current situation was unacceptable to Xu Zaohua. She said to Gu Taohua, "Even if I have no one to back me up, I'm still better than you. You accused me of stealing your hairpin. Look at yourself, you're as fat as a pig. Would I steal a pig's hairpin? Don't make a fool of yourself."

From childhood to adulthood, she never paid any attention to Gu Taohua.

The peach blossom is plump, like a quick-exploding charcoal; it explodes at the slightest touch.

She knew what words to use to provoke Gu Taohua.

Gu Taohua used to be most afraid of people saying she was fat or chubby. Xu Zaohua was able to firmly grasp Gu Taohua's weakness because of this. In their battles from childhood to adulthood, Xu Zaohua was able to defeat Gu Taohua without shedding a drop of blood.

Xu Zaohua miscalculated this time.

She didn't even consider that she had already called Gu Taohua "fat pig" earlier, and Gu Taohua had immediately attacked her instead of yelling and shouting like before. How could calling her "fat pig" a second time possibly bring Gu Taohua back to her out-of-control state?

"So what if I give a fat pig a pig? Did it eat your rice or flour? It's an insult to fat pigs to come out of your mouth. Fat pigs can be sold for money during the New Year. What are you going to do during the New Year? You're not even as valuable as a fat pig." Gu Taohua sneered contemptuously.

These words were all taught to her by Tong Huaqiong.

She used to be very self-conscious about her figure. Tong Huaqiong told her that she was strong and could work, and no one could look down on her for being fat unless she wanted to lose weight herself. No one could criticize her for being fat.

If anyone criticizes her, she'll retort that they're eating your rice and noodles.

Since we didn't eat anyone else's rice or noodles, what business is it of theirs?
Xu Zaohua realized that not only had she failed to anger Gu Taohua, but she had also been confronted by Gu Taohua, which made her a little flustered.

"Oh dear, Xu Jin's daughter is stealing someone else's hairpin. But it's not surprising. She's used to stealing green beans and tomatoes, and with Xu Yong backing her up, she's gone and now she's stealing hairpins."

"If you ask me, Qinghe Bay is no longer the Xu family's domain. They'd better not stretch their reach so far."

An elderly woman passing by watched for a while, then shook her head, sighed, and walked away.

They walked along, deliberately talking loudly.

Enraged, Xu Zaohua jumped up and down, roaring, "Who stole it! Who stole it! Look closely, who stole it?"

When Xu Yong was the village head, she would indeed pick vegetables from whoever's field she visited.

Can that be called stealing?
Now, just because her uncle fell from power, people are starting to smear her.

Xu Zaohua was furious.

“Auntie is right, Zaohua, I advise you not to stretch your arms so far in the future.” Gu Taohua chuckled, then whispered in Xu Zaohua’s ear, “Don’t think about things that don’t belong to you, including my third brother.”

After Gu Taohua finished speaking, she grabbed her third brother, Gu Jingzhe, and left.

Xu Zaohua bit her lip.

She had actually been humiliated by Gu Taohua! How dare Gu Taohua, with her fat, pig-like figure, do that? "Who stole your hairpin? Slander! Pure slander!" Xu Zaohua was furious. She stomped her foot and explained to the passing villagers.

Only after Gu Taohua and Gu Jingzhe disappeared into the alley did Xu Zaohua realize that she had been tricked by Gu Taohua.

What is her purpose?

She came to ambush Gu Jingzhe, intending to spread the news that Gu Jingzhe had tainted her reputation, and then successfully take Gu Jingzhe down.

But after Gu Taohua appeared, she started making a fuss, claiming that she had stolen Gu Taohua's hairpin.

She was so engrossed in arguing with Gu Taohua about whether or not the hairpin had been stolen that she forgot her purpose in coming to intercept Gu Jingzhe.

If she misses this opportunity, it will be difficult for her to find another one in the future.

Moreover, the Xu family has already fallen from power, and Widow Tong's shop is thriving, so her plan to persuade Gu Jingzhe with money will also fail.

After that, her hope of marrying Gu Jingzhe became very slim.

Thinking of this, Xu Zaohua's hatred for Gu Taohua deepened even further.

When Tong Huaqiong saw Gu Jingzhe and Gu Taohua step into the courtyard, Gu Taohua seemed to be angry. Her first thought was whether Gu Jingzhe had bullied Gu Taohua.

"What's wrong with you two?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

"It's still that Xu Zaohua."

Gu Taohua angrily recounted how Xu Zaohua had ambushed Gu Jingzhe in the alley.

"Xu Zaohua has no chance of becoming my third sister-in-law. I hate her the most among all the girls in the village. Third brother, let me tell you this, don't you dare have any funny ideas about Xu Zaohua, she's a wicked woman," Gu Taohua said.

Tong Huaqiong was not surprised at all by Xu Zaohua's scheme.

In her past life, Xu Zaohua used this trick to get into the Gu family.

Why doesn't her genius son know to be more vigilant?
Thinking this, Tong Huaqiong looked at Gu Jingzhe with a scrutinizing gaze.

Gu Jingzhe quickly retorted, "Mother, I have absolutely no feelings for Xu Zaohua. Not only do I have no feelings for her, but I have no feelings for any girl now."

Tong Huaqiong remained silent, staring intently at Gu Jingzhe, which terrified Gu Jingzhe, who broke out in a cold sweat.

"Mother, I swear, I really never had any feelings for Xu Zaohua, and I never spoke to her on my own initiative," Gu Jingzhe said, raising his hand to swear.

He felt that his mother's expression was saying, "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks; you must have provoked Xu Zaohua."

In all honesty, he really didn't.

"Alright, I believe you don't have those thoughts," Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Jingzhe wiped his sweat and went back to his room to read.

Tong Huaqiong frowned as she thought about what had happened today.

There are only those who steal for a thousand years, not those who guard against thieves for a thousand days.

Xu Zaohua is not so easily convinced of Gu Jingzhe's feelings. If Xu Zaohua's thoughts are not nipped in the bud, she may come back to scheme against Gu Jingzhe again.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong stood up and took Gu Taohua to the east end of the village.

The Xu family lived together in the eastern part of the village.

It was already late, and every household was preparing dinner, with wisps of smoke rising from the courtyards.

Tong Huaqiong entered Xu Zaohua's home with practiced ease.

(End of this chapter)