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

Chapter 363 Looking Forward to Spring
Lunar New Year's Eve is just around the corner.

Tong Huaqiong's family got busy amidst the sound of firecrackers in the early morning.

Sweep snow, remove snow, remove ice.

Tong Huaqiong didn't know how the Gu family celebrated the New Year when Tong Dajiao was alive, but this year, with her present, the Gu family was more lively than usual.

Besides Tong Huaqiong and her group of wicked bamboo, there's also Su Chengmin and Xiaolong, plus Tong Pandi and her two daughters—it's hard to imagine it not being lively.

In addition, it would be rather lonely for Ho Chiu and Hung to spend the Lunar New Year alone in Qinghe Bay without having any children, so the couple decided to spend the Lunar New Year with Tong Huaqiong's whole family without being invited by her.

As for the neighbor, Mr. Qian, he naturally wanted to spend the New Year at the Gu family's house, but after the Spring Festival couplets were put up, his son and daughter-in-law insisted on taking him away.

The He family's courtyard was right next to Tong Huaqiong's. Hong would come to Tong Huaqiong's courtyard every day to bring flowers. On New Year's Eve, the couple would get up early and go to Tong Huaqiong's house to help.

Gu Jingzhe considered that Master Su would be too lonely spending the New Year alone at the private school, so he invited Master Su to his home.

When Gu Jingzhe arrived at Wanliu Academy, he abandoned Master Su and his classmates from the town, leaving them behind in Yanguan Town and never mentioning them again.

In the past six months, Gu Jingzhe has repented and reformed his ways, and has formed a deep teacher-student relationship with Master Su.

Therefore, upon his invitation, Master Su came to Qinghe Bay.

Master Su didn't come empty-handed; he brought all sorts of little trinkets for the children, including Xiaolong, Man'er, Yaozu, and Duo'er. Duo'er and Man'er, the two girls, had an extra set of clay dolls compared to Xiaolong and Yaozu.

Even the baby flowers, still in their swaddling clothes, were given a rattle drum.

Tong Pandi was very moved by this.

Her daughter, Duo'er, never received any gifts while living in the Wu family.

"Auntie, is Master Su all by himself?"

After Tong Pandi poured tea for Master Su, she noticed that Master Su was wearing a long gown that she had sewn for him. She then secretly asked Tong Huaqiong about Master Su's situation.

Tong Huaqiong said, "That's right, he's not getting any younger, and he's still not married."

Tong Pandi asked, "Master Su's accent doesn't sound like someone from around here. Where is he from?"

This stumped Tong Huaqiong. After thinking for a moment, she said, "You'll have to ask Jingzhe. I don't know where he's from either."

Tong Pandi naturally wouldn't ask Gu Jingzhe.

It can be counted that Master Su helped her twice.

The first time was in her previous life. After being demoted from wife to concubine by the Wu family, she was trampled on by them. In the wind and snow, she went out to offer sacrifices to the flowers, and the flames from burning paper money almost caused a disaster.

The Wu family rushed out and tried to hang her in the Wu family ancestral hall.

It was Su Shi, who happened to be passing by, who saved him.

Master Su denounced the Wu family's despicable behavior, gave her silver, and told her to leave with Duo'er.

Of course, she did not leave the Wu family.

But if it weren't for Master Su, she would have been hanged on that snowy night and might not have been able to be reborn in this life.

The second time is the separation in this lifetime.

"Pan Di, what's wrong with you?" Tong Huaqiong saw Tong Pan Di helping her light the charcoal stove, but she was completely unaware that the charcoal was about to burn her hand.

Tong Pandi carefully placed the charcoal into the stove, looked up and said, "Auntie, my third cousin will have a bright future. He will listen to you. Please tell him to be nicer to Master Su in the future."

Tong Pandi never saw Master Su again in her previous life.

All we know is that Master Su later left Yanguan Town.

How could someone like her, confined to the Wu family her whole life, possibly know the whereabouts of Master Su?

Tong Huaqiong asked, "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? How do you know your third cousin will amount to something?"

Tong Pandi was taken aback, then covered up by saying, "Cousin, you study so hard. Master Su is a very learned man. Even Master Su praised you. You're sure to have a bright future."

Laughter came from the cubicle.

Through the latticed window, Tong Huaqiong and Tong Pandi saw Master Su holding a rattle drum and teasing Hua'er. Hua'er, nestled in Hong's arms, stared at the tassel of the rattle drum, her eyes darting around, and she kept making clear, cheerful laughs.

Tong Pandi's eyes welled up with tears as she watched.

Tong Pandi said to Tong Huaqiong, "Aunt, do you believe me? I had a dream before. In the dream, it was my life in the Wu family, and it was very tragic. Hua'er was drowned as soon as she was born. I didn't give birth to a son, so Wu Musheng demoted me to a concubine and remarried. His new wife also didn't give birth to a son, and the Wu family thought I was the reason they had no sons. The new wife and the Wu family bullied me. I went to my parents' home for help, but they ignored me. My parents took Tong Zhijie and left Black Dragon Pool. Later, Wu Musheng adopted a son. When the adopted son grew up, Wu Musheng and the adopted son wanted to send Duo'er to a wealthy family in the prefectural city as a concubine. I stopped Duo'er from going."

This is the part of Tong Pandi's previous life that Tong Dajiao didn't remember after going to Shengjing.

Tong Huaqiong asked, "And then?"

Tong Pandi said, "I was pushed down by Wu Musheng and almost fell to my death, and then I woke up. This dream felt so real, it was terrifying."

Tong Huaqiong said, "After you woke up, you were so scared that you started to become fierce and brave for yourself and your two daughters?"

Tong Pandi breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that her aunt had no doubt that she was a reincarnated person.

Indeed, such a bizarre thing is really hard to imagine; even someone as clever as my aunt couldn't have come up with it.

She tells these things because the suffering from the past is weighing on her heart, and she needs to vent it to feel better.

Tong Pandi said, "That's right. This dream reminds me that if I continue to be timid and always listen to my parents and the Wu family, Duo'er and Hua'er will really end up like in the dream. As their mother, I have to protect them."

"The first time I disobeyed my in-laws was the day after I woke up from a dream. They made me sleep on the floor next to their bed at night and empty their chamber pot. In a fit of anger, I urinated on their bed. They hit me, so I smashed all the valuables in their room. Wu Musheng cursed at me, so I tied him up while he was sleeping and hung a knife in front of his eyes. When the Wu family asked me to cook, I threatened to poison their whole family with rat poison. Before, I always gave in to them, and they would beat and curse me. But later, when I stopped giving in to them and throwing tantrums like you used to, Aunt, they became wary of me."

Hearing Duo'er's laughter coming from the cubicle, Tong Pandi wondered why she hadn't thought of resisting or escaping before.

“The Wu family thought I was possessed by something, so they called a shaman to perform a ritual. I burned the ritual tools. Anyway, I had already died once in my dream, so who was I afraid of? From then on, I ate and dressed well in the Wu family, and I often quarreled with Wu Ren and his wife and fought with Wu Musheng. They were afraid of me and avoided me whenever they saw me. I was not only like this to the Wu family, but I was even more ruthless to the Tong family.”

“From a young age, my parents taught me that I was a burden, a girl, while Zhijie was the Tong family's precious gem. When I was in the Tong family, I practically raised Zhijie myself, but he never showed any consideration for his older sister. My parents always claimed to love me, but they sold me to the Wu family for fifty taels of silver. When they found out what I did in the Wu family, they came to scold me, and I beat them out with sticks. Aunt, tell me, why was I so spineless before? At home, I listened to my parents; after marriage, I listened to my in-laws and my husband. Why didn't I ever think about living for myself?”

Tong Huaqiong said, "You've woken up from your nightmare, and you won't have that kind of nightmare again."

The sounds of rattles and laughter came from the next cubicle.

Tong Pandi couldn't help but smile.

Auntie is right, she won't have such nightmares anymore.

Winter will be over and spring will come; she is looking forward to the spring when flowers bloom.