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

Chapter 391 Deliberately Avoiding a Visit
After Zhao spread the word, the Gu family soon learned that Old Master Gu and the entire second branch of the family had returned.

Honest Gu Dahan asked, "Mother, should we go over now?"

Chen Su-fen shared the same idea.

Now that my grandparents have returned, as the younger generation, we must pay them a visit.

Moreover, they came from afar.

Tong Huaqiong shook her head and said, "Let's wait for them to invite us over, don't rush over. Everyone should just go about their business and pretend we don't know they're back."

Since we're being polite, the second wife should address her as "elder sister-in-law," and if the second wife is sensible, she should pay her respects to her first.

Gu Taohua and Tong Huaqiong shared the same indignation and said, "Grandpa and Grandma don't like our family. Even if we try to get close to them, they might not welcome us. It's better not to go."

Putting everything else aside, her aunt always uses her seniority to pressure her, demanding both delicious food and fun things, which she has no desire to flatter.

Liu Yue'e chimed in, "Yes, we're not going."

Liu Yue'e also had grievances against the Gu family elders. The two elders always claimed that she was not a Gu family wife because there was a pre-wedding settlement between her and Gu Dashu. Even the eldest grandson of the Gu family, Yaozu, did not like her.

Tong Huaqiong's family dared not disobey her orders, so no one dared to mention visiting Old Man Gu's house at the west end of the village again.

West end of the village.

The Gu family's old house.

Grandpa Gu sat cross-legged on the bed, his face gloomy.

The news that Tong Huaqiong's whole family had returned from the provincial capital had already spread far and wide, and he refused to believe that no one had told Tong Huaqiong about his and his second wife's family's return to their hometown.

This daughter-in-law is getting more and more outrageous. When her eldest son was alive, even though she was unruly and unreasonable, she still came to visit her parents. Although she would talk back when scolded, she would still listen to the scolding.

Now that he heard they were coming, he pretended not to know. He waited for a long time, but there was no movement in the courtyard.

He hadn't believed the villagers when they told him that his eldest daughter-in-law's family was going to the prefectural city for a wedding.

The eldest daughter-in-law has always lived in Qinghewan, so how did she manage to catch the eye of a nobleman from the capital?

In the past few days, after learning more about her, he discovered that his eldest daughter-in-law was now quite remarkable. She owned a large shop, had recognized Magistrate Liu as her goddaughter, was treated as an honored guest by Master Huang, and even the Emperor of Shengjing had issued an edict to bestow upon her the title of Lady of the Township.

This ability is like the smoke rising thicker than a thigh from the ancestral grave of the Gu family.

However, no matter how capable she is now, as a daughter-in-law of the Gu family, she must abide by the duties of a daughter-in-law and respect her parents-in-law.

"Grandpa, I arrived at Aunt's house but didn't see Aunt. I did see Brother Jingzhe. Brother Jingzhe said Aunt was very tired after returning from the prefectural city and was resting. She will come to our house to pay her respects to you after she has rested." Gu Ruinian, the second son of the second branch, lifted the curtain and came to Grandpa Gu, speaking respectfully.

He was sent by Old Master Gu to invite Tong Huaqiong, but he didn't even get to enter the main room.

What impressed him most was the plaque above the main gate of the house, which was awarded by the government and almost blinded him.

Old Master Gu banged his pipe loudly and shouted angrily, "You've gone too far!"

The eldest daughter-in-law clearly knew they were back and deliberately didn't come to pay her respects.

Tong Huaqiong's mother-in-law, Jiang, frowned and cursed, "I told you we shouldn't have let her in the first place. She was a notorious shrew in Black Dragon Pool. Now that she's brought death to my son, she's become the queen of the main branch."

Tong Huaqiong's brother-in-law, Gu Youtian, said with a smile, "My sister-in-law is a big star now, so naturally she doesn't look up to us."

Gu Youtian is now very curious about what his sister-in-law has become.

After making inquiries in the village over the past few days, his sister-in-law's reputation in the village has led him to suspect that she has been possessed.

He was very curious about his sister-in-law's current situation.

If he weren't so aloof, he would have liked to go to the eldest son's house to observe his sister-in-law's changes beforehand.

The second daughter-in-law, Jia, said with a smile, "My eldest sister-in-law is alright, her temper has always been the same. But Jingzhe, that child, at least he is educated and knows manners. He knew that his grandparents were back, so why didn't he come to pay his respects first?" Jia didn't mind putting down Gu Jingzhe in front of her parents-in-law.

In the past, because the eldest son's wife had a daughter named Gu Jingzhe who was good at studying, the eldest sister-in-law always tried to outdo her.

Fortunately, God smiled upon them. A few years ago, her second son, Gu Rui, suddenly became bright in his studies and tamed his mischievous nature. Last year, he passed the imperial examination and became a student. From then on, their second branch of the family gained more status in the eyes of their parents-in-law.

She was no longer afraid of her sister-in-law using Gu Jingzhe to suppress her.

Gu Ruinian stood calmly at the head of Grandpa Gu's bedside, defending Gu Jingzhe: "After all, Brother Jingzhe is our smartest and most promising brother. Outstanding people always do things differently from us ordinary people."

What seemed like an explanation was actually a subtle way of making things difficult for Gu Jingzhe.

Gu Ruinian was confident that he could bring Tong Huaqiong over, but he encountered a roadblock, Gu Jingzhe.

To be honest, he didn't take Gu Jingzhe, whom he had never met before, seriously at all before going to the main house.

Not only Gu Jingzhe, but in fact, he didn't take anyone in this era seriously.

He was stopped at the door by a handsome young man, and after exchanging a few words, he realized that he was no match for him at all.

Gu Ruinian realized he had underestimated his opponent.

This cousin, who was a few months older than him, seemed to be his biggest enemy in the Gu family.

Grandpa Gu became even angrier and shouted, "Is he the grandson or am I the grandson? What does he have to be proud of? We're not the only ones in our family who can study. Ruinian, aren't you smarter than him?"

Despite being praised by Grandpa Gu, Gu Ruinian remained completely calm.

But Jia laughed.

They discussed for a while whether Tong Huaqiong should come to their home to meet her in-laws. Based on their understanding of Tong Huaqiong, they knew that when she got stubborn, she would really ignore her in-laws and treat them coldly.

The whole village is watching now. If she really doesn't come to the old house on her own initiative, wouldn't everyone in the old house be embarrassed?

Moreover, the second wife's business has now gone bankrupt, so she still needs Tong Huaqiong.

However, the Gu family elders and Gu Youtian would absolutely not accept it if the second branch of the family were to visit Tong Huaqiong at the first branch's residence.

Just when they didn't know what to do, Gu Honglian said, "I'll go, I guarantee I can get my sister-in-law here."

Grandpa Gu's eyes lit up.

Old Mrs. Gu, Jiang, lovingly stroked Gu Honglian's hair and said, "Honglian has been wronged."

Jia raised her eyelids, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

It was just the younger sister-in-law.

If the younger sister-in-law could bring her older sister-in-law over, wouldn't that make her husband Ruinian seem incompetent?
Gu Honglian put on her shoes and went out the door, looking indignant.

My sister-in-law is getting more and more outrageous. Not only does she not come to pay her respects to my parents, but she also doesn't acknowledge my return at all.

She went to her sister-in-law's house a couple of days ago. The yard had been expanded and the house had been renovated.

Especially in my sister-in-law's room, which is spacious and bright, the charcoal burns warmly even when she is not at home.

There was another space in the bedroom filled with clothes, all made of fine materials, in bright colors that were definitely not suitable for a widow.

It would be more appropriate to dress her in it.

What angered her even more was that her sister-in-law's niece moved into her sister-in-law's house with her child after the divorce, and her attire and appearance did not resemble that of a divorced woman at all.

The elder sister-in-law would rather let an outsider enjoy the good things in the house than ask someone to bring them to her.