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

After finishing her meal, Tong Huaqiong took a bunch of bamboo shoots to the old house at the west end of the village.

She'd go even if it was just to save face.

Moreover, she wanted to see what kind of trouble the second wife and the two elders would cause.

She still had a question: why did she suddenly come back when she was perfectly fine outside?

To shut everyone up, Tong Huaqiong didn't come empty-handed.

Ming Gu Jingzhe carried paper to stick on the window, Gu Taohua carried two boxes of pastries, Gu Dahan carried a bucket of flour, Liu Yue'e carried a quilt, and Man'er, Yaozu, and Xiaolong followed. The group of people stormed into the old house.

Gu Honglian, behind her sister-in-law Jia's back, cried in front of Master Gu and Old Madam Gu.

She cried, "How fine the fabric of my sister-in-law's clothes is, how sparkly the bracelet on her wrist is! Now that life is better, she's become arrogant and won't even leave me a meal."

When she mentioned wanting to move into her sister-in-law's new house, her sister-in-law refused, and she burst into tears of grievance.

Grandma Gu was heartbroken.

She was the youngest daughter of her parents, and she was pampered and spoiled from infancy. Back then, in order to be fed by her eldest daughter-in-law along with Gu Jingzhe and Gu Taohua, she was willing to bow her head and smile obsequiously to her eldest daughter-in-law.

“My son, they say that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. She raised you, so how could she treat you like this? Her heart is so cold and hard. She resents you for siding with your second brother when it came to dividing the land. But then again, your second brother was rich in business back then, while the eldest brother's family was so poor. You should have sided with your second brother back then.”

Grandma Gu launched into a long, rambling complaint.

Gu Honglian said unhappily, "But Mother, now that Second Brother's business has failed, Ruinian's schooling costs money, and I haven't had any new clothes made in a long time. I want to live with my sister-in-law. Haven't you seen how Taohua dresses like a rich young lady? Even Dahan and Man'er's mother are dressed better than me."

Grandpa Gu thought for a moment and said, "You can go if you want. Who would dare to object if I let you stay there later?"

Gu Honglian smiled.

"Oh my, is this my sister-in-law?"

To save on lamp oil, people in the old house usually go to bed after meals. Today, however, because Tong Huaqiong and others came to visit the two elders, everyone in the old house gathered in the house to chat after the meal.

Upon hearing the knocking, Jia rushed out to open the door.

With a creak, Jia's loud voice rang out.

They're here! The eldest daughter-in-law is here!

Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu sat up straight, their faces serious, waiting for Tong Huaqiong and her brood of children to enter.

"Is this your sister-in-law? It's been so long, I almost didn't recognize her." Tong Huaqiong warmly took Jia's hand, but in the dim courtyard, she couldn't see Jia's face clearly.

As he spoke, he pulled Jia Shi into the main room.

Jia followed Tong Huaqiong into the room, feeling dizzy.

Grandma Gu adjusted the lamp wick, and the room instantly brightened as soon as Tong Huaqiong entered.

Jia stared blankly at Tong Huaqiong, momentarily lost in thought.

Are they sisters-in-law?

That widowed sister-in-law?
She was dressed in a magenta outfit, with jewelry adorning her hair and wrists, so bright it was almost blinding.

If Tong Huaqiong hadn't addressed her so warmly as "sister-in-law," she would have thought Tong Huaqiong was some pretty wife.

She finally understood what the villagers meant by the dramatic change in Widow Tong.

"What's wrong, sister-in-law? Don't you recognize me?" Tong Huaqiong asked Jia Shi with a smile.

When Tong Dajiao was alive, the two sisters-in-law of the Gu family never got along.

Tong Dajiao was straightforward and quick to anger, easily losing her temper and throwing a tantrum. Jia Shi, on the other hand, was adept at subtle manipulation and accusing others of wrongdoing.

Therefore, Tong Dajiao suffered a lot of hidden losses and harbored a lot of resentment under her care. Whether in the eyes of her parents-in-law or in the clan and village, everyone said that Tong Dajiao was inferior to Jia Shi, and it was rumored that Tong Dajiao bullied Jia Shi because of her status as the eldest sister-in-law.

"No, it's just that my sister-in-law has changed too much," Jia said, coming back to her senses.

My heart is sour.

The eldest sister-in-law now looks young and radiant, while her own family hasn't bought new clothes for a year due to business losses. The maids and servants have been dismissed, and she, along with her daughter-in-law and daughter, has to do the chores herself.

That year, she looked noticeably older.

Tong Huaqiong clicked her tongue and then complained to Gu Youtian, who was sitting next to the old man, "My second brother is really something. He didn't even tell me he was coming back beforehand. Anyone who didn't know better would think that he had made it big and secretly abandoned us two old folks back in the countryside." Tong Huaqiong wasn't wrong about Gu Youtian.

Grandpa Gu gave the silver and land to the second wife. The second wife had promised to take Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu to live in the south, and that all their retirement expenses would be covered by her. This matter was witnessed by the clan head and other elders.

Now that Gu Youtian has quietly brought his parents back to Qinghe Bay, people can't help but wonder if he intends to leave the care of the Gu family's elderly parents to the eldest son's family.

Gu Youtian sat to the side with a grin on his face.

He had originally planned to teach his sister-in-law a lesson when Tong Huaqiong came to visit, but her invincible aura upon entering the house left him breathless.

The accusations remained unspoken.

Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu were sitting upright when they saw Tong Huaqiong, and they were so shocked that they almost fell to the ground. They were stunned for a long time.

This doesn't look like a son's widow at all; she looks like a wealthy woman who's come to help the poor.

Grandma Gu stared at Tong Huaqiong's crimson dress, a lump forming in her throat.

Her son had only been dead for a short time, and her daughter-in-law was already wearing red.

Who is a widow dressed up so fashionably for?

Does that mean she's going to cheat on her husband?

Grandpa Gu was even more dissatisfied, as his eldest daughter-in-law had barely arrived and hadn't even paid her respects before she started criticizing his youngest son.

This is simply unreasonable.

Grandpa Gu coughed twice to make his presence known.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu, and then told Da Han and the others to step forward and pay their respects.

"grandfather."

"grandmother."

Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu, putting on airs, let out a soft "hmm."

Then they dragged Man'er, Xiaolong, and Yaozu, who were hiding in the back, to the front and called them "Great-Grandpa" and "Great-Grandma".

Xiao Long stiffened his neck and didn't speak.

Man'er and Yaozu called out, waiting for their great-grandparents to give them gifts. Seeing that the two old people were sitting upright without making any gesture, they quickly ran to their respective mothers.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at the people in the room.

The younger brother-in-law, Gu Youtian, sat next to the old man.

Her grandson was beside her.

The eldest son of the eldest son's family, Gu Fengnian, was sitting on a chair. His wife, Wei, was embroidering something with needle and thread. When she saw Tong Huaqiong come in, she stood up and then sat down again.

Under the lamplight was the youngest daughter, Gu Xiaoxue, a year younger than Gu Taohua. She was thin with big eyes and stood up to greet her as "Auntie."

"Great Cold, Awakening of Insects, Peach Blossom, bring up the gifts you brought for Grandpa and Grandma," Tong Huaqiong instructed.

Grandpa Gu's expression softened slightly.

He knew that although his eldest daughter-in-law had a bad temper, she was still filial to those who needed to be.

"Grandpa, Auntie said the wind was so strong last night that it tore the window paper. I specially brought some paper that I write on to cover the windows for you." Gu Jingzhe stepped forward and placed the several reams of paper on the table.

"Grandma, these are pastries from my family's shop. I thought you and Grandpa would prefer softer foods as you get older, so I specially packed them for easy digestion. Please try them and see if you like them." Gu Taohua placed two boxes of pastries in front of Grandma Gu.

"Grandpa, this is twenty catties of wheat flour." Gu Dahan carried the wooden bucket to the bedside and asked Gu Youtian, "Second Uncle, where should I put this flour? I still need this bucket."

Liu Yue'e then carried a cotton quilt to the bed and said, "These past few days have been cold, and I was worried that my little aunt would be cold, so I specially brought a thick quilt for her to cover herself with."

Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu's expressions grew increasingly grim.

I thought it was a very valuable gift.

That's all? Enough to feed a beggar. (End of Chapter)