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

Chapter 411 Seeking to Seize Land

"I see."

Gu Dahan said to Grandpa Gu with a sincere expression, "I will mention this to my mother."

Gu Dahan initially wanted to refuse, but he softened in the face of Old Master Gu's plea.

After all, he was his own grandfather, and the father of his deceased father.

Anyway, my grandfather didn't make any unreasonable demands; he just wanted to rent our land.

After Gu Dahan left, the other members of the clan looked at Old Master Gu with different expressions.

Grandpa Gu was quite embarrassed, having to beg his grandson for a meal.

His goal was not simply to rent land, but to gradually seize control of the main branch's land through this method.

Old Master Gu was in a bad mood and said to the clan chief and others, "I was just about to ask for your help. As you all know, my eldest son has passed away. His wife is unfilial and not of one mind with our Gu family. She doesn't participate in clan affairs. I'd like to ask you all to discuss opening the ancestral hall so that she can hand over the land, the pastry business, and the pig farming business. My son Youtian has been doing business all these years. Don't be fooled by his current losses; that's just bad luck and being framed. Actually, he's been doing quite well all these years. He has the ability to do business, and taking over the eldest son's business won't be a problem. It would be good for all of us if Youtian took over the business."

Gu Youtian sat steadily next to Old Master Gu, his face bearing the arrogance of someone who had seen many big business deals.

He was unwilling to stay in the village and farm.

Just as the clan chief was about to speak, Gu Ruinian raised his head and slowly said, "Grandpa, I went to town today to see Auntie's shop. Business was booming, with many people buying pastries. I saw Sister Taohua and Sister Yue'e serving customers in the shop, and Auntie was also there. To be honest, I almost burst into tears. It's really our fault for making our women show their faces in public to earn money. I heard people around me whispering that it's no wonder no one has come to propose marriage to our Gu family daughters because they're so prominent outside. My heart is breaking."

"Grandpa, please listen to my advice. Let's not open the ancestral hall yet. You and the clan head should talk to Auntie privately first. She might understand reason. It must be very difficult for her to support the family after Uncle's death. It's normal for her to have resentment towards us. We should be more understanding of her. Grandpa and Grandma, please be patient with Auntie. If she offends you, please be more tolerant. Let her know that we are not trying to take over her shop, but to help her expand it. Let her know that even if Dad takes over Auntie's shop, it's for Auntie's and the reputation of the girls in our Gu family. She can just enjoy her retirement at home from now on."

Before Old Master Gu could speak, Gu Ruinian continued to say to the clan chief, "If Brother Dahan hadn't been so honest, if Brother Dashu had been able to stand up for himself, if Brother Jingzhe had been able to support the family, our eldest branch wouldn't have been forced to rely on several women to carry the household. Our girls still need to be married off—Aunt, Sister Taohua, Xiaoxue, and other girls in the clan all need to be married off. Everyone admires the courage of the women in the eldest branch to take the lead in business, but when it comes to marriage, who wants a domineering wife? Clan chief, don't you think so?"

Indeed, Gu Ruinian hit the nail on the head, and the clan leader nodded and fell into deep thought.

Gu Jingzhe's words made the others in the clan look at him with new respect.

Goodness, after all these years, the second son of the second wife has become so successful.

These words were reasonable and well-founded, analyzing the pros and cons. Their support for Gu Youtian taking over the business of the eldest son's family was not forcible occupation, but for the sake of Tong Daben and the other girls in the clan.

Gu Ruinian smiled calmly. Through his silver tongue, he had managed to win over most of the clan members to their side.

Grandpa Gu said, "Youtian cares about the clan. When Youtian becomes the person in charge of the shop, he will purchase some sacrificial land for our clan and support our clan's children to go to school. In the end, only when our clan is doing well can everyone do well."

This was a shot in the arm for the clan chief and other influential figures in the clan, encouraging them to support Gu Youtian.

So they decided to summon Tong Huaqiong three days later to discuss the shop.

The reason for setting it three days later is the anniversary of Old Man Gu's death.

On the anniversary of the death, all the members of the clan were present. Despite the clan's oppression, Tong Huaqiong was not afraid to compromise.

When Tong Huaqiong returned home that evening, Tong Pandi had already prepared dinner.

Gu Dahan then took the opportunity to tell Tong Huaqiong that Old Master Gu had invited him over to rent his family's land.

Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Dahan, "What do you think about this?" Gu Dahan cautiously replied, "After all, he is an elder. He doesn't want our land, he just wants to rent it out. Since he has asked, why don't we rent it out to him?"

Tong Huaqiong knew about her stepson's kindness.

Otherwise, if he held a grudge, given Tong Dajiao's past attitude towards him, he would have been at odds with Tong Huaqiong long ago.

Tong Huaqiong didn't mind Gu Dahan's sympathy for Old Master Gu; kindness is always better than malice.

Moreover, given that he was a pure ancient man, it was somewhat unexpected that he would disobey his grandfather.

Tong Huaqiong said, "I won't object if you agree to let your grandfather rent the land. However, I have a condition: the land on the west side of the mountain cannot be rented to them. Instead, let them rent the five mu of land along the riverbank, which will be enough for them to eat for a year. Whether they want rent or grain is up to you."

Tong Huaqiong understood what Grandpa Gu was thinking.

They gradually encroached on the fifty acres of fertile land at the foot of the Western Hills by renting out the land.

It's just five acres of land; Tong Huaqiong can afford to lose it.

If we don't rent it to Old Master Gu this time, who knows how he'll pester Gu Dahan next time.

She also wanted Gu Dahan to see how much more demanding Old Master Gu was. Only when he personally experienced it could he avoid being misled by Old Master Gu's pleas for mercy.

"Take this bowl of meat over there, and while you're at it, tell your grandfather about the leased land."

Tong Huaqiong handed a bowl of meat to Gu Dahan.

The Gu family was just about to have dinner at their old house, and the family members were sitting around the table discussing something.

They all fell silent when they saw Gu Dahan enter.

"The Great Cold has arrived." Old Master Gu coughed.

"I've come to deliver vegetables to Grandpa and Grandma," Gu Dahan said.

The dining table in the old house was very shabby.

A bowl of pickled vegetables, a bowl of cabbage, and a pot of porridge in front of Grandma Gu, who was scooping porridge with a spoon.

The men ate the thick porridge, the women ate the thin porridge, and only Gu Ruinian, the family's hope, had the honor of eating dry porridge.

Gu Dahan glanced at him and felt quite contemptuous. The clan praised Gu Ruinian to the skies, but he was not as good as the old Gu Jingzhe. Even if the old Gu Jingzhe was selfish, he would not have let his mother and sister eat porridge while he ate dry food.

Gu Honglian took the meat and placed it in front of her.

This is a bowl of pork, glistening with oil and a tempting aroma.

Despite having already eaten a large amount of oily food at noon, Gu Honglian still couldn't resist the aroma of the meat.

This time, instead of indulging Gu Honglian, Old Madam Gu brought the meat to Gu Ruinian and said, "Ruinian is about to go to the prefectural city for the exam. He has been studying hard these days and should make up for it properly."

Gu Ruinian took it for granted and stuffed a piece of pork into his mouth, which made Gu Dahan despise him even more.