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

Chapter 414 The Bracelet Scandal
"Why weren't monks invited to chant sutras for the deceased?"

Grandpa Gu entered the room, looked around, and began to express his dissatisfaction.

Gu Jingzhe said, "Grandpa, we can only invite monks on the fifth anniversary of his death."

This is a local custom in Yanguan Town, and Old Master Gu couldn't possibly be unaware of it; he was just deliberately making things difficult.

"Grandpa has lived in the south for a long time, and he probably wants to follow the customs there. It's my fault for not communicating with him beforehand."

Seeing that Old Master Gu's face fell, Gu Jingzhe took the blame and gave him a way out.

“Grandpa, it’s time. We should go to the ancestral hall to offer incense,” Gu Jingzhe said.

Grandpa Gu didn't make things difficult for Gu Jingzhe and stood up.

Grandpa Gu stood up, and the other men in the clan followed suit.

"This child shouldn't go; it's not proper for him to go," Grandpa Gu said, pointing at Xiaolong.

Xiao Long remained expressionless; he hadn't planned to go in the first place.

According to the customs of Yanguan Town, only male members of the clan are allowed to enter the ancestral hall to offer incense on the anniversary of a death, while women are not allowed to enter.

In the past, Tong Huaqiong would have cursed and swore, but now she couldn't be happier.

After the man left, only the women remained in the room.

"Sister-in-law, the bracelet on your wrist is so beautiful," Gu Honglian said, tugging at Tong Huaqiong's hand.

Tong Huaqiong calmly withdrew her hand and said, "This is a gift from Dashu, who came back from the prefectural city to show his filial piety to me."

Gu Honglian pouted.

She deliberately said it in front of many aunts and older women in the clan, thinking that her sister-in-law would definitely be embarrassed not to give it to her in front of everyone.

Grandma Gu glanced at Tong Huaqiong, but Tong Huaqiong remained unmoved.

Gu Honglian couldn't help but say, "Sister-in-law, can I wear this bracelet?"

Tong Huaqiong said in a reasonable tone, "Your nephew is filial to me. If I give it to you, wouldn't I be betraying your nephew's filial piety?"

Everyone was secretly surprised, for they all knew that Tong Huaqiong treated Gu Honglian as her elder sister-in-law, just like a mother.

The person who is now so indifferent to Gu Honglian is not like a different person at all.

Gu Honglian was rejected in public, looking aggrieved, with tears welling up in her eyes.

Grandma Gu was heartbroken. She glared at Tong Huaqiong and said, "You two have always been very close. Although you are Honglian's sister-in-law, she treats you like her own mother. Now that you're doing well, shouldn't you be looking after her?"

Tong Huaqiong, holding the bracelet, said, "When Honglian gets married, I will give her a dowry."

Grandma Gu was so angry she almost fell over. The marriage was still far off, and all Honglian wanted now was the bracelet.

Seeing that Gu Honglian was about to cry, she looked at Tong Huaqiong with teary eyes.

The mother-in-law, Zhao, stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Honglian is becoming more and more beautiful. Has she already been betrothed?"

Tong Huaqiong's lips twitched. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her appearance; Gu Honglian and Shui Ling were completely unrelated.

As expected, Gu Honglian lowered her head shyly upon hearing the words "marriage proposal".

Grandma Gu didn't want to show any displeasure to her granddaughter-in-law's mother, so she said, "Several families offered her marriage proposals before, some with families that were studying, some with families that owned shops, and some with families that owned dozens of acres of fertile land. They were all good marriage proposals. I didn't agree because I knew I would be coming back, and I didn't want Honglian to be alone in the south."

Grandma Gu said this without any embarrassment, since no one in the village knew that Gu Honglian had been jilted before the New Year. Zhao clicked her tongue in admiration, saying that with Gu Honglian's character and appearance, she would surely find a good match.

Thus, the controversy surrounding the bracelet subsided.

At this moment, Tong Pandi came in carrying a teapot and poured tea for everyone.

Previously, villagers were curious or scornful about Tong Pandi living in Tong Huaqiong's house despite being divorced. However, after a few months of getting to know her, they discovered that she was capable and treated everyone with great respect, addressing them as "aunt" and "sister-in-law" affectionately. Their attitude towards her began to change.

Most people in Qinghewan have now accepted her.

Tong Pandi's entrance attracted the attention of Old Madam Gu and the Jia and Wei mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

After all, this was their first time observing Yan Guan Town and Tong Pandi, the first person to leave.

"Are you Pan Di?" Old Mrs. Gu asked, taking the tea.

Tong Pandi nodded and said, "The last time we met was when we were kids."

Grandma Gu looked Tong Pandi up and down, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips, and said, "I still remember when you got married, your aunt went to see you off. Why aren't you at your husband's house? What are you doing at our Gu family's house?"

Tong Pandi said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I'm divorced. Thanks to my aunt's pity, I have a place to stay."

Grandma Gu was very dissatisfied with Tong Pandi's attitude. "You're a divorced woman, yet you speak so arrogantly."

In Old Mrs. Gu's mind, divorce was against the virtues of womanhood and would result in her being dragged to the pond and drowned.

So he said dismissively, "In all my years, I've only ever heard of women who get divorced, I've never seen a woman who gets a divorce."

Tong Huaqiong chimed in, "That's because you're naive. Since the imperial law allows for divorce, it's not wrong for Pan Di to divorce."

Grandma Gu raised her voice and said, "Ever since you married into the Gu family, you've been spouting a bunch of fallacies. I'm not saying this to be mean, but your niece is divorced and living in our Gu family. It's really affecting the reputation of the girls in our Gu family. Peach Blossom, your sister-in-law, Xiaoxue, and other unmarried girls in the clan will all have their marriage prospects affected."

Tong Huaqiong said, "Grandma, Taohua and Xiaoxue aren't even engaged yet. Where did you get this conclusion? When you asked me to give my second brother money for his business, you always said that a girl's marriage prospects were related to her family's status. You said if my second brother's business was successful and he had money, all the girls in the family would be able to find good marriages. Now that my second brother's business has failed, could it be that you've set your sights on those sycophantic families and want to arrange a marriage, but they refuse? You don't dare blame my second brother, so you're blaming Pandi instead?"

"Grandma, do you know Miss Huang from the Huang family in our town? She broke off her engagement with the Lian family before the New Year, and then the Lu family, the imperial merchants from the prefectural city, proposed to her. They're married now. How come breaking off an engagement doesn't prevent her from finding a good match? Besides Miss Huang being beautiful and talented, her family is also very supportive. If Second Uncle had a large rice business like Master Huang, would you still worry that Honglian's marriage would be affected by Pandi?"

Tong Huaqiong's words caused an uproar among the audience.

The women in the clan all knew that Tong Huaqiong was always outspoken towards her mother-in-law, but they didn't expect her to be so aggressive, even involving the second wife's family.

But thinking about it, Tong Huaqiong's words make sense.

Ultimately, a girl's marriage depends not only on her personality and appearance, but also on her powerful family background.

Putting aside other things, take Tong Huaqiong for example. Ever since she was granted the title of Lady of Suifeng Township, several girls in the Gu family have been engaged to good families that they never dared to dream of before. Everyone knows that they are doing so because of Lady of Suifeng Township.

Grandma Gu's claim that Tong Pandi delayed the marriages of the girls in the Gu family was a stretch.

The faces of Old Mrs. Gu and her second wife, Jia, turned blue and purple.

The clan was well aware that the second branch of the family was losing money, but no one had ever dared to say it in public.

Now that Tong Huaqiong has publicly revealed the fact that the second wife's business is losing money, Old Madam Gu and Madam Jia are naturally unhappy.

Especially Jia, since Gu Youtian made money in business, her status in the clan has risen. In the past, she was always the first seat among the female relatives at weddings and funerals in the clan.

Today, she arrived with the airs of a successful wife, looking down on all the sisters-in-law present.

Now everyone in the clan knows that her family has gone bankrupt, and she has lost face.

Jia wanted to regain her dignity.