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

Chapter 436 Taking a Long-Term View

Gu Jingzhe was also very depressed.

He had come to check on his aunt's condition, but after she regained consciousness, she saw him and fainted again.

If my second aunt were to pass away, who would be responsible?

"Jingzhe, you'd better get out of here. You're a scholar now, and your second aunt will think of Ruinian failing the exam whenever she sees you. That's like stabbing herself in the heart!" Aunt Qin said to Gu Jingzhe.

Everyone echoed this sentiment, urging the newly appointed scholar Gu Jingzhe to stay away from the Jia family.

Meanwhile, the onlookers' impression of Gu Ruinian declined again; his own mother was kicked for his sake, but he hid in the house and refused to come out.

When Jia saw that Gu Jingzhe had fainted but was revived by the doctor with an acupuncture needle, she was so angry at Qin Da Niang's words that she vomited blood.

Gu Jingzhe shook his head and walked out of the main room.

"Jingzhe, Jingzhe." Old Master Gu grabbed Gu Jingzhe, his anxious face pleading, "Go and knock on Ruinian's door for me. Ruinian has locked himself in his room. Maybe he'll open the door if you go."

"Please help me reason with him and tell him that there was an accident in this year's exam, so he can take it again next year."

Gu Jingzhe sighed softly, wondering what his grandfather's reaction would be if he knew that Gu Ruinian's exam mishap was all Gu Ruinian's own doing.

Gu Jingzhe originally didn't want to get involved with Gu Ruinian, but after hearing Old Master Gu's plea, he couldn't bear it and went to Gu Ruinian's door.

"Ruinian, open the door."

Gu Jingzhe was prepared to make a symbolic call, and if Gu Ruinian didn't open the door, he would leave the old house and not cause any trouble.

The door slammed open.

Gu Ruinian stood in the room, looking at Gu Jingzhe with a half-smile.

Gu Jingzhe felt that his cousin was both familiar and unfamiliar, and his eyes seemed to be filled with resentment towards him.

“Ruinian, Grandpa sent me to persuade you to open the door. Your mother has fainted; you should go and see her quickly,” Gu Jingzhe said.

As for the old man's request for him to persuade Gu Ruinian to participate in World War II next year, he did not intend to say so.

Gu Ruinian sneered, "Are you happy now?"

Gu Jingzhe was puzzled and asked, "What am I happy about?"

Gu Ruinian said, "You topped the list, but I failed. Now everyone in the clan and village says you're better than me. Are you happy and satisfied now? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking when you come knocking on my door. You just want to see me make a fool of myself, just want to remind me that you're the top scorer and I'm the loser."

"Don't think you're better than me; you're just luckier."

"So what if you topped the list? You're just an ancient scholar who only knows how to study by rote. Even if we meet in the imperial court one day, I'll still win and you'll lose. Take a long-term view and don't be too proud of yourself."

Gu Ruinian became more and more excited as he spoke.

Gu Jingzhe felt that his cousin was hopeless, after saying a bunch of nonsensical things.

Gu Jingzhe understood. His cousin thought he had failed the exam because of bad luck, while he himself had topped the list entirely by luck.

“Ruinian, you’re wrong. I’ve never considered you an opponent.”

Gu Jingzhe, being young at heart, initially didn't want to pay attention to Gu Ruinian. After thinking for a moment, he gave him a disdainful look and left the old house.

Gu Ruinian was speechless for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he was furious.

What do you mean?
It turns out that Gu Jingzhe never took him seriously.

Jia was given five needles by the doctor before she regained consciousness, and she couldn't stop crying after waking up.

The acupuncture and medicine cost five hundred coins, and Wei gave the doctor the money.

"Where did you get the money to buy the medicine?" Old Master Gu asked.

Wei said, "I borrowed it from the old lady."

Grandma Gu was unhappy and said, "She should pay this money. If the two of them had failed the exam together, your mother-in-law wouldn't be so resentful." "Don't think that Tong Dajiao lent you money out of kindness. She's probably just laughing at your second branch of the family. Her son is now the top scholar, and she's riding high. Would she lend you money if you asked her normally? I don't know what kind of luck she had that her son could get the top spot. It should have been Ruinian who got it."

Mrs. Wei was speechless; she didn't understand Old Mrs. Gu's logic.

If you're not doing well yourself, you don't expect the first wife to be doing well either.

Wei didn't want to say a word. She picked up the leftover food from the main house and went out to reheat it, while Gu Xiaoxue silently tended the fire.

In the old house, dinner consisted of porridge and leftovers.

The whole family sat around the table, everyone with long faces, the atmosphere so somber that it made everyone lose their appetite.

"Fengnian, go and call Ruinian for dinner."

After Gu Jingzhe left, Gu Ruinian closed the door again.

People can't be locked up and not eaten forever, so Grandpa Gu asked Gu Fengnian to call Gu Ruinian.

"Starve him to death."

Gu Youtian cursed angrily, grabbed two steamed buns, and went out.

He was afraid that he would lose control and resort to violence if he saw his youngest son, so he simply chose to ignore it.

Just as Gu Fengnian was about to stand up, he saw Gu Ruinian walk in.

"Ruinian has arrived, please sit down." Old Master Gu gestured for Gu Ruinian to sit to his left, a little further away from Gu Youtian.

Gu Ruinian sat quietly at the table.

He wouldn't have come out if he hadn't been so hungry.

Although the food on the table was leftovers from the main house, it was all good meat and vegetables that hadn't been touched. It looked and smelled delicious, and with a basket of big white steamed buns next to it, Gu Ruinian couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks and start eating.

Now that he has failed the exam, he can no longer enjoy the benefits of the exam alone with the same confidence as before.

Gu Honglian snorted, and Old Madam Gu glared at her before picking up a chicken leg and placing it in the bowl in front of Gu Ruinian.

"Ruinian, you should take good care of yourself. From now on, you must study hard."

“Look how smug your aunt is when Jingzhe got the top score in the exam. She’s throwing a banquet and treating everyone to drinks. It makes me so angry. Doesn’t she know how upset Ruinian is about failing the exam? She just has to rub salt into his wounds. Ruinian, let me tell you, you were just unlucky to fail this time. You should study hard and get the top score next year. You can become the top scholar, the second-highest scorer, and the third-highest scorer in the exam, and make your aunt furious.”

Gu Ruinian's face turned dark.

If he didn't know that Old Lady Gu loved him, he would have thought that the old woman was plotting against him.

Grandpa Gu kicked Grandma Gu under the table.

"Why did you kick me? Am I wrong? Tong Dajiao has always been disrespectful to us, and now that his son has become the top scholar, he doesn't respect us at all. What's wrong with me telling Ruinian to study hard and curb Tong Dajiao's arrogance?"

Grandpa Gu said, "Alright, stop talking. Ruinian is already upset about failing the exam, don't make him feel worse."

Grandma Gu then realized that her words had not killed Tong Huaqiong but had instead killed Gu Ruinian's heart. So she shut up and picked up the fattest piece of fish belly from her bowl and put it in Gu Ruinian's bowl.

Gu Ruinian's face was gloomy, but that didn't stop him from stuffing chicken legs and fish into his mouth.

After finishing the chicken leg and the fish belly, they used their chopsticks to pick up food from the plate like rain.

Gu Ruinian was used to bringing glory to his ancestors in his previous life, and in this life he is the hope of the whole family. He quickly and accurately picked up meat and vegetables with his chopsticks, completely disregarding the lives of the other people at the table.

Wei felt nauseous.

If it were before, it would be one thing, but now that he has failed the exam, knows his family is poor, and knows that everyone else has not eaten, he still eats alone.

"Ruinian, if you don't know how to pick up food, then don't pick it up."

Wei slammed down her chopsticks.