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

After the Dragon Boat Festival.

A shocking piece of news spread throughout Qinghe Bay.

Gu Ruinian wanted to be adopted by Tong Huaqiong as her heir.

"No, Old Man Gu doesn't lack sons and grandsons. The main branch of the family is thriving. Why would he need to adopt Ruinian?"

"This is clearly a scheme set up by the second wife. Seeing that the first wife is doing well, she wants to get close to her. She doesn't dare to use any other methods, so she has to sacrifice one of her sons."

"Would Tong Dajiao agree? Ruinian isn't a three-year-old child. A person this age is obviously impossible to tame."

The villagers expressed their opinions on this matter.

Most people felt that the second wife's actions were unethical.

"It's not the fault of the second branch of the Gu family. They only have one son who can study, so why would they be willing to give Ruinian to the first branch? I heard that the old family wanted Tong Dajiao to support Ruinian's education, but Tong Dajiao refused to pay and said in a fit of pique that unless Gu Ruinian was adopted by the first branch, the second branch actually agreed. Now let's see how Tong Dajiao will handle this."

Of course, some people say that Tong Huaqiong has shot herself in the foot, and they are waiting to see how this drama will end.

Liu Yue'e's mother, Zhao, was extremely anxious, worried that her mother-in-law had been deceived.

Logically speaking, it's none of her business who her in-laws adopt or not. For example, she felt that Gu Dahan's illegitimate son, Xiaolong, should be brought back, and she even advised Liu Yue'e to treat Xiaolong better.

She even had no objection to Tong Pandi, who was divorced, living at her in-laws' house.

She only thought Gu Ruinian wouldn't do it.

What an ingrate! He not only betrayed his mother-in-law, but also his son-in-law's family.

The mother-in-law must have been confused to let such a thing be adopted.

Zhao tiptoed towards Tong Huaqiong's house.

"Mother-in-law, are the rumors outside true?" Zhao asked breathlessly.

Tong Huaqiong was talking to her stepdaughter Gu Baishuang when she saw Zhao rush in. She first offered her a cup of tea and then said slowly, "Are you talking about Gu Ruinian's adoption?"

Zhao said, "It seems the rumors outside are true. My dear in-law, how could someone as shrewd as you do such a foolish thing? You have sons and daughters; isn't adopting someone as old as Ruinian digging a hole for yourself?"

Tong Huaqiong wasn't in a hurry at all.

She and Gu Baishuang were discussing opening a supermarket in Yanguan Town and Pingchuan County.

Two of the Lu family's merchant ships returned, bringing with them the rare goods that Tong Huaqiong wanted.

There were peepholes, cheap pearls, and cosmetics.
In addition, Tong Huaqiong also ordered Gu Dashu to purchase a batch of in-demand goods in Jiangnan.

The supermarket is all set up, the new store manager and staff are in place, and promotional materials are being produced at a rapid pace. Tong Huaqiong has set the opening date for seven days from now.

At this moment, when she heard Zhao mention Gu Ruinian's adoption, she remained unusually calm and composed.

Tong Huaqiong laughed and said, "My dear in-law, do you think I'm such a muddle-headed person? What people say outside is just that. Whether Gu Ruinian can be adopted by me depends on whether I'm willing or not."

Zhao murmured a Buddhist prayer and smiled broadly, saying, "I'm the one who believes everything I hear."

Tong Huaqiong smiled faintly.

Gu Ruinian really wants to be her son so badly that he can't wait to create public pressure in the village.

Tong Huaqiong had already learned from her second aunt that Gu Ruinian had gone to report to the clan head that he wanted to open an ancestral hall and be adopted by the eldest son's family.

Furthermore, the three elders, Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, and Madam Jia, have already agreed.

Then, Gu Ruinian began to spread the news to the front village, his aim being to put her on the spot and force her to be adopted. Gu Ruinian was really dreaming. Gu Youtian was out there trying to find connections and hadn't returned yet. How dare he adopt someone without consulting his own father? If Gu Youtian came back, he would either break his legs or give him a good beating.

Gu Ruinian stood under the locust tree in front of his house, looking towards Tong Huaqiong's house.

When Gu Youtian arrives home in the next few days, he will become Tong Dajiao's son.

Grandpa Gu had already told Tong Dajiao about the adoption, and Tong Dajiao didn't try to renege on the agreement.

Although Tong Dajiao was not his ideal mother, and the Gu family's eldest branch was not his ideal family background, there was no better choice than the eldest branch in Qinghewan.

What's the big deal about calling someone "mother"? What's the harm in kneeling down?

A real man should be able to bend and stretch.

In the past few days, Tong Huaqiong has been constantly promoting the opening of the town's supermarket, and the whole of Yanguan Town knows that Manager Tong has a new business.

Everyone, including those in Qinghewan, is eagerly anticipating what kind of shopping place the supermarket will be.

Only Gu Ruinian was unsurprised; this idea must have come from Gu Taohua.

To be honest, Gu Taohua, my nominal cousin, is quite shrewd when it comes to making money.

His disadvantage lies in the fact that in his previous life he only knew how to study and lacked social experience.

However, he is familiar with supermarkets, and once he is adopted by the eldest son's family, he will be able to get involved in the supermarket business.

Another thing that made Gu Ruinian happy was that the second young lady of the Lian family sent a message through the matchmaker, Wang, that she was willing to meet him.

If this illegitimate daughter is as beautiful as Lu Zhaozhao, he wouldn't mind taking her as a concubine.

After the adoption ceremony is over, he will go and meet Miss Lian again.

He was waiting for Gu Youtian to come home.

Two days ago, the clan chief's grandson, Gu Dahu, went to his father-in-law's house in Heilongtan. His grandfather asked someone to send a message home to Gu Youtian. He didn't tell Gu Youtian the reason for asking him to come home, but only said that the old man Gu was not feeling well these past two days.

Gu Ruinian hoped that Gu Youtian would take better care of Grandpa Gu's health and come back soon.

Just as Tong Huaqiong had predicted, Gu Ruinian's dream of becoming her son was quickly shattered.

Gu Youtian and Wu Ren, the village head of Heilongtan and Tong Pandi's former father-in-law, were classmates. Gu Youtian went to Heilongtan hoping to find some opportunities to make money through Wu Ren.

Wu Ren happened to have a shop in Pingchuan County, which he had previously rented out to others to do furniture business. After the New Year, the landlord felt that he was getting old and wanted to return to his hometown with his wife and children, so he closed the shop and terminated the lease.

Wu Ren had never run a business before, so he wanted to sublet his shop.

Tong Huaqiong had initially taken a liking to this shop, but upon inquiring that the landlord was Wu Ren, she abandoned the idea.

Because Wu Ren demands high rent and refuses to lower it, many people are hesitant to buy, and the shop has been vacant for half a year now.

It must be said that Gu Youtian was indeed the first person from Qinghewan to go out and do business. He persuaded Wu Ren to invest capital to open a general store in just a few words. Wu Ren contributed his experience as a share, so the two of them were partners.

Gu Youtian was excitedly discussing with Wu Ren where to source goods, how to set up the store, and how to recruit employees. Just as they were getting into the swing of things, Gu Dahu brought a message saying that Old Master Gu had fallen ill and fainted.

No matter how much Gu Youtian craved money, he dared not bear the stigma of being unfilial.

So they hurried back to Qinghewan.

Under the big tree at the village entrance, I heard the shocking news that Gu Ruinian was to be adopted by the eldest branch of the Gu family.

Gu Youtian instantly felt like he'd been tricked by his son, and was also enraged by the villagers' veiled criticism that Gu Ruinian would rather have a dead father than him, a living one. He wanted nothing more than to grab Gu Ruinian and kick him a couple of times. (End of Chapter)