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

Chapter 513 As expected

The news that Mrs. Zheng and her childhood sweetheart from Qinghe Bay were getting together naturally reached the ears of the Wu family.

However, the Wu family did not know Xu Zaohua and had no dealings with the Zheng family, so Wu Ren and Qiao Shi did not take the news seriously. Compared to being concerned about other people's gossip, they were more concerned about Wu Ji's business.

Wu Na's mind wasn't on business. Back in Heilongtan, she was a gossip enthusiast, and she couldn't change that even after moving to Pingchuan.

What caught her attention in this gossip was that the main characters were all from Qinghewan. Gu Ruinian, whom she had been longing to meet, was from Qinghewan, which made her even more interested in the gossip.

I was just saying that I didn't usually have anything in common with Gu Ruinian, and now this opportunity has come my way.

These past few days, Gu Ruinian hasn't been at Wu Ji's place. Jia Shi's words implied that Gu Ruinian had caught the eye of a wealthy young master and was studying at the wealthy young master's home school. Wu Na went up to ask him in detail whose family the wealthy young master belonged to, but Jia Shi stubbornly refused to say anything, keeping it a complete secret.

Wu Na looked forward to Gu Ruinian's return to Wu Ji every day, wanting to discuss the people and affairs of Qinghe Bay with him.

Thinking this, Wu Na grabbed a handful of melon seeds and went to the teahouse next door. When she heard the people in the teahouse say that the young mistress of Zheng's childhood sweetheart was surnamed Gu, Wu Na's eyebrows twitched.

It can't be such a coincidence, right?

Gu Ruinian's surname is Gu.

However, there are many people with the surname Gu in Qinghewan, and it is not necessarily Gu Ruinian.

Since Gu Ruinian went to the south when he was young and had only returned for half a year, how could he and Mrs. Zheng be considered childhood sweethearts?

What Wu Na feared most came to pass.

When the other party explicitly uttered the name Gu Ruinian, Wu Na felt as if she had died.

Fearing the other party had misrepresented her message, she grabbed the person's arm and pressed them for details about Gu Ruinian's appearance and height.

The other person said dismissively, "How would I know about his appearance and height? I've never seen him. I can't be wrong. My aunt's son's brother's family is related to the Zheng family. They said the adulterer's name is Gu Ruinian. How could it be false? If you don't believe me, go to the Zheng family and ask around. You'll know everything then."

Clearly, this man didn't know Gu Ruinian, let alone the relationship between Wu Ji and Gu Ruinian; otherwise, he wouldn't have so brazenly revealed the adulterer's name in the teahouse next to Wu Ji's.

Wu Na dared not inquire at the Zheng family's door, but still asked persistently, "Brother, how many young masters does the Zheng family have?"

The eldest brother said, "Not counting the deceased eldest son of the Zheng family, there are still two. One is the second son of the Zheng family, who just passed the imperial examination last year, and the other is the young master born to the eldest son's wife, who is not even a year old."

Upon hearing this, Wu Na's hopes vanished completely.

Madam Jia said that Gu Ruinian had befriended the second son of a wealthy family, but she refused to reveal the young man's name.

That's right, this young master must be the second young master of the Zheng family.

Everything makes sense now.

What article caught the eye of Young Master Zheng? He's clearly trying to get close to Young Master Zheng's wife.

Feeling betrayed, Wu Na angrily returned to Wu Ji to confront the Gu family.

As dusk fell, all the members of the Gu family, except for Gu Youtian, were busy cooking in the backyard of Wu Ji's restaurant.

"What? Wu Na, you can't just say that. My Ruinian and Xu Zaohua have no connection at all. He went to the south when he was young and has never met Xu Zaohua since he came back. How could it be my Ruinian?"

Before Wu Na could finish speaking, Jia interrupted her immediately.

Jia Shi was the first to object to accusing Ruinian of adultery.

Despite verbally denying it, my heart was pounding wildly.

Wei and Gu Fengnian exchanged a glance. That afternoon, the couple had heard Jia curse Tong Dajiao for getting her comeuppance and Gu Jingzhe for being an adulterer. As soon as the eldest son's family was in trouble, Jia was in a great mood. She secretly took out the money she had borrowed from her family to pay for Ruinian's schooling and used it to buy two catties of meat.

If Xu Zaohua's lover were to change from Gu Jingzhe to Gu Ruinian, I wonder if Jia Shi could handle it.

“You girl from the Wu family, you can’t just talk nonsense. Ruinian would never do such a thing. My Ruinian likes fair-skinned, slender women with big eyes. What does Xu Zaohua have that fits? She’s a fallen widow, not a virgin. Has my Ruinian gone mad?” said Old Mrs. Gu.

When Grandma Gu and Grandpa Gu learned that Xu Zaohua's childhood sweetheart might be Gu Jingzhe, the two elders of the Gu family were worried. Grandma Gu had already scolded Gu Jingzhe severely in front of the second branch of the Gu family, calling him foolish and saying that he had brought shame to the Gu family.

The two were thinking about how they would face people when they arrived at Qinghe Bay. They were reluctant to sever ties with Gu Jingzhe, after all, he was the top scholar and a potential candidate for the imperial examinations. If they broke off their relationship now, how could they benefit from his legacy?

Grandma Gu and Grandpa Gu never even considered Gu Ruinian's involvement.

Wu Na became even more unhappy when she heard Old Mrs. Gu mention Gu Ruinian's fondness for the girl.

The one with fair skin, a slender figure, and large eyes is the opposite of the one with dark skin, a strong figure, and narrow eyes. Even though Old Mrs. Gu was in a desperate situation, she still took the opportunity to point her out.

For the daughter of a village head to fall for Gu Ruinian is a blessing the Gu family has accumulated over eight hundred years.

"What nonsense am I talking about? Everyone outside says it's Gu Ruinian. Do you think I can't hear Gu Ruinian and Gu... what kind of Gu? Gu Ruinian is really something. How could he do such a shameless thing? It's one thing if he's having an affair with other widows, but how dare he have an affair with Grandma Zheng? Just think about how the Zheng family treats him." Wu Na said sarcastically.

She originally wanted to say that Gu Ruinian had betrayed her, but only Gu Ruinian and she knew the truth about their relationship. If she dared to say it, she might be met with insults from both Madam Jia and Old Madam Gu.

Gu Ruinian, you wait, she will definitely not let him off the hook.

Upon hearing Gu Ruinian's name, Old Master Gu wanted to go out and find out the truth. He asked Wu Na with trembling hands, "Who told you this? Tell me everything you've found out."

Wu Na then recounted exactly what the man from the teahouse next door had said.

The more Grandpa Gu listened, the colder his heart became; he could barely hold his pipe.

“The people outside shouldn’t be lying. I saw Xu Zaohua’s carriage pass by that day, and Ruinian went up and talked to her for a long time.” Gu Honglian screamed.

"I never expected Xu Zaohua to be here to seduce Ruinian."

The reason Gu Honglian didn't step forward at the time was because she and Xu Zaohua had always had a strained relationship. Xu Zaohua was living a life of luxury as a young mistress, and Gu Honglian, out of jealousy, was even less willing to flatter Xu Zaohua.

Jia was completely stunned. She was awakened by Gu Honglian's scream, and then she trembled, causing the spoon she was holding to roll to the ground.

Gu Honglian glanced at Jia Shi and suddenly felt a surge of pleasure.

Her second sister-in-law and Ruinian took her satin. She overheard their conversation and learned that they sold it for five taels of silver. She asked her second sister-in-law to give her one tael. Her second sister-in-law mocked her, saying that she was a money-loser and that everything about her was her nephew's.

She was waiting to see the mother and son suffer.

As expected, it worked.

"Thank goodness, Xu Zaohua seduced Ruinian, not Jingzhe. Jingzhe is the top scholar and will become a high-ranking official in our Gu family. It would be a pity if Jingzhe were seduced, rather than Ruinian. Thank goodness." Gu Honglian patted her chest.

She did it on purpose, deliberately provoking her second sister-in-law, Jia.

These words not only provoked Jia, but also Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu.

Jia almost fainted when she stood up, but was caught by the quick-thinking Gu Fengnian.

Grandpa Gu said, "Fengnian, go to the Zheng family and ask if it's Ruinian?"

I'm already 80% convinced.