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

"Little Xue, my clothes are torn. Can I borrow your needle and thread to mend them?"

After Gu Taohua pulled Gu Xiaoxue out of the warehouse, Gu Xiaoxue squatted outside washing clothes, while Gu Taohua sat beside her and chatted.

Xu Dabao approached Gu Xiaoxue with a smile and tugged at his clothes.

Gu Xiaoxue felt a chill run down her spine.

Although Xu Dabao's attitude seemed kind, she didn't like him.

She encountered Xu Dabao a few times in Qinghe Bay. Xu Dabao would whistle at her, and the look in his eyes made her feel uncomfortable.

Gu Xiaoxue said, "I don't have a needle and thread."

Xu Dabao said, "How could there not be? I saw you sitting at the door making shoe soles last time in Qinghe Bay."

Gu Xiaoxue bit her lip and looked at Gu Taohua for help.

Gu Taohua glanced at Xu Dabao and said, "Get out of here. If your clothes are torn, have your mother mend them for you. Don't come looking for Xiaoxue."

Xu Dabao didn't expect Gu Taohua to speak up for Gu Xiaoxue. After all, everyone in the village knew that the eldest and second branches of the Gu family didn't get along. Even with Gu Ruinian in such a state, Tong Dajiao didn't lend a hand. There was no reason for Gu Taohua to be nice to Gu Xiaoxue.

"Did you hear me? If you disturb our chat again, don't blame me for being impolite." Gu Taohua brandished her fist.

Gu Taohua's infamy has always been top-tier in Qinghe Bay. Even a thug like Xu Dabao had been punched by Gu Taohua when he was young. When he saw Gu Taohua about to hit someone, Xu Dabao felt a chill run down his spine and slipped away along the wall.

"Mother, have they reached an agreement?" Gu Taohua asked when she saw Tong Huaqiong come out.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Your grandfather is still talking."

"Xiaoxue." Tong Huaqiong changed the subject and called out Xiaoxue's name. Gu Xiaoxue, who was washing clothes, looked up and her beautiful face was visible in the sunlight.

"Auntie, is there anything I can do for you?" Gu Xiaoxue wiped her hands and came to Tong Huaqiong's side.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Gu Xiaoxue's tightly taut old clothes, sighed, and said, "Auntie, I have a few words to say to you. Whether you listen or not, I hope you will take them to heart. Your second brother's affairs have nothing to do with you, and the trouble he caused has even less to do with you. You must think of yourself in everything you do. No matter who asks you to pay off debts, or tries to use you as collateral, you cannot agree to it. If you agree, you will ruin yourself. Do you understand?"

Gu Xiaoxue didn't quite understand.

How can family matters have nothing to do with her?
She never considered using her to pay off debts; she thought her family wouldn't do that, what debt could a young woman like her possibly pay off?

Gu Xiaoxue said, "Auntie, my family won't use me to pay off their debts, and I'm not like Sister Taohua who can do business and make money."

He seems to be so simple-minded that he overestimated Grandpa Gu Ruinian and didn't understand the meaning of paying off debts.

Tong Huaqiong lowered her voice and said, "If your grandfather can't pay back the Xu family's money, he'll give you to Xu Dabao as his wife. Are you willing? You know Xu Dabao, he's not a good person. If you marry him, he'll torment you to death."

Gu Xiaoxue was startled and murmured, "Master wouldn't do that."

She was brainwashed from a young age that her second brother was the hope of the whole family, that she had to take care of him, that when she got married, the dowry had to be saved for her second brother's education, and that she had to bring her husband along to help her family.

She didn't think it was abnormal; all the girls in the village were like that.

She was unwilling to marry Xu Dabao.

Tong Huaqiong has fulfilled her duty of reminding Xiaoxue; whether she can stand up for herself is up to her.

If Xiaoxue is assertive and unwilling to be mortgaged to Xu Dabao like an object, then Tong Huaqiong is willing to help her.

If she is wholeheartedly willing to sacrifice herself for Gu Ruinian, then there is no point in Tong Huaqiong stopping her; it will only create enmity. Tong Huaqiong left Wu Ji with Gu Taohua.

Gu Xiaoxue was still thinking about Tong Huaqiong's words.

The family has to pay the Xu family 500 taels of silver in compensation. The family doesn't have that much money, and if they can't pay, the Xu family will kill the second brother. What should she do if her family asks her to become Xu Dabao's wife to pay off the debt?
If I refuse, will my grandparents be disappointed? Will my mother be heartbroken? Will my second brother lose his life?

Gu Xiaoxue's mind was in turmoil. When she looked up, she saw Xu Dabao emerge from the wall and walk towards her.

Xu Dabao stuck out his tongue at her, and Gu Xiaoxue felt as if she had seen a poisonous snake flicking its tongue at her. She felt a chill run down her spine, and when she saw Wei Shi coming out, she ran over to her.

"What's the matter with you?"

Wei noticed that Gu Xiaoxue was trembling all over. She glanced at Xu Dabao in the distance, lost in thought.

Gu Xiaoxue said, "It's okay."

Wei looked at Gu Xiaoxue, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating. Last time, her second grandfather and the village chief mentioned to Fengnian that he should take good care of his younger sister Xiaoxue, and she felt that this reminder was strange.

She had just seen Xu Dabao's gaze fixed on her sister-in-law in the room, and when she saw Xu Jin wanting to talk to Grandpa Gu alone, she felt a chill run down her spine.

After Xu Jin finished talking with Grandpa Gu, the two left the warehouse together.

"How did the talks go?" Liu Tielian asked.

Xu Jin smiled faintly and said to the Gu family, "As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a feud than to let it fester. After all, Uncle Gu and I live in the same village, and we'll run into each other all the time. My daughter Zaohua is a married woman, like water spilled from a cup; strictly speaking, she's no longer considered part of the Xu family. Ruinian kowtowed three times to me, so let's let this matter drop. The five hundred taels of silver are mainly to compensate for the losses my Dabao suffered while working as a manager at Zheng's shop. Uncle Gu can't afford to compensate me now, and I, Xu Jin, wouldn't force someone to their death. Uncle Gu and I have agreed that this silver will be paid in other ways. I'll give Uncle Gu ten days to consider."

Grandpa Gu said without showing any emotion, "I will think about it carefully."

Xu Jin then led his Xu family members in a large-scale retreat.

Liu Tielian and Uncle Gu were still worried, so after Xu Jin left, they asked Old Master Gu, "What will you use to pay off the debt?"

Grandpa Gu said, "It's nothing more than the house and land, and the strength of the whole family."

Uncle Gu looked directly at Old Master Gu and said, "Brother, don't be confused. Tell me the truth, do they want to give Xiaoxue to Dabao as a wife to pay off their debt?"

Grandpa Gu's expression changed, and he said, "Am I that kind of person? Why do you think of me like that? Xiaoxue is still my granddaughter. Would I be human if I used Xiaoxue to pay off a debt?"

Seeing that Old Master Gu looked serious, Uncle Gu suspected that he had misunderstood him.

That's true, even the eldest brother has his pride.

After seeing that the Xu family had left, Liu Tielian led the rest of the villagers back home as well.

The village has been irrigating its cornfields recently, but it has already been delayed for two days because of Gu Ruinian's matter, and we dare not delay any longer.

After everyone had gone home, Old Master Gu called Gu Youtian, Madam Jia, and others into the house to discuss something.

"Old man, what did you talk to Xu Jin about? Five hundred taels of silver is no small sum. We shouldn't have agreed to it. Even if you mortgaged the house and land, it still wouldn't be enough. Where will we live and what will we eat then?" Old Mrs. Gu said, wiping away her tears.

Grandpa Gu said with a worried look, "We don't need to use the house and land as collateral. Xu Jin wants us to use something else as collateral."

Grandma Gu's eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly, "What can we use? We don't have anything more valuable to pay off the debt." (End of Chapter)