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

Chapter 542 Going Independent
Tong Huaqiong understood what Hong meant.

Her new house was an expansion of the old house, and the old house's courtyard, four rooms facing south, and Gu Jingzhe's two former studies were all next door.

Since the new house has enough rooms and is made of blue bricks and tiles, the old houses with mud walls and thatched roofs are no longer used for living. They are now used to store some odds and ends, and the yard is used to grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks.

The two western study rooms that were later built were borrowed by Master Su.

If the old house owners really have designs on the old house, Tong Huaqiong definitely won't give in.

As for moral blackmail, no way.

Those four old houses had nothing to do with Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu. They were built by Grandpa Gu and Tong Dajiao with their sons while Grandpa Gu was alive.

"Aunt, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

When Tong Pandi heard Hong mention the old house, she sat down next to Tong Huaqiong, as if she had made a great decision.

"What's the matter?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Tong Pandi said, "I'd like to discuss this with you. I'll pay the wages of the maids and old women you assign to help me."

"Fine, you pay it. Do you have anything else to say?" Tong Huaqiong looked at Tong Pandi, sensing that there was something more to her words.

Otherwise, why would she need to ask for money from the maids and servants? There's only one possibility: Tong Pandi wants to take Hua'er Duo'er and leave her aunt's house independently.

That's true. Tong Pandi is divorced, and her family home can't take her in. Even though this aunt's house is only a temporary residence, she is determined to leave on her own.

Tong Pandi said with a hint of unease, "Duo'er and Hua'er are growing up. I've been at my aunt's house for over half a year now, and I think it's time for me to stand on my own two feet. I want to move out with Hua'er and Duo'er."

No matter how good your aunt is, she's still your aunt.

Let alone my aunt's house, even my parents' house is different from my own completely independent home.

At first, Tong Pandi had nothing and lived in Tong Huaqiong's house. Now that she can earn money and support her two daughters, she wants to have a home that is completely her own.

Tong Huaqiong understands Tong Pandi; if it were her, she would also leave home independently once her life improved.

Tong Huaqiong said, "You're right. No matter how good the relatives are, they can't stay together forever. I agree with you moving out."

Tong Pandi was surprised that Tong Huaqiong agreed so readily. She said with a guilty look, "Auntie, I am not an ungrateful person. You helped me get a divorce, gave me a place to live after the divorce, and even gave me the job at the pig farm so that I could make money. If it weren't for you, I, Pandi, would have died a hundred times over."

Tong Pandi felt grateful to this aunt.

The more grateful she was, the less she could continue living with her aunt's family. Last time she went to Jufulai in Pingchuan to help out, Wu Musheng blocked her way. Knowing the Wu family as she did, she knew Wu Musheng wouldn't give up so easily, and it wouldn't be good if they caused trouble at her aunt's door.

Tong Pandi felt that she should learn to stand up for herself both inside and out.

Besides, once Aunt's business grows bigger, and Jingzhe goes to the capital to take the imperial examination and pursue an official career, and there's also the male protagonist from her previous life, Xiaolong, who is welcomed to the throne, Aunt won't be able to live in Qinghewan forever. Sooner or later, she'll go to the prefectural city or Shengjing.

By then, she won't still be following her aunt all the time, will she?

Rather than going independent later, it's better to go independent now. Tong Huaqiong said, "No matter how much rain and dew you receive, it won't nourish a rootless plant. No matter how much I help you, it's useless if you can't stand on your own. In the end, it's up to you to prove yourself and not let me down when I went through so much trouble to help you get a divorce."

Tong Pandi's eyes welled up with tears as she said, "Auntie, I've made up my mind. I'll move to the house at the edge of the village, the one next to Gu Xiaocao's. The village chief can't register me as a household and allocate land for the time being, so..."

Therefore, houses cannot be built there.

They cannot have a real home.

Tong Pandi lowered her eyes.

This is the helplessness of this era. The government supports Tong Pandi's divorce, but the land in the village is still controlled by the clan. They would rather give the land to outsiders like He Chao or Boss Qian, but they can hardly tolerate a divorced woman.

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and said, "That place won't do. Although it's next to Gu Xiaocao's house, it's still outside the village, so it's not very safe. It would be fine if you were alone, but you have two children with you."

It's said that widows attract a lot of trouble, but isn't all that trouble just because lecherous men see widows as easy targets and deliberately stir up trouble for them?
Tong Pandi is young and beautiful. She lives at the entrance of the village with her two children, which inevitably makes her a target for people with ulterior motives.

Upon hearing Tong Huaqiong's words, Tong Pandi suddenly realized that the Wu family was coming to snatch the child.

Hong also said, "That dilapidated house has been uninhabited for so many years. It's drafty on all sides and leaky on the roof. How can you expect Hua'er to live there? Even though no one lives there, its owner might show up at any time. You won't be able to explain yourself then."

Tong Huaqiong agreed with Hong's statement.

“How about this, you can live in the old house in the backyard. This old house is connected to the new courtyard. Although the four rooms are made of adobe, they don’t leak. They’re warm in winter and cool in summer. You and Hua’erduo can move in, and Xiaochi and Granny Cheng can also move in to help you take care of the children and do chores,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Tong Pandi had considered moving to her aunt's old house.

But that would mean living in the same courtyard as Master Su.

Tong Pandi was not an ignorant girl. She had been married to men in both her previous and current lives, and she could see that Su Fuzi's feelings for her were unusual.

She pretended not to understand.

It wasn't that Master Su was bad; Tong Pandi thought he was a rare find—gentle, generous, patient with the children in the school, and kind to Hua'erduo. But that didn't mean she had to accept Master Su. Having already suffered the pain of marriage once, she didn't want to find another man.

Knowing Tong Pandi's concerns, Tong Huaqiong said, "If you feel it's inconvenient for Master Su to live there, then separate the west room and the main room with a wall, and you can each use your own door."

This would completely eliminate the possibility of Su Fuzi and Tong Pandi getting together.

However, considering the safety of Tong Pandi and the two children, Tong Huaqiong thought this method was good.

Tong Pandi shook her head and said, "There's no need for that. Master Su is a gentleman. He's usually at the private school and only comes back in the evening. It's no problem."

Tong Huaqiong said, "You saw that the people from the old house came back. Their house and yard were smashed by the Xu family, and it's not even certain whether they can live there anymore. What if the old man and woman take the opportunity to try to borrow my old house? I can refuse, but wouldn't people outside say I'm vicious? If I lend it to those two old people, wouldn't that shameless Gu Youtian move in with them? You can hold onto it for me for now, and when someone in the village sells a house plot later, we can take the opportunity to buy it, or we can save up some money and buy one in town."

So Tong Pandi agreed to move into the old house.

In this way, Tong Pandi can have a home that belongs to the three of them, and the old house is connected to her aunt's new house, so they can take care of each other.

While Tong Huaqiong returned home to a peaceful and serene state, chaos reigned at the Gu family's old residence.