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

When Grandma Gu heard Man'er say that Gu Ruinian and Jia Shi were discussing marrying Gu Honglian to Xu Dabao, she didn't believe it. She thought that Tong Huaqiong was up to no good and sent a child to sow discord.

Then, thinking about how Jia was capable of such a thing, reason prevailed over emotion, and she hurriedly ran home on her bound feet.

Grandma Gu was shrewd. She slowed down when she reached the door and saw Gu Honglian crouching under Gu Ruinian's window, which told her something was up.

She also quietly went behind the woodpile, straining her ears to listen to the sounds coming from inside the house.

The more he listened, the darker his face became.

He wished he could tear his second daughter-in-law apart.

“No need to wait until tomorrow, I’ll go to town to buy medicine later. You’re right, we’ll pretend to agree to your grandparents’ request to tell the Xu family that we agree to let Xiaoxue marry Xu Dabao. On the day of the wedding, I’ll drug your aunt. Anyway, according to our wedding custom, the eldest sister-in-law has to feed the younger sister a bowl of rice on the morning of the wedding. Tong Dajiao definitely won’t want to do this job, so I’ll do it and take the opportunity to drug her. The eldest sister-in-law has to put a veil on the younger sister, and then I’ll secretly replace Xiaoxue with your aunt. When they go out with the veil on, who can tell who’s who?”

"Once I've gone through the wedding ceremony with Xu Dabao, the Xu family will have no choice but to acknowledge me."

Jia's voice couldn't suppress her joy.

"Xu Dabao is a reckless person. What if he really acts recklessly and causes trouble?" Jia thought about it and was still a little worried.

Gu Ruinian said, "Let him make a fuss. If the Zheng family is trying to pin the blame on me, we can pin it on Xu Dabao too. We'll say that Xu Dabao and Auntie have been sleeping together for a long time, and we'll insist that Xu Dabao take responsibility for Auntie. Grandpa and Grandma love Auntie so much. They've already gone through the wedding ceremony. They'll do everything in their power to make the Xu family acknowledge Auntie. Otherwise, Auntie will have no other way to live."

Gu Ruinian took a breath and said, "The Gu family is not easy to bully. Mother, think about it. If Aunt is returned, all the girls in the Gu family will be out of marriage. Who will investigate the truth of the matter? Everyone will just say that the Gu family girls were returned on their wedding day. For the sake of the girls in the clan, the clan will step in and make the Xu family keep her."

Gu Honglian raised her eyes to look at Old Madam Gu; both mother and daughter were trembling with anger.

Having been mentally prepared, Gu Honglian was not surprised by Gu Ruinian's scheming.

Grandma Gu was different. She was always proud of Gu Ruinian. Even when he made mistakes, she still cherished him dearly. Yet, this grandson, whom she loved most, betrayed her most beloved daughter.

Grandma Gu was filled with disappointment and anger, her heart overflowing with a myriad of emotions.

Madam Jia said, "That's exactly right. There's nothing we can do about it. I can't just stand by and watch Xiaoxue marry Xu Dabao. Xiaoxue is beautiful and has a wonderful personality. I'm hoping she'll marry a rich man and help you in the future. So Xiaoxue can't marry Xu Dabao. If she does, neither you nor our family will be able to get any benefits from her."

"Your aunt is different. Honglian is a money-loser. She eats a lot, is ugly, and has a bad temper. No one comes to propose marriage to her. If this continues, she'll be an old maid. To put it bluntly, Honglian marrying Xu Dabao is a step up for her. But we, mother and daughter, have to keep your grandparents in check. We mustn't let anything slip in front of them these next few days."

Other than that, he said that Gu Honglian was ugly and had a bad temper. Such derogatory words finally broke Gu Honglian's defenses.

Gu Honglian rushed into the house with a scream and grabbed Jia's hair.

"You're the one who's ugly because you eat so much, and your good-for-nothing son is the real money-loser."

Enraged, Gu Honglian grabbed Jia's hair with her left hand and slapped Jia twice across the face with her right.

It's one thing to scheme against her, but to speak ill of her behind her back is another.

After arriving in Qinghewan from Pingchuan, Jia had a fight with Yu that same day. In the past few days, she has been scolded by Gu Youtian and Old Madam Gu. Even her sister-in-law dared to hit her.

Regardless of whether she was in the wrong or not, in a fit of rage, Jia turned around and slapped Gu Honglian twice across the face. Old Mrs. Gu, her bound feet barely touching the ground, entered the room, utterly furious.

She stepped forward, grabbed Jia's hand, and slapped Jia twice.

Taking advantage of Jia Shi's dazed state after being slapped, Gu Honglian quickly went up and kicked her twice.

Grandma Gu wanted to hit her again. She was so angry that she leaned on the table and gasped for breath. If Wei hadn't come and helped her up, she would have fainted from anger.

"You heartless, rotten seed, muddle-headed, filthy hussy, you're plotting against your sister-in-law."

Old Mrs. Gu's eyes blazed with fury, and she spat a mouthful of phlegm onto Jia's face.

"You deserve to be struck by lightning and fried in oil in hell. My Gu family provides you with food, drink, and clothing, yet you're full of wicked thoughts and want to push your sister-in-law into the fire pit. Let me tell you, you've miscalculated."

“Where’s Youtian? Where did Youtian go? Get back home and tell him to go to the Jia family. My Gu family doesn’t want a sister-in-law like that who’s trying to sell her sister-in-law. Fengnian, go to the clan chief’s house. I’m going to divorce your mother.”

After catching her breath, Old Mrs. Gu flailed her arms wildly and jumped forward, trying to slap Jia's face again.

Gu Youtian hadn't returned from town yet, so naturally he couldn't inform the Jia family.

Gu Fengnian went to the clan chief, but not to ask him to divorce his mother. Instead, he brought over Old Master Gu as a savior.

He already has a son; if his mother gets divorced, where will he put his face?

Old Mrs. Gu was jumping up and down, cursing. Seeing Gu Honglian crying her eyes out, Old Mrs. Gu's heart ached terribly. She hugged Gu Honglian and pointed at Jia Shi, continuing to curse: "I only have this one daughter, and you want to push her into that rotten mud pit of the Xu family. Are you a reincarnation of an animal? I just dote on her a little more, and that's what you get? You're jealous of her, you don't like her, and you wish Honglian would stumble in her marriage. What good would it do you if Honglian stumbled? You stupid fool who harms others without benefiting yourself! My family has land, why did we marry a slut like you?"

Jia's face stung from the slap.

She had always been respectable in her mother-in-law's eyes, and her mother-in-law had never scolded her in front of the younger generation. Now, she was scolding her in front of her daughter-in-law, Wei, and Jia, who was already in the wrong, couldn't save face.

How dare her mother-in-law scold her? How dare her mother-in-law say that her sister-in-law marrying Xu Dabao was like walking into a fire pit?

Since it's a pit of fire, why push her daughter Xiaoxue into it?

Is Gu Honglian a girl from the Gu family, while Gu Xiaoxue is just a nobody?

Thinking of this, Madam Jia retorted, "Mother, what you're saying sounds nice. If Honglian can't marry Dabao, why can Xiaoxue marry Dabao?"

Grandma Gu was furious.

The second daughter-in-law even had the nerve to question her.

Who started this mess? Whose debt is Gu Xiaoxue paying off?
Old Mrs. Gu pointed at Jia and scolded, "Is your brain made of mud? Why don't you think before you open your mouth? Why did Xiaoxue marry Dabao? Ask your good son Ruinian! If Ruinian hadn't been so irresponsible and climbed into Xu Zaohua's bed, would the Xu family have made us pay back five hundred taels of silver? This whole thing was caused by your son, and your daughter is paying off his debt. You should blame Ruinian, not Honglian."

"You don't want Xiaoxue to marry Xu Dabao, and you don't want Ruinian to marry Xu Xinghua either way, so you have your reasons. Since you're unwilling to do this and unwilling to do that, why don't you marry Xu Dabao to pay off your son's debts, and my Gu family will divorce you today and give you your freedom." (End of Chapter)