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

"Xiaoxue is now a big shot in my sister-in-law's eyes. She and Daqiao's wife hold the power of life and death over those who come to apply for jobs. Who gets to work in the weaving workshop is entirely up to them. Tsk tsk tsk, you should really go and see. Xiaoxue is wearing the new clothes my sister-in-law gave her and the pearl hairpin that Taohua gave her. She has the air of someone in charge."

When Gu Honglian said this, her voice was tinged with envy and a touch of sourness.

Although Gu Xiaoxue still lives in the same courtyard, she eats and sleeps at Fengnian's place. These past few days, she has been going to Tong Huaqiong's weaving workshop every day from early morning to late at night, so neither Jia Shi nor Old Madam Gu has seen her much.

Naturally, no one knew what she was wearing now.

Madam Jia harbored a thorn in her side when her own daughter took the initiative to curry favor with the eldest son's family.

Grandma Gu was extremely dissatisfied with this granddaughter. In the past, she thought that Gu Taohua, who dared to overturn the table at her since she was a child, was quite unconventional. Now she saw that Gu Xiaoxue was not much better than Gu Taohua.

Grandma Gu concluded that she learned her madness from her eldest daughter-in-law.

"Hmph. Girls should be quiet and gentle. What good is your sister-in-law? She just leads all the wives in the village out in public, corrupting all the girls in our village. Just you wait, these girls will suffer when they go to find husbands. What family wants to marry a wife who is always out in public? A girl who does laundry, cooks, and works in the fields is considered virtuous and capable. But a girl who earns money outside is considered too ambitious. Once a woman is ambitious, she will rely on her ability to earn money to disobey her parents-in-law and talk back to her husband after marriage. That's how a good life becomes. How did Tong Pan get divorced? It was because of this."

"The eldest daughter-in-law is so focused on making money that she doesn't care about her daughter's life. And the other families in the village are still eager to marry her. Just wait and see, they'll have their day. In the future, our village will be left with a bunch of unwanted old maids."

Grandma Gu clapped her hands as she shared her insights.

Like many elderly women in the countryside, she regarded Grandpa Gu as her heaven and earth throughout her life.

She truly felt that what Tong Huaqiong did was no different from digging up someone's ancestral grave.

My daughter is so simple-minded; she can't see this layer of meaning. All she thinks about is making money.

A young woman should stay at home obediently, bear children, and do housework.

Making money is a man's job.

Her Honglian wouldn't get involved in such a mess.

Jia knew that her mother-in-law had always been prejudiced against her sister-in-law. She originally wanted to add insult to injury by saying a few words, but when she thought about how her mother-in-law disliked her, she swallowed her words.

She had only thought about how Gu Xiaoxue could earn money in a month, but now she was worried that Gu Xiaoxue's marriage would be hindered by Tong Dajiao.

Gu Honglian disagreed with Old Madam Gu's statement, complaining, "Father, Mother, it's one thing for you to favor Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law and offend Eldest Sister-in-law, but how can you expect me to hate Eldest Sister-in-law with you? When I was little, Eldest Sister-in-law doted on me so much, always stuffing me with the best food and drinks. Even Gu Taohua was sometimes jealous. Now look at this, Xiaoxue can work as the manager in Eldest Sister-in-law's weaving workshop, and all the girls in the village can work there, but I can't."

When Grandma Gu and Grandpa Gu heard their youngest daughter's complaints, they almost coughed up blood.

Grandma Gu said, "You were bought off with just a few dollars, and you've even turned your back on your parents? If she really cared about you, would we have instigated this? You're comparing yourself to Peach Blossom. She wouldn't abandon you just because her own daughter offended her."

Gu Honglian retorted, "It was you who instigated this, Mother, you're still instigating it now. You keep telling me that it's a lie that my sister-in-law is good to me, that I was young and naive and fell for your tricks, which is why my sister-in-law dislikes me."

Gu Honglian felt more and more aggrieved the more she thought about it.

She was too young to know anything back then. Old Madam Gu always called her "elder sister-in-law" and was malicious. She didn't care about Gu Baishuang at all. How could she really care about her, a sister-in-law from another region? When Jia saw that she was close to her sister-in-law, she said, "Your sister-in-law is trying to win you over. She'll use you to exchange for a dowry for Gu Jingzhe in the future."

She joined in hating her sister-in-law, saying many things that offended her, and even conspired with her second sister-in-law to frame her, making her sister-in-law furious.

Now, no matter how much she tries to please her sister-in-law, her sister-in-law ignores her. Today, seeing Gu Xiaoxue calmly examining the village girls' weaving skills, she felt both envious and jealous.

“Sister, Mother is right. It’s because you’re young and naive that you were fooled by your sister-in-law. Look at her now, she’s so rich but she won’t give you any money. And you still run around to her every day. If you ask me, she’s just a sister-in-law, her proper role should be to help you find a good marriage. Look at her, she runs a shop, but has she ever considered your marriage?” Madam Jia took the opportunity to sow discord among Tong Huaqiong.

This time, Old Madam Gu didn't glare at Jia Shi with a cold smile. She realized that as long as she sided with her mother-in-law in speaking ill of Tong Dajiao, her mother-in-law would treat her slightly better.

It would have been better if Jia hadn't said those words; they only made Gu Honglian angrier.

She can't get angry with her parents, but who does her second sister-in-law think she is?

"Second sister-in-law, you make it sound like you're a good person. Eldest sister-in-law didn't try to use me to pay off debts, she didn't have her niece dress up to steal my thunder when I was arranging a marriage, and she didn't pawn my satin. Second sister-in-law, you're so kind, why don't you help me find a good marriage? Or prepare a dowry for me?" Gu Honglian was utterly impolite to Jia Shi.

Jia's face turned pale.

Gu Honglian continued, "Second sister-in-law, you're so good with your mouth. Anyone who didn't know better would think your family owns a honey shop. You have too much honey and nowhere to sell it, so you've been using it all on your lips. People usually have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, but you, you're all talk and no action. Do you think I'm still young and naive? You're trying to instigate me to frame my sister-in-law for bumping into your unborn child? You clearly stepped in dog poop on a snowy day, but you blamed it on my sister-in-law. I was so stupid back then that I fell for your trick and said I saw my sister-in-law bump into your belly."

Thinking of this, Gu Honglian was so angry that she burst into tears.

She helped her second sister-in-law frame her eldest sister-in-law, and in return, her second sister-in-law promised to give her a pair of shoes.

They broke their promise.

What did the second sister-in-law say? She said that giving her shoes was too conspicuous, and people would suspect that she had framed the eldest sister-in-law.

Although she was angry, she held back, worried that if she made a fuss, people would find out the truth.

How could she be so stupid, being completely fooled by her second sister-in-law since childhood?

Jia was rendered speechless by Gu Honglian's retort.

Gu Honglian wouldn't let her off the hook, and continued to spread rumors about how her second sister-in-law had tricked her.

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and tears streamed down her face.

As Grandma Gu listened, her face grew darker and darker. Her beloved youngest daughter, whom she cherished like the apple of her eye, had been completely fooled by her second daughter-in-law.

The thought of the second son's wife offering Gu Honglian to Xu Dabao brought forth a torrent of old and new grievances, and he pointed at Jia Shi and gave her a severe dressing-down.

They cursed her so much that they wanted to divorce Jia.

Jia was so frightened that she didn't dare to utter a sound.

A crackling sound came from outside. When Grandma Gu looked outside, she saw that Gu Ruinian was frying something in the yard.

"You do nothing all day long, what are you doing with that lame leg? If you set the house on fire, I won't let you off the hook. You don't sweep the yard, you don't pull the weeds in the field, you're just a good-for-nothing who eats and does nothing. I should have drowned you in a chamber pot when you were born."

"Are you lame and deaf? Fill those two big water vats for me. If you're lame, it's hard for you to carry water, so you have to fill them up even if you have to use a ladle."

Grandma Gu yelled at Gu Ruinian out the window.

Gu Ruinian, resentful after being scolded, had no choice but to put down the sulfur and pick up the bucket.

Grandma Gu perfectly illustrated just how ruthless a toxic fan can be when they turn against Gu Ruinian after leaving the fandom. (End of Chapter)