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

Chapter 600 The First Battle of the New Year in the Countryside

After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, Gu Jingzhe took Man'er, Yaozu, Xiaolong, and Duo'er to set off fireworks.

Amidst the heavy snowfall, fireworks bloomed one by one in the sky.

Soon, the sound of firecrackers rang out in the village.

One year old is eliminated amidst the sound of firecrackers.

The new year has arrived amidst the continuous sound of firecrackers.

To put Gu Baishuang at ease, Tong Huaqiong sent Gu Dahan to town early on the first day of the Lunar New Year to tell Gu Baishuang about Nie Xiaofeng, and also told Gu Baishuang that she didn't need to come to Qinghewan to visit her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Gu Baishuang has contributed a lot to Tong Huaqiong's Jufulai in the past six months, and has also made great contributions to stockpiling coal and cotton.

Tong Huaqiong told her to rest well at home.

After learning that Nie Xiaofeng had made progress, Gu Baishuang cried.

Gu Dahan couldn't help but tell Gu Baishuang that the mighty general was Tong Huaqiong's childhood sweetheart. His intention was to reassure Gu Baishuang that her nephew was protected by the general and that nothing would happen to him.

Gu Baishuang became even more worried after hearing this.

The story of the cowherd from Black Dragon Pool becoming a great general was just a rumor, and no one knew if it was true or not. Now it's been confirmed, and I'm afraid her son will take the great general as his role model and work even harder on the battlefield.

The knife is ruthless, and Gu Baishuang fears that her son won't have the luck of a cowherd.

Despite her worries, Gu Baishuang was still very proud of her son when she learned that he had made meritorious contributions and become a captain as soon as he went to the battlefield.

The anger over her son's sudden departure vanished completely.

With nothing much to do during the first month of the lunar calendar, and the weather being colder than usual, most people in the countryside stayed indoors, playing cards and hoping for the weather to warm up quickly.

Only the children, who weren't afraid of the cold, moved from their homes to the village wrapped up like rice dumplings.

Besides the children, some gossipy wives and old ladies couldn't sit still at home and stood in the village, hands tucked in, chatting idly in the biting cold wind.

Liu Yue'e belongs to this category of people.

Unable to stay in her own warm and cozy house, she dismissed the two maids, grabbed a bag of melon seeds, and left home. She first went to her parents' house and sat on the kang (heated brick bed) for a while.

I chatted with Zhao about the news regarding Gu Dashu.

She couldn't help but mutter about her jealousy that Chen Sufeng had given birth to a daughter. She also wanted to have a daughter, but unfortunately, her belly remained flat.

At the same time, he also expressed his dissatisfaction that Gu Yaozu, as the legitimate grandson of the Gu family, did not have the status he deserved.

Zhao got a headache when she heard her daughter's complaints and scolded her, "You should be grateful. Which family in our village lets their daughter-in-law go out to work? You're considered a manager at Jufulai, living in a house in the county town, with people waiting on you around, and you don't have to set rules for your mother-in-law. What more could you want?"

"Don't even mention that your brother, sister-in-law, and niece all earn money every year thanks to your mother-in-law. Our family can't even afford to burn charcoal without her. Don't cause trouble in front of your mother-in-law; it won't do you any good."

Liu Yue'e was impatient to listen to Zhao's lecture. Even if she wanted to go back to her parents' home to vent, her mother wouldn't allow it.

"Alright, alright, this is giving me a headache."

Liu Yue'e wrapped herself in a woolen coat, tucked a hand warmer into her pocket, and headed towards the village's gossip-gathering area.

That was where she felt comfortable.

All the young women and wives in the village envied her jewelry and her living in the county town, and they kept praising her.

"Do you know where Gu Dashu went? I heard he went to the border to do business before the New Year and hasn't come back yet."

"There's a war going on at the border. Could he have died there? Tong Dajiao hasn't left the house since she came back from Pingchuan until the first month of the lunar calendar. I'm guessing it's true."

Granny Luo cracked melon seeds as she plunged into the crowd.

Granny Luo never said anything nice, so the whole village didn't like her much.

"Who are you cursing during the New Year?" Gu Honglian jumped out and said with her hands on her hips.

Gu Honglian is now a loyal lackey of the eldest son's family. Whenever she hears bad things about her sister-in-law's family in the village, she will be the first to confront them. She is going to great lengths to win back her sister-in-law's heart.

“I didn’t curse the valley to the Great Heat. If he’s not dead, why didn’t he come back for the New Year? What family doesn’t come back for the New Year when they’re away?” Granny Luo shouted.

"Ouch, who pulled my hair?"

Granny Luo let out a wail, feeling her head suddenly sink as someone grabbed her hair. The person had immense strength, pulling Granny Luo's hair and pressing her down forcefully.

Granny Luo was so badly ripped that she saw stars and flailed her arms wildly.

"You dare to curse my man."

Liu Yue'e was absolutely furious.

She had just left her parents' home when she heard that Granny Luo had died on the border in the sweltering heat of Cursed Valley.

Liu Yue'e was already worried about Gu Dashu's safety, and Luo Pozi's curse instantly ignited Liu Yue'e's anger.

"I'll let you curse the men in my family."

"I'll let you curse the men in my family."

Liu Yue'e grabbed Luo Pozi's hair with one hand and slapped Luo Pozi's face with the other.

He fanned himself while cursing.

Liu Yue'e was trembling with anger. She exerted all her strength, but because the ground was too slippery, she almost fell.

Taking advantage of Liu Yue'e's near slip, Granny Luo escaped from Liu Yue'e's grasp.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Yue'e's mother, Zhao, came out of the house and saw her daughter fighting with Granny Luo. She slid over and knocked Granny Luo to the ground.

Zhao rode on top of Granny Luo and started hitting her.

Anyone who dares to curse her son-in-law deserves to be beaten to death.

Those around him only advised against it, but no one pulled him away.

Liu Yue'e held down Gu Honglian's hand, and after catching her breath, she and Zhao Shi together pressed down and beat Granny Luo.

Liu Yue'e fought a resounding victory in the first battle of the new year in the countryside.

A metallic taste rose in Granny Luo's throat from the beating.

This was the third time she had been beaten in the village.

Each time, it was Tong Huaqiong or someone related to Tong Huaqiong who beat her up, and Granny Luo wailed in the chaos.

Zhao and her daughter Liu Yue'e put in a lot of effort, working up a sweat even in the cold weather.

Liu Yue'e's hairpins and bracelets had all come loose.

Grandma Luo sat in the snowdrift, catching her breath. She opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, which also contained two teeth.

Her two loose teeth were knocked out.

Granny Luo slapped her thigh and cried and cursed.

"Just you wait. When my grandson becomes a great general, he'll confiscate your property."

“My grandson is fighting on the border now. Once he becomes a general, none of you will be able to escape.”

Because she was dressed in such thick clothes, Granny Luo looked like a bear pounding the ground.

Liu Yue'e couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.

When Chunwang left, Granny Luo was distraught for a while.

Later, Granny Luo started gossiping, saying that her grandson would become a great general sooner or later, just like the cowherd from Black Dragon Pool. She even fabricated a story that Chunwang had written home to earn merit on the border.

Only through these fantasies could Granny Luo suppress her longing for her grandson and her fear of him going to the border.

She kept repeating it until she started to believe it herself.

After being beaten by Liu Yue'e and Zhao Shi, she knew she couldn't retaliate, so she started to bring out her grandson.

Liu Yue'e smoothed the hairpin in her hair, spat at Granny Luo, and said, "Pah! I wish your grandson could become a general. If your grandson could become a general, the sows in my pigsty would fly."

"To tell you the truth, my husband wrote from the border. He happened to meet some fellow villagers here and learned about your grandson's situation. Do you know what your grandson is like now?"

Liu Yue'e curled her lips, already anticipating Granny Luo's reaction.