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

Chapter 604: Using family law

This Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar) is something that the people of Qinghewan will likely never forget in recent years.

Gunpowder exploded, and flames shot into the sky.

In the biting cold wind, the entire village worked desperately to put out the fire.

He was putting out the fire while simultaneously cursing Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian was completely numb. Rather than being numb by the explosive force of gunpowder, it would be more accurate to say that he was numb by the force of fate.

He watched the villagers rushing back and forth to put out the fire, and he looked at Tong Huaqiong and Gu Jingzhe. His heart was colder than the icicles under the eaves.

Their ambition to make a name for themselves and stir up trouble in this era was shattered by gunpowder.

He couldn't understand why he, as a time traveler, was doing so poorly.

Even Gu Taohua, a mere young woman, is not as good as her.

He almost, he almost turned his life around.

His understanding of the extreme cold weather not only failed to help the Zheng family make a fortune, but also caused them to lose money inexplicably.

He created heavy firearms, but they exploded on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Fate was never on his side.

Of all the times in the past, I have never longed to return to the afterlife more than I do now.

In that family in the future, he was still the pampered and beloved Yaozu, spoiled by his parents, cared for by his sisters, and praised by the whole village.

Tong Huaqiong felt someone was watching him. He turned around and saw Gu Ruinian standing under the eaves. This instigator was actually not going to put out the fire.

Tong Huaqiong stared at Gu Ruinian in the firelight.

Gu Ruinian felt uneasy under Tong Huaqiong's gaze.

"Manager Tong." Fan Tong came out of the house and greeted Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong asked Fan Tong, "Why did you come to Qinghewan?"

Fan Tong and Gu Honglian had arranged to go to town to see the lanterns, but after waiting and waiting for Gu Honglian to come to town, Fan Tong mustered up his courage and went to Qinghe Bay.

Just as they arrived at the Gu family's old residence, Gu Ruinian's gunpowder exploded.

Fan Tong naturally dared not tell the truth, so he changed the subject and said, "I came to see Master Su."

"Oh." Tong Huaqiong replied expressionlessly.

Tong Huaqiong didn't care at all why Fan Tong came to Qinghe Bay; he certainly wasn't there to seduce Gu Taohua.

Fan Tong felt embarrassed when he saw that Tong Huaqiong was ignoring him.

Seeing Gu Taohua leading the weaving workshop people to participate in the firefighting, he felt a pang of sadness.

Compared to being Gu Taohua's aunt's husband, he would rather be Gu Taohua's husband.

The whole village worked until dawn before finally putting out the fire in the cellar.

Four or five in the morning is the coldest time of the day. Everyone was numb from the cold. With the help of the other wives in the village, Wei brewed ginger tea and served it to everyone in bowls.

Wei resented Gu Ruinian for secretly manufacturing gunpowder, and resented Jia for crying in her room while it was none of her business.

The whole village is busy, and there isn't even a bowl of hot soup. Tomorrow, she and Fengnian will be ostracized.

Despite her emotions, Madam Wei served tea and fruit to thank everyone for their help.

Originally, everyone was annoyed that Old Master Gu hadn't even offered a bowl of hot tea, but their anger dissipated after seeing the way Wei and Gu Fengnian acted.

After everyone finished their ginger tea, they all went back to rest.

Before leaving, the village chief sternly warned everyone that the matter of gunpowder should be kept to themselves and no one should reveal a single word to the outside world, otherwise the whole village would be punished if the higher-ups investigated.

Fortunately, everyone knew the dangers of manufacturing gunpowder illegally and said they would never tell anyone.

Even Xu Dabao and Xu Erbao, who wanted to tip off the family, dared not act rashly after hearing the village chief's words, for fear that the Xu family would suffer the consequences as well.

“Clan chief, Ruinian has gone too far. If I hadn’t stopped him, the villagers would have driven him out. Now that I’ve calmed them down, what do you think we should do with Ruinian? I have to give the village an explanation.” The village chief said to the second uncle of the Gu family and the clan chief.

The village chief's stance was that Gu Ruinian's unauthorized manufacture of gunpowder was unforgivable and must be severely punished. Such punishment could only be carried out by the Gu family.

Uncle Gu understood what the village chief meant.

So they sent the villagers who had participated in the firefighting out of the village, while Uncle Gu asked the entire Gu family to stay.

Previously, the clan had turned a blind eye to Gu Ruinian's actions.

The gunpowder was about to explode right in front of them, which filled the tribe with both fear and anger.

The Gu family cannot ignore the serious crime of illegally manufacturing gunpowder, which is currently being covered up by the village.

Gu Ruinian is trying to drag the entire clan down with him.

Uncle Gu's chest heaved with anger, and Gu Jingzhe stepped forward to support him.

After being helped up by Gu Jingzhe, Uncle Gu's anger level rose even higher.

The Gu family has finally had a stroke of good fortune, with Gu Jingzhe becoming the top scholar in the imperial examinations. If nothing unexpected happens, he will become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations) this year and will go to the capital for the palace examinations next year.

The thick plume of smoke was almost blown away by Gu Ruinian, how could Uncle Gu not be furious?

Now that his elder brother, Old Master Gu, is bedridden, he will take his brother's place in dealing with this wretched boy, Gu Ruinian.

The clan leader is now turning against Gu Ruinian, having lost his support.

He pushed Gu Ruinian out to fight against Gu Jingzhe and Tong Huaqiong back then, and now he wishes he could gouge his own eyes out. Because of this scandal, his prestige in the clan is getting lower and lower.

Before Uncle Gu could speak, the clan chief stepped forward and questioned Gu Ruinian.

"Ruinian, do you know your crime?"

Gu Ruinian gritted his teeth.

He has decided not to fight against fate.

"I admit my guilt." Gu Ruinian slid to his knees with a thud.

Once the gunpowder is used up, he will become Zheng Er Gongzi's discarded pawn.

Now that even Grandpa Gu isn't protecting him, he knows he's doomed if he doesn't kneel down.

Once he is expelled from the clan, he will have no one to rely on.

"Clan leader, second grandfather, I didn't know that making gunpowder was illegal. If I had known, I would never have dared to do it even if you beat me to death. I was deceived by others. Think about it, where would I get the money to buy the materials for gunpowder?" Gu Ruinian knelt in the snow, trembling, but still tried to defend himself.

Saying this is useless.

The clan chief felt that if he didn't severely punish Gu Ruinian, he wouldn't be able to continue as clan chief after today.

Facing the angry gazes of the clansmen, the clan chief waved his hand, and his grandson, Gu Dahu, led two young men from the clan to carry a wooden stool to Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian stared blankly at the wooden stool without reacting.

The clan chief waved his hand again, and Gu Dahu picked up Gu Ruinian and pressed him onto a stool. Someone handed the clan chief a whip.

Before Gu Ruinian could even understand what was happening, he was pinned down by his hands and feet and stripped of his thick clothes. Soon after, the clan chief's whip came down.

Gu Ruinian let out a howl, realizing that this was the legendary family law of the clan.

The clan chief became enraged and lashed Gu Ruinian's back, buttocks, and thighs with the whip. When he got tired, he called over a strong member of the Gu family from the crowd and ordered him to take over the whipping.

The clan chief originally wanted Gu Dahan to draw the ball for him, but Gu Dahan deliberately ignored him.

The Gu family members hated Gu Ruinian for almost implicated them, so they didn't hold back when they hit him.

Soon, Gu Ruinian's back and thighs were covered in blood from being whipped.

It was freezing cold, and Gu Ruinian was only wearing a thin shirt. After being whipped, he felt like he had rolled around in hell.

At first, it screamed like a pig being slaughtered, but then it gradually fell silent.

Jia cried and tried to stop him, but Gu Youtian held her down.

The entire Gu family stood under the eaves watching Gu Ruinian being punished according to family rules, while Old Master Gu lay on the bed, listening to the commotion outside with a blank expression.

Grandma Gu gritted her teeth, thinking that she shouldn't ruin the root of the problem. She still wanted to use the money that Gu Ruinian gave to the Xu family to get married into the family so that she could prepare a dowry for Gu Honglian.