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

Chapter 607 Don't Make Excuses for Your Shamelessness
Gu Ruinian returned home, put down his hoe, picked up firewood, and headed towards the kitchen.

The kitchen has two burners; Gu Fengnian's family uses one, and Grandpa Gu's family uses the other.

Gu Xiaoxue is on vacation these two days and is cooking at home.

Gu Ruinian sat by the stove and lit the fire with a tinderbox, waiting for Jia to come in and cook.

Although Gu Ruinian lived in the countryside in his previous life, he never even served a bowl of rice, let alone entered the kitchen.

Therefore, he was very unfamiliar with kitchen work.

He fumbled for the tinderbox, and it took him a while to light it. A thick cloud of smoke billowed up, choking him and causing him to cough incessantly.

Gu Xiaoxue gave him a cold look, then silently continued cooking.

The food provided to Gu Xiaoxue after the family split up was worlds apart from what she ate at the old house. Xiaoxue was earning money at the weaving workshop, Wei Shi was taking on odd jobs at the weaving workshop, and Gu Fengnian was recently working with Gu Dashu to grow cotton. The money the three of them earned ensured they had a meat meal every day.

Gu Xiaoxue's pot is filled with braised pork.

The meat was local pork from Tong Huaqiong's pigsty; stewed in a large wood-fired pot, it was so tempting it made one's mouth water.

Gu Ruinian hadn't eaten meat in a long time and was itching to lift the lid of Gu Xiaoxue's pot and have a few pieces of meat to satisfy his craving.

Just as he was thinking, thick smoke suddenly billowed out of the stove, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. He frantically tried to get the fire going, and his arms were so tired they felt like they were about to break.

"How can you be so useless? You can't even start a fire. The firewood you waste every day is taller than you. You're not going to work in the fields this afternoon. Go chop firewood on the back hill." Old Mrs. Gu scolded from the kitchen doorway.

She thought she would stop after a couple of curses, but the old lady Gu was ridiculed in the village for having her grandson become a live-in son-in-law. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. With nowhere to vent her anger, she grabbed Gu Ruinian and kept cursing him.

From the time Gu Ruinian failed the imperial examination to his affair with Xu Zaohua, he kept cursing Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian was so frustrated by the scolding that he sat at the door of the pot, feeling extremely aggrieved.

After scolding, Old Mrs. Gu went to the upper room to sulk, leaving only Gu Ruinian and Gu Xiaoxue in the kitchen.

Gu Ruinian sighed softly and said, "I can't live like this anymore."

Gu Xiaoxue said calmly, "This is nothing."

Gu Ruinian retorted, "Haven't I suffered enough?"

Gu Xiaoxue usually doesn't say anything when she sees Gu Ruinian, but today she suddenly started talking non-stop.

"You can't even endure these hardships? What hardships have you endured? Isn't it just lighting fires, carrying water, weeding, and tilling the land? Isn't that what I've been doing all along?"

"If you feel it's bitter, then what kind of life did I live before? Why didn't you ever say a word of justice for me before? We're both from the Gu family. What I did was normal, but what you did was suffering?"

“You blew up the roofs of the two rooms in the house, you spent all the money in the house on your studies, you and Xu Zaohua did shameful things that brought disgrace to the whole family, you made gunpowder privately and made the whole clan worry, but the family did not sell you or drown you.”

"Open your eyes and look around. What else are you dissatisfied with?"

Gu Ruinian was stunned by these words.

He felt that Gu Xiaoxue was wrong. As for why she was wrong, it was because he was a son and Gu Xiaoxue was a daughter.

Throughout history, haven't daughters always been the ones who sacrifice for their sons?
But when he met Gu Xiaoxue's bright, sparkling eyes, Gu Ruinian guiltily turned his head away.

"In the end, you still blame me. Your past life wasn't caused by me, but by societal norms," ​​Gu Ruinian said sullenly.

Gu Xiaoxue didn't understand what social concepts were, but she knew that Gu Ruinian was still the same selfish, cold-blooded Gu Ruinian.

Gu Xiaoxue said, "Social values? You mean most people treat their daughters this way, so you just stand by and watch me suffer? So you feel justified in using me to pay off your debts? Don't try to justify your shamelessness. Sister Taohua is right, you are selfish. Even if your so-called society treats me badly, we are siblings from the same mother. Did you ever share a piece of meat with me at the dinner table? Did you ever stop our parents from beating and scolding me? You could have easily done so, but you coldly watched me suffer, and you still have the nerve to blame it all on the society you call your society."

"You're shameless." "You're only trying to win my pity now. Sorry, but I don't think your so-called suffering is suffering at all. I think God is still very good to you. You've done so many bad things, but instead of sending you to hell, you've been sent to marry into my family."

Enraged that his thoughts had been exposed, Gu Ruinian pointed at Gu Xiaoxue.

Gu Xiaoxue brushed his finger away and said, "If you point at me again next time, don't blame me for chopping your finger off."

Gu Ruinian slumped down in front of the stove in a fit of anger.

Gu Xiaoxue didn't even look at him. She lifted the pot lid, put the braised pork with soy sauce into a large white porcelain bowl, and then hummed a song as she swaggered past Gu Ruinian.

My aunt is right. Living well is the greatest punishment for my cheap second brother.

Gu Ruinian: "."

Now he can be trampled on by anyone.

Grandma Gu, as an elder, stepped on it, but Gu Xiaoxue also stepped on it.

This is absolutely outrageous!

Gu Ruinian gritted his teeth in anger.

I just hope Gu Xiaoxue gets married soon.

"Ruinian, how did you start this fire? You're about to burn yourself. You still need to wear this outfit for your engagement, so pay attention, or your grandmother will scold you again." Jia Shi rushed into the kitchen and saw the flames leaping out of the stove, so she pulled Gu Ruinian up in fright.

Smelling the meat, she looked outside and said with dissatisfaction, "Xiaoxue is getting more and more arrogant. I think she learned it from the eldest son's family while working in the weaving workshop. Not only does she not hand over the money she earns to the family, but she also doesn't give us a single piece of meat she buys."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ruinian pretended to be casual and said, "Xiaoxue is quite capable now, but I wonder what kind of husband she will find with her personality. I hope she doesn't end up like Sister Taohua, who hasn't had anyone come to propose marriage yet."

A single sentence stirred up Jia's thoughts.

When the family divided their property, it was agreed that Gu Xiaoxue would live with Fengnian Wei Shi, but she and Gu Youtian would still be in charge of arranging marriages later.

For the past six months, she has been so immersed in Gu Ruinian's tragic experiences that she has forgotten that Gu Xiaoxue has reached the age for marriage.

Now her eldest son's family treats her indifferently, and her youngest son, on whom she had placed high hopes, has had his dream of passing the imperial examination shattered and is now going to the Xu family to become a live-in son-in-law. Jia has repeatedly said she doesn't want to live anymore.

The only thing she can hold onto now is Gu Xiaoxue's marriage.

The only thing that could control Xiaoxue was marriage.

Jia said, "Once you're engaged, I'll send a matchmaker to your door."

Gu Ruinian wanted to say something, but when he saw Gu Honglian humming a song as she entered, he forcibly suppressed what he was about to say.

Since Gu Xiaoxue was mocking him and making him feel bad, he decided to trip her up.

Soon it was time for Gu Ruinian and Xu Xinghua's engagement banquet.

Since Gu Ruinian was marrying into the family, the Gu family didn't prepare anything; all the engagement arrangements were handled by the Xu family.

Old Master Gu felt ashamed that he had lost a grandson, so through his efforts, the engagement banquet was held at the Gu family's old house.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "This is completely unnecessary and like taking off your pants to fart."

Everyone in the village knows that Gu Ruinian married into the family.

The engagement was a joyous occasion, but the old Gu family mansion did not exude a festive atmosphere.

As soon as Tong Huaqiong entered the old house, she saw Jia wiping away tears.