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

Chapter 611 Taking the bait

The deal regarding Gu Ruinian marrying into the family failed to be reached.

Some are happy and some are sad.

The happiest person was Madam Jia, who thought that her son would finally no longer have to marry into the family.

Xu Xinghua's attitude made her very unhappy.

After everyone left the Gu family's old house, Jia felt increasingly aggrieved and cried while holding Gu Ruinian's hand.

“I don’t want you to suffer at the Xu family’s house. They said they would help you with your leg, but what if they lie to you? It’s not like the Xu family doesn’t have sons. I’ve figured it out. They’re making you marry into the Xu family so you can be at Xu Xinghua’s beck and call.”

"I've finally seen Xu Xinghua's temper. She's so domineering and unreasonable. You haven't even married Xu Xinghua yet, and she dares to treat you like this in front of the clan. After you get married, who knows how she'll torment you with the power of the Xu family."

"Xu Xinghua is as beautiful as an angel, but her face is covered in pockmarks, so I can't stand her."

“Ruinian, listen to me. Forget about marrying into our family. Just stay home and behave yourself. I don’t believe your grandpa will just stand by and watch you remain a bachelor. We’ll marry someone from a humble background. You can pick any girl in Yanguan Town you want. Even those from poor families who are pretty, we can marry them as long as we give them food. We don’t need to be so picky about finding a wife. As long as she can have children and work for our family, that’s fine.”

Jia cried as she spoke.

Since Gu Fengnian separated from his family, Gu Xiaoxue has been living with Gu Fengnian, and now the Jia family is like being soaked in bitter medicine.

All the work at home and in the fields fell on her shoulders.

Gu Youtian spends his days looking for opportunities outside and is rarely at home; even when he is at home, he seldom goes to the fields.

Gu Honglian spent her days going from house to house, and didn't even wash her own clothes.

Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu did go to the fields, but they couldn't do much at all.

Most of the work fell on Jia Shi and Gu Ruinian's shoulders. Jia Shi felt sorry for her youngest son and took over some of the farm work from Gu Ruinian.

Jia is exhausted every day, physically and mentally, and is on the verge of collapse.

She didn't want Gu Ruinian to marry into the family. She wished that some concubine could come into the Gu family to take her place and take over the work in the fields and serving the whole family, so that she could have some peace and quiet.

Gu Ruinian said, "If I go to the Xu family, there's still a glimmer of hope for my leg, but there's no hope at all in our family. We don't have any money, and even if we did, Dad and Grandma wouldn't spend it on me. Grandpa was willing before, but now that he has Gu Jingzhe, his good grandson, he's completely given up on me."

Seeing her son's blank face, Jia felt a pang of sadness.

“Ruinian, I don’t mind you marrying into the family. I originally thought that if we went along with the Xu family from the beginning, the family property and the child would be yours after Xinghua gave birth. But look at Xu Xinghua now, is she willing to compromise on anything?”

As Jia was talking, an idea suddenly came to her mind. She gritted her teeth and suggested to Gu Ruinian, "Actually, this is not impossible. If you don't seduce Xu Xinghua, when she gets pregnant and her belly can no longer be hidden, you won't even need to marry into our family. Xu Xinghua will naturally be willing to come to our door."

“A pregnant girl brings shame to the clan. Even if Xu Xinghua doesn’t want to marry into our family, she won’t have a choice then. The Xu family will force her to marry.”

Jia is holding her breath.

Since their son still wanted to marry Xu Xinghua, they would find a way to bring Xu Xinghua into the Gu family as their daughter-in-law.

If that's really the case, let's see how she torments Xu Xinghua.

She was determined to repay Xu Xinghua and Gu Ruinian a hundredfold for the anger they had caused each other.

Gu Ruinian frowned deeply.

Jia was not unmoved by the idea; Xu Xinghua had always been arrogant towards him, and if possible, he really wanted to teach Xu Xinghua a lesson.

He also wanted to be in control of his life as a son-in-law. But everything he did in Qinghe Bay eventually backfired on him, leaving him with a lasting trauma.

They dare not easily do bad things.

"Mother, let me think about it some more," Gu Ruinian said, frowning.

He thought he would go to Xu Xinghua privately to see if he could persuade her.

Before Jia could say anything more, she looked up and saw Wang the matchmaker waving at her from the doorway.

Jia walked over, and the two stood in front of the woodpile talking.

"Sister-in-law Wang, you saw what happened today. It's not that the Gu family is unreasonable, it's just that the Xu family is difficult to deal with." Jia was so charmed by Wang the matchmaker's words that she considered her a confidante and began to confide in her.

Matchmaker Wang's lips twitched. She had only said a few words, but Jia had already seized the opportunity to drag her into tears and complaints.

Today, the marriage negotiations between the Xu and Gu families fell through, and she was unwilling to accept not receiving the matchmaker's gift. She then set her sights on Gu Xiaoxue, determined to break off a marriage with the Gu family.

“Sister-in-law Wang, to be honest, I never agreed to Ruinian marrying into the Xu family. I think we shouldn’t continue this discussion. I want you to find Ruinian a new marriage partner. I don’t require the other family to be rich or powerful, as long as they are handsome, gentle, and capable. My Ruinian is educated, after all. If he has children, he can personally tutor them and maybe even raise one to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).”

Jia then asked Matchmaker Wang to re-arrange a marriage for Ruinian.

If it weren't for the desire to profit from Gu Xiaoxue's marriage, Wang the matchmaker would have long since grown impatient with Jia's ramblings.

Listen, is this human talk?

She's pretty, gentle, and capable. Wouldn't all the young men in the surrounding villages be vying for her? How could a cripple like Ruinian have the chance?
He even tutored his children in their studies. He himself hadn't even passed the county-level imperial examination, so how could he possibly have a son who passed the provincial-level imperial examination?

Besides, given the Gu family's situation, even if she arranged a marriage for Gu Ruinian, the Gu family wouldn't be able to afford a matchmaker's gift.

I reckon they'd give her at most half a bag of corn and a chicken, not even enough to satisfy her cravings.

Matchmaker Wang chuckled twice and said, "Ruinian's marriage depends on the old man's opinion."

It means you can't make the decision.

Madam Jia's face turned very pale as she choked on her words.

The matchmaker seized the opportunity and said, "I just saw a girl in a green dress with fair skin. Was she your daughter?"

Madam Jia didn't even notice what Gu Xiaoxue was wearing. Following the matchmaker's gaze, she saw Gu Xiaoxue standing in front of the weaving workshop, talking to Gu Taohua. The two cousins, one dressed in pink and the other in green, looked as beautiful as a spring painting.

Madam Jia's face darkened, and she said, "It's my Xiaoxue."

Matchmaker Wang said, "So Gu Xiaoxue is your daughter. Everyone in Yanguan Town is talking about the three most beautiful girls in Qinghe Bay: Gu Taohua, Gu Xiaocao, and Gu Xiaoxue. As for Gu Taohua, let's not even mention her. She has a bad temper and a terrible personality, and her mother, Tong Dajiao, is too proud. No one has dared to propose marriage to her yet. Gu Xiaocao is engaged to Hong Xiaoxi, the manager of Taohua Dessert Shop. The Hong family bought her a large house in town, and they will get married at the end of the year. They say that the young couple will live in town from now on, and Gu Xiaocao won't have to serve her in-laws."

Mentioning Gu Xiaocao made Wang the matchmaker uncomfortable. Back then, the simple-minded son of Liu the rich man in town took a liking to Gu Xiaocao and asked her to come and propose marriage. Gu Guangkui beat her up and drove her away. When Wang went to Peach Blossom Dessert Shop to intercept Gu Xiaocao, Tong Huaqiong slapped her so hard that she almost knocked out two of her front teeth.

When Gu Xiaocao and Hong Xiaoxi got engaged, they hired a different matchmaker, but she didn't get any benefit from it.

When Jia heard that Gu Xiaocao's in-laws had bought her a large house in town, she felt extremely jealous.

Wang the matchmaker was a very shrewd person; she could see even the slightest changes in Jia's face. She smiled and curled her lips.

Hooked!