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

Jia looked smug.

With his chin held high, he had an expression that said, "Let's see what my son can do."

Everyone in the room felt ashamed for Jia.

Is it a good thing for a daughter-in-law to be pregnant before marriage?

He even started showing off.

Anyone with a sense of shame would speak ill of Gu Ruinian behind his back.

No wonder the girl from Black Dragon Pool was so willing to marry Gu Ruinian; it turns out Gu Ruinian had schemed against her.

It is estimated that the Jia family played a significant role in this.

Seeing Jia's smug look, Tong Huaqiong cursed her inwardly as a complete idiot.

He thought this statement elevated Ruinian's value, but in reality, he was ridiculed by many.

Grandma Ding sneered, "My grandson doesn't have the ability to get a girl pregnant out of wedlock. Even if he did, I'd break his legs. What kind of family would allow such a thing to happen? Is this something to be proud of?"

"You also have a daughter. How would you feel if someone schemed against your daughter like this?"

Instead of the envy she had imagined, Jia was met with disdainful looks and a lecture.

Naturally, they were dissatisfied.

Jealousy, absolutely jealousy.

Madam Jia gritted her teeth and argued, "It takes two to tango. If the woman hadn't been so insistent, how could my Ruinian have gotten her pregnant? Aunt, you didn't see it. Ruinian's wife came to our house several times to fawn over him, even threatening to sever ties with her family. What are you expecting my Ruinian to do?"

Everyone was speechless again.

Wei's face turned bright red with embarrassment. Marrying into such a shameless family was incredibly unlucky. What would outsiders think of her? Would they assume she had been tricked into this marriage as well?

Wei said, "Stop talking, the bride will be here soon."

So embarrassing.

Ms. Wei thought to herself that she was determined to build a house outside next spring and would never get involved with her mother-in-law's family.

Just then, firecrackers went off outside, and the crowd erupted in noise.

"The bride has arrived."

"The bride has arrived."

The sound of children shouting could be heard.

Everyone stood up and came out to see the newlyweds.

A large crowd surrounded Gu Ruinian, who was riding a tall horse borrowed from Tong Huaqiong.

When Tong Huaqiong saw Gu Ruinian dressed in a red groom's suit with a large flower tied with a ribbon on his chest, she saw little joy on his face, as if he were detached from the world.

Madam Jia looked at Gu Ruinian on horseback, her eyes filled with tears.

Her son should have taken the imperial examination and become the top scholar, parading through the streets on horseback. Now, he can only reluctantly ride a horse to marry the village head's daughter.

Seeing Tong Huaqiong standing in the crowd, Jia's eyes darkened. She cursed Tong Dajiao's son for failing the imperial examination. Since Gu Ruinian couldn't ride a horse through the streets, her son had better not be able to either.

As the sedan chair came to a stop, Wu Na, dressed in her wedding gown and with her head covered, was led out by Gu Ruinian. The two of them, holding ribbons, entered the main room one after the other.

Jia's words had spread far and wide. Although everyone despised the Gu family for their inhuman behavior, their gossipy nature made them unable to resist looking at the bride's belly.

Because it was winter, the dress was worn over a padded jacket, so it wasn't very obvious whether she had a body or not.

The sound of the wedding ceremony began.

The wedding ceremony ended quickly, and the bride was taken to the bridal chamber.

It was called a new house, but it was just a room partitioned off from the main house of the Gu family.

The Gu family had no money to build a new house, and they had no intention of separating Gu Ruinian and Wu Na.

When discussing the marriage, Wu Ren came to the Gu family home and saw the so-called new house. He was so angry that he almost had a heart attack and wanted to call off the marriage on the spot.

But Wu Na insisted on marrying him, saying she would marry him even if she had to sleep under a bridge with Gu Ruinian.

With Wu Na already pregnant, the Wu family had no choice but to reluctantly agree to the Gu family's arrangement. When Wei Shi mentioned this, Tong Huaqiong shook her head. Girls raised in luxury are prone to being blinded by love. Wu Na had never experienced hardship in life, which is why she rushed into marriage. Once she experiences hardship after marriage, she'll realize how wrong she was.

After the ceremony, the banquet began.

It must be said that Gu Youtian spared no expense in marrying off his son. The plump chickens, fish, and fresh pork, beef, and mutton were cooked to perfection by the chefs at Fenglelou Restaurant.

The sumptuous feast left everyone with full bellies.

During the banquet, everyone began to discuss the bride's dowry.

Liu Yue'e's mother, Zhao, gossiped to Tong Huaqiong, lowering her voice and saying, "Wasn't it said that the Wu family head doted on his daughter and that her dowry was very generous? How come it's only five loads of dowry? I secretly went to check before the banquet, and although the five loads of dowry looked full, there wasn't much inside. The satin that was given as part of the dowry didn't look new. Wasn't it said that there would be ten acres of fertile land and five hundred taels of silver? I didn't see them anywhere."

Tong Huaqiong said, "The five loads of dowry are probably what's on the surface; they wouldn't have hidden the land deeds and silver inside."

Madam Zhao thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That's true. Any family that cares about their daughter will keep the land deed and money in her hands. If the land and money fall into the hands of your second branch of the family, the bride will probably be taken advantage of."

Tong Huaqiong and Zhao Shi had different ideas.

She feared that the land deeds for the ten acres and the five hundred taels of silver were already gone.

She had dealt with Wu Ren before, and he wasn't exactly a kind person, so why would she willingly let Gu Youtian manipulate her?

Since my daughter is estranged from me and insists on marrying me, I might as well send her away penniless.

Moreover, the Wu family had just married their niece, Tong Zhaodi, and given Tong Zhaodi's abilities, she would likely try to undermine the Wu family and persuade Wu Ren not to give Wu Na a dowry.

Tong Huaqiong guessed correctly. Wu Ren did not give Wu Na a dowry of 500 taels of silver and 10 mu of fertile land at all. All the dowry was in the five loads of betrothal gifts.

However, the bride, Wu Na, and the rest of the Gu family were unaware of this.

Wu Na was immersed in the happiness of marrying the man she loved.

After the wedding ceremony, she sat alone in the bridal chamber.

After the children who had come to watch the commotion dispersed, Wu Na peeked through the gap in the veil and saw walls plastered with mud and straw, and a table placed under the windowsill. If it weren't for the red "double happiness" characters pasted on the wall and a pair of red candles on the table, one would never have guessed that this was a bridal chamber.

Wu Na's heart sank.

Then she thought it was alright. In a few days, she would persuade Gu Ruinian to separate and live separately. With the ten acres of fertile land and five hundred taels of silver that her parents had given her as dowry, they could live a good life.

She didn't want to live with Old Master Gu, Gu Youtian, and the others; they would only be a hindrance.

Once her parents calmed down, she would pester them to treat Gu Ruinian's leg. Even if the leg couldn't be cured, she would still support Gu Ruinian's education. She wasn't greedy; passing the imperial examination would be enough for her.

Anyway, scholars who pass the imperial examinations are not granted official positions, so there are no physical requirements.

If she passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, she would receive silver and rice from the imperial court, and with the subsidies from her family, she and her husband would surely live a very comfortable life.

Wu Na became happier the more she thought about it.

The lively sounds of a feast outside made Wu Na a little hungry.

Brides typically don't eat before leaving home, and Wu Na was no exception.

Wu Na's buttocks ached from sitting for so long. And because there wasn't enough charcoal in the room, she felt increasingly cold.

Wu Na touched her belly and felt resentful towards her in-laws. They knew she was carrying the Gu family's child, yet they didn't even bother to keep the house warm.

She's going to convince Gu Ruinian to leave tonight.

Finally, Gu Ruinian came in.

Wu Na sniffed the air; her husband was clearly drunk.

"Quickly lift the veil."

"It's time to drink the nuptial wine."

The onlookers who came in with Gu Ruinian started to jeer.

The matchmaker handed the carrying pole to Gu Ruinian, who then lifted the bride's veil.

The two looked at each other.

Wu Na looked shy.

Gu Ruinian forced a smile; he had absolutely no interest in the bride before him. (End of Chapter)