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

Chapter 660 It's Better to Remarry
The three members of the Tong family, exhausted, cleaned the Gu family's house inside and out.

Once the work was finished, he quickly left the Gu family's house.

I spent almost a whole day in Qinghewan, and I was exhausted, hungry, and cold.

This trip has been incredibly unlucky. Not only did I get into a lot of trouble in Qinghe Bay, but I also have to compensate the Gu family with five taels of silver and two hundred catties of grain.

Wang cursed and swore, saying that the compensation was enough for her family to live on for several months.

Of course, they had no silver on them, nor could they carry food with them.

With the villagers as witnesses, an IOU was signed, and two days later, Grandpa Gu led a group of people to Heilongtan to collect grain and pay the silver.

"Auntie, eldest sister, are you just going to watch us get bullied like this?" Tong Zhijie said with dissatisfaction as he saw Tong Pandi and Tong Huaqiong after leaving the house.

Even just plucking two hairpins from my aunt's and eldest sister's heads would be enough to compensate the Gu family.

Tong Huaqiong covered her nose with a handkerchief and said, "How else can I see it? I should have grabbed a handful of melon seeds."

Tong Pandi rolled her eyes and said, "Were you bullied? Your legs aren't broken, your back isn't bent, your arms aren't missing, and you're still breathing. How can that be considered being bullied?"

Tong Zhijie stomped his feet in anger, thinking, "He's freezing to death!"

Tong Fusheng tried to play the victim: "Pan Di, I am, after all, your father."

Tong Pandi said, "I don't have a father."

It wasn't that Tong Huaqiong was kicking them while they were down, but rather that the three of them were in such a sorry state. She waved her hand and said, "You should leave now, and don't ever come to Qinghe Bay again."

The Tong family of three gritted their teeth and left.

Tong Huaqiong and Tong Pandi looked at the three people's disheveled figures without a trace of sympathy in their eyes.

"I reckon they're going to ask Tong Zhaodi for money." Tong Huaqiong could imagine what Tong Fusheng and Wang Shi were planning next.

Tong Pandi scoffed and said, "Auntie guessed right, they can only rely on Tong Zhaodi now. I used to think about helping Tong Zhaodi out of the Tong family's quagmire, but not only is she unwilling to leave, she also wants to drag me down with her. Just wait and see, Tong Zhaodi will be dragged to her death by the Tong family."

Tong Huaqiong shook her head; this was Tong Zhaodi's own choice.

Both she and Tong Pandi wanted to pull Tong Zhaodi over, but they simply couldn't get the girl up.

They can only sink into ruin along with the Tong and Wu families.

Tong Huaqiong's guess was correct. After arriving at Black Dragon Pool, Tong Fusheng and his family of three did not return to their own home but went to the Wu family's.

Wu Ren was removed from his position as village head, and the entire Wu family exuded an atmosphere of decline.

Even so, Tong Fusheng felt that it was still better than his own family's wealth.

Wu Ren was only dismissed from his position as village head; his property was not confiscated, and his shops and grain supplies are still there.

Seeing her parents and younger brother covered in dirt and injuries, Tong Zhaodi felt heartbroken and burst into tears. After learning about their ordeal in Qinghe Bay, she cursed Tong Pandi, Tong Huaqiong, and the Gu family.

Despite being pregnant, she boiled hot water to wash Tong Fusheng and his family of three, gave them new clothes to change into, and cooked a table full of dishes and bought some wine.

Mrs. Qiao was so angry she could only stare blankly.

Wang tearfully demanded five taels of silver and two hundred catties of grain as compensation to the Gu family. Tong Zhaodi gritted her teeth, took off her bracelet, and handed it to Wang.

This bracelet was a gift from Qiao Shi during the tea ceremony; it would be worth at least thirty taels of silver if sold elsewhere. Wang Shi wiped away her tears, patted Tong Zhaodi's belly with satisfaction, and praised her, saying that her youngest daughter was indeed filial, no wonder she was carrying a son. Thinking of Tong Pandi's actions, she cursed Tong Pandi, saying she deserved to be unable to give birth to a son.

Tong Fusheng took a sip of wine, squinted comfortably, and looked at Tong Zhaodi's still beautiful face. He said earnestly, "If I had known Wu Ren's position as village head was unstable, I wouldn't have married you into the Wu family. What a pity, what a pity."

Tong Zhaodi and Tong Fusheng thought the same thing.

She was beautiful and could have become a concubine for a wealthy family in the prefectural city. Although the word "concubine" sounds bad, they lived a life of luxury with servants serving them. Now, the Wu family's life is getting worse every day, and they have to be frugal with everything they eat and drink. The cooks and maids in the house have all been sent away by Madam Qiao.

She had to do her own laundry even while pregnant.

"What can I do? I'm pregnant," Tong Zhaodi muttered. "I'm not going to remarry, am I?"

After clicking his tongue and sighing for a while, Tong Fusheng suddenly said, "It's not entirely impossible."

Wang stared wide-eyed at Tong Fusheng. What did he mean? Was he suggesting that Tong Zhaodi remarry?

"Zhao Di is pregnant, who will she remarry?" Wang asked.

Tong Fusheng said unhurriedly, "Pan Di and her two daughters can both marry Master Su, and Zhao Di can only marry better and better after leaving the Wu family."

Wang was puzzled.

Tong Pandi only got into Su Fuzi's relationship by relying on her sister-in-law.

Tong Zhaodi can't even curry favor with her sister-in-law now.

Tong Fusheng laughed and continued, "You guys don't understand. Zhao Di is more outstanding and younger than Pan Di. If she has a son, she'll be even more sought after if she divorces and remarries than before she got married."

Tong Zhaodi looked at Tong Fusheng with her mouth agape, not understanding why she was so sought after after giving birth to a son.

No matter how beautiful she is, who but someone like Master Su, who disregards worldly conventions, would marry her?

Madam Wang understood, and slapped her thigh, saying to Tong Zhaodi, "Zhaodi, your father is right. If this pregnancy is a son, it means you have the constitution to give birth to sons. The wealthy man in the prefecture who was willing to take you as a concubine last time will definitely want you to come into his mansion again. At his age, he only has a daughter, and the most important thing for him to take as a concubine is to give birth to a son."

Tong Zhaodi finally understood.

She looked at Tong Fusheng with pleading eyes and said, "Dad, you don't really want me to divorce and remarry, do you?"

Tong Fusheng said, "Back then, we married you to Wu Musheng for two reasons: first, Wu Ren was the village head, and second, the Wu family was close to the Tong family so you could be filial to them. Now, Wu Ren has been dismissed from his position as village head, and Wu Musheng is no longer a capable official. With just two rented shops and a dozen acres of fertile land, they can barely make ends meet. Even if you want to support Zhijie, you can't scrape together more money. It would be different if you divorced and remarried as a concubine in the prefectural city. The wealthy family there will surely give you a good life. After you give birth to a son, you can be on equal footing with the first wife. In the future, the family property will all belong to you and your son. At that time, you can elevate your maternal family if you want, and support Zhijie if you want."

Tong Zhijie, who had been engrossed in gnawing on a chicken leg, looked up and said, "Then let Second Sister remarry. Then the whole family can enjoy a life of luxury with Second Sister."

Tong Fusheng nodded almost imperceptibly, then changed the subject to Tong Pandi: "When Tong Pandi was divorced, I was ashamed because of my reputation. Now that I see that Pandi is living a better life than the Wu family, I think people shouldn't be too bound by rules. If I had known that Pandi could remarry Master Su, I should have taken her home, given her some care, and sent her to the prefectural city. Maybe she could have remarried someone even better than Master Su."

Tong Fusheng felt frustrated at the thought of Tong Pandi flying away, and he knew he had to keep Tong Zhaodi under his control.

Tong Zhaodi had already been taught by Tong Fusheng and Wang Shi to always listen to her parents and do things in a way that would benefit Tong Zhijie. Upon hearing Tong Fusheng's analysis, her mind began to stir.

Thinking of the disdain Qiao Shi gave her when she prepared the food and drinks, she wondered how she would treat her and the Tong family in the future.

Even if she gives birth to a son, the Wu family will not regard her as a great contributor.

Besides, the Wu family is now just a poor, declining family. What can she give her family?

Why not remarry?

Tong Zhaodi poured wine for Tong Fusheng and said with a smile, "I'll listen to my father."