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

Chapter 711 Is there a free life on the border?
When Gu Honglian returned to her parents' home, Tong Huaqiong, as the eldest sister-in-law, did not go to eat.

He instructed someone to send over meat and vegetables.

With Gu Honglian and Fan Tong's marriage, Gu Taohua's bad marriage from her previous life completely disappeared, and Tong Huaqiong also gained a better impression of Gu Honglian and Fan Tong.

Gu Dahan, Gu Fengnian, and Wei Shi were all invited to a homecoming dinner.

Grandpa Gu hinted that Gu Dahan and Gu Fengnian should support Gu Honglian in front of Fan Tong. Gu Dahan and Gu Fengnian didn't know the specifics, and since their aunt was always willful and domineering, the two of them remained silent like quails.

After Fan Tong left in anger, Grandpa Gu cursed the two of them as idiots and good-for-nothings.

After being scolded, Gu Dahan and Gu Fengnian went directly from the Gu family's old house to work in the cotton field.

Wei learned from Old Madam Gu that Gu Honglian had suffered some injustice in the past three days, and that she had gossiped about it with Tong Huaqiong when she met her at the weaving workshop.

“My aunt has always wanted to find a scholar, and now her wish has come true. But she’s been having a terrible time for the past three days. I can see her eyes are swollen from crying,” Madam Wei said, shaking her head and sighing.

Tong Huaqiong knew about the Fan family's situation from Tong Dajiao's memories of her previous life.

The widowed mother, the eldest sister-in-law, and the eldest sister-in-law are like three powerful figures.

Just thinking about it makes Tong Huaqiong's scalp tingle.

One widow is already difficult to deal with, let alone three.

Gu Taohua also suffered in the past, but unlike Gu Honglian, she was not tolerant and stubborn.

Gu Taohua directly started a fight. Since she couldn't fight her mother-in-law, she beat up her sister-in-law and aunt.

Moreover, the family truly supported Gu Taohua. Tong Dajiao gave Old Madam Fan a good beating, Gu Jingzhe reprimanded Fan Tong, and with Lu Zhaozhao's generous dowry, Gu Taohua gained a firm foothold in the Fan family.

Aside from the love-struck girl who gets upset by Fan Tong's relationship issues, who else wouldn't fawn over her?
In this life, Gu Honglian and Fan Tong formed a tragic love affair, saving the Fan family from a complete mess.

The days ahead are predictable.

"If you can't handle salted fish, you have to be thirsty," Tong Huaqiong said.

This was also Gu Honglian's own choice.

Gu Honglian knew what kind of person Fan Tong was all along.

Both Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu knew this.

Gu Honglian married a well-to-do farmer and their life went smoothly.

She insisted on marrying only a scholar, but while she was willing to marry one, the good ones didn't want her, and the only bad one was Fan Tong.

No choice.

Gu Honglian's life is her own; she knows best whether it's good or bad, and Tong Huaqiong can't control her anyway.

Tong Huaqiong quickly put Gu Honglian's matter aside.

Now that the border is stable, Gu Dashu and Manager He's shop on the border needs a large quantity of general merchandise and cotton cloth.

Tong Huaqiong has been busy transporting supplies to the border these past few days.

Going to the border is no easy task. It requires cooperating with a reliable security escort agency, selecting trustworthy companions, and renting camels and horses to form a caravan.

The team leaders are Qin Qingyou and Ma Huateng.

Qin Qingyou and Ma Huateng were among Tong Huaqiong's first employees. They had been working alongside her since the establishment of Peach Blossom Dessert Shop. Later, not long after Jufulai was established, Tong Huaqiong transferred them to Jufulai.

Qin Qingyou is already the manager of Jufulai in Yanguan Town.

Ma Huateng was also the chief financial officer of Tong Huaqiong's business.

Originally, Tong Huaqiong did not intend for Ma Huateng to go, but he volunteered to go to the border.

Although Ma Huateng was the chief financial officer, he had the heart of a scholar who cared about the world.

The desolate desert on the border was something Ma Huateng longed for. If it weren't for Manager He's insistence that he couldn't lift heavy loads, he would have joined the army.

So when he learned that Tong Huaqiong was organizing a caravan to the border, he eagerly signed up and was ultimately selected. With Qin Qingyou and Ma Huateng backing him up, Tong Huaqiong was quite at ease.

Tong Huaqiong wasn't worried about them betraying her at all. Firstly, their character had stood the test of time over the years; secondly, to put it bluntly, their families were still in Yanguan Town.

Two days before the caravan was to depart, Liu Qingsong came to see them.

He begged Tong Huaqiong to let him go to the border to help her develop the market.

Ever since Gu Xiaoxue rejected Liu Qingsong, Liu Qingsong had been looking for an opportunity to make a name for himself. When he heard about the chance to go to the border, he wanted to sign up. However, his family disagreed, and he dared not go with the caravan on his own, fearing it would cause a rift between his family and Tong Huaqiong.

These past few days I finally convinced my village chief father, and so he came running like a whirlwind to join the caravan to the border.

“The border region is tough; you need to think it through,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Liu Qingsong said, "I can endure hardship."

“Alright, go tell your brother Qingyou that we’ll set off together the day after tomorrow,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Liu Qingsong excitedly shouted and went to the Qin family.

After leaving the Qin family, Liu Qingsong waited at the intersection and stopped Gu Xiaoxue when she got off work.

He told Gu Xiaoxue that he was going to venture to the border. He still liked Gu Xiaoxue and asked her if she would like to leave Qinghewan and live in a wider, more open place.

Gu Xiaoxue understood what Liu Qingsong meant and told him that she would have to think about it; the timeframe could be one year or two years.

Liu Qingsong said he could wait, since he wouldn't be able to make a name for himself at the border anytime soon anyway.

The caravan set off in the early hours of the third day, and Tong Huaqiong saw it off from Yanguan Town.

Standing behind Tong Huaqiong, watching the departing caravan, Gu Xiaoxue asked, "Aunt, is life on the border always free?"

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily, but it should be more free than Qinghe Bay."

This is specifically for Gu Xiaoxue.

As long as Gu Xiaoxue is in Qinghewan, she will be subject to the control of the Gu family's old house.

Although she now lives with her elder brother and sister-in-law away from the old house, her marriage is still in the hands of Gu Youtian and his wife, who may sell her for a good price someday.

The reason we're not selling now is because we're afraid Gu Xiaoxue will poison them.

"Auntie, can I go to the border in the future?" Gu Xiaoxue asked.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Of course, if you're willing."

Gu Xiaoxue pursed her lips and remained silent.

She really wanted to go to the border, to the place the villagers called a place with sandstorms and heavy snow for half the year.

As the caravan drove further and further away, Tong Huaqiong said, "Liu Qingsong is a good person. If you like him, you can try being with him. Actually, the important thing is not being with him, but having the courage to leave after being together, just like Tong Pandi."

Gu Xiaoxue's eyes were bright.

She certainly liked Liu Qingsong, but Liu Qing, to some extent, represented a vehicle for her to break away from the Gu family and live a free life, such as going to the border to live a free and unrestrained life.

No matter what choice she makes, it will never be perfect.

With her parents still alive, she couldn't establish a female household like Li Mingxiu.

It's impossible for me to live with my brother and sister-in-law forever.

Ultimately, they were going to get married anyway, so rather than being pressured by their parents, they decided to take a gamble and venture to the border with Liu Qingsong.

Even if Liu Qingsong disappoints her one day, she can still learn from Tong Pandi and get a divorce.

She has a textile business, and she wouldn't starve even if she rented a spinning wheel.

Besides, her aunt's business has already expanded to the border, so she could learn to manage a shop like Gu Taohua.

Gu Xiaoxue felt that her future life was full of hope.