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

Chapter 714 Turning the Tables

The head of the Fan family must know who Fan Tong's mother and sister-in-law are.

But the core of this matter has absolutely nothing to do with the character of the mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

The fact that Old Mrs. Fan and her eldest sister-in-law mistreated Gu Honglian does not mean that they treated other members of the clan badly.

Given the status of a daughter-in-law in her husband's family in this era, Gu Honglian's situation was quite common. Even the clan chief would probably think that Gu Honglian was causing trouble.

They might even add, "Whose wife didn't go through this?"

To put it bluntly, this is a family conflict. Old Mrs. Fan and Sister-in-law Fan could easily say that Gu Honglian is lazy, greedy, and unfilial. Just the word "unfilial" puts them on the moral high ground.

Moreover, if Fan Tong doesn't stand up for Gu Honglian, then who in the clan would dare to stand up for her?
It's not easy for a clan in the countryside to produce a scholar, so Fan Tong was highly regarded in the clan, and naturally, the clan valued Fan Tong's opinions.

Moreover, in this era, men who beat their own wives are not condemned.

In short, the clan leader will not side with Gu Honglian.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Going to the clan chief won't help. To put it bluntly, which village doesn't have families that beat their wives? In our village, Tian Fugui almost beat his wife to death before, and did the clan do anything about it? If you take it to the clan chief, he will only say that it is your family matter and at most mediate a few words. Afterwards, Honglian will still be bullied by them."

"Unless Honglian escapes the Fan family through divorce like Pandi."

"I don't want a divorce."

Gu Honglian turned pale upon hearing the word "divorce".

Even when Fan Tong hit her, she felt it was because her mother-in-law and sister-in-law of the Fan family instigated it, and that Fan Tong was forced into it by them and had no choice but to do so.

As long as Fan Tong doesn't kill her, she'll hold onto the identity of the scholar's wife.

What should we do? Who can control that old hag and that vile woman from the Fan family?

Gu Honglian still believes that it was her mother-in-law and sister-in-law's fault.

Fan Tong is not wrong.

"My poor daughter," Grandma Gu cried, hugging Gu Honglian.

Grandpa Gu raised his eyelids. He believed his eldest daughter-in-law wasn't there to laugh at him, so he asked in a consultative tone, "So, what's your idea?"

Tong Huaqiong looked at Wu Na and said, "When Ruinian's wife first married into the Gu family, you all wanted to bully her, didn't you? Do you still dare to bully her now?"

Wu Na spat out the sunflower seed shells and said, "Of course I wouldn't dare. Anyone who dares to bully me, I'll chop them up."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu and Madam Jia trembled.

Whether Wu Na could kill them or not, they didn't know, but they had the terrifying experience of being chased around the yard by Wu Na with a knife.

It's so scary.

Tong Huaqiong laughed and asked Wu Na, "What would you do if Ruinian hit you right now?"

Wu Na said, "Fight back. I can't beat him in a head-on confrontation; he always has moments of weakness. When he's sleeping, I can tie him up and slash him with a knife, strangle him with a rope, or poison him."

Gu Ruinian, his face grim, said, "Stop talking."

Tong Huaqiong looked at Wu Na approvingly.

Even though she and Wu Na couldn't share a meal, Wu Na's mental state was the best way to fight against her in-laws' unfair treatment and her husband's domestic violence.

Gu Honglian stared intently at Wu Na. She had once vowed never to live a life like Wu Na's, which was filled with madness and insanity. Now, her life was even worse than Wu Na's.

At least Wu Na could fight back when she was bullied by Old Madam Gu and Madam Jia.

Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Honglian, "You can only rely on your family to support you for a short time, unless you stand up on your own."

“Right now, the biggest problem in your situation in the Fan family isn’t your mother-in-law or your sister-in-law, but Fan Tong,” Tong Huaqiong pointed out.

Gu Honglian stared wide-eyed and murmured, "Fan Tong was forced into it by them. One is his mother, and the other is his sister-in-law. He had no choice." Gu Honglian defended Fan Tong.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Gu Honglian's swollen cheek and said, "Don't fool yourself. Fan Tong has the power to do what he wants. If he doesn't raise his hand to hit you, who can do anything to him? If he doesn't hit you, will he go to jail or prison? At most, his mother will make a scene."

Gu Honglian lowered her head.

"Besides, the reason your mother-in-law and sister-in-law bully you is because Fan Tong indulges them. Fan Tong just thinks you want to be a scholar's wife and you don't dare to leave him, so he lets them bully you. If Fan Tong respected you and protected you, do you think they would dare to do that? You know Prefect Yao, right? His wife is not only born out of wedlock but also a merchant's daughter. Prefect Yao's own mother was not satisfied with her daughter-in-law's background and sent people to harass her. The people were sent away by Prefect Yao as soon as they arrived in the prefectural city."

"Are your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law ladies of high rank, or is the Fan family an aristocratic clan that you can't afford to offend? Or is Fan Tong an official who needs a good reputation for filial piety?"

Gu Honglian's eyes darkened under Tong Huaqiong's repeated questioning.

Since their marriage, Fan Tong has indeed never stood by her side.

She was always made to endure it.

Gu Honglian asked, "Sister-in-law, what should I do? Is there any way to get Fan Tong to side with me?"

Tong Huaqiong said, "Instead of making Fan Tong side with you, you should make Fan Tong fear you. If Fan Tong hits you, you should hit back. As for your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, you should treat them the same way Wu Na treated your mother and sister-in-law."

"Try the opposite of what the person does."

Grandma Gu and Madam Jia blushed.

Grandma Gu wanted to scold Tong Huaqiong for hitting her where it hurt, but then she remembered that Tong Huaqiong had come to help her daughter, so she held back.

"Beat them, beat them until they submit. Domestic violence is either zero times or countless times. If you don't beat them into submission this time, they will bully you even more in the future."

Gu Honglian said, "But what if I hit Fan Tong and he doesn't like me anymore?"

Tong Huaqiong wanted to roll her eyes.

Madam Wei spoke quickly and bluntly: "Fan Tong never liked you, Auntie. He only married you because he valued Jingzhe and your aunt's ability to help him in the future. Whether you hit him or not, his affection for you won't increase or decrease. What you need to do is subdue him and live a peaceful life as a scholar's wife, instead of doing anything unnecessary."

Still like it? What are you thinking?

If he likes you, why would he let the Fan family bully you?

Tong Huaqiong said, "Fan Tong is still reluctant to give up this marriage. You should stay at your parents' house peacefully for now. Fan Tong will definitely come to pick you up in a few days. When he does, don't be soft-hearted. Have Da Han and Feng Nian hold him down and beat him up until he begs for mercy on his knees."

"After you've beaten him, don't go back to the Fan family with him. Beat him three times in a row, then tell the clan leader to bring your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law to apologize to you. Only go back when you're satisfied."

Tong Huaqiong asked, "Can you do it?"

Gu Honglian stared blankly at Tong Huaqiong.

She couldn't bring herself to hit Fan Tong.

Tong Huaqiong spread her hands and said, "I knew you were useless, you deserve to be bullied. Since you're unwilling, you should hurry back to the Fan family now and wait for them to bully you to death, and the Gu family to mourn for you."

These words made Gu Honglian's expression change.

Having said all she wanted to say, Tong Huaqiong turned and walked outside.

"Sister-in-law," Gu Honglian called out, gritting her teeth, "I'm willing to give it a try."

Tong Huaqiong walked out of the Gu family home without looking back.

Gu Honglian was constantly struggling with her thoughts. One moment she hated Fan Tong for harming her and wished she could grind him to dust, and the next she worried that if she beat Fan Tong, he would become estranged from her and ignore her for the rest of his life.

I feel like crying as I think about it.

It's been three days, and Fan Tong hasn't come to pick her up, nor has anyone from the Fan family come.

Gu Honglian felt she couldn't hold on any longer.

She was unwilling to return to the Fan family in such a dejected manner.