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

Chapter 74 Youthful Mind

“Brother, I’ve noticed a pattern in the fields these past few days. The two plots of land at the village entrance that Mother asked about, with our house as the dividing line, show different growth on the left and right sides. On the left, no matter whose wheat field it is, it’s all lush and green with big ears of wheat, while on the right, the wheat is just like ours—short ears of wheat, yellow stalks, and withered leaves.” Gu Jingzhe said to Gu Dahan.

Since Gu Jingzhe was beaten up by Gu Dahan, the two brothers haven't spoken to each other for several days.

Gu Dahan didn't know how to bring it up, and Gu Jingzhe was embarrassed to face his older brother, so the two brothers remained awkwardly at odds.

Upon hearing Tong Huaqiong's concern for Mai Zi, Gu Jingzhe took the initiative to break the ice for Gu Dahan.

"After I discovered this problem, I told my mother, and she wanted to ask my older brother if this had happened before."

When Gu Dahan heard Gu Jingzhe say this, his subconscious wanted to refute it, because in his mind, how could Gu Jingzhe, a scholar, know anything about farming?

Given Gu Jingzhe's past cunning, will he try to trap him again?

After all, he had been beaten by him, and he didn't believe that Gu Jingzhe would be convinced. He was definitely plotting something to get his stepmother to punish him.

Look, here they are, using the wheat in the field as an excuse.

"Third brother, what do you mean by that? Some families are diligent in farming and have good harvests, while others are lazy and their harvests are naturally not good." Gu Dahan was straightforward and his words were a bit like a jab at Gu Jingzhe.

Tong Huaqiong remarked that Gu Dahan was truly honest; in his mind, whether the land was cultivated well or not was entirely related to how diligent one was.

However, this contradicts what he said earlier. He claimed that he had been taking good care of the land, but the harvest from these two plots was still poor.

So Tong Huaqiong said, "During the Great Cold, you didn't slack off in farming, so why is our harvest still poor? Haven't you thought about why?"

Gu Dahan was speechless for a moment when Tong Huaqiong asked him this question.

At this moment, he couldn't think of anything else. He felt that Gu Jingzhe was taking the opportunity to sow discord between him and his stepmother, with the main purpose of getting her to return to her original attitude towards him.

Thinking this, he didn't answer Tong Huaqiong directly, but instead spoke to Gu Jingzhe: "Third brother, you usually study at the private school and rarely work in the fields. Farming and studying are two different things. The situation you described is very common in the village. Some people farm well, and some people farm poorly. If you ask me why, I can only say it all depends on God."

Tong Huaqiong was speechless at her stepson.

He is honest, but he's too stubborn.

“Dahan, I didn’t mean to blame you. The reason I brought up the wheat field was because I wanted you to make sure your efforts in the field weren’t wasted. You work hard in the field all year round, but the harvest is poor. Isn’t that just busywork for nothing?” Tong Huaqiong said.

"Do you think I'm going to use the harvest to pressure you today? Do you think that because you hit your third brother, my daughter and I are ganging up on you to use the harvest to punish you?" Tong Huaqiong cut off Gu Dahan's thoughts directly, saying, "Then you've misunderstood. You hit your third brother, and he deserved it. He promised me he wouldn't hold a grudge. If he did, I wouldn't forgive him. But what you can't let go of now is you. You have resentment and prejudice against your third brother, so you condemn everything your third brother found in the fields."

Gu Dahan's thoughts were exposed, and he felt quite embarrassed. He twisted the hem of his clothes and stammered, "Mother, that's not what I meant."

"Alright, that's what you meant. You can't lie. But I don't blame you for that. I'm a stepmother, and you've suffered a lot under my care. It's normal that you don't trust me and your third brother. But since I've decided to change my old habits, I won't go back to my old temper. I don't expect you to be completely devoted to me, but don't assume the worst about me whenever something happens, or think I'm just trying to manipulate you and trip you up."

"Right now, I just want to live a peaceful life. I have no interest in manipulating you or tripping you up."

Tong Huaqiong interrupted Gu Dahan.

These past few days, Gu Dahan has been as filial to him as before, but he's always been very careful.

He gets easily agitated by the slightest thing and suspects that Tong Huaqiong is trying to make things difficult for him.

This kind of relationship was exhausting for both Tong Huaqiong and him.

Tong Huaqiong wasn't a saint. She didn't want to completely make up for the harm Tong Dajiao had caused Gu Dahan, nor could she. Gu Dahan was an adult, and she couldn't possibly coax him or try to understand his thoughts like she did with Man'er. All she could do was try to help Gu Dahan live a good life together.

If he can't let go of his worries and can't resolve his inner conflict, there's nothing she can do.

We can always split up the family property later.

She's going to take advantage of the wheat incident today to bring things up openly.

"Mother," Gu Dahan's face turned bright red.

He was used to being manipulated and had Stockholm Syndrome; he even wished his stepmother would treat him the same way she used to.

Feeling wronged, angry, passively enduring, and unable to resist—that's his comfort zone.

Now that his stepmother treats him kindly, he feels like he's entered unfamiliar territory and doesn't know how to get along with her.

This left him feeling deeply frustrated!

"Brother, no matter how many mistakes I've made in the past, I didn't bring up the wheat field issue this time to cause trouble for you in front of Mother. It hurts me so much that you think of me this way." Gu Jingzhe may be a genius, but he's still a boy.

Youthful impetuosity is a characteristic of young people, and Gu Jingzhe was no exception, so he couldn't help but express his grievances and dissatisfaction.

Tong Huaqiong glared at Gu Jingzhe and said, "It's right for us to be wary of someone with a criminal record like you."

Gu Jingzhe: "."

Can this brotherhood be repaired? He discovers that his mother is the executioner preventing him and his older brother from mending their relationship.

Tong Huaqiong explained to the uncomfortable Gu Dahan: "The problem with the wheat field that your third brother discovered is very important. You used to work on those two fields all the time, but the harvest didn't improve, and it seemed like you weren't doing your best. You were so focused on your work that you didn't notice that the wheat fields on the left and right sides were growing normally."

“You said your third brother is a scholar, but studying and farming are not the same thing. That’s not right. Studying is about exploring the principles of the world, including the principles of farming. The results your third brother has observed in the fields these past few days are very important, at least for our wheat harvest.”

“I kept the situation of the wheat field that your third brother saw in mind, and I kept thinking about it when I was selling cakes in town. The day before yesterday, when I was about to close up shop, I was chatting with the old lady selling eggs next door and mentioned the wheat. Just then, someone came to buy our cakes, and after listening to him, he told me the reason. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t believe it, but this person said I believed it.”

Gu Dahan and Gu Jingzhe both looked at Tong Huaqiong, waiting for her to continue.

"This man was some kind of agricultural official, saying he came to check on our wheat. He said our wheat fields were likely lacking nitrogen, and that he was referring to a type of fertilizer. He told me where in the prefectural city he could buy that nitrogen fertilizer, so I had someone go to the prefectural city that very day and bought it. It's all piled up in my house," Tong Huaqiong said.

After speaking, he looked at Gu Jingzhe, the genius boy.

She doesn't need to worry about Gu Dahan; he's a stubborn man who believes whatever he's told.

With official endorsement, he had absolutely no doubts.

Gu Jingzhe did not express any doubt this time. Pingchuan is an important grain-producing area, and the agricultural officials come every year. Last year, the agricultural officials even came to the private school to persuade everyone to pay attention to the farmland while studying.

He had no doubts about Tong Huaqiong buying nitrogen fertilizer, because he had been farming at home with his eldest brother for the past few days, and his second brother would pick up his mother and sister when they finished their work.

"Mother, where is that nitrogen fertilizer?" Gu Jingzhe asked.

(End of this chapter)