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

Chapter 817 New Year Gift
"Sister-in-law, please have some tea."

The lavish family feast on New Year's Eve, and the fact that the grandson himself came to the Gu family to spend the eve of the New Year, all of this greatly shocked Gu Honglian.

In addition, having traveled north from Pingchuan County, enduring wind and rain and sleeping in the open, Gu Honglian had the most restful and warm night's sleep she had ever had.

Gu Honglian groaned comfortably in her drowsy state, vowing never to live a life of wandering and suffering from the cold again.

Her husband couldn't provide her with a comfortable life for the time being, and in Shengjing, where she had no relatives or friends, she could only rely on her sister-in-law.

The maidservants around the eldest sister-in-law dressed and ate better than the young ladies of wealthy families in Yanguan Town.

She didn't even ask to live the life of a rich young lady like Gu Taohua; she would be content even if she lived the life of a maid.

She didn't want to be kicked out.

Therefore, Gu Honglian, who always loved to sleep in, got up very early on the first day of the Lunar New Year and positioned herself as a maid to serve her sister-in-law.

Not only that, she also dragged Fan Tong out of her sleep and made her shovel snow.

Before Tong Huaqiong got up, Gu Honglian had already wiped the table with a rag, and the maids and servants couldn't stop her.

Chen Sufen and Lu Zhaozhao stared blankly as Gu Honglian worked.

Neither of them knew how to treat their adopted aunt who had traveled all the way north.

When Tong Huaqiong arrived at the main hall, she saw Gu Honglian serving tea with a fawning expression.

Tong Huaqiong's lips twitched. What kind of tea is this so early in the morning?

Gu Honglian's unsolicited flattery is indeed inappropriate.

Tong Huaqiong casually placed the teacup on the table.

Gu Honglian felt a little nervous and picked up the pastry to ask Tong Huaqiong if she wanted some.

Gu Dashu finally couldn't help but say, "Auntie, stop fussing. It hurts my eyes. My mother just woke up and can't drink tea or eat snacks. You're just wasting your time. It's freezing outside, and you and Uncle have nowhere to stay. We're not going to kick you out anytime soon."

Gu Honglian, having her thoughts exposed by Gu Dashu, showed no embarrassment. Instead, she pressed her advantage, saying, "It's not my duty, sister-in-law, to not take us in; it's a favor to take us in. Would your uncle and I be human if we shamelessly ate and drank for free?"

Tong Huaqiong couldn't help but wonder when Gu Honglian had become so eloquent and adept at handling situations.

Indeed, her marriage to Fan Tong taught her how to be a better person.

However, being good at handling things is not a bad thing. It shows that Gu Honglian is no longer as willful as before and knows the principle of bowing one's head when under someone else's roof.

Fan Tong, who had just been forced to shovel snow and was exhausted like a grandson, almost vomited blood upon hearing this.

He came to Shengjing seeking a better future, not to work as a servant in the Gu family.

Despite his current lack of money and power, he is still a scholar and holds a higher social status than the Gu family merchants who are obsessed with money.

In order to curry favor with her sister-in-law, Gu Honglian no longer treats him as the Gu family's son-in-law, but as a servant.

Gu Honglian is truly short-sighted. She fawns over Gu family for a place to stay, without considering that they are only temporarily relying on the Gu family. Once given the opportunity, he will be Gu Jingzhe's biggest help in his official career.

It's a shame he didn't get a chance to speak with the Crown Prince last night.

He had several opportunities to get close to the Crown Prince, but each time he was interrupted by Gu Taohua's fiancé.

The dissatisfaction that flashed in Fan Tong's eyes did not escape Gu Jingzhe's notice.

Gu Jingzhe asked, "Uncle, did you sleep well last night?"

Since Gu Jingzhe always called Fan Tong "senior brother," Fan Tong was momentarily dazed when he suddenly heard Gu Jingzhe call him "little uncle," and didn't realize that he was being addressed.

"Jingzhe is asking you a question?" Gu Honglian nudged Fan Tong.

Gu Honglian felt a surge of dissatisfaction. What was wrong with her husband? He had promised to come to Shengjing to seek refuge with Gu Jingzhe, but when Gu Jingzhe spoke to him, he just stared blankly.

After realizing what was happening, Fan Tong forced a smile and said, "The room was very warm, and I slept quite well."

Gu Jingzhe suppressed a smile and said, "It's good that you slept well. Shengjing is not like home; everything costs money, and everything is expensive. Take the charcoal brazier in your and your aunt's room, for example—it costs three hundred wen per jin of charcoal. Just do the math: how much charcoal do you need to burn in your room to keep it warm all night? Ordinary people can't afford to burn charcoal all night long. Even someone who has just passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom wouldn't dare to burn charcoal like that. We're relatives, and talking about money is too vulgar. I'm not saying this to make my uncle feel indebted to us; I mainly want to tell him that life in Shengjing is not easy."

Gu Jingzhe's words were a warning to Fan Tong: don't get any ideas. As a mere scholar, it's already difficult enough for him to have a warm room in Shengjing.

Leaving the Gu family home, one could be homeless in no time.

Fan Tong's face stiffened.

Tong Huaqiong said, "You've just arrived and you're already arguing with him. Wouldn't that be a sin to extinguish his passion for venturing into Shengjing?"

They say talking about money hurts feelings.

However, if money isn't mentioned, Fan Tong will never have the awareness of being dependent on others.

Therefore, Gu Jingzhe's words were well said and eloquently.

Although it made Fan Tong feel embarrassed, it also made him realize the Gu family's attitude towards his arrival.

Tong Huaqiong then said to Fan Tong, "Although your nephew seems stingy when he mentions money, he's doing it for your own good. You're new to Shengjing and don't know anything. He meant to prepare you mentally for life in Shengjing. When spring comes, you and Gu Honglian will need to find a place to live. You can go out and see what you can do to make a living in the first month of the lunar calendar. I believe that with your abilities, you can definitely support yourself and Honglian."

Gu Honglian and Fan Tong were startled.

Tong Huaqiong had no intention of taking them in for long.

I thought yesterday's offer to temporarily take them in until spring was just a casual remark, but now it seems like they're serious.

Tong Huaqiong never intended to take in Fan Tong and Gu Honglian indefinitely.

She knew very well why Gu Honglian had been serving tea and water so early in the morning; Tong Huaqiong wanted to shatter Gu Honglian and Fan Tong's illusions, as it was impossible for them to stay with her and move into the Gu family for the long term.

Once the weather warms up, she and Fan Tong have to go out to make a living.

This must be brought up frequently, lest Gu Honglian and Fan Tong pretend to be confused and continue living there once the weather warms up.

The atmosphere was awkward for a moment.

"Zhao Zhao, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Tong Huaqiong let Gu Honglian and Fan Tong go and began to look at Lu Zhaozhao with concern.

Tong Huaqiong could never bear to make a pregnant woman get up early to offer New Year's greetings.

Lu Zhaozhao said with a smile, "I went to bed early yesterday, so I got up early. Mother, Happy New Year!"

Lu Zhaozhao stood up to wish Tong Huaqiong a Happy New Year, but Tong Huaqiong waved her hand. Gu Jingzhe quickly helped Lu Zhaozhao sit down, which made Zhao Shi and the others laugh.

"Happy New Year, Mother-in-law."

Zhao and Liu Tiechui, a married couple, greeted Tong Huaqiong with smiles.

"Happy New Year," Tong Huaqiong also sent her blessings.

Then Chen Sufeng, Gu Taohua, Liu Yue'e and others paid New Year's greetings to Tong Huaqiong. This time, Tong Huaqiong gave each of her three daughters-in-law a New Year's gift - a share of Tong's business.

"This is for the three of you. From now on, you will receive a share of all the profits of the Tong family business."

Then he said to Gu Dahan, Gu Dashu, and Gu Jingzhe, "Listen up, you three. Consider this part of the income as your wives' dowry. You are not allowed to interfere with this income, nor are you allowed to use it."

The three of them respectfully agreed in unison.