readytorunbook Chapter 222 You dare hit my mother? I'll fight you to the death!
Chapter 222 You dare hit my mother? I'll fight you to the death!
"Mother," Gu Ersao gestured again, her eyes suddenly reddening.
He knew his mother and older brother's character best; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were universally disliked.
In truth, she was especially afraid that because of her mother and older brother, the entire Gu family would despise her.
She had been married into the Gu family for five years. Although they had lived in abject poverty and rarely had a full meal, she had never been able to do so.
But those were the most comfortable days she had ever had since birth.
Her husband doted on her, and her mother-in-law, elder brother, and sister-in-law took even better care of her because she couldn't speak.
She was only allowed to do the least strenuous chores at home.
What kind of life did she lead in the Li family before?
She had to get up early and work in the dark to fetch water and cut pig feed. Not to mention washing clothes, cooking, and sweeping the floor, her mother always chose her first for any job that needed to be done.
On the contrary, her good-for-nothing older brother always acted like a lord, sitting high on a chair with his legs crossed, calling out "Third Sister" whenever he had a reason.
If she gets upset outside, she comes home and takes it out on her younger sister.
Punching and kicking were commonplace for them.
Actually, she wasn't born unable to speak.
Instead, there was a time when his brother lost a bet with someone outside and had to pay for drinks.
If I'm not feeling well, I'll come back and kick her.
Caught off guard, she hit her head on the corner of the table and immediately lost consciousness.
At that time, the family was not so poor, but her mother was reluctant to spend money to hire a doctor for her. Even the ashes from the grass and wood were smeared on her when her second brother came back.
When she woke up again, she couldn't speak!
Later, her second brother went out to work and secretly saved some money. He took her to a clinic, and the doctor said that she must have hurt herself badly when she fell.
A blood clot formed in the brain, and because acupuncture was not administered in time to disperse the blood stasis, it became a chronic condition.
She could have been healthy, but her older brother caused her injury, and her stingy mother delayed her.
Later, he even considered selling her to a tyrannical old man as a concubine for ten taels of silver.
Fortunately, her cousin was a scholar, and her uncle, fearing that gossip would affect his cousin's career, strongly opposed it.
So even though they were both eating coarse food, the Gu family showed her care and love.
Then came her third sister-in-law, who not only protected her but also Xiaoman and the whole family, leading them to a better life they never dared to dream of before.
It wasn't that she couldn't bear to part with her current wealth, but rather that she couldn't bear to part with the home that cared for her, loved her, treated her like a human being, and cherished her like a precious jewel.
She cares about this family, so she can't bear to let it go, and she will never let her mother and older brother destroy her current family.
She was roughly aware of all the strange things that had happened outside in less than an hour.
If it weren't for her third sister-in-law's extreme concern for her during her postpartum period, and her fear of disappointing her sister-in-law's loving care, she would have wanted to ask her mother and eldest brother long ago how they had the nerve to come looking for her.
Initially, because of her uncle, she couldn't be sold to the old master, so later, whenever someone came to propose marriage...
Her mother demanded a dowry of ten taels of silver; it wasn't marrying off her daughter, it was clearly selling her.
She used to feel that her home was a place of hardship and oppression, but now she is learning to read with her younger brother and sister-in-law and has read many books that they brought back.
Only then did she realize that the family had never treated her as a person, but merely as an appendage, a servant, an object to be raised and sold for a price, and in the process, she could also be responsible for all the housework...
Holding Yudian in her arms, Gu's mother said softly, "Why are you crying when someone is helping you take care of things?"
"You know what kind of person Chang'er is. She knows exactly what your mother and older brother are planning."
"Of course, you are you, and your maternal family is your maternal family. She distinguishes them clearly. In fact, she even divided your maternal family into your second brother, your mother, and your eldest brother."
"Can you understand what your mother means? Chang'er, I can handle it, but I'm just being hesitant because I'm afraid it will be difficult for you. Just pretend you didn't see anything. When you see your mother and your eldest brother, no matter what they say, just tell them that you're not the head of this household, and you have to ask your third sister-in-law first."
“Your third sister-in-law isn’t afraid of trouble at all, and she’s not afraid of you asking her for advice. She’s just afraid that you’ll have to bear everything on your own and end up getting yourself sick from all the stress, you know?”
Mother Gu smiled and said, "Alright, alright, you shouldn't cry during your postpartum period."
She gently tapped Raindrop's chin. "Raindrop, don't you think so?"
"Ah..." The little raindrop responded unconsciously, instantly bringing a smile to Gu Ersao's face.
Outside, Li Da had already eaten three whole bowls of knife-cut noodles.
He scooped all the shredded meat, egg, and mushroom topping into the bowl.
After finishing the fourth bowl of knife-cut noodles, Gu Da Sao finally let out a satisfied burp and breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't a proper meal, so she wouldn't have prepared so much food. The fact that he could eat four bowls was because she originally wanted the boys to have some noodle soup too.
Gu Da Sao was originally good at making handmade noodles, but Lin Chang'er liked ramen and knife-cut noodles. After she tried making them a few times, Gu Da Sao learned how to make them.
Previously, I started selling it at a steamed bun stall, but instead of calling it knife-cut noodles, I called it noodle soup.
With less noodles and more soup, you can soak flatbread or steamed buns in the broth, making it much cheaper than noodles.
But Li Da's four bowls were truly substantial, with generous portions of both noodles and toppings.
Fortunately, the boys were so engrossed in the joy of hunting the wild boar that they didn't even bother to eat their noodles.
Otherwise, if the guests don't get enough snacks, this "fierce" brother-in-law might cause a ruckus again.
Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to get down to business.
The Li family mother and son wiped their mouths with their sleeves and got up to go towards the oilcloth shed.
Sister-in-law Gu: "..." Don't you know how to wash your hands?
Lin Chang'er also frowned.
Li Er hurriedly apologized, "Thank you for your hospitality, sister-in-law and third sister-in-law. We'll go see our third sister and my niece now."
Lin Chang'er nodded, watching his hurried figure follow, thinking that with Li Er present, nothing too serious would happen.
So he didn't follow.
The main problem is that although the tarpaulin tent was made as spacious as possible, it was still just a tent after all, and it couldn't possibly hold so many people.
Even Gu's mother and Gu Erlang were afraid of crowding Gu Ersao and Yudian'er, so they consciously left the shed, leaving only Gu Xiaoman to accompany Gu Ersao and Yudian'er.
Just then, Zhou Li and Zhou Xiaoniu led Zhou Hai, Butcher Zhang, and several strong men up to carry the wild boar.
Lin Chang'er then accompanied them to move the wild boar. "Now that the flood has just passed, the villagers probably don't have much food left. I estimate that this wild boar can yield more than 200 catties of meat. Just keep half a carcass for me, and Uncle Zhang can take one portion, Uncle Hai can take one portion, and the rest can be stir-fried by a few quick-handed ladies in a few big pots to give the brothers of the coastal defense team an extra meal."
"I understand. I won't take my share. We can just eat from the big pot." Zhou Hai said with a smile.
"Chang'er knows my family situation, so I won't stand on ceremony with you." Butcher Zhang didn't stand on ceremony with Lin Chang'er. He was a pig butcher whose business was passed down from generation to generation. He couldn't spare the time to go to the coastal defense team. His son was still young and not like the Gu family's tigers. He really didn't dare to go and risk his life.
Lin Chang'er said, "I won't even pay for the pig slaughtering fee. It's perfectly reasonable for Uncle Zhang to ask for a portion of meat."
After saying that, he instructed Zhou Hai, "Uncle Hai, the patrol must not be relaxed tonight. I have guests here, so I won't be going down the mountain. If anything happens, just send a young man to run errands for me."
Zhou Hai readily agreed, and with the help of the young men, the wild boar was tied up.
A group of people were about to descend the mountain in a great hurry.
Just then, the sound of a baby crying suddenly came from the tarpaulin shed, followed by Gu Xiaoman's furious voice, "You dare hit my mother? I'll fight you to the death..."