Xun Xingshun handed Gu Yu over to the two brothers. As for whether they wanted to help with the work, he let them. "Now that we have separated the family, you just need to take care of your own little family. Besides, you are now in charge of the household, so you can decide on the marriages of your children yourselves."

If your mother wants to get involved, remember to tell me. Otherwise, if you marry another troublemaker like her, you'll be the ones who suffer later.

After saying that, he glanced at the Xun family brothers with a warning, "If there's anything, talk to your wives properly. Don't listen to your mother in everything. When has she ever done anything reliable?"

Xun Liangtian and Xun Liangcai remained silent. Gu Yu had secretly contacted them countless times these past few days, not only wanting to get the money back but also wanting to find a partner for the children.

However, they had already handed over their money to their wives to manage, and they really had no money left on them. They had already been verbally abused by Gu Yu several times, but she was their mother who gave birth to them, so no matter how many faults she had, they could only endure it.

Seeing his two sons like this, Xun Xingshun finally sighed, put his hands behind his back, and returned to the main room. "Don't take what your mother said to heart. As long as I'm here, I'll still be in charge of this family."

You've been walking for most of the day, you must be tired, go and get some rest.

This time, Hua Baoguo was very perceptive. He carried a change of clothes and followed his nephew Rong Chun directly to his room.

The reason for this visit is Rongchun's wedding. He has already set the wedding date for next month, but he and his wife will definitely not have time to come back then, so they can only come in advance to deliver the gifts.

"Will this be used as a wedding room in the future?" Every time Hua Baoguo and the others came to Xun's house, they would stay in Xun Rongchun's house, while he would squeeze in with the other brothers.

“No,” Xun Rongchun said with a smile in his eyes, “Our family has been granted two plots of land for building houses at the entrance of the village, and we are building houses these days.”

Hua Baoguo then remembered that the Xun family had already separated. "Was this name given to you two brothers?"

Xun Rongchun nodded, "The two houses are right next to each other with a passageway in the middle, so my parents can live on both sides."

My second uncle and his family also moved there. When my aunt and uncle come back next time, they can move to their new house there.

Hua Baoguo paused for a moment, then asked, "From now on, will your grandparents live in this old house?"

"They also reserved rooms for them there, but my grandfather said he would spend the rest of his life in this old courtyard, and my parents also said they would take care of him here."

Xun Rongchun was afraid that Hua Baoguo would think that his grandsons were unfilial, so he quickly explained, "We live over there, and we still eat together."

The house here is too small, and with our growing family, we simply can't fit everyone in.

Hua Baoguo nodded and said nothing more. He was just a son-in-law, and saying anything more would only annoy people.

However, it's better this way. Otherwise, given Gu Yu's tendency to want to control everything, his granddaughter-in-law would have suffered a lot.

&

Hua Xiangyun didn't expect Zhou Xiaolan's marriage to go so smoothly this time. She had just returned from school when she heard that the two families had already started exchanging betrothal gifts.

"Now you're happy," Zhou Xiaolan said, standing in front of Hua Xiangyun while wearing a thin floral jacket.

"What's so strange? Why am I happy?" Hua Xiangyun really didn't know why Zhou Xiaolan kept staring at her. Was it because she broke up the official couple? If that's the explanation, then it actually makes sense.

However, Zhou Xiaolan's previously blurry features became clear at this moment.

As expected, taking the path of breaking up the official couple was the right one. With no entanglements, many things came to light.

Zhou Xiaolan's life was indeed very difficult. She grew up in a family that favored sons over daughters, and she had to fight for everything herself. You could say she was struggling to survive in the cracks.

But now that she is engaged to Liu Qingshan of the soap factory, her fate has changed.

She may not become extremely wealthy in this life, but she will still be blessed in her later years. It all depends on whether she cherishes it and can hold onto this blessing.

"Stop pretending. You knew I liked your second brother last year, but you kept it all a secret. You even called me a friend. Deep down, you never really respected me."

Zhou Xiaolan spoke calmly this time, "I was angry at the time and wanted to teach you a lesson, but you're fine now."

You insist on holding a grudge against me, disregarding our years of friendship, and making me your enemy.

"Now you're satisfied? You broke me up with your second brother, and now I'm going to be someone's stepmother—all thanks to you."

Hua Xiangyun looked her up and down, then shook her head and said, "People like you always live so self-centeredly, and it's always someone else who makes mistakes anyway."

Don't you think about it? Just because you like my second brother doesn't mean my second brother and our family have to like you and accept you.

Besides, why should you be the one to reveal the letters my second brother wrote to our family? Don't you know that's a matter of privacy?

This is a perfectly normal thing, but in your eyes you feel that I've let you down.

If it weren't for a fellow villager passing by at that time, you would have had a life on your hands.

How dare you think I should accept you without any reservations?

Besides, wasn't it your own family's decision to become someone's stepmother? What does it have to do with me?

Since you are unwilling, and things are not yet settled, you are perfectly entitled to refuse.

Don't think I'm easy to bully just because I usually ignore you. If you keep stalking me like this, believe me, I'll get my grandma to come to your house and settle the score.

"You're such a grown-up, how dare you complain?" Zhou Xiaolan felt a chill run down her spine whenever she thought of Tian Guihua.

“I’d be happy to, and I have my grandma to stand up for me. If you can’t stand it, you can ask your grandma to stand up for you too,” Hua Xiangyun said with a wicked smile. “I forgot, Grandma Zhou seems to be very sexist. I wonder how much dowry you’ll take with you when you marry Comrade Liu. Your grandma should be happy to stand up for you in this matter, right?”

They're trying to take the lead, but they're probably just here to get a piece of the pie.

Hua Xiangyun's knife pierced her heart, and Zhou Xiaolan felt a wave of despair.

They had discussed the betrothal gifts during their blind date, but when it came to the dowry, Bai Ailian always dodged the question and wouldn't touch on it.

She noticed that Comrade Liu's expression was rather unpleasant, and she didn't know how the matchmaker comforted him, but he managed to hold it in.

Even if most people received such a generous betrothal gift, they would still give some dowry. But her family had already made it clear to her that apart from two sets of clothes and a quilt, she shouldn't expect anything else.

The betrothal gifts given by the groom are her way of repaying her parents for giving her life, and as for the debt of raising her, the annual gifts must not be omitted.

She couldn't even imagine what kind of days awaited her if she walked in empty-handed.

All of this was due to Hua Xiangyun's interference; otherwise, Hua Zhian would have been able to provide these things, and she wouldn't have had to become a stepmother as soon as she entered the family.