Chapter 3
"Ouch, it hurts! It hurts! Be gentle..."
When Gu Maowen and his wife returned home from get off work, they heard their youngest son howling from inside, complaining of pain.
The couple were puzzled, thinking that their youngest son had gotten into a fight with the boys in the compound again and had caused some trouble. They rushed in and saw Gu Yuanhui lying on the sofa in the living room, with Gu Yuanxiang applying a towel wrapped with an ice pop to his face. Gu Yuanzheng sat next to him with a sullen face, rubbing his stomach.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Jiang Huijun asked worriedly. "Yuanhui, did you go out and get into a fight again?"
"I don't!"
Gu Yuanhui jumped up excitedly, revealing a red, swollen, and bluish face, swollen high like a big steamed bun.
When Gu Maowen and his wife saw his face, they couldn't help but gasp.
How hard was that hit? No wonder he kept yelling in pain; it was obvious that someone hit him with all their might.
Gu Maowen was very angry. Although his youngest son was mischievous and always got into trouble, often fighting with the other boys in the compound, he still loved his own son dearly. How could he not be angry to see him beaten like this?
Jiang Huijun was also extremely distressed, "How did you get beaten up like this? Who did it?"
Seeing his parents return, Gu Yuanhui tearfully complained to them, "Dad, Mom, it was that brat Gu Xi who hit me..."
Gu Yuanzheng rubbed his still aching stomach, which he had just checked and found was bruised.
Although they knew that Gu Xi grew up doing farm work in the countryside and was said to be quite strong, they had no idea how strong she was. They thought that a girl's strength was limited, until this time when she hit them, and the two brothers realized how painful her blows were.
After hearing their youngest son's complaint, Gu Maowen and his wife were somewhat skeptical.
They looked at their steady second son, Gu Yuanzheng, and asked if it was true. When he nodded, they were astonished.
"Why would Xixi hit someone?" Jiang Huijun asked incredulously. "Could it be that Yuanhui did something again?"
Although she favored the children she raised, she also loved her own daughter. She knew what kind of person Gu Xi was: quiet, obedient, and introverted. She couldn't refuse people, nor would she provoke trouble. No matter what she was asked to do, she would do it silently and rarely resisted or procrastinated. Even when bullied by her brothers, she would silently endure it.
Gu Yuanhui, on the other hand, was unruly and the youngest son in the family. He was spoiled and had no sense of propriety. He felt that Gu Xi had brought shame to the Gu family. Since Gu Xi came back, he had teased and bullied her a lot. Sometimes even her own mother couldn't stand it.
Gu Maowen also didn't quite believe that Gu Xi would hit someone.
Seeing that his parents didn't believe him, Gu Yuanhui was so angry he almost fainted. He was so furious that he wanted to drag Gu Xi back and confront them.
He really got hit by that brat Gu Xi; his face was swollen on one side, and he was in so much pain that he could barely speak!
In the end, the three siblings testified together, finally convincing the couple that Gu Xi had indeed hit someone, not only her youngest son but also her second son.
The second son's stomach was covered in a large bruise, and it looked very painful.
The couple were furious when they saw Gu Yuanhui's face, which was swollen like a steamed bun, and his eyes were dark.
"How could she exert so much strength?" Jiang Huijun tenderly cupped her youngest son's face, examining him closely. "Where is Xixi? Where is she?"
Gu Maowen said with a stern face, "Yuanxiang, go and call Gu Xi over." He didn't see her and assumed that Gu Xi had hidden away out of fear after hitting someone.
Gu Yuanxiang said angrily, "She ran out after hitting me and hasn't come back yet." Then she became aggrieved, "Dad, you don't know, she also pushed me and made me fall on the sofa. My hand is all bruised and it hurts so much."
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing a large bruise on his elbow.
It hurts terribly to touch it now. She has never suffered such injustice in her entire life.
Jiang Huijun felt sorry for her son and then for her adopted daughter. She took her daughter's hand, touched it, and went to get some medicinal wine for sprains and bruises to give her a massage.
Gu Yuanhui launched into another tirade of complaints, finally saying, "Dad, Mom, you have no idea how outrageous that brat Gu Xi is. You must teach her a lesson this time, or she'll turn against us and even attack our own family members without holding back!" Then he added, "She must have run off to the Shen family, thinking that with their protection, you won't dare to discipline her."
The couple didn't like hearing this. Gu Maowen's face fell, and Jiang Huijun's expression also turned sour.
Although the Gu family was a cadre family, there were still ranks among cadres, and compared to the Shen family, they were nothing.
The old man of the Shen family was a senior officer in the military compound who made numerous military achievements and was highly respected. Not to mention, none of the Shen family's descendants were bad; they were daring and enterprising. Most of the Shen family members served in the military, and their family tradition was upright and admirable.
The Gu family and the Shen family were originally completely unrelated, until Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng, the eldest son of the second branch of the Shen family, got engaged.
The marriage was arranged by Shen Chongshan and Feng Min, with the consent of the Shen family and the efforts of Shen Mingzheng's mother, Feng Min.
Five years ago, Feng Min encountered danger while visiting her hometown, and Gu Xi saved her.
At that time, Gu Xi carried the injured Feng Min for 20 kilometers to the town hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, she was so exhausted that she collapsed and almost lost half her life.
Feng Min's condition stabilized thanks to timely medical attention.
Feng Min's family home was the same commune where Gu Xi's adoptive parents lived. Because Gu Xi saved her, she was very grateful to Gu Xi. Knowing that Gu Xi's adoptive parents favored boys over girls and that Gu Xi, as the eldest daughter in the family, was having a hard time, she decided to adopt her and bring her to Beijing.
Unexpectedly, not long after arriving in the capital, Gu Xi encountered Jiang Huijun's family. Because Gu Xi looked so much like the old lady of the Jiang family, she was recognized by the Jiang family and the truth about the baby being switched at birth was discovered.
After a period of chaos and turmoil, Gu Xi was recognized as a member of the Gu family.
Gu Xi has biological parents, so it's naturally difficult for Feng Min to adopt her. However, she cares about Gu Xi and discovers that the Gu family favors the adopted daughter who was switched at birth. Worried that Gu Xi might be mistreated in the Gu family, she proposes that her eldest son, Shen Mingzheng, who is serving in the army, be engaged to Gu Xi.
Feng Min was wholeheartedly planning for Gu Xi's future, hoping that this marriage would ensure the Gu family would cherish her and prevent her from suffering again before she grew up.
The Gu family was naturally very happy about this marriage, as being able to get close to the Shen family would certainly be beneficial to them.
However, in recent years, Feng Min has frequently embarrassed the Gu family in order to support Gu Xi.
Both Gu Maowen and his wife were concerned about their image. Back then, they were ashamed of Gu Xi because of her country bumpkin appearance. Being targeted by Feng Min like this made them feel uncomfortable. Over time, they also had some reservations about the marriage.
Sometimes they even thought that it would be better if Gu Yuanxiang was the one who was engaged to the Shen family.
Gu Yuanxiang is considerate and on the side of her parents and the Gu family. She will definitely not let her future mother-in-law embarrass her parents like this.
Gu Maowen suppressed his displeasure and said, "When Gu Xi comes back, let her apologize to you."
Jiang Huijun sighed. Although she didn't know why her daughter hit Gu Yuanzheng and the others, hitting people was wrong. How could a girl hit someone? What would people think of her and the Gu family if word got out?
“Alright, we’ll talk to Xixi when she gets back,” she said to her youngest son. “But don’t always tease Xixi; she’s your older sister.”
Knowing that her youngest son had a problem with Gu Xi, but he never changed his ways despite repeated admonitions, she didn't know how to persuade him.
When the child grows up and becomes more sensible, he should be able to change, right? There's no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight between siblings.
Gu Yuanhui said angrily, "I wasn't playing a trick on her this time. She suddenly went crazy and hit me."
He didn't care about Gu Xi's apology. This girl dared to hit him, so he was determined to hit her back hard and show her what he was capable of. He was determined to make her cry and kneel down to apologize, kowtowing to him a hundred times.
According to Junzi and the others, women should be beaten hard until they obey and dare not resist anymore.
After calming the three children down, Jiang Huijun said, "Alright, let's eat first."
After a long day of work, everyone is tired and hungry. Let's eat first and talk about other things later.
To everyone's surprise, Gu Yuanzheng and the other two looked at each other blankly, and then told them that they hadn't cooked yet.
"What time is it? Why hasn't anyone cooked yet?" Gu Maowen was unhappy. It was summer vacation, and the three children in the family didn't have to go to school. Gu Yuanxiang and Gu Yuanhui were both at home, and Gu Yuanzheng was also there. Why wasn't any of them cooking?
Normally, you can come home to a hot meal, but if you're suddenly hungry, nobody's in a good mood.
Gu Yuanhui said matter-of-factly, "Gu Xi usually does the cooking. She hit us and ran away. We were in a lot of pain, so we didn't have time to cook."
Gu Yuanxiang smiled awkwardly.
Gu Yuanzheng looked exhausted. "I just got back from Shanghai."
Gu Maowen and his wife were both choked.
Whenever Gu Xi is home, she's the one who cooks, and they're used to it. Especially now that it's a holiday, Gu Xi always cooks, so there's always food ready when they come home.
Although Jiang Huijun was exhausted, she still had to eat. The men in her family were all big men who never went into the kitchen and just waited to be fed. In the end, she had to take her adopted daughter to cook.
She inwardly resented Gu Xi for making a mountain out of a molehill. Going to the Shen family's house—she wasn't even married yet, why was she always running to her in-laws' house? Wasn't this just making Feng Min think they were mistreating her?
The thought of Feng Min possibly showing up at her door, with her sarcastic and strange demeanor, gave her a headache.
Seeing her adoptive mother's bad expression, Gu Yuanxiang said considerately, "Mom, it's wrong for Xixi to hit someone. As long as she apologizes to us, we won't hold it against her. If Aunt Feng comes, we will tell her the truth. Xixi really did something wrong this time. Even if Aunt Feng loves her, she can't be so unreasonable, can she?"
These words struck a chord with Jiang Huijun, and a smile finally appeared on her face. "You're right." Then she sighed, "If only Xixi were as considerate as you."
Actually, she also felt guilty towards her biological daughter, feeling that she had suffered a lot during her fifteen years in the countryside.
No matter how guilty he felt, he couldn't help it because he had many children at home and loved the one raised by his side even more. Gu Xi was quiet, unassuming, and too easy to take care of, so he sometimes inevitably neglected her.
And Feng Min was protecting her, always showing them no respect, which gradually made her resentful.
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