Chapter 199 Red Envelope
Grandma was sitting in the room, surrounded by several old ladies from the village.
They chatted with each other, their words full of flattery for grandma.
Grandma's face was filled with a kind smile, her eyes narrowed into crescents. She nodded gently from time to time, clearly enjoying the compliments. She was completely immersed in this cheerful atmosphere, feeling particularly relaxed.
But this originally harmonious scene was broken by a sudden burst of crying.
He saw his eldest daughter, Gu Dongxue, walking in from outside, crying. Her steps were hurried and slightly staggering, and she kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief, but the tears would not stop flowing like beads from a broken string.
The moment she saw Grandma Gu, a hint of disbelief flashed in Gu Dongxue's eyes.
Her eyes fell directly on her grandmother, and her heart couldn't help but surge. Is this still her mother who used to be so hungry that she would spend every penny she had?
Grandma was now wearing brand new clothes. While the material wasn't particularly expensive, it still looked exceptionally respectable in this rural village. Her graying hair was meticulously combed, each strand seemingly carefully placed. Her once sallow, thin face had become rosier, and her cheeks had even gained some flesh. She looked energetic and radiant.
Gu Dongxue looked at her grandmother in front of her, and a trace of hatred flashed across her eyes uncontrollably.
She secretly complained in her heart: Why does she live so well, but doesn't think about helping her daughter?
It really is a case of favoring boys over girls!
When the grandmother saw her daughter coming back, her smiling eyes instantly lit up, full of surprise and love.
She quickly waved, signaling Gu Dongxue to come closer. Then she grabbed her hand and held it tightly, the longing in her eyes evident. "Are you here? Are you here alone? Or are you here with your child?"
Grandma's voice was soft, warm, and full of concern.
Gu Dongxue lowered her head slightly, her long bangs hiding the hatred in her eyes. She pretended to be aggrieved and said, "We all came together, but the sister-in-law didn't seem to welcome me. We stood at the door for a long time and no one greeted us."
As she spoke, she secretly observed her grandmother's expression, hoping to get some sympathy and support from her.
When Grandma Gu heard this, she couldn't help but sigh softly.
She was very aware of the conflict between her eldest daughter-in-law and her eldest daughter. This conflict had existed since her eldest daughter was still in her parents' home, and she had tried to reconcile it over the years.
But these two seemed to clash by nature. The eldest daughter-in-law was a chatterbox, blunt in her words, and incapable of tact; while the eldest daughter was petty and always brooded over the smallest matters.
When two people get together, they are like a thorn in the flesh, and conflicts are likely to occur as soon as they meet.
"That's just your sister-in-law's temper. Just pretend you didn't see it. Where are the children? Why don't you bring them in to show me?" Grandma said helplessly, trying to change the subject and resolve the potential conflict.
"The children are very active. They ran away as soon as they entered the door. I will bring them here after they have played enough." Gu Dongxue would not tell the truth.
In fact, she deliberately didn't let the children into the house. She was planning to let the children eat her aunt out of money.
Gu Dongxue had been married to the Sun family for over a decade and had given birth to three sons. In her opinion, this was her greatest achievement. She felt even more proud when she learned that her younger sister and her older brother had few children.
Because of these three sons, although her life in the Sun family was poor, it was not too difficult.
As the saying goes, "A young boy can eat his father out of poverty." Her three young boys had incredibly large appetites, requiring them to use bowls for every meal.
But even so, they started to feel hungry again as soon as it got dark.
We don't have much money at home, how can we afford such consumption?
In order to feed her children, she had to save food from her own mouth. That was why the three sons of the Sun family grew up to be tall, strong, white and plump. But Gu Dongxue herself was so hungry that her face turned pale.
The room was crowded and full of gossip. Although Gu Dongxue was still thinking about asking for money, she knew that such extortion was not something she could talk about in front of so many people. She knew the nature of the villagers, who were all talkative and gossipy. If she brought it up today, everyone in the village would know before nightfall.
So she could only sit beside Grandma Gu without saying a word, just sitting there dryly, with a hint of anxiety and unwillingness in her eyes from time to time.
After sitting like this for about half an hour, Gu Jichun walked in.
Not only did she come by herself, she also brought her two children in. When the two children saw Grandma Gu, their eyes lit up instantly, and bright smiles bloomed on their faces. They ran over like two happy little rabbits.
"Grandma, I miss you so much." Zhou Xing threw herself into Grandma Gu's arms and said coquettishly.
"Grandma, how are you feeling recently? Are your legs still hurting? A few days ago, a traveling doctor came to our village and told us that there's a kind of herbal medicine that's very effective for leg pain. Mom and Dad got a lot of it. Can we apply it on you later?" The youngest son, Zhou Changcai, also came up and asked with concern.
"I want to apply medicine to grandma too."
Gu Jichun married Zhou Dafu from the next village and gave birth to two children. The eldest daughter, Zhou Xing, is fourteen years old this year. She is graceful and has a lively and cheerful personality; the youngest son, Zhou Changcai, is ten years old this year and is smart and clever.
The two children were well educated by Gu Jichun. They always smiled when they met people and were very lovable.
Grandma Gu looked at the two children surrounding her, her face lit up with joy, her mouth wide open. "Good, good, good, you are all good children."
As she spoke, she took out two red envelopes from her pocket and handed them to the two children. "Here, this is what grandma prepared for you. Keep it well and go back to buy candy."
Seeing this, Gu Jichun was about to refuse, but Gu Dongxue suddenly stood up with an indignant look on her face. She loudly accused Grandma Gu, "Mom, you are biased. I have been here for so long and you have never given red envelopes to my three children. Why did you give them to my second sister as soon as she arrived?"
Her voice was sharp and piercing, breaking the originally harmonious atmosphere in the room.
"I know you have disliked me since childhood, but you can't be so obvious, right?" She said with her hands on her hips, staring straight at Grandma Gu, as if trying to find a trace of guilt in her eyes.
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell silent, and everyone was at a loss as to what to do with this sudden change.
Everyone looked at each other with embarrassed expressions on their faces.
Some people moved their bodies, as if they wanted to quietly leave this place of trouble; some people opened their mouths, wanting to persuade, but didn't know where to start.
"Dongxue, you misunderstood your mother. We watched her seal this red envelope, and every child in the family has one." An old lady broke the silence first and spoke earnestly.
"That's right, and as soon as you entered the house, your mother asked you if the child had come. It was you who said that he had come but was outside. Your mother might want to wait until the child came into the house before giving it to him." Another old lady also quickly agreed.
"Yes, yes, yes. As a daughter, don't you know what your mother's character is like? She is the fairest."
The other old ladies also tried to calm the situation by talking to them.
Gu Dongxue regretted her words the moment they came out of her mouth. She knew she shouldn't question her own mother in front of so many people. But deep down, she felt she was in the right.
In her opinion, her mother was biased.
Not only had the family's money been given to the three older brothers over the years, but now they were also partial to the younger sister. She felt like she was stuck in the middle, neither up nor down, with no one to love her.
Grandma Gu looked at her eldest daughter, her eyes full of disappointment.
That disappointed look seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts.
If it was someone else who said this today, given her personality, she would have definitely fought back without hesitation. But now, the one who said this was the flesh that had fallen from her body.
Over the years, she asked herself if she had ever treated any child unfairly.
How easy is it to be completely fair in this not-so-rich family?
For example, boys naturally eat bigger meals. Furthermore, they work in the fields every day, expending considerable energy, so naturally they get more food when it's time to share. But in Gu Dongxue's eyes, all of this became evidence of Grandma Gu's preference for boys over girls and her poor treatment of her daughter.
Gu Dongxue only remembered that she often didn't have enough to eat and was often beaten by her mother when she was a child, but she forgot the fact that she ate more and better than other girls, and she also forgot that her mother beat her because she was always causing trouble.
Zhou Xing and her brother stood beside Grandma Gu holding a red envelope, looking very embarrassed.
They secretly glanced at Gu Jichun, their eyes full of requests for help.
Gu Jichun winked at them, signaling them not to panic.
Zhou Changcai was young, but his mind was quick. He rolled his eyes and quickly walked behind Grandma Gu, saying with a grin, "Grandma, that traveling doctor also taught me a trick. It's really good for back massage. Would you like to try it?"
As he spoke, he stretched out his little hand and gently patted Grandma Gu on the back.
Someone broke the awkward situation, and the atmosphere in the room gradually became better. The old ladies were generous with their praise. "Oh, your eldest grandson is so filial."
"Oh, you're so talented. Third Grandma's back is also very sore, come and give me a massage."
"Haha, yes, yes, my little grandma's back is also sore, you guys come and massage it."
Zhou Changcai was so busy that he was sweating profusely, becoming the busiest person in the room. "Wait for me, Third Grandma. I'll give my grandma a good beating first before I help you."
"Youngest grandma, please wait a minute. I'll give Third grandma a back massage first. Let's line up." He said as he gave Grandma Gu a back massage seriously.
That cute and sensible look made everyone laugh.
Originally, everyone was just entertaining the children and no one thought he could really massage and pound their backs. However, after several elderly ladies were massaged and pounded by him, they were pleasantly surprised to find that their whole bodies were indeed much more relaxed.
"Oh, this guy really knows how to do it? I feel like my whole back feels a lot better."
"Yeah, it feels like my head has become several pounds lighter."
Grandma Gu seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness just now. A proud smile appeared on her face again and she continued to chat with everyone lively.
However, the content of this conversation mostly revolved around the Zhou siblings.
Some people curiously asked Zhou Changcai about the details of how he learned this craft, and some people asked Zhou Xing with concern whether he had already met someone.
The room was bustling with activity, filled with laughter and chatter. Gu Dongxue was left alone, ignored.
Gu Dongxue was filled with rage. She gritted her teeth, stamped her feet, and stormed out of the room.
The people in the house looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what to do.
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