Chapter 161 Wicked Stepmother, Poor Child 54
Although she had no money in her pocket, the old lady valued her reputation above all else and would never show weakness in front of the servants.
Upon hearing this, the old lady reacted as if her tail had been stepped on, her voice suddenly becoming shrill.
"A bunch of shallow-minded bastards! You think you can get away with anything just because we shortchanged you by a few days' wages?"
Tomorrow! Tomorrow is payday! Get back to work, all of you!
"What kind of family are we, the Gu family? We're an official family! How could we possibly shortchange you on your monthly allowance!"
Her words sounded fierce, but to everyone else, they were just bluffing and a show of bravado masking weakness.
After dispersing the servants who had come to watch the commotion, the old lady, her face ashen, hurried back to her own courtyard. Her chest heaved with anger; she couldn't swallow this insult!
Old Madam Gu, who had lived a dignified life, was humiliated in front of the servants by her daughter-in-law! She immediately held a grudge against her!
The old lady knew that she couldn't let the people in the mansion fall into disarray. If they did, the situation would become unstable, the whole family would be unable to maintain itself, and she, the old lady in charge of the household, would be in a difficult position to manage in the future.
This month's pay must be distributed as soon as possible.
“Go, go to Zhou’s place and retrieve the red gold and jade bracelet that I gave her back then.”
Given her current status, she is no longer worthy of wearing such valuable items.
The old lady, her face grim, instructed her trusted old nanny that the bracelet was quite valuable, a prized possession she kept hidden away, and that it would be useful in an emergency.
The old woman accepted the order and left, but her heart was filled with unease.
Sure enough, upon arriving at Zhou Jingxuan's excessively quiet Shuyuxuan, after explaining their purpose, Zhou Jingxuan raised her wrist, revealing the lustrous bracelet, and a strange smile curled at the corner of her mouth, making one feel uneasy.
"Is this what you want, Granny?"
"Yes, this is it," the old woman replied, forcing herself to speak.
Zhou Jingxuan laughed, and as she laughed, she took the bracelet off her wrist. Her laughter grew louder and louder, even becoming somewhat shrill. She took the bracelet off and held it high in the air.
The old woman's eyes were filled with terror, but Zhou Jingxuan did not hesitate and slammed her hard to the ground.
With a crisp crack, the jade shattered, the gold threads twisted, and a priceless piece of jewelry instantly became a pile of flowers, fragments scattered on the ground, worthless.
"Haha, take it back?"
Tell her, even if I, Zhou Jingxuan, ruin it, I will never let her take it back!! Get out!
Zhou Jingxuan went berserk, pointing at the door and cursing fiercely.
The old woman was terrified and scrambled back to report. Who knew if Concubine Zhou would suddenly go berserk and beat people? How could such a perfectly normal person turn into such a madwoman?
"Madam! Aunt Zhou smashed the bracelet! She said she won't return it to you even if she smashed it!"
Upon hearing this, the old lady nearly fainted, her heart clenching with pain.
That bracelet cost a fortune! That crazy woman! That spendthrift!
But since things had come to this, she had no other choice but to reluctantly open her jewelry box, carefully select a few of the heaviest gold bracelets and hairpins, and have someone secretly take them to a pawnshop to exchange them for money.
The monthly allowance was finally paid out, but the price was that the old lady had to cut her own flesh. For the first time, the old lady regretted that she should not have come to the capital. She should have stayed in her hometown, where she would have had the help of her in-laws and lived a much freer life than she does now.
That evening, Gu Hongjian dragged his exhausted body back home, but instead of being greeted by warm lights, he was met with his mother's anxious complaints.
"My son, I can't live like this anymore!"
We're almost starving at home, you need to think of something quick!
The old lady dismissed everyone around her, took her son's hand, and recounted the events of the day: Zhou Jingxuan had gone mad, the household was out of money, and Shen Ci had committed insubordination, embellishing the story as she went.
Gu Hongjian was already in a bad mood, and hearing about these trivial matters made him even angrier, as if the whole world was against him.
"Think of a way? What can I possibly do!"
He irritably loosened the collar of his official robe, his tone full of complaints.
"You know how much my salary has been reduced since I was demoted!"
That little bit of money isn't even enough for socializing and bribing officials! Whether it's a colleague's banquet or a boss's birthday celebration, money is always needed to pave the way.
My own future is almost ruined, how can I possibly have any extra money to fill the bottomless pit that's draining my family's finances!
He became increasingly angry as he spoke, even hoping that his mother could give him some of her savings to help him. He was already struggling to move around, yet the house was still in such a mess. Why was the house getting more and more chaotic?
The mother and son were speechless. After careful consideration, they realized that their home had been emptied of all their money and they were now desperately in need of money to save their lives.
After a long silence, a glint of light flashed in the old lady's old eyes, and she lowered her voice.
"My son, isn't there a mountain of gold and silver right in front of you?"
Gu Hongjian was taken aback.
Where?
"Who else could it be? Shen Ci!"
Her dowry is enough for our family to live comfortably for many years. As long as we keep her happy, a little bit of it between our fingers will be enough for us to get through this difficult time.
The old lady, with a look of disbelief on his face, offered her advice.
The thought of Shen Ci's current cold and aloof demeanor, as stubborn as a piece of meat, filled Gu Hongjian with disgust and impatience.
"Pamper her? Haven't you seen how she is now? She's like a completely different person. Where is the docility she used to be?"
I think she's determined to oppose us!
She's like a dead pig now; a dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water.
"Foolish!"
Women, in the end, aren't they all just thinking about the same things? You are, after all, her husband and the father of her two children!
Go to her room more often, say some sweet words, and get intimate with her at night. Once she turns back, why worry about not getting the money?
The old lady said anxiously.
"Closeness?"
You want me to touch her? Mother, you saw it yourself, after she gave birth to those two children, her figure was out of shape and her face was sallow.
Looking at her body, how could I...?
His tone was full of contempt, as if Shen Ci were some kind of disgusting filth, as if he had heard something nauseating and blurted it out without thinking.
The old lady's face darkened, and her tone became sinister. No wonder her daughter-in-law's personality had changed so drastically; the root of the problem lay here.
"For the sake of this family and your future, what's a little grievance?"
Close your eyes, blow out the light—which woman is any different? Go now! Do you really want to watch the Gu family fall apart?
Under his mother's temptation and the pressure of reality, Gu Hongjian had no choice but to bite the bullet and reluctantly head towards Shen Ci's main courtyard.
He decided to start by getting close to the children. He forced a fatherly smile and tried to hug Gu Mingzhu and Gu Mingzhang, but the two children looked at him as if they had seen a ghost.
She screamed and hid, her face full of fear and rejection, refusing to let him touch her at all.
...
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