Chapter 119.1

At the Old Gu Residence

Zhao Wuzhu had already been back for a week, but she still hadn’t seen Gu Qingsong’s figure.

However, someone in the family compound told her that Gu Qingsong had brought Lin Meizhi home before and stayed for a few nights.

A comrade from the neighborhood office also told her that during the time Zhao Wuzhu was in the North, Gu Qingsong and Lin Meizhi had already gotten their marriage certificate, and now they were a real couple.

Although Zhao Wuzhu had already mentally prepared herself, when she first heard this news, she was so angry that she nearly exploded on the spot.

But even though she was furious, there was nothing she could do about it, as Gu Qingsong was nowhere to be found.

So, she spent several days sulking alone at home. When she finally decided to go find that foolish son of hers, Gu Qingsong came swaggering home.

Zhao Wuzhu was furious. She immediately slapped him a few times, but all of them landed on his arm. Since he was wearing a coat in the middle of winter, the slaps didn’t hurt much.

She was so angry that her face turned red and her neck bulged, gritting her teeth as she shouted, “Gu Qingsong, you little brat! Is this how you treat your mother? You threw me aside for some woman, abandoning your old mother for a broken shoe? You bastard! You’re an ungrateful wolf!”

“You almost let your old mother freeze to death out there in that desolate place in the North, and yet you don’t care at all, not even a word of concern! You wait, I’ll beat you to death!”

While cursing, Zhao Wuzhu continued to hit Gu Qingsong with her hands. “You deliberately tried to drive me away, didn’t you? You went off to marry that woman, didn’t you? Let me tell you, as long as I’m alive, that vixen will never step into our house. You go and divorce her right now!”

As she spoke, Zhao Wuzhu wasn’t satisfied with just slapping him. She grabbed a broom and started hitting him with it, causing Gu Qingsong to scream in pain.

Before returning home, Gu Qingsong had expected such an outcome, so he hadn’t dared to bring Lin Meizhi to the house, afraid that Zhao Wuzhu might even hit her.

However, Gu Qingsong never expected that his mother, who had always been so protective of him, would actually lash out so violently. The broom fell hard on his back and legs, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Good mom, please stop, please stop! If you keep hitting me, your son is going to die! It hurts so much!”

“Good, I want to beat you to death!” Zhao Wuzhu heard her son begging for mercy and became even more furious. “Do you still have me, your real mother, in your heart? You sent me off on that train like that, and I don’t even know how to read, almost dying on the road!”

“You little bastard, you’re doing this on purpose to get rid of me, so you can be with that vixen, aren’t you?”

Gu Qingsong knew Zhao Wuzhu was angry and didn’t intend to fight back, but when he heard her speak so poorly of his wife, he couldn’t help but retort, “Mom, Meizhi is now your daughter-in-law, so don’t say such hurtful things. Calm down, and if you’re tired of hitting me, we can talk later.”

However, Gu Qingsong instinctively moved toward the corner to avoid her. Seeing this, Zhao Wuzhu became even angrier and hit him harder.

The broom in her hand accidentally struck the cabinet and broke in two with a loud “crack” sound.

Gu Qingsong immediately shrank his neck, looked at Zhao Wuzhu, and shouted, “Mom, I was wrong. Please calm down, don’t hurt yourself in the process!”

Zhao Wuzhu noticed people gathering outside the door from the family compound. She threw the broken broom on the floor and cursed, “I can’t even beat you to death!”

Then, in a huff, she walked to the door, saw the crowd of onlookers, and slammed the door shut with a “bang!” to avoid further embarrassment.

Gu Qingsong watched as Zhao Wuzhu angrily sat down on the grand chair in the living room. Ignoring the pain in his body, he quickly went over and poured her a cup of tea.

He handed it to Zhao Wuzhu, trying to please her, “Mom, calm down, don’t let yourself get hurt. It’s not worth it.”

Zhao Wuzhu glanced at the tea cup he handed her, turned her head away, and snorted.

She always thought that the child she loved the most was this youngest son. She never made him do household chores and always found ways to help him when he needed money.

Everything—food, clothing—she made sure he had it first.

But in the end, this ungrateful son had sent her off on that train for the sake of a woman, sending her alone to such a far place.

She could never forgive him for that!

Gu Qingsong saw that Zhao Wuzhu was deliberately ignoring him. He thickened his skin and pulled a chair over to sit beside her.

He picked up the cup from the table and handed it to her again, saying gently, “Mom, I know I was wrong. You’re right to be angry, but please don’t hurt yourself. If you’re upset, take it out on me.”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Wuzhu raised her hand and slapped the enamel cup out of his hand. The cup hit the ground and shattered with a loud “clink.”

“Don’t think I’m easy to fool. If you’re set on marrying that vixen, then get out of here now. I don’t have a son like you!” Zhao Wuzhu pointed toward the door, signaling for Gu Qingsong to leave.

The trip to the North had already made her angry. Her son had turned his back on her, always listening to that Wen Nuan.

In the end, Gu Qinglan, that nasty girl, was the same as before—always siding with Wen Nuan. It was as if that woman had given them some kind of magic potion to make them both act like this.

Gu Qingsong was even more foolish; after making one mistake, he still didn’t learn his lesson, and now he was getting involved with Lin Meizhi again. How stupid!

Gu Qingsong went over to pick up the enamel cup, refilled it, and patiently said, “Mom, I’m not leaving. I’m your son, and I’ll always be your son.”

He knew that Zhao Wuzhu must have had a hard time in the North; otherwise, why would she have come back so soon?

The North was so far away. He had initially estimated that Zhao Wuzhu wouldn’t return until after the New Year.

But Zhao Wuzhu had only been gone for half a month. If she had been doing well in the North, there was no way she would have rushed back so quickly.

So, it was easy to guess that she must have had some kind of falling out with Big Brother and Wen Nuan.

He couldn’t give up just yet. After all, he had already convinced his mom to let Lin Meizhi into the house.

However, he didn’t dare to call Gu Qinglan, afraid of getting scolded again. But if Zhao Wuzhu didn’t leave the old home, he wouldn’t be able to convince his stubborn mother to accept his marriage with Lin Meizhi.

Zhao Wuzhu angrily pointed to the door. “I’ve been back for a week, and do you still care about me, your mother? Get out! I don’t want to see you!”

“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll leave in a bit.” Gu Qingsong put the roasted duck he had just brought onto the table and said, “I didn’t expect you to come back so quickly. I thought you’d at least stay in the North until after the New Year.”

When Zhao Wuzhu heard this, she became even angrier, snorting, “I wouldn’t even want to stay there! It was freezing cold, who would want to stay in a place like that!”

Gu Qingsong thought to himself that even if she wanted to stay, Big Brother and Wen Nuan probably didn’t want her there either.

Zhao Wuzhu, unable to find anyone to vent her frustrations, began to complain, even though she still resented Gu Qingsong deep down.

“Your Big Brother is really a fool, with his head all muddled up by pig’s oil. He’s such a big official, but he listens to every word that woman says. It’s so embarrassing!”

“And that Gu Qinglan, that ungrateful girl! She thinks she’s so important just because she’s a nurse, and now she doesn’t even see me as her mother. I don’t know what kind of poison that woman’s feeding them, but it’s driving me mad!”

Gu Qingsong seized the opportunity, handed her the tea, and curiously asked, “What happened? Tell me more.”

Zhao Wuzhu took the tea from Gu Qingsong and took a gulp, saying, “That brat Qinglan is an ungrateful child. I tried so hard to find her a match, a national official from Beijing, and what does she do? She refuses to listen to me and insists on listening to her sister-in-law, ending up with a soldier.”

“Now, she’ll regret it. She had a good opportunity with a Beijing official, but she chose to marry a soldier instead!”

Gu Qingsong rubbed his chin. “Something like this happened?”

But it was all expected. The last time Gu Qinglan came home, they had scolded her, so she would definitely not take them seriously anymore.

His Big Brother had told him to apologize to Gu Qinglan, but after writing several letters to her, they were all returned.

Later, he found out that she had gone to the North to rely on Gu Qinghan. He had written to her too, but she never responded to a single letter.

Thinking about this made Gu Qingsong feel a sharp pain in his heart.

He had always had a good relationship with Gu Qinglan when they were children, and even before going to the countryside, they had been close. But neither of them got along with Gu Qinghan, who had joined the army at a young age and gone to some military academy.

Now, Gu Qinglan had gotten closer to Gu Qinghan and completely ignored him.

Zhao Wuzhu snorted, “It’s all that Big Brother’s wife causing trouble. If it weren’t for her, Qinglan might have even gotten a Beijing hukou by now.”

“Enough, let’s stop talking about them. Talking about them gives me a headache.”

Seeing that Zhao Wuzhu was no longer as angry, Gu Qingsong shifted the topic and asked intentionally, “How are Big Brother’s two kids?”

Mentioning her two grandsons softened Zhao Wuzhu’s expression, and a faint smile appeared on her face. “Just like our old Gu family—tall and lively, full of energy.”

“If only they could have been brought back to the old home. If they had, we would be having a proper celebration now,” Zhao Wuzhu said, rubbing her temples and sighing. “But, well, even if they couldn’t come back, they’re still our Gu family’s grandsons.”

As she thought about it, Zhao Wuzhu remembered the matter of putting the children’s names into the family genealogy, which had been delayed because of Gu Qingsong’s situation.

Now that he had returned, she said, “By the way, you should find a time to go with me to the ancestral hall and add my two grandsons’ names to the genealogy. I’ve already forgotten what names Big Brother gave the kids.”

Gu Qingsong curled his lips, clearly displeased.

Lin Meizhi’s son had already changed his surname to Gu, now following his surname. But knowing Zhao Wuzhu’s temper, there was no way she would allow Meizhi’s son to be included in the Gu family’s genealogy for this lifetime.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Qingsong reluctantly responded, “What are the kids’ names?”

“I can’t remember all the details, but your Big Brother wrote them down for me. I’ll go find it and show you.”

Saying that, Zhao Wuzhu went back to her room. She searched for quite a while before finally finding the note that Gu Qinghan had written the names on.

But the more she looked at it, the stranger it seemed.

Although she was illiterate, she recognized the “Gu” character from the old Gu family, but something about the names didn’t seem right.

“Second son, come take a look. Is this the right one?” Zhao Wuzhu hurriedly handed Gu Qingsong a piece of torn paper from a notebook, saying, “Why does this look a bit off? Did your Big Brother make a mistake?”

Gu Qingsong took the note and looked at it. “Let me see.”

“Big Brother probably wouldn’t make a mistake, right?” Zhao Wuzhu muttered, but before she could finish her sentence, Gu Qingsong raised one eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation.

“Why do these names have the surname Lu?” he asked.

No one in their family had the surname Lu.

“Lu?” Zhao Wuzhu anxiously leaned in, trying to see the characters on the paper. “What does it say? I thought the kids were named Zheng.”

Gu Qingsong read the names aloud: “The elder son was born at noon on August 6th, named Lu Zhengyang. The younger son was born at 12:06 pm on August 6th, named Lu Zhengqi.”

The note included the children’s birth times, and even though Zhao Wuzhu didn’t believe in the surname Lu, she clearly remembered that the children were born exactly at noon. But why were their surnames Lu?

Who was this Lu family?

Zhao Wuzhu was becoming more and more confused and said, “You should hurry up and call your Big Brother to ask about this. The names can’t be wrong.”

The phone call took two whole days before they finally managed to reach Gu Qinghan.

When Gu Qinghan answered the call, he didn’t try to hide anything. He simply said, “There was no mistake, the children do indeed have the surname Lu.”

Then he added, “They’re taking the surname of their great-grandfather, General Lu.”

When Gu Qingsong heard this, fearing that his mother Zhao Wuzhu wouldn’t believe him, he quickly handed the phone to her and said, “Mom, you should listen.”

Zhao Wuzhu hurriedly took the phone and asked, “Oldest, what’s going on? Did you make a mistake? The note you gave me says the kids have the surname Lu?”

Gu Qinghan paused his work and replied calmly, “There’s no mistake. The two children take their great-grandfather’s surname.”

“You, you, you—”

At that moment, Zhao Wuzhu was so furious she almost felt like she could kill. She shouted, “Oldest, you’d better change it back right now! If you don’t change their surname back, I’ll pretend I don’t have a son like you, and those two aren’t my grandchildren!”

“Are you out of your mind? Go ask around, how many people are as casual as you? Your own children don’t take your surname but take their great-grandfather’s instead?”

How was this different from being a son-in-law?

Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t even form the words to express her anger, but her face turned green with rage. If only she had taken a closer look at the situation earlier—she would have made sure that Gu Qinghan changed the kids’ names back before leaving, even if it cost her life!

Gu Qinghan, looking at the documents on his desk, responded indifferently, “The household registration has already been processed. It can’t be changed.”

“By the way, I wanted to tell you something else. Qinglan and Da Xiang are getting married early next year. Prepare some things and send them to her.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu, in her fury, threw the receiver against the wall, making a loud crash.

“Gu Qinghan, I’ll pretend I don’t have a son like you!”

“Every single one of you is an unworthy child, just trying to drive me to my grave!”

Taking advantage of the moment, Gu Qingsong quickly spoke up, “Mom, don’t be upset. Mei Zhi is also pregnant. When she gives birth, the child can take your surname. Anyway, Big Brother barely comes home, what’s the point of getting so upset?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Zhao Wuzhu snapped when she heard this. She didn’t know who she was more angry with.

With gritted teeth, she turned to Gu Qingsong and said, “First, make sure that fox is actually carrying your child, and then talk about taking my surname! Be careful, you might end up looking like a fool again!”

After saying that, Zhao Wuzhu angrily tried to leave, but the comrade at the post office heard the noise and came over. When he saw that the telephone receiver was broken, he shouted, “Hey, Auntie, don’t go! You damaged public property, stop right there!”

Zhao Wuzhu was immediately stunned. She realized she could not leave now.

As a result, under the post office comrade’s severe reprimand, Zhao Wuzhu was not only publicly scolded, but also had to compensate 80 yuan for the damage to the telephone.

When she left the post office, Zhao Wuzhu sat down on the street and burst into tears with a loud howl.