Chapter 13 – The Mother and Daughter’s Scheming

Although the old cotton-padded jacket was worn and torn, it was thickly stuffed. Gu Yuzhu was a little child, so when she plopped down on it, she only felt it was soft and cushy, making the ride much less bumpy.

She had just sat down when a sarcastic voice rang out:

“Oh my, how extravagant of a former maid from the city! Such a thick cotton jacket just to cushion a little girl’s bottom!”

Before Gu Yuzhu had a chance to look at who was speaking, Yan Fengru fired back:

“Old lady does what she wants. What business is it of yours?”

“You—you… someone speak up! Am I wrong? Isn’t Gu Dapeng being too extravagant? Honestly! The moment someone leaves, all the attention shifts to the new one. My elder sister’s only been gone a few years, and already her kids are suffering under a stepmother! How pitiful, my poor niece and nephew! Such misfortune!”

Gu Yuzhu: “…”
So this was her cheap father’s ex-sister-in-law? How impressive. No wonder her older brother and sister were so hostile toward her mother—now she understood.
But right now, she was just an innocent little child. This wasn’t the time to say much.

After a moment of thought, Gu Yuzhu looked up and pretended to ask in confusion, “Mama, why did that lady say Papa is rich?”

Upon hearing that, Madam Xiao Jiang turned red with rage. Even the few women who had originally wanted to speak up for her gave up the idea. It was Yan Fengru who snorted impatiently, “Who knows? Maybe she’s just bored.”

Madam Xiao Jiang: “……”

“Good girl, is the ride bumpy? I’ll make you a bigger cotton cushion next time,” said Yan Fengru gently.

Gu Yuzhu shook her head and replied sweetly, “Not bumpy at all!” Yan Fengru fondly stroked her little daughter’s head. Neither of them paid Madam Xiao Jiang any more attention, which only made her angrier.

Especially since she was sitting close enough to notice that Gu Yuzhu’s clothes were brand new—fine cotton fabric, closely stitched, simply but neatly embroidered. The colors were bright and lively.

That kind of craftsmanship didn’t come cheap!

Now she was truly envious.

In fact, Madam Xiao Jiang wasn’t much older than her elder sister, Jiang Shi. The two sisters had married around the same time.

Jiang Shi had bad luck—she married a good, honest man, but passed away young. Madam Xiao Jiang’s fate was even worse. She survived, but her husband died unexpectedly when her eldest son was only nine years old. At the time, she was still pregnant, expecting a posthumous child. Life became visibly difficult.

Fortunately, she had an older son, so her in-laws didn’t dare go too far. In times like these, having a male in the family meant your voice carried weight. Her husband’s family, the Fengs, didn’t just refrain from making things hard—they even supported her in raising her children.

Later, she gave birth to a girl.

Not long after, Jiang Shi also passed away. Their mother, Yuan Shi, figured both daughters were unfortunate. Her elder son-in-law, Gu Dapeng, was diligent and honest. It was a pity her eldest daughter had died young.

The younger daughter was a widow with two children. Why not match the younger daughter with her elder son-in-law? With Gu Dapeng’s character, he surely wouldn’t mistreat her daughter’s children. Plus, an aunt wouldn’t mistreat her own niece and nephew.

This way, both families’ problems would be perfectly solved.

After Yuan Shi’s suggestion, Madam Xiao Jiang began to develop feelings for Gu Dapeng. Although she had some support from the Feng family, it was still hard for a widow with two children.

Her deceased husband hadn’t been as tall or sturdy as Gu Dapeng, nor was he as handsome.

Of course, Madam Xiao Jiang hadn’t thought much of her brother-in-law before. But after losing her husband, with her days growing tougher, and then seeing her sister die too, she started noticing Gu Dapeng’s tall, strong figure—and her mind began to wander.

Half-pushing, half-persuading herself, she agreed.

However, before Yuan Shi had a chance to speak to the Gu family, one of Gu Dapeng’s relatives had already arranged a match with Yan Fengru.

Although Gu Dapeng was honest, he wasn’t stupid.

On one side was his former sister-in-law, a widow with two children; on the other was a young, unmarried maid just returned from serving in a wealthy household. Of course Gu Dapeng preferred Yan Fengru.

Being a big maid in a rich family meant she was capable. And if he married Madam Xiao Jiang, not counting the older son from the Feng family, he’d still have to raise her younger daughter.

Even an honest man could weigh pros and cons.

Before Madam Xiao Jiang and Yuan Shi’s plan could come to fruition, it had already fallen apart. Yuan Shi, as the former mother-in-law, could unreasonably blame Gu Dapeng, but the facts were settled. Madam Xiao Jiang, as a former sister-in-law, had neither the standing nor the face to push herself forward. So she turned her resentment toward Yan Fengru.

Yan Fengru, after finding out the backstory, mentally added the blame to Gu Dapeng’s account.

“Mom, I want to sit on a soft cushion too! I want new clothes, pink ones, with flowers embroidered on the cuffs and collar—just like hers!”

Feng Shuilian, Madam Xiao Jiang’s ten-year-old daughter, was at the age of loving pretty things. Her hair was light yellow and soft, tied up with a pink silk flower—clearly, Madam Xiao Jiang doted on this daughter dearly.

However, what made Gu Yuzhu very unhappy was that this annoying little girl actually came over and tugged at her beautiful clothes. Gu Yuzhu wasn’t some weak pushover. The moment the girl reached for her, she leaned toward her mother, Yan Fengru, and even cried out, “Ah!”

Yan Fengru immediately pulled her daughter into her arms. Her upturned phoenix eyes now looked fierce and imposing. Seeing her like this, Madam Xiao Jiang instantly puffed up like a protective mother hen, yanking her own daughter close and scolding:

“What are you doing? Bullying a widow and her children because they’re easy targets?”

“She grabbed my clothes! These are mine! They belong to Zhu’er!”

The villagers, who had been quietly watching the two women, now turned their gaze toward Madam Xiao Jiang and her daughter. Oh—so it was you trying to snatch another girl’s clothes? Look at that pretty new outfit, now all crumpled from being grabbed!

This wasn’t how Madam Xiao Jiang had imagined things would go. Both mother and daughter were stunned.

What they didn’t realize was: who would spend money on a bullock cart ride unless they had a bit of savings and weren’t stingy with a few copper coins?

Most rural families worked themselves to the bone in the fields all year round, barely scraping by.

And the villages near Qingyun Town weren’t far from it. Those farther out would usually go to a nearer market instead—unless visiting relatives or some special reason.

In other words, anyone willing to pay to ride a bullock cart had some money and certainly didn’t care for the kind of sour, jealous attitude Madam Xiao Jiang and her daughter showed.

The old man driving the cart was from Qingshan Village. He made several trips daily between the village and Qingyun Town, charging two copper coins per passenger. His cart had been modified to carry six or seven people at once, and he sat up front, slowly urging the old ox toward the market.