Chapter 32: Tearing Off the Mask

Then Madam Zhou spoke up:

“How about this—our family raises ducks, and we just happen to have some duck eggs. Why don’t we give one to Hui girl?” Madam Zhou tried to mediate the situation. “That duck egg was picked up by Yuzhu first. Even if Hui saw it first, she didn’t pick it up—so it simply wasn’t meant for her.”

“As for that duck egg Yuzhu picked up, my rascal of a son already ate it. It was a kind gesture from his little sister.”

“Han boy, what do you think?” Madam Zhou turned directly to Han Zhengqing.

Gu Yuzhu silently gave Madam Zhou a thumbs-up in her heart. This move of hers was retreating to advance—it smoothly sorted out the entire situation, and then she generously offered a duck egg to resolve the drama at the smallest cost. In the future, if villagers brought this up, no one would have anything bad to say about them. On the contrary, it was the Han family who came off poorly: bad example from the top leads to unruly behavior below.

The child spoke nonsense, and the adults didn’t clarify the truth before storming over to cause trouble. It all looked ridiculous and unreasonable.

Han Hui wanted to pick up a duck egg for Gu Changwen—but Gu Yuzhu didn’t pick it up for herself either. She also intended to give it to her brother. So why was Han Hui somehow nobler?

Han Zhengqing’s face was stiff with embarrassment. If that was the truth, then it really wasn’t Gu Yuzhu’s fault. Han Zhengqing had grown up with Gu Qingshan and Gu Caihe, and he was deeply in love with Caihe. But even with his feelings, he wasn’t an idiot. He knew that issues between a wife’s siblings and a stepmother were always complex.

Most stepmothers weren’t exactly saints. If the stepchildren weren’t smart, they might be ruined by their stepmother.

Han Zhengqing had only come because his wife said their daughter had been wronged—bullied by her aunt, the daughter of her step-grandmother. As a father, of course he came with his brothers to support his daughter. His love for Gu Caihe also extended to their daughter.

He was just about to say something when Yan Fengru spoke.

“Gu Caihe, I tolerate you not because I fear you, but because I didn’t want to get dragged into senseless drama. But now that the truth is clear, get lost! You’re not welcome in my home!”

Yan Fengru lifted her head and declared, “Fellow villagers, you all know what kind of person I am. Earlier, I stayed silent not to gain your sympathy but because my daughter Yuzhu wasn’t here and I didn’t know the full story. I had nothing to say then. But who would’ve thought Gu Caihe would go too far with her accusations?”

“Today, I’m going to make things clear in front of everyone…”

Gu Dapeng stood off to the side, and when he heard his wife’s tone, he instinctively knew something was wrong. He looked at her pleadingly, but Yan Fengru ignored him completely.

“We may not have officially divorced, but our families have separated. I live with my son Qingbai, and he lives with his son Gu Qingshan. I don’t ask Gu Qingshan for support, and my son Gu Qingbai doesn’t support Gu Dapeng either. We owe each other nothing.”

The crowd erupted in shock.

Everyone had known these things had been written in the family agreement, and the couple themselves understood clearly. But saying it openly in front of the villagers was a different matter. Remaining silent at least preserved some dignity—but saying it aloud tore down every shred of decency. As expected, Gu Dapeng’s expression turned dark and ugly.

“I’m saying all this just to make it clear: the Yan family owes nothing to the Gu family. So why do you keep clinging to me, Yan Fengru, over every little thing? Today it’s a duck egg, tomorrow it’ll be a piece of cake. Will it ever end?”

Her words left the Han brothers red-faced and speechless.

Even Gu Qingshan’s face looked terrible. Gu Yuzhu, still feeling unsatisfied, added, “Mother, it’s my fault. I’ll avoid Han Hui from now on… I… I…”

“No need to avoid her,” Yan Fengru said. “You’re her actual aunt. We walk upright and do things honestly—why should we fear her? The duck wasn’t theirs, and you picked up a duck egg—what’s there to be afraid of? We’ll go pick more eggs by the riverbank tomorrow. If they have the guts, let them come and snatch them again!”

“Oh, then let’s go again tomorrow,” Gu Yuzhu’s eyes lit up. “Brother Fu, I’ll bring you more duck eggs tomorrow. You have to study hard, okay?”

Madam Zhou chuckled when she heard that. “Then our Chang’an will be looking forward to Yuzhu’s duck eggs.”

Gu Caihe saw that Yan Fengru and her daughter had completely taken the upper hand. Of course she didn’t want to let it go, but there was nothing she could do. The duck egg matter had already been clarified, and she couldn’t keep attacking Yan Fengru over nothing. Still, leaving now made her feel especially bitter. In the end, she was dragged away by Han Zhengqing.

With Gu Caihe gone, the others didn’t feel right staying to watch the show. Gu Yuzhu noticed the way Gu Qingshan looked at her just before he left, and her heart skipped a beat. That cheap big brother of hers had a glint of cruelty in his eyes—he was definitely a ruthless one!

Gu Yuzhu silently grew wary. There’s a saying: the dog that bites doesn’t bark. Gu Caihe might not be a threat—loud, brash, and incapable of hiding anything.

That kind of person was, in fact, less dangerous.

It was Gu Qingshan, the one who kept silent all along, that her instincts warned her about. He was the truly dangerous one. She decided she must keep her distance from this “big brother” in the future—lest she be sold off without even knowing it.

But as she thought about it more, she couldn’t help wondering if those siblings were mentally off. Yes, her mother was their stepmother, but she’d never done anything to wrong them. Why look at her like she was an enemy?

Even if it weren’t Yan Fengru, there’d be someone else. If Gu Dapeng had the ability, he could have stayed single. Could Gu Qingshan and Gu Caihe really stop their father from remarrying?

She couldn’t make sense of how these ancient men thought, so Gu Yuzhu simply gave up trying.

After Gu Caihe and her crowd left, Madam Zhou also took Fu Chang’an and left. To thank them for helping as witnesses, Yan Fengru prepared some pastries for them to take home. Madam Zhou wasn’t the type to be overly modest—when offered, she accepted without fuss.

Yan Fengru then asked about Qing Song Academy in town.

Madam Zhou’s eyes immediately lit up when she heard that. She looked at Gu Qingbai. “Is Brother Bai going to start school?”

Yan Fengru smiled. “This rascal keeps playing in the mud at home. I thought it might be better to send him to start learning. I don’t expect him to be especially successful, but if he can at least recognize some characters and not be illiterate, that’s good enough.”

Though she said that, Yan Fengru had grown up in a wealthy household and had seen the world. Naturally, she thought her own son was wonderful. Still, she wasn’t sure if he was suited for studying. If he was, she’d support him no matter what. If not, at least he’d be literate and could work as a clerk—much better than digging in the dirt.

Yan Fengru understood the value of literacy, so she didn’t slack in her children’s education.

Speaking of which, she thought of her little daughter and mentioned it to Madam Zhou. Her friend’s eyes also lit up.

“Yuzhu is such a bright and clever little girl. Your good fortune is still on the way!”