Chapter 32: Argument

“Mother, even you know that’s nonsense. How does simply talking to someone outside make Yinyin flirtatious?” Gu Cheng retorted.

“Oh, heavens! I can’t live like this anymore!” Eldest Sister-in-law Gu cried out angrily. “I was just speaking kindly, and now I’m accused of seducing someone? Mother, why don’t you just give me a rope so I can hang myself and be done with it?”

Being scolded by her brother-in-law, she immediately resorted to crying and making a scene.

This was her usual tactic—whenever things didn’t go her way in the Gu household, she would cry and throw a tantrum. Her in-laws always fell for it. It worked every time.

After all, she was the legitimate daughter-in-law brought into the family with a proper bride price of three hundred yuan, whereas Liu Yinyin had essentially married in for a mere eighty yuan. Everyone knew who held more value in the family.

Gu Cheng’s face darkened. “Can we have a proper conversation? If not, I’m leaving.”

If all they could do was cry and shout, there was no point in staying.

Honestly, Gu Cheng had left home at fifteen to join the army. He was now twenty-seven and had only returned five or six times over the years. To him, his relationship with the Gu family was more about duty than affection.

Eldest Sister-in-law Gu choked on her words, falling silent. Instead, she nudged her husband with her elbow, silently urging him to speak up—his own wife was being insulted, yet he just sat there, saying nothing!

Unfortunately, Eldest Brother Gu didn’t dare utter a word. No one in this house was easy to deal with—what could he possibly say?

Seeing this, Gu Cheng turned to him. “Big Brother, I heard you helped Yinyin carry water once?”

Eldest Brother Gu flinched as if struck by lightning. He hurriedly explained, “I just saw that she was struggling with a large bucket of water and gave her a quick hand. That’s all! There was absolutely nothing else, I swear! Ah Cheng, don’t misunderstand.”

He had truly just helped her out of convenience. But his wife had seen it and nearly tore the roof off their house in fury.

His wife was not someone to mess with. The thought of it still made his heart race.

Gu Cheng spread his hands. “Based on what you all are saying, I really don’t understand—how exactly does my wife flirt?”

“What the hell do you know?!” Mother Gu slapped her thigh angrily. “Flies don’t swarm around eggs without cracks! If she were a good woman, would everyone be saying these things about her?”

It wasn’t just one or two people in the village gossiping about Liu Yinyin being improper. She had thoroughly embarrassed the Gu family. No matter what, Mother Gu would never accept her as a daughter-in-law again.

No amount of reasoning could change her mind.

Gu Cheng finally gave up. “Mother, if you keep this up, Yinyin and I will just continue living on our own.”

“What’s so great about that woman? Are you really choosing her over your own parents?” Mother Gu pointed at him furiously.

“I will still visit often,” Gu Cheng said firmly.

“You ungrateful brat! If you leave, don’t bother coming back!” The more Gu Cheng defended Liu Yinyin, the angrier Mother Gu became.

“Enough! Everyone, stop talking!” The endless arguing gave Father Gu a headache, and he finally snapped, shouting to silence them.

Mother Gu huffed and turned away in anger.

Father Gu sighed and said to Gu Cheng, “It’s normal for family members to have some disagreements. Now that you’re back, just bring Yinyin home. We’re all family. Living separately only makes us a laughingstock to outsiders.”

“That won’t do. I don’t agree.” Mother Gu refused outright. If Liu Yinyin came back, where would she put her pride?

Gu Cheng also said, “Father, let’s just forget about it. Yinyin is pregnant; it’s not convenient for her to keep moving around.”

With Liu Yinyin carrying a child, he truly didn’t dare leave her at the Gu house.

Father Gu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Then let’s wait until Yinyin gives birth before discussing this again.”

Eldest Sister-in-law Gu hesitated before saying, “Gu Cheng, isn’t it a little heartless to just leave your parents behind like this?”

It was unacceptable for Gu Cheng to simply move out. They couldn’t just leave Father and Mother Gu entirely in the care of the eldest son and his wife, could they?

Although Father and Mother Gu were still capable of working now and could help out, what about the future?

When the elderly couple could no longer work, or if they fell ill, what then?

Gu Cheng paused for a moment before saying, “I’ll give Father and Mother ten yuan a month. Additionally, I’ll send some gifts during the holidays.”

Eldest Sister-in-law Gu fell silent. Ten yuan a month—she could accept that.

But Mother Gu, who used to receive twenty yuan a month, felt that now she was only getting ten because her son had been bewitched by Liu Yinyin. Thinking that he was deliberately giving her less money, she pursed her lips and said, “Ten yuan is too little. You should give at least twenty yuan a month.”

Gu Cheng replied, “Mother, I’m going to be a father soon. I have to take care of my own household as well.”

Father Gu opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

No one else spoke either. Eldest Sister-in-law Gu actually hoped Gu Cheng would give more. The more he gave, the more Mother Gu would end up subsidizing their household.

Mother Gu thought for a moment—since her youngest son was no longer in the military, he wouldn’t be receiving a stipend anymore. So she relented, saying, “For now, ten yuan a month is fine. But once we get older and can’t work anymore, you’ll need to increase it.”

In the countryside, there was no need to spend money on food or groceries, and daily expenses were minimal. Ten yuan was more than enough.

In fact, most of the money Gu Cheng had sent home over the years had been quietly saved away by Mother Gu.

Gu Cheng nodded in agreement. “Alright. When you two are too old to work, I’ll increase it to twenty yuan a month.”

Since he wouldn’t be living at home, he couldn’t take care of his parents directly. The only thing he could do was provide financial support, while his elder brother and sister-in-law handled the caregiving.

Mother Gu was satisfied with this arrangement. Finally, she stopped making a fuss.

Before leaving, Gu Cheng did as promised and left ten yuan for Mother Gu.

Father Gu watched her delighted expression and sighed. “In the future, stop constantly criticizing Yinyin in front of our son. Otherwise, he might become truly distant from you.”

Mother Gu dismissed his concerns. “What, just because I gave birth to him and raised him, I have to cater to his every whim?”

She understood her son well—he was straightforward and had a strong sense of responsibility, probably due to his time in the military. No matter what, he would never abandon his own parents.

“Sigh…” Father Gu shook his head and lightly patted her. “You don’t understand. He has a job in the county now. Soon, he’ll officially be a city dweller, living on government-issued grain.”

Just earlier, while working in the fields, he had asked Gu Cheng about his retirement from the military. That was when he learned that Gu Cheng had been assigned a job as the deputy director of a steel factory.

The Gu family had been poor farmers for three generations, and Gu Cheng was now their most accomplished member. This was a huge honor!

What a pity… His foolish wife had pushed their son away. Otherwise, they could have thrown a banquet to celebrate this great news.

“What?!” Mother Gu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “A job? But he retired from the military, didn’t he?”

She had no idea that Gu Cheng had secured a job. She had assumed that, like his older brother, he would now have to earn work points in the fields to make a living.

It wasn’t just her—Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu were also shocked by the revelation. They all stood there, dumbfounded.

Especially Eldest Sister-in-law Gu.

Gu Cheng had a job in the county?!

Oh my goodness, if she had known earlier, why on earth had she argued with him just now?!

Eldest Sister-in-law Gu regretted it so much she could practically feel her intestines twisting in knots.