Chapter 24: Hidden Agendas

It was no surprise that Lin Wumei enjoyed tormenting her daughters-in-law, but why did the Eldest Daughter-in-law of the Gao Family torment her brother-in-law’s wife?

A simple calculation of the age differences between Gao Shaolin, Gao Xiaohu, and Gao Xiaoyu would reveal the answer.

Given that these two children were Gao Shaolin’s offspring, and Gao Shaolin was around twenty-five years old this year, with Gao Xiaohu being nine and Gao Xiaoyu eight, it meant that ten years ago, or even earlier, a fifteen-year-old Gao Shaolin had already shouldered the responsibility of two households and had been intimate with the Eldest Daughter-in-law of the Gao Family.

While outsiders were unaware of this, the Gao family knew it all too well. Hence, it was obvious why Gao Shaolin’s first wife was targeted and tormented by the Eldest Daughter-in-law of the Gao Family.

As for the tragic death of the Youngest Daughter-in-law of the Gao Family, whether it was an accident or a conspiracy remains unclear.

Jiang Pan Yu had always preferred to think of people’s intentions in a darker light. She believed there was nothing wrong with that, as it allowed her to be more cautious.

Isn’t there an old saying: “One should not harbor the intention to harm others, but one must always be wary of others’ intentions”?

After the Youngest Daughter-in-law of the Gao Family died, Gao Shaolin became a widower, and the Gao family soon began arranging a new marriage for their youngest son.

They didn’t even consider that the Youngest Daughter-in-law had died with her unborn child, and so quickly moved on, eager to bring a new bride into the family.

From then on, the Gao family’s reputation suffered, and families who cherished their daughters were reluctant to marry into the Gao family.

Even though Gao Shaolin had a job as a doctor at the town hospital, his prospects remained mediocre.

Those willing to marry into the family were only those who wanted to sell their daughters for a high bride price. However, the Gao family was unwilling to pay such a high price, and the matter remained unresolved.

Not long after, the eldest son of the Gao family went up the mountain to gather firewood.

He was gored to death by a wild boar, leaving behind two children, a widow, two elderly parents, and a younger sister for Gao Shaolin to support.

This incident completely ruined Gao Shaolin’s prospects in the village.

What good was having a job? Supporting such a large family, the monthly salary was nowhere near enough.

Even those who wanted to sell their daughters for a high bride price were no longer willing to marry into the Gao family, as the Gao family couldn’t afford the high bride price.

Thus, Gao Shaolin remained unmarried to this day, although being in his twenties wasn’t considered old.

However, in this era, it was common for people in rural areas to marry in their teens. Those who remained unmarried in their twenties usually had various issues.

Then, influenced by her subconscious, Tan Yanlu overlooked all the red flags and hastily agreed to Gao Shaolin’s proposal.

She was subsequently tarnished by a bad reputation, looked down upon by others, and eventually used her tears and ginseng as stepping stones for Gao Shaolin, only to meet a tragic end on the streets.

So, no matter what you do, never be a self-sacrificing fool. It’s a total loss. Tan Yanlu was undoubtedly a pure and simple victim!

After recounting the Gao family’s old stories, the aunties turned their attention back to Gao Shaolin: “Speaking of which, doesn’t Gao Shaolin come back once a month? Why hasn’t he shown up yet this month?”

“I know something about that,” said Chen Lamei, deliberately lowering her voice. “I heard he went to the city for training and just returned a couple of days ago. I also heard that Gao Shaolin is currently on a blind date in town.”

“So what, the girls in our village don’t fancy him, but the town girls do? Could he be deceiving someone into marriage?” Yang Guiying asked while wiping her sweat with a towel.

“Ah, you don’t know this, but marrying into the Gao family as a daughter-in-law is naturally not appealing to others. But what if it’s a matrilocal marriage? Gao Shaolin, aside from other things, is quite good-looking and has a job!” Chen Lamei’s words instantly caught the attention of several people, and Yang Guiying perked up immediately: “What’s going on? Tell us quickly.”

Chen Lamei then said, “I just found out recently. You all know Butcher Li from the town, right? He had five daughters in a row and not a single son. Now he’s planning to keep his youngest daughter to take in a son-in-law! Although it’s a matrilocal marriage, the youngest daughter is set to take over her father’s business. It’s said that she’s quite skilled at butchering pigs, even as a teenager. Gao Shaolin went to their house for a matchmaking meeting. If this works out, life will be much better for him. Why would he have the heart to come back?”

Jiang Pan Yu was quite surprised. Tan Yanlu’s memories didn’t include this part. Oh, no, perhaps it did, but it was overshadowed by the pressure from Gao’s sister-in-law to marry, so naturally, no one mentioned Butcher Li’s daughter.

Yang Guiying exclaimed in surprise, “Is this true or false? Would the Gao family really let Gao Shaolin enter a matrilocal marriage? That can’t be right. The Gao family is now relying on Gao Shaolin’s salary to get by. Without Gao Shaolin, the whole family would be left to fend for themselves.”

Chen Lamei, however, looked disdainful: “That’s why Gao Shaolin is keeping this from his family. Ultimately, he just wants to shake off the burden of this family. After all, they are all of the Gao family’s lineage, selfish and self-serving. Back in the day, our village didn’t produce many scholars, but the Gao family united to support Gao Shaolin through high school, which is how he got a job. Now that the family needs his support, he wants to ditch them. What can I say? I think this is just the Gao family’s karma. If those daughters were still alive, each lending a hand would be enough, and life wouldn’t be so hard. Gao Shaolin wouldn’t be single to this day.”

“That’s true. If those daughters were still alive, married off by now, they could have pooled together a dowry for Gao Shaolin to marry. What a pity. They always looked down on women, and now they can’t even beg for one. It’s karma,” Yang Guiying said with a hint of schadenfreude. She was quite pleased to see the Gao family in trouble because Gao Shaolin’s first wife was somewhat related to her.

At this moment, another aunt who had come over to listen to the gossip asked, “Hey, when do you think the Gao family will find out about what Gao Shaolin is doing? If Lin Wumei makes a scene at the hospital, can Gao Shaolin keep his job?”

“Who knows? But if even we know about it, the Gao family probably knows too. Let’s see if Gao Shaolin comes back in a couple of days. If he comes back, it means it didn’t work out. If he doesn’t, then the matrilocal marriage must have been successful.”

Moreover, you haven’t forgotten, have you? The eldest daughter-in-law of the Gao family is now a widow. You’ve seen how she looks at Gao Shaolin—it’s so blatant that it’s practically out in the open.”

Chen Lamei and the others chuckled in a peculiar manner, their smiles laced with both ambiguity and unmistakable mockery.

Jiang Pan Yu immediately understood. It seemed that Gao’s Sister-in-law’s interest in Gao Shaolin was known to the villagers, though it hadn’t been openly acknowledged yet.

Jiang Pan Yu knew that Gao Shaolin’s attempt at a matrilocal marriage wouldn’t succeed. He would definitely return; otherwise, the whole village wouldn’t have known about Gao’s Sister-in-law’s forceful marriage proposal.

Thinking of the upcoming dramatic spectacle, Jiang Pan Yu couldn’t help but think of Tan Yanlu’s golden finger. It was truly enviable—just a few tears could produce Spirit Dew. If one were to drink a drop every day, wouldn’t they live to be 199 years old?

Honestly, Jiang Pan Yu also wished she could have a golden finger like Tan Yanlu’s. Unfortunately, the Gossip System couldn’t grant her such an overpowered ability.

It was said that doing so would disrupt the balance. As for why Tan Yanlu possessed it, well, she was the protagonist, wasn’t she? It’s only natural for her to have some special tools.

By noon, work was over, and Jiang Pan Yu walked back with Tan Yanlu.

On the way, Jiang Pan Yu told Tan Yanlu about the situation in the Gao family.

She didn’t forget to add her own spin, such as how Gao’s Sister-in-law had been pining for Gao Shaolin since becoming a widow, how Gao Shaolin had shouldered the responsibility of two households in his teens, making Gao’s Sister-in-law a mother, and how he now had both a son and a daughter.