Chapter 49: Two Good-for-Nothings

Gu Zhenguo was beaten all over by Lin Xiangnan, he complained, “I told you Lin Xiangnan wasn’t a good person. Mom, why did you provoke her? Not only did I get beaten for nothing, Gu Zhenhua will come back and beat me again. Why do you make mistakes, and I’m the one who gets beaten!”

He had also offered suggestions during the discussion, but after being beaten, he only knew how to blame Gu Chouni.

Gu Chouni didn’t argue, she sincerely apologized, “Yes, yes, yes, it’s Mom’s fault, Mom won’t provoke her again next time. Mom didn’t expect that this little beast and that scoundrel Gu Zhenhua are the same kind of people, no wonder they can get together.”

Other people’s sons and daughters are filial to their parents. Her son and daughter-in-law, one beats her father and the other beats her mother, they are both inhuman.

Out of the whole family, Gu Fugen was the least injured, but he also blamed Gu Chouni.

“It’s all your fault. What kind of troublemakers did you give birth to? I told you to sell him to that old woman Qian, but you wouldn’t do it. Now look, the big troublemaker has married a little troublemaker.”

Gu Chouni explained aggrievedly, “I didn’t refuse. It was Old Lady Qian who wasn’t willing to pay. I raised my son, I can’t just give him away for nothing.”

Everyone knew what kind of family they were.

Even if they gave their child away, if something happened, they could still come back and claim him. That’s why Old Lady Qian wasn’t willing to spend that money for nothing.

Old Lady Qian had a pension, she didn’t lack money, she could have adopted a child long ago, but she knew she was not in good health and didn’t know how long she could live, so she didn’t dare to bring anyone home.

She got along well with Gu Zhenhua, she just wanted to help this child. Who knew that Gu Fugen saw this and wanted to sell the child, and Gu Chouni even dared to ask for five hundred yuan, Old Lady Qian directly closed the door on them.

Having many sons was a way to glorify the ancestors, but they weren’t worth much, they couldn’t make their lives better.

Gu Fugen was unhappy, he kicked Gu Chouni again and scolded, “Your stomach is useless too. You should have given birth to daughters after giving birth to two sons, you keep giving birth to troublemakers.”

It was his fault for not giving birth to good children, Gu Chouni lowered her head in shame and comforted him, “My daughter-in-law gave birth to two daughters.”

“What’s the use of having only granddaughters. I want a grandson.” Gu Fugen said without any scruples, “If you don’t give birth to a son this year, then get a divorce and marry again.”

Gu Zhenguo also directly agreed, “Listen to Dad.”

His wife, Xu Xiaodong, didn’t change her expression at all. Because she knew that the family had no money, why marry a new wife, just because Gu Fugen and his son were lazy and gluttonous?

Gu Zhenguo was a little better, he had to go to work every day.

Gu Fugen was like an old man at a young age, he was waited on hand and foot, Gu Chouni’s clothes were patched upon patches, but Gu Fugen bought new clothes for himself every year. He did the least work, but he ate the most. If there was anything good at home, Gu Fugen would stuff it into his mouth.

In this situation, how could the family save any money?

Sure enough, after a while, Gu Chouni sighed, “The pot is broken, the bed is broken, even the light bulb was smashed… What should we do, where will the family get the money to buy new things?”

“What else can we do? Go and advance next month’s salary.” Gu Fugen said without thinking.

Gu Zhenguo was the one who received the salary, he knew more about this than his father, he quickly said, “The accountant won’t agree. Mom and I both advanced our salaries last month, we haven’t paid it back yet, we can only advance it again after paying it back.”

Even if the factory was more humane, they couldn’t advance salaries indefinitely.

“Then what should we do?” Gu Fugen was furious, “That Hu family even smashed my fan. How am I going to survive this summer?”

This fan was bought by Gu Chouni last month with her advanced salary, but it was smashed by Hu Daxi.

Although the Gu family often quarreled with their neighbors, most of the time it was just scolding and fighting, it was the first time that their house had been smashed.

But it was a normal thing for a family member to stand up for their daughter. Gu Chouni spread rumors about Lin Xiangnan behind her back, and Hu Meili gathered people to come and smash things. Although it was illegal, everyone said she did the right thing.

Seeing the Gu family cleaning up the mess, the neighbor aunties not only didn’t come to help, they even gloated.

“You gossip behind people’s backs, and now they’ve come to your door.”

“You’re a spineless man, you can’t stand up for yourself, you don’t dare to confront your husband, but others are not. Now you’ve hit a brick wall.”

Someone nearby chimed in, “Compared to that woman who hasn’t even entered the family, your daughter-in-law is just a lump of dough. You want to get a divorce and find a tigress, your life will be interesting.”

“Tsk tsk~ You’re a child bride yourself, and you want to treat someone else’s daughter as a child bride and grind her down? You’re dreaming.”

“Get out! Get out! Get out! Our family business has nothing to do with you.” Gu Chouni didn’t want to be laughed at, she slammed the door shut.

Seeing her daughter-in-law Xu Xiaodong still standing in the corner in a daze, she quickly scolded, “What are you standing there for, hurry up and help clean up.”

Xu Xiaodong slowly straightened the stool on the ground, she thought curiously, she’s not a child bride, her family also has people.

No matter how bad Gu Zhenguo’s reputation was, he was a city resident with a job. It wasn’t easy to marry into the city and eat grain rations, so Xu Xiaodong was also a favorite in her family.

In order to save face and avoid trouble, her relatives rarely came to the city to find her, and when they did, they would bring some vegetables or dried goods from their hometown.

But even if her relatives brought things, Gu Chouni would always be sarcastic and belittle them for being poor. But Gu Chouni was the mother-in-law, everyone would let her be.

When Xu Xiaodong went back to her hometown before, she would always put on a good face. First, it was for her own sake, second, Gu’s family only occasionally hit her, she could still endure it, third, she was afraid that if she called her family to help, her brothers and uncles would be injured, and she wouldn’t be able to face anyone in her hometown.

Rural brawls were not as polite as Hu Daxi and the others.

A small problem would involve picking up a hoe and fighting, if it got bigger, it could develop into a brawl between two villages and two surnames. If they got angry, each family could even take out their privately owned shotguns and cannons, and call in the village militia.

In this situation, not only would people get injured, but there would be deaths.

But after the Hu family came and caused a commotion, Xu Xiaodong finally saw through everything.

She knew that Gu Fugen and his son were spineless, but she didn’t expect them to be so spineless. If her family came to help her, not only would nothing like losing an arm or leg happen, they wouldn’t even get a black eye.

What was she afraid of?

The neighbor auntie said she was a lump of dough, but now, Xu Xiaodong saw that Gu Fugen and his son were the real lumps of dough.

It would be a shame if she didn’t take advantage of this opportunity to knead them.

Gu Zhenguo didn’t know that his wife had other thoughts, he ordered, “Come over here and rub my shoulders. That girl Lin Xiangnan is a cow, she has so much strength.”

Xu Xiaodong walked over with a wooden expression and pressed her hand down hard.

“Ah!” Gu Zhenguo wailed, “Are you pressing a pig? Be gentle!”