Chapter 8: The Whole Family Are Villains!

“Shuang’er, you call me so intimately… do you know me?”

Gu Congshuang was still puzzled when the silver-haired old woman straightened up and took her hand.

Her hands were dry and rough, icy cold to the touch.

“Shuang’er, I’m Grandma. These are farm-fresh eggs I brought from the countryside, and a little bit of brown sugar. We can make some brown sugar water later; it’s good for your health.”

Suddenly, Gu Congshuang’s hands held a basket of eggs. The basket was lined with straw, and the small, round, earthy eggs peeked out from the straw, looking adorable.

The silver-haired old woman looked up, her familiar face clearly revealed. The weathered features struck Gu Congshuang like a thunderbolt.

Involuntarily, tears streamed down from the original owner’s body. Memories, like countless fragments, converged in her mind.

Scenes of her childhood with her grandmother, Yi Yun, appeared before her eyes: picking peaches together, digging sweet potatoes in the fields—the joy of their shared labor throughout the seasons.

Because Li Yuqin had always favored sons over daughters and neglected her, it was her grandmother who picked her up and dropped her off at school. When she was bullied at school, it was her grandmother who went to school to settle the score, standing up for her so that no one dared to bully her again.

It all ended when she was fifteen. Gu Qinshan’s three brothers divided their family property, and her grandmother went to live with her eldest uncle, Gu Qinhai. Gu Congshuang returned to a life of neglect, though she was busy with school.

She temporarily suppressed the sadness of this separation.

Now, seeing her grandmother again, she was almost overwhelmed with emotion.

“Grandma…” Gu Congshuang cried, hugging her grandmother Yi Yun. The grievances and pain of the past few days dissipated.

Gu Congshuang took her grandmother’s hand and was about to go upstairs, but Yi Yun waved her hand. “No, I’m going back to the countryside. Just seeing you all is enough.”

“Remember to eat the eggs quickly. It’s hot these days, and they won’t keep for long. I’ve kept these eggs for over twenty days…”

Yi Yun only mentioned the eggs, showing no intention of going upstairs.

“Grandma, if you’re not going up, I’ll stay with you.” Gu Congshuang’s lower lip trembled.

Gu Congshuang didn’t know why, but even after being in this book for so long, she was impatient with everyone.

But facing her grandmother, she felt a special sense of intimacy, and she couldn’t help but act spoiled.

“Grandma, are you going back to Big Uncle’s place? Let’s go upstairs first.”

Gu Congli urged Gu Congshuang to go upstairs, wanting to quickly return to her room to divide the money.

Gu Congshuang slapped Gu Congli on the head.

Gu Congli’s eyes flashed with anger. He clenched his fists, intending to bully Gu Congshuang as before, but then he remembered that she had to teach him to drive. If he angered her…

She might refuse to teach him, which would be a problem. He knew his older sister’s personality best—she was stubborn.

For that Lin Wanxing, she had bumped into countless walls.

Gu Congli took a few deep breaths, touched his head, and temporarily swallowed his anger, not daring to say anything more.

At this time, Gu Qinshan returned on his bicycle with Li Yuqin. They had both learned about the situation over the phone. His older brother, Gu Qinhai, claimed that his son, Gu Congyu, had returned from Xinjiang.

The house was too small; six people couldn’t fit. So Gu Qinhai asked Gu Qinshan to take Yi Yun for a few days, until Gu Congyu returned to Xinjiang.

Gu Qinshan was fuming. He thought back to how honest he had been in the past, allowing the powerful Gu Qinhai to take more of the ancestral home. If Li Yuqin hadn’t spoken up, the responsibility of supporting their mother would have fallen solely on him.

Unexpectedly, only a few years later, Gu Qinhai showed his true colors. Was this the behavior of an elder brother?

“Mom, why are you here?” Gu Qinshan tried to appear amiable, but his face was still grim.

“Let me take you back to your elder brother’s place and talk to him. It’s outrageous. Congyu is back, he can squeeze in with his siblings. Why would you neglect my mother?”

Li Yuqin chimed in, “Exactly, that’s not right. Mom, I’ll go back with you.”

“No need. I’ll go back to my house in the countryside. You just live your lives.”

Yi Yun understood, which made Gu Qinshan and Li Yuqin feel ashamed and lower their heads.

“The house in the countryside is about to collapse; it’s uninhabitable. Why not stay with your younger brother, Qinshui, for a while?”

“You still think of your third son. That’s commendable.”

Whether intentional or not, Yi Yun’s words struck a nerve.

Gu Qinshan’s face turned as red as a beet. Everyone knew that to avoid going to the countryside as an educated youth, Gu Qinshan had faked an illness, sending Gu Qinshui in his place. Gu Qinshui ended up in Nanjiang City, near the south of Myanmar, where he contracted malaria and almost died.

Although he survived, his left arm was amputated, rendering him disabled and unable to work. He became a street vagrant, almost forty years old and still unmarried.

When Gu Qinshan’s deception was discovered, they had a huge fight, leading to the family’s split.

Now, no one knew what he was doing; he was secretive and only returned to Yuehai City for the New Year. Gu Qinshan felt guilty and hadn’t contacted him.

Gu Qinshan looked down, stammering, “Um… this… you see, it would be good to take care of Qinshui.”

Gu Congshuang learned about these things from her memories, and it was no wonder that she had gradually become the crazy female supporting character. It seemed that the Gu family had offended the author; the whole family were villains!

Gu Qinshan’s favoritism towards sons was one thing, but now he even refused to support his own mother.

She really couldn’t stay in this family anymore.

“Don’t say anything, Grandma will sleep in my room.”

Gu Congshuang took her grandmother’s hand. “If you don’t agree, I’ll go live with you in the countryside.”

“This is between adults; children shouldn’t interfere.” Gu Qinshan said with displeasure.

“I’m twenty years old, and I’m about to marry a navy lieutenant. What I say is an order, and no one can control me.”

Li Yuqin: “You stubborn girl, you have no right to speak here.”

“Do you have any now?” Gu Congshuang held up the 156 yuan she had earned that day.

“What are you trying to say? Squandering your father’s money, do you think you’re a rich young lady?” Li Yuqin thought it was the 300 yuan from Gu Qinshan and was furious.

Gu Congli said triumphantly, “What? This is our income from driving all day—156 yuan! Enough for our family’s food and drink for a whole year!”

His triumphant expression was as if he had earned the 156 yuan himself.

Li Yuqin quickly snatched the money from Gu Congshuang’s hand and counted it again and again. “It’s real money! Just one day’s work earned this much!” Li Yuqin looked at Gu Qinshan with shining eyes.

Gu Qinshan swallowed, “It really earned that much in one day!”

He’d heard that being a good driver was lucrative, but he hadn’t expected it to be this profitable.

If Gu Congli could become a driver, their family would become rich. A greedy look appeared in Gu Qinshan’s eyes.