Chapter 30: A Pig of a Rival

So now, as the little aunt, she had become the one who stole something from her own niece?

That was just shameless!

But Gu Yuzhu understood that, in this era, people generally sympathized with the weak. In her situation with Han Hui, that girl naturally had the upper hand—she was the younger one, after all. And Gu Yuzhu, as the elder who had supposedly “snatched” the duck egg, was already painted as the villain. Public opinion would definitely lean toward Han Hui.

So no matter how absurd the situation, no matter how much her view of human decency was shaken, Gu Yuzhu had to settle this matter properly. What, just because someone could cry and act pitiful meant they’d always win? Han Hui could do it, but Gu Yuzhu wasn’t lacking either! She had been accepted into both the Drama Academy and the Film Academy—though she didn’t go! She was amazing, okay?

With that thought, Gu Yuzhu’s fighting spirit was immediately reignited.

She quietly slipped out of the house and went to the Zhou residence. Brother Fu was her witness, her brother’s lifesaver, and the two mothers had a deep friendship. Going to handsome Brother Fu—she couldn’t go wrong!

Most importantly, Brother Fu was way better looking than Gu Changwen. Heh heh!

Ever since moving into the Yan household, she lived even closer to the Fu family. Gu Yuzhu, with her short little legs, quietly snuck out the back door and headed for the Fu home. As she was leaving, she accidentally ran into Gu Dapeng pleading with Yan Fengru—it was… um… one of those private conversations between husband and wife.

Gu Yuzhu: “……”

Utter confusion + short legs quickly retreating…

Ugh! Could people not traumatize a five-year-old girl like this?

Then again, thinking it over, the father of this body, Gu Dapeng, wasn’t even forty yet. Living apart from his wife and separated from the household… No wonder the old man couldn’t hold back. Who knew whether Yan Fengru would entertain him…

When Gu Yuzhu arrived at the Fu residence, she ran right into a young girl. The girl was startled, “Oh! Aren’t you… the Gu family’s Zhuzhu’er?”

Gu Yuzhu paused, looked up at her for a moment, then absentmindedly stuffed a finger into her mouth and tilted her head thoughtfully. Once she realized this was a bad habit of the original host, she quickly pulled her finger out.

“Oh! Sister Xiayue!”

Qin Xiayue blushed slightly when those big, pretty eyes looked up at her. Her skin wasn’t very pale, so it wasn’t too obvious. Trying to act calm, she said, “Zhuzhu’er, what brings you here?”

But then she remembered that Gu Yuzhu’s mother, Yan Fengru, had a good relationship with her embroidery teacher, Aunt Zhou. So it was normal for her daughter to come by and play. Aunt Zhou was a widow—her late husband’s surname was Fu, and her son was named Fu Chang’an.

Qin Xiayue’s father was the village head of Qingshan Village. Compared to the other girls, she was raised with more care and doted on. Though the village head wasn’t much of an official, his word carried a lot of weight in the village, and their family lived comfortably.

The Qin family had three sons and only one daughter—Qin Xiayue—so naturally, they spoiled her. When Aunt Zhou started offering embroidery classes, the Qin family sent her over.

Qin Xiayue had a gentle, quiet personality—just the type suited for embroidery. She was eleven this year and had just begun to grow tall, like a budding flower faintly showing the grace of a young maiden.

“I’m here to find Brother Fu!”

Qin Xiayue froze for a moment, then thought of that upright, pine-like young boy. Her face flushed again. Children matured early in ancient times. At eleven or twelve, girls were already considered half-grown. In her opinion, not just in this village but in the surrounding hundred-mile area, there probably wasn’t a more handsome boy than Fu Chang’an.

Technically, an eight-year-old brat shouldn’t be called a “young man,” but according to Aunt Zhou, she and her son were from the north, where people tended to be taller. At only eight years old, Fu Chang’an was already tall and well-built—he looked more like a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy.

His face was so handsome that even knowing his age, Qin Xiayue sometimes scolded herself for being ridiculous—but the moment she saw his face, she just couldn’t help it.

Gu Yuzhu had no idea about Qin Xiayue’s inner turmoil and just heard her ask, “Why are you looking for Fu… Chang’an?”

Who knew? Gu Yuzhu wasn’t planning on explaining anything to her. She just hurried in with her little legs.

Aunt Zhou saw Gu Yuzhu arrive and smiled warmly. She told her students to keep practicing and came out to greet the little guest.

“Aunt Zhou, is Brother Fu home?”

Aunt Zhou assumed Yan Fengru had sent Gu Yuzhu with some message. She knew all too well how much her best friend doted on this daughter. But it turned out the child was here looking for Chang’an—Aunt Zhou couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Look at you, your little face all red from running. What do you need from Chang’an?”

“I need Brother Fu to be my witness.”

Gu Yuzhu briefly explained the situation, and Aunt Zhou was furious at the shamelessness of Gu Caihe and her daughter. But from an adult’s perspective, she also thought maybe it was a case of childish miscommunication. Gu Caihe had always disliked her stepmother and half-siblings anyway—maybe she was just using this as an excuse.

Still, knowing her son could help this time, Aunt Zhou was more than happy to assist.

After giving a few instructions, she immediately led Fu Chang’an and Gu Yuzhu to the Yan household.

When they arrived, they were just in time to hear Gu Caihe shouting.

“Yan-shi, have you no shame? Not only are you shameless, you raised a little slut who’s just as bad! Who does that? Stealing from your own niece? Like mother, like daughter—both damn disgraceful!”

Gu Caihe had clearly lost all inhibition. Since her father had already split the household from that wretched woman Yan-shi, Gu Caihe no longer felt restrained. She spewed every vulgar word she could think of.

Gu Yuzhu: “……”

Faced with a rival as pigheaded as Gu Caihe, even she was at a loss.

If Gu Caihe had started by crying and playing the victim, then maybe Gu Yuzhu would’ve had to put on a dramatic little act of her own with Brother Fu to gain sympathy. But she hadn’t expected Gu Caihe to be this stupid—she was truly breaking records for shamelessness.

No matter what, Yan Fengru was still her stepmother.

Sure, most people thought stepmothers were rarely good, but as a younger family member, how could she insult her stepmother like that? She was still an elder. Who the hell did Gu Caihe think she was?

After a rant like that, the villagers instinctively sided with Yan Fengru. The Gu family’s eldest daughter was just too uncivilized. Everyone knew how hard it was to be a stepmother. Yan-shi had married into the Gu family, helped arrange a marriage for Gu Qingshan, and even found someone who doted on Gu Caihe like a treasure. Even if nothing else, she deserved some credit.

If Yan Fengru had really wanted to be cruel, she could’ve married Gu Caihe off to someone awful. She was the stepmother—she had that kind of power. But she didn’t. She’d treated Gu Caihe fairly.

Now look at Gu Caihe acting so aggressively. Thinking back, it was hard to say who had been bullying whom under the same roof.

As expected, by the time Gu Yuzhu and Aunt Zhou arrived, they could already hear the villagers whispering among themselves, all saying that Gu Caihe was being way too overbearing.

Just as Gu Yuzhu had expected—most people sympathized with the one being wronged.