Chapter 49 – Smashing the Pot in Despair

Yet after his fury subsided, what lingered most in Gu Dapeng’s heart was confusion.

Why had things turned out this way? Had he really done something wrong? But what exactly had he done wrong? Why did Fengru insist on separating the household when things were going well? Why couldn’t Qingshan and Caihe get along with Fengru? To this day, Gu Dapeng still couldn’t figure it out. If the Gu family had been wealthy, with a massive inheritance waiting to be divided, then maybe this all would have made some sense.

But the reality was, the Gu family was just an ordinary farming household. A small courtyard, a bit of farmland, and a modest stash of silver—it all added up to not very much. So why had things come to this?

Gu Dapeng sighed silently.

“What’s wrong with Dad? I was just speaking a few truths and he got all upset,” Gu Caihe grumbled.

“Dad’s getting old—can’t handle hearing the truth,” Gu Qingshan said vaguely, sensing his father’s thoughts but unwilling to dampen his sister’s righteous indignation.

Buoyed by her brother’s words, Gu Caihe instantly revived, full of energy again.

“Brother, let’s go confront Dad and demand an explanation! Let the whole village see Yan Fengru’s true colors!”

Li-shi quietly slipped into the house, deciding not to get involved in her sister-in-law’s drama, lest she be dragged into the mess.

Truth be told, ever since the family split, Li-shi had felt as though their branch had been plagued with bad luck. Her health made it difficult to go pray for peace, but her heart was full of unease. And then there was the matter of her son Gu Changwen’s school enrollment, which had been fraught with setbacks.

She had assumed that as long as they could afford the tuition and the child was willing to study, sending him to an academy would be a breeze. But after Yuan-shi stirred things up, everything was delayed.

Just thinking about it gave Li-shi a stomachache. Ever since Gu Qingshan had refused to pay the tuition for his uncle’s two grandsons, Yuan-shi had completely lost all pretense and started openly accusing the couple of being heartless and ungrateful.

Yuan-shi was, after all, their biological maternal grandmother—a senior member of the family. As such, she had to know that saying these things would damage Gu Qingshan’s reputation. She was no fool—she’d lived long enough to be cunning. So Li-shi simply didn’t believe that Yuan-shi was unaware of the consequences of speaking like this as a grandparent. And yet, she had said them anyway.

Clearly, in Yuan-shi’s heart, her own grandsons took priority over her daughter’s children.

This enraged Li-shi. What was even more infuriating was that someone from the Jiang family was keeping an eye on things at the academy. Because of that, she and her husband had no choice but to give up on the idea of enrolling Gu Changwen there and instead consider private tutoring.

That incident had utterly severed their ties with the Jiang family.

Sometimes, Li-shi couldn’t even understand why the Jiang family behaved this way. Sure, if they chose to help those cousins, it would be a gesture of kindness. But if they didn’t help, it was still entirely reasonable. So why did the Jiang family feel entitled to force them—and then lash out when they refused?

What Li-shi found most incomprehensible, though, was her muddle-headed sister-in-law, who actually sided with the Jiang family and accused them of being petty. She said that helping raise the two cousins would ultimately benefit Changwen too.

To Li-shi, that was more than just naïveté—that was stupidity. Sure, it sounded good in theory, but did she have any idea how much it cost to raise a scholar? It wasn’t like their money came from nowhere!

Of course it was easy for her to talk—she wasn’t the one spending the money! It was a typical case of “easy to talk when you’re not the one paying.” So although Li-shi didn’t show it outwardly, she was no longer fond of her sister-in-law. Not like she used to be.

Li-shi figured her husband wasn’t an idiot either. Sooner or later, he’d grow tired of his foolish sister too.

Still, blood was thicker than water. As long as Caihe didn’t bring up the Jiang family, Gu Qingshan was still willing to say a few words to her. But Li-shi figured it was best not to get involved. She didn’t want to risk another wave of anger.

Sure enough, even Gu Qingshan didn’t feel as close to his sister anymore. He had once thought her innocent and childlike, someone who should be protected with care.

But now she was a mother herself. If she was still behaving foolishly every day, even a doting brother would run out of patience.

“Alright, enough. Just leave it alone. Dad’s not a child,” he said.

Truth be told, Gu Qingshan did feel a little upset. But not enough to make a scene. It was just a bit of food. Even if his father didn’t work over there, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t feed him.

The real issue was that Yan-shi hadn’t offered a meal. That was what felt too harsh—not where his father was eating.

Gu Qingshan had also heard that Yan Fengru had bought a large piece of land next to the Yan family. Qin Lizheng had been walking around with his head high ever since. The villagers were green with envy.

That plot next to the Yan family was huge, and the Yan brothers were all capable. Who wouldn’t want them as neighbors? If you got along with capable people, maybe they’d even bring you along to get rich.

But in these tough times, rural folks struggled just to survive. Those with ancestral homes were already considered lucky. Few could even afford to renovate, let alone build new houses. So anyone rebuilding was a major village event. And someone who could afford to buy such a large plot of land? Incredibly rare.

Because of this, people started gossiping again—wondering just how much silver Yan Fengru had brought back from her former master’s house. Even Lin-shi’s mother was curious.

Back when Yan Fengru suddenly returned home, her brothers were already grown and settled. But seeing how she, just a former maid in the city, had managed to save enough money to set them up so well—it was something to envy. Sure, she was older and had missed the best age for marriage, but the Yan siblings’ lives had only gotten better. Even a fool could see she had money.

In this era, country folk often went hungry. There were plenty of bachelors who couldn’t afford a wife. Never mind that Yan Fengru looked decent—even if she were ugly, as long as she had money, plenty of men would line up to marry her. So at the time, she was quite sought-after. But the Yan siblings made sure to reject any suitors with bad intentions.

Later, word spread that Yan Fengru had indeed brought back a good amount of silver from her former employer. But redeeming one’s freedom required a huge sum—and the master had to agree to let her go. That price wasn’t just the original five or ten taels—it was several times that amount.

To country folk, that kind of money was astronomical. Most wouldn’t earn that much in a lifetime.

And so, many were scared off.

“Oh, if that’s the case, she must be broke now.” And with that assumption, a number of unsavory suitors gave up. If she had no money, what was the point of marrying an aging woman? And besides, the wealthy liked to take young concubines. Who knew if she was even still a virgin?

As for whether Yan Fengru was still untouched—Gu Dapeng knew better than anyone. In formal matchmakings, such things were disclosed. But as for the malicious speculations behind her back—those were just rumors spread by men with ill intent…