Chapter 147: Can You Stop Causing Trouble?
Gu Zhang blinked. "Mother, what are you packing for? Isn’t Eldest Brother still living here? You’ve always lived with his family."
"Are you saying that Eldest Brother isn’t filial, so you don’t want to live with him anymore?"
The old lady couldn’t bring herself to say her eldest son wasn’t filial, so for a moment she was speechless. Ms. Qian said, "Second Uncle, you’ve got it all wrong. Your family has come into money now, bought a house and land. Naturally, you should take Mother over to enjoy a comfortable life. With us, she only suffers and toils. If you don’t take her with you, *that’s* what’s unfilial!"
The old lady thought Ms. Qian was absolutely right. Her son had made something of himself, so of course she should go and enjoy a comfortable life with him.
Gu Zhang shot a glance at Ms. Qian and snorted. "I’m only thinking of Mother’s best interests."
"Eldest Brother is the son you value most, Mother. How could I separate you from him and keep you from enjoying your family happiness?"
"Besides, Little Fei earned that courtyard with her own skills. And from what I can see, you don’t like Little Fei. I’m just worried you’d be uncomfortable living there."
The old lady was so angry she was tongue-tied. "I... I—"
Just then, Mrs. Chen came over holding a bundle of green vegetables. She had just bought them from Liu Zhuangtou’s wife, intending to cook them for lunch.
Seeing Mrs. Chen, the old lady finally found an outlet for her anger. "It’s all your fault! I knew it! You’re the one who instigated this! You drove a wedge between Gu the Second and his brother, and now he doesn’t even care for me, his own mother."
"Something as huge as buying a house and moving, and you don’t even tell me, his mother? Do you have any respect for me at all?"
"If I had known, I never would have let Gu the Second marry you!"
Mrs. Chen trembled with anger. She pressed her lips together, said nothing, and walked right past the old lady, heading straight into the room.
Gu Fei was holding Little Cao, and the two of them were sitting in the room eating candy.
When she saw Mrs. Chen come in, Gu Fei quickly put Little Cao down and rubbed her mother’s chest to calm her. "Mother, don’t pay her any mind. Just pretend you didn’t hear a word she said."
Mrs. Chen was still furious. After a long moment, she choked out, "If I had known, I never would have given her that sheepskin jacket!"
"No matter how filial I am to her, I’ll never get a single good word out of her!"
Gu Fei winked at her and whispered, "Then from now on, besides the required support money, don’t give her anything else. We’ll keep it to spend on ourselves!"
Mrs. Chen forced a bitter smile. That was easy to say, but it was impossible. There were gifts for all the seasonal festivals, and regular visits were expected. That one word, ’filial,’ could crush a person to death!
Outside, the old lady was about to die from anger. ’What did Mrs. Chen mean by that?’
’Ignoring me completely, not even calling me "Mother," just walking past as if I were invisible?’
Some say the greatest contempt is to be ignored.
Especially since every family was in their courtyards at this time, and those who weren’t were standing in their doorways. This was practically letting everyone watch her, the old lady, make a fool of herself.
The old lady couldn’t stand the loss of face. She threw down her cane, plopped herself on the ground, and started wailing, rubbing her eyes. "Oh, my life is so bitter! My husband died young, and I endured countless hardships to raise you all, only for you to forget your mother the moment you took a wife—"
She squinted, trying to squeeze out a few tears, but couldn’t manage a single one.
As she was wailing, she suddenly saw Gu Zhang, his face ashen, striding toward the front courtyard.
The old lady’s dry sobs caught in her throat. She stared blankly at Gu Zhang’s retreating back.
Her eldest daughter walked over and helped the old lady up, whispering, "Mother, stop making a scene. No matter how much of a fuss you make, you won’t be able to control Second Brother. What’s the point?"
"Honestly, at your age, you should just be eating and drinking well. Stop finding reasons to curse this person and scold that one. If it were me, I wouldn’t want you living with me either. Who wants another ancestor to serve on top of everything else!"
The old lady was a little dazed. ’Was I wrong?’
’I’m Gu the Second’s own mother. Am I not even allowed to say a single word?’