Chapter 569 - 565: Gu Jiaojiao Listens to Gossip
Leng Qingtian was bitter.
’Leng Yuan, why do you have to be so exceptional? Why can’t you just be a little more ordinary?’
’If only he were a bit more ordinary, I wouldn’t be this jealous.’
Lost in thought, Leng Qingtian didn’t realize where he was going until he found himself near Leng Yuan’s house.
Gazing at the small courtyard before him, he pressed his lips together tightly.
As much as he hated to admit it, Leng Yuan could make his two older brothers return to farming with a single word. That fact alone made everything his own family had done look like a complete joke.
For the first time, Leng Qingtian felt a sense of defeat.
When Leng Yuan beat him up in the past, he’d just chalked it up to him being naturally strong. He didn’t care that Leng Yuan had a job; several of his own brothers had jobs too. Now, however, he could no longer lie to himself.
’Strength? I couldn’t compare to Leng Yuan.’
’Ability? I couldn’t compare to Leng Yuan.’
’I’m just a useless piece of trash. All I have is brute strength. I’m good for nothing but farming.’
Leng Qingtian let out a self-deprecating laugh, cast one last, long look at Leng Yuan’s yard, and turned to leave.
But just as he was halfway back, he came across Sun Yeshu, who had sprained her ankle. Seeing that there was no one else around, Leng Qingtian had no choice but to help her home.
Gu Jiaojiao knew nothing of this incident. All she knew was that a few days later, Leng Qingtian and Sun Yeshu had set a date.
They would be getting married in two months.
This was a development Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t expected.
Seeing Gu Jiaojiao stunned, the gossiping young wife chuckled. "Jiaojiao, what do you think about this?"
After all, Leng Yuan and Leng Qingtian were brothers of a sort, which made Gu Jiaojiao the elder sister-in-law.
’What do I think about this?’
Gu Jiaojiao blinked her big eyes. "Standing up, of course."
’Am I supposed to pull up a chair and watch?’
’That would be a bit inappropriate, wouldn’t it!’
The young wife was speechless.
Then her eyes drifted to Gu Jiaojiao’s stomach, her expression filled with envy.
"I wish I didn’t have a mother-in-law."
Gu Jiaojiao glanced down at her own belly. "What’s wrong? Is your mother-in-law pressuring you to have kids?"
’There was truth to the old saying. Before you’re married, they push you to get married. After you’re married, they push you to have kids. After the first child, they push for a second. After the second, they push the daughter-in-law to go make money...’
’In the end, life was just one big cycle of nagging and comparing.’
’When you’re young, they compare looks and career potential. Once you’re married, they compare husbands. When you have children, they compare children. When you get a daughter-in-law, they compare daughters-in-law. When you have grandchildren, they compare grandchildren.’
’Your whole life just boils down to those two things.’
The young wife looked miserable.
"Yeah... Even though my mother-in-law has been treating me better lately, she stares at my stomach every day. And since nothing’s happened, she’s started getting me folk remedies."
She was under so much pressure now that she wished she could get pregnant right away just to prove herself. Otherwise, she constantly felt like she was letting her husband down.
She glanced at Gu Jiaojiao again with envy.
’She used to think that life without in-laws would be difficult.’
’But now I see that even if life is a bit harder, it’s actually pretty good to have no one nagging you to have kids and no one controlling your life.’
Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t particular about whether or not she had in-laws. Even if she did have them, she wasn’t the type to swallow her grievances just to keep the peace.
’For her, she might want a husband, but if he came with a pair of awful in-laws, she wouldn’t even consider it, no matter how great the man himself was.’
Part of the reason she’d gotten together with Leng Yuan in the first place was because he came with no drama. He also handled his relatives from the Leng Family very well.
’A girl is like a flower; her bloom only lasts for a few years. There was absolutely no need to waste her best years in an environment where she had to fight with toxic people.’
’But that was just her personality, and she couldn’t expect everyone to be the same.’
"Hold out your hand. Let me take a look for you."