Chapter 651 - 647: Being Gossiped About
Everyone knew that Chen Yan held a grudge against Gu Jiaojiao.
However, when Chen Yan said Gu Jiaojiao didn’t know how to save money, everyone agreed with her.
"She’s just young. She doesn’t realize how many expenses come up later in life, like children..."
The woman had just said that when she realized Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao didn’t have any children at all!
She tried a different angle.
"Or elders..."
But Leng Yuan had cut ties with his family, and his own parents were gone. He had no elders to care for!
’Wow, that’s the life!’
No elders to support and no children to raise. Why wouldn’t they spend the money they earn?
If it were her, she’d spend it too.
The woman trailed off, unable to continue.
Chen Yan sniffed disdainfully. "If you ask me, they just have money to burn. What’s the point of sending a child to school, anyway? It costs several yuan each semester! Look at my kid—he doesn’t go to school, and think of all the money we save."
They just end up back here farming after they finish school anyway. School is completely useless.
A man just needs to be strong enough to farm, and a woman just needs to be able to bear children and manage a household.
Leng Yuan was strong and could farm, but Gu Jiaojiao was not the kind of woman who knew how to run a proper household.
With a build like Gu Jiaojiao’s, if she ever angered Leng Yuan, one punch could probably take half her life.
Chen Yan usually had a quick and venomous tongue when it came to bad-mouthing others.
Especially when it came to attacking other women’s husbands.
In this day and age, men were the pillars of the family. A man who worked hard and earned a lot of money was considered capable.
On the other hand, if a man treated his wife poorly and their family life was unhappy, they became a laughingstock for everyone.
She wanted to say more, but found she had nothing to add.
Leng Yuan might be strong, but he doted on Gu Jiaojiao. You could tell just how well he took care of her by looking at her fair, delicate face.
There was nothing to criticize about the man.
After mulling it over for a while, Chen Yan hit upon a fatal flaw.
"Hey, Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan have been married for half a year now, right? How come she’s still not pregnant? You don’t think... she’s barren, do you?"
There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no heir is the worst.
"That’s true. They’ve been married for six months, and her belly is still flat."
"That Gu Zhiqing looks so frail. Maybe she’s in poor health!"
"A daughter-in-law like that would’ve been put in her place by her mother-in-law long ago in any other family."
The women started to gossip, relishing in the discussion of other people’s dirty laundry. They took pleasure in seeing other families in turmoil.
The woman who had earlier expressed her envy for Gu Jiaojiao had remained silent, but as the others’ gossip grew more and more vicious, she couldn’t help but speak up.
"Even if Gu Jiaojiao can’t have children, she doesn’t have a mother-in-law. As long as her husband doesn’t mind, who’s going to say anything to her!"
The other women fell silent.
She had a point.
Gu Jiaojiao had no mother-in-law.
For some reason, a wave of jealousy washed over all of them.
When they had married into their husbands’ families, every single one of them had been scolded by their mothers-in-law for taking even a little too long to get pregnant.
This was especially true for Chen Yan, who was still being berated by her own mother-in-law to this day.
She only had one son, Wang Daniu. Her health had been ruined while giving birth to him, leaving her unable to conceive again. Her mother-in-law, Liu Xiqing, was a formidable woman and the village’s most notorious gossip.
Liu Xiqing found fault with Chen Yan all day long, and because she couldn’t get pregnant again, Chen Yan didn’t dare to talk back.
She’d at least given birth once, and she still had to endure these lectures.
Yet Gu Jiaojiao, who supposedly couldn’t have children at all, was living such a comfortable life.
Chen Yan was furious, green with envy, and twisted with resentment.
She gave up on gathering wild vegetables altogether and stormed back home with her basket.
As soon as Chen Yan was gone, the women started gossiping about her.
The woman off to the side, who disliked gossiping, pursed her lips and remained silent.
Just as Chen Yan entered the village, she saw Wang Daniu playing in the mud with a few other children not far away. They were all kids from the village who didn’t attend school and spent their days running wild.