Chapter 570 - 566: Gu Jiaojiao Comes Up with an Idea
Gu Jiaojiao could understand why men were so dominant and women so subservient in the current era.
A woman’s status was determined by her job opportunities.
Women were naturally not as strong, and farming relied mainly on men. Since farming was the only way to ensure a full belly, men naturally had the upper hand.
In a few decades, as times changed and women had more opportunities, could men still act so tough?
Impossible.
As women’s minds opened up and they became more clear-headed, they would earn their own money to spend as they pleased. They wouldn’t need to rely on men. Men would become mere accessories—optional—with no chance to be so overbearing.
But for now, this was an issue of the era, and she couldn’t change it all by herself.
The only thing she could do was help the young wife with a physical check-up.
The young wife was baffled by Gu Jiaojiao’s words. She held out her hand in confusion and looked at Gu Jiaojiao quizzically. "What is it? Do you want to read my palm?"
Then, she added in a hushed voice, "Practicing feudal superstition isn’t allowed anymore."
Gu Jiaojiao was exasperated. "I’m not practicing feudal superstition."
She placed her fingers on the young wife’s wrist, then pulled her hand back a moment later. "You’re in good health. I remember you’ve only been married for two months. It’s perfectly normal not to have a child yet. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself."
"If your mother-in-law keeps pestering you, do this..."
Gu Jiaojiao whispered a long plan into the young wife’s ear. The girl was stunned. "C-Can I really do that?"
Gu Jiaojiao gave her a look that said, ’Trust me.’
And so, when the young wife returned home that day, she was carrying a large bundle. The moment she saw her mother-in-law in the courtyard, she ran straight to her room without a word of greeting, flopped onto the bed, and burst into tears.
Her husband, who had been on the bed, shot up in alarm. He panicked, seeing his wife crying so hard it looked like she might go into convulsions.
"What’s wrong? You said you were just visiting your family. What happened?"
The young wife just kept crying without saying a word.
Out in the courtyard, her mother-in-law was also baffled...
’What’s going on?’
’My daughter-in-law has always been so obedient since she married into the family. Today she saw me and didn’t even say hello. Is she trying to start a rebellion?’
She was just about to go scold her daughter-in-law when she heard the sound of crying from inside. Startled, she hurried into the room.
She looked at her daughter-in-law, then glanced at her son, questioning him with her eyes.
Her son just shook his head, looking completely clueless.
The mother-in-law fell silent for a moment before adopting her gentlest tone. "Xiao Lan, what’s wrong? Why did you come back from your family visit in tears?"
Hearing this, the young wife looked up, her eyes filled with misery. Between sobs, she recounted what had happened.
Following Gu Jiaojiao’s instructions, she had first gone to her own mother to get their stories straight, then went to Gu Jiaojiao’s to pick up a large bag of folk remedies.
Then, she told her mother-in-law that her own mother, seeing she still wasn’t pregnant, couldn’t bear it any longer. She had supposedly given her a harsh scolding and had even gone to get a whole host of folk remedies for her to take.
She explained that she’d told her mother it was only because she was newly married, but her mother wouldn’t believe it and just kept yelling at her.
The more Xiao Lan spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded, and she began to cry again.
The mother-in-law opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
’How did her mother go and do exactly what I was planning to do?’ She was, however, quite skeptical of the folk remedies.
"Will these actually work?"
’After all, I was planning to go to a Demi Immortal and ask for some talismanic water.’
Gu Jiaojiao had prepared her for this question, so all the young wife had to do was recite her lines.
"My mother spent a fortune to get these from a remarkable doctor. He said if they don’t work, he’ll pay her back double! My mother spent twenty yuan!"
As soon as the mother-in-law heard the price and the "double-your-money-back" guarantee, her eyes immediately fell upon the bundle Xiao Lan had brought back as if it were a precious treasure.
’That’s twenty yuan!’
’I only gave a bride price of fifteen yuan back then. Her mother is far too generous.’
On account of the price and the fact that the doctor dared to make such a bold claim, the mother-in-law was convinced.
Still, seeing her daughter-in-law’s aggrieved expression, the mother-in-law’s eyes darted about for a moment before she offered comfort in a gentle voice.
"Xiao Lan, please stop crying. Your mother is only doing this for your own good. This medicine is so expensive, and since it’s already been bought, you absolutely must finish it all!"