Chapter 228: Resentment

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Resentment

"What’s with all the questions? You’re just a kid." Mrs. Tao snapped, her patience wearing thin. Gu Jiayi shot her a timid glance, then quickly looked to Gu Jiabao, hoping he would ask their grandma and uncle to take her with them. But she was disappointed. Gu Jiabao just stood there, wooden, as if he hadn’t heard or seen a thing. When they left, he didn’t even spare her a single glance back...

A faint resentment instantly welled up inside her.

’It had been like this for months. They were twins, yet their treatment was night and day. Everyone doted on him, but her life was miserable. She lived in the storage room and had to start on chores the moment she got home from school. That woman, Chen Suxiang, would beat and curse at her over the smallest things. She was constantly scolding her, saying there was no need to waste money on a girl’s education...’

’No one protected me. Even Mom didn’t dare talk back to Chen Suxiang. If this semester’s tuition hadn’t already been paid, I’d probably have been forced to drop out of school, wouldn’t I?’

At this thought, Gu Jiayi’s resentment toward her brother deepened. ’He used to be so good. He always protected me, no matter what. He never stood by when other kids bullied me. But now? Now, he only looks out for himself. He watches me suffer while he lives like a young prince in a nice room, with good food and clothes, never having to lift a finger. And now that Mom is gone, he gets to be whisked away by Grandma and Uncle immediately.’

SOB SOB SOB—

Grief washed over Gu Jiayi. Large teardrops rolled down her cheeks before she broke into a full-blown wail.

"What’s all the crying about? Is this a funeral?" Chen Suxiang heard Gu Jiayi’s sobs the moment she came in and flew into a rage, marching over and slapping her straight across the face.

"What’s all the noise? If you’re going to scream, do it outside," Gu Wu barked.

Chen Suxiang flinched, but then she grabbed Gu Jiayi’s hair and dragged her out of the main hall. Once outside, she shoved her with a kick. "Get to the kitchen and cook something! You’re so clueless, lazy just like your mother. You came back and saw your dad and I hadn’t eaten, so why didn’t you get your butt in there and start cooking? Did you expect us to wait on you? Hurry up! I’ll beat you to death if you’re slow."

"Sob... what do you want to eat?" Gu Jiayi asked, cowering. She didn’t dare offer the slightest resistance to Chen Suxiang’s tyranny, much less point out that she was, in fact, wailing over a death. She asked with tears in her eyes. It wasn’t that she wanted to be difficult, but she knew if she didn’t ask for specifics, she’d get another beating no matter what she made. The excuses were always ready-made. For example, if she cooked rice and other dishes, Chen Suxiang would say she wanted noodles. If she made noodles, Chen Suxiang would demand rice.

"What can you even cook at this hour? Just make some dough drop soup, that’s quick." Chen Suxiang shot Gu Jiayi a sidelong glance, satisfied with her perceptiveness, but in the next moment, her brow furrowed again. "What are you still standing there for? Get going! Who are you putting on that long face for?"

"Grandma, can I make an extra bowl? I haven’t eaten yet either," Gu Jiayi hesitated, pleading in a small voice.

"Why make extra? You can have the leftovers after your dad and I finish. Or aren’t there still sweet potatoes? You can cook one for yourself later. Now stop dawdling and get to it! Add plenty of greens, and drop in two eggs." Chen Suxiang turned her head and pursed her lips. ’She’ll be off to the Tao family soon, working for them from now on, and she still thinks she can eat well at our expense? Dream on.’

Helpless, Gu Jiayi went to the kitchen. Only then did she dare to cry again, but even as the tears streamed down, her hands didn’t dare slow in the slightest.

「On the way,」

Mrs. Tao and Tao Junhao selectively recounted the day’s events to Gu Jiabao. When they got to the part where Tao Jianren had said Gu Jiabao might be a child of the Lin family, Gu Jiabao grew agitated. "Did my mom really say that?"

"It’s true."

Mrs. Tao stroked Gu Jiabao’s head, saying through her tears, "Don’t blame your grandma and uncle for being heartless before. It’s just that your mother was so disappointing. Jia Yi’s blood was tested, and she’s definitely not from the Lin family, so who would believe that you and she might not have the same father? After she did something so shameful back then, it was a miracle the Lin family didn’t press the matter and let you both go peacefully. To be honest, we were furious with her, and we took that anger out on you and your sister."

Mrs. Tao was determined to win her grandson over. Whether he was a child of the Lin family or not, if they were going to take him in, she couldn’t let him harbor any grudges or resentment. Otherwise, why bother?

So she patiently explained to him, wiping her tears as she spoke. "Later, your mom married into the Gu Family. We had hoped she would settle down and live a quiet life. Once you two grew up, everything would be fine, and you would be her support, right? But before long, she was making a fuss about getting a divorce again. Is divorce so simple? If she keeps getting divorced, what will people think of her? What will they think of you and your sister? And what will they think of us, her maternal family? We knew the Gu Family wasn’t as good as the Lin family—they couldn’t compare in any way—but we had no idea that place was so awful it would drive your mother to take her own life rather than stay. Otherwise, how could we have really stopped her from coming home to us?"

Gu Jiabao lowered his head, silent, as tears dripped onto the floor.

"Jia Bao, you still resent your grandma and me, don’t you?" Tao Junhao said sadly from his side.

"...I don’t. I don’t hate you. I just hate how heartless the Gu Family is. If they hadn’t bullied Mom, she wouldn’t have tried to kill herself."

Gu Jiabao’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly denied it, sobbing. ’Even though Tao Jianren had once said she didn’t want him or his sister, she still stayed with the Gu Family for their sake in the end. She was his mother, after all; his resentment toward her wasn’t that strong. Besides, he’d watched her suffer so much these past few months and felt terribly sorry for her. But he was too little. His father in the Gu family wasn’t like his father from the Lin family, who would hang on his every word. No one listened to a thing he said. He couldn’t protect his mother or his sister. He was lucky if he could even protect himself. After a while, he just started hiding, pretending he didn’t see anything.’

Right then, his heart ached for his sister. "Grandma, Uncle, will you really bring my sister out, too? Even if... even if it turns out I’m not a child of the Lin family, will you still let both of us live with you?"

"We will. It was your mother’s dying wish. She was my own flesh and blood, how could I not feel for her?" Mrs. Tao hugged Gu Jiabao and wept loudly. "With her last words, she revealed something like that. So even if you aren’t from the Lin family, I’m afraid they won’t believe it now. You have no idea what Gu Lihui called you two just now, do you? He called you bastards. He knows full well that Jia Yi is his own flesh and blood, but he still said it. It’s clear he hates your mother to the bone and no longer sees you as his children. Your uncle and I are terrified. If we let you stay with the Gu Family, you’ll be treated as less than human, just like your mother. The next ones not to make it out alive will be you and your sister."

’Thinking of how Mom and my sister had been living these past few months... if I had to live like that too...’

Gu Jiabao shuddered violently, his face turning pale.