Chapter 339 - 337: This Time, Settle It for Good

Chapter 339: Chapter 337: This Time, Settle It for Good

Wen Xiu’s eyes blazed as she said fiercely, "Even if she’s willing, my granddaughter of the Zhang family—though her own flesh and blood—is not someone whose life she can just manipulate as she pleases."

’How outrageous! She must really take me for a toothless tiger just because I haven’t shown my claws,’ Wen Xiu fumed internally.

Gu Nuan Nuan’s words sparked Wen Xiu’s first thought: ’Has my good-for-nothing third daughter-in-law found a family willing to pay a high bride price? Is that why she’s willing to forgo the prizes we’re about to receive, just to "sell" her granddaughter off early? Hah! Does she have no sense at all? What kind of respectable family would pay that much and not even let the girl finish her schooling? They must be offering some ugly reject, right?’

’Hmph! If she wants to sell her daughter, she’d better ask me and my husband if we agree. And what about the Zhang family’s Clan? Would they stand for it?’

’Things are different now. Our family has money, which means we have a stronger backbone. The only reason I’ve been so tolerant of that unreliable daughter-in-law is for the sake of my grandson and granddaughter. If Third’s wife insists on causing trouble, I have no problem using drastic measures to teach her the meaning of losing both her family and her fortune...’

"What I heard was something like this... Third Aunt said that Xu Banxian told her that for my cousin Tianci’s illness to be completely cured, my cousin Laidi needs to suffer a bit. She has to go to his home to serve him as a concubine for a few years. That’s the only way to eliminate his bad karma, pray for her brother, and bless my cousin Tianci with a lifetime of peace and good fortune."

A faint, mocking smile touched Gu Nuan Nuan’s lips. "So, Third Aunt agreed and went home to tell Third Uncle. He refused. He said that if cousin Laidi stopped her studies, not only would the monthly scholarship money vanish, but the motorcycle, color TV, refrigerator, and gold and silver jewelry they were about to receive would be lost for nothing. So he was completely against it, but this time, Third Aunt is dead set on her plan. She even insisted that if Third Uncle disagreed, he was trying to harm our cousin Tianci. She also said something about wealth being fleeting, how you can’t take it with you, and that it would be worth it to give it all up for cousin Tianci’s safety, and to secure blessings and riches for themselves in the next life."

"What did you say?" The spatula in Wen Xiu’s hand fell to the ground with a CLATTER. She was so stunned she didn’t even bother to pick it up.

"Be a concubine for that half-dead old man, Xu Banxian, who already has a wife and children? To serve *him*?"

The sheer extent of her shock was evident. Her voice shot up an octave, cracking under the strain, and her face was a twisted mask of disbelief.

She snarled through gritted teeth, with a viciousness Gu Nuan Nuan had never witnessed before, "Why doesn’t she go be a concubine for that shameless old Xu Banxian herself—that toad lusting after a swan, that unconscionable degenerate! Why doesn’t she go serve *him* to secure her own fortune in the next life? What right does she have to push my granddaughter into a pit of fire instead of jumping in herself? Is there really such a venomous mother in this world?"

She paced back and forth, too furious to calm down. "No, I can’t wait. I’m going to find her. If she really dares to send my granddaughter away, I’ll make her life a living hell, even if it’s the last thing I do. She wants to ruin my granddaughter, does she...? I’d like to see her try, with me standing in her way!"

Wen Xiu completely ignored the dough-drop soup simmering in the pot and headed straight for the door. "We can’t keep a daughter-in-law like this! The Zhang family isn’t blessed enough to have someone like her. This time, I’m definitely calling her parents to come and take her back. Tianci and Laidi would be more fortunate to have no mother at all than to have one like her."

Gu Nuan Nuan saw this and quickly followed. Before she left, she didn’t forget to magically put away the finished soup and extinguish the roaring flames in the stove from a distance. Then she caught up to Wen Xiu and grabbed her arm. "Grandma, don’t be in such a rush to confront Third Aunt alone. Even if she wants to send cousin Laidi to Xu Banxian, it’s not like she can do it this very second. Isn’t Grandpa at Granduncle’s place right now? Why don’t we go there directly, tell him about it, and figure out the best way to solve this?"

"What is there to discuss?" Wen Xiu was so angry she was starting to lose her composure. "What method? Anyone who isn’t a complete idiot can see that Xu Banxian is a fraud. Your Third Aunt is so muddle-headed she’s dumber than an idiot, believing whatever anyone tells her. This time, I’m going to tell your Third Uncle to divorce her, send her packing back to her parents, and then I’ll find a better wife for him. That way he won’t have to think about that foolish woman anymore. Wouldn’t solving it once and for all be for the best?"

These weren’t just words spoken in anger. This time, Guo Xiuying’s actions had truly crossed Wen Xiu’s line. She could no longer tolerate that daughter-in-law. ’What family in the world,’ she thought, ’could possibly continue to put up with a daughter-in-law like that?’

"But nothing has happened yet. If you do this, what will you say when people ask why? Tell them the truth? Grandma, are you sure Third Aunt will admit she was trying to push cousin Laidi into a pit of fire? And Third Uncle—do you really think he’ll stand up and expose her to support you?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Gu Nuan Nuan held onto Wen Xiu, her voice a calm point of analysis. "Who would believe a mother could do something like that? When the time comes, all Third Aunt has to do is cry a few pitiful tears in public, and people, not knowing the truth, will only see you forcibly breaking them up. People naturally sympathize with the underdog. They might not say anything to your face, but behind your back, won’t they just say you’re throwing your weight around and bullying people now that Great Uncle is wealthy? What kind of person would that make you look like?

"Do you really want people gossiping behind our backs, saying our family bullies people just because we have money, that we’d even force a divorce? You’d be saddled with the reputation of a wicked mother-in-law, and you’d drag Great Uncle into the gossip as well. And you mentioned finding Third Uncle another wife. When cousin Laidi finds out the truth later, she might not hate you, but what about cousin Tianci? Don’t you think he’ll hate you when he grows up? Hate you and Great Uncle, believing you all forced him to lose his mother and live under the thumb of a stepmother from a young age?"

Wen Xiu was speechless.

She was stunned silent once more. Then she shook her head, her voice firm with resolve. "Then what should we do? Surely we’re not completely powerless against her? I’m scared. I feel like we’ve tried everything. Losing money is one thing, but how long has it been since things were peaceful? If we let her off the hook again, with her personality, she’ll just remain deluded. The moment we’re not watching, those two children will be ruined by her sooner or later. No. Even if I have to shoulder a bad reputation, I have to deal with her for good this time. A menace like that has no place in the Zhang family. If she wants to cause trouble, she can go back to her parents’ house and do it. Her parents raised a daughter like that, so they can be the ones to reap what they’ve sown."