Chapter 73: You Decide

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: You Decide

"I’ll let you decide. If you want the money, we get a divorce. I can’t help you hide where this money came from from our son and daughter, and how they react when they find out will be up to your luck. In short, you’ll have to fend for yourself from now on. If you don’t want the money, you’ll do as I just said: honestly come to me for grocery money every day." Gu Wu laid out the options for Chen Suxiang to choose.

"..." Chen Suxiang stared intently at the money in Gu Wu’s hand, feeling more conflicted than ever before.

"You’d better think this through. Once you decide, there’s no turning back. Take the money, and it’s enough for you to buy a small house and live on your own. But I’m afraid it’ll be hard to get your son and daughter to acknowledge you ever again. But that’s fine. Who are you close to besides money? For this cash, weren’t you even willing to screw over the two sons you claim are as dear to you as your own life? Heh heh. So even if your sons disown you in the future, you’ll have brought it on yourself. It’s what you deserve."

It was rare for Gu Wu to say so much to Chen Suxiang. His tone was dripping with mockery, yet every single word hammered into her heart like a nail, making it impossible for her to overcome her shame and utter the two words "the money," no matter how much she wanted to.

Gu Wu didn’t press her further, simply tapping the wad of cash against his palm from time to time.

"...This... money... I... I don’t want it."

Chen Suxiang swallowed hard and forced her gaze away from Gu Wu’s hand. As the words left her mouth, she felt as if all the flesh was being flayed from her bones. It was a fate worse than death.

"Really thought it through?" Gu Wu’s tone was taunting. "There are no take-backs with me. If you regret this later, you’ll still be out on your own without a single cent. You’ll truly have nothing then."

"I’ve thought it through," Chen Suxiang said through gritted teeth. ’I’ve gone over it again and again, and I finally get it. So what if I take the money and get a divorce?’

’This isn’t a few years ago when I was still young and beautiful. Back then, I could at least have found another man to rely on. Now I’m old and past my prime. Who would be willing to take care of me?’

’Most of this money, if I’m being honest, was scraped together from my two sons and one daughter. If I don’t have anyone to protect me, I’m afraid my two sons won’t let it go the moment I step out this door. They’d take the money before I could even buy a house, and I wouldn’t be able to fool my daughter anymore...’

’That’s when I’d truly lose everything—my family and my money. Would I have to end up a beggar on the streets?’

"Since you’ve made up your mind, hand over the rest of the money," Gu Wu said calmly.

"Didn’t you already find it all? Where would there be any more?" Chen Suxiang trembled, feeling even more distraught.

"So you do want the money after all?"

"...I’ll... I’ll go get it for you." Chen Suxiang burst into tears. ’How is this damn old man so shrewd? He won’t even let go of the last bit I hid away?’ Sobbing, she walked out of the room and headed upstairs. Gu Wu naturally followed, watching as she went up, entered the smallest room, and retrieved an old cloth bundle from under the bed boards.

"There’s no more. It’s all here." Chen Suxiang clutched the old cloth bundle, unable to bring herself to let it go. She felt she hadn’t been this desperate, hadn’t cried this wretchedly, even when her own parents died. Clutching the bundle, she couldn’t help but plead with Gu Wu, "At least leave a little for me."

"Hand it over." Gu Wu held out his hand.

Chen Suxiang had no choice but to resentfully hand over the cloth bundle. Gu Wu opened it, counted the contents, and found another five hundred yuan in loose bills. He thought for a moment, counted out one hundred yuan, and handed it back along with the old cloth. "This is for you, so you can’t say I’m too stingy."

’Not stingy? He took over six thousand yuan and gave back only one hundred, and he calls that not stingy...’

Chen Suxiang took it with a mournful expression, the bitterness in her heart having no outlet. ’There’s no hope for the future now.’ She watched helplessly as Gu Wu pocketed all the money that had been hers. Listlessly, she dragged her feet back to the main room, feeling as if she had aged ten years in an instant.

"I’ve already made an agreement with the Zhang family. As soon as our eldest son gets out of the hospital, the two of them will go file for divorce. Since you already took it upon yourself to ’sell’ the two rooms in the countryside to Nuannuan’s mother, they now belong to her. On top of that and other miscellaneous things, we’ll give them another five hundred yuan as compensation. The Zhang Family has agreed that after this, everyone will go their separate ways. As long as you don’t show up at their door with the kids to cause trouble, they won’t pursue the matter any further."

Giving the Zhang family another five hundred yuan was a spur-of-the-moment decision Gu Wu made after seeing the money Chen Suxiang had hidden. He originally thought he had already given them enough, but seeing this large sum of cash made him think of how his own wife and eldest son had mistreated Zhang Minzhen all these years, and his guilt deepened. ’Sigh, a woman raising a child on her own... life must be very difficult. I should compensate the mother and daughter as much as I can.’ Besides, this money would also serve as a cover for those other things.

"You promised them the house *and* five hundred yuan?" Chen Suxiang shrieked, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. "How can the Zhang Family be so greedy? Taking the house and demanding money on top of it? Where in the world is there a deal that good? No way! Giving them the house is enough. We absolutely cannot give them the money..." ’Anyway, the house in Lihua Village is just a rundown shack, so who cares if they take it,’ she thought. But giving them cash—five hundred yuan at that! Even though the money was in Gu Wu’s hands now, in her mind, it would all be hers once that old bastard finally died. Her heart ached at the thought, and she stomped her feet in protest.

’Utterly ridiculous.’

Watching Chen Suxiang stomp and shout, Gu Wu found her both infuriating and laughable. ’How can she not understand that I’m just *informing* her, not asking for her opinion? She really thinks she’s something special, doesn’t she?’

"Do you have any idea that if the Zhang Family hadn’t agreed to let our eldest son off the hook, he would have been arrested?" Gu Wu asked coldly, waiting for Chen Suxiang to finish her tantrum.

What? Arrested?

Chen Suxiang stopped her racket and stared blankly at Gu Wu. "On what grounds would my son be arrested?"

"On what grounds?"

Gu Wu snorted and shot Chen Suxiang a sidelong glance. "On the grounds of that disgraceful thing he did, fathering two children and having someone hold the evidence against him. Both the Zhang family and the Lin family could sue him and have him arrested. Once he’s arrested, just think about the consequences."

"Then what do we do? What do we do? You have to think of something! We can’t just stand by and watch our eldest son get arrested, can we?"

The reminder made Chen Suxiang suddenly recall what her son had done. If someone pressed charges, it would be a disaster—he could really be taken away. She had seen plenty of people get arrested before. She’d heard they were all sent to faraway places, freezing cold with nothing to eat, forced to reclaim wasteland and farm all day, never to return...

She shivered. ’No, my eldest son is my lifeblood. I can’t let him be arrested, no matter what. With his frail constitution, and having never known a day of hardship, I can’t even imagine the consequences if he’s sent there.’

"Scared now?" Gu Wu grunted. "If you hadn’t spoiled the boy, would he have become so lawless?"

"What’s the use of saying that now? Just think of a solution!" Chen Suxiang cried in desperation.

"Luckily, it’s the kind of crime the authorities won’t prosecute unless someone files a complaint. So as long as the Zhang and Lin families don’t press charges, he’ll be fine." Gu Wu looked at Chen Suxiang’s anxious state and felt he couldn’t understand her. She was the one who had set her son up for this fall, yet her worry for him now didn’t seem feigned...

He truly couldn’t understand what on earth went on in her mind.

Gu Wu furrowed his brow. ’But no matter what, she’s a money-grubber. In the end, this old woman probably only cares about herself. Only when she herself is safe does she manage to muster up that tiny, pitiful bit of motherly affection.’

"The Zhang family just wants a smooth divorce. For the sake of our eldest son being Nuannuan’s biological father, they’re willing to let the matter drop. As for Lin Dong, the one who threw sulfuric acid in our son’s face, he’s already been arrested. If his family can help him get our son’s official forgiveness, he could get a lighter sentence. So I reckon the Lin family will be knocking on our door in the next day or two. When that happens, if you really have our son’s best interests at heart, you’ll think carefully about what should and shouldn’t be said. You need to make this clear to our son, too. I think he knows what needs to be done."

"..."

Chen Suxiang was silent for a moment, then said with a conflicted expression, "Fine, I won’t cause trouble for the Zhang family anymore. But... about the Lin family, can we still get them to pay for his medical expenses?"