Chapter 90: You’re Just a Shit-Stirrer

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: You’re Just a Shit-Stirrer

"She’s tired, so you think I’m not? For the past few days, I’ve had to work, run to the hospital to take care of our older brother, and constantly worry about Mom’s health here. You think all this running around is some kind of shopping spree?" Hearing her second brother’s words, Gu Jinhua’s temper flared, and the complaints she had been suppressing came pouring out. "Before you two were living at home, didn’t Mom do all this by herself? She’s been doing it for decades. How come you never felt bad for her? Never asked if she was tired? Never helped her with the chores or cleared the dishes?"

Gu Jinhua’s words all but accused Gu Lihuang of choosing his wife over his own mother.

Ye Rong’s brow furrowed as she listened. ’One after another, they just keep coming,’ she thought. ’I really can’t back down. If I do, I’ll end up in the same position as the eldest sister-in-law.’ She tossed aside what she was holding and looked at her sister-in-law, who had clearly turned the attack on her. With a cold smile, she chose not to engage Gu Jinhua directly. Instead, she shot Gu Lihuang a withering glare. "What kind of talk is that? She may be your sister, but she’s married now. When she comes to this house, she’s a guest. Is this how you treat guests? Putting them to work? You have no idea how to be a host."

Gu Lihuang’s expression froze. He knew Ye Rong was angry, so he offered an apologetic smile. "I was just so focused on you that I forgot, my dear."

Gu Jinhua, fuming on the side, snapped, "This is my home too! My last name is still Gu. How am I an outsider?"

Ye Rong ignored her completely, not even sparing her a glance. She walked over, took her son’s hand, and headed for the door with a strained smile. "Since you feel so bad for me, why don’t you be the one to wash all these dishes next time your mother isn’t feeling well? ’Feeling bad’ isn’t just something you say; it requires action. Who knows? Maybe if your mom sees you’ve learned to do chores and be considerate of her, she’ll be so happy all her aches and pains will magically disappear."

Gu Lihuang’s face turned grim. As soon as Ye Rong was gone, he roared at Gu Jinhua, "Are you happy now? You’re a damn shit-stirrer, always meddling in things that are none of your business. Everything was finally fine on my end. Are you satisfied now?"

"How is this my fault? It’s obviously your wife... Look at her! What woman is that high-maintenance? She needs you to help her clear the dishes? And now, I barely said a word to her and she throws a fit and storms off. It’s because you spoil her. She’s undisciplined." Gu Jinhua felt deeply wronged and was filled with indignation.

"She’s my wife, and I happen to like it when she’s high-maintenance and throws fits. What business is it of yours? If you’re so capable, why don’t you go home and act that way toward your husband? Don’t come back to your maiden home and wreck the peace just because you’re jealous and can’t get your way."

Gu Lihuang was furious. There hadn’t been a moment of peace in the house for the past two days. He was so stressed out that he deeply regretted moving back in.

He thought he had made himself perfectly clear to his mother the other day, but she was set in her ways. First, she used the excuse of "not feeling well" to make Ye Rong do all the household cooking.

Ye Rong knew exactly why her mother-in-law was "unwell," but decided to let it slide to save the woman some face. At first, she obediently did as she was told, cooking the meals and serving them. But his mother, seeing Ye Rong’s compliance as a green light to push things further, started making a fuss. She refused to eat the perfectly good food, nitpicking about this and that. It didn’t stop there; she went so far as to indirectly insult Ye Rong’s parents, insinuating they’d failed to raise their daughter properly and hadn’t even taught her to cook an edible meal.

Ye Rong wasn’t about to tolerate that. She stated directly that from then on, she wouldn’t be cooking anymore. His mother could do it herself.

Seeing things were getting out of hand, he’d quickly taken his mother aside and warned her again, managing to get her to back down with great difficulty. Then, he had carefully coaxed Ye Rong until she’d almost let it go. ’Finally,’ he’d thought, ’everything can go back to normal.’ But then his older sister had to show up and pull a stunt like this...

’Great. All that effort for nothing.’ He thought back to the years he’d lived with his in-laws, dependent on their charity, and realized life had never felt this hard. He’d come home, thinking things would be easier, but instead it had turned into this mess. ’Damn it all,’ he cursed internally, ’what did I do in a past life to deserve being caught in the middle like this?’

"You... You..." Gu Jinhua was so furious she trembled.

"You what? You started this mess, so you can wash these dishes." Gu Lihuang shoved the pile of bowls and chopsticks in front of Gu Jinhua and turned to leave. Suddenly, a loud CRASH came from the main room, as if something had been knocked over. Then, Gu Lihui’s voice rang out, "If you didn’t take the money, then who did? You tell me, besides you, who else knows about that hiding spot? Who else could have snuck in and taken it?"

"It really wasn’t me! If I took it, may I be struck by lightning and torn asunder!" Chen Suxiang’s voice, a mixture of heavy sobs and a fierce, sworn oath, drifted out.

"I don’t believe you! Mom, who else could it be? Do you take me for an idiot?"

"It really wasn’t me..."

...

Gu Lihuang stopped and turned to Gu Jinhua. "What’s going on?"

"Our older brother’s money is missing—the cash he kept at home. It’s several hundred yuan. He suspects Mom took it on the sly..." Gu Jinhua explained how Gu Lihui discovered the money was gone, his suspicions, the secret compartment in the cupboard where it was hidden, and the time Chen Suxiang had taken the key. She finished with a helpless sigh, "Other than Mom, I really can’t imagine who else could have taken it."

"You have no concrete proof. How can you be so sure it was Mom just based on suspicion?"

Gu Lihuang’s eyes darted about. ’If Mom really did take the money,’ he thought, ’and she doesn’t admit it now, it’ll become her own private savings. Down the line, between the two brothers, I’m sure to get a piece of that.’ So, even though he was fairly certain his mother was the culprit, he decided to back her up without hesitation. He put on an indignant expression, turned toward the main room, and announced as he walked, "This is wrong. I’m going to go support Mom."

Gu Jinhua never expected her second brother to react this way. She was dumbfounded.

Without a second thought, she rushed into the main hall after him.

--

「The Textile Factory Dormitories, The Lin Family Home.」

Yu Xiuying forced down half a small bowl of rice before she stopped, unable to eat another bite. Her appetite had been terrible for days. She set down her chopsticks, her eyes red, and complained to Lin Kangshun, "It’s been days. I wonder how Lin Dong is doing in there. Is he eating well? Sleeping well? Old Lin, he’s our only son. You have to think of something..."

"What makes you think I haven’t been trying?" Lin Kangshun sighed, setting down his own bowl and chopsticks. "Don’t worry. I’ve already made arrangements. Our son is fine in there. He’s eating, he’s sleeping, and most importantly, no one dares to bully him."

"Fine? He’s in jail! How can anything be ’fine’?" Yu Xiuying dropped her bowl and buried her face in her hands, crying.

"He was the one who acted so impulsively, and he was the one who got himself recognized. What more can I do? Do you think I wanted our son to end up in jail?" Lin Kangshun’s face was a mask of frustration. "If I’d known he was going to do that, I would have stopped him. I would have tied him up at home if I had to. There are plenty of ways to get revenge, but he had to be impulsive and choose the stupidest one—a Pyrrhic victory. Now, what else can we do besides try to get his sentence reduced?"