Chapter Thirty-Two: Bringing Along Two Freeloaders

After setting Mrs. Li down, Gu Xiaoyao wiped the sweat from her forehead. Though her willpower was strong enough to persevere, her physical strength was still lacking. That, coupled with the fact that this body was malnourished and had never been properly fed, left her exhausted.

“Mother, we’re here. This is Lotus Village,” she said.

When Gu Xiaoyao was married off to this place, Mrs. Li hadn’t come to see her off. After all, Gu Dacai had essentially sold Gu Xiaoyao to this village and, naturally, wouldn’t let Mrs. Li or anyone else know where Lotus Village was.

“Are we really allowed to go in together? Your mother-in-law will surely have words for you,” Mrs. Li hesitated at the edge of the village, unable to take a step forward. The village before her eyes looked even more impoverished than Shuitang Village. Her heart ached for her daughter, who’d been married into such a place, and she blamed herself for being useless as a mother.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll talk things over with Mother-in-law, and Chu Chengjin has already agreed. Mother-in-law won’t have any objections.”

Even if she did, Gu Xiaoyao thought, she would find a way to shut the old woman up.

Chu Chengjin glanced at the rope beside the withered tree—clearly, the two of them had been untied. When he’d arrived earlier, he’d seen them tied to that very spot.

They hadn’t even reached the courtyard when they heard Mrs. Liu’s voice, loud and shrill, coming from inside. She was, of course, cursing Gu Xiaoyao.

“That wretched creature! She actually dared to tie us to a tree. She must have nerves of steel. When she comes back, I’ll slap her left and right until she doesn’t know where she is!”

After recovering her composure in the house, Mrs. Liu hadn’t dared to step outside, fearing the looks from the villagers. As a mother-in-law, she couldn’t even keep her daughter-in-law under control and had been outwitted by Gu Xiaoyao.

“That’s right, Mother. When she gets back, you must teach her a lesson and let her know who rules this household,” Chu Qingbai chimed in. This Gu Xiaoyao was truly shameless. She’d been married into their family, yet dared to lay hands on them.

“But hasn’t Elder Brother come back now? If we bully Gu Xiaoyao, won’t he get angry?” someone asked.

Mrs. Liu, who hadn’t stopped complaining, rolled her eyes at this and spat, “I’m teaching Gu Xiaoyao a lesson for your brother’s sake. He can’t stand women like her. Everything I do is for him.”

So caught up were they in their grievances that none of them noticed Gu Xiaoyao had already pushed open the courtyard gate. Only when they heard the sound did they realize she was standing there. Mrs. Liu and Chu Qingbai immediately took a few wary steps back.

“Brother, Sister-in-law, you’re back.” Chu Qingbai, who had just been urging his mother to punish Gu Xiaoyao, forced an awkward smile and called out, his tone humble and meek.

But Mrs. Liu, seeing their return, puffed out her chest and pointed a finger at Gu Xiaoyao.

“Chengjin, you have to stand up for your mother! The wife I found for you is unruly beyond measure! She dares to hit people, even tied me to a tree—she’s turned the world upside down!”

She’d been tied up for so long that every part of her body ached; if she hadn’t finally recovered, she wouldn’t have been able to stand now.

Hearing her aggrieved complaint, Chu Chengjin’s face softened with a gentle smile as he looked at her and asked quietly, “Mother, when you found me a wife, did you ever ask for my opinion? Before I left, didn’t I already tell you what I thought?”

His tone was gentle to the extreme, but it sent chills down Mrs. Liu’s spine, making her hair stand on end.