Gu Nuan Nuan, her face buried against her mother, revealed a sarcastic smile. For some reason, her five senses seemed to have become much sharper in this life. Although the gossiping voices were some distance away and quiet enough, she still captured every single word clearly.
She was genuinely amazed at their talent for digging up dirt.
Those people were right. It matched the truth she had uncovered in her past life, once she was old enough and had the means to investigate. The person who had "accidentally" splashed sulfuric acid on her mother's face back then was indeed Lin Dong, the only son of some textile factory director. In her previous life, the Lin family, for the sake of Lin Dong's future, had reached a private agreement with the Gu family. Both sides agreed not to pursue the other's faults any longer.
'Heh.' That agreement between the Lin Family and the Gu family had been reached entirely at the cost of her mother's lifelong happiness. But not only did no one ever feel guilty toward her mother, but in their efforts to let Lin Dong escape legal punishment, to cover up the humiliating fact that the Lin family had been cuckolded, and even more so, to conceal the truth that Lin Dong was later discovered to be infertile, the Lin Family had put in no small amount of effort behind the scenes to slander her mother.
Although she had eventually hired people to spread the truth in her past life, and Lin Dong had ultimately been too ashamed to show his face in public even into his old age, she always felt that punishment was far from enough.
'How can someone who injures another not face the full penalty of the law? This life is the time for a reckoning. This time, even if the Lin Family has connections in high places, I refuse to believe Lin Dong can escape legal punishment once the truth is out in the open.'
"Mama, let's go."
Lifting her head, Gu Nuan Nuan stood on her tiptoes to wipe away her mother's tears. 'If we don't leave now, it won't be so easy to get away once my aunt finds out and comes after us. Grandma's house is far from here, but the supply and marketing cooperative is only a five-minute walk away.'
That aunt of hers, relying on her good marriage, had always been extremely domineering and bossy with her own family, especially with her two sisters-in-law.
Her second aunt rarely returned from the city, came from a better family, and most importantly, lived far away from her aunt, so she suffered less abuse. But her mother was different. She worked at the same place as her aunt and, primarily because of her gentle temperament, was ordered around like a personal maid. Even though her mother was deeply unhappy about it, for various reasons, she couldn't bring herself to cause a scene.
They say children are sensitive. Even though she didn't see these things clearly when she was little, she had subconsciously disliked the way her grandmother and aunt treated her mother. As a result, she never had a good impression of her grandmother's side of the family or her aunt, and by extension, she didn't like her aunt's children either.
Of course, that cousin of hers, probably influenced by her aunt, always acted as if she looked down on her. So even though they lived nearby and were close in age, the two cousins could never bring themselves to be affectionate with each other.
But after her scumbag father remarried, that cousin from her aunt's family and Gu Jiayi rapidly developed a deep "friendship" and were always inseparable. They were so close that they would team up to bully her as children, and their bond lasted right up until they were grown, when Gu Jiayi climbed straight into her own cousin's husband's bed. Together, the two of them staged a grand drama of Ehuang and Nu Ying, a tale of sisterly love and mutual destruction.
At this thought, Gu Nuan Nuan let out a dark, private laugh. The stifling anger that had gathered in her chest from recalling these messy past events immediately dissipated by a good measure.
Even though they were on the side of reason, Gu Nuan Nuan still believed her mother wasn't prepared enough. She would be no match for her aunt, who had inherited all of their grandmother's true cunning. She still needed to do more to mentally prepare her mother.
Gu Nuan Nuan was secretly pondering this, but before she could think any further, Zhang Minzhen had already composed herself and took her hand. "Okay, let's go."
The mother-daughter pair paid no more attention to He Xiulin, simply walking around her and leaving. This time, He Xiulin didn't say anything else. She watched their retreating figures, and as she heard the surrounding crowd's discussion grow louder and even excited, she suddenly snapped to her senses. She took off at a run toward the supply and marketing cooperative—she had to tell Gu Jinhua about this before anyone else did.
Holding Gu Nuan Nuan's hand, Zhang Minzhen quickened her pace considerably. Without a word, she was practically fleeing in disarray.
Her face was burning red. She hadn't thought much of it when she had lost control and cried in front of everyone, but as soon as the wave of emotion passed, she was immediately overcome with embarrassment. She felt she had utterly disgraced herself.
Gu Nuan Nuan peeked at her mother's flushed face, wanting to laugh but not daring to. She, on the other hand, thought her mother's crying fit had been perfectly timed and incredibly effective. 'Could it have painted the image of a victim more deeply in people's minds?'
"Jinhua, you have time to stand here joking around? Your eldest younger brother's family is in big trouble!" He Xiulin, having rushed all the way, finally entered the supply and marketing cooperative and reached the counter where Gu Jinhua was standing. Seeing that no one had beaten her there to deliver the news, she first breathed a sigh of relief, then cried out with an anxious look on her face.
"What trouble could their family possibly have? It's your day off, what are you doing running in here instead of resting at home? Are you trying to get voted Model Worker?"
Gu Jinhua had been huddled up gossiping with the person at the next counter. The two of them were laughing happily about something when she suddenly heard someone call her name. She looked up to see He Xiulin standing before her and joked dismissively.
He Xiulin didn't take the bait. She directly flipped up the small wooden flap on the counter, stepped inside, and pulled her to the other end where no one was around. Before a surprised Gu Jinhua could speak, she lowered her voice, her face full of anxiety. "It's true, your eldest younger brother's family is in trouble. I just ran into Zhang Minzhen on the road. She was carrying a bundle and taking your niece to go back to her parents' house! Your niece was even carrying a schoolbag."
"Hah! The nerve of her, pulling the 'running back to mommy's house' drama. It's probably because of the visit to my mom's place. Hmph. If she's got the guts, she should go back by herself and not drag a member of our Gu family along. Don't you worry, she won't be able to keep it up for more than a few days. She won't even need to be fetched. I guarantee she'll come crawling back with her tail between her legs."
Hearing this, Gu Jinhua was first annoyed, then dismissive. Her tone carried a hint of viciousness. 'Looks like I've been too polite to her.'
'Hmph. I don't even have to think to know what happened. Her family went over today, the old lady said a few words to Zhang Minhua, and then my brother didn't take her side. She finally couldn't take it anymore, right?'
'What kind of person is she, anyway? Just some woman who can't even pop out a son. She's been married for over a decade, does she still think she's some young bride throwing a tantrum? What daughter-in-law doesn't have to put up with some grief from her mother-in-law? Even I have to bow my head to my in-laws from time to time. Is Zhang Minhua so precious?'
'No, after work, I have to tell my brother again not to indulge her stinking attitude. He absolutely cannot go and get her. If you spoil her once, won't it be endless? Anyway, as long as Zhang Minzhen wants to keep working here, she definitely won't be able to cause a real fuss. And I have my ways of teaching her how to tuck her tail between her legs and behave.'