Chapter 61: Stepmother's Change
"I think mother is serious about this, she's not just talking. She's rolled up all the bedding from the private school. These past few days, she's been beating and scolding my third brother to go to the fields to work. I saw his hands are swollen from pulling weeds." Chen Sufen said with emotion.
"Then Third Brother is willing?"
Gu Dahan doesn't believe that Gu Jingzhe would willingly drop out of school!
In his eyes, his third brother was a conceited person who could sacrifice everything for the sake of studying and pursuing a future.
"Of course I don't want to. My third brother passed the imperial examination at such a young age. It is said that the provincial governor praised him. If it were you, would you be willing to drop out of the private school and go back home to farm? But there is no way. You also know mother's temper. She is adamant. She treats my third brother the same way she treated us before. Do you think he can withstand it?"
Gu Dahan opened his mouth. If the stepmother really treated his third brother the same way she treated the eldest family in the past, his third brother would definitely not be able to withstand it!
"My third brother cried and begged, but it was all in vain. I think he accepted it these days. He cried and told mother that he would finish harvesting this season's wheat at home, and then go to Pingchuan or the capital to find a job as an accountant. He would study while working and support himself without spending the family's money."
Chen Sufen told Gu Dahan about Gu Jingzhe's situation.
Gu Dahan remained silent after hearing this. If Gu Jingzhe really said this, he would feel more relieved.
When he was working at Pingchuan Wharf, Gu Jingzhe would ask him for money from time to time.
"There is one more thing I need to explain to you. My third brother went to Pingchuan County to ask you for money without telling mother. When mother found out some time ago, she beat him up."
Chen Sufen told Gu Dahan that Gu Jingzhe wanted money.
She felt that her mother-in-law had been a bad person in the past, but she couldn't hide things that her mother-in-law hadn't done, lest Gu Dahan feel uncomfortable when she mentioned the matter in the future.
What Chen Sufen said next made Gu Dahan almost rush out to kowtow to Tong Huaqiong.
"...Mom said that we will choose a good day to bury your mother and father together. She also said that she will not be buried in the Gu family's ancestral tomb and will not be buried with father after a hundred years."
Gu Dahan was so shocked that he was speechless. What did his stepmother want?
She made such a big fuss at her father's funeral because she didn't want his mother to be buried with his father. He couldn't win the argument with his stepmother and two half-brothers on this issue, so he finally compromised.
Because of this, the eldest sister Gu Baishuang broke off contact with him.
Now he could understand why his stepmother agreed to bury his father and mother together, but he didn't understand why his stepmother didn't bury him in the family tomb after her death.
If it is for atonement of sins, the price is a bit high.
"Anyway, no matter what, the past is the past. Mother said that we should work together to live a good life in the future." Chen Sufen sighed, "We are not blessed with great wealth and honor, so it is good to live like this without being bullied. Mother also said that she will not let you go out to work, and you can live together at home, so that our family of three can be reunited."
She lived a very comfortable life during this period.
I hope I can stay comfortable like this.
In addition, Gu Dahan has returned home now. According to his mother-in-law's promise, Gu Dahan will stay at home and never go out to work again.
From then on, she would worry about the housework, put her energy into working in the fields, and work together with her mother-in-law to live a good life.
The more Chen Sufen thought about it, the happier she became, and she felt more and more that her future would be promising.
"Let's talk about it after I finish my time at the Lu family." Gu Dahan said to Chen Sufen, "The Lu family is kind, and Master Lu has rewarded me with a lot of things. I have saved them all and plan to give them to you and Man'er."
Chen Sufen pursed her lips, lowered her head and smiled.
When Gu Dahan learned that Tong Huaqiong planned to let him stay at home and not go out to work, he was a little shaken.
If he had been carrying sandbags at the dock before, he would have quit without hesitation. Now he has a good job in the Lu family, responsible for driving the carts when the Lu brothers and sisters go out.
The job was easy and respectable, and the Lu family was a respectful employer. They provided food and lodging, paid three taels of silver a month, and also gave him clothes for all four seasons.
At least thirty taels of silver can be earned for the family in a year, which is enough for the whole family to live in the countryside.
How much money can you save from farming in a year?
However, he cannot make the decision on this matter by himself and has to discuss it with his stepmother. Presumably, for the sake of the money, his stepmother will agree to let him continue to drive the cart in the Lu family.
"Mom, are you taking Taohua and the others to make pastries?" Gu Dahan asked, looking outside.
Gu Dahan saw the light of fire coming from the kitchen and his stepmother's loud cursing through the window, and then he smelled the rich aroma of pastries.
"Yes, I do this every day. I work day and night, and I never have a moment to rest. Mom is not just saying that she will lead us to a good life."
In the evening, when Tong Huaqiong gave her pocket money, she whispered to her that the total sales from the stall today, including the orders from Mr. Huang, were fifty-seven taels of silver. After deducting the costs, she could make at least thirty taels of silver.
And my mother-in-law said that she made a great contribution to this.
Her mother-in-law saw how hard she worked.
"Dahan, I think mom has really changed for the better. She didn't teach her excellent skills to Taohua and Yue'e, but taught them to me." Chen Sufen's face was full of pride.
Today, Gu Dahan learned from Chen Sufen about a series of changes in his stepmother, each one more shocking than the last, and he had no time to digest them.
"They are all making cakes. Why don't we take a rest here?"
Gu Dahan felt guilty for being idle at home because of the PUA of Tong Dajiao. When he saw Tong Huaqiong and Gu Dashu and others going in and out of the kitchen, he couldn't help but go out with Chen Sufen to help.
Chen Sufen nodded and said, "Let's go too!"
After Tong Huaqiong drove Chen Sufen back to her room, she went to the kitchen and mobilized the Gu Dashu, Gu Jingzhe, Liu Yue'e and Gu Taohua. She first sorted out the cakes made by Chen Sufen during the day, and then started to bake new cakes.
Tong Huaqiong didn't say anything when she saw Chen Sufen and Gu Dahan coming to the kitchen to help, because she knew that even if she sent them to sleep, they would not go, so there was no need to waste her breath.
Since they were willing to work, she would not stop them. With two more hands, they could finish the work earlier and go to bed earlier. She had to get up early to open the stall tomorrow.
Gu Dahan beat the eggs according to Chen Sufen's instructions.
Tong Huaqiong always felt that Gu Dahan was secretly observing her.
It must be that Chen Sufen told him about the changes in her body, and he just couldn't adapt to it for a while.
Yes, if someone like Tong Dajiao can become better, how different is the degree of her amazingness from the resurrection of the old man from the Gu family?
"You two, cheer up. Don't think you're a hero to our family just because you've been running around all day. Aren't you and your sister tired from setting up the stall all day? Isn't your eldest brother tired from working outside? Isn't your sister-in-law tired from making pastries at home all day?" Tong Huaqiong couldn't help scolding when she saw Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe both yawning.
Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe had been running around all day to find Zhu Gadan, and they were also using a flatbed cart to transport Tong Huaqiong, Gu Taohua, Lu Zhaoyang and the pig. They were so tired that they wanted to fall asleep immediately.
But they didn't dare, nor did they dare to complain.
Their widowed mother sold cakes all day to make a living for the family, and she was still working hard when she got home at night. How could they have the nerve to go to sleep?
So I forced myself to help.
Tong Huaqiong deliberately kept Gu Jingzhe busy so that he would have no time to pay attention to Lu Zhaozhao.
Tong Huaqiong sent Lu Zhaozhao to sleep in Gu Taohua's room. Lu Zhaozhao went to see his brother Lu Zhaoyang again. Seeing that his brother was in good spirits, he lay down on Gu Taohua's bed.
Lu Zhaozhao had already fallen asleep, but woke up again in a daze.
The aroma of the pastries was so strong that Lu Zhaozhao felt that the top of his head was filled with the fragrance.
Lu Zhaozhao put on her clothes and came to the kitchen, where she saw Tong Huaqiong picking up the freshly baked chestnut cakes and placing them on a bamboo grate.
That chestnut crisp looks so tempting.
want to eat!