Chapter 265 - 261: It All Stinks
Chen Shulan took off her shoe and gave her two children a harsh whipping. Lin Daya and Lin Tie Dan instantly fell into line.
She let out a breath.
’It was the first time she’d ever felt that hitting her children was actually pretty satisfying.’
’No wonder her father had loved beating her and her mother so much.’
She tossed her shoe on the ground and slipped it back on.
Although Lin Daya and Lin Tie Dan had fallen into line, the look in their eyes as they stared at Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang was vicious.
Gu Jiaojiao noticed and couldn’t help but frown.
’So full of malice at such a young age. Looks like their punishment was too light.’
Just as she was about to look away, her eyes met Chen Shulan’s sullen gaze.
Gu Jiaojiao: ...
’Like mother, like children. Their thoughts were identical.’
Gu Jiaojiao ignored Chen Shulan.
Chen Shulan, however, was seething with resentment.
’If Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t refused to give them two pieces of milk candy, her children wouldn’t have cried, and they wouldn’t have gotten a beating.’
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
’My children are far more precious than those two little beggars,’ she thought. ’I’ll show Gu Jiaojiao just how outstanding my kids are.’
Chen Shulan crouched down and looked at Lin Daya and Lin Tie Dan.
"Daya, Tie Dan, you two better make me proud. If you can beat those two little beggars—if you prove you’re better than them and make your mother proud—I’ll make you new clothes."
"I promise they’ll be even prettier than the clothes they’re wearing."
Daya and Tie Dan’s eyes lit up.
"Really?"
Chen Shulan nodded. "Your mother keeps her promises."
’I’ll just wait and see Gu Jiaojiao regret this.’
Hearing they would get new clothes, Daya and Tie Dan perked up immediately. They thought surpassing Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang would be a piece of cake, hardly worth any effort at all.
After giving her children their talking-to, Chen Shulan stood up.
Just then, she heard some young women nearby gossiping about Gu Jiaojiao, and what they were saying was quite nasty.
"Look at Gu Jiaojiao, all dolled up like she’s trying to bewitch every man in sight. All the men around here can’t stop staring at her."
"All she knows is how to seduce men. She’s completely shameless."
The speaker was a young, unmarried woman from the village named Sun Yeshu.
Before Gu Jiaojiao was sent down to the countryside and before Xu Wenwan returned, Sun Yeshu had been the village beauty.
She was the one all the young men used to flock to see.
But ever since Gu Jiaojiao arrived, all those men started staring at her instead.
No one looked at her anymore.
This sudden drop in attention left her deeply resentful, which in turn made her view Gu Jiaojiao with particular disdain.
Seeing her in a bright red outfit, she couldn’t help but mutter a few complaints.
’She’s already married, yet she’s still wearing such a vibrant color. Is she planning on cheating?’
Gu Jiaojiao was waiting to watch her husband butcher the pig.
She wasn’t paying any attention to them at all.
If she had known what they were thinking, she would have laughed in exasperation.
’The temperature was twenty-something degrees below zero, the frigid wind was howling, and she was bundled up in a thick, padded coat with only her face exposed.’
’Dressed like this, how could she possibly be "all dolled up"?’
Sun Yeshu didn’t care about any of that. She was simply resentful that Gu Jiaojiao attracted so much attention.
She and her close friends continued to badmouth Gu Jiaojiao.
Listening from the side, Chen Shulan felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
’Sun Yeshu was absolutely right.’
’Didn’t Gu Jiaojiao used to have a thing for Yun Hao from the Educated Youth dormitory?’
’She’ll probably end up having an affair with some other man one of these days and cheat on Leng Yuan.’
’In that respect, at least, Gu Jiaojiao could never compare to her.’
’Because she would never betray her husband, and she certainly would never cheat on him.’
At this thought, Chen Shulan couldn’t help but feel smug. She covered her mouth to stifle a few chuckles and even gave her hair a self-satisfied flick.
Sun Yeshu, who was badmouthing Gu Jiaojiao nearby, got smacked in the face by Chen Shulan’s hair.
Her hair, which smelled like it hadn’t been washed in days, gave off a foul odor. Sun Yeshu almost gagged.
"Aunt Lin, I have to say, you should really wash your hair. It stinks."
The young woman muttered in disgust and took a step away.
Chen Shulan’s brow furrowed. "What’s that supposed to mean? You have no respect for your elders."
The young woman scoffed, her face a mask of disdain.
"I may be young, but I’m just telling the truth. You stink, Aunt Lin."
After saying her piece, she pinched her nose, her expression one of utter disgust.
Chen Shulan: ...
Gu Jiaojiao paid no mind to the commotion. The wild boar was being carried out, and Leng Yuan was following right behind it.