Chapter 155: It Turned Out the Deep Affection Was Just Her Illusion
Mr. Dong saw how excited his eldest son was. He was certain the Gu Family had no real wealth.
"What do you mean?"
"The Su family is supporting my older sister’s entire family, and they’re eating meat every day. But didn’t the Su family empty their coffers treating Su Shuochi’s illness before? Dad, don’t you think that money must have come from the Gu Family?"
Uncle Dong didn’t say everything on his mind. After all, he still hadn’t seen the medical room.
"Impossible. Back then, your sister’s family had their home raided. Even if her father-in-law had any assets, they were seized by Gu the Second. At the time, Gu the Second even cut ties with his parents and older brother. They couldn’t have had many possessions left."
Mr. Dong said with conviction. He had thought his eldest daughter’s family would quickly come back after moving in with the Su family.
Who would have thought the Su family could actually afford to support the Gu Family, and even eat meat every day? Yesterday’s donkey meat was especially delicious.
’Living like that, I’d love to go over to the Su family for a free meal,’ he thought. ’Too bad I don’t have the face for it.’
Mr. Dong knew full well that because of his young wife’s heartlessness, the rift between him and his eldest daughter’s family was now irreparable.
Although the father and daughter hadn’t completely fallen out yet, the distance between them was growing ever wider.
The biggest regret of his life was marrying a young wife—a wife whose cleverness was all on the surface.
And she gave him a daughter whose beauty seemed to have been traded for her intelligence, making him too embarrassed to even leave his courtyard to see his old friends.
’Thankfully, those other old geezers don’t have it so easy either. The Song Family’s eldest branch has their son, Song Zijin, making headlines every other day.’
’Old Man Sheng’s biological granddaughter is even worse, causing endless trouble at home. She does nothing but stir things up all day.’
Mr. Dong especially agreed with a saying among the old-timers in the compound: the Sheng Family had mistaken a fish eye for a pearl.
’In reality, haven’t I done the same, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl?’
Old Man Sheng had complained to him countless times, saying he truly wished Gu Jiaojiao was his real granddaughter.
Gu Jiaojiao had been well-behaved and sensible since she was a child. After getting married, she became even more tactful and perceptive, clever and knowing right from wrong. That girl Yueyue was no match for her.
"You have a point, Dad. In fact, it’s plain for all to see that the Su family earned their money from their liangpi noodle stall."
"I heard it was Jiaojiao’s idea to set up the stall. It was the Su family’s great fortune to have her marry into their family. They deserve to eat meat every day."
Mr. Dong offered a rare compliment for Gu Jiaojiao, who was his own biological granddaughter.
But whenever Jiaojiao saw him, she pretended not to. He couldn’t blame his granddaughter; when the Sheng Family disowned her, he hadn’t lifted a finger to help.
At the time, he truly didn’t know Jiaojiao was his biological granddaughter. Ren Xiaofang hadn’t told him either.
If Gu Jiaojiao knew what Mr. Dong was thinking, she would definitely feel she was being wronged.
She was a soul who had arrived halfway through. The original owner of the body had no memory of this person at all. She truly didn’t know this maternal grandfather from the Dong Family!
"Yeah, Jiaojiao has been pretty since she was a little girl. That slender, straight little nose, a dainty mouth, and big eyes, paired with that sweet smile of hers."
"The moment you see her, your heart just melts. I’m very fond of my niece Jiaojiao."
"Hasn’t Jiaojiao said anything about coming to the Dong Family to see me, her maternal grandfather? Is she still mad at me?"
"Jiaojiao is too busy every day to have the time. Mostly, my sister hasn’t fully recovered yet, so she hasn’t mentioned coming back."
’My sister hasn’t even talked about returning to the Dong Family, so how would Jiaojiao even think of it?’ Uncle Dong didn’t dare say this out loud.
"Sigh, let’s not talk about them. How has your work been lately?"
"My work is fine. Recently, I was assigned to host some people from the Imperial City. They’re friends of Uncle Gu, so no one is giving me a hard time."
"Sheng Liangyuan, on the other hand, has been deliberately given trouble by a few of them. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s Jiaojiao’s adoptive father, it would be even worse for him."
Seeing his eldest son bring the conversation back to Jiaojiao after just a few sentences, Mr. Dong said, "I’m tired. You should get some rest too."
The father and son then returned to their respective rooms to sleep. Mr. Dong lived on the ground floor; he didn’t want to climb the stairs every day.
After following her husband back to their room, Aunt Dong wanted to apologize to him.
But Second Uncle Dong went straight to the washroom without even giving her a single glance.
This made Aunt Dong sit on the edge of the bed and recall the first year of their marriage. Because she was fortunate enough to get pregnant quickly, and even gave birth to a son on her first try.
She had hoped to gain status through her son, and her tone in the Dong Family became a bit more assertive, which greatly displeased Mr. Dong and the eldest brother.
Her husband had slapped her viciously several times and then ignored her for months. In the end, it was she who had to grovel and please him.
She would prepare his water for washing his face in the morning and bring him water to soak his feet at night. She even tested the temperature again and again, afraid it would be too hot or too cold.
After several years, she finally managed to warm her husband’s hardened heart. Slowly, he started to treat her with kindness.
He would go along with her on trivial matters, giving her face, and he was also good to her maiden family.
He even cleaned up her brother’s messes a few times, which made her forget his past coldness and cruelty. And slowly, she got carried away...
’Thinking about my actions over the past few years, and my brother’s actions... Good heavens! When did I get so audacious!’
Then she thought about how calm and resolute her husband looked when he mentioned divorce, and the more she thought, the more terrified she became.
When Second Uncle Dong came out of the shower, he saw his wife sitting on the head of the bed with a bitter expression. The sight of her infuriated him, and he immediately launched into a tirade.
"Li Dahua, who are you putting on that miserable face for? Are you trying to pull a long face to threaten me into saving your brother?"
"I’ve told you before, if you want a divorce, we’ll get one. If you don’t, then you’d better drop your petty schemes."
"Big Brother said that even the city’s high-ranking officials are taking your brother’s case seriously. Don’t you see that even the Sheng Family isn’t falling for your family’s threats?"
"Recognize the facts and get your priorities straight. You don’t care about your husband’s future, and you ignore his predicament."
"You’re pushing your son and daughter’s hearts further away too. Tell me, what will you have left then?!"
Aunt Dong: ...
She was filled with an apology she didn’t know how to voice, and a bitterness she could only bear alone.
Her son and daughter had already grown distant from her. Her daughter had even asked her multiple times if she was her biological mother.
Why was it that she and her brother weren’t worth even a single hair on their young maternal uncle’s head?
At the time, she had wanted to kick that damn girl out. But how could she not understand her daughter’s obvious provocation?
Aunt Dong opened her mouth, wanting to say a few words of apology to her husband, but before she could make a sound...
...she saw him grab his pillow and walk into the study without a backward glance, slamming the door with a BANG.
Aunt Dong was stunned. She had never expected her husband to suddenly fly into such a rage.
For so many years, she had thought the bond between them had long since deepened to a point beyond what words could describe.
But this was how her husband treated her. It turned out that their "deep bond" was just her own delusion!
She could only watch his retreating back, sigh, and shake her head. Both her husband and this marriage were things she had pursued one-sidedly.
She had even used schemes to get them. But after so long, she had forgotten all about that.
For all these years, if it weren’t for her clever son winning the affection of her husband and Mr. Dong, what right would she have had to act so pompously in front of her own family!
It was another sleepless night for Aunt Dong...
「The next morning.」
Grandpa Gu said to Geng Ruixian, "Ruixian, after you finish your boxing practice, go wash up. Once you’re done with breakfast, you and Shuo Ci are going out."