Chapter 522 - 523: Seeking Help
As soon as Bai Suihe finished speaking, it dawned on her that villages in this era were entirely different from those in her modern world. An entire village would often band together, united in every endeavor.
"Yes, I heard that more than half the village returned back then, and they’ve slowly rebuilt over the years." Dongmei used to feel happy for Zhuang Datou; it was already a massive stroke of luck that some of his family members were still alive and that he could find them.
"So what exactly is the situation with your two families right now?" Bai Suihe had her suspicions. The relatives who showed up were likely difficult to get along with; otherwise, they wouldn’t have pushed these two good-natured girls to such a breaking point.
"A few days ago, many people from both of their families showed up. They claimed they could no longer survive back home and wanted to seek refuge with Zhuang Datou and the others," Dongmei began to explain. "Between the two extended families, nearly thirty people came."
When they first arrived, Dongmei and Chunxiang warmly welcomed them, unaware that this was the beginning of their nightmare.
Bai Suihe furrowed her brows. To think that so many people had come, without a single one being left behind! She wondered when they had arrived. They had certainly kept it well hidden—no one had even come into the city to inform her.
But on second thought, she felt she was being overly sensitive. She had long since granted Zhuang Datou and the others their freedom; this was their own family matter.
Chunxiang chimed in, "Even though our houses aren’t big, we tried our best to settle everyone in. At first, everyone was polite, but within a few days, the house descended into chaos.
"Huang Pingguo’s family alone has over ten elders—his grandparents, parents, uncles, and a whole bunch of others. Any one of them could give us an attitude."
Dongmei nodded in agreement. While Zhuang Datou had fewer elders on his side, there were many children. It was noisy every single day. For girls who were used to peace and quiet, it was incredibly hard to adapt. However, as wives, it wasn’t their place to complain, so they could only endure it in silence.
But their tolerance only encouraged the relatives to give an inch and take a mile. After just a few days of feigned politeness, these people revealed their true colors. Not only did they boss the two pregnant women around all day long, but they even tried to seize their dowries.
They claimed it was a family rule that the younger generation couldn’t hold private wealth while the elders were still alive. But what private wealth? This was clearly their dowry! But these people refused to listen to reason. They threw around the word "unfilial" until the girls were completely suppressed and unable to argue back. Gradually, the others—even the children—began pointing right in their faces and cursing at them.
After hearing this, Bai Suihe asked, "So what did Zhuang Datou and the others say? What did they do about it?"
"They took our side, of course," Dongmei said, squeezing out a bitter smile. "But those are their elders, after all. And there are so many of them—with everyone chiming in, we’re completely overwhelmed and can’t even talk back."
Having said their piece, the two girls broke into tears again. When had they ever suffered such grievances? They used to think the journey during their exile was the hardest thing they would ever face. But compared to this, they would rather walk the path of exile again than be stuck with these shameless scoundrels.
What was supposed to be their home was now a complete mess, and they were forced to come seek help from their former mistress. They hadn’t wanted to come, but they truly couldn’t live like this anymore. They felt that if things continued this way, they might not even be able to protect the babies in their wombs.
"So, because they couldn’t talk back, they just let you suffer such grievances?" Bai Suihe asked angrily. That was nothing but an excuse. Even if Zhuang Datou and the others had been away from home for years, could they really be oblivious to their own families’ true nature?
Dongmei and Chunxiang fell silent. It was true. Even if they couldn’t argue back, the men hadn’t really spoken up for them much, either. At most, they just told their wives to be a little more patient and endure it until they could find a way to resolve the issue.
But as the days ticked by, the grievances they suffered only piled up. Thinking of this, the two girls couldn’t help but tightly grip the bundles behind them. In truth, they had been on their guard; otherwise, they wouldn’t have packed all their most valuable belongings when they left the house this time.
"Go see where Mr. Gu is," Bai Suihe told Zisu. She had previously thought she had found a good match for the two girls, only for it to turn out to be such a fire pit.
Zisu quickly excused herself. It had been a long time since the Madam had spoken so sternly.
"You two really are..." Bai Suihe sighed. "There are carts coming into the county town every day, yet you didn’t even think to have someone pass on a message."
"We believed Zhuang Datou and the others would find a solution," Dongmei said. "Besides, this is a family matter. We didn’t want to trouble you with every little thing."
"You just mentioned that Zhuang Datou and the others were trying to figure out how to settle their extended families. How exactly are they planning to do that?"
Dongmei and Chunxiang quickly sat up straight. "Don’t worry, Miss. I made it very clear to Zhuang Datou and the others at the time. Without Mr. Gu’s and your permission, they are not to try and get them jobs within the Gu family."
Having followed their mistress for so many years, they had never dared to make unauthorized decisions, let alone indulge Zhuang Datou and the others in taking on tasks they couldn’t handle! Zhuang Datou and the others might have had such ideas, but as long as she and Chunxiang didn’t agree, the men wouldn’t dare bring it up, even if they had ten times the courage. After all, the residence in Tian Village and the orchards on the mountains were closely watched.
"I do trust you on that," Bai Suihe said, shifting the topic. "They’ve been here for a while now. Have you been the ones feeding and supporting them?"
As if she had finally found someone to confide in, Dongmei began listing the various atrocities committed by the two families. With so many people living under one roof, friction was inevitable, and she could accept that. But ever since these extended families arrived at their home, everyone wanted to be the boss. Some even pointed out that since the girls came from a servant background, waiting on people should be second nature to them. Therefore, every single one of them expected to be waited on hand and foot.
"You don’t know, Miss, but from top to bottom, not a single person in this family has any manners. Even a toddler who’s just learning to speak pointed at my belly and said I’m pregnant with a little slave who will grow up to serve people.
"I may have a servant background, but I’ve never eaten a single grain of rice from their family, nor have I received any favors from them. Why should I endure such insults?
"And as for my child—you’ve already granted us our freedom and even set up so many properties for us. We’re doing countless times better than they are!"
"The people at our house are even worse," Chunxiang added. "They said I married out of my league by being with Huang Pingguo..."
In the environment Bai Suihe lived in, the people around her were at least somewhat educated and cared about their dignity. Even her former mother-in-law, Xu Huizhen, despite being born a peasant woman, was at most a bit verbally harsh. She would never go to such extreme lengths. She could well imagine that if things were truly as the two girls described, they must have been living in a suffocatingly oppressive environment these past few days.
Gu Kaiyuan happened to be in the county town today, checking on the situation of a few shops. As soon as he received the message, he rushed back immediately. Seeing that the two girls had cried until their faces were swollen and that they looked terrible, he was filled with righteous anger. What on earth was wrong with Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo, allowing others to bully their wives?