Rebirth: She is Ready for a Counterattack!-Chapter 142 - 141: Tricks and Schemes (Third Update)
Mr. Gu and Gu Rushan had also rushed over by this time.
Pushing through the crowd, the two of them walked in, and seeing Mrs. Gu lying on the bed, Mr. Gu immediately knew.
After all these years of companionship, Mr. Gu understood her well.
It had to be because the eldest couple was unwilling, leaving the old lady with no choice but to come up with this tactic.
Mrs. Gu throwing a tantrum was common, but pretending to be ill was a first, so no one would expect it.
Gu Ruhai was quite anxious at this moment as well.
Thinking about it was one thing, but he had never thought he would anger his own mother to death.
Seeing his mother lying there foaming at the mouth, motionless, the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth more pronounced, made her appear old and frail.
Gu Ruhai felt very guilty.
He should have spoken more considerately.
Why did he have to anger the old lady like this?
No matter how bad she could be, she was still his mother.
In all these years, he had never defied his parents. If today he were to cause any harm to his own mother due to his anger, he would not want to live anymore.
Gu Ruhai even somewhat blamed Li Xuemei. If it weren’t for her strong opposition to the matter, even though he was unwilling, had he known it would anger his mother this much, Gu Ruhai felt he might have agreed for the old lady’s sake.
A daughter’s marriage is just a union, not sending her to die.
No matter what, he couldn’t anger the old lady to death.
If Li Xuemei knew what Gu Ruhai was thinking at this moment, she would have gone at him furiously.
This man, Gu Ruhai, was someone who would always be at a loss faced with familial ties and, in moments of difficult choices, would first want to sacrifice his own children.
Mr. Gu said nothing, sitting before Mrs. Gu with a sorrowful look, merely sighing repeatedly.
Gu Rushan had long known this would happen, so he questioned Gu Ruhai with a face full of indignation: "Brother, how did mother come to be like this after going to your house? What have you done?"
This inquiry piqued everyone’s curiosity.
Gu Ruhai opened his mouth but made no sound.
He could deny Gu Rushan, but he couldn’t broadcast this disgraceful affair.
The face of the entire Gu Family was at stake.
Gu Rushan, of course, understood.
Which is why, even more cynically, he told everyone: "Fellow villagers, this is our family matter, so you’d better disperse so as not to disturb my mother’s rest."
This was to drive everyone away, having caused the incident, all that was left was to seize on Gu Ruhai’s guilt to cement it.
That way, Gu Xiaocheng’s issue could be resolved.
Everyone saw it as a family scandal that shouldn’t be aired publicly and was about to leave.
Gu Xiaoqing already appeared with Doctor He, dressed in a white coat, who was the doctor from the village’s clinic, only capable of handling minor ailments like headaches and fevers, but not major issues.
"Doctor He, please check and see what’s wrong with my grandmother?"
Gu Xiaoqing pushed Doctor He to Mrs. Gu’s bedside.
Running all the way there, Gu Xiaoqing was sweating profusely.
This matter could be big or small.
What Gu Xiaoqing feared most was that her father, being soft-hearted, might lead to big sister Gu Xiaoying getting into trouble if this illness of the old lady’s left unchecked.
If the marriage went through, Gu Xiaoying would once again walk the path of the past.
Gu Xiaoqing would absolutely not consent to that.
Doctor He listened with his stethoscope, checked Mrs. Gu’s eyelids, and shook his head.
Gu Ruhai’s heart sank, concerned that perhaps his mother was truly unwell.
That would indeed be his fault.
Gu Rushan was secretly pleased, thinking his mother’s skills were really commendable.
Just by observing the eldest’s expression, Gu Rushan knew the situation was almost certainly in control, having regained his grip on Gu Ruhai.
Gu Rushan comfortingly envisioned that as long as mother continued to feign illness on the bed, not only would the eldest’s daughter marry Feng Quezi to pave the way for Gu Xiaocheng, but the money the eldest earned should also come into his pocket as desired.
It’s as if piles of money and the two-story courtyard were already his own.
Had he known it would be so easy, he wouldn’t have bothered with so much effort.
All the tricks outside couldn’t match the old lady simply lying down.
Jiang Xiulan wore a face full of sorrow, already overjoyed inside.
The situation was looking promising.
Gu Xiaoqing anxiously asked, "Doctor He, what’s wrong with my grandmother?"
This old lady cannot have an accident, for if she did, their family would be finished.
Doctor He, puzzled, scratched his head and said, "Mrs. Gu seems fine, but with the foaming at the mouth, I can’t make out what’s happening. Maybe you should take her to the county hospital."
Thinking to himself, he really couldn’t tell what was wrong with the old lady.
It didn’t seem appropriate to say she was faking, so he suggested they go to a big hospital instead.
Gu Xiaoqing, growing anxious, squeezed in, only to notice Mrs. Gu’s closed eyes were actually darting around beneath the lids.
She immediately understood; Mrs. Gu was faking her illness.
Looking again, despite Mr. Gu’s face being covered in tears of grief, his eyes were calm without a ripple; it didn’t seem like his wife was grievously ill at all.
Also, looking at Gu Rushan and Jiang Xiulan’s expressions of grief and sorrow, the curve of their mouths had long betrayed their inner delight.
They were setting a trap for their family to step into.
Meanwhile, Gu Ruhai already looked frantic, his frown visibly growing deeper. Anxious within, his gaze toward Li Xuemei now carried a hint of blame and silent reproach.
Li Xuemei was also full of bewilderment and regret.
It was evident they were being manipulated.
Gu Xiaoqing felt heartache.
This endless string of tricks, they were exploiting Gu Ruhai’s weaknesses.
Had she imagined Gu Ruhai too idealistically noble? Perhaps it wasn’t him at fault but her own heart grown too cold and hard, thinking everyone could be like herself.
In truth, considering Gu Ruhai did nothing wrong, knowing all the past miserable experiences fueled her hatred and anger, unwilling to go through such a life again, she wanted everyone to have a brighter future.
But Gu Ruhai didn’t know, Li Xuemei didn’t know, Gu Xiaoying didn’t know; perhaps in their minds, her actions shattered their once-peaceful life.
What she believed to be salvation became a burden in their hearts.
But even so, Gu Xiaoqing would never agree to Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei’s return to the same path.
Knowing it was a dead-end, if she still sent her family down it, there would be no need to repeat the past. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
