The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 353: Homecoming on a Snowy Night

It was only in the middle of the night when Tong Huaqiong and the others finally arrived at Qinghe Bay.

Returning home on a snowy and windy night.

Gu Dahuan opened the door.

The snow had stopped, but the wind was still blowing fiercely. Tong Huaqiong nearly lost her balance as she got off the carriage, blown by the snow-laden wind.

"Mom, why are you back at this hour? How is cousin? Did she give birth?"

Hearing the commotion, Taohua rushed out from the house, wearing her coat.

Tong Huaqiong rubbed her hands and said, "Pandie gave birth, to a baby girl. I brought the three of them with me."

Upon hearing this, Taohua cursed, "Is it the Wu Family bullying cousin again? Shameless people, even bullying a woman in childbirth."

Su Chengmin shouted, "Taohua, stop cursing and quickly come help."

Taohua came to the carriage, and by the dim light of the wind lamp amid the snow, first saw Mrs. Hong holding the baby, then glimpsed Tong Pandie’s pale face as she lay in the carriage.

Taohua helped Mrs. Hong down from the carriage.

When Su Chengmin was about to carry Tong Pandie, he was stopped by Taohua who said, "Be careful, let me carry cousin."

Taohua carried Tong Pandie, blankets and all, into the house.

Gu Dahuan and Chen Sufen, anticipating that Tong Huaqiong might return due to the cold, had kept the house warm with a heated floor.

Tong Huaqiong, holding Duo’er, entered the house, and her hands, chilled by the wind, warmed up immediately.

Chen Sufen and Liu Yueer got up upon hearing the noise, and Man Er, Xiao Long, and Yaozu also came to Tong Huaqiong’s room.

Xiao Long, seeing Su Chengmin enter the room, ignored his cold demeanor and threw himself into Su Chengmin’s arms, hugging his neck tightly.

Seeing the infant in Mrs. Hong’s arms, Chen Sufen quickly brought over the little cotton clothes she had sewn for the baby in her belly.

"Mom, what’s going on?" Liu Yueer glanced at Tong Pandie on the bed and Hua Er and asked.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Pandie will be having her postpartum confinement at our home."

She offered no further explanation.

And no one dared to ask.

Tong Huaqiong urged them, "Let’s talk about this tomorrow, go to sleep now."

Liu Yueer asked, "Who’s taking care of cousin?"

Tong Huaqiong casually said, "You take care of her."

Liu Yueer: "..."

Tong Huaqiong was exhausted, planning to hire someone from the village to take care of Tong Pandie’s postpartum confinement the next day.

But where could she find someone so late at night? She was too tired and had no energy to serve. Chen Sufen, being pregnant, couldn’t help, Taohua had to manage Taohua Dessert the next day, so only Liu Yueer, who was still at home doing some transcribing, could take care of Tong Pandie.

She knew it was an inconvenience for Liu Yueer, but she couldn’t help it.

Today, she’d have to play the role of the mean mother-in-law a bit.

...

Tong Pandie slept deeply, not waking until the cries of her hungry child.

She sat up to feed her baby.

Glancing around, she took in the new house, the warm floor, the brand-new furniture, the thick bedding—was this really the aunt’s home she remembered?

Last time Zhao Di mentioned her aunt when she visited, saying her aunt now had a large pastry shop in town, and their household food and clothes were like those of the wealthy families in Pingchuan County—she thought Zhao Di was exaggerating.

But having now settled into her aunt’s home, she realized Zhao Di was telling the truth.

Even the heated floor, something her village chief in-laws didn’t have.

Liu Yueer came in and asked, "Cousin, what’s the situation? Why are you having your postpartum confinement at our house?"

Tong Pandie knew this second cousin-in-law was hard to get along with and especially sharp-tongued; in a previous life, she mocked her as a barren hen.

But remembering how the cousin had stood up with her aunt to defend her against the Wu Family, and considering Liu Yueer’s eventual tragic fate, Tong Pandie only felt sympathy for Liu Yueer.

"Yue’er, I’m getting a divorce. Aunt took me in."

Liu Yueer’s expression darkened, and to prevent her from saying anything unpleasant, Tong Pandie quickly added, "I’ll leave after my confinement."

Just then, Chen Sufen entered and said, "Cousin’s awake."

Seeing the baby in Tong Pandie’s arms, she smiled and said, "The little one’s truly lovely, such fair skin and a high nose bridge. She’s a beauty."

Chen Sufen went to tease Hua Er.

Tong Pandie called out "Cousin-in-law," her eyes moistening.

This cousin-in-law, with no blood ties, had been so kind to her in a previous life, just like with her cousin-in-law’s outcome...

But wait, Tong Pandie couldn’t afford to cry when she suddenly noticed something different from her previous life—Chen Sufen didn’t have a trace of her former hardship and wore attire no less fine than her second cousin-in-law.

Moreover, from her demeanor and actions, she didn’t seem like someone living on scraps from her aunt’s home.

Could it be that her aunt had been reborn too?

No, if her aunt were reborn, she’d be set on dealing with Chen Sufen and Man Er without mercy.

After all, it was Man Er who caused her aunt’s family downfall.

Given her aunt’s vengeful nature, if she was reborn, she’d ensure Chen Sufen and Man Er didn’t have it easy.

Could Chen Sufen still flaunt her finery?

Was it possible that the world she reincarnated into had people and events different from her memory?

Tong Pandie felt a little confused.

Just as Tong Pandie was lost in thought, Liu Yueer, snapping out of her shock at the news of Tong Pandie’s divorce, urgently said, "Cousin, why did you divorce? The Wu Family treated you poorly, but you shouldn’t rush into divorce. How will you manage by yourself with two kids? I don’t think Uncle and Aunt would take in the three of you."

Tong Pandie’s eyes dimmed.

Liu Yueer was speaking the truth; the Tong family wouldn’t accept her.

Chen Sufen was startled to learn of Pandie’s divorce too.

She wondered why Pandie would suddenly come to the Gu Family for confinement—so it was because of the divorce.

However, unlike Liu Yueer, Chen Sufen thought that the Wu Family must have driven Pandie to her limits, or else what woman would willingly walk the path of divorce?

Chen Sufen said, "There must have been compelling reasons for cousin to divorce."

Tong Pandie gave Chen Sufen a grateful look.

Liu Yueer pursed her lips; what compelling reasons could there be?

She had no objection to Tong Pandie’s divorce, but she did object to her having her confinement at the Gu Family.

Easy to welcome, hard to dismiss. A divorced woman like Tong Pandie, unable to return to her parents’ house, lacking self-sufficiency, would surely become a permanent fixture in the Gu Family.

Though she claimed she’d leave after her confinement, where could she go?

It especially irked her that the task of serving Tong Pandie’s confinement fell on her.

"Hey, cousin, does Uncle and Aunt know about your divorce?" Liu Yueer asked.

Tong Pandie shook her head.

Chen Sufen interjected to smooth things over, "The priority is getting through the confinement first."

Taohua lifted the curtain and came in, carrying a bowl of chicken soup noodles topped with two eggs, and a bowl of hot fresh milk.

Liu Yueer felt deeply envious—she hadn’t had such treatment during her own confinement.

"Oh, mom really pampers her niece, what with milk and chicken soup."

Not catching the sarcasm in Liu Yueer’s tone, Taohua cheerfully replied, "Of course, it’s only right for cousin to have such nourishment for her confinement. Cousin, you must be hungry, drink this bowl of milk first. This milk was bought early in the morning from Mr. Xu in our village to help you recover."

Taohua placed the bowls in front of Tong Pandie.

Tong Pandie was moved, thinking her cousin must assume she became brave only after becoming a mother.