The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 45: Throw You to the Wild Dogs
"Taohua."
"Sister Taohua."
"Don’t go crazy."
Xu Four was so scared that he turned pale.
Gu Taohua was absolutely furious, Yan Pozi bullied her mother because she had no father, and Xu Four followed suit.
Is she supposed to be nonexistent? 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Has she lost her presence from dieting these days?
Even Xu Four, this skinny monkey, doesn’t take her seriously anymore.
Out of anger, Gu Taohua pressed Xu Four against the edge of the cart.
"Who’s your sister? Don’t shout randomly, I’m going to toss you out."
"There are a few wild dogs ahead; perfect to toss you down to feed them."
Gu Taohua’s roar made everyone in the cart shudder, and even Mr. Xu, who was driving, accidentally whipped off course.
"Taohua, Taohua, dear niece! Listen to Auntie, stop it." Yan Pozi flailed her hands in fear at the sight of wild dogs emerging from the roadside.
Gu Taohua was unmoved.
"Sir, stop the cart! Stop the cart now!" Xu Four shouted frantically at Mr. Xu.
The shrieking voice hovered in the air, exceptionally piercing.
Mr. Xu wanted to stop too, but the cart was descending a slope uncontrollably.
Xu Four’s hair blew in the wind and almost got caught in the wheels.
Xu Four didn’t expect Gu Taohua to be so crazy and strong.
Yan Pozi’s face was ghostly pale as she pleaded with Tong Huaqiong, "Sister Tong, Sister Tong, you can’t joke around like this; someone could die. Please make Taohua stop."
Tong Huaqiong replied mockingly, "You can’t control your filthy mouth, even though it’s on your own face. How can I control Taohua when she’s not even on mine?"
Yan Pozi gritted her teeth in anger.
"Do you all just stand by and watch?" Yan Pozi glared at the others in the cart.
The others turned their heads slightly away.
One young woman, clutching the handkerchief tightly in her hand, had a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, feeling a rush of satisfaction.
The young woman was Liu Qiaoyun, who married into Qinghe Bay last year. Shortly after the wedding, she returned to her parents’ home, and upon returning late, Xu Four cornered her at the village entrance. If it hadn’t been for Gu Taohua passing by and scolding Xu Four, he would have surely had his way with her.
This was why Liu Qiaoyun could never dislike Gu Taohua, no matter how arrogant she was in the village.
A few days ago, she rode the cart back and clearly saw Xu Four deliberately bump into Chen Sufen’s backside. She wanted to speak up but didn’t dare to at the time.
"Aunt Tong, I was wrong, I... I shouldn’t have swung my fist at you..."
"Taohua, Taohua, I’m begging you to put me down."
Xu Four’s hands danced in the air like a flurry of afterimages.
The ox cart raced down the slope and came to a stable road.
"Weren’t you just acting tough? Now you know how to beg for mercy."
"I’ll let you go this time, but don’t act tough in front of me again."
Gu Taohua grabbed Xu Four’s hair and shoved him hard into the cart.
Xu Four felt like he had just walked the line between life and death, sitting in the cart panting heavily.
Yan Pozi crouched down, hugging Xu Four and crying in despair.
Xu Four hated Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua to his core, especially Gu Taohua.
They had humiliated him so much.
Yan Pozi equally hated Tong Huaqiong; her son was unbeaten in the village, but Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua were exceptions.
Liu Qiaoyun sat lightly beside Gu Taohua, handing her a handkerchief and said, "Sister Taohua, you must be tired, wipe your sweat."
Gu Taohua took the handkerchief without hesitation and wiped her hands.
Getting touched by Xu Four felt so unlucky; she had to clean up.
The others on the cart looked at Gu Taohua differently. No matter what, Gu Taohua had punished Xu Four for the sake of all the women and young wives in the village.
Xu Four deserved it!
"Mr. Xu, when we asked you to stop the cart earlier, you didn’t. Are you just going to stand there?"
After composing herself, Yan Pozi started to accuse Mr. Xu.
Xu Four was Mr. Xu’s immediate nephew, and Yan Pozi felt that if Mr. Xu wasn’t on Xu Four’s side, he should have kicked Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua off the cart.
Mr. Xu, feeling a simmering anger from Yan Pozi’s accusations, turned his head and said, "Who started the trouble early this morning? First, you with your vicious mouth provoked Dashi’s mother, then your son used his status as a boy to get physical with someone. No matter where you go, you and your son are in the wrong. I can’t be expected to join you in bullying an orphan and a widow."
Mr. Xu grew more furious as he spoke.
Xu Four was just about kin to him, not like he was the Clan Leader, so why was it his problem?
Besides, he was transporting paying customers, he couldn’t just throw them out.
Widow Tong wasn’t someone easy to mess with; if he threw her out, she’d probably lie under the wheels and curse his ancestors, and pin the label of bullying an orphan and a widow on him.
If anyone should leave, it should be Xu Four and Yan Pozi. This mother and son often used their kinship to ride without paying, and they didn’t pay for today’s ride either.
No matter what, Widow Tong had at least paid the fare for four people.
"Sister-in-law, I’m going to say something you might not like. Xu Four neither works nor does business, so why does he follow my cart to town every day? And he causes trouble now and then. I think it’s you as his mother who indulges him. When we get off, hand over the fare for these past few days."
Mr. Xu had long been unhappy about Xu Four riding his cart. As soon as Xu Four boarded, it scared the women and young wives off.
Xu Four couldn’t keep his hands to himself in the cart, and not all girls were like Gu Taohua who could handle him. If something happened, old Xu would also be implicated.
Everyone in the cart understood Mr. Xu’s point, and their disdain for Yan Pozi and Xu Four grew.
After this confrontation, the other passengers were no longer afraid to interact with Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua.
"Sister Tong, what made you think of going into business?" asked an older woman.
"Since my husband passed, I have to earn a living," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile.
The older woman looked at her in disbelief; ever since Chen Sufen joined the Gu Family, Tong Dajiao had enjoyed the good life without lifting a finger at home or in the fields, and now she had suddenly changed to do business.
It was like iron trees blooming.
"True, your boy got into the child student rank; further studies will cost a fortune. You must be thinking of ways to make money," sighed an old man.
The old man was being nudged just as he finished speaking.
Better not provoke Widow Tong about Gu Jingzhe studying. Matchmaker Wang had spread rumors that Gu Jingzhe was going to sell his niece to fund his studies.
Saying that wasn’t tantamount to mocking Widow Tong?
Tong Huaqiong seemed oblivious to the little gestures around her and said calmly, "Ah, I’m just earning some pocket money. I’m not letting Jingzhe continue his studies; the family’s too poor to support him."
With those words, everyone couldn’t hide their astonishment.
"But wasn’t it said by Matchmaker Wang..." the older woman hesitated, wanting to ask about the rumors regarding Gu Jingzhe.
"Aunt Qian, those rumors must be false. Look at Matchmaker Wang’s character; she can turn white into black. Man Er is perfectly fine at home, and yesterday Jingzhe was still out with a hoe in the fields,"
Liu Qiaoyun, due to her deep respect for Gu Taohua, proactively dispelled the rumors.
"I thought so; how could Jingzhe be in the village the last few days if he weren’t studying."
"It’s quite a shame; he made it to child student level."
"I noticed Sufen looking pretty good these days."
...
Mr. Xu’s ox cart arrived at Yan Guan Town amid the chatter.
With all the discussions, people’s attitudes toward Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua shifted, and some even helped carry down the baskets of pastries and hampers when they got off.
Tong Huaqiong thanked them and, together with Gu Taohua, quickly carried the baskets and hampers towards Huang Yuanwai’s mansion on the eastern side of the town.
