Chapter 248: Old

Hengbao clapped his hands happily. "Grandpa and Grandma are the same as us, having new quilts to cover ourselves with. Mommy, you even bought extra cotton!"

Lin Zhao:... Need to buy?!

She pinched Hengbao's soft, chubby face, her tone smiling. "Wasn't it you two who told me in a roundabout way that Grandpa and Grandma's cotton quilts weren't warm? Asking me to be filial to the elders."

Yubao took the initiative to lean over. "We know Mommy is the best."

That's why they dared to.

Hengbao nodded like a pounding pestle, his voice sweet as ripples. "Mommy is the best~~"

Hearing this, Gu Mu was moved to tears.

She said in surprise: "The two of them said that?"

"Yes," Lin Zhao didn't hide it. "Knowing there was quite a bit of cotton at home, after I decided to make new cotton quilts, they seized every opportunity to say it, asking me if there was extra cotton, and if it wasn't enough, to make theirs thinner and leave some cotton for Grandpa and Grandma..."

This was indeed what the two cubs did; she hadn't exaggerated at all.

The son's filial piety must be known to their Grandpa and Grandma.

Gu Mu's heart was stirred by huge waves; she hugged her grandsons and said: "I didn't expect Yubao and Hengbao to be so concerned about your Grandpa and me. Where else can one find such filial grandsons!"

Children this small, which one, when eating good things or using good things, can think of the adults.

It could only be her grandsons!

Yubao's face felt hot from being hugged by his grandma, and his voice became much softer. "Grandma is good to us."

Hengbao nodded his little head. "Although we are little children, we know to respect the old and love the young, and whenever there is something good, we will think of Grandpa and Grandma."

Gu Mu felt very warm inside.

Carrying the cotton out the door, the cold wind hit her face, but she didn't feel cold at all.

The weather cleared up, but the road was still muddy.

But.

There was no shortage of people strolling in the village.

Catching a glimpse of what Gu Mu was carrying, they inevitably asked a few questions.

Gu Mu smiled before speaking. "What else could it be? Cotton. Third Daughter-in-law gave it, afraid that the old man and I would be cold, telling us to fill it into the quilts."

The woman speaking saw that the bag was bulging, stepped forward a few steps, and reached out to pinch it a few times; it was soft and fluffy, all cotton.

"So much?" she was surprised.

Cotton was a commodity; for many people, even with money, they couldn't get it. The woman grabbed Gu Mu's sleeve. "Can you spare some?"

Afraid of being heard, she lowered her voice very low.

Gu Mu shook off the other person's hand as if she had been electrocuted, her face full of vigilance.

"Don't even think about it."

"My daughter-in-law gave it to me, if you want it... go find your own daughter-in-law!"

The woman: "..."

Her expression was twisted by the stimulation.

Excessive.

Too excessive!

"If you won't spare it, then don't, why say such heart-digging words?"

Her daughter-in-law?

It would be good if she didn't ask her for things, let alone give them to her? Hehe, dreaming is faster.

Gu Mu met her red eyes and felt slightly embarrassed.

"... Then you, you speak so presumptuously. This cotton was given to the old man and me by Yubao's mother, there's only this much in total, and it won't be much left after filling the quilts, how can I share it with you?"

"Besides, if I shared it with you, what face would I have to see Third Daughter-in-law? If Yubao and Hengbao asked me, is the cotton quilt warm, how would I answer?"

"A child's heart shouldn't be trampled on like this."

The woman heard her rambling on and on, and her scalp went numb.

Why hadn't she noticed before that Gu Yuanshan's mother talked so much?

She found a breakthrough point and said: "A child's heart? Does Yubao's mother know you treat her like a child?"

She is already a mother of four children, what kind of child are you talking about.

"What do you know?" Gu Mu suddenly became arrogant. "It's true that Third Daughter-in-law prepared it, but Yubao and Hengbao also had a hand in it. The two of them told their mother that the quilts for their Grandpa and me weren't warm, and my two grandsons begged their mother to get us cotton, and so..."

She raised the bag in her hand.

"Are my grandsons filial?"

The villagers were envious and jealous.

"... Filial." The woman ground her teeth.

Gu Mu smiled with relief and satisfaction. "The children in my family are all filial; living to this point, it's truly worth it, worth it."

She carried the bag and left, her face smiling brighter than the sun.

The woman's expression was complex.

Gu Yuanshan's mother didn't know how she taught her children, not one of them grew up crooked; it truly made people envious.

Thinking of the troublesome things in her own family, she sighed.

Gu Mu returned home in a rush.

She didn't see the old man's shadow in the room, so she went to the mushroom room and sure enough, saw him.

"Look at this, what is it?" she said mysteriously.

Gu Fu was wearing an oilcloth coverall, covered in filth.

He gave a reaction. "What is it, seeing you so happy."

"Cotton." Gu Mu said happily, opening the bag to let him see.

Gu Fu gave an "ouch." "Where did the cotton come from?"

Looking at the smile on his wife's face, he guessed: "Third Daughter-in-law gave it?"

"Yes..." Gu Mu told Gu Fu what happened at the Third Branch.

Gu Fu was slightly stunned, his heart filled with warmth.

"Third Daughter-in-law has heart. Yubao and Hengbao are both good children, they are good descendants of our Gu family."

He didn't deny Gu Mu's credit, holding her up. "You have half the credit, you know how to teach children. They all say to marry a virtuous wife, I married a good wife."

These words, Gu Fu hadn't even said when he was young.

Now that he was old, he could say anything.

Gu Mu's eyes felt sour, and she was a bit embarrassed, angrily beating the old man. "Why say these things, go do your work!"

As the words fell, she walked away quickly with a burning face.

Gu Yucheng came over with things his father had brought, saw his mother walking away in a panic, and asked in surprise: "Dad, why is Mom running? Did you provoke her?!"

Gu Fu naturally wouldn't say, he didn't know either.

He felt very wronged; he hadn't said anything nasty, so why did he get a punch for no reason.

The old woman was becoming more and more unreasonable, sigh!

"When have I ever provoked your mother? Where are the things?"

Gu Yucheng hurriedly said: "Right here."

The Zhao family had six golden flowers, and Old Man Zhao, who was lying on the bed shouting, only waited for the eldest—Zhao Daya.

He was smelly all over, squinted his eyes at the person who came, and his already gloomy appearance looked even less like a good person.

"Why is it only you?" Old Man Zhao's voice was very hoarse, revealing dissatisfaction.

Zhao Daya wasn't very brave but was nimble.

She replied in a low voice "none of them came," and busied herself with work.

Old Man Zhao had an injury on his waist; this didn't affect him getting up slightly, but it affected walking, especially long distances.

And it just so happened.

Except for Zhao Daya, the remaining five golden flowers were all married quite far away.

This almost cut off his chance to go scavenging.

Old Man Zhao realized this, feeling very frustrated, and there was also a trace of panic he deliberately ignored.

Six daughters, only one came; this fact made him realize with a start that he was old, and no longer the person who could manipulate everyone in the Zhao family with his fists!!

Just losing control, Old Man Zhao's state of mind was unstable, and he angrily swept away everything in front of him.

After a series of clattering sounds.

He shouted: "Call them back!"

"A bunch of unfilial things! I'm almost dead, how can they not come back!!"

Zhao Daya's movements paused slightly, and she looked at the person on the bed who was losing his temper.

Her aged face was full of bitterness.

"Dad, you went to make trouble at the sisters' husbands' families, causing them to be disliked by their in-laws. Er Ya was beaten by her husband and can't get up."

"San Ya isn't having an easy time either, her husband is making a scene about divorcing her."

"Si Ya couldn't give birth to a boy, her mother-in-law didn't like her to begin with, and you went to make trouble, so her mother-in-law is forcing her husband to drive her away; she doesn't even have a place to stay."

"Wu Ya has strong self-esteem, saying she would return the things you took, and she moved stones with a group of big men until all ten of her fingers were rotten!"

"Liu Ya, no, Liuniang..."

Zhao Daya's tightly knitted brows relaxed.

Liuniang's situation was the best.

She was truly happy for her little sister.

"Laimei was hit in the head by you, the Gu family took their anger out on Liuniang, drove her to live in the mushroom room, and all the dirty and tiring work at home became hers..."

This was all made up by Zhao Daya.

She had to exaggerate and make it sound miserable.

Only then would Old Man Zhao know he couldn't take advantage and give up going to the Harvest Brigade to find her little sister.

Their sisters were all bitter, bitter as if soaked in coptis. It was hard to have one whose life was comfortable, and she didn't want her father to disturb her.

Old Man Zhao didn't feel sorry for his daughters, but instead said: "They are all trash, can't even handle their husbands' families, don't know what they are good for!"

Zhao Daya just busied herself with work and didn't speak.

This was her biological father, she couldn't speak, couldn't fight, what could she do?!

"Are you mute?!" Old Man Zhao glared at his eldest daughter, looking at her with rage.

Zhao Daya looked over. "... I'm tidying up the room."

Old Man Zhao was lazy, there was no firewood stored at home, she couldn't even boil hot water, so she could only rinse the rag with cold water, her hands frozen red and swollen.

"Don't talk nonsense, go, go call all your sisters back!" Old Man Zhao ordered.

Zhao Daya: "Call them back for what?"

She felt sorry for her sisters and said: "I'm close, I can take care of you."

"Don't talk nonsense, go if I tell you to, I don't want to beat you today," Old Man Zhao said fiercely.

Zhao Daya remembered the bad experience and shrank her neck.

"... I was just asking."

Fear was fear, but she didn't move, her feet seemed nailed to the spot, and a trace of stubbornness flashed in her lifeless eyes.

Old Man Zhao knew how stubborn this daughter was.

This was a debt-collecting ghost who wouldn't bow her head even if the stick was broken.

"What else, call them back to discuss supporting me in my old age."

Old Man Zhao had a matter-of-fact look. "My waist is injured like this, I can't do heavy work in the future, it's hard to even support myself. I raised six daughters, you dare not support me in my old age."

He threatened: "If you dare not support me, I will crawl to the county seat and beg the official to make the decision for me!"

Zhao Daya's eyes were desperate.

Weren't the things he snatched away over the years enough to support him in his old age?

How much more did he want to open his lion's mouth!!

"... Er Ya and the others have no money."

Old Man Zhao picked up the spittoon by the bed and threw it at Zhao Daya.

He didn't hit her.

The filth spilled, and the smell was pungent.

He said angrily: "If you have no money, you have grain! Give me grain, one hundred jin per family per year!"

Hearing this one hundred jin, Zhao Daya blurted out: "One hundred jin? How much grain is distributed in a year? Dad, you want to force your daughter to death, you know clearly we can't take out so much grain!"

It was truly impossible to take out.

Even fifty jin would require tightening their belts, let alone one hundred jin.

Zhao Daya felt her father was too greedy.

He had six daughters, one hundred jin each, that was six hundred jin a year. Which elder ate six hundred jin of grain a year? Even a landlord couldn't eat that much!

"Don't say those useless things!" Old Man Zhao said. "I raised you, you must support me in my old age."

"I didn't say I wouldn't support you, but one hundred jin is too much, we still have a family to support." Zhao Daya tried to persuade him.

This was also because Old Man Zhao was inconvenient to move, so she dared to.

If it were before, even if she were given one hundred guts, she wouldn't dare.

Old Man Zhao wanted to get up to beat Zhao Daya, but halfway up, his waist felt a sharp pain.

He wailed and fell down.

Zhao Daya wanted to step forward to help, but Old Man Zhao's raised fist flashed in her mind, and her body paused.

Standing a few steps away, she didn't step forward.

Old Man Zhao was furious. "Still not coming to help me, you thing with no eye for detail."

"... One hundred jin is too much, we can't take it out, at most thirty jin each, is that okay?" Zhao Daya's expression was stubborn, her face full of "if you don't agree, I won't care about you."

She had calculated that she and her five sisters would give thirty jin each, totaling one hundred and eighty jin a year. If they ate sparingly, it was enough.

They wouldn't starve to death.

He had treated them the same way.

They were still willing to support him in his old age, that was enough!

Consider it repaying his kindness of birth and raising.

Old Man Zhao was about to explode with anger.

But he needed someone to take care of him.

His old lover saw he was useless, and he couldn't even call her over when he asked.

—Truly a bitch.

Eating his food and using his things all these years, she didn't even show her face when needed.

Old Man Zhao's big yellow teeth were almost bitten to pieces.

He ground his teeth and said: "... Fine, thirty jin is thirty jin, come help me up quickly."

Old Man Zhao's waist injury was also caused by dragging it too long on a rainy day and catching a cold; from now on, he couldn't stand the cold and could only recuperate.

Zhao Daya stepped forward.

Old Man Zhao reverted to his old ways, clenching his fist to hit someone, but was dodged by Zhao Daya.

She retreated to a safe place, her body trembling slightly, but she tried hard to restrain it.

This was her first open rebellion.

She was afraid, but an uncontrollable excitement emerged in her heart.

"Dad, I'm not the child who let you beat and scold me anymore..." Zhao Daya's voice trembled slightly, but she still finished what she wanted to say word by word.

"Dad, it seems you don't want me to help you, I'll go find someone."

As the words fell, she turned and left the room.

She walked very fast.

Zhao Daya had suffered since she was a child, and the wrinkles on her face were deeper and more numerous than Gu Mu's. At this moment, she raised her head, looking at the sun shining on the earth, and for the first time, felt that the sun was so warm.

Watching and watching, she smiled, and tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

A trace of luster appeared in those numb, lifeless eyes.

The person who beat her mother to death and made the six sisters afraid to resist was old.

He, it seems, could no longer hurt them!!

Zhao Daya covered her face and sobbed.

After her emotions stabilized.

She went to the brigade where her sisters were and told them the good news.

Er Ya and the others all wept with excitement.

Weeping for their bitter fate, weeping for the day they waited for liberation.

Zhao Liuniang was also happy.

Especially hearing her eldest sister say that Old Man Zhao's waist injury was hard to heal and he couldn't walk long distances in the future, and he couldn't come to the Harvest Brigade, the corners of her mouth rose uncontrollably, the arc getting bigger and bigger.

"That's great." Zhao Liuniang hugged her eldest sister.

Too happy, her eyes were a bit moist. "Eldest sister, I'm useless, my husband is protective and powerful, my son is filial, but I'm still afraid of that person, I even despise myself..."

Zhao Daya patted her little sister's back, shaking her head.

"You aren't useless, we are all afraid."

"Don't be afraid in the future, he can never hurt us again, I will keep an eye on him and won't let him find you again."

She probably knew how to handle that person. She would protect her sisters well.

Zhao Liuniang wiped away her tears and smiled: "Eldest sister, if there's anything, don't keep it inside, find someone to send me a message."

"I know."

Zhao Daya also told her about the thirty jin of grain that had to be given to Old Man Zhao every year.

"... I know, I'll help you take it back later." Zhao Liuniang said.

To get rid of that rotten person, let alone thirty jin, she was willing to pay fifty jin, it was nothing more than being a bit harder.

Zhao Daya nodded. "Good."

She tasted the sugar water her little sister poured for her, paused for a moment, and then laughed.

It's truly sweet. ===== CHAPTER 249 =====