The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 325: No Way to Swindle Silver

"Who is your father?"

Gu Dahuan looked sternly at Xiao Long.

Even though he was forced to acknowledge this son, Gu Dahuan still resisted Xiao Long calling him ’father.’

If it weren’t for this child, how would Sufen have become the village laughingstock?

Villagers passing by Tong Huaqiong’s house stopped to gawk when they heard Xiao Long call out ’father.’

Even though most Qinghe Bay villagers couldn’t read a word, it didn’t mean they were foolish.

Some sharp-minded people noticed that despite Xiao Long’s plain clothing, his bearing suggested otherwise, making it hard for them to believe he was Gu Dahuan’s illegitimate child.

But they couldn’t figure out where a child like him could have sprung up in the Gu Family.

Some people suspected Xiao Long was a remnant the soldiers were hunting. When young gossipers’ chatter reached Village Chief Liu Tieshan, he called them over for a scolding.

Plus, the county announcement declared the rebels were all killed.

From then on, no one dared question Xiao Long’s true identity.

"Dahan, since Xiao Long is home now, don’t be so harsh with him," Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Dahuan listened, and his attitude towards Xiao Long softened a bit.

It’s not that Gu Dahuan didn’t pity the boy without parents; he just thought being too nice to Xiao Long would look bad for Sufen and Man Er in the villagers’ eyes. He didn’t want his wife and daughter to suffer criticism.

Xiao Long noticed Gu Dahuan’s change in demeanor and eagerly went to help him carry the wild jujubes.

Chen Sufen came out of the house just in time, and Xiao Long handed her the jujubes.

Chen Sufen patted Xiao Long’s head and picked a big, red jujube to stuff into his mouth first.

This scene, in the eyes of the villagers, provoked many sighs.

"Sufen is really enduring," they said.

"There was a ruckus, but now the Gu Family is thriving. If it were me, I’d acknowledge the child too, just like Sufen. After all, the child’s mother is gone, so why not raise him as our own?"

"Sufen is so generous; Dahuan will feel even more indebted to her, and he’ll treat her better. Sufen’s not foolish."

The villagers didn’t avoid speaking out as they gossiped in front of Tong Huaqiong’s house.

Gu Dahuan rarely showed his temper to the villagers, "Aren’t you all going home to cook?"

The villagers dispersed with laughter.

"Aunt Tong, the Clan Leader wants you to come to the house,"

Gu Dahu, the Clan Leader’s grandson, laughed with Tong Huaqiong.

Previously, Gu Dahu, being the Clan Leader’s grandson, never even looked at Tong Huaqiong’s family.

But now things were different. As Qinghe Bay’s richest woman, with shops and land, Tong Huaqiong couldn’t be underestimated.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t ask why the Clan Leader wanted her. She washed her hands and went to his house.

The Gu Family mostly lived in the village’s north, except Tong Huaqiong’s family at the eastern wasteland.

In her memory, when Tong Dajiao first married into the Gu Family, she had an altercation with the old Clan Leader, now the current Leader’s father.

The cause was favoritism from her in-laws, giving extra acreages to her brother-in-law.

Moreover, the brother-in-law did business elsewhere and wasn’t in the village; the extra land farmed by Tong Dajiao and Mr. Gu went to the brother-in-law’s family.

Tong Dajiao wasn’t happy, and Mr. Gu said nothing. She quarreled with the in-laws, escalating to clan disputes.

The Clan Leader, bribed by the brother-in-law, sided with his family.

Tong Dajiao was so upset she publicly insulted the Clan Leader, creating a long-standing grudge.

Later, the old Clan Leader’s position went to his son, the current Leader, who still clashed with Tong Dajiao.

After Mr. Gu died, Tong Dajiao’s family faced even more clan exclusion.

If not for Clan leniency, Tong Dajiao wouldn’t have endured brutal treatment from Yan Pozi and the Xu Family.

Even after Tong Huaqiong transmigrated, this didn’t change. Since opening her shop, the Clan Leader wanted reconciliation, but she had no time for it.

This wasn’t the first time the Clan Leader invited Tong Huaqiong to discuss clan affairs; she refused each time.

This time, she would bluntly tell the Clan Leader not to involve her in clan matters or expect her financial support.

"Dashi’s mom, you’re here. Please have a seat." The Clan Leader’s exaggerated enthusiasm was evident.

Tong Huaqiong sat unceremoniously, served tea by Gu Dahu’s mother.

"Clan Leader, what do you need from me?" Tong Huaqiong asked directly.

The Clan Leader smiled, "Dahuan’s child returned; since acknowledged, there’s no dispute in our clan. I wanted to discuss picking a day to open the ancestral hall and officially recognize him."

Tong Huaqiong thought, ’Yeah, right, the real aim is to have me fix the ancestral hall.’

Gu Jingzhe mentioned that after opening Taohua Dessert, the Clan Leader had waylaid him, hinting that repairing the ancestral hall would benefit Gu Jingzhe’s official path by strengthening ancestral ties.

No way was Tong Huaqiong going to pay for that; what did the Gu Family Ancestral Hall have to do with her?

Let alone the hall, if not for the appearance’s sake, she wouldn’t even fund fixing Mr. Gu’s tomb.

Without thinking, Tong Huaqiong refused, "What official recognition? Who else could claim he isn’t from the Gu Family?"

The Clan Leader thought Widow Tong was indeed hard to fool.

Looks like there’s no way to make Dajiao pay under the guise of having Xiao Long acknowledged.

But if the hall need not be repaired, having Tong Dajiao sponsor clan children’s education was another priority, especially for his family’s heirs.

The Clan Leader continued, "Though, it’s best to officially open the ancestral hall. This can wait until Xiao Long is older. Dashi’s mom, I heard about your plan for a village academy. This is good news. Our clan produced Jingzhe, who Lord County Magistrate praised highly. In the future, he will surely succeed in office. As they say, united, a family faces challenges together. One Gu Jingzhe is not enough; he needs companions to stabilize his position. I hear you plan to invest in a private school here; I wish to discuss having our clan children attend so Jingzhe will have assistance when becoming officials."

The Clan Leader’s words were artfully phrased and flawless.

Tong Huaqiong scoffed inwardly, remembering how the Clan Leader had ignored her struggle to support Gu Jingzhe’s education.

Now they wanted her to pay for clan children’s education. Did her money grow on trees?

He waited for Tong Huaqiong to agree to fund clan children’s studies.

The Clan Leader was confident she would say yes.

After all, as a Gu daughter-in-law, she would undoubtedly want to be buried beside Mr. Gu.

Since Mr. Gu was buried with his first wife, and though Gu Dahuan and Gu Baishuang hadn’t disclosed the terms leading Tong Dajiao to agree, the Clan Leader was sure this was a source of resentment; without him, she’d remain a concubine next to Mr. Gu and his first wife.

Would Tong Dajiao accept that fate?