Chapter 205: Chapter 206: A Wife Obeys Her Husband

After seeing off the doctor she had summoned to the inn, Song Xiuxiang couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was laughing at her.

Gu Lejia let out a cold snort, ditched her, and returned to their room alone. Xiuxiang scurried after him.

"Lejia, that doctor must not be very skilled. I swear I could feel our child in my belly.

Oh, right, he did say it might be too early in the pregnancy for him to get a reading. In a few more days, he’ll definitely be able to tell."

"Then we’ll wait a few days and see. Just stop causing trouble for me day in and day out." Gu Lejia shoved the door open, flopped onto the bed, and turned his back on Song Xiuxiang, refusing to speak to her further.

Seeing how Gu Lejia’s attitude was the complete opposite of how he’d been in Sea City, Xiuxiang could only grit her teeth, walk over, and pull the shoes off his feet.

"Lejia, I was just trying to make things a bit more comfortable for us. If we were in the same carriage, we could chat about the family. I’ve followed you so far on this journey, and I feel very anxious."

Xiuxiang spoke in a soft, gentle voice. When Gu Lejia didn’t respond, she gritted her teeth and pressed on.

"You’re Seventh Uncle’s own nephew, after all. The thought of you having to squeeze in with a bunch of servants... I feel indignant on your behalf."

Gu Lejia suddenly whipped his head around. "You’re the one who feels indignant, aren’t you! You’re like a beggar complaining about spoiled food. When we fled our hometown, we did it on our own two feet.

When we followed Chen Dongjia south, forget about a carriage—we had to haul cargo. Don’t take your blessings for granted."

"You..."

"’You’ what?" Gu Lejia cut her off. "Don’t forget, you’re a daughter-in-law of the Gu family. My Seventh Uncle is our elder. Do you have no fear that he’ll actually write you a bill of divorce on my parents’ behalf for slandering him like this?"

Song Xiuxiang’s expression instantly froze. The thought of that horrifying phrase made her swallow any complaints she had.

But the thought that Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian were the reason she was now separated from her dear brother reignited her indignation. ’I wonder if Gou Dan is heartbroken that I left?’

Song Gou Dan: "..." ’Heartbroken? I just have a bad case of heartburn.’

＆

"Do you think Gu Lejia will come over and cause another scene?" Jin Qianqian asked, propping her chin on her hands as she lay her head on the table. She had just heard Qingzhu recount what happened.

Ancient Wen Heng gave a knowing smile. "He won’t. Lady Song is probably off hiding and crying her eyes out as we speak."

Jin Qianqian’s face lit up with gossip. "Tell me! I saw you specifically sought out Hong Tianbao and Housekeeper Fu a few days ago. Did you send them to talk some sense into him?"

Ancient Wen Heng shook his head. "With someone as easily influenced as Gu Lejia, a lecture won’t work. You have to instill in him a few ’life hacks’ he’s never encountered or even heard of before."

"Such as?"

Ancient Wen Heng lightly tapped her on the forehead. "Aren’t we the gossipy one?"

"Don’t leave me hanging! The stage is yours," Jin Qianqian urged, quickly pouring him a cup of warm tea.

Ancient Wen Heng cleared his throat. "It was really just some things men talk about, like the kind of gossip you girls would share in your dorm rooms back in the day.

Except Tianbao and the others tweaked the topics a little. They talked all about how a husband is a wife’s heaven, how a wife’s duty is to her husband, how a married woman must obey her husband, and so on.

They also used it as an opportunity to bring up how a virtuous wife leads to fewer troubles for her husband."

Jin Qianqian’s mouth fell open. She then gave Ancient Wen Heng a thumbs-up. "You even came up with such a devious plan? I have to admit, though, that Song Xiuxiang needs to be kept in check like this. Otherwise, who knows how much trouble she’ll stir up in the future."

"I just want us to have a bit of peace and quiet on our journey," Ancient Wen Heng said. "As for what happens later, that will be Elder Sister-in-law’s headache."

Jin Qianqian shot him a sidelong glance. "Easy for you to say. I’m just worried we’ll still get dragged into it."

Jin Qianqian had no idea her words would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Looking back on this day in the future, she would wish she could travel back in time just to spit on the ground and take it all back.

＆

「Gaoling Village」

"How did it go in the county seat today? Are Seventh and his family back yet?"

The moment Li Cuicui walked in the door, Gu Dashishi propped his head up to ask.

"No," Li Cuicui said, placing the box of pastries from the shop in front of Gu Dashishi. "Stop making me go into town every few days. I feel my face burn with shame every time I bring pastries back from there."

"It’s our own son’s shop. What’s there to be ashamed of? That damn brat has a shop that’s raking in money hand over fist, yet he can’t be bothered to show his old man a little more filial piety."

Li Cuicui retorted, "Take a look at yourself. You’re already fat as a pig, and all you think about all day is eating this stuff.

If you get any fatter, your sons won’t even be able to move you.

I think you’ve had enough. You should get up and move around a bit. If you keep lying down like this, your legs will really become useless."

Gu Dashishi’s expression changed instantly. He grabbed the paper-wrapped pastries Li Cuicui had just set down and hurled them at her. "Even if I become a cripple, you all still have to wait on me!

Besides, what kind of quacks did you find? They can’t even cure my illness. I told you I need to go to the Prefecture City for treatment, but you took Seventh’s silver taels and are too stingy to spend them on me."

Li Cuicui took a deep breath. "Even if you can’t count, don’t you have a clue? You’ve already ruined this family. If you keep this up, don’t come to me for anything except your three meals a day."

"You treacherous hag! You’re finally showing your true colors! I’ve been living under your thumb for years, so suppressed I can barely breathe. Now that I’m old, you can’t even let me have a few worry-free days..."

Li Cuicui, hearing the same old tirade, couldn’t be bothered to engage. She bent down, picked up the pastries from the floor, gently dusted them off, and placed them directly on the cabinet by her side of the kang bed.

’Since he doesn’t want them, he won’t be eating them from now on.’

Too impatient to listen to Gu Dashishi’s rambling, Li Cuicui turned and walked out of the room, only to see Gu Yuanfeng hunched over, about to duck back into her own room.

"Yuanfeng, you went out again?"

"Mother, you’re back from town," Gu Yuanfeng said with a grin, straightening up while holding her belly. "Are Seventh and his family back yet?"

"No," Li Cuicui said, sizing her up. "Where have you been? I never see you around all day. It doesn’t occur to you to lend a hand around the house."

"Mother, look at this belly of mine. What could I possibly do in this condition?"

"Back when you were with the He Family, weren’t you still working in the fields the day before you gave birth to Chuncao? What, are you too precious for that now?"

Gu Yuanfeng put on a pained expression. "It’s precisely because those days were so hard that my health isn’t what it used to be. Now, just bending over makes my whole body ache with exhaustion."

Li Cuicui felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her and waved her hand dismissively. "Once this baby is born, you should hurry up and find a new husband! I’m getting old, and I have to serve the elderly and now you. This is truly my karmic punishment."

This time, Gu Yuanfeng didn’t return to her room. Instead, she peered behind Li Cuicui. "Mother, didn’t the staff at Seventh’s shop send you back with any pastries? I’m hungry. How about you give me a piece?"

Li Cuicui was speechless. "..."