Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 373 - 285: Wariness

In the Lin Family’s bedroom, Mrs. Lin, Gu Ruyi, glanced unemotionally at her elder brother.

Gu Changqing, the eldest son of the fourth branch of the Gu Family, now sixty-nine years old, with silver hair and a ruddy complexion, looked energetic due to his good maintenance. He was currently glaring angrily at his sister.

According to the custom of "no celebration at nine, but at ten," Gu Changqing planned to use this opportunity to approach his niece’s husband, Zhou Xiaozheng, so both families could reconcile during the birthday banquet.

However, he hadn’t expected his younger sister to disagree. After marrying into the Lin Family and their increased status, she’d seemingly forgotten the nurturing grace of her own family. She wouldn’t even help with this small favor, like an ungrateful wolf.

Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng surpassing Old Lin with boundless future prospects, if he didn’t approach him now, what chance would there be later? The Gu Family had declined to such an extent; he couldn’t believe Zhou Xiaozheng wouldn’t think of Gu Mingzhu’s birthing grace. As long as Zhou Xiaozheng favored the Gu Family a bit, they could still be an esteemed family in Jiangnan.

Mrs. Lin glanced at the clock and said, "You’re of an age now, so don’t have such wild fantasies. Zhou Xiaozheng’s surname is Zhou, not Gu. More importantly, don’t forget there’s also Liu Xizhi. Do you think she won’t tell Zhou Xiaozheng how the clan leader and you persecuted the rightful wife back then?"

Gu Changqing immediately glared at her with venomous eyes, and scolded in a low voice, "What nonsense! Stop acting like you understand. What persecution? If I hear even a hint of it outside, you’ll see how I deal with you. You just got lucky hitting a lowly orphan, don’t think being a general’s wife gives you the right to speak nonsense."

At these words, Mrs. Lin stood up immediately, "It’s getting dark, so it’s better if you go back, Brother. That lowly orphan in my house doesn’t want to see you."

"Unbelievable... Unbelievable! Fine! You, Gu Ruyi, have guts. You also don’t need to step through your family’s door again." With that, Gu Changqing stormed out.

Mrs. Lin silently followed behind him, standing wordlessly at the main door, watching him leave in a huff.

After standing for a while, she unconsciously shifted her feet and was about to turn around when she saw Liu Xizhi from the Cheng Family slowly approaching under the streetlight. Their eyes met, and she saw the disdain in the other’s gaze.

Mrs. Lin lifted her chin and walked away. She was seething with hatred inside. Disdain for what? Did she need another’s contempt? Just an adopted daughter, a little bastard thrown in the trash by her birth mother. As her brother said, merely a lowly orphan. She told herself not to get angry; there was no need to stoop to the level of this vile woman.

Standing in the courtyard, Mrs. Lin heard someone outside call out "Auntie," and her face turned livid with anger. She truly had raised a fool. Always silly and joyful, what’s there to be happy about? Auntie? Liu Xizhi is no aunt of hers. That old hag is making off with the benefits again.

"Auntie, where are you going? Brother Zheng just left."

"Haha... I was just eager to know what our Jiao Jiao said and planned to ask you. You say, who does Little Zheng take after with his directness?"

"Hehe... Our Brother Zheng is good to you. Usually, he barely utters a word. But he has the most to chat about with Jiao Jiao, making up for his first forty years of silence."

Mrs. Lin stood in the courtyard and truly didn’t want to hear Liu Xizhi’s ear-piercing laughter, yet she couldn’t move her legs.

After listening for some time, she didn’t hear any useful information. She did hear about her foolish daughter bringing things to people. She wondered what it was that made that old woman laugh so exaggeratedly.

Hearing footsteps gradually departing, Mrs. Lin went into the living room and saw the family maid peeking around. She lightly frowned and said, "What’s wrong? Did Shanshan just bring something over?"

The maid was startled by her sudden question, waving her hand and saying, "N-no. This afternoon, except for Mr. Gu, no one else has come by."

Mrs. Lin glanced outside in surprise. After a moment, she said, "It’s fine, go about your work."

Mr. Lin entered the door seeing his wife resting with eyes closed on the sofa. Hearing him come in, she opened them immediately. He laughed heartily, "We’ve been together so long, there’s no need to wait up for me. Rest if you’re tired."

Mrs. Lin smiled slightly. She didn’t retort that she was deep in thought.

"Today, our Jiao Jiao really made me proud. That child truly has a good heart."

Mrs. Lin handed him his tea. Without needing to sniff, she knew the old man had once again drunk too much tonight.

"The crabs, when uncovered, were all filled with roe. The yellow croakers were quite large. That child is really generous, but who knows where she found such a supplier."

Mrs. Lin gave him a side-eye, "Come on, don’t get too excited. It’s not rare. There are plenty visiting the coast every year. Just because others praised it, you believed it. That child, still young, is already too cunning; you should pay more attention in the future."

"She’s my own granddaughter, what should I watch out for? I would love for her to succeed. You haven’t even heard the rest of what I wanted to say. Crabs aren’t rare, but to see live crabs at home in the dead of winter, isn’t that rare?

Haha... Besides the children’s thoughtfulness, what delighted us old men was this incredible skill. Such a method! Could ordinary people come up with that? Even the fishermen who have fished for generations couldn’t think of it. But our Jiao Jiao is clever!

Tonight, a few educated folks from Old Cheng talked about how if this could be applied to the fishing industry, it would benefit the fishermen greatly. When the common people have money, the economy will develop.

It seems that being smart really means one can come up with any idea."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lin furrowed her brows tightly. These people are truly boring, dragging in the economy for no reason. However, it seems she’s underestimated the capabilities of Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter, especially that little girl who really knows how to handle things!

At this moment, Zhou Jiao, who was in the Northeast, couldn’t possibly imagine. It was this kind of blunder that brought her and her husband into everyone’s line of sight, and even made Mrs. Lin wary of her.

With the night deepening and the room quiet, Mrs. Lin listened to her husband’s snoring and opened her eyes. In the darkness, she looked up silently at the eaves, thinking of Gu Mingzhu and Liu Xizhi, and recalling her own elder sister and let out a long sigh.

How many years had it been since she last thought of that elder sister who was forgotten by the world and abandoned by their family? Today, her brother Gu Changqing’s words struck her heart, making her unable to stop remembering her unfortunate sister.

She once had the most precious sisterly bond in the world. And then, why did she distance herself from her sister who secretly cared for and loved her? Oh, it was fear, and more so, jealousy.

She envied her sister’s ability to live the life she dreamed of without any inhibitions, except lacking the Gu surname—her sister’s confident and righteous passion for love scared her.

"Fine! You, Gu Ruyi, have guts. You also don’t need to step through your family’s door again." This sentence from her brother reminded her of that summer years ago, when their father shouted the same at her sister. The difference was that she was now an elderly woman, while back then, her sister was in the prime of her youth. Since then, her sister had walked away with determination, never to look back.

But as for her, she couldn’t leave. Once Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhou Jiao father and daughter knew the Gu Family’s truth, it would be an earthquake. And yet the elder still wanted to approach? Reconcile? How is that possible?

Ever since the night Zhou Xiaozheng got into trouble, when she saw the smile on her elder’s face, she knew the answer to her inner question—the rightful elder uncle died wronged. She now wished for all truth to vanish into thin air.

Want to get close again? Borrow influence? Who’s foolish! She’s not worried about the true man Zhou Xiaozheng; even if he ignores her, men like him behave too much like Zhou Jinyu.

But the unexpected happened, with the emergence of Zhou Jiao, everything was beyond her control again. That child hasn’t even returned, and she already senses it, that she’s the second Gu Mingzhu.

What to do next, she needs to think further, she must think it through again.