Chapter 143: Wang Chunmei Demands a Split
“We’ll just stay in the yard and chat with Grandpa and Grandma,” Wanyan suggested.
“Alright,” Gu Tingxiao agreed.
He followed her out to the courtyard to sit with the two elders, leaving Mother Sheng and Pan Yue to tackle the lunch preparations in the backyard kitchen.
Mother Sheng pulled out all the stops, preparing an incredibly rich spread featuring Wanyan’s absolute favorites: a massive pot of savory bone broth and perfectly steamed pork ribs. Ultimately, she produced five dishes and one soup, including the bone broth, garlic ribs, braised pork, preserved vegetable pork, stir-fried greens, and a refreshing cold black fungus salad.
Once everything was plated, Mother Sheng and Pan Yue carried the heavy dishes to the main table, and the family gathered to eat.
Grandpa Sheng retrieved a bottle of liquor, pouring a full glass for each of the men, while the women opted for sweet soda.
“Come on, Tingxiao, eat well and drink deep,” Grandpa Sheng urged. “Don’t stand on ceremony here; we’re all family now.”
Gu Tingxiao nodded respectfully, raising his glass high to toast the elders. “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Brother—I offer this toast to you all. Thank you for entrusting Wanyan to my care.”
He drained the glass in a single, clean gulp. Grandpa Sheng clapped his hands, his face glowing with approval.
“Good, very good!” Grandpa Sheng cheered. “Leaving our Wanyan in your hands gives us true peace of mind.” He was exceptionally satisfied with his new grandson-in-law. “Come, everyone—let’s drink together!”
The entire family stood, raising their glasses and downing their drinks in a joyous, unified toast.
“Eat, eat! Son-in-law, have some more,” Mother Sheng coaxed, immediately picking up several thick, fatty cuts of braised pork and dropping them directly into Gu Tingxiao’s bowl. “There’s no need to be restrained. You’re our son now; you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in your own home.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Gu Tingxiao said, digging into the food with a look of deep appreciation. “Your cooking is absolutely delicious.”
Mother Sheng beamed, thoroughly charmed by her son-in-law’s smooth praise. “Really?”
“Mhm.” Gu Tingxiao nodded, confirming his absolute approval of her culinary skills.
“Oh, you! Well, if you like it so much, I’ll be sure to make it for you often,” Mother Sheng laughed, happily transferring a few more pieces of premium pork into his bowl.
Beside him, Wanyan held up her empty bowl, waiting silently with expectant eyes for her mother to drop a piece of meat in for her. Tragically, she watched the chopsticks pass right over her bowl multiple times, depositing the savory cuts exclusively into Gu Tingxiao’s portion.
Catching the utterly betrayed look on his little wife’s face, Gu Tingxiao fought back a laugh and quietly transferred all the premium meat from his bowl into hers.
Seeing this, Mother Sheng shot him a look of mild exasperation. “Tingxiao, don’t spoil her like that. She has hands; she can serve herself.” She turned a stern eye onto her daughter. “What, did your arms suddenly fall off? You can’t even pick up your own food at home anymore?”
Despite her scolding words, Mother Sheng immediately picked up several choice pieces of Wanyan’s favorite garlic ribs and placed them right into her daughter’s bowl. “I swear, your husband has already thoroughly spoiled you. Don’t make a habit of this.”
Hearing Mother Sheng’s mock-reprimand, Gu Tingxiao quickly spoke up to defend his wife. “Mom, Wanyan is perfectly fine.”
Hearing her son-in-law rush to Wanyan’s defense filled Mother Sheng with immense joy, though she maintained her strict maternal facade. “Son-in-law, you really shouldn’t indulge her every whim. We spoiled her terribly growing up. If she ever steps out of line or makes you unhappy, just let me know. I’ll come over and teach her a proper lesson for you.”
Gu Tingxiao firmly shook his head. If he didn’t spoil his own wife, who else was he supposed to spoil? Moreover, he absolutely couldn’t stand watching her be scolded—even if it was a playful reprimand from her own mother.
“I understand, Mom,” Gu Tingxiao replied smoothly, offering a polite concession while privately maintaining his absolute devotion.
The family lingered over the meal, chatting happily until it was past two o’clock. Time flew by in the warm, lively atmosphere. The newlyweds stayed through dinner, only preparing to head back to the military compound as evening fell.
“We have to head back,” Wanyan said. “Mom and Dad, you’re leaving for Chengdu the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Yes,” Mother Sheng nodded, clinging to Wanyan’s hand. She was fiercely reluctant to let her go, but her daughter was married now; clinging too tightly would do no good. “You two head back to the compound now.”
“We’ll come see you off at the station,” Wanyan promised.
“Alright.” Mother Sheng wasn’t going to play coy. Her daughter was relocating to the northern regiment soon, so what was wrong with having her see them off at the platform?
Mother Sheng had originally hoped to take the entire family out for a final day of sightseeing around the Capital tomorrow, but Wanyan was newly married. It was culturally frowned upon for a bride to constantly sprint back to her natal family’s home in the immediate aftermath of the wedding; doing so could spark ugly compound gossip. Otherwise, a grand family outing would have been wonderful.
It would be even better if there was a grandchild on the way, Mother Sheng sighed internally. Wanze and Pan Yue had been married for eight months without any news of a pregnancy, and as a mother, she couldn’t help but feel a rising tide of anxiety. However, she knew better than to voice her concerns openly. She desperately wanted to take the young couple to a top-tier the Capital hospital for a fertility evaluation while they had access to the capital’s superior medical facilities, but she held her tongue, terrified of making Pan Yue feel pressured or inadequate. She was not a cruel mother-in-law; while she deeply desired a grandson, she would never torment her daughter-in-law over it. She simply believed that if a medical issue existed, it was best to address it early.
When Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao stepped through the doors of the Gu family residence, they instantly hit a wall of suffocating tension.
The entire family was gathered in the main parlor. The atmosphere was incredibly heavy, and every single face looked exceptionally grim. Mother Gu, in particular, sat on the sofa with an expression dark as thunder. Beside her, Father Gu was gently rubbing her back to help her steady her breathing, his own gaze locked onto Gu Tinghao with razor-sharp intensity.
Gu Tinghao sat with his head bowed, refusing to meet his father’s eyes.
“Heh… Old Fourth,” Father Gu ground out, his voice dripping with icy disappointment. “Do you truly agree with the nonsense pouring out of your wife’s mouth?”
Gu Tinghao opened his mouth to answer, but before he could form a word, Wang Chunmei caught sight of Wanyan and Tingxiao entering the parlor and immediately jumped to her feet.
“Dad! Mom!” she announced loudly, cutting off her husband. “A large tree inevitably sprouts many branches. Now that Third Brother is officially married, I believe it is the perfect time for us to formally divide the family assets!”
Hearing Wang Chunmei brazenly demand a split the second Tingxiao walked in the door, Mother Gu’s fury boiled over. She grabbed her porcelain teacup from the table and hurled it violently across the room, the ceramic shattering against the floorboards.
“Who do you think runs this household?!” Mother Gu roared, her chest heaving. “Does a decision to divide this family fall to a junior daughter-in-law like you?”
Wang Chunmei bit her lip, refusing to back down. She hadn’t necessarily wanted to force a split so aggressively, but Mother Gu’s blatant favoritism toward the third branch had pushed her to the brink. If she didn’t throw a fit and demand an immediate division, what would be left for the fourth branch?
Just look at the staggering mountain of luxury goods the third wife had hauled back for her return visit—all of it undoubtedly purchased using the collective family funds! Wang Chunmei was forced to hand over a portion of her factory salary to the main household every month; didn’t that mean Wanyan was essentially utilizing her hard-earned money to buy favor with her own parents? Wanyan was a common city girl without a job; what gave her the right to act so shamelessly entitled just because she was a sister-in-law?
Listening from the doorway, Wanyan quickly pieced the puzzle together. Wang Chunmei had detonated a massive argument to force an early division of the estate.
However, looking at the scene, Wanyan realized Mother Gu’s explosive rage wasn’t actually triggered by the demand for a split. In truth, Mother Gu had always planned to execute a formal division of the household assets right before Gu Tingxiao returned to the northern regiment anyway. Given that the family had just celebrated a joyous wedding, Mother Gu had simply wanted to delay the clinical, often bitter process of dividing wealth so as not to ruin the celebratory mood.
She certainly hadn’t anticipated Wang Chunmei staging a hostile coup over the matter today.
But what truly fueled Mother Gu’s heartbreak and fury wasn’t Wang Chunmei’s greed—it was the profound, silent complicity of her fourth son, Gu Tinghao. His bowed head and refusal to silence his wife made it painfully obvious that he secretly agreed with her demand and supported her ambush.
Mother Gu stared at Wang Chunmei with a look of pure, frigid disgust before slowly turning her gaze back to her fourth son.
“Old Fourth,” Mother Gu asked, her voice trembling slightly. “Tell me. Do you honestly believe that I show unfair favoritism toward your third brother?”
