Chapter 136: Wang Chunmei’s Show of Power
Sheng Wanyan smiled and nodded at Mother Gu’s protective words, but in her heart, she was already firmly on Gu Tingxiao’s side.
“If Tingxiao ever treats me badly in the future, I’ll be sure to let you know, Mom,” she promised playfully.
“Good, good. Just tell Mom if you’re ever wronged.” Mother Gu pulled her down to sit. Soon, Grandpa and Grandma Gu joined them, followed by the families of the eldest and fourth brothers.
As soon as everyone was gathered, breakfast began. The savory aroma of the porridge filled the room, making everyone’s mouth water. However, Wang Chunmei—the fourth brother’s wife—looked at the spread with a silent sneer. To her, a single pot of porridge seemed perfunctory and lazy.
She remembered her own first morning as a bride; she had spent hours meticulously preparing an elaborate meal. In her eyes, Sheng Wanyan was simply taking the easy way out with a one-pot dish.
“This porridge has meat and eggs? It smells wonderful. I’ve never seen it prepared quite this way before—give me a bowl!” Grandpa Gu said excitedly. He had no idea eggs could be used in porridge.
The scent was so tempting that Father Gu quickly served a bowl for his parents. As the family began to eat, the novelty of the dish was matched by its flavor.
“This is delicious!” the eldest brother, Gu Tingye, said after a few large spoonfuls. He noted that the method was both simple and impressively nutritious.
“It’s perfect for the kids,” added Liang Nazhen, the eldest sister-in-law. As a mother, her primary concern was always her son’s health, and she quickly served a large portion to the boy.
“Third Aunt, your porridge is really the best!” little Gu Jinfang chimed in.
Jinfang was a sturdy, chubby boy. As the first great-grandson of the Gu family, he was the apple of everyone’s eye. The family was raising him to be both a warrior and a scholar; Mother Gu took a special interest in his education. Barring any accidents, the future of the Gu family would one day rest on his shoulders. Having lacked a formal education in his own youth, Old Master Gu was particularly hopeful that the younger generation would be defined by both talent and knowledge.
“If you like it, drink as much as you want,” Sheng Wanyan said, looking at Jinfang with a smile. “How about Auntie makes you some egg cakes tomorrow, hm?”
She knew seven-year-olds were bundles of energy and needed the fuel. Being a naturally protective person, she had no intention of being stingy with the family’s children.
“Egg cakes? Third Aunt, I should warn you, I eat a lot!” Jinfang looked at her expectantly, though he was surprisingly honest about his massive appetite.
Wanyan laughed. The kid was refreshingly blunt. Even Father and Mother Gu couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s self-awareness.
Liang Nazhen glanced at her husband and sighed dramatically. “And that, Tingye, is why we can never save any money.” She turned back to the table. “Don’t ask where the savings go—our son eats as much as two normal children combined.”
It was often said that a son could make a father half-poor, but Liang Nazhen was convinced her son would eat both his parents into the poorhouse. Gu Tingye, well aware of his son’s bottomless pit of a stomach, rubbed his nose in sheepish embarrassment.
“Don’t worry,” Wanyan said, her eyes twinkling. “Third Aunt won’t let you go hungry.”
Gu Jinfang beamed, his heart set at ease. His mother had told him it hadn’t been easy for his third uncle to find a wife, so he was determined to be on his best behavior.
“Careful, it’s hot,” Grandma Gu reminded Jinfang, watching him eat with gusto. She then turned her attention to her granddaughter, Gu Jingjing. “Jingjing, drink some more, dear.”
Mother Gu served a bowl for the little girl and placed it in front of her, then frowned at Wang Chunmei. “Old Fourth’s wife, help cool that down for Jingjing.”
The porridge was steaming. If a child got burned, it would be a serious matter. Wang Chunmei, who had been busy eating her own meal, reluctantly put down her chopsticks at her mother-in-law’s command. She gave the porridge two half-hearted blows and shoved a spoonful into the girl’s mouth.
Jingjing immediately spat it out, tears welling in her eyes. “Mom, it’s too hot!”
Gu Jingjing stuck out her tongue, and Wang Chunmei’s temper flared instantly. She found the child’s reaction picky and annoying.
“I’m serving it to you and you’re still complaining?” Wang Chunmei snapped. “I don’t know where she picked up these bad habits.” She huffed and dropped her spoon, leaving the four-year-old to fend for herself.
“Mama…” Jingjing looked at her mother with red eyes. Why was her mother so fierce? She was trying to be a good, obedient girl, but her mother wasn’t gentle like her aunties.
“What are you crying for? Your Third Aunt didn’t let the food cool down before serving it—why are you crying to me?”
The table went silent. Everyone frowned at Wang Chunmei’s nonsensical, pointed remark.
“Shut your mouth!” Gu Tinghao barked, his face darkening. He couldn’t believe his wife was being so disrespectful to his sister-in-law.
“I’m not wrong!” she retorted. “Are you going to blame me for not taking care of her?” She muttered under her breath about how “careless” Wanyan was and how any future children she had would likely be neglected.
Sheng Wanyan looked up, stunned by the sudden hostility. Beside her, Gu Tingxiao slammed his chopsticks onto the table with a heavy thud. His expression was terrifyingly cold. He didn’t even speak a harsh word to his own wife; who gave this woman the right to insult her?
“If my sister-in-law dislikes my wife’s cooking so much, she is welcome to stop eating,” Gu Tingxiao said, his voice like ice. “If you can’t be bothered to care for your own child, don’t drag my wife into your negligence. They are nothing alike.”
He gripped Wanyan’s hand tightly under the table, offering her a reassuring squeeze. “That is your daughter, not my wife’s. My wife has no obligation to raise your child for you! Perhaps you should ask yourself why Jinfang didn’t get burned, but Jingjing did!”
Wang Chunmei’s face turned a mottled shade of red and purple. To be humiliated so blatantly by a man in front of the entire family was a crushing blow to her pride. She looked at her husband, Gu Tinghao, hoping for support, but he only stared at her with deep disappointment.
She looked to her parents-in-law, only to find them both looking at her with grim, somber expressions. Her heart skipped a beat.
“I… I wasn’t saying Third Sister-in-law is bad,” she stammered. “It’s just, with children in the house…”
Mother Gu set her chopsticks down with a sharp click. Wang Chunmei froze, not daring to finish her sentence.
“Old Fourth’s wife, look after your own. If you’re so concerned for her, do your job as a mother,” Mother Gu said sternly. “Your sister-in-law owes you nothing.”
“I… I…” Wang Chunmei couldn’t find the words. She looked around the table, her eyes welling with frustrated tears.
“That is enough!” Mother Gu snapped, having no patience for her dramatics. She saw right through the younger woman’s ploy—Wang Chunmei wanted to assert her seniority over the new bride by being difficult.
“Know your place,” Mother Gu added coldly. “This is your elder sister-in-law.”
“Yes…” Wang Chunmei gritted her teeth and nodded, her voice barely a whisper.
She had been in the family for years and hated the idea of a newcomer suppressing her, so she had tried to set a “warning” early on. She hadn’t expected that her husband, her in-laws, and especially the normally silent Third Brother would all turn on her so fiercely.
Gu Tinghao ignored his wife’s tearful gaze. He realized she needed this lesson. He had once liked her so much that he’d married her despite his family’s reservations. But lately, she had become increasingly bitter and petty, a far cry from the considerate girl he had originally fallen for.
