From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 405: Chapter 406: Full Firepower

Li Cuicui glanced at her second daughter-in-law’s expression and silently rolled her eyes.

’Can’t she hide it even for a moment? She’s clearly thinking things are far too simple.’

She had no desire for Seventh to be made the villain again in the future. "Did you two really not notice a thing? Le Huan has gone and found a wife for himself, and you didn’t even think to give your old mother a heads-up. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it."

"Mother, what do you mean by that?" Gu Yuanmu was anxious now. "Le Huan found a wife? I really didn’t know."

Li Cuicui turned her head to stare at Wang Caiyue. At that, everyone’s eyes turned in unison to Wang Caiyue, who was still standing there with a foolish grin on her face.

Wang Caiyue quickly composed herself, shaking her head. "Why is everyone looking at me? How would I know?

Did Seventh Wife make the introduction? Which official family is the young lady from?"

"Bah! You sure know how to dream." Li Cuicui’s face darkened as she looked at her. "If I hadn’t made this trip, I never would have known you nearly sent a descendant of the Gu family off to marry into another family. For what you’ve done, I could ask the Clan Leader to open the ancestral hall and have you divorced."

The Gu brothers and their wives all stared at Wang Caiyue in shock. Was this woman an idiot? The youngest son had been cast out of the clan for marrying into his wife’s family. Even after redoing the marriage contract, his repeated pleas to be readmitted to the clan had been denied.

Moreover, this was the eldest son of the second branch. How could a mother be so audacious as to make such a decision?

Wang Caiyue, of course, knew the gravity of the situation. Before, when she thought they would be wandering destitute, she hadn’t paid any mind to the clan rules.

But now, she didn’t dare to be defiant. To throw away such a good life... if she were expelled from the clan, there would be no way to survive.

"Weren’t we struggling to survive back then? Besides, his father knew about it too." The more Wang Caiyue spoke, the more justified she felt. "On the road as refugees, plenty of people were selling their sons and daughters. We were at the end of our rope. I had to think about the rest of the family.

"Besides, it didn’t even happen, did it? Stop looking at me like that. You just haven’t faced the hardest of times. I was just trying to find a way for us to live."

"What a sin," Li Cuicui said, pointing at Wang Caiyue with a look of deep distress. "Because you started this, my perfectly fine grandson has thrown himself headfirst into this mess.

"Do you have any idea why he came on this trip with me? It’s because of the mess you, his mother, made! Le Huan is dead set on being with that girl.

I tried everything to talk him out of it, persuading him for ages, but he insisted that you had already agreed.

"Tell me, since you, his own mother, agreed—and I heard you even took ten taels of Silver from them—how is that letting my grandson marry into their family? You sold my grandson!"

Gu Yuanshui secretly swallowed and shuffled back, trying to make himself less conspicuous. But when he met his mother’s sideways glance, he was so startled he immediately stood up straight.

Because of a single sentence from his mother before, his wife had already given him a thorough dressing-down at home. He’d had to make repeated promises just to earn the chance to leave the house again.

Now, seeing his mother laying a trap for his own brother and sister-in-law, he didn’t find it amusing at all. Instead, a chill ran down his spine.

Gu Yuanmu, however, hung his head in shame. He had been against the matter at the time, but he hadn’t tried to stop it either.

Being berated by her mother-in-law in front of so many people, Wang Caiyue’s face flashed with embarrassment. But when she thought of Gu Lehuan coming back to her, she couldn’t be bothered with shame.

"Mother, that’s your eldest grandson! Why didn’t you try to stop him?"

"I did try to persuade him, but he insisted that you, his parents, knew about it. So I decided to come back and settle the score with you."

Wang Caiyue retorted, "Didn’t that whole thing fall through? And she only gave us ten taels of Silver as compensation for breaking the engagement. If it’s a big deal, I’ll just give the Silver back to that Miss Xu.

"What kind of family are we now? How dare a mere merchant’s daughter expect my son to marry into her family?"

Li Cuicui said, "That brings us to the point. Her family has changed their mind. She’s going to marry Le Huan with a large dowry. However, your eldest son will be setting up his home in Shangjing from now on. He asked this old woman to bring you a message: he wants to formally separate from the family and live on his own."

Wang Caiyue stomped her foot. "That unfilial son! I will not separate from him! Since she’s willing to marry him, then she should come live in our house. That way, I can even save on the betrothal gift."

’Most importantly, this daughter-in-law is the only one left in her family. This is like hitting the jackpot from a family with no heirs! I’d get a daughter-in-law to push around, and there would be no one to back her up. No matter how you look at it, it’s a fantastic deal.’

"You’re not that pretty, but your dreams sure are," Li Cuicui said, turning to look at her sons. "Back when you all asked me to let you separate from the family and live on your own, you all made it sound so nice.

’Even if we separate, we’ll still be your sons, Mother. When you’re old, we’ll be just as filial.’

"How is it that now that it’s your turn, you find it so hard to accept?"

The Gu brothers all hung their heads. Could they really say that was then, and this is now?

No matter how thick-skinned they were, they didn’t have the gall to repeat those words to their mother’s face with such self-righteousness.

Gu Yuanjin, in particular, understood the bitterness of it. When you get old, who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by children and grandchildren?

Although he had let his sons separate from the main household, his own home with just him and Xie Ruyi was so quiet and lonely that he didn’t even like staying there.

As for the other sons whose children weren’t yet grown, they put themselves in their mother’s shoes and realized just how rotten they had been back then.

Only in the last two years, now that life was better, had they shown some filial piety to their parents. Before, whether they even greeted them depended on their mood.

After dealing a blow to her sons and daughters-in-law, Li Cuicui turned her fire back on Wang Caiyue. "Based on how you used to treat your father and me, I figured you’d respect Le Huan’s choice.

"So, to make the boy happy, and since the girl agreed to marry him instead of insisting he marry into her family, I took it upon myself to approve. Le Huan will rent a small courtyard in Shangjing, finalize the marriage contract with Miss Xu, and they’ll live their lives there."

After being lectured by his own mother, Gu Yuanmu’s heart was filled with guilt. "That’s fine. We’re still young and able to work. If the boy wants to make his own way in the world, let him!"

"I don’t agree!" Wang Caiyue shrieked. "How is that any different from losing a son for nothing?"

Li Cuicui shot back, "I lost seven sons all at once. Have you heard me say a word about it?"

The Gu sisters-in-law: "..."

Wang Caiyue declared, "I’m going to Shangjing! I’ll go drag Le Huan back."

Li Cuicui said, "It’s probably too late for you to go now. Once that marriage contract is filed with the government office, it’s not so easy to change or nullify.

"And I still remember something you once said: ’What kind of son clings to his mother his whole life? It’s not like he’s a baby who hasn’t been weaned.’"