Gu Feng felt a sudden surge of irritation and oppression. Was such strife not commonplace? A perfectly good day was ruined; everyone seemed determined to stir up trouble instead of living in peace.
He was well aware of the household affairs—there wasn’t a single soul who could ease his mind.
He couldn’t be bothered with the petty matters among the women. With a huff, he threw down his chopsticks and barked angrily, "This family will be the death of each other one day, with elders that don’t act their age, and the younger ones without any respect for their betters."
Having said that, he stormed out in anger.
Matriarch Huang saw that his bowl still contained half a bowl of rice and frowned, "Old man, at least finish your meal before you leave!"
"I’ve had enough!" Gu Feng retorted irritably.
With Gu Feng gone, Huang Xiangwen spoke more confidently.
The person she feared most in the family was this old man.
Without Gu Feng, she gave Gu Xiaoqing a smug look before slowly starting, "Ah, how could I let Qianqian do any chores? This child is just too kind-hearted and feels bad if she doesn’t contribute. Today, she went to the river to wash clothes by herself. Seeing Erya going to wash clothes as well and noticing Qianqian didn’t have much to do, I asked Erya to help. Who would have expected Erya to become upset? She left the clothes unwashed, slammed the door, and cursed us all..."
Unable to tolerate the twisting of truth, Gu Xiaoqing’s voice raised in anger, her neck flushing red, "Second Aunt, I remember my elder sister saying that people who lie will be struck by lightning. I don’t think she was right though, otherwise some people who always lie and spout nonsense would not be living so well still, right?"
"Erya!" Perhaps it was the mention of Gu Youyou that provoked her, but Matriarch Huang suddenly lashed out, "How dare you speak to your elders like that? You haven’t picked up anything good, just bad habits from that demon of a girl."
"Eh... Erya, keep it down!" Gu Feng’s brother warned ominously.
Gu Xiaoqing knew exactly what her father meant; her grandmother had always favored the second branch of the family, and now that they were in a position of power, continuing the argument would do her no favors.
After thinking it through, she realized she wouldn’t be staying in the family house for much longer anyway. There was really no need to get tangled in these conflicts, so she toned down her voice, "Grandma, Grandpa has said all I need to do is stay home and embroider my dowry, so I naturally wouldn’t want to do laundry for my sister-in-law. Of course, if Grandma can find someone to help me with the embroidery, I wouldn’t mind helping wash the clothes."
"Nonsense!" Matriarch Huang snapped irritably, "How could someone else embroider your own dowry?"
Matriarch Huang wasn’t foolish; with just one question, she understood what was happening.
Erya had a sharp tongue, and the second daughter-in-law was no pushover either. But even without considering the second daughter-in-law, she still had to maintain the dignity of the second branch, especially with Meng Qiuju, the newly arrived daughter-in-law from the city, sitting right there. She wasn’t like the rural girls.
"If Erya finds the time, she should also give your elder sister a hand! Every woman goes through pregnancy, and you’ll understand one day."
Gu Xiaoqing muttered under her breath, thinking to herself: Every woman goes through pregnancy, as if only Lei Qianqian was precious.
"Hey! Are you listening?" Matriarch Huang banged her chopsticks.
Huang Xiangwen looked triumphant as she watched Gu Xiaoqing.
"Alright, I’ll help out when I’m free," Gu Xiaoqing replied in a sardonic tone.
I’ll deal with it when I have time. As long as they want me to work, I’ll just work on my dowry embroidery, and they can wait until I’m free.
Matriarch Huang was so angry she cursed at the thoughtless girl.
Meng Qiuju, having no say in this family, could only watch as the women bickered over something as trivial as laundry. The men of the family didn’t bother to interject. With both members of the Huang family giving her cold looks, Gu Xiaoqing found her stay in this family growing ever more unbearable.