Chapter 101: Chapter 101: A Great Show

The Gu siblings were both good-looking—anyone with eyes could see that. They both resembled Gu Yunchuan, so how could they not be his biological children?

Yet he ignored his own children and instead doted on his stepdaughter. If that’s not a sign of a broken mind, what is?

Earlier today, Gu Yunchuan even handed out wedding invitations for his stepdaughter to several friends. Now, this was turning into a spectacular slap in the face.

Only now did everyone realize that this so-called stepdaughter had actually stolen the fiancé of his biological daughter. People started saying Gu Yunchuan must be a cuckold, happily raising someone else’s child.

Some, knowing that Xia Shuhua’s family was well-off, thought to themselves that Gu Yunchuan must be living off his wife, currying favor with her by tormenting his own children to please his current wife.

At this moment, Gu Yunchuan was so angry he could hardly breathe. His hand was raised high, but he didn’t dare let it fall.

With Gu Qinghuan saying what she did, if he really hit her, who knew what people would say about him?

At the factory, Gu Yunchuan usually enjoyed a very high status—even the director treated him with respect, and everyone called him Accountant Gu. But with Gu Qinghuan making a scene like this, he felt his reputation and dignity were being dragged through the mud.

He knew that if he didn’t clear things up in front of everyone today, it would be impossible to set things right. In such a big factory, rumors would spread like wildfire, and everyone’s gossip could drown him.

That damned girl—she’d only been to the Northwest for a while and had come back even sharper-tongued.

“What nonsense are you spouting! Didn’t I tell your Aunt Xia to send you ten yuan every month? Isn’t ten yuan enough for you to spend?

As for Yun Nianzhou insisting on being with Qingyue, is that something I can control?

Lanting is already a grown boy, yet he’s jealous of his younger brother, refuses to change his ways, and even spreads rumors about the family. I have to teach him a lesson this time. When I was his age, I could already support the family.” Gu Yunchuan tried hard to defend himself.

To be fair, he did feel a bit wronged. In the past, for the sake of family harmony, he’d sent Gu Qinghuan off as an educated youth, and he did feel guilty about it.

After all, she was his own daughter, so he’d told Xia Shuhua to send Gu Qinghuan ten yuan every month as compensation and living expenses.

Unfortunately, Xia Shuhua was used to paying lip service and never actually sent the money—she couldn’t bear to part with it.

Even the living expenses that should have gone to the siblings in the past were mostly withheld by her to secretly support her own family behind Gu Yunchuan’s back.

Gu Yunchuan was ruthless, but not stupid. It was just that he’d been fooled by Xia Shuhua for a long time.

And because the siblings resented Gu Yunchuan over their mother’s death, they didn’t like talking to him, much less complaining, which gave Xia Shuhua the perfect opportunity to take advantage.

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be faking, Gu Qinghuan decided to go along with his story.

“What ten yuan a month? I’ve been in the countryside for over a year and haven’t received a single cent or even a letter.”

Gu Yunchuan saw how hurt she looked and started to doubt himself.

“You really never got anything?”

Gu Qinghuan nodded. “If I’m lying, may I die a horrible death.”

Well, with her swearing an oath like that, what else was unclear?

Gu Yunchuan stared in disbelief and pressed on, “Then what about the pocket money I told her to give you and Lanting every month? You didn’t get that either?”

Gu Qinghuan shook her head. “No. Ever since you married her, Lanting and I have gotten at most one yuan a month.”

Seeing his thunderstruck, betrayed expression, Gu Qinghuan wondered if he really had given the money and Xia Shuhua had pocketed it.

Or was he just putting on an act?

Either way, it didn’t erase the fact that he’d neglected his own children. If he’d cared even a little, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.

“Old Gu, looks like even a wise judge can’t settle family disputes. You keep the factory’s accounts in perfect order, but can’t make sense of your own household’s,” joked a foreman who was usually friendly with him.

“That’s right. It’s obvious Xia Shuhua’s been cheating you. Look at how she’s bullied this girl. I remember she used to be so pretty, but now she’s all skinny and dark. Look, even her cotton jacket is torn. That’s on you.”

Gu Qinghuan had planned to utterly disgrace him today, but things had taken a turn, and now the blame was shifting to Xia Shuhua instead.

Either way, they were husband and wife—when one prospers, so does the other; when one suffers, so does the other.

Gu Yunchuan stormed off with Gu Qinghuan, his face so dark it looked like it could drip water.

Gu Qinghuan, meanwhile, was completely unbothered and strolled along at ease.

Meanwhile, Gu Lanting had quietly slipped over to the chemical factory’s family compound.

He “accidentally” let slip everything he knew and had seen to Aunt Jiang, the most gossipy woman in the compound.

Within half an hour, every woman in the compound knew a secret.

“Did you hear? Accountant Gu’s wife, that Xia Shuhua who acts like her tail’s up in the sky, isn’t from some rich family at all—she’s just from a fallen household.

I even heard she goes to her ex-husband’s house every month to give them money—twenty yuan each time! That’s not a small sum.”

“What? And Xia Shuhua still acts so high and mighty? Their whole family relies on Accountant Gu’s salary, with five or six mouths to feed. Where does all that money come from?”

“Do you think Accountant Gu knows his wife is still supporting her ex-husband? Maybe they’re not even really separated. Accountant Gu dotes on that newborn like it’s a treasure, but who knows if it’s even his!”

“Exactly! I can’t stand Xia Shuhua. She’s never treated the first two kids well. Qinghuan and Lanting are such good children, but she couldn’t stand them—sent one off as an educated youth and kicked the other out.

Why didn’t she send her own daughter to the countryside? Some people are just insatiable. Gu Yunchuan is such a fool.”

“Not just a fool, but a cuckold!”

The speakers meant no harm, but the listeners took it to heart.

Gu Yunchuan’s apprentice, Liu Xiaoliu, happened to overhear.

His heart skipped a beat.

If Xia Shuhua came from a fallen family and Master Gu Yunchuan’s salary wasn’t that high, then where did all their money come from?

The answer was obvious.

Normally, Gu Yunchuan was always on guard with him, afraid that teaching the apprentice would starve the master, never letting him see anything important.

Now it seemed this was his secret.

Liu Xiaoliu had long been suppressed by Gu Yunchuan. Now, seeing a chance to turn things around, a flame of revenge burned in his heart—he wanted to bring Gu Yunchuan down and take his place.

Everything was unfolding just as Gu Qinghuan had planned.

When Gu Yunchuan and Gu Qinghuan appeared at the entrance of the compound, he immediately noticed that everyone was looking at him strangely, but thanks to the mess Gu Qinghuan had caused, he didn’t have time to think about it.

He stormed into the house.

Inside, Xia Shuhua was playing mahjong with a few other women.

His anger boiled over. If she hadn’t pocketed all that money, he wouldn’t have been so humiliated today.

Let her play mahjong, then.

In a fit of rage, Gu Yunchuan rushed over and flipped the mahjong table, scaring all the women half to death.

The little one sleeping in the inner room was startled awake and started wailing.

Xia Shuhua was a little frightened, but she quickly tried to take the initiative, snapping, “Gu Yunchuan, what are you doing? You scared the child!”

In the past, whenever she mentioned the child, Gu Yunchuan would back down and calm down.

But today, that trick clearly wasn’t working.

Gu Qinghuan stood at the door, arms crossed, watching with a mocking smile.

What a great show this was."

"Chapter 102: The Truth Comes Out, Domestic Violence, and Interest