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

""You all get out! Our family has some private matters to deal with."" Gritting his teeth, Gu Yunchuan used the last of his patience to speak to the three gossiping women.

The three women quickly grabbed their purses and scurried out. ""Xia-jie, I’m leaving first. Let’s meet up another day.""

""Yeah, see you next time!""

Normally, Accountant Gu looked so refined, but when he lost his temper, he was actually pretty scary.

""Aunt, Uncle, what’s going on?"" From the inner room, a girl of sixteen or seventeen came out holding a baby, looking bewildered at the chaotic scene. The baby in her arms was wailing nonstop.

Gu Qinghuan looked her up and down. This must be the niece Xia Shuhua was trying to force onto Lanting.

The girl was sallow and thin, short too, looking more like a child. There was a large dark mark on her neck.

Although women shouldn’t make things hard for other women, anyone could see she and Lanting were worlds apart. Xia Shuhua trying to pawn off her hard-to-marry niece onto Lanting was as disgusting as maggots.

Gu Yunchuan shot Xia Shuhua a vicious glare and said to Xia Chun, ""Xiaochun, take the baby and stay in the room. Don’t come out unless I say so.""

Xia Chun was clearly terrified of Gu Yunchuan. She didn’t even look at Xia Shuhua, just hurried into the room with the baby and locked the door behind her.

Only now did Xia Shuhua notice someone else at the door. Looking closely—wasn’t that Gu Qinghuan?

How did she end up like this?

She remembered the first time she saw Gu Qinghuan, she’d been eaten up with jealousy. Just like her mother, she was full of pride and arrogance.

But in the end, she’d managed to drive both of those annoying people away, step by step.

Now, seeing Gu Qinghuan fallen from her pedestal, looking so miserable, she couldn’t be happier.

But in front of Gu Yunchuan, she was always the best at putting on a show.

Besides, she still didn’t know why Gu Yunchuan was angry.

""Yunchuan, the kids rarely come home. Why are you so angry?""

""Qinghuan, what happened to you? Life in the countryside must have been hard. Since you’re back, Auntie will cook you something you like.""

This woman was a born actress. If not for the original memories, it would be hard to see through her fake concern.

""Don’t bother. I’m afraid you’ll poison the food,"" Gu Qinghuan shot back coldly.

Gu Yunchuan was fed up too and went straight to the point. ""Drop the act. Let me ask you: I told you to send ten yuan a month to Qinghuan, why didn’t you?""

Xia Shuhua never expected this to be the issue that tripped her up.

After all, those siblings never liked communicating with Gu Yunchuan.

""I—I did! I sent it every month. Qinghuan, you didn’t get it? Who knows what went wrong. Maybe the mailman pocketed it? I heard there are a lot of shady people in the countryside.""

She could only insist she sent the money. This wasn’t a small matter—if Gu Yunchuan found out, he’d make her pay.

Gu Qinghuan started clapping sarcastically. ""Bravo, what a performance. You deserve an Oscar.""

""Then tell me, where did you send the money? You’ve sent it over ten times, surely you remember the address?""

This time, Xia Shuhua stammered and couldn’t answer. After a long pause, she forced out, ""Somewhere in the Northwest, I can’t remember the exact place. I always took my notebook to the post office.""

""That’s odd. I forgot to mention, before I went to the countryside, I was reassigned to the Northeast. So, was the person in the Northwest my doppelganger? Or is there another Gu Qinghuan with the same name?"" Gu Qinghuan said mockingly.

Xia Shuhua was completely out of excuses and glanced at Gu Yunchuan’s face, head lowered.

Gu Yunchuan wasn’t stupid. He’d just never paid attention to these details, assuming she’d handled it. Now, it was clear he’d been played for a fool.

And to think he’d run around for her daughter’s marriage, only for her to treat his own children like this.

He felt utterly deceived—not so much for the kids’ sake, but because he hated being lied to. Clearly, this woman had been up to a lot behind his back.

""And what about the previous living expenses? I told you to give ten yuan a month to both kids. How much did you actually give?"" Gu Yunchuan’s face was stormy.

Xia Shuhua’s bravado vanished. Her head throbbed—how was this coming up now, after so long?

""I—I just thought, with so many kids at home, expenses are high. I was just trying to save where I could…""

So, skimming the kids’ living expenses was ""saving,"" but when it came to buying things for Chen Zhaodi or herself, or playing mahjong every day, saving never crossed her mind!

Even Gu Yunchuan couldn’t listen to this anymore. Admitting in front of the kids that he’d been fooled by a woman was humiliating.

So, he punched her.

""That’s for skimming!""

""That’s for ‘saving’!""

""That’s for playing mahjong!""

Each word was spat out through gritted teeth, each sentence punctuated by a punch to Xia Shuhua’s body, making her yelp in pain.

Gu Yunchuan still cared about appearances and didn’t hit her face, only her body.

Xia Shuhua was stunned. She’d always managed Gu Yunchuan well, serving him attentively, and he’d never laid a hand on her before—not even spoken harshly.

But today, he actually hit her.

She could imagine how angry he was.

Xia Shuhua cared about her reputation. She was furious and in pain, but she gritted her teeth and didn’t make a sound, afraid the neighbors would hear and she’d lose face.

Gu Qinghuan almost felt sorry watching—this woman was tough. No wonder she’d managed to wrap Gu Yunchuan around her finger even after remarrying.

Gu Yunchuan only stopped after venting his anger.

He sat in a chair, panting. Xia Shuhua collapsed on the floor, silently weeping from the pain.

She glared at Gu Qinghuan, who was watching the show, and hissed, ""Happy now?""

She blamed all her humiliation today on Gu Qinghuan, never considering that if she hadn’t done those things, none of this would have happened.

Villains always find endless excuses for their actions.

To Gu Qinghuan, this domestic violence was just laughable—one villain venting on another.

If not for Gu Yunchuan’s neglect and indulgence, Xia Shuhua wouldn’t have dared to act like this toward the siblings.

Now that the truth was out, he just blamed everything on Xia Shuhua to vent his anger.

What a rotten man.

Thank goodness Zhong Zijun got rid of him.

Xia Shuhua just got a beating, but the original siblings had suffered real grievances for years, crying themselves to sleep countless nights.

She couldn’t handle this little bit of pain?

The real trouble was yet to come! Let this couple enjoy it slowly.

""What do you mean, ‘happy now’? Was I the one who pocketed the money? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Do you have any idea what my life was like in the countryside?

Up before dawn, working nonstop, never enough to eat—every meal was black bread and wild vegetable gruel. When I got sick, I couldn’t afford treatment and had to tough it out, like living in a pit of misery.

Why don’t you go to the countryside, and I’ll stay here to eat, drink, and play mahjong?

Dad, look at my hands—look what they’ve become!"" Gu Qinghuan deliberately showed her hands to Gu Yunchuan, complaining.

Gu Yunchuan, though he’d never really cared for the siblings, knew they’d grown up with soft, delicate skin.

One look, and he was shocked. Her hands were rougher than his own. He felt a pang of guilt.

Gu Qinghuan had originally thought Gu Yunchuan was a hopeless scumbag, so she’d planned to go head-to-head with him and make his life difficult.

But now, seeing how he’d been kept in the dark, and sensing his attempt at a softer approach, she decided to play along and adjust her strategy.

Since he wanted to play the good guy, fine—she’d take some ""interest"" first, then send them both to jail.

No matter what, she wasn’t letting Gu Yunchuan off the hook. Even if he had a shred of conscience, he’d still ruined the Zhong family, the original siblings, and Lanting.

If she hadn’t transmigrated here, the Zhong family would have died miserably in a strange land, the original would have died young, and Lanting—who could have had a bright future—would have been left all alone.

Her daughter’s hands, rough as tree bark, finally stirred a bit of fatherly pity in Gu Yunchuan.

""Qinghuan, you’ve suffered.""

Gu Qinghuan dabbed her eyes with her sleeve, touching the tear-inducing powder she’d hidden there. Instantly, tears streamed down her face.

If it’s a contest of acting, bring it on.

""Dad, you have to stand up for me. I had no choice. I thought you’d abandoned us, so I went to the factory to make a scene.

If she hadn’t pocketed the money, I wouldn’t have had to go without treatment when I was sick, wouldn’t have ended up marrying some villager in a rush—a man with two kids already.

She just got a few slaps, but I’ve lost my whole life!""

On the surface, she was accusing Xia Shuhua, but in reality, she was blaming Gu Yunchuan. If not for his neglect, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Both of them were stunned.

Gu Yunchuan felt a surge of guilt and anger at Xia Shuhua.

Xia Shuhua, on the other hand, was secretly delighted. Ha! This little bitch actually married a country bumpkin with two kids! Wonderful! She’d finally dragged Zhong Zijun and her daughter into the mud, never to rise again.

Suddenly, she felt the beating was worth it—the pain didn’t seem so bad.

Gu Yunchuan, at least, was still a father. Hearing what his daughter had gone through, he was furious and, finding nowhere else to vent, kicked Xia Shuhua twice more.

""Look what you’ve done! You’ve ruined my child! Your own daughter is about to marry into a wealthy family—are you happy now, you wicked woman?""

Xia Shuhua gritted her teeth and took the kicks. ""Yunchuan, I didn’t know it would turn out like this!""

Gu Qinghuan could see the satisfaction in her eyes—let her be happy for a few more days.

""How much money is left at home?"" Gu Yunchuan calculated. He was planning to give Gu Qinghuan a sum to send her away.

Xia Shuhua, afraid of being hit again, cowered and said, ""A few hundred yuan, maybe!""

""What did you say?"" Gu Yunchuan roared like an enraged lion.

""I’ve brought home thousands over the years, and now there’s only a few hundred left?"" He stared at Xia Shuhua in disbelief.

Xia Shuhua stuck out her neck and shouted, ""You don’t know how expensive it is to run a household! Everything costs money.

Qingyue is about to marry into the Yun family. We have to prepare a good dowry so she can look good.

If Qingyue marries well, she can help you and Xiaobao in the future. We can’t skimp on this.""

She was reminding Gu Yunchuan that her daughter was marrying into a wealthy family—don’t offend her. She was also forcing him to choose between the well-married Gu Qingyue and the country-married Gu Qinghuan.

Sure enough, Gu Yunchuan said nothing, weighing the pros and cons.

At least Gu Qingyue was marrying into the Yun family and could help the family in the future.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected this woman, even after a beating, to still be scheming.

Clearly, she couldn’t count on Gu Yunchuan—he was just selfish.

""So you saved mine and Lanting’s living expenses to give your daughter a dowry? Have you no conscience?

Fine, I’ll go tell everyone in the compound what you’ve done. Let’s see if you can still show your face around here."" Gu Qinghuan made to leave.

Xia Shuhua panicked—this girl had come back from the countryside tougher than ever, not easy to handle like before.

""Wait!"" Gu Yunchuan called out to Gu Qinghuan.

Looks like there was no way out of this without paying up. Children really are a debt.

""Go get all the money in the house,"" he ordered Xia Shuhua.

Xia Shuhua struggled to her feet and limped to her room.

Of course, she had more money stashed away. Having lived through hard times, she was good at saving—but most of it was in her own pocket, even from her own husband.

In the living room, Gu Yunchuan forced himself to calm down.

""Qinghuan, it’s my fault. Here—take all the money at home. From now on, you’re married and part of another family. I can’t help you anymore. You’ll have to rely on yourself.""

Gu Yunchuan’s words sounded grand and generous, as if he were making a huge sacrifice.

But the real message was: I’ll use money to shut you up. Go back to your country life, don’t come looking for me, and don’t expect any more money. I’m done with you as a daughter.

Which was exactly what Gu Qinghuan wanted. She’d never expected him to have a change of heart—she just wanted to get something out of him, collect some ""interest,"" and disgust the two of them, sowing discord.

This outcome was just fine."

"Chapter 103: Collecting Interest—Four Hundred and Fifty-Five Yuan