84. Blame It On Gu Zi

Chu Tian despised being called fat; it felt like reopening a wound and pouring salt into it.

She blushed and retorted, "No matter how fat I am, I'm still better than you two old monsters! You pushed your daughter-in-law to this extent."

"You! You unfilial girl! Watch how I beat you to death today."

The old man grabbed a broom and moved to strike his granddaughter when the old woman took off her shoes and pursued Chu Tian.

Just as it seemed she was about to strike, Chu Tian agilely dodged, fleeing the house and nearly stumbling into the aunt with crooked teeth.

The elderly couple caught Chu Tian and started hitting her. She endured a few blows, and her body throbbed with pain, her legs trembling.

Observing the situation, the aunt with crooked teeth intervened and didn't miss an opportunity to sow discord. "You're all family. How can you make such a commotion? Look at the Su family. They're happy and prosperous. That woman is amazing; she's the cause of your family's problems."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xi's parents-in-law immediately stopped what they were doing. Their mean faces were covered in anger.

Speaking of the Su family, they were from the same village!

Su Shen had acted unreasonably by taking their daughter-in-law to the police station, making their family's life even more challenging. If Chu Xi were to be convicted, who would provide for the family in the future?

The old woman quickly pulled the aunt with crooked teeth aside and inquired, "Oh, thank you for the reminder. By the way, didn't the Su family head to the

"They just returned this afternoon," the aunt with crooked teeth replied with a grin. "You should've seen them. They returned with a cart full of treasures, the whole family chatting and laughing. You folks are in deep trouble."

As she recounted what she had witnessed at the village entrance earlier, the aunt with crooked teeth appeared green with envy.

Hearing her words, Chu Xi's parents-in-law's eyes reddened.

They had never anticipated that Daqing Village would have someone as wealthy as Su Shen.

Back then, the Su family had been exceedingly poor and had hardly any presence in the village.

Later, when the country began opening up its economy, Su Shen, despite being the subject of villagers' fears, took the bold step of starting a pig farm due to a lack of information and courage.

This left the villagers concerned that he would implicate everyone and led to calls to expel the Su family from Daqing Village.

After all, Su Shen's actions were far-sighted, and his pursuits were viewed as extremely risky by the average person.

Unexpectedly, around 1980, people in the city began to embrace individual business ventures.

The country also encouraged the development of self-employed households, initiating an era of "daring to think and work hard" to build a career.

Suddenly, everyone was jumping into entrepreneurship and beginning their own businesses.

Previously forbidden phrases like "street stalls," "night markets," and "self-employed households" became popular terms of the era.

Even their village had reopened the five-day trading market. The farmers sold some farm fruits and vegetables, and some who were capable sold small commodities.

Since Su Shen had acted early and positioned himself accurately in the industry, he initiated and expanded his farm, eventually becoming the wealthiest individual in the village.

Those who wanted to chase him out of the village were left eating their words, eagerly aligning themselves with him and acknowledging him as a relative.

Chu Xi's in-laws had even traced their genealogy, conveniently ignoring their tenuous connection to the Su family and shamelessly attempting to draw closer to them.

With this newfound relationship, when no one cared for Su Shen's children, it seemed natural for Chu Xi to care for them.

Ever since Chu Xi began looking after Su Shen's child, their family's life improved significantly.

However, since the arrival of the city woman, Chu Xi had not only lost her job but was also arrested.

The two old couple gritted their teeth in frustration, their faces dark with anger. They wished they could devour Gu Zi's flesh and drink her blood.

The aunt with crooked teeth wore a sly grin as she observed the situation. Deliberately addressing Chu Tian, who had been sobbing on the sidelines, she said, "Why are you crying? You should fight for what's rightfully yours. Have you not seen Gu Zi? She was smiling so brightly!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tian, who had been whimpering and kicking her legs, abruptly ceased her tears.

She couldn't shake the feeling of injustice. She had been with Su Shen for so long, and her mother had looked after his children for an extended period.

Yet, in the end, they were easily replaced by a city woman who seemed like a cunning fox. What right did she have?

She immediately stopped being angry about being beaten. She pulled the two elders to the side and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, it's all because of Gu Zi that Su Shen has become so distant. It's all her fault."

"We should go to the Su family. We must persuade Su Shen to kick that city woman out and free your mother," the two elders concurred. With the three of them no longer arguing, the aunt with crooked teeth continued to fan the flames.

"You're absolutely right. I don't think Gu Zi is a good person. Don't forget, you've done so much for Su Shen.."

...

85. Vixen

In the Su family home, Gu Zi had just finished steaming the vermicelli when she heard a commotion outside the door.

Even Big Yellow in the courtyard seemed to sense something amiss and began to bark.

Quickly cleaning up the stove, Gu Zi rushed outside, only to find that Su Shen was no longer in the living room. Her two brothers were trying to comfort Lele.

Earlier, Su Bing had been playing with Lele in the courtyard, but she was frightened to tears by Chu Xi's parents-in-law.

Su Bing hurriedly scooped Lele up, and Su Shen had gone outside to handle the situation.

Upon realizing the situation, Gu Zi made her way toward the door, but Su Li initially blocked her path. However, in the very next moment, he stepped aside quickly.

"Dad said he can handle this. You don't need to go out," Su Li informed her.

Chu Xi's parents-in-law had arrived with a confrontational air, likely driven by Chu Xi's arrest, and their primary target was Gu Zi.

Though it had only been a short while, the children had already heard people outside calling her a vixen multiple times.

Of course, they knew that the insult was aimed at their stepmother. Yet, judging by her behavior so far, she appeared to be a good person.

Consequently, their father did not want her to face harsh criticism, and they felt the same way.

Gu Zi turned to Su Li and said, "Your father and I are about to get married. In a marriage, problems must be faced together. I can't let him cover for me. It wouldn't be right for me to hide behind him."

After her declaration, she turned and walked outside, leaving her stepsons impressed by her bravery.

Holding Lele, they took refuge by the living room window to observe the situation outside.

As Gu Zi stepped outside, she was met with an old woman berating her, alongside Su Shen.

Upon seeing that harsh visage, Gu Zi couldn't help but be taken aback. No wonder Lele had been reduced to tears by them; they appeared extremely mean.

There was a saying that daughters-in-law resembled their parents-in-law, and it seemed to hold true for Chu Xi and her in-laws.

The old woman's tone when addressing Su Shen was calm, but her words toward Gu Zi were laced with vitriol. "You're that vixen, aren't you?

That old man also looked over coldly. He looked at Gu Zi as if he was looking at an enemy.

"So you're the vixen who bewitched Su Shen! Before you came, there was no one to look after the Su family's children. Our Chu Xi was the only one who took good care of all of them. The moment you arrived, you instigated Su Shen to fire her. Now, you've even taken her to the police station. How heartless!"

At that moment, another plump girl stepped forward. Gu Zi recognized her; she was Chu Xi's daughter, whom she had encountered when delivering food last time.

"Miss Gu Zi, please be compassionate and let my mother go!" she pleaded timidly.

Gu Zi was so astonished that she was almost amused. Were these people in their right minds? Why were they branding her as such a wicked person?

Despite her anger, Gu Zi remained composed and said slowly, "You both look quite mature. I didn't expect you to have such sharp eyes. Thank you for the compliment. As for Chu Xi, I suggest you visit the police station to inquire further."

"What did you say? We're calling you a vixen, do you not understand?" the old woman reiterated.

Gu Zi shrugged. "That's a compliment to my beauty. In this world, only exceptionally attractive people are referred to as vixens."

The old woman seethed with rage, trembling with anger. She then turned to Su Shen and slandered Gu Zi further.

"How shameless! Is she implying that she can seduce men just because she's attractive? Su Shen, this woman has a lover in the city!"

Su Shen's face had already darkened considerably. When he heard them making unfounded accusations against Gu Zi, his demeanor grew even graver.

"Stop slandering my fiancée! I know exactly what kind of person she is. However, I will definitely pursue the matter of Chu Xi poisoning my children. You all need to leave immediately! "

His ability to command respect was remarkably strong. The two elderly men were taken aback by his initial statement.

Chu Tian was trembling all over and momentarily speechless, and Su Shen's subsequent words almost left them off balance.

Chu Tian had assumed her mother had, at most, stolen some valuable items from the Su family. She never expected it to involve poisoning!

She had heard about Su Li's hospitalization yesterday and that her mother had been taken away by the police. Could this really be true?

Chu Tian felt an overwhelming fear and left the Su family's residence dispiritedly.

The two old men stood there without moving. They really didn't expect this old b * tch to be so bold!

The two elderly couple remained standing, unwilling to back down. They knew Su Shen had no concrete evidence yet, so if they remained steadfast in their denial, it would be hard to pin anything on them.

After a while, the old man retorted defiantly, "Did you witness her poisoning it?

Perhaps this vixen is the one who framed my daughter-in-law.."

...