Mrs. Jia cried all night.
The next morning, with swollen eyes, she blocked Gu Xiaoxue at the entrance of the weaving workshop.
"...If there’s nothing else, Mother, please go home. I need to start work. Our workshop has rules; we can’t chat casually or come and go freely."
Mrs. Jia held Gu Xiaoxue’s hand, tearfully recounting how she was bullied by Mrs. Gu and others in the family. Gu Xiaoxue looked impatient.
"Xiaoxue, I’m your mother, and yet you’re so heartless to me?" Mrs. Jia looked devastated.
She knew the daughter she raised, Gu Xiaoxue wasn’t a hard-hearted person. As long as she humbled herself and cried, Gu Xiaoxue would eventually soften.
Besides, it’s been a year since Gu Xiaoxue got upset, surely she should have calmed down by now.
But the current Gu Xiaoxue was way beyond her expectations.
"Yes, I’m that heartless."
Gu Xiaoxue had let her down.
She looked at her mother like she was a stranger.
Mrs. Jia bitterly thought that Gu Xiaoxue had been led astray by Gu Taohua and Tong Huaqiong.
"What do I need to do for you to forgive me?" Mrs. Jia asked, crying.
With a calm face, Gu Xiaoxue said, "Just stay far away from me."
After saying that, she turned and headed towards the weaving workshop.
Mrs. Jia’s face was wet with tears, yet she still refused to face the present Gu Xiaoxue.
She deeply regretted keeping Gu Xiaoxue around for a high dowry; she should have married her off as soon as they arrived in Qinghe Bay.
That way, Gu Xiaoxue wouldn’t be working at the weaving workshop, and she wouldn’t have Tong Huaqiong as a backing.
Moreover, she would have relied on her husband’s family and wouldn’t dare turn against her natal family, thus preventing her from turning her back on her mother.
Mrs. Jia turned around and saw Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Huaqiong had witnessed the whole encounter between Mrs. Jia and Gu Xiaoxue, but she had no intention of gloating.
This was all Mrs. Jia’s own doing.
"Are you happy now?" Mrs. Jia said to Tong Huaqiong.
For some reason, Mrs. Jia always harbored inexplicable animosity towards Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Huaqiong didn’t indulge her. She said, "Your daughter treats you like this, yet you don’t reflect on your own issues and instead blame others. Let me tell you, I am happy. I’m happy that Gu Xiaoxue sees through your hypocrisy. I’m happy that you’ve lost such a good daughter. This is your karma."
Indeed, it was karma.
In this era, women had a hard time surviving, but Mrs. Jia, as a mother, was not innocent in Gu Xiaoxue’s disappointment with Mrs. Gu and others in the family. In her eyes, there was only Gu Ruinian, not Xiaoxue.
Not only did she not help Xiaoxue, but she also wanted to sacrifice Xiaoxue for Ruinian’s benefit.
Such a person wouldn’t repent; the reason she was looking for Xiaoxue was that she had lost hope in the Gu family.
Yet even so, if Gu Xiaoxue were needed to sacrifice for Gu Ruinian, she would still unhesitatingly abandon Xiaoxue.
Tong Huaqiong had no intention of battling with Mrs. Jia; her goal was not to compete for mother-in-law’s affection or the Gu family’s status.
Her goal was to make money, simply to make money.
Tong Huaqiong no longer paid attention to Mrs. Jia and strode into the weaving workshop.
In the blink of an eye, it had been a month since Jingzhe got married.
During this month, he and Lu Zhaozhao were as close as a pair of lovebirds.
According to the plan, he was supposed to set off for Shengjing.
Tong Huaqiong received a letter from Gu Dashi. Calculating the time, if Jingzhe set off now, he would arrive in Shengjing at about the same time as Gu Dashi.
Lu Zhaozhao was caught in a dilemma.
Before getting married, she wanted to see Jingzhe every day. Every day she imagined the life they would live together.
However, after staying in Qinghe Bay for a while, her feelings for Tong Huaqiong and others deepened, and the thought of suddenly going to Shengjing made her reluctant.
"Maybe I’ll stay, and go with mother when she heads to Shengjing," Lu Zhaozhao said to Tong Huaqiong.
Gu Taohua agreed with this.
Lu Zhaozhao wasn’t just her sister-in-law; she was like a daughter, and she got along very well with Lu Zhaozhao.
"I think it’s good for Sister-in-law to stay. Once you reach Shengjing, Brother will enter the Imperial College to study. What about you? Not only do you have to manage business and handle household affairs, but you also have to constantly worry about Brother’s daily needs. I don’t think you’re going to Shengjing to enjoy life but to endure hardship."
Gu Taohua increasingly felt that Jingzhe had gained a great advantage by marrying Lu Zhaozhao.
Tong Huaqiong smiled.
Gu Taohua’s goodness towards Lu Zhaozhao wasn’t something new in this life.
In her past life, besides Fan Tong, Gu Taohua was sincerely good to Lu Zhaozhao as well.
When Jingzhe married the Commandery Princess, Gu Taohua nearly went to crash the wedding.
Jingzhe, unable to interject, said anxiously, "Zhaozhao doesn’t need to worry about household chores, nor does she need to be responsible for my daily needs. I have hands and feet."
He worried that Gu Taohua would persuade Lu Zhaozhao to stay back home.
Gu Taohua sneered, "You say that, but how can Sister-in-law possibly let go and not care?"
Jingzhe argued, "Can’t we just care for each other?"
He too cared for every aspect of Lu Zhaozhao’s life.
Gu Taohua retorted, "Care for each other? When you have children, can you carry the child for Zhaozhao?"
"I can’t, but I can raise and educate them."
Jingzhe broke out in a cold sweat. Usually good at debating, he was almost lost for words at Gu Taohua’s piercing question.
Hearing the banter between Gu Taohua and Jingzhe, Tong Huaqiong shook her head with a smile.
Gu Taohua was competing with Jingzhe for her sister-in-law now.
Jingzhe looked to Tong Huaqiong for help.
"Mother, we agreed before marriage that Zhaozhao would go with me to Shengjing." Jingzhe blushed as he stammered, "If Zhaozhao doesn’t go to Shengjing, I’ll miss her every day and won’t be able to focus on my studies. How will I earn a title for you?"
Lu Zhaozhao blushed at Jingzhe’s words of longing in front of his mother, her face turning as red as a brilliant sunset.
Tong Huaqiong said, "Zhaozhao, it’s still best for you to go to Shengjing. Not to mention that the business there needs you, your brother has been in Shengjing for three years and certainly hopes to see you soon."
Lu Zhaoyang had been in Shengjing for three years, busy with two years of border war preparations.
Officials in the capital couldn’t leave at will.
Lu Zhaozhao was absent at the wedding; only Huang Jingshan came alone.
Mentioning Lu Zhaoyang, Lu Zhaozhao said, "Then I should go to Shengjing. My sister-in-law wrote a few days ago saying she was pregnant. Grandpa will be at ease if I go."
"Alright then, you two go first. Once things settle down here, I’ll join you." Tong Huaqiong said, noticing Gu Taohua’s reluctance to part with Lu Zhaozhao, she added, "Taohua, you go with them too."
Since they were going to Shengjing eventually, Taohua might as well go ahead.
Tong Huaqiong also planned to sell cotton cloth in Shengjing, so sending Gu Taohua ahead to explore was a good move.
Gu Taohua was delighted and took Lu Zhaozhao’s hand, saying, "I’ll go with Sister-in-law."
Lu Zhaozhao agreed, "Alright, let’s go first."
Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, Lu Zhaozhao agreed to go to Shengjing.
Liu Yueer, learning that both Gu Taohua and Lu Zhaozhao were heading to Shengjing, felt envious.
She wanted to go too.
Gu Dashi was going to Shengjing to receive an award, but rumors about him losing interest in her reached Liu Yueer’s ears. Although assured somewhat by Mrs. Zhao, she still worried that Gu Dashi might catch the eye of some noblewoman.
After all, Gu Dashi was handsome. Even back in Fu City, he had won the affection of brothel girls and was nearly ensnared by the Chen family.
Shengjing was a more complex place than Fu City. For someone as innocent as Gu Dashi, others could easily take advantage of him without him realizing it.
The more Liu Yueer thought about it, the more anxious she became. She wanted to go to Shengjing quickly to keep an eye on Gu Dashi.
She didn’t dare to ask Mrs. Zhao for permission directly, fearing her judgment. Instead, she went to confide in her.