Gu Honglian wanted to seek advice from Tong Huaqiong again.
Tong Huaqiong had already gone beyond her limits with her kind words, and when Gu Honglian reached the entrance of the Weaving Workshop and saw her figure, she hesitated to go inside.
If only her sister-in-law could accompany her to the Fan Family, surely the Fan Family wouldn’t dare to bully her on account of her sister-in-law’s presence.
But she knew she could only think about it.
"What’s going on? Hasn’t Fan Tong come to pick you up yet?" Tong Huaqiong asked as she saw Gu Honglian wandering at the entrance of the Weaving Workshop.
Gu Honglian shook her head, holding back tears, and asked, "Sister-in-law, what should I do if Fan Tong really doesn’t come?"
For the past couple of days, Mrs. Gu and Mr. Gu had been worrying with her, even considering the idea of sending Gu Honglian back if Fan Tong didn’t come to pick her up, as it would be humiliating.
Tong Huaqiong said, "He will come."
"Hasn’t Honglian gone back yet?" Mrs. Zhao, who was cutting wheat in the field with a sickle, greeted Gu Honglian with a smile and said, "Your mother-in-law seems very understanding, letting you return to your parents’ home so soon after marriage."
Mrs. Zhao didn’t know about the trials Gu Honglian faced in the Fan Family.
She even thought that Gu Honglian’s mother-in-law was a good person, allowing her to enjoy a peaceful visit to her parents’ home during the busy wheat harvest season, instead of working in the fields.
It seemed that the Fan Family wasn’t as bad as rumors suggested.
Gu Honglian forced a smile, though her heart was heavy with bitterness.
"Speaking of the Fan Family, it looks like someone from the Fan Family is here." Mrs. Zhao pointed toward the village entrance and said, "Honglian, could that be Scholar Fan coming to pick you up?"
Looking toward the village entrance, Gu Honglian indeed saw Fan Tong, in a blue robe, walking toward the village.
Fan Tong saw Gu Honglian standing with Tong Huaqiong and happily approached the entrance of the Weaving Workshop, first saluting Tong Huaqiong, "Greetings, Sister-in-law."
Tong Huaqiong looked Fan Tong up and down and asked, "You’re here to pick up Honglian?"
Fan Tong felt a touch of joy in his heart.
Previously, Tong Huaqiong had always ignored him; now she was willing to talk to him, so he quickly said, "Yes, I’m here to pick up Honglian."
Tong Huaqiong chuckled coldly and glanced at Gu Honglian.
There was both excitement and grievance in Gu Honglian’s eyes.
Mrs. Zhao teased, "Scholar Fan must be missing his wife, hurriedly coming to pick her up."
Fan Tong smiled awkwardly, wanting to continue chatting with Tong Huaqiong, but was interrupted by Gu Honglian.
"Father and Mother are waiting for you at home."
Left with no choice, Fan Tong followed Gu Honglian toward the old residence, feeling dejected.
Once out of Tong Huaqiong’s sight, Fan Tong’s face darkened.
"Go ahead and be willful; which new bride runs home so soon after marriage? The wheat at home is ripe, and Mother, Big Brother, and Sister-in-law are waiting for you to come back and harvest the wheat. In previous years, Mother and Sister-in-law had to both cut the wheat and do the household chores, working very hard. This year you married in, they thought there would be extra help, making things easier in the fields, but you ran off to your parents’ home without a word."
"Mother just scolded you twice, Sister-in-law just scratched you a bit, and I just slapped you twice, and you hold a grudge. Why are you so petty? My mother raised me alone when she was widowed, which wasn’t easy. Sister-in-law, too, married into the Fan Family at sixteen, giving birth and managing household affairs. Why can’t you understand them a bit, and have to cause trouble with them?"
"Don’t think just because I came to get you that you should be smug. If the wheat at home didn’t need harvesting, and if there wasn’t food to be cooked, I wouldn’t have come for you. Go back the way you came."
Fan Tong sternly scolded Gu Honglian.
Gu Honglian was stunned; she thought Fan Tong had come to apologize but instead came to blame her.
Initially, when she saw Fan Tong, all her resentment toward the Fan Family had vanished, thinking that being coaxed by Fan Tong would be enough to make her return.
Fan Tong’s accusations felt like a bucket of cold water poured over her head.
"How come you didn’t dare say such nonsense in front of my sister-in-law earlier? Don’t you just think I’m easy to bully?" Gu Honglian’s eyes reddened, unable to resist retorting.
"Brother-in-law is here. Why stand at the door talking? Come in and sit," Mrs. Jia came out quickly upon hearing voices outside, "Father and Mother are waiting inside."
Mrs. Jia was pleased to hear Fan Tong scolding Gu Honglian, wishing Fan Tong would go as far as hitting her right then and there.
Fan Tong softened his expression and followed Mrs. Jia into the main room.
Gu Honglian followed behind, filled with resentment.
"Our son-in-law is here," Mr. Gu’s face was displeased.
Mrs. Gu’s face was equally displeased.
Having waited three days for someone to come, the two of them were almost about to lose patience.
For the sake of their daughter’s future, they had no choice but to endure.
After saluting Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu, Fan Tong directly said, "Honglian has been away from home for three days. It’s currently the wheat harvesting season, and we’re shorthanded; I’ve come to take her back home."
Then he turned and instructed Gu Honglian to pack up and return.
Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu instantly got angry.
The turn of events was unexpected for them.
They thought when Fan Tong came, he would apologize to Gu Honglian and make assurances to them to treat her well in the future. Instead, he didn’t mention Gu Honglian’s grievances at all and just wanted to take her away.
And the purpose of taking her was to make her do work at home.
In fact, after saying this, Fan Tong felt a bit uneasy.
After Gu Honglian ran to her parents’ home, battered and bruised, he worried the Gu Family would hold him accountable and wanted to fetch her right away.
The elder Mrs. Fan and the sister-in-law told him, since Gu Honglian married into the Fan Family, she was a member of the Fan Family. In any family, when the daughter-in-law is disobedient, isn’t she punished?
Being a scholar, they said Gu Honglian married up. If he went to the Gu family, it would lead to Gu Honglian giving herself airs, and then how would she be controlled in the Fan Family? It’s not up to her to decide to stay or leave the Fan Family as she pleases.
They had to be cold toward her.
The Gu Family should send her back themselves.
The elder Mrs. Fan was also waiting for the Gu Family to send Gu Honglian back so she could really assert herself.
After waiting three days and seeing no one come, the sister-in-law of the Fan Family was unhappy.
During the busy harvesting season, she felt that Gu Honglian was slacking off at her parents’ home.
Being sister-in-laws, why should she do more work? Wasn’t marrying Gu Honglian supposed to be for her younger brother-in-law to ease her burdens?
With the sister-in-law’s instigation, the elder Mrs. Fan finally sent Fan Tong to pick her up.
The mother-in-law and sister-in-law instructed Fan Tong, being a scholar, to maintain dignity and give Gu Honglian and the Gu Family a hard lesson.
No sweet words were to be spoken; just take her away.
Fan Tong was quite displeased with Gu Honglian’s habitual tattling to her family, and with his mother and sister-in-law’s instigation, he was very straightforward at the Gu family, brazenly asking for Gu Honglian to return home in front of his father- and mother-in-law.
"Honglian, pack up and let’s go home," Fan Tong said, seeing that Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu remained silent, and stood up.
Mrs. Gu exploded, sharply saying, "Honglian came back covered in injuries from being beaten by you all, and she’s just recovered. Are you asking her to return so she can be beaten again?"
Fan Tong awkwardly smiled, lightly saying, "You’re exaggerating. There’s always bickering between sisters-in-law and husbands and wives, it’s not a big deal. Honglian, you know your parents are too old to handle the worry, yet you still come home to cause them concern."
Mrs. Gu was shaking with rage.
What a scholar of a son-in-law.
To have slapped someone’s face swollen, yet call it a mere marital spat.
Mr. Gu’s face also turned visibly pale with anger.
Initially, they both thought Tong Huaqiong’s advice to Gu Honglian was bad, but now they both wanted to give Fan Tong a severe beating.