Gu Dagui laughed out of anger: "At a time like this youâre still thinking about that? Is elder sister-in-law the kind of person who would demand someoneâs life?"
Gu Dagui knew Mrs. Chen wasnât afraid of being haunted by guilt; she felt she hadnât taken good care of Brother Xing and Sister Mei for her elder sister-in-law, thus was feeling remorseful, leading her to say such things.
"Letâs hurry up and leave. If weâre late and your nephew says something he shouldnât to Elder Xu, things will be even worse." Gu Dagui grabbed Mrs. Chenâs wrist and got her onto the mule cart, telling Ah Feng, "Follow the Xu Family mule cart quickly."
Ah Feng and Ah Ling had already tied up Chen Cangjin, Chen Canggu, and Chen Cangguâs son, gagged them, and thrown them into the mule cart. Hearing this, Ah Feng responded, whipped the mule, and followed the Xu Family mule cart.
Mrs. Chen didnât come to her senses until the mule cart started moving. She grabbed the carriage and asked, "Whereâs the knife?"
Gu Dagui said, "You threw it on the ground. I picked it up and put it away properly. Elder Xu knows about this, itâs not appropriate for you to wield the knife again; it will only make you a laughingstock."
Be careful not to accidentally cut your own throat again.
Mrs. Chen had cut her throat back then, and thereâs still a faint scar on her neck now.
Seeing the scar, Gu Dagui couldnât help feeling terrified... No matter whether it was Mrs. Chen or the Chen Family People, he couldnât deal with them. If they started fighting, the most Gu would be able to do was hide the knife and shield Mrs. Chen.
"Look at you, acting all cowardly. What are you scared of? You should fight them!" Mrs. Chen said aggressively, looking absolutely fierce.
Gu Dagui still didnât give her the knife, he just said, "Letâs think about how weâre going to explain things to Elder Xu later."
Chen Yinhua watched Mrs. Chen searching for a knife to chop people up with a fierce manner and secretly thought: Third Aunt is indeed fierce like a female bandit; no wonder the family couldnât pin her down back then, and Third Aunt supported such a big family.
"Why are you looking, huh? When we meet Elder Xu later, you better explain things clearly, or Iâll skin you alive!" Mrs. Chen had a fiery temper, and she would shout regardless of who it was, especially when she was in a bad mood. After all, Chen Yinhua was also part of the Chen family.
With lowered eyes and subservience, Chen Yinhua said, "Yes, I understand, Third Aunt rest assured."
Chen Cangjin and Chen Canggu father and son stared daggers at Chen Yinhua upon hearing this. That wench dared to inform Mrs. Chen and ruin the familyâs big plan. Wait until mother comes, then theyâll have her sold!
But Chen Yinhua didnât even glance at them, sitting obediently, her body leaning towards Mrs. Chen, clearly planning to stick with her.
"Donât call me Third Aunt, I have nothing to do with the Chen family anymore." Mrs. Chen shouted, and then turned to Gu Dagui, asking hopefully, "Dagui, do you think we can keep the matters concerning the Chen family hidden, not tell Elder Xu, and just get Chen Shengfu back?"
Gu Dagui shook his head, "Whatâs there to hide? Weâve been caught already. We can only tell the truth. If we keep it a secret after being caught red-handed, Elder Xu will only be angrier."
Mrs. Chen heard this and seemed deflated, sitting limply before gritting her teeth again, "Damn Chen Family People! This time, if I donât finish them off, Iâm no longer a Chen!"
Ah Feng and Ah Ling sitting on the front board exchanged glances upon hearing this, thinking: Whether or not you finish them off, youâll still be a Chen.
More than three quarters of an hour later, the mule cart finally arrived at the Guâs Workshop in the north of the city. The sky had completely darkened, and there were still some families who had come to celebrate that hadnât left the shop in the front.
The Xu Familyâs Guardian saw to the arrangements, taking a direct detour to the back door.
Once at the back door, before the mule cart had even stopped, Mrs. Chen jumped out of the mule cart, rushed to the Xu Family mule cart, obsequiously saying, "Uncle Xu, weâve arrived at the shop, please step down."
She grabbed the stool hanging on the front board and placed it properly for Elder Xu to step down.
Seeing her being so attentive, Elder Xuâs expression didnât soften one bit. After stepping down from the stool, he said to the Guardian, "Escort Chen Family youth down from the cart."
Mrs. Chen hurriedly said upon hearing this, "No need to escort, just drag those scheming little brats down!"
As she spoke, she half-way climbed into the carriage and grabbed Chen Shengfu, dragging him out of the cart, "You little wolf, get down!"
"Cousin, Cousin, save me!" Chen Shengfu, who hadnât been tied and hadnât been gagged, seized Gu Dexing while pleading with him for help upon seeing Mrs. Chen coming for him.
"Cousin my foot! Whoâs your cousin? Stop trying to put on airs, get down here!" Mrs. Chen held onto Chen Shengfuâs clothes, nearly tearing them as she dragged Chen Shengfu off the mule cart.
Even Xu Zhao Ming, who was in the same mule cart, looked dumbfounded, coming back to his senses once Gu Dexing hurriedly got off and then got off too.
Elder Xu stood not far from the mule cart with a stern old face, watching the scene unfold... To be honest, Elder Xu was somewhat regretting promising Xu Zhong to Gu Dexing. He never imagined Mrs. Chenâs family would be like this, brazenly shameless, scheming even for the match of the eldest son of the uncleâs house.
Though every family has a couple of poor relatives, the Chen family were no longer merely poor relatives; they nearly embarrassed them greatly!
Gu Dexing looked at Elder Xuâs stern face and was frightened, whispering, "Grandpa Xu, please donât be mad~"
Elder Xu pretended not to hear, looked at Gu Dagui who was equally scared, and said, "Open the door and go inside, standing around here is inappropriate."
Gu Dagui quickly took out the keys to open the door, "Uncle Xu, please come in."
Elder Xu turned around, leaning on his cane, tapping his way into the house, and from the sound of the cane hitting the floor you could tell he wasnât in a good mood.
Chen Shengfu still dared to shout, "Grandpa Xu, wait for me, donât leave me, or Third Aunt will beat me to death!"
"You little wolf, you dare speak, Iâll beat you to death!" Mrs. Chen pulled at Chen Shengfuâs hair, slapping him a few times, leaving Chen Shengfu crying loudly.
Elder Xu was furious, glaring back at Gu Dagui, "Do you and your wife really want to be disgraced? If your Gu Family wishes for disgrace, we the Xu Family do not!"
Gu Dagui and Mrs. Chen turned pale upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen hurriedly stopped and dragged Chen Shengfu inside, toward the guest hall in the rear residence.
Soon after, the group arrived at the guest hall in the rear residence. Just as they entered, Mrs. Chen knelt down with a thud, rubbed her eyes, and apologized to Elder Xu, "Uncle Xu, all the mistakes are my maternal familyâs fault, they have nothing to do with Brother Xing. Heâs a good child, please donât be mad, the marriage must not be called off."
Elder Xu paused, and didnât expect Mrs. Chen to kneel before him, the anger inside him subsided somewhat, and he said, "What exactly happened? Explain clearly."
Not daring to slack off, Mrs. Chen called Chen Yinhua over, "Yinhua, quickly explain."
She then pointed at Chen Shengfu who was about to speak, "Ah Feng, cover this wolfâs mouth!"
"Third Aunt, Third Aunt..." Chen Shengfu tried to escape, but was quickly caught by Ah Feng, had his hands and feet bound, and his mouth gagged.
Elder Xu didnât say anything seeing this and turned his gaze to Chen Yinhua.
Chen Yinhua soon explained the ins and outs of the situation clearly, finally adding, "My sister Jinhua and I visited the Gu Family once before we were four years old; since then we havenât seen Scholar Gu, nor is there any engagement, nor any private meetings. Please donât believe Chen Shengfuâs words, Elder Xu."
Chen Shengfu must have said something in the mule cart, and she had to clear things up.