Chen Lishu stepped closer and said, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to hit you? Let me tell you, you're wrong. I'm afraid of dirtying my hands. You're morally corrupt and disrespectful in your old age. Don't you see how everyone is looking at you? Do you think bullying a child is an honor?"
"Let me tell you, there are no unruly children, only unruly parents. Whatever you sow today, your child will reap tomorrow. This is called leading by example. With someone like you, you'll never eat more than four dishes in your life."
"You, you..." Faced with Chen Lishu's rapid-fire barrage, Old Mrs. Wei's face turned red and her neck swelled. She pointed at Chen Lishu, wanting to say something, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say. Glancing at Rui Rui beside her, she gritted her teeth and said,
"No matter what, I can still have children. Our Wei family has descendants. Who is like you, married for several years and still can't have a child? You adopted a child from who knows where. It's you, you little slut, who can't eat four dishes, you barren hen. Your family is doomed!"
As Gu Xingdong and his group entered the family living area, they saw a crowd gathered not far away. Before they could ask what was happening, they heard Old Mrs. Wei's heart-piercing words. Upon hearing this, the group's expressions all changed.
Wei Gang instinctively glanced at Gu Xingdong. Seeing that his expression wasn't particularly moved, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Zheng had spent the most time with Gu Xingdong and knew him the best. He was broad-minded, and even if he occasionally said a few harsh words, he generally didn't take them to heart. Conversely, when he was truly angry, he would appear this calm.
As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face or expose their shortcomings. Moreover, this was a matter between a husband and wife, and Wei Gang's mother had gone too far.
"Mom, what are you doing!" Old Mrs. Wei was about to continue speaking when Wei Gang hurried forward and interrupted her. Looking at Old Mrs. Wei, his brows were almost tied into a knot.
"Gangzi, you're here at the right time. Listen to this shameless woman..."
"Mom!" Wei Gang interrupted her again, his voice unintentionally rising considerably. He then said apologetically to Chen Lishu, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry about today. My mother is old, and whatever she says is without thought. Please don't take it to heart."
Your mother is old? Is she eighty or just senile?
Chen Lishu wanted to retort, but in front of so many people, she ultimately chose to endure it. However, feeling displeased, she couldn't say anything gracious. She turned to Gu Xingdong and complained with a hint of grievance,
"Rui Rui was pushed and fell, hitting the flower bed. His hand is scraped."
Wei Gang's face instantly turned bright red.
"Come here, son, Dad will take a look." Gu Xingdong beckoned to Rui Rui. When the boy came closer and he saw the scrape on his palm, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Then, acting as if nothing was wrong, he said, "It's okay, we're big boys now, this little injury is nothing, right?"
Hearing his father praise him as a big boy, Rui Rui's dark eyes instantly lit up. He puffed out his chest and nodded, "It doesn't hurt at all."
Gu Xingdong smiled and ruffled his little head. His gaze fell on Wei Xiaoya beside them. "Do you like marbles?"
Wei Xiaoya looked at Gu Xingdong without speaking.
Gu Xingdong took out fifty cents and handed it over. "Here, Uncle Gu is giving this to you. Go buy marbles. We'll buy whatever kind you like."
When Old Mrs. Wei saw him taking out money for the child, she thought he was quite sensible and her temper subsided considerably. She quickly nudged Wei Xiaoya, "He's giving you money, why aren't you taking it quickly?"
Wei Gang: "Lao Gu, what are you doing? Hurry up and take the money back."
"The child likes it, and since she's a girl, she should be pampered even more. Take it." Meeting Gu Xingdong's casual gaze, although he hadn't said a harsh word since they arrived, Wei Gang still felt overwhelmingly ashamed, as if he had been slapped twice, his face burning.
"Since your Uncle Gu is giving it to you, you should take it."
Wei Xiaoya had never received such a large sum of money before. Hearing her father speak, she quickly reached out and took it, then tightly clutched it in her pocket.
Wei Gang looked at Old Mrs. Wei and said pleadingly, "Mom, apologize to sister-in-law and the child."
No matter who looked at it, his mother was in the wrong. He honestly didn't know if he could control himself if he had been in the same situation.
"What? You want me to apologize?" Old Mrs. Wei's face, which had just calmed down, immediately fell. "I'm your mother. Didn't you hear what she, surnamed Chen, said to me? She cursed me to not eat four dishes. I'm already a barren hen. What did I say wrong!"
Gu Xingdong's gaze swept towards Old Mrs. Wei, becoming instantly sharp.
Sensing the unusual glances from everyone, Wei Gang wished he could find a hole to crawl into. "Mom, are you trying to force me to death?"
He was the political instructor. If he couldn't even manage the ideology of his own family, how could he have the nerve to do it for others?
"What am I forcing you to do? You're forcing me. Anyway, apologizing to her is impossible."
Wei Gang took a deep breath and said with pain and helplessness, "You're my mother, and I can't do anything if you don't apologize. But I can't stay in this compound anymore. I'll go and submit my resignation report. We'll go back to our hometown together. It would be nice to farm the land ordinarily."
Having such a mother made him feel deeply unable to hold his head up in front of his colleagues. He might as well retire and go home.
Wei Gang turned and walked towards the camp.
"Lao Wei, it's such a small matter to talk about retiring. You're being too impulsive." Zhou Liang stepped forward and stopped him. He then turned to look at Wu Zheng and Gu Xingdong. Women's arguments shouldn't involve work.
Wei Gang wasn't actually planning to retire. He had worked hard in the military for over ten years to reach his current position. If he persisted for a little longer, he could be promoted and remain in the camp. How could he give up so easily?
However, his words had been spoken in a moment of impulse and were difficult to retract. Being stopped by Zhou Liang now was also a way of hoping Gu Xingdong would give him an out. As long as Gu Xingdong spoke and said it didn't matter and that he wouldn't hold a grudge, it would allow Wei Gang to look good in front of everyone.
Wu Zheng instinctively frowned at Zhou Liang's actions. What did he mean by "such a small matter"? If someone said that about his wife, he would have definitely gotten into a fistfight with them. It seemed like Zhou Liang was speaking lightly because the incident didn't happen to him.
Wu Zheng averted his gaze, observing his nose and his heart, and intently studied the ants on the ground.
Gu Xingdong looked directly back at him, his dark eyes seeming to see through everything. His thin lips parted slightly. "Retiring is not a child's play. Have you considered it carefully?"
"I..." Wei Gang was rendered speechless by his question.
No matter what, their son could not retire. If they really went home, they would lose all their monthly allowances. What prospects could farming offer? The entire family depended on this money. How could she brag to others about her son being a high-ranking official in the city in the future?
Thinking of this, Old Mrs. Wei became completely flustered.