Chapter 138: All Stepmothers Are Loathsome

Page 1 of 3

Perhaps Tang Xin’s words had struck some sensitive chord in the eldest sister’s heart, because Li Xihua firmly agreed with her sister-in-law’s suggestion.

Since her divorce had been brought before the family council for everyone to discuss, surely Gu San’s lifelong marriage plans should not be treated lightly either.

And so, in a manner both inexplicable and muddled, everyone found themselves sitting around the round table after dinner, with nothing else to do, discussing Gu San’s marriage.

Li Jiang, Li Hai, and Gu Nan were there as well. Gu Nan had insisted on attending.

“My father’s marriage concerns me greatly. I must have a say.”

A child who had been to school really was different. Listen to how clearly and logically he spoke. Even Gu San found himself unable to object.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Jiang and Li Hai settled into their seats as well, refusing to leave.

The two of them were nothing more than spectators enjoying the drama, looking for a bit of fun.

Of course, deep down, they also wanted to cheer on their good friend.

They both supported Gu Nan. They did not want him to end up with an unpleasant stepmother, so they had to take part in the family meeting too.

First, everyone agreed that Gu San had worked hard all these years, and that it was only natural for him to find someone else.

Then came the question of who that someone should be. Gu Nan immediately spoke up.

“Dad, don’t marry that Widow Zhang. Once she moves in, she’ll definitely bully me.”

“How do you know?” Tang Xin asked.

She had always believed that children’s right to speak should not be denied simply because they were young.

Very often, she respected their opinions and gave them a chance to express themselves.

So Gu Nan chattered on at length, and every word he spoke was both reasonable and well-founded.

After school, he often played outside with his friends—hide-and-seek and the like. Sometimes they hid behind great trees or among haystacks, where no one could see them.

That was how he had overheard the conversation between the hateful Second Aunt Li and Widow Zhang.

As it turned out, Widow Zhang had offered someone benefits, asking them to arrange the match and then persuading Second Aunt Li to come over and speak well of her.

Although no one knew exactly what that woman was plotting, everyone felt that something was terribly wrong.

Gu Changfu, in particular, had never realized that he had somehow become such a desirable bachelor. Why was that woman going to such lengths merely to marry him? What was she after?

To be honest, after living as a widower for all these years, Gu Changfu did not consider himself the sort of excellent prospect that every woman would fight to marry.

In truth, he should have asked Madam Fang and Li Xihua. They understood the situation far better.

Gu San was simply thinking too little of himself.

Page 2 of 3

Although he had a child, Gu San himself was not a bad match—and he was still young.

More importantly, Gu Nan was already growing up. He was no longer a helpless infant who was difficult to care for. To speak plainly, there were plenty of unmarried girls in Harvest Brigade who would have been willing to marry him.

Gu San, however, was afraid that Gu Nan would suffer. From the moment he had reluctantly agreed to consider marrying again, he had announced that he would not seek an unmarried young woman.

Perhaps that was why this Widow Zhang had set her heart on him, going so far as to bribe others to sing her praises just to marry Gu San.

At first, several people had told Gu San that Widow Zhang was quite a good woman and seemed to meet all his requirements, while being well matched with him in every respect.

So the two of them had met, and after spending time together several times, they had felt that things were going rather well.

He had allowed himself to entertain the idea.

For all these years, he had been raising his child alone. Although the Li family helped him, there had always seemed to be something missing from his life.

That feeling had grown especially strong after Li Sheng married. Watching the Li family prosper more and more, Gu Changfu had finally begun to consider marriage again.

Perhaps getting married a second time would actually be rather nice.

Gu Nan had protested before, saying that stepmothers were no good, but Gu Changfu had not taken it seriously then.

He had assumed that the boy had merely heard some gossip and was instinctively opposed to having a stepmother.

Now, after hearing what Gu Nan had said, he realized that he might have misunderstood.

Had the children overheard those conversations and those schemes, and that was why they stubbornly believed Widow Zhang was not a good woman?

Gu Nan was still young and had not explained himself clearly, so Gu Changfu had simply assumed that the boy was resisting the idea of his marrying again.

The more he thought about it, the more Gu Changfu’s back broke out in a cold sweat.

Perhaps because he had spent so much time with the Li family, the women in Gu San’s mind were all like Li Xihua, Li Xiyue, and Tang Xin—straightforward and candid.

Even a quarrel fought openly was better than petty tricks carried out behind someone’s back.

Regardless of anything else, Gu Changfu disliked the little schemes Widow Zhang had been carrying out behind the scenes. Thus, the rare desire he had developed to marry again sank once more to the bottom of his heart.

In fact, life was quite good as it was.

On the surface, he and Gu Nan lived together as father and son, but Gu Nan spent most of his time with the Li family’s twin brothers.

Li Father, Li Mother, Li Sheng, Li Kai, and Li Xihua all treated him like one of their own children. Having his son call them older brothers and sisters all day long had even left Gu San somewhat dazed.

At times, he forgot that, by seniority, he and Li Zhirong were actually brothers.

In the end, Li Xihua and the others called him Third Brother as well. Gu San smiled faintly.

Living this way was perfectly fine.

Page 3 of 3

Why make life difficult by bringing a woman home to eat their family’s food?

And so, the matter of Gu San marrying again quietly came to nothing.

Gu Nan let out a tremendous sigh of relief. He had nearly ended up with a stepmother.

When his sister-in-law told them stories, he had heard the tale of Snow White and learned how wicked Snow White’s stepmother, the queen, had been.

Although his father did not have as much money or as much food as Snow White’s father, Gu Nan imagined that all stepmothers probably thought alike.

How frightening.

If his father married Widow Zhang, would she try to poison him with a poisoned apple and kill him?

Just imagining such a scene sent a chill through Gu Nan. He could not help shuddering from head to toe.

Gu San, still immersed in his embarrassment and shame, failed to notice anything unusual about his son. Li Xihua, however, did.

She crouched down with a smile and put an arm around little Gu Nan’s shoulders.

“It’s all right. You’re always with Jiang and Hai anyway. If anything happens, just come over and call for us.”

Gu Nan looked at the eldest sister’s smile, and warmth suddenly filled his heart. He nodded vigorously.

Then he smiled too.

Li Xihua, however, still felt somewhat uneasy. Tentatively, she asked, “Nan, you don’t want your father to find someone else, do you?”

Gu Nan frowned in confusion and answered with a question of his own.

“Stepmothers are all awful. If everyone says a stepmother will hurt me, why would I want Dad to find one?”

Li Xihua was briefly speechless.

It was only a small interlude, and no one else noticed it. The upheaval over whether Gu San might marry again simply passed on its own.

Life went on.

There was no calendar in the house, so Tang Xin could only draw check marks on a sheet of paper to count how many days Li Sheng had been away.

She was still extremely busy. During the day, the household was filled with the bustle of everyone’s activities; at night, she had to tend the farm in her storage space.

Yet her heart always felt hollow, as though that person’s absence had taken away not only the warmth of home, but also her vitality and her soul.