Free Web NovelChapter 656: Chapter 656: Burglars at Home
Mrs. Wang and Tong Zhijie rushed towards the old Gu Family house.
Tong Fusheng, usually calm in front of the old Mrs. Gu, couldn’t remain calm anymore. He stepped over her legs and entered the courtyard.
The old Mrs. Gu let out a wail.
Mrs. Wang and Tong Fusheng paused, realizing no one was coming out despite all the noise. They guessed the old Mrs. Gu was the only one home.
If it’s just an old lady, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
Tong Fusheng sat on a stool in the courtyard, catching his breath.
Mrs. Wang boldly entered the Gu Family’s kitchen. There was a pot on the stove, filled with hot water.
Tong Zhijie carried the washbasin from the courtyard to the kitchen to fill it with hot water.
Bathing was impossible.
In the freezing weather, it was too cold, and there wasn’t enough water.
At most, they could wipe off the dirt from their bodies and change clothes, as long as they didn’t look so disheveled.
The old Mrs. Gu was so angry she wanted to hurt Tong Fusheng’s entire family.
"Damn you all."
"Are the three of you worms? Squeezing into any gap you find."
The shamelessness of Tong Fusheng’s family completely broke the old Mrs. Gu’s defenses.
She got up from the ground and shouted into the house, "Ruinian, Ruinian’s family, there’s a thief in the house!"
Mr. Gu and Gu Youtian were out drinking, Mrs. Jia, their daughter-in-law, was chatting with the clan leader’s wife, and Gu Honglian was wandering in the village. Inside were only Gu Ruinian and Wu Na.
The old Mrs. Gu was afraid Tong Fusheng’s family might harm her. Tong Zhijie’s murderous look had already frightened her, so she wanted Gu Ruinian and Wu Na to come out.
She didn’t believe Wu Na couldn’t handle Tong Fusheng’s family with her fighting skills.
Wu Na, belly swollen, lay in bed, instructing Gu Ruinian to rub her legs. She pretended not to hear the commotion outside.
It was freezing outside, getting out of bed was suffering.
Gu Ruinian thought the same, not wanting to step out into the cold.
Knowing the old Mrs. Gu, he suspected she was again looking for a reason to bother them.
Thieves? What in the house was worth stealing?
She just wanted to make them get up because they were lying in bed doing nothing.
"Ignore her," Gu Ruinian said.
Wu Na turned over.
The old Mrs. Gu shouted for a long time, but Gu Ruinian and Wu Na did nothing.
Tong family’s three members relaxed; with no one else home, what was there to fear from an old lady?
Mrs. Wang filled a bowl with hot water and brought it to Tong Fusheng, pulling a cloth from the clothesline to wipe his face, neck, and hands.
Tong Fusheng sat like a master, letting Mrs. Wang serve him.
Tong Zhijie pulled clothes from the clothesline to clean himself.
The old Mrs. Gu was beside herself with anger.
Her grandson and granddaughter-in-law weren’t reliable; with no one else around, she had to deal with it herself.
The old Mrs. Gu tiptoed into the kitchen, brought out a bowl of cold water, and poured it over Tong Fusheng’s head.
"Are you looking for trouble?" Tong Zhijie yelled, jumping as cold water splashed on him.
Mrs. Wang, distressed, instructed Tong Zhijie, "Quick, help your dad get some clothes to change into."
She stayed back to deal with the old Mrs. Gu.
Mrs. Wang had it all planned out: after changing clothes, they would take the chicken and fish hanging in the kitchen as compensation for the grievances suffered from Tong Pandi and Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Zhijie and Tong Fusheng slipped into the house.
"Ah, who is this?"
Wu Na screamed.
"Thieves are here."
Tong family’s father and son entered Wu Na and Gu Ruinian’s room. When Wu Na turned and saw two disheveled men, she was so frightened she clutched the quilt and sat up.
The smell made her head hurt.
Who were these people entering the house in broad daylight?
Wu Na wasn’t unfamiliar with the Tong family; after all, they were relatives of her former and current sisters-in-law, Tong Pandi and Tong Zhaodi. But with dirt on their faces, she didn’t recognize them at first.
Gu Ruinian, eyes wide, first saw the unfamiliar Tong Fusheng. The old lady hadn’t lied; there were thieves.
When he realized it was Tong Zhijie, he relaxed slightly.
Initially panicking, thinking Gu Youtian might have offended someone outside or that the second young master Zheng had sent someone to demand gunpowder money, he stayed hidden under the covers.
"Why are you in my house?" Gu Ruinian asked, confused, emerging from the covers.
He explained to Wu Na, "That’s your sister-in-law’s father and brother."
Wu Na clutched the quilt, burning with anger.
She had no fond feelings for the Tong family.
Tong Fusheng and Tong Zhijie hadn’t expected anyone in the room, and they were startled seeing two figures on the bed.
Especially Tong Fusheng, unable to lift or carry, he feared someone might attack him.
Recognizing Gu Ruinian and Wu Na, Tong Fusheng remembered that Wu Na had married a cripple.
A cripple was no threat.
Tong Zhijie had no qualms about Gu Ruinian; a cripple scholar was not a match for him.
"Why are you in my room?" Wu Na asked sharply.
Maintaining his dignity as a senior, Tong Fusheng kept silent. Tong Zhijie replied, "We got dirty and came to borrow some clothes."
Gu Ruinian frowned, unimpressed.
They had dirtied the place and now wanted to borrow clothes. Who gave them the right?
Gu Ruinian, with a stern face, said, "No borrowing, get out."
Who knew what pit they had crawled out of to end up here.
Tong Zhijie, grinning mischievously, ignored Gu Ruinian and turned to Wu Na, saying, "Wu Na, we’re relatives; it’s normal to borrow clothes."
He reached for the clothes hanging on the rack.
Gu Ruinian turned pale with anger. Wu Na threw back the covers, retorting, "Who are relatives with you? Every encounter with your Tong family brings trouble. Your eldest sister divorced my brother, your second sister caused my father to lose his position as the village chief, and now you’re here to provoke me. Get out."
Suddenly, she remembered something, angrily saying, "Tong Pandi is right in Qinghe Bay. Why don’t you go to her for clothes?"
Mentioning Tong Pandi froze Tong Fusheng and Tong Zhijie’s expressions.
Regardless, Tong Zhijie snatched two of Gu Ruinian’s thick coats.
Panicking, Gu Ruinian, realizing those were his only winter coats, yelled, "Put them down." He got out of bed, intending to grab them back, but Tong Zhijie’s smell forced him to turn away.
Tong Fusheng took the chance to put on one of Gu Ruinian’s thick cotton coats.
After all, the water the old Mrs. Gu had splashed on him had nearly frozen him.
Since Wu Na had moved all the coal to warm her and Ruinian’s room, the heat made Tong family’s odor more intense, the room filled with an indescribable stench.
Even Gu Ruinian couldn’t stand it, let alone Wu Na, pregnant and sensitive to smells.
Wu Na felt a headache from the stench.
"Ugh."
Wu Na bent over, vomiting.
Tong Zhijie was close, and the spray of vomit hit him.
Tong Zhijie: "..."
Tong Fusheng hurriedly distanced himself.
