Chapter 743: Chapter 642: A New Style of Crying

Ultimately, Gu Shaoling was still afraid of her grandfather, so she pursed her lips and hung her head.

Naturally, Gu Shaojun hadn’t prepared a sweet soup for her either.

Granny Gu couldn’t bear to see her granddaughter’s pitiful, teary-eyed expression, so she tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, what’s the big fuss about? Stop with the angry faces while we’re eating; you’ll scare the children. Everyone, let’s just eat. When you’re finished, you can go about your business."

The moment she finished speaking, Gu Qifan, who had been quietly eating and drinking, put down his bowl. He stood up and headed out, saying, "I’m full. Something’s come up, so I’m heading out. You all take your time eating."

Grandpa Gu was also a fast eater and was the second person to leave the dining room.

Only Gu Shaojun and the women remained. Granny Gu’s heart went out to her eldest grandson, thinking the food in the army couldn’t compare to home cooking. She had just urged him to eat a little more when Gu Shaoling suddenly burst into whimpers.

"What is it now?" Granny Gu asked, looking at her granddaughter in exasperation.

Jiang Yuyan put down her bowl. "I’m full. I’m going to go check on the crystal cakes and bring some to the children. Shaoyu isn’t a fan of other sweets, but he’ll eat a couple of these. And Shaoying absolutely loves them."

Xiao Man quickly added, "Third Aunt, let me go with you. Hao Hao can’t possibly look after Little Bo and Xiao Fang by himself while they’re eating."

’Gu Shaojun tugged her hand under the table, but she pulled away. Gu Shaoling’s unique brand of petulance was an eyesore and a heartache. Watching too much of it was just draining, so it was better to get away.’

Wu Xiangyun simply stood up. "I’ll come too."

As the three of them left the table at once, Granny Gu had to turn her attention from Shaoling. She said hurriedly, "Oh, Manman, there’s no need. Your Third Aunt can manage, and the nannies are there too. Yuyan, please watch Shaoying carefully. Make sure she eats slowly so she doesn’t choke. And Xiangyun, dear, are you sure you’re done eating? Look how skinny you are! You should eat more."

"Granny, I’m full. You..."

Before Wu Xiangyun could finish, Gu Shaoling grabbed the chopsticks in front of her and slammed them down. "If you’re going to get out, then get out! Stop your yammering! All of you, get the hell out!"

One of the chopsticks flew up, struck Jiang Yuyan, and clattered to the floor. Zhou Hui Lan cried out in alarm, "Shaoling, stop this nonsense!"

Jiang Yuyan’s expression turned cold. An imperious aura, unique to women from powerful families, suddenly radiated from her.

She, too, came from a family of high-ranking officials and had been spoiled rotten by her elders. By nature, she wasn’t a soft, gentle woman. On the contrary, she could be quite calculating and was more than capable of holding her own in a fight. But ever since her son’s health returned to normal, she and her husband had been filled with joy and gratitude. The unexpected birth of a daughter made her feel like her life was complete. She had been relishing her happy, fulfilling life, immersed in the joy of being a wife and mother, and had naturally softened her prickly edges. She’d even tried to emulate her eldest sister-in-law by becoming a gentle, tolerant, and kind elder. However, when faced with a girl like Shaoling, who refused to be taught and was unmoved by kindness, she had finally lost all her patience.

Jiang Yuyan narrowed her eyes at Shaoling and snorted. "Who are you telling to get out? Gu Shaoling, I married into this family before you were even born. This is the first time, so I’ll let it slide. But you try throwing something at me again! How did you end up with a temper like this? When you go out, don’t you dare say you’re a Gu family girl. You’re a disgrace! And you’re dragging my Shaoying down with you! If you keep treating the women who marry into the Gu family this way, and someday no one is willing to marry Shaozheng and Shaoyu, I’m telling you, that bill will be on your head!"

As Jiang Yuyan spoke, the thought of her own sons ending up as bachelors made her even more furious. She jabbed a finger right at Gu Shaoling’s nose, then pulled Wu Xiangyun up and stormed out. Xiao Man waved goodbye to Gu Shaojun and followed them.

Granny Gu clutched her chest. ’She was so angry it made her heart ache, yet she couldn’t say a word. After all, she was the one who had raised this granddaughter. Her daughter-in-law’s words seemed to hold her, the grandmother-in-law, accountable too. And what’s more, everything she’d said was true. What could she possibly do?’

Zhou Hui Lan, who was sitting beside Granny Gu, hurriedly rubbed her back to soothe her. Granny Gu couldn’t help but glare at Gu Shaoling. "You’re not a child anymore! If you keep being so willful and unreasonable, never mind your aunt losing patience with you, I’ll be the one to discipline you myself! Look at Manman, she’s not much older than you..."

"Don’t you dare mention Tang Manman to me!" Gu Shaoling had thrown a fit because she felt ignored, only to have her Third Aunt chew her out while pointing a finger in her face. This only made her feel more aggrieved and resentful. A complete mess of tears, she sobbed and wailed:

"It’s all because of Tang Manman! I only became this way after she showed up! Her own parents didn’t want her, yet you picked her up and now you all treat her like some priceless treasure, while I’m treated like dirt! So what if she knows medicine and can treat illnesses with herbs? Does that make her so special? Fine, I don’t know how to do anything! In your eyes, I’m useless! If that’s the case, why did you even bother having me? Everything is for Tang Manman! The whole family is falling over themselves to suck up to her and please her! She wasn’t even hungry, but you still insisted on making her a sweet soup. Everything is always about how wonderful she is, and you don’t care about me anymore! Now Wu Xiangyun shows up, and you’re finding all sorts of ways to dote on her, too! When have you ever paid that much attention to me? My brother even hit me because of her, and you all just watched and did nothing! I’m not your biological child, am I? If that’s true, then just throw me out and let someone else take me in! WAAAAH... AHHHHHHH!"

Burying her face in her hands and gasping for breath one moment, then throwing her head back to wail the next—Gu Shaoling was truly taking crying to a new, melodramatic level.

Zhou Hui Lan was so angry she had to laugh, while Granny Gu was torn between exasperation and heartache.

Gu Shaojun walked over and put an arm around Granny Gu. "Granny," he said, "why don’t you let me handle her?"

Granny Gu patted her grandson’s arm and nodded with a sigh. "Alright. You go have a talk with her. We didn’t even know that Shaofeng had hit her the other day. See if you can just talk things through; try not to resort to force. Shaoling is a young woman now, after all."

"Don’t worry, Granny. Shaofeng has a quick temper, but mine is a little better. I won’t get physical."

"That’s right, you’re the older brother. My eldest grandson is so sensible, it’s such a relief. Aigh! Alright, go on and take her away. Her crying in here is giving me a headache! Just don’t go to the front yard, or your grandfather will see and get angry all over again."

"Yes, I know!"

Gu Shaojun went to pull Gu Shaoling away, but she continued to cry while flailing her arms and twisting her body. Gu Shaojun frowned and stared at her coldly. Gu Shaoling stopped her struggles, but only to throw herself into his arms and smear tears and snot all over the front of his shirt.

Gu Shaojun: "..."

’He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth to quell the anger flaring in his chest. He clamped Gu Shaoling under one arm, half-supporting and half-dragging her out of the room. If she kept wailing in the dining room, it would truly push Granny over the edge.’

’Actually, Shaoling’s tirade just now—about Xiao Man being an abandoned child who was ’picked up’ and had stolen everyone’s affection from her—had already infuriated Gu Shaojun. He completely understood why Gu Shaofeng had hit her; in fact, he approved of it. He, too, desperately wanted to give his impossibly shrewish sister a good thrashing.’

’But hitting and scolding wouldn’t solve the problem. Shaoling had gone down the wrong path, but she was still his sister, his own flesh and blood. Even if she went completely off the rails and became an awful person, that fact would never change. He couldn’t abandon her, much less hurt her. The only option was to slowly, bit by bit, try to guide her back onto the right path. There was no other choice.’

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