Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 408 - 392 Dissatisfaction

Chapter 408: Chapter 392 Dissatisfaction

Gu father frowned, the events of that day still vivid in his memory.

The two maids in their household had left abruptly, leaving behind a sense of frustration that he could still clearly recall. What was even more suffocating for him and his wife was that, right then and there, they picked up the phone and called their second son. After his wife complained and cursed over the phone for an extended period, the person on the other end of the line changed.

His second son’s wife took the phone and said directly to them that business had been difficult lately, and customers had not paid their debts, so they had no choice but to let the maids take a break for a while. They would revisit the situation in a couple of months. During this period, they would probably have to cut the grocery money in half, and as for pocket money, they would have to put a stop to it for now.

The call was ended, and when he tried calling back, it was his son who answered. He spoke with a helpless tone, saying he was not the head of the household nor did he make the decisions.

After all, their own mother had said that back in the day, the whole family lived just fine crammed into a tiny 20 to 30 square meter house. Now that they were facing difficulties, his elderly parents should also be understanding. Although the household expenses had been temporarily cut in half, it was still enough to feed the family of more than ten. If things continued this way, it was possible that not only would the living expenses be reduced to cover just the two elderly parents, but even the villa might have to be sold and replaced with a small two-bedroom.

Moreover, his second son sighed again, saying if they really didn’t like those two maids and wanted to let them go, then so be it—it would also help to lessen their burden—

His wife had wanted to make a scene at the time, but he preemptively ended the call.

He understood that they were being warned, and they even used his wife’s words to mock them.

Originally, the maids were only supposed to be on "leave" for a month, but after that one phone call, it turned into two or three months, and even the grocery and pocket money were gone. His son was telling them that if they continued to make a fuss, they might not even be allowed to stay in the villa anymore.

Lay off the maids?

Forget it, his second son had said it was actually a good thing as it lightened their burden, which clearly implied that if they laid off the current maids, they should not expect to hire any maids in the future.

Gu father sighed deeply. That time, he had summoned the authority of the head of the family to suppress his wife’s tantrum and then calmly explained the logic to her. Of course, the difficult months that followed were well remembered by everyone. Now they clearly remembered who provided for their food, who they depended on, and whose place they were living in...

Gu father was very aware that this trip to S City was his wife’s opportunity to vent at their second son given that his daughter-in-law was not around to regain some of her suppressed frustration.

But even if the second son’s wife was absent, the two drivers were still there. Was she not afraid that they would go back and snitch, leading to the maids having "family matters" to attend to again? Gu father "casually" glanced at the two drivers once more.

The two drivers, who belonged to the national secret service tasked with protecting the personal safety of Gu Tianming and his wife, secretly smiled wryly. They dared not stand any further away—what if there were some kind of emergency? But what did the old man mean by always looking at them? They had heard but certainly had no interest in meddling with the family affairs or in telling on anyone, right?

"So now speaking the truth is not allowed either, is there no justice left in this world?" Gu mother finally caught on to her husband’s intention, and her voice dropped an octave. She couldn’t help but glance at the two drivers and tugged at Gu Tianming’s clothes, whispering, "Those two aren’t your daughter-in-law’s spies, are they?"

"Mom, Xia Na is not how you think," Gu Tianming’s whole face darkened, "My sister-in-law’s family has indeed come here several times, but can that be the same? This is their property, and though we are relatives, it doesn’t change the fact that we are working under someone else’s roof. And which one of you is here for the first time? Who has come here less? When has Xia Na ever mistreated any of you?"

"I’m spending my son’s money, and they are spending their own brother’s or their uncle’s, it has nothing to do with your wife," Gu Tianming’s mother said, straightening her back with a sense of righteous indignation.

"Do you all think the same way?"

Gu Tianming surveyed the others, and seeing that they appeared to agree with what Gu Tianming’s mother said, his face immediately fell, and the authoritative aura of someone used to being in a position of power became apparent.

"If you really think that way, then it means Xia Na and I have been helping you all these years for nothing. From now on, if you have any issues, don’t come looking for me, and let’s all just live our own lives.

Even throwing money into the water would make a splash, so are you saying that when my wife gives you money, you can’t even drop a word of thanks?"

Any guilt Gu Tianming had felt for his wife not picking them up from the airport or about the following arrangements instantly dissipated, and he continued, speaking coldly to his mother.

"Mom, if you say that in front of me again, I’ll just take it as if I hadn’t heard it this first time. But if you keep talking like this in the future, I can only care for you the same way the elders are cared for in Haicheng. Do you not realize how capable your own son is? If it hadn’t been for the help of Xia Na’s sister and brother-in-law back in the day, I’d still be scraping by with pennies in Haicheng. Do you think I would have the ability to afford all of you living in villas, ordering people around, and enjoying luxuries?"

"You’re my son, how can you not have the same heart as me and instead share it with an outsider?" Gu Tianming’s mother became frantic. Her words not only made Gu Tianming change his expression but also made her other daughters-in-law and sons-in-law shift theirs.

"Mom, who are you calling an outsider? That’s my wife, my son’s real mother. She and I are family," Gu Tianming said, rubbing his forehead, once again finding communication with his own mother more difficult than negotiating with the most hostile business partner.

The atmosphere suddenly froze, and everybody fell silent, as if stricken dumb.

Gu Tianru, defiant as ever and feeling entitled as the spoiled youngest daughter, jumped out to defend her mother: "Elder brother, how can you talk like this? It wasn’t easy for mom to raise you all by herself, just for a..."

She was cut off mid-sentence by a harsh tug from her husband, causing her pain to abruptly stop her speech. She turned her head angrily to look at the man who had been compliant for years, only to find him with a very unpleasant expression on his face.

She was stunned for a moment—it had been years since he had shown her such a countenance.

"The child is saying he’s thirsty, you’ve been here before, do you know where we can buy water? Why don’t we go get him a drink first?" Her husband made up a pretext while staring at her, then looked up with a smile at the others, "Does anyone else want water? We might as well buy it for everyone."

"Why buy water, we’re almost home. Or let your elder brother send someone to buy it," Gu Tianming’s mother felt a sense of relief with the distraction caused by her son-in-law, sensing that her son’s recent manner was a bit frightening, his tone too incisive for her to confront head-on.