Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 427 - 411: Spurning Kindness

Chapter 427: Chapter 411: Spurning Kindness

"No way?" Gu Father smirked awkwardly, cursing Gu Mother in his heart. He had explained everything so clearly to her, yet she still had to create trouble.

Xia Na hung her head low without responding, and after a moment, Gu Tianming forced a smile and kindly replied, "I’ll go check on it after we finish eating."

With that, he enthusiastically encouraged everyone to eat the dishes, and using the serving chopsticks, he placed food onto the plates of Lu Aiguo and Xia Yuan beside him. Gu Feng and Gu Meng quickly followed suit, serving Shitou and Lu Yun. The brief awkwardness thus easily passed.

After the meal, Xia Na, Xia Yuan, and Lu Yun went for a walk in the yard. Seeing the displeasure on Xia Na’s face, Xia Yuan sighed and advised, "Sis, don’t make yourself angry over this; it’s not worth it. Since your father-in-law has already spoken out, he’s restored some face for you. We all know what kind of person your mother-in-law is. Neither Xiaoyun nor I will take it to heart as we are not outsiders."

"Hmph, I’m not angry with anyone else; I just hate that I was too generous before, allowing her to take advantage of me. She doesn’t see me at all, step by step trampling on my dignity," Xia Na said as her eyes gradually reddened.

"What do you plan to do?" Xia Yuan asked, concerned, while Lu Yun also listened eagerly.

After Uncle and Auntie made their fortune, how they treated the in-laws and siblings, she had heard about it too. By rights, being in-laws and siblings, they should be satisfied, but unfortunately, unreasonable people in this world can’t be understood by the normal ones. Unless they suffer, it’s hard to teach them to know when to stop.

"I don’t want to do anything specifically. Next month, I’m just going to cut all expenses in Haicheng by half. I originally wanted to set a good example for Xiuwan, but now it seems unnecessary. They’ve been so spoiled," Xia Na said coldly, chuckling.

"But even after cutting expenses by half, their standard of living will still be decent compared to average families. I just don’t know if they, being used to better days, will struggle to adapt to the sudden drop. If they dare to grumble, I dare to cut it by another half. Only by being tough can their short memories be jogged," she scoffed.

"But won’t this upset your husband?" Xia Yuan was only concerned about this. If Gu Tianming harbored any grudges over this, ruining the marital harmony, it would be more loss than gain.

"I can’t worry about that right now. I already warned them once before. I had thought they’d quiet down for a while. But, heh, I indeed overestimated my mother-in-law. At least my father-in-law seems to understand the situation, though I’m not sure if he’s genuinely holding back or not exerting enough pressure on purpose."

Gu Mother had really crossed the line today, showing her displeasure to Shitou and Lu Yun. Before, she would never dare to show anything but a cold demeanor to Lu Aiguo and Xia Yuan, at least managing a forced smile. But she never expected her to act out like she did today.

Probably, Gu Tianming hadn’t expected his mother to behave that way either!

Thinking of Gu Tianming’s almost unstretched sullen face at the time, Xia Na couldn’t help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.

Xia Na then shared with Xia Yuan and Lu Yun about the incident of returning to Haicheng, where Gu Mother wanted her daughter to live in the villa as well, resulting in her own family having nowhere to stay, expecting her own family to "suffer" by squeezing in with others.

She then recounted her own counterattack, Gu Tianming’s slight objections, and this time, she purposely had Gu Feng’s marital house renovated, making it so that Gu Tianming’s siblings couldn’t stay in their house, also leaving Gu Tianming to pick up guests alone.

After she finished speaking, her face was indifferent yet resolute. "Anyway, I’ve done everything I could, all that I should have. If Gu Tianming still has issues with me because of this, I couldn’t care less. I have my son, I fear no one.

In the early years, our family was poor, and they looked down on us, showing no compassion for the two kids. You reap what you sow, so even now, the children don’t have deep feelings for them, it’s just a matter of keeping up appearances. So, on this issue, the kids will definitely stand by my side."

The more she talked, the more she felt indignant but also found it amusing, "Besides, haven’t we treated them with forgiveness previously, without holding grudges? The kids have seen all of that. If they’re ungrateful and still cause trouble, who’s to blame?"

"I think Auntie’s method is quite good, showing them what it means to have ’the economic base determining the superstructure,’" Lu Yun said, maliciously taking delight in their misfortune.

"You too, always hoping for chaos," Xia Yuan tapped Lu Yun’s forehead, then felt relieved, "Thank goodness you married Shitou, otherwise with your temperament, you would not have been able to bear the nagging of a mother-in-law."

"Who could bear that? Humph, not to speak out of turn, but unless I allow it, there really isn’t anyone in this world who can grind me down. People actually find that when they are weakest, there are many around who would bully them. But if one’s own strength is sufficient, one would find that things in this world can actually be quite simple. Just like Auntie now, she has enough power to say no."

Lu Yun smiled, having returned with the heart of a strong person, her mindset had long changed from the past. Unless it was someone she cared about, nobody really had the right to make her bow down, and being weak didn’t mean she would let others grind her down, right?

"Exactly, you’re the toughest," Xia Yuan said amusedly.

Xia Yuan looked at Lu Yun with amusement, somewhat skeptical in her heart. Words are easy to say when one hasn’t experienced something, but once you face it, things can become uncontrollable.

"Why even discuss such disheartening hypotheticals with the kids? Instead of letting them experience something and change their naive ideas, I’d rather they never encounter such distressing affairs and always preserve their innocence—truly, that’s what being blessed is all about.

But being like you isn’t bad either, experiencing the bitter before the sweet. Actually, when I was young, I both desired and feared having a daughter. Life is tough, being a woman even tougher."

Xia Na looked at Xia Yuan disapprovingly, then took Lu Yun’s hand, "You faced grievances at Auntie’s place today, help explain things to Shitou and make sure he doesn’t take it to heart."

"Shitou won’t take it to heart. You’ve seen him grow up since he was little, do you not know him? He’s very clear about what’s important," Xia Yuan answered before Lu Yun could speak.

"How could I not know that Shitou and Xiaoyun wouldn’t hold it against me and Gu Tianming? But I just can’t help feeling guilty about it," Xia Na sighed.

"Auntie, you shouldn’t feel guilty, it’s not your fault. Don’t punish yourself for someone else’s mistakes," Lu Yun consoled her.

"That’s right, Sister, tomorrow is Gu Meng’s big day. Why find trouble for yourself? You should be happy and have fun," Xia Yuan also urged her.