C10 There Was No Need to Drag Him down

Lin Manru stood to the side, feeling anxious. She definitely didn’t want Gu Yingchu to return to the Gu family. With Gu Chengwang having no children, if the main house was left empty, their lives in the family would be much easier. For a better future, she was determined not to let Gu Yingchu and her mother come back.

“Cousin, you saw it yourself. They insisted on leaving, and that’s why my aunt let them go.” She was the mastermind behind this situation and wanted to distance herself from any blame.

“And, Mr. Mayor, who knows where they got those fish from? I won’t say they stole them from the nearby pond, but those fish are privately owned.”

Lin Manru implied that Gu Yingchu and her mother were thieves.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Ying’s fish were caught from North Creek,” Dung Qiu retorted, having anticipated such accusations. That’s why she specifically had Gu Yingchu catch fish from the creek, where the fish weren’t privately owned. Anyone who could catch them was free to do so, and the village didn’t interfere.

Lin Manru countered, “You’re the one talking nonsense. How could a girl catch fish in the creek?”

Gu Hann glanced at Gu Yingchu.

Gu Yingchu simply asked, “Mr. Mayor, my mother and I are here to resolve issues, not to discuss how I catch fish. I won’t tell her my method, so she doesn’t use it against me in the future.”

Lin Manru was so angry she couldn't speak.

After talking for so long without any clear direction, Gu Yingchu was thoroughly fed up. She was eager to go fishing and explore the mountains, not waste her time on these people. She asserted, "Even though I've left the Gu family, what I do is none of your business. And just because you're an outsider in Gu Village, you think you're better than me?"

Gu Yingchu was now aware of her own identity, but Lin Manru shouldn't expect any favors from her. After all, it was because of Lin Manru and Hsu Sheng that her mother and she were struggling so much now.

"Let's put other matters aside for today," Gu Hann said.

Dung Qiu added, "Mayor, I respect you, but we definitely want to separate. We just ask you to speak fairly on our behalf."

In these times, people were generally straightforward. Whether things were good or bad, they stuck it out for a lifetime. Divorce was still quite a novel concept. However, seeing the cold look in Gu Chengwang's eyes, Dung Qiu felt more resolved about the divorce.

Gu Yingchu said, "My mom worked hard for the Gu family for so many years, and let's not even mention that. We have land, but the Gu family has no intention of returning it to us. Mayor, look at us now, forced out and living in Grandma Liu's rundown house. We're still residents of Gu Village, yet we have nothing and are bullied by the Gu family. We hope the village committee and you, Mayor, will handle this matter impartially."

When it comes to close relationships, there's no contest between them, but she had to hold back that thought.

"If there's a crack, the flies will find it," she mused, determined not to let any opportunity slip by.

Gu Hann was already in a foul mood because of the Gu family's issues. He turned to Lin Yan and said, "Hey, peace at home is the key to everything."

"I'm leaving this to Chengwang," the old lady said cautiously in front of her son. "But I've made myself clear: if Dung Qiu wants to come back and talk things over with Chengwang, that's fine. However, we absolutely won't accept any more burdens in our family."

No matter how you put it, they just didn't want Gu Yingchu to be an extra responsibility.