B5SB -Chapter 379 Gossip About the Gao Family

Before Lu Huailin could finish speaking, three young women raised their hands and rushed forward.

“Comrade, how about me?”

Another woman, seeing she was a step behind, gritted her teeth and said, “Comrade, I don’t need twenty. Fifteen will do.”

The last woman had married from the countryside into the city. She had long been looked down upon by her in-laws and didn’t have a single cent to her name.

Let alone twenty yuan—even five yuan would be enough for her.

She suddenly rushed to the front and shouted loudly, “I only want five yuan!”

“Lai Di, are you crazy from poverty?”

“That’s a paralyzed person—she eats and drinks in bed.”

“Yeah, Lai Di. Auntie Lu’s room must be filthy. Five yuan isn’t worth it.”

No matter what the other two said, Lai Di ignored them. She looked at Lu Huailin with pleading eyes, hoping he would choose her.

Aunt Yu looked at the three women scrambling over each other. She opened her mouth but in the end didn’t say a word.

Lu Huailin swept his gaze over the three of them. Judging by their clothes, only Lai Di was wearing patch upon patch.

She was probably the only one who could really do the work.

When Lai Di saw him looking at her, her heart started pounding nervously.

She was afraid he wouldn’t pick her.

He glanced at her and said, “I said twenty, and I won’t short you.”

After that, he motioned for her to go into his mother’s room to clean.

Seeing Lai Di walk toward their mother’s room with excitement on her face, Eldest Brother Lu stepped forward with a dark expression to block her.

But Lu Huailin grabbed his wrist and kicked him to the ground.

Seeing Lu Huailin’s fierce expression, Fang Yi subconsciously stopped her attempt to block Lai Di.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lai Di darted inside. The stench almost made her vomit.

After reacting, she immediately held her breath.

She quickly went forward and pulled away the quilt covering Mother Lu, only to find that her body was completely bare.

Under her was a layer of plastic sheet, and all the filth had stuck to her body. Lai Di froze for a moment.

Then, suppressing her nausea, she covered her again and hurried out.

She said to Lu Huailin, “Comrade, could you give me a set of Auntie Lu’s clothes?”

Then she added, “And I’ll need a quilt too.”

Hearing this, Lu Huailin shot a cold glance at his eldest brother and ignored his attempts to stop him.

He turned and went into their bedroom, roughly yanking the quilt off the bed.

After getting the quilt, Lai Di quickly cleared out a clean area in Mother Lu’s room.

She carried Mother Lu over and dragged the pitch-black, filthy quilt into the courtyard.

She deliberately let everyone see the conditions in that room.

The onlookers stared in disbelief at Eldest Brother Lu and Fang Yi.

They never expected that these two, who usually looked so decent, would treat their own mother and mother-in-law so cruelly.

That black, foul-smelling quilt was bad enough.

But that conspicuously filthy plastic sheet—without even looking closely, everyone knew what it was for.

It was clearly laid there on purpose so they wouldn’t have to change diapers.

That thing wasn’t breathable and trapped heat.

“Auntie Lu really raised a bunch of ungrateful wolves!”

“Exactly. People say raising sons is for old age. If all sons were like hers, who would dare to have one?”

Those who were already mothers-in-law couldn’t help but feel sympathetic when they saw her situation.

“Ma’am, not everyone is like that. Look at her other son—he’s pretty good, isn’t he?”

Hearing the whispers around him, Eldest Brother Lu clenched his teeth in anger.

He cast a gloomy look at Fang Yi.

It was all that lazy woman’s fault.

He had told her to be more diligent in caring for his mother, but she got angry instead.

Now it had all been exposed by Lu Huailin.

Afternoon

Lu Huailin waited until Lai Di had helped clean Mother Lu, washed her, and fed her chicken soup before driving away.

On the way back, he kept thinking that once his mother had suffered enough, he would find a way to make her agree to cancel his eldest brother’s authority to collect her pension.

Family Compound

Gu Yihan was chatting with Auntie Zhang about the gossip in their neighbor Gao Guoqiang’s family.

“Xiao Han, don’t you think Wu Meili is so stupid?” Auntie Zhang said.

While cracking sunflower seeds, Gu Yihan nodded. “She’s going head-on with Commander Gao’s ex-wife now.”

Seeing that Auntie Zhang’s palm was empty, she quickly grabbed another handful and handed them to her.

Auntie Zhang tightened her grip on the seeds and shot her a sideways glance.

She joked deliberately, “I mooch off your sunflower seeds every day. I’m getting heaty from them.”

After saying that, she couldn’t help laughing.

Then she pulled her stool closer and leaned toward Gu Yihan’s ear.

In a low voice, she said, “My Old Zhao said that Commander Gao gave his ex-wife’s son two choices.”

Gu Yihan’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “What choices?”

She hadn’t heard any interesting gossip in a long time. Life felt like stagnant water—calm and dull.

Hearing familiar people’s gossip made her especially excited.

Auntie Zhang smiled meaningfully.

“He can either publish a notice in the newspaper to cut off the mother-son relationship, or cut off the father-son relationship and go their separate ways forever.”

Gu Yihan froze for a moment and said in confusion, “Can’t that kind of thing be fake?”

She didn’t understand why people in this era were so obsessed with publishing relationship cutoffs in newspapers.

They believed those few lines in the People’s Daily, but didn’t believe that family bonds could overcome those so-called ‘cutting ties’ words.

Auntie Zhang curled her lips. “Commander Gao isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t have reached his position without planning ahead.”

Then she explained:

Gao Guoqiang had already arranged for a woman his ex-wife disliked to get close to his son, Gao Shengli.

The two were dating and were about to get married, but his mother refused to agree.

Gao Shengli was very dissatisfied.

On top of that, no matter how hard he worked on missions that year, his achievements were always taken by second-generation military kids with strong backgrounds who were just there to pad their résumés.

He was so angry that he almost pulled a gun on one of them.

After hearing this, Gu Yihan fell silent for a moment.

She felt that Gao Shengli’s repeated loss of credit was probably also part of Gao Guoqiang’s scheme.

Good heavens.

That was ruthless.

Military missions weren’t child’s play—they involved real bullets.

People risked their lives, and one mistake could mean dying for the country.

At this time, Lu Huailin came back.

Seeing his wife chatting happily with Auntie Zhang, he let out a breath.

He didn’t want to bring his outside emotions home.

Gu Yihan looked up and smiled. “Why were you gone so long?”

Auntie Zhang noticed Lu Huailin glance at her and, being perceptive, immediately stood up to leave.

Lu Huailin forced a small smile. “I got held up at Mom’s place for a while.”

He went over, took his wife’s hand, put an arm around her shoulders, and led her inside.

Gu Yihan could tell his mood wasn’t very good. After thinking for a moment, she asked softly, “Did something happen with Mom?”

Lu Huailin tightened his arm around her and took a deep breath.

He told her everything that had happened that day, from start to finish.

Gu Yihan listened carefully. When he finished, she looked up at him.

“So… what are you planning to do?”