stingy landlady

Chapter 267 Gui Xiang's Wedding (3)

Just as Li was congratulating herself on her two daughters being busy tidying up their rooms and not having time to pay attention to her, Guizhi and Guihong entered the room.

"mother!"

"Mom! My second sister and I have come over to talk to you and have a chat!"

Gui Hong asked Li Shi:

"Mother! I haven't been back for so long! Do you miss me? I miss you so much, Mother!"

Madam Li looked at her two daughters. Gui Hong was dressed in a white gauze dress with golden and yellow tassels. She wore a golden phoenix hairpin with pearls in its finial and gold and jade earrings. She also wore a gold-threaded floral bracelet. With her bright eyes and white teeth, she was dressed like a noble lady.

Then look at Guizhi, dressed in a blue-green Hangzhou silk moon-shaped dress, with gold filigree peony earrings. Her peacock and floral bracelet is bright and charming, a refreshing sight indeed.

Li stared blankly at her two daughters, as if she didn't recognize them. Or perhaps it was the first time she had seen them, maybe because it had been so long, or maybe she had never noticed the changes in her daughters before.

"Mother! Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you recognize your daughter? Or are you resentful that your daughter didn't come back to see you sooner? Mother!"

Gui Hong's drawn-out voice brought Li back to her senses:

"What are you yelling for! I'm not deaf yet!"

"Mother! My house is so filthy! Mother! You're deliberately trying to prevent your daughter from coming back to live here, aren't you?"

"Nonsense! How could a mother not want her daughter to come home? I just thought there weren't any valuables in your room, so it was just sitting there unused."

I'll just grow some bean sprouts and garlic shoots in that room to earn a little money! Guihong! I'm worried that you won't stay for more than a few days after you come back, and you're already thinking about going out to earn money.

You can come back occasionally and stay with Mom, or share a room with your eldest sister or third sister. Just don't complain about Mom!

Even if you're not planning to leave again this time, your mother can have your room renovated. And after your eldest sister gets married, your mother will find a matchmaker to arrange a good marriage for you!

"Mother! The bedding in my room is damp and moldy, it's unusable! My third sister has asked someone to make me new bedding. What if I get sick from sleeping on the old bedding?"

"Mom! You don't care about us at all!"

Upon hearing this, Li replied perfunctorily:

"Alright, alright! I know! Be careful next time! Your third sister can have someone make it for you, that's fine! If not, you can go sleep in Guizhi's room."

Her room is always locked, so I can't get in. She even has a maid to watch over it. If you can't live in that room, then don't. I'll use it specifically for growing bean sprouts from now on.”

Gui Hong's face darkened upon hearing this:

"Mother! That won't do! That's my bedroom. Mother! I'll lock it up whenever I go out. Are you worried about where to grow bean sprouts?"

If all else fails, my dad will build you a special shed in the back just for growing bean sprouts. You can build it however you like.

Li said indifferently:

“Building a house would cost money, wouldn’t it? Why not use the one that’s already there? You rarely come back to live here anyway, so it’s just sitting idle.”

Gui Hong is very persistent:

"Mother! My house is mine, and besides, I'm not married yet! I'm just going out to work and earn money, so there's no place for me at home?"

"Mom! If all else fails, I'll go talk to Dad! Anyway, I'll be locking the door from now on, so whenever I come back, I'll have my own place to stay."

Seeing that the mother and daughter were at an impasse over a room, Guizhi changed the subject:

"Mother! My eldest sister is getting married soon. What dowry have you prepared?"

Li looked at Guizhi and was taken aback:

"A dowry? What dowry? How about some fabric or something? When I married your father, I didn't have much of a dowry either. I only had a piece of fabric, which your grandmother secretly gave me."

Guizhi smiled and said:

“Mom! My maternal grandparents’ family was poor back then! Now that our family is better off, we should at least prepare a decent dowry for my eldest sister!”

Fabrics, jewelry, furniture, and all that! Mother will also give some money to keep as a dowry. It'll be good if my eldest sister lives a prosperous life!

Li thought for a moment and said:

“You sisters go out to work and earn more money than me! And you all pocket it all! Oh! Now that you're getting married, you expect your mother to give you dowries!”

Gui Xiang's mother really took her dowry, and now there are you two too. Does that mean your mother has to take some as well? Your dowries alone have emptied my pockets!

No, no! Go find your father! Mother has no money!

Before Gui Hong could react, Gui Zhi had already spoken:

"Mother! I don't want you to prepare a dowry for me! Just prepare one for my eldest and second sisters! Even just a few pieces of jewelry! Make a few more sets of clothes for my eldest sister and two new quilts!"

"Mother! You've saved so much money, why aren't you letting your daughters spend it? What are you keeping it for?"

Li covered her pocket and said:

"Hmph! I'm saving this for your younger brother. You're both capable of earning money, so don't skimp on this for me! You two younger sisters both have money, don't think I don't know!"

You still have a workshop in Huanghua Village, but I don't know where Guihong has gone to make money. I can't find her either. Do you think she looks like she's broke?

"Mother! What did you do in Huanghua Village?"

Li suddenly realized that she had said the wrong thing again and had forgotten to mention that she had gone to Huanghua Village.

When Guizhi heard that Li wanted to have a son, she thought of Aunt Lan, who had given birth to a boy. However, Aunt Lan repeatedly begged Guizhi not to tell Dazhu and his wife.

Aunt Lan wants to raise the child herself. Since Dazhu doesn't care about Aunt Lan's pregnancy, he probably won't care when she gives birth.

Guizhi only agreed not to bring it up herself, but if Dazhu asked, she would still not hide the fact that Dazhu had a son. Aunt Lan nodded in agreement and thanked Guizhi repeatedly.

Even if a concubine wanted to raise a child herself, she needed her mistress's permission. Guizhi was only acting out of kindness, unable to bear separating the infant from her. Besides, she was afraid that Li Shi wouldn't want to take care of the child and would simply abandon it to a servant.

It would be better if Aunt Lan took care of her herself! Guizhi knew, of course, that Li had gone to Huanghua Village to cause trouble and seek attention. Seeing that Li had been trying to hide it but had unintentionally let it slip, she felt both amused and annoyed.

Li blinked her big eyes and said:

"I went to Huanghua Village to look for you sisters! You've been gone for so long, and you haven't even come home to see me! I missed you. You said you were working there, so I came to find you!"

Gui Hong exclaimed in surprise:

“Mom! I’m not working in Huanghua Village! You won’t find me there! Oh my god! You’re going there by yourself, you don’t know anyone or anything there? Aren’t you scared?”

Li rolled her eyes at Gui Hong:

"You little ingrate! I was just worried about you! You got dumped, and I was worried you'd be scammed."

Your dad won't let me interfere, and he won't let me go to Huanghua Village. What else can I do but sneak off myself? And even then, I still couldn't find you!

Look at you all! Tell your mother the truth about where you're going to work, so she can find you if she needs anything! Each and every one of you is acting like you're guarding against your mother, like you're dealing with thieves!

"How could I, as your mother, possibly harm or cheat you?"