Chapter 27: As If Driven to Madness

“Mother…”
Li looked at Yang’s expectant face and truly didn’t know how to say what needed to be said.
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s troubled expression, Yang felt her heart sink into icy despair. How could things have come to this?
As soon as her granddaughter returned, her eldest son’s wife wanted to leave—and planned to take her grandson away as well.
Old Gu, who had been silent all this time, saw his wife so deeply shaken. He knocked the ashes from his pipe and grunted.
“Youngest Daughter-in-law, if you really want a separation, so be it. But Little Tree must stay. He is the eldest grandson of our main branch; you cannot take him.”
His son had already turned out so disappointing—if the eldest grandson left with them, what would be left?
Li’s wavering resolve was doused like a bucket of cold water. If she couldn’t take her son, would she really leave him behind?
If she didn’t stay, when Gu Dacai lost at gambling again, wouldn’t he just take out his anger on their son?
“Youngest, you can’t leave Little Tree here. When your father loses, he doesn’t care about anything.”
Li clutched Gu Xiaoya’s hand as though grasping at her last hope.
In truth, everything Gu Xiaoya had done today had shaken Li to her core.
She had never imagined her daughter was so capable. Watching her daughter shield her so firmly, Li found herself instinctively wanting to lean on her.

“It’s all right, Mother. We can take Little Tree with us, don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
It would be best if she could persuade them without force, but if they really refused, she would still take both of them away.
Coming down the mountain today was all for this—otherwise, why else would she have returned so early?
It wasn’t that there was no wild game to catch on the mountain, nor that the catch would taste bad.
“Youngest, say what you will, but you absolutely cannot take Little Tree.”
Old Gu shook his head fiercely and turned away, refusing to listen to Gu Xiaoya.
But even with his back turned, the words still reached his ears and echoed in his heart.
There was no use avoiding it—problems had to be faced and resolved.
“Grandfather, if Little Tree stays here, aren’t you afraid he’ll end up just like Gu Dacai? As the saying goes, children model what they see. You’ve lived long enough—you must have heard that before.”
“With Gu Dacai’s temperament, what kind of child do you think he can raise?”
“If you say you could teach Little Tree well, where will you find the energy?”

“And even if we take ten thousand steps back—considering how Gu Dacai gets itchy-handed when he can’t gamble, sooner or later he’ll sell everything of value in the house. When the madness of gambling strikes, not even wife or son would be spared.”
What Gu Xiaoya described was not lost on Old Gu and Yang; did they not worry about these things?
How many times had they woken in the night, startled by nightmares of their family breaking apart?
“Well… Grandfather can turn your father’s temperament around…”
Old Gu’s words lacked all conviction; even he didn’t believe them.
If they could really change Gu Dacai’s ways, would they still be worrying themselves sick every day?
“Father! Mother! Tie them up and let me down, quick! As soon as I’m free, I’ll give them a sound beating!”
Gu Dacai’s shouts rang out, his lungs nearly bursting from rage at seeing Gu Xiaoya rallying Li for separation.