When Gu Shuda heard this, he immediately recoiled.
He stared at Gu Shuxue. "Shuxue, what on earth are you saying? Eldest Aunt is youthful and radiant. Do you truly see her as the mother of two?"
Gu Shuxue wrinkled her brow, puzzled by her dim-witted brother's constant efforts to curry favor with the eldest branch.
Ruan Xueling felt a twinge of satisfaction at Gu Shuda's praise.
However, Old Madam Gu interjected with biting sarcasm, "If you're not kin, you're an outsider. The Gu family isn't an orphanage; we don't just welcome anyone in."
Old Madam Gu harbored a disdain for Gu Zhaoming and those who overshadowed him at the recent birthday celebration, including Gu Yang and the others.
Her words elicited frowns from Gu Hongwei and the elders, even those who typically supported her. They found her remarks untimely and inappropriate.
