novelraw Chapter 162 Stealing Firewood from the Village
Chapter 162 Stealing Firewood from the Village
Chapter 162 Stealing Firewood from the Village
As the oxcart came to a stop, the people inside must have heard the commotion. The tightly closed gate was quickly opened, and Gu Ping'an walked out with a look of surprise on his face.
"Second sister! You're finally back!"
Gu Ping'an stepped forward and helped Gu Tang down from the oxcart, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Ever since the sky turned overcast, I've been worried that it would rain. I've been waiting and waiting, but you haven't come back. Just now, Master said that if you didn't come back soon, he would send someone to look for you."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard footsteps behind him. Gu Ping'an turned around and saw his third uncle, who was hurrying towards him.
He rushed over and helped the man up, saying, "Sir, please take it easy. My father and my second sister are both fine."
Seeing his third uncle come out, Gu Lianshan smiled and reassured him, "The sky was fine when I left this morning, but who would have thought it would turn gloomy in the afternoon, causing you to worry."
"It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back! You arrived just in time, it was just about to rain." Seeing that everyone had returned safely, Third Uncle was very happy and immediately went to help carry the things.
Gu Tang quickly stopped him: "Grandpa, I've bought you a set of winter clothes. Let's go inside and try them on to see if they fit. Let Dad and Ping An carry the things in the carriage. Let's go back inside and warm up. We can't get cold!"
Gu Tang pulled a bundle out of the carriage, took it to her third uncle, lifted a corner of the bundle, pulled out a sleeve of the sheepskin coat inside, and turned it over for her third uncle to see.
"The lining is made of sheepskin, and the outer layer is made of dark blue fine cloth. Feel it, it's very thick!"
"Good, good, good!" Third Uncle felt a warmth rise in his heart. Following Gu Tang's words, he touched her a few times. His eyes welled up with tears and he could only keep saying "good" without being able to say anything else.
Gu Tang helped the person walk from the east corridor to the main hall to avoid getting their clothes wet from the raindrops outside.
The rain wasn't heavy at the time, so Gu Lianshan led the oxcart into the yard and parked it there.
The father and son first unloaded the things that Gu Tang had prepared and placed them under the west wing corridor.
The room where Gu Tang was staying was locked and the door wasn't open yet, so they could only put their things on the porch for now.
After moving the things, the newly bought cow felt a great weight lifted off her body, and she flicked her tail a few times.
Seeing the ox's tail swinging back and forth, Gu Ping'an belatedly realized, "Father, when you and Second Sister went, didn't you only borrow one oxcart? How come there's an extra oxcart? Whose was it borrowed from?"
"Put the chickens and ducks in the backyard first, I'll talk to you later." Gu Lianshan was very excited when he mentioned the oxcart; now his family owned oxen!
Hearing his father say this, Gu Ping'an didn't ask any more questions and followed behind his father, carrying the chicken coop and duck coop to the backyard.
There was no chicken coop in the backyard, so Gu Lianshan put all the chickens and ducks in the woodshed and let them stay there for the night. He would figure out how to build a chicken coop for them the next day.
My third uncle's woodshed was very spacious, with plenty of firewood stored inside. After putting dozens of chickens and ducks inside, there was still room to tether a cow.
Fearing that his newly bought ox would get cold at night, Gu Lianshan simply brought the ox in as well.
After settling his own cow, he took Gu Liu's cow and, braving the rain, returned it to the owner.
Gu Ping'an found his father's actions very strange. If he was going to return the cow, why not return it all at once? Why leave one cow tied up in the woodshed?
Filled with doubt, he went to the main room, wanting to ask his second sister what was going on.
Gu Tang was examining her third uncle's fur coat, carefully looking at the collar and hem to see if there was anything that didn't fit properly.
When Gu Pingan came in and saw this scene, he swallowed back the words he was about to say, deciding to ask later.
"Is there anything that's uncomfortable?" Gu Tang tugged at the folds of her third uncle's clothes on his shoulder, asking him repeatedly if it was too tight or constricting.
"Perfect! You picked this? You have excellent taste!" The Third Uncle's smile never faded, and no matter what Gu Tang asked, he always said it was good.
Gu Tang knew she wouldn't get any information out of him, so she could only ask him to raise his arm and tug at his shoulders and armpits. As long as it wasn't too tight around his body, it should fit well.
Gu Ping'an stepped forward and looked him over, praising him repeatedly: "Master looks quite noble in this outfit! Second Sister has such good taste!"
Gu Tang felt very comfortable hearing this and turned to look at him: "I bought you a pair of winter shoes, and Dad got a pair too. I was thinking of getting you and Dad a pair of cotton trousers each, but it turns out they don't have any that fit. The shopkeeper told me to go back in a couple of days and said she'd have someone make another batch."
"No need to buy me any. Now that I have a fur coat, it doesn't matter whether I have cotton-padded trousers or not." Gu Ping'an felt bad about spending money and waved his hand at Gu Tang, not wanting her to spend any more.
"Ping An is just being considerate because he feels sorry for you, as it's not easy for you to earn money, and he doesn't want to spend it," Uncle San joked.
"He's even more frugal than my dad! I'm the biggest spendthrift."
Gu Ping'an scratched his head upon hearing this, and gave a simple, honest smile without saying a word.
He doesn't care much about food and clothing; as long as he's well-fed and clothed, that's enough for him. Fortunately, he's not picky.
“I’ll go again in a couple of days to buy clothes for Ping’an, and also for your father. Tang’er, you can buy new clothes too. I’ll pay for it!” Third Uncle was beaming as he offered to pay for clothes for the three of them.
Gu Tang pointed to the west wing: "Sir, I've already bought some things today. I bought two pairs of cotton trousers, two pairs of winter shoes, and a fur coat. The fur coat is also made of sheepskin, just like the one we have!"
"That's what you bought, I haven't bought it for you yet! In a couple of days, I'll go with you all, and our family will spend a leisurely day strolling around Bei'an City. Just buy whatever you like, I'll pay for it!"
It was clear that the old man really wanted to spend money to buy them clothes. Gu Tang was afraid that refusing would hurt the old man's feelings and make him feel distant. After hesitating for a moment, she quickly smiled and agreed.
"Okay! Let's go together in a couple of days!"
Hearing Gu Tang readily agree to the matter, Third Uncle was even happier. He was reluctant to take off his fur coat, and after smoothing it down, he was in a very good mood.
Seeing that the father and son had finished talking, Gu Ping'an asked the question he had just swallowed, asking Gu Tang about the cow in the woodshed.
"You mean that cow? I bought it, it cost twelve taels of silver." Gu Tang spoke casually, making the purchase of the cow sound like buying chickens or ducks.
Gu Tang didn't care, but Gu Ping'an was startled, his voice slightly shrill: "Bought it?!"
"What are you shouting for?" Gu Tang frowned slightly, subconsciously walked to the door, lifted the curtain and glanced at the east wing. Seeing that Gu Mei and Gu Lai'an had not come out, she lowered the curtain.
"W-What's going on?" Gu Ping'an asked, confused.
Gu Tang glared at him: "Keep your voice down! It'll be troublesome if people in the east wing hear this. We can't tell anyone that we bought the cattle!"
"Then who should be asked to buy it?"
“I discussed it with my father, and we said that in order to celebrate our adoption into his family, Grandpa would take out his savings to buy a cow as an adoption gift.”
At this point, Gu Tang smiled ingratiatingly and discussed with her third uncle, "Master, right now everyone thinks I've run out of money. If I suddenly buy a cow, people will probably gossip about it. I was thinking, why don't we just say you paid for it? What do you think?"
"If that's the case, it will give me a good reputation, which is a good thing!" Spending money to buy a cow as an adoption gift, if word gets out, who wouldn't praise him?
Third Uncle had no objections and nodded in agreement.
When Gu Lianshan returned from Gu Liu's house, Gu Tang told him about it, knowing that they had to keep a consistent story and couldn't let anything slip.
The ox is tied up in the woodshed right now. It's manageable for a few days, but it's inconvenient in the long run. The chickens and ducks are also kept in the woodshed right now. We need to find someone to build them chicken coops, duck sheds, and a cowshed.
Gu Lianshan knows how to build chicken coops and duck sheds, but he can't build this cowshed by himself; he needs to find someone else to help him.
"Find Gu Liu, he knows how to build cowsheds," Third Uncle suggested. Gu Lianshan also thought of Gu Liu; when it came to building cowsheds, Gu Liu was quite skilled.
Since both father and son have thought of Gu Liu, then let's invite Gu Liu over.
Once the people were chosen, the remaining task was to find a place to procure the wood or bamboo poles needed to build the cowshed.
The father and son discussed the household in the village, talking about which family had timber, bamboo poles, and other items, wondering if they would sell them.
Seeing that they were having a lively conversation, Gu Tang didn't disturb them and pulled Gu Ping'an out of the main room.
The rain outside had intensified, and the sound of the downpour was quite loud. Gu Tang shivered, feeling wet and cold all over.
Walking along the corridor to the west wing, the siblings unlocked the door and began picking through the items under the corridor and carrying them into the room.
Gu Tang moved all the clothes and shoes she bought for herself into her room, and put the winter shoes she bought for Gu Lianshan and Gu Ping'an into their respective rooms.
The rice and flour were placed in the west wing, most of the charcoal was put into Gu Tang's room, and the remainder was divided into three portions: one portion was put into Gu Ping'an's room, one portion into Gu Lianshan's room, and one portion into Third Uncle's room.
If you burn these charcoal sparingly, they'll last for a month.
This will make up for the shortage of firewood.
Speaking of firewood, Gu Tang gestured with her chin toward the east wing: "What did those two siblings say today? Did they tell them not to burn firewood in the backyard?"
"I didn't let them burn it! I had nothing to do today, so I kept a close eye on them!" Gu Ping'an said confidently. "After I told them what you said earlier, they ignored me. But when they went to the backyard to get firewood, I stopped them, and that's when they realized I was telling the truth!"
"You didn't lay a hand on him, did you?" Gu Tang looked Gu Ping'an up and down, seeing no signs that he had been beaten.
"I'm keeping an eye on things at home. They bully the weak and fear the strong; they don't dare to lay a hand on me."
"Did the two of them go up the mountain to chop firewood?" Gu Tang was very curious about this. In such cold weather, it would be unbearable without firewood.
"They didn't go. My older brother and sister went out empty-handed, and returned about 15 minutes later with a full bundle of firewood on their backs..."
Gu Tang silently calculated: "If we go into the mountains to chop firewood, these two quarters of an hour are definitely not enough!"
"The machete has been sitting at home the whole time. Without a machete, how could they possibly chop any firewood? They definitely stole that firewood from the village!"
Huh? Stealing firewood?!
Gu Tang was slightly taken aback. Although this sounded outrageous, it was indeed something Gu Lai'an was capable of doing.
"Tell Dad when you get back, so that we can be prepared if the owner comes looking for it."
"Okay! I'll go talk to Dad about it later."
After putting everything away, Gu Pingan went to the kitchen to cook.
Gu Tang didn't follow him. After watching him go to the kitchen, she closed and locked the door. Taking advantage of the fact that no one would disturb her, she signed in for the day.
Nowadays, there are "warm as spring" items for keeping warm. Today, she bought some inconspicuous fabric and asked her father to cut out an outer garment for her when she had some free time.
Once the outer garment is sewn, it is placed over the brocade and fur coats and fastened with hidden buttons. From then on, it can be worn freely.
She has enough warm clothes, enough food to eat, and money. She still has a lot of money left from the Gu family, enough to cover her current expenses.
In the coming days, she plans to dedicate all her sign-in opportunities to various spices, hoping to obtain more spices or incense-making tools and other items through sign-in.
She took out the various spices she had bought earlier. Looking at the large pile of spices in front of her, Gu Tang had an idea. She picked through them and selected some spices that could be used to make incense and dye, such as orange wood and blue butterfly flower.
He held the selected spices close to his chest, put the rest back into his backpack, and then began to sign in.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing today's check-in! You have received a Five-Color Series Gift Pack!]
Five-color series?
What is this?
Gu Tang didn't quite understand.
Bring up the system inventory, and you'll see a newly stored item at the front, labeled only with the words "Gift Pack".
I tapped it, and the grid zoomed in, revealing the items inside, along with a few lines of tiny text.
Red series: one bag of sappanwood, one bag of madder root, and one bag of safflower.
Blue series: one bag of Indigofera tinctoria, one bag of Indigofera tinctoria, and one bag of Indigofera tinctoria.
Yellow series: one bag of gardenia, one bag of sophora japonica, and one bag of turmeric.
Purple Series: One bag of purple gromwell root, one bag of sagewood, and one bag of Malabar spinach.
Green series: one bag of blue grass, one bag of kudzu vine, and one bag of frozen green.
"One, two, three, four, five..." Gu Tang counted them softly. She could recognize half of these herbs; they were all used for dyeing.
So, does this "Five-Color Series Gift Pack" refer to herbal plants that can dye five colors?
Red, blue, yellow, purple, and green—these five colors are all quite bright, making them very suitable for coloring her fragrance.
I just don't know how much is in this bag...
Gu Tang casually released a few bags, each one large and labeled with 100 jin (50 kg), all of the same size.
The dyeing plants inside are all processed; some are ground into powder, and others are prepared. They can be taken out and used directly when needed, which is very thoughtful.
Gu Tang sighed as she put the bag back into her backpack. The system was still generous with the sign-in rewards, but it just wouldn't budge on the issue of sign-in silver.
Gu Tang clicked her tongue, feeling quite regretful.
Before she could even utter a few words of reflection, shouts and curses suddenly came from the courtyard outside.
Gu Tang immediately perked up and hurriedly opened the door to go out and see what was going on.
The shouting and cursing came from the east wing; judging from the voice, it was her father.