novelraw Chapter 166: He's just a complete idiot!
Chapter 166: He's just a complete idiot!
Chapter 166 is a complete idiot!
After finishing their meal, Gu Mei and her brother put down their bowls and chopsticks, casually wiped their mouths with their sleeves, and got up to go back to their room.
Gu Ping'an didn't tolerate them and stopped them, making them do the dishes.
“You clean your own bowls and chopsticks after you’ve used them. You don’t chop firewood or fetch water, and you don’t even come here to cook or light the fire.”
"It's one thing to eat and drink for free every day, but you even have to have someone else wash your dishes! You can't find anyone as lazy as you in the whole village!"
After being scolded by Gu Ping'an, the siblings were both ashamed and angry, and they opened their mouths to scold back.
Just then, Gu Lianshan suddenly appeared at the kitchen door without saying a word, glaring at the siblings with hostility.
Upon seeing their father, the siblings instantly lost their arrogance. They cursed Gu Ping'an a few times in secret, then reluctantly returned to their small table, cleaned up the dishes they had used, and washed them in a basin of water.
The water in the basin was cold, and there were some ice chips in it.
The moment their fingers touched the water, the siblings gasped and instinctively pulled their hands back.
It's so cold!
Gu Mei wanted to add some hot water to wash the dishes, but she didn't dare under her father's gaze, so she could only grit her teeth and wash the dishes casually.
Gu Lai'an followed suit. Seeing that Gu Mei washed the bowl sloppily, he also had a crooked idea. He pinched the edge of the bowl with his fingers, rinsed it back and forth in the water, and then took the bowl and chopsticks out, which he considered to have washed them.
As for whether it's clean or not, that's none of his business. Whoever can't stand it can wash it again. If he's allowed to wash it, then he has no choice but to wash it like this.
Seeing the siblings washing the dishes like this, Gu Lianshan felt his anger rising, but he still didn't say a word.
As the siblings got up to leave, he said, "Lai'an, go chop wood in the backyard. I'll have Ping'an keep an eye on you. If you don't chop enough for two hours, you won't get any food today."
Gu Lai'an's expression changed instantly. Chopping firewood for two hours?!
This will be exhausting!
Gu Lai'an glanced at his father and instinctively wanted to kneel down and beg for mercy; he really couldn't bring himself to chop him up!
Upon hearing that he could supervise Gu Lai'an's work, Gu Ping'an quickly finished his porridge and eagerly said, "I'm done eating! Big brother, let's go to the backyard together."
Gu Lai'an glared at him, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground, not moving an inch.
“If you don’t go, from today onwards, there will be no more food for you in this house! You can come out and become a beggar!” Gu Lianshan didn’t give him any face at all and said it bluntly.
Gu Lai'an trembled, his thoughts of kneeling and begging for mercy immediately vanishing. After hesitating for a moment, he felt that his father's words did not seem to be false, and left the kitchen with a sullen expression, heading towards the backyard.
Gu Ping'an followed behind him, in a very good mood.
Watching her younger brother being ordered to chop firewood, Gu Mei panicked for a moment, thinking that she would also be assigned work. She was both angry and flustered, and her face darkened.
Although Gu Mei lost her biological mother at a young age and later had to make a living under her stepmother, Gu Lianshan doted on her, so she never really did any decent work growing up.
She even washed half of her own clothes herself, while secretly forcing the original owner to wash the other half for her.
It was only after Gu Tang transmigrated that she started washing all her own clothes.
Gu Lianshan ignored her and only said, "Take out the new clothes you wore yesterday, wrap them up, and go to the Zhu family with your father."
After saying that, he walked out on his own.
Gu Mei was taken aback. Wasn't her father assigning her a job?
But then, her face turned pale, and she realized a beat later that her father had just said that she should go to the Zhu family with him and that she should pack up the clothes she wore yesterday and take them with her!
Gu Mei knew perfectly well what she meant by this action, without anyone else having to explain it to her.
Her father is going to confront the Zhu family and settle accounts!
Gu Mei's mind was buzzing, and she felt dizzy.
Didn't I say yesterday that as long as she tells the truth and explains the matter of the cloth clearly, this matter will be over?
If you said it was fine, why are you making her bring her clothes to the Zhu family today?!
Gu Mei didn't understand and immediately went out to find her father.
"father!"
In front of the oxcart, Gu Mei saw her father.
Gu Lianshan ignored her and continued to adjust the ox harness, making sure there was a spot that wasn't properly secured and might hurt the ox's back.
Gu Mei was extremely flustered and recklessly questioned, "Didn't you say yesterday that if I told the truth, the matter of cloth would be dropped!"
"It's alright, your father didn't hit you or scold you. He didn't even take back the new clothes you made from the stolen cloth. What else would you call it if not letting it go?" Gu Lianshan asked in a calm tone.
Gu Mei was furious. "If that's the case, why did you make me bring my clothes and go to the Zhu family with you?!"
Tsk! That's the talk of a complete idiot!
“You are my daughter. I will let it go since you told the truth and concealed the fact that your aunt came to our house to steal.”
But your aunt's side can't be let off so easily. The Zhu family came to my Gu family's house to steal things. If this isn't explained, I'll risk everything and take it to the authorities!
Upon hearing this, Gu Mei immediately broke down, tears streaming down her face. "Father! That's my maternal grandparents' house! How can you make such a scene?! I will never dare to set foot in the Zhu family's house again!"
It's better not to visit. Do you really think people want you to come knocking?
Gu Lianshan scolded her angrily: "What do you think of me? Everyone in your maternal family probably knows that you are a traitorous, ungrateful idiot! Helping outsiders steal things from your own sister, there is no one as stupid as you in the world."
And your aunt, with her kind of character, once she gets her hands on something, she'll definitely keep thinking about it. These past two years, things have been frequently going missing from the house; you've probably been covering for her quite a bit!
Gu Lianshan pondered all night, going through everything that had happened in the past few years, and gradually he began to understand many of the things that didn't add up.
These words startled Gu Mei, causing her to stop crying and shiver twice. She didn't know if it was from the cold or because her father had hit a nerve.
Her eyes darted away, and she stubbornly protested her innocence: "What nonsense are you talking about?! The things in the house were all stolen by Siya's mother and my aunt! They often steal things from the house to support their own families! You've caught them several times! And now you're trying to pin it on me and my aunt!"
At this point, she dragged Gu Tang into the mess again: "Why would you think of me and my aunt like that? Was it Siya who instigated you?! She's always been very domineering and extremely possessive of her own things. Even if something is good, she won't share it with others even if it rots in her hands. Now that she knows that my aunt stole the cloth, she's furious about it and must have secretly instigated you to smear me and my aunt!"
"Sling mud?" Gu Lianshan looked on in astonishment. How could his eldest daughter say such shameless things?
"Why would we need to throw mud at you? Didn't you steal that cloth?"
Gu Mei froze, unable to utter a rebuttal.
But she still wanted to persuade her father to give up his plan to go to the Zhu family.
Gu Lianshan, too lazy to argue with her, bluntly stated in an unfriendly tone: "I'm too lazy to pursue the dirty deeds you and your aunt did in the past, since there's no evidence right now. But there is evidence of the cloth theft, and the Zhu family must give us an explanation!"
"If you go today, this won't fall on you. If you don't go, I'll send you back to your grandma's. Right now, your grandpa and grandma desperately need money for medical treatment. If you go back there, you'll be sold! Two paths, which one do you choose?"
These words were a blatant threat; neither path was easy. The tears she had just stopped flowing returned. Gu Mei glared resentfully at her father, but couldn't even elicit a glance in return.
After a brief standoff, Gu Mei wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, and went back into the house.
Gu Lianshan didn't turn around to look at her, but just sat in the car and waited. If she didn't come, he would immediately send her over there.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Gu Mei returned carrying a bundle.
Clearly, she chose the first path, taking her clothes and going to the Zhu family with her father.
Gu Lianshan didn't want to say a word to her. He coldly waited for everyone to climb onto the cart, then lightly whipped the ox's back. The wheels rolled, and they soon left the yard.
The third uncle had been watching the father and daughter argue from the corridor. He didn't want to interfere, but judging from Mei's appearance, he was afraid that once she got to the Zhu family, she would side with them and anger her father.
However, Lian Shan is a scoundrel. As long as they don't resort to violence, the Zhu family is no match for Lian Shan when it comes to words.
As for whether the Zhu family would take action, Third Uncle thought it was highly unlikely.
The men in the Zhu family are all cowards; the family is entirely supported by the women. They would never actually lay a hand on the men; they would most likely just apologize and brush the matter off.
After all, this isn't the first time the Zhu family has acted foolishly. They've apologized and made amends several times already, so they're quite familiar with the process. This time, it'll probably be the same procedure.
It was because of this that Third Uncle felt at ease letting Gu Lianshan take his daughter to the Zhu family alone.
This isn't exactly something to be proud of; it's something we can't hide from the truth, so how could we dare involve outsiders?
Back in the kitchen, he washed the pots and pans, filled the kettle, and slowly carried it to the main room.
There were straw hats hanging on both sides of the entrance to the main room. When he saw the straw hats, Uncle San looked up at the sky. It was gloomy and frightening. He wondered if it would rain again today.
He slapped his forehead in frustration, realizing he had forgotten to remind the father and daughter to bring straw hats.
If it rains again on the way or on the way back, the father and daughter will definitely suffer from the cold.
Judging by the time, the oxcart has probably already left the village, and there's no way to catch up. If it really rains, then we'll find a way to ask someone to pick up the father and daughter.
As he lifted the curtain and entered the house, Third Uncle prayed that it wouldn't rain, or at least that it would rain when someone came back.
In the dead of winter, if they get caught in the rain, both father and daughter will fall ill.
……
At the beginning of the Si hour, Gu Tang in the west wing finally had enough sleep.
While stretching in bed, I brought up the system panel and glanced at the time; it was past nine o'clock.
She didn't light the stove last night, so the room was very cold, but the bed was warm, and even her feet were warm.
Gu Tang hugged the blanket and kissed it twice. She declared that the "warm as spring" bedding had officially become her number one favorite!
She lay in bed, put on her undergarments, and then took a deep breath and sat up.
When the biting cold swept over her, Gu Tang grabbed her newly bought sheepskin coat and put it on to keep the chill out.
Then, I put on the socks from the "Warm as Spring" outfit, and the warmth wrapped around my feet made me feel warm even without shoes.
Thinking about the rain yesterday, Gu Tang picked up a pair of old shoes to wear. She didn't want to wear the new ones she bought, mainly because she was afraid they would get muddy and be difficult to clean.
Once outside the house, the courtyard was quiet.
As Gu Tang walked towards the main room, she heard noises coming from the kitchen on the east side. She went over to take a look and found that her third uncle was feeding the chickens and ducks.
My third uncle would scald the wheat bran with hot water and stir it into a moist mud. After letting it cool for a while, he would take it to the woodshed in the backyard to feed the chickens and ducks.
Seeing Gu Tang come in, he didn't stop what he was doing. He smiled and pointed to the wide-mouthed earthenware pot on the stove: "Are you hungry? There's some food left for you inside, it's been kept warm."
"What did we eat today?" Gu Tang asked with delight as she removed the lid from the earthenware pot and saw porridge, egg pancakes, and stir-fried pickled vegetables with pork cracklings.
"My dad's egg pancakes are so delicious! Have you had any?"
"I've eaten, I've eaten." Third Uncle nodded repeatedly. "The pork cracklings stir-fried with pickled vegetables were also made by your father. Your father said you don't like pork because you think it's too strong in flavor, but these pork cracklings don't have much flavor. Try them."
Gu Tang responded cheerfully, went to wash up first, and then picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of fried food, and stuffed it into her mouth.
After chewing it, there was still a bit of a taste, but it was barely acceptable.
After quickly finishing her meal, Gu Tang still hadn't seen her father, so she asked if he had really gone to the Zhu family.
"I went there. I went there right after breakfast."
"Where's Ping'an? Wasn't he learning to read with you? Why isn't he here now? Did he go to be lazy?"
“Peace and safety…” Third Uncle paused, recalling the scene he had just witnessed in the backyard, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face.
"Your father told him to watch over your older brother, saying he needed to make him chop wood for two hours straight. Right now, the two of them are in the backyard."
Gu Tang's eyes lit up. "Really? I'll go check! My older brother has never chopped firewood before!"
After saying that, she ran to the backyard.
Halfway there, he turned back and brought over the wheat bran that his third uncle had prepared for the chickens and ducks. While watching the excitement, he could also feed the chickens and ducks.
Seeing her energetic and impulsive manner, the third uncle shook his head helplessly. This was just someone who seemed to thrive on chaos.
After washing my hands, I closed the kitchen door and walked out of the yard along the corridor.
Taking advantage of the fact that it's not raining now, he's going to go to the village to ask around and buy some bamboo and wood. He needs to build a chicken coop and duck shed in the backyard, and also a cowshed. He doesn't know how much bamboo and wood he'll need for all of that.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to go to Gu Liu's house first. Gu Liu knew how to build a cowshed and would know how much timber was needed. He could ask him first and then buy the timber.
In the backyard, Gu Tang placed a basin of wheat bran in the woodshed for the chickens and ducks to eat on their own, while she strolled over to Gu Lai'an.
The backyard is much larger than the front yard; half of it is paved with stone bricks, and the other half is not.
Gu Lai'an was chopping firewood on the half of the stone-paved side, with a dozen or so chopped firewood scattered around his feet.
Next to him was Gu Ping'an, who was supervising him, and behind Gu Ping'an was a pile of firewood, most of which had not yet been chopped.
When Gu Tang arrived, he saw that Gu Lai'an's axe was stuck in a thick piece of wood, and he couldn't pull it out or chop it. He was so angry that he was about to quit!
"You're quitting? Fine! Then you can wait to be kicked out by your father and become a beggar. Everything in this house will be mine from now on." Gu Ping'an knew what he cared about and directly grasped his Achilles' heel.