novelraw Chapter 188 is absolutely awful!
Chapter 188 is absolutely awful!
Chapter 188 is absolutely awful!
Taking advantage of the fact that Li Shunzi wouldn't look back while driving, Old Master Gu glared venomously at Gu Tang before turning back to continue talking to Li Shunzi.
"Speaking of Ping An, he is indeed better than his father, but he spent more than a hundred taels of silver just to get the status of an observer."
I originally intended to use this silver to help your brothers advance in the imperial examinations. Ping'an is still young, and I could wait a few more years. But who would have thought that the father and daughter would take it upon themselves to spend that hundred taels of silver?”
"Over one hundred taels of silver!!!"
Li Shunzi cried out in surprise, quickly stopped the oxcart, and turned around to stare at Old Master Gu in shock.
"Uncle Jin! You're not mistaken, are you? More than a hundred taels of silver?! My brother Lianshan has more than a hundred taels of silver?!"
“There was some before, but not anymore. It was all taken by your brother Lianshan and spent to buy Ping An a place to listen in on the proceedings.”
"How foolish!" Li Shunzi was heartbroken, feeling as if he were spending his own money, his heart aching so much that it hurt.
"Uncle Jin! You're so easygoing! If this happened in my house, and I dared to spend over a hundred taels of silver to buy some kind of eavesdropping fee, my mother would chase me for two miles with a knife!"
Old Master Gu sighed dramatically, “My second son has fallen out of love with your uncle and never consults me about anything. Plus… your niece has been stirring things up behind my back. I only found out when the money was all gone.”
Speaking of Gu Tang, Old Master Gu secretly glanced at her a few times, only to see her mocking expression and no fear on her small face, which made Old Master Gu's anger rise continuously!
Upon hearing that this matter was related to Gu Tang, Li Shunzi glared at Gu Tang with extreme dissatisfaction: "Tell me, how can a girl like you be so fond of stirring up trouble? You previously instigated your father to divorce your mother."
Now, for the sake of attending some kind of hearing, you've persuaded your father to spend all that hundred-plus taels of silver. Look at the things you've done! Even the most notorious troublemaker in the village couldn't compare to you!
Gu Tang looked at him as if he were an idiot. "People who are as stupid as you are extremely rare! He said my father spent more than a hundred taels of silver, and I would say he spent more than two hundred taels of silver! Anyone can say something they can just say."
"How dare you speak like that, child? Don't you know your place?" Li Shunzi's face flushed red, feeling that he had been humiliated by the younger generation.
Gu Tang didn't tolerate him at all: "Who do you think you are, elder? You believe everything you hear. My father is a farmer who makes a living from the fields. He has no skills and no proper business. Where is he going to get more than a hundred taels of silver? Even if he borrows money at interest, no one will lend him more than a hundred taels of silver!"
These words brought Li Shunzi back to her senses.
That's right. No matter how capable Gu Lianshan is, he's just a farmer who makes a living from the fields. He has neither skills nor a livelihood. Where is he going to get more than a hundred taels of silver?
After criticizing Li Shunzi, Old Master Gu Tang didn't let him off the hook either, "You're practically on your deathbed, can't you do something decent and have some decency? You just blurt out over a hundred taels of silver. If you had said less, even ten or eight taels, maybe people would have believed you. Over a hundred taels of silver? If my father had over a hundred taels of silver, would our family still be living in the village?"
Grandpa Gu was furious. This brat was making a huge fuss and talking nonsense, and she could make it sound so real.
Left with no other choice, Old Master Gu had to reveal that Gu Tang had once caught a live deer, saying that the more than one hundred taels of silver were obtained in exchange for that live deer.
Originally, it was thought that Li Shunzi would believe this after it was told. Unexpectedly, Li Shunzi became more and more suspicious of Old Master Gu's words and began to believe what Gu Tang had just said: that Gu Lianshan did not have more than a hundred taels of silver and that Old Master Gu was lying and deceiving people.
The reason is simple: Li Shunzi looks down on women, doesn't believe that women can be stronger than men, and even less does he believe that a little girl can catch a deer alive.
Seeing Li Shunzi's suspicion, Gu Tang seized the opportunity to deny the matter of the live deer: "Even highly skilled veteran hunters can't do that, yet you're just throwing it at me. You say you're at ease, but I'm not. Don't mention this again. If word gets out, everyone will laugh at you for talking big!"
“That’s right, Uncle Jin. There are some things you can’t say carelessly, or outsiders will laugh at you.” Li Shunzi turned around and continued driving the cart, feeling uneasy.
He couldn't quite put his finger on whether it was disappointment or something else, but when he heard that Gu Lianshan had over a hundred taels of silver, he felt envious and jealous!
When he heard that the hundred-plus taels of silver had been spent, he breathed a sigh of relief, but was also happy and distressed.
But when he finally found out that it was just Old Master Gu talking nonsense, he felt uneasy.
More than a hundred taels of silver... He wouldn't even dare to dream of that normally!
Seeing his plan fall through, Old Master Gu was so angry that his chest started to hurt again. He quickly calmed himself down, took out a bamboo tube about the thickness of a finger from his pocket, poured out a pill from it, and put it in his mouth.
Gu Tang looked at him coldly, then suddenly chuckled and asked Old Master Gu in a low voice, "Tell me, is my Uncle Shunzi interested in what you and the old lady did when you were young? If this gets out, it will attract far more attention than my father's hundred-odd taels of silver! From now on, your whole family will be famous!"
"How dare you!" Old Master Gu turned around and glared at her, his eyes fierce, wishing he could kill her on the spot!
Gu Liansheng reacted even more violently, reaching out again to push Gu Tang out of the car, yelling, "You wicked brat! I'll kill you!"
This time, Gu Tang couldn't hold back. He pulled out the multi-functional bayonet he had received from the previous sign-in and held it horizontally in front of his chest, waiting for Gu Liansheng to reach out.
Gu Liansheng was terrified of death. The moment he saw the knife, his face turned pale, and he immediately withdrew his hand.
"How...how could you bring a knife!"
"On guard against you!" Gu Tang scoffed. "Since I dared to go to Bei'an City with you, I've made ample preparations. If we get along peacefully on the way, that's fine. But if something really happens, I'm not afraid. After all, I'm just a girl. Killing one would be enough for me, killing two would be a bonus!"
The father and son gasped, their scalps tingling!
Seeing the knife, they all became obedient and dared not plot against Gu Tang anymore.
Gu Tang didn't put the knife away; instead, he held it, his gaze constantly sweeping back and forth between the father and son, the threat clearly evident.
This gaze made the father and son extremely nervous, their eyes constantly shifting eastward as the knife moved.
The two sides remained deadlocked until the oxcart reached the city gate of Beian City, at which point Gu Tang put away his knife.
The father and son both breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously moved closer to the front of the car, trying to get away from Gu Tang.
After entering the city, Li Shunzi turned around and asked, "Uncle, which inn is Aunt staying at?"
"It's called Qifu Inn, but I don't know exactly where it is. You'll have to ask your niece." Old Master Gu forced himself to remain composed, not letting Li Shunzi see the fear he had shown earlier.
Gu Tang glanced at him, not wanting to embarrass him, and pointed to the street ahead to give Li Shunzi directions: "Go straight along this street, and you'll be there in a while."
The oxcart hadn't gone far when Gu Tang told Li Shunzi to stop to the west and said they were at Qifu Inn.
Li Shunzi was illiterate. After stopping the oxcart, he looked at the inn's entrance and gasped, "This inn isn't cheap!"
Actually, this inn wasn't a very good one, but in Li Shunzi's eyes, who had never stayed in an inn before, it was much better than his family's three mud-brick and thatched houses!
When he was young, Old Master Gu had an affair with Madam Feng and stayed in an inn a few times, but he never stayed in one again after he got married.
Gu Liansheng stayed there frequently, visiting inns every year. Later, he grew tired of inns and started renting courtyards. Courtyards were more comfortable and presentable than inns, making them convenient for entertaining classmates and friends, holding poetry gatherings and banquets.
Li Shunzi had to stay outside to watch the oxcart, so only the father and son and Gu Tang came to the inn to pick up the passengers.
Neither the father nor the son made the first move; they both looked at Gu Tang, their meaning clear: they hoped Gu Tang would take the lead.
Look at how pathetic you all are!
Gu Tang cursed under his breath and stepped into the inn.
As they entered the inn, the young waiters approached with smiles and made conversation. Gu Tang explained that he had come to pick up an elderly woman surnamed Feng.
Upon hearing the name of the old lady surnamed Feng, the young waiter's expression instantly changed, his smile turning into a bitter one, and he hurriedly led Gu Tang to find the shopkeeper.
The innkeeper never forgot Gu Tang. There was no way around it; the longer Old Madam Feng stayed at the inn, the more he couldn't forget Gu Tang!
There's no other reason than that this old lady is just too difficult to please!
"You've finally come to pick us up!" The shopkeeper exclaimed, as if he had been freed from shackles. "Quickly! I'll take you there myself!"
Gu Tang paused, and while following the shopkeeper, tentatively asked, "Is there something wrong with my old lady?"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Gu became anxious and hurriedly caught up with the shopkeeper, asking, "Has the illness worsened and is the person dying?"
He hasn't found his wife's secret stash yet, he can't die now!
At this point, he turned to Gu Tang and complained, "It's all your fault, father and daughter! You left your grandmother here alone! If anything happens to your grandmother, I will never forgive you!"
In front of the shopkeeper, Gu Tang retorted directly: "If you value the old lady so much, why didn't you come to pick her up when you asked her to do so at home? You said you didn't have any money, and that whoever brought her should pick her up."
I already told you, my father and I have already given you the money, you just need to come and collect it, but you just won't come and collect it.
You're just complaining that the old lady is paralyzed and needs someone to take care of her, but you don't want to. If that's the case, why say it like that? Are you trying to smear me, or are you trying to gain a good reputation for yourself?
If you want to gain a good reputation, have the shopkeeper calculate all the expenses incurred during this period, then return the silver to me, and you can keep the reputation as you wish!
"You!" Old Master Gu was so angry and embarrassed by the rebuke that he almost couldn't help but want to teach Gu Tang a lesson.
Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten that Gu Tang was hiding a knife, so he could only suppress his frustration for the time being.
Gu Liansheng, who originally wanted to help his father lecture Gu Tang, gave up the idea and didn't want to humiliate himself in front of the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper seemed not to hear the argument between the grandfather and grandson; he only smiled bitterly and spoke of Madam Feng.
"That old lady in your family is really a handful! She's completely shut the two old women you hired up! When you settle the bill with them later, you'll probably have to give them extra coins to shut them up and appease their resentment."
Gu Tang knew exactly what kind of person the Feng family was.
She replied with a hint of apology, "The old lady has a bad temper, and the younger generation in the family has suffered a lot at her hands. Those two old women have been wronged these days, and I'm afraid you've had a lot of worries about them too."
These words displeased Grandpa Gu again. "That's your grandmother! How dare you say such a thing? What do you mean the younger generation in the family has suffered a lot? Who has suffered? We raised you and raised you, and instead of being grateful, you complain!"
Gu Tang rolled her eyes and ignored him.
The shopkeeper ignored them. In his eyes, only those who paid money were the "masters," while those who didn't pay and made a ruckus were just a flock of ducks waiting to be slaughtered.
Feeling embarrassed at being ignored, Old Master Gu gritted his teeth and blamed Gu Tang for the incident.
Not long after following the shopkeeper, Gu Tang and the other two arrived at the Feng family's place.
Before the door was even opened, the four of them heard Feng's loud voice coming from inside the house.
"You clumsy thing! I asked you to pick the bones out of the fish, and you've been doing it for so long, and you haven't even picked out many bones. You've also broken the fish meat into pieces! You lowly thing! I wouldn't even consider you a rough maid! The fact that you're serving me in the house is a blessing you've accumulated over several lifetimes!"
These words made Old Master Gu and Gu Liansheng's faces flush slightly. What were they saying?!
Feng, who was inside the house, hadn't finished cursing.
"Where's the meat? I only ate a few bites! And it's all gone! You old whore! Tell me! Did you steal my meat? Meat is precious, how could you eat it? If you're dishonest in your master's house, you'll be skinned and dismembered!"
Tsk!
That's quite a show of authority. If someone who didn't know better heard it, they'd really think it was some old lady scolding her servants.
Putting all that aside, the fact that she ate fish and meat so early in the morning shows she's really not afraid of getting sick from it.
"Does the old lady always eat like this?" Gu Tang asked curiously, without any intention of feeling sorry for her. The money she gave the shopkeeper earlier was precisely so that she would eat like this.
The shopkeeper nodded: "We have to feed her like this. She has to eat meat twice a day, and nothing else!"
Grandpa Gu and Gu Liansheng were dumbfounded, their hearts aching and they could only sob!
At this rate, how much money would that cost!
Gu Tang silently calculated that the money she had given earlier might not be enough. "Thank you for your trouble. Please go and calculate the accounts first to see if we are short or have too much. If we are short, I will make up the difference for you."
"Alright, alright, I'll go calculate it first!" The shopkeeper was very happy to hear this and immediately went to the front hall to find the account book.
Upon hearing that they might need to pay extra money, the father and son dared not provoke Gu Tang at this critical juncture. They hurriedly raised their hands and knocked on the door, urging the people inside to open it quickly.
A moment later, the door was opened.
Gu Tang looked up and saw that it was Granny Sun who opened the door.
Grandma Sun didn't recognize Old Master Gu or Gu Liansheng; she only recognized Gu Tang. As soon as she saw Gu Tang, her eyes immediately reddened.
"Girl! You've finally arrived! We're all exhausted! This job is just too difficult!"
Gu Tang vaguely remembered that when she first met Granny Sun, she was strong and had a fleshy face.
But right now, Granny Sun's eyes are bluish, her cheeks are thin, and she is full of resentment.
She swallowed hard. The Feng family really knows how to do terrible things. Look how they've tormented people. They're such a scoundrel!