novelraw Did you see Zhang Shi in Chapter 233?
Did you see Zhang Shi in Chapter 233?
Did you see Zhang Shi in Chapter 233?
Hearing this, Gu Tang remained expressionless and shook her head: "Those kidnappers refused to say anything, and I was afraid that the drug would wear off and I wouldn't be able to get anything out of them, so I told my cousin to run away first."
Those people wanted to kidnap me; my cousin was just implicated because of me. I was afraid they would continue chasing us after they recovered, so I didn't dare go with my cousin. Afterwards, I chose another route and circled around before daring to return to the city gate..."
This statement was half true and half false. The clan elders, unaware of the situation, did not notice anything amiss, but were instead interested in the medicinal powder in Gu Tang's hand.
"I heard from Lian that you sprayed some kind of powder into the eyes of those kidnappers, causing them unbearable pain. Did you mix that powder yourself?"
Gu Tang's eyelashes trembled, and she paused slightly: "That medicinal powder was originally passed down to me by my master. It was used by herb gatherers to sprinkle in the mountains to repel insects and ants."
Later, I figured out that I could add some other medicinal herbs to make it smell even more pungent.
If this powder gets into someone's eyes, it will cause severe pain, but rinsing with water several times will relieve the pain.
At this point, Gu Tang suddenly laughed: "It's winter now, so the powder isn't really needed. But I've gotten used to carrying it with me all these years, so even in winter I always carry some for self-defense."
If I were to follow my master's instructions, this powder should not be given to outsiders. But today, because of the kidnapper, my clansmen have been running around for me, and I remember it all. So I decided to break this rule!
"When summer comes, if anyone in the tribe wants this powder, just ask. Many of the herbs in this powder are only available in summer. It doesn't have any other effects, but it's quite effective at repelling insects and ants."
These words made the clan elders very gratified; this girl knew how to be grateful.
If a young girl can act so openly and honestly, then those of us who are elders are certainly no match for her.
"What Qing'er did this time is truly chilling! When we get back, the clan will give you an explanation."
“Alright, I’ll listen to the clan’s decision.” Gu Tang nodded with a smile.
Gu Qing can't escape; the clan will punish her first, and then she will be punished!
"Oh, right, there's something I forgot to tell you, girl." Chief Gu remembered something and pointed to the east.
“Your grandfather and Ping An were here earlier. After hearing from Lian’er that you were almost kidnapped, they said they would go back to the inn where you were staying to check, in case you went back to the inn first and couldn’t find anyone.”
Inn?
Her grandfather was probably referring to the small courtyard where they lived.
"Then I'll go check first. If they keep waiting for me and they don't see me, they'll be really worried!"
"You can go, but you need to find someone to go with you. We don't know if those kidnappers have escaped. If they have, they're probably still out there looking for you right now, so be careful!"
That makes sense... but the problem is, they weren't staying at an inn!
Gu Tang doesn't want the villagers to know about her buying the courtyard right now.
She was in a very difficult position regarding this proposal.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out behind them.
Turning around, she saw her father approaching.
As Gu Lianshan approached, a group of villagers surrounded him, saying his daughter had returned. His head was spinning, and he quickly grabbed one of them, asking, "My daughter's back?!"
"They're back! They're back! They're talking to the clan elders right now."
One of the villagers who had been captured pointed in a direction for Gu Lianshan.
Following the finger's direction, Gu Lianshan immediately saw his daughter beckoning to him, which was quite conspicuous.
The anxiety that had been building up inside me finally subsided, and I strode over to carefully examine the person from head to toe.
"Are you injured anywhere?"
The father and daughter had only been separated for about two hours. One was almost kidnapped, and the other seemed to have aged several years in an instant. Her brows were so furrowed that they could trap flies, and there were even some blood vessels in the whites of her eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm fine! Look—" Gu Tang jumped around a few times and stretched her arms and legs to show that she was perfectly fine and nothing was wrong.
"It's alright, it's alright..." Watching his daughter bouncing around in front of him, Gu Lianshan couldn't help but smile, repeatedly saying this.
After laughing, he asked again, "Do you know why those kidnappers wanted to tie you up?"
Gu Tang shook her head, still not telling the truth: "I don't know."
As she said this, her gaze fell on Gu Tianbao, who was not far away. She saw him talking to Gu Lian, and the two siblings had a very good relationship.
Upon seeing Gu Lian, Gu Tang remembered her promise to her and whispered to her father about the Wei family.
"Gu Tianbao and Gu Lian were quite helpful this time. Gu Lian asked me to beg you to help her find her mother."
"What a coincidence." Gu Lianshan raised an eyebrow. "That's what Tianbao said too."
At this point, he told his daughter about Gu Tianbao's earlier promise to repay the money.
Return the silver?
Gu Tang blinked. "No need..."
She had secretly searched the main house and taken all the silver she could find.
By the way, she seemed to have never heard about Gu Liansheng losing money.
Haven't they realized that the silver in the house is missing?
Can't you?
In fact, the reality is even more outrageous than that.
The box that Gu Tang pried open was the same one that Gu Liansheng had searched before. He wanted to steal Wei's money to spend, but he couldn't find the hidden compartment at the bottom of the box even after searching it three times.
Since the hidden compartment wasn't found, naturally no silver was found either. Besides, the box was full of Wei's clothes, so Gu Liansheng basically ignored it.
Over all these days, no one had noticed that the lock on the box had been pried off.
Of course, he wouldn't think much of it even if he saw that the lock on the box was gone, because he had never paid attention to whether the box had a lock or not.
On the day he searched the box, Madam Wei was sorting through the clothes in the box. Gu Liansheng casually made an excuse to send her away, and then took the opportunity to search the box.
If Gu Liansheng couldn't find out, then Gu Tianbao, Gu Qing, and Gu Lian were even less likely to find out.
To this day, not a single member of the eldest branch of the family knows that Gu Tang had looted all of Wei's private savings from the chest.
"Since they're speaking so sincerely, please lend a hand. If you can really find my aunt, it would be a good deed..."
It’s good to be back!
If this person doesn't come back, how can the dog-eat-dog drama continue?
"Helping is fine, but I'm worried that once we bring them back, your grandma and your uncle won't be able to tolerate them..."
"What did Tianbao say?"
He said that if his family kicked his mother out, he would go with her.
Innocent!
Gu Tang twitched the corner of his mouth. This kid still hasn't been through enough; he'll need some time to be tested.
"There's something else you don't know," Gu Lianshan continued in a low voice, "Your grandmother may have suffered a stroke and her legs are weak, but she's incredibly resourceful. In just a few days, she managed to arrange a marriage for your uncle!"
Gu Tang's eyes lit up: "My uncle is engaged? How come I've never heard you mention this before?"
"It was just arranged the day before yesterday. Father heard about it yesterday. He said the engagement is finalized and the wedding will take place in the twelfth lunar month. When your grandmother asked the matchmaker to arrange the marriage, I thought it was just rumors spread by outsiders, but I didn't expect it to be true..."
Which company did you book with?
"...There's a widow in San'an Town, about fifty miles from here. She says she doesn't care about the amount of the betrothal gifts, but she wants a marriage certificate approved by the government. She'll even bring her own dowry!"
Something doesn't sound right here.
Gu Tang scratched his head. That's how Wei Shi entered the family back then, and then Zhang Shi entered the family in the same way.
At first glance, there seems to be no problem, but upon closer inspection, many issues can be discerned. The two sisters-in-law, who hardly asked for any betrothal gifts, turned out to be utterly despicable after they entered the family!
She remembered that Ms. Feng had cursed back then, saying something like, "You get what you pay for!"
The Gu family has already suffered losses at the hands of the Wei and Zhang families, so why is it still the same now?
Gu Tang couldn't understand what Madam Feng was thinking.
If you can't figure it out, then skip this topic; after all, that widow has nothing to do with them. Gu Tang continued talking to her father about other things.
After the father and daughter had finished their tender time, Chief Gu stepped forward to ask Gu Lianshan a question.
"Lianshan, what about those human traffickers? Were they caught? Or did they escape?"
"They ran away!" Gu Lianshan uttered these two words calmly, while winking at the clan leader.
Looking at her father's hysterical facial expression, Gu Tang just wanted to cover her face.
Those who know will understand that you are giving a hint, while those who don't will think you're having a relapse!
You just wanted to give the clan leader a meaningful look, to convey a hidden meaning, right? There are only the three of us around right now, you could have just whispered something and explained it later!
Compared to Gu Tang's discomfort, the Gu clan chief, who had watched Gu Lianshan grow up since childhood, was already used to it.
He understood Gu Lianshan's meaning at a glance, nodded to the man, and whispered, "Understood."
He then bypassed Gu Lianshan and called out to the villagers, "Those kidnappers have all run away. Everyone should be careful these next few days. If you have any unmarried girls in your family, you should all be extra careful..."
Upon hearing this, the villagers' expressions changed instantly. They quickly pulled the young men and women beside them towards themselves and told them not to run around.
After calling out, Chief Gu counted the number of people again, and almost everyone had returned.
Those who didn't return are probably planning to stay in an inn for a couple of days and then go back after the winter market ends.
Chief Gu did not wait any longer, but called to everyone to quickly load their purchases onto the oxcart, and they would set off soon.
Gu Lianshan stepped forward to help, and some curious people asked him if he was going back. Gu Lianshan didn't hide anything and said that he had found an inn and wouldn't be going back for the next two days. He would go back after the winter market ended.
Upon hearing this, Gu Tianbao and Gu Lian ran to tell the clan leader that they would be staying at an inn for two days and would not be going back for the time being. They figured that their grandmother and father had not returned yet, so they had probably gone to find an inn as well.
When Gu Tianbao mentioned the Feng family, Gu Tang's eyes darkened for a moment, but she quickly concealed it.
Who stays at the inn and who doesn't is their own business; the clan has no right to interfere.
However, due to the kidnapping incident, before leaving, Chief Gu still instructed Gu Lianshan to at least keep an eye on things for him.
As for Gu Qing, who was beaten half to death, the Gu clan chief did not let her get out of the car.
That girl is ruthless!
Let her go back to the village.
After seeing off Chief Gu and the villagers, Gu Lianshan found an inn near the city gate for Gu Tianbao and Gu Lian, the siblings, to stay in.
As for finding the Wei family, he will come over tomorrow at noon to discuss it.
Having finally received confirmation, Gu Tianbao suddenly relaxed, his knees buckled, and he was about to kneel down before Gu Lianshan.
"What are you doing?" Gu Lianshan pulled the man up. "Things are still far from settled, I dare not accept your courtesy. Wait until we really find your mother, then you can kowtow to me!"
"Sigh!" Gu Tianbao wiped his eyes and responded with his head down. Gu Lian, who was standing next to him, also had red eyes.
"Alright, go inside. We'll wait for you at the inn tomorrow."
Gu Lianshan waved impatiently at the two of them, then turned and left with Gu Tang.
After leaving the inn, Gu Tang told her father about how she had left her third uncle without permission, hoping he would put in a good word for her when he got home.
"My grandpa must be furious! I never expected to be so unlucky; I hadn't gone far with Gu Tianbao and the others when we were targeted by kidnappers!"
Upon learning of this turn of events, Gu Lianshan immediately turned and glared at her, his face drooping without saying a word, and simply walked forward with his head down.
Gu Tang: ...Oh no! She hasn't even appeased her grandfather yet, and now she's offended her father too!
"I admit I was wrong today, and I'll accept the punishment. But you have to apologize to the old man for me. He's getting on in years, and I don't want him to get so upset... Oh dear!"
As they walked, Gu Lianshan suddenly stopped, catching Gu Tang, who was following behind, completely off guard, and she bumped right into him.
Her delicate nose bumped into Gu Lianshan's back, and it hurt terribly.
Hearing his daughter cry out in pain, Gu Lianshan quickly turned around and saw her covering her nose, his heart tightening.
"How did you bump your nose? Is it bleeding?"
"You have the nerve to say how you bumped into someone?! You were walking along perfectly fine, why did you suddenly stop?"
Gu Tang covered her nose, speaking in a muffled voice.
Gu Lianshan froze, then suddenly turned around to look in the direction he had been looking, only to find that the person had disappeared again.
Thinking he was seeing things, he rubbed his eyes and looked in that direction again, but still couldn't see anyone.
"Could it be that I really saw it wrong..."
"You saw wrong? Who did you see?" Hearing this murmur, Gu Tang's nose stopped hurting instantly, and she hurriedly looked in the direction her father was looking with curiosity.
Her father was looking east, towards a busy street that was so crowded it could kill a person.
"Dad, what happened to you just now? Were you watching the pile of heads on the street?"
Gu Lianshan rolled his eyes at her: "I think I saw a familiar face just now. I was about to take a closer look when I suddenly heard you cry out, so I had to take care of you first. After I calmed you down, I turned around to look again, but the person was gone."
"Many people from our village haven't left yet; perhaps what you just saw were villagers..."
"What your father saw was your mother!" Gu Lianshan couldn't help but blurt it out.
Gu Tang looked completely bewildered: "What did you say? You saw my mother?!"
"Yes! I assure you, I did see your mother just now."
"Well, that's quite normal. My mother seems to live in Bei'an City."
Gu Tang recalled that after Zhang Shi left the Gu family with the two Lin siblings, they seemed to have settled in Bei'an City.