novelraw Chapter 234: Learn from Zhang and take another wife?
Chapter 234: Learn from Zhang and take another wife?
Chapter 234 Learn from Zhang and take another wife?
Gu Lianshan knew that Zhang lived in Bei'an City, and it was not unusual to run into her on market day.
Logically, one shouldn't be so surprised even if they see someone.
Gu Tang sensed something was off about her father's reaction and asked, "What's wrong with you? We've settled things with her. She can go shopping, and we can go our own way. Even if we bump into each other, it's no big deal. Just pretend we didn't see her."
Gu Lianshan looked conflicted: "The point isn't your mother, the point is that there's a man with your mother, and that man even stuck a hairpin in your mother's hair..."
Gu Tang's eyes widened: "...Are you seeing things?"
Gu Lianshan glared at her: "Your father's eyesight is perfectly fine! It's not like I'm the one who's seeing things!"
"Okay, okay, you're not seeing things." Gu Tang kept nodding her head, not arguing with him.
However, on the other hand, Zhang's actions were quick enough!
"My mother is really quick to find someone new! It's only been a short time since the divorce, and she's already found someone!"
In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, if a man publicly inserts a hairpin into a woman's hair, even a fool would know that the two are either a couple or about to become a couple.
Yes, Zhang's actions in finding a new buyer were indeed swift.
Well... well, that man's profile looks kind of familiar!
He told Gu Tang about it, saying he suspected the man might be someone he knew.
Hearing this, Gu Tang didn't take it seriously: "What's the big deal? If that man is really someone you know, you can just cut ties if you feel uncomfortable later. As long as the man my mother finds isn't from our village, it's fine. Let her do whatever she wants."
Anyone familiar with her father would know that Zhang was once his wife. If that man truly valued brotherhood, he would never have ended up with Zhang.
Now that they have chosen the Zhang family, it means that they have given up on this brotherhood.
Since that's the case, why bother with sentimentality?
Just cut it off directly!
Gu Lianshan felt a little better after hearing Gu Tang's words. Then he heard Gu Tang ask him, "My mother has already found a new husband. What are your thoughts? Do you want to find one too?"
These words sent a shiver down Gu Lianshan's spine, and he shook his head without hesitation: "No, no! I'm really afraid of 'wives' these days! One is Zhu Shi, and the other is your mother, good heavens, they're both more vicious and ruthless than the other!"
Sometimes Dad wonders if he committed some terrible sin in his past life. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so unlucky in this life, marrying two wives who are both treacherous and vicious!
"This is not your fault. My grandmother arranged for both of these wives to be brought back."
Feng was reluctant to spend money on her father. The two wives she chose for him, Zhu and Zhang, did not ask for much in betrothal gifts. They simply gave some copper coins as a standard practice.
This incident clearly shows that those who rush to marry off their daughters without asking for a dowry are basically ripping them off!
Her father is only in his thirties, so it's perfectly normal for him to want to remarry. Gu Tang didn't intend to stop him, but there were some things she had to explain in advance.
"Dad, if you ever change your mind and want to remarry, that's fine! But there's one thing we need to make clear beforehand: you have to make it clear to your future wife that once she enters our family, she can't have children. Even if she gets pregnant, she'll have to have an abortion!"
For a young woman who hasn't even left home yet to say such a thing is truly outrageous. If she were in another family, she would probably be scolded!
But Gu Lianshan was different from others. He was an unconventional person himself. He didn't think it was wrong at all when his daughter said those words, and even discussed it with Gu Tang.
"If we look for someone based on your criteria, Dad definitely won't be able to find a wife! First, you won't have children, and second, you'll be a second wife in a remarriage. Nobody will agree to that!"
"Why not? Pick a family where life is as bitter as bitter herbs, and say she can't have children, but we'll give her a dowry, and she won't lack money in the future."
As long as it's not extravagant spending, we'll provide for her every need—clothes, jewelry, food, entertainment, etc.! She just needs to occasionally show up and make an appearance; we'll support her like this even when she's old!
These words even tempted Gu Lianshan!
"Why would I marry someone else?! Just do as you said! Rather than supporting an outsider, you might as well support your father. I promise I'll never marry anyone else in my life!"
Gu Tang was speechless!
Her father thought differently from others.
"I'm serious!" Gu Lianshan said earnestly. "I've never had such a good life! You'd be better off supporting your father than raising a stepmother you don't even know!"
"Your father and I are of one mind. How many stepmothers are good? And even if there are good ones, can they be better than your father?"
Gu Tang: "..." I'm so tired!
"Just wait! Soon you'll be living that kind of good life!"
When Ah Gou comes to visit, she can use his name to make the money appear legitimate in front of her father, and then she can spend it without worry.
At that time, she could support not only one father, but ten more fathers!
Hearing this, Gu Lianshan was overjoyed, and the gloom caused by the kidnapping instantly dissipated.
With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he hummed a little tune as he walked home.
Not far from the courtyard, the father and daughter saw that the gate of their own courtyard was open, and Uncle San and Gu Ping'an were standing at the gate.
The father and daughter quickened their pace and soon arrived in front of the grandfather and granddaughter.
"Master, it's cold outside. Why are you and Ping An standing guard at the door?" Gu Tang stepped forward and took her third uncle's hand. Sure enough, it was ice cold.
Seeing Gu Tang return safely, Third Uncle immediately burst into tears: "Were you injured? I heard from Lian'er that there were five or six thugs! I was almost scared to death!"
"Not only was I almost scared to death! I even cried for a while! I told you not to leave my and my sight, but you insisted on leaving by yourself! You're not allowed to do this again!"
Gu Ping'an's eyes were red, and his voice was trembling with tears, making him look very pitiful.
Gu Tang could only apologize at this moment: "This is all my fault! I will never do it again!"
"It's not your fault at all, it's all those kidnappers' fault! You wicked bastards! They'll get what's coming to them sooner or later!" Uncle San rarely cursed people in public.
Hearing this, Gu Tang knew the person was furious, so she quickly tried to calm her down.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry! Since you've met Gu Lian, she must have told you about the powder. That powder was passed down to me by my master; it was originally used to repel insects and ants when going into the mountains."
I added some other medicinal herbs to that powder; if sprinkled into someone's eyes, it would cause a burning, excruciating pain. This time, I was able to escape unscathed entirely thanks to that powder!
Speaking of the powder, Gu Ping'an looked on with curiosity: "I've seen that powder before, but I didn't expect it could be used like this. By the way, what about those kidnappers? Have they been caught?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Where's the kidnapper?" Third Uncle looked at Gu Lianshan with hopeful eyes, hoping to hear good news from him.
Gu Lianshan shook his head: "By the time we got to that alley, those kidnappers had already run away."
They didn't catch anyone...
Third Uncle was very disappointed, but soon his mind was clear again: "How about... we go back to the village? If we leave those kidnappers wandering around outside, they might see Tang girl again and cause trouble."
"Let's go back inside and talk. We need to discuss this in detail..."
Gu Lianshan helped his third uncle into the courtyard.
Gu Tang and Gu Ping'an were the last to close the door.
Seeing the father and son who had left earlier enter through the second gate, Gu Ping'an quickly pulled Gu Tang aside and whispered to her about his third uncle.
"Second sister, you really scared the master this time! He keeps blaming himself, saying that he didn't stop you back then, and you insisted on going to the alley to look for you!"
“What does this have to do with Grandpa? Even if Dad were here, it wouldn’t matter! That’s just my temperament. No one can stop me from doing what I want.” “That’s how I comforted him, but the old man just keeps getting stuck on it. If I hadn’t stopped him from waiting at home, he would have come to find you long ago with his cane.”
At this point, Gu Ping'an glanced at the second door, then leaned close to Gu Tang's ear and said, "The old man feels that he has bad luck. His wife died, his son died, and now he has just accepted us as his family, but you have encountered kidnappers!"
The old man's gotten really stubborn. He's starting to think that he's cursed with misfortune, destined to bring bad luck to his family. Ever since he heard you were kidnapped, he's been muttering about it nonsensically..."
Hearing this, Gu Tang felt a pang of sadness. "Master is too kind-hearted. Whenever something happens, he always looks for faults in himself and never blames others."
"That's not good. I should learn from that old couple in the west (Mrs. Feng and Old Master Gu). No matter what happens, good or bad, they're always right; the fault always lies with someone else!"
“That’s right!” Gu Ping’an’s eyes lit up after Gu Tang said that.
That's exactly right!
The old man on this side always wonders if he did something wrong, while the old couple on the west side are the exact opposite.
They always blame others for everything; how could they possibly make a mistake? They'll never make a mistake in their entire lives!
It's always someone else who's wrong!
"No wonder you were taking so long to close the door! Turns out you were whispering here!"
Gu Lianshan suddenly darted out from the second door, pointing at the siblings: "What are you two whispering about here?"
The siblings were completely unprepared and were startled by Gu Lianshan's sudden appearance.
Gu Tang rolled her eyes at him: "We're whispering about you! We're talking behind your back about you finding us a stepmother!"
After saying that, she walked past her father in a huff and went into the yard.
That sounds like a lie.
Not daring to provoke his daughter, Gu Lianshan turned his attention to his son.
Gu Ping'an didn't intend to hide it from him; he had been thinking of finding some free time to talk to his father about the old man's worries.
It's the same thing to say it now.
The father and son were talking at the courtyard gate when Gu Tang had already entered the main room through the covered corridor.
Third Uncle was in the main room at that moment. As soon as Gu Tang entered, she saw someone lighting the stove and hurriedly stepped forward to take over: "Please sit down. You've been worried for so long and it's been hard on you. Please sit down and rest."
Helping the man to sit in the armchair, Gu Tang then went to light the stove.
Once the stove was lit, I lifted the lid of the kettle and saw that it was still full of water. So I put the kettle on the stove to boil, without adding any tea leaves.
"We won't have tea today. There are two hens in a cage over by the kitchen. I'll have my dad go over there and kill them all later."
"Then have Ping An go and buy some raw dragon teeth and thorny aster, and make a pot of calming chicken soup. After we eat, we'll all go back to our rooms and lie down to rest."
"Alright! I'll do as you say. But we can't let Ping An go out to buy the medicine. What if those kidnappers kidnap the boy too? It's better to have your father go."
Third Uncle was somewhat frightened at this moment, and he began to connect Gu Tang's encounter with the kidnapper to Gu Ping'an's encounter with the kidnapper.
This is not a good sign; we need to find a way to appease them.
If you want to appease people, the method is simple: just let Third Uncle know that all those kidnappers are dead.
But this matter cannot be revealed by Gu Tang; she is unaware to the outside world that the kidnappers have died.
She simply sprinkled powder into their eyes and then ran away; she knew nothing else.
Her father must have known that those kidnappers were dead, otherwise he wouldn't have been winking at Chief Gu earlier.
I just don't know if her dad will bring this up later.
While her mind was racing with thoughts, Gu Tang remained outwardly calm and smiled as she agreed to her third uncle's suggestion.
“I’ll listen to you. Let them switch places. My dad will go buy dragon teeth and thorny aster, and Ping’an will go kill the chicken.”
"Good change! Let's change it like this." Uncle San's face relaxed a bit.
As they were talking, the father and son slowly returned to the main room.
Upon seeing the people approaching, Gu Tang immediately gave the father and son tasks: one to kill a chicken, and the other to buy medicinal herbs.
Gu Ping'an, who was assigned to kill a chicken, happily agreed and ran briskly to the kitchen.
As for Gu Lianshan, he didn't move. After Gu Ping'an had walked away, he went up and sat down with his third uncle, whispering something: "Just now outside the courtyard, I didn't tell the truth..."
Upon hearing the words "not telling the truth," Gu Tang understood that her father was going to tell her third uncle about the kidnapper's death.
Sure enough, her father then brought up the matter of the kidnappers being killed.
She was still inside the house, yet they didn't ask her to leave.
Upon hearing the truth, the third uncle felt a sense of relief, his eyes reddening. He turned to Gu Tang and said, "Girl, did you hear that? You don't have to be afraid anymore. All those kidnappers are dead!"
Gu Tang smiled in perfect unison: "Good riddance! Those kidnappers have abducted countless girls, and the evil they committed is beyond description! The person who killed them is a great benefactor who rid the people of a scourge and accumulated merit!"
He even praised himself at the end.
“That’s right! This is to rid the people of harm and accumulate merit!” Third Uncle wholeheartedly agreed with Gu Tang’s words, and his whole being came alive again.
Besides this, Gu Lianshan had another matter to attend to.
"When I arrived at the destination, I found that all the kidnappers were dead. In a fit of rage, I stripped them naked and searched their bodies for some silver..."
As he spoke, he took out silver ingots and silver notes from his pocket. “It’s a total of thirty taels of silver. I don’t want it. I’ll give it all to the villagers who came with me to the alley, including Tianbao. Each person will get two and a half taels of silver.”
What the hell!
Gu Tang's eyes widened: "Those kidnappers actually carried so much silver?"
Then why didn't she take a single copper coin with her?!
She searched him thoroughly, checking every nook and cranny of his clothes, but she couldn't find a single coin.
Only Li, after searching the place, contributed ten taels of silver to her.