novelraw Chapter 252 Moving Out and Living Separately
Chapter 252 Moving Out and Living Separately
Chapter 252 Moving Out and Living Separately
Looking at the few tattered clothes, Madam Feng felt increasingly panicked for some reason.
She grabbed her son's arm and, with a stern face, told him to go out and find out what was going on.
"Go to the village and ask if anyone knows where Tianbao has been staying these past few days, and also find out what he has been doing."
"Why bother asking about him?" Gu Liansheng hadn't quite figured it out yet and didn't want to go.
"Go quickly! Listen to your mother, go and find out!" Madam Feng's gaze was serious, and her tone became unusually firm.
Gu Liansheng was even more confused: "What's wrong with you? It's just a few of Wei's clothes that are missing. Maybe Tianbao is unhappy about my remarriage and deliberately took Wei's clothes to prevent Qian from wearing them after she enters the family."
Seeing that her son couldn't understand, Madam Feng was both angry and anxious, so she simply told the truth: "Tianbao is thinking about his mother all the time, and he has said more than once that he wants to go find his mother!"
He's been missing for the past few days, and his second son's family isn't around either. He came back today with his second son; what if Tianbao begs his second son, and the two of them go together to bring Wei Shi back…”
Feng didn't say anything more, but those two sentences were enough to enlighten Gu Liansheng.
"You're overthinking it!" Gu Liansheng said coldly, but he still didn't quite believe it. "Shanyao Village isn't close to us! Would the two of them dare to go there to find the Wei family? They wouldn't dare even if they had ten lives!"
If the villagers of Shanyao Village catch them, forget about finding the Wei family; they won't even be able to save their own lives!
"If it were just the two of them, they would never dare! I'm afraid that the second son, that scoundrel, will deliberately agree to this in order to go against you, and then spend money to hire some people to go to Wei Shi together!"
As she spoke, Feng's right eyelid twitched twice, as if foreshadowing something bad.
She looked anxiously at her son: "Siya can earn money, and your third uncle is also someone who doesn't lack money. In order to go against you, the second son will definitely be willing to spend money to find Wei Shi!"
Look at that tattered chest! There must be a lot of silver hidden inside! Now that the silver's been taken, the second son won't lose money; he'll actually make a profit!
Feng's analysis shook Gu Liansheng's resolve, and his previously cold expression visibly turned panicked.
Grandpa Gu was also panicked and hurriedly went to his son's side to persuade him: "Listen to your mother, go to the village and ask. If Wei has really come back, we have to think of another way!"
At this moment, Gu Liansheng completely believed what Madam Feng said and nodded repeatedly in agreement: "I'll go right away! I'll go right away!"
Before he could finish speaking, he rushed out of the house in a panic.
The elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Feng, also came out of the house.
Watching her son's hurried departure, she was filled with worry, wondering if he would be able to find out anything.
Gu Zhier, who had gone to the backyard to kill a chicken earlier, returned carrying a knife in one hand and a chicken in the other.
Seeing the two elders standing under the east wing, he casually asked, "Why did you two come out of the house? It's terribly cold outside! By the way, has Tianbao boiled any water?"
"Don't mention that little bastard!" Old Master Gu was furious and shouted this in a bad tone.
After yelling, he leaned on his cane and went into the house without looking back, his face ashen.
Gu Zhier was startled by the old man's reaction and didn't dare to say another word.
After the old man went inside, she quickly went to her mother and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? You were fine just now, why are you angry now?"
"Don't even mention it..." Madam Feng looked annoyed and lowered her voice to speak to her daughter, recounting everything that had just happened.
Upon hearing that Wei might be returning, Gu Zhier frowned: "That Wei is truly shameless! If she were any other person with any sense of honor, she would have hanged herself long ago, instead of waiting for her family to come and save her."
“That makes perfect sense!” Madam Feng agreed with her daughter’s point of view and added, “Mother, have your eldest brother ask around the village to see if anyone knows what that scoundrel Tianbao has been up to these past few days. If they really do bring Wei Shi back, we’ll have to figure out how to deal with this!”
"Think of a way?" Gu Zhier pursed her lips, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "No matter how many methods you have, they're useless. In my opinion, it's best to let Madam Qian come in right away!"
Once Qian enters the house, it won't matter if Wei comes back. She'll either have to degrade herself to a concubine or get out!
If she were to degrade herself to the status of a concubine, that would make things much easier. A concubine is just a plaything, something to be bought and sold… We can just find an opportunity to sell her later!
Gu Zhier's method was truly refreshing. After thinking about it carefully, Madam Feng felt it was feasible more and more!
"Do as you say! Go to the kitchen to boil water and prepare the chicken. I'll go find your father and have him go talk to the matchmaker about this!"
"Hey! Slow down!"
Seeing her mother leaning on her cane heading towards the main room, Gu Zhier hurriedly put down the chicken and knife, and helped her into the main room, afraid that she might fall.
……
When the oxcart arrived at Bei'an City, a light rain suddenly began to fall.
Gu Lianshan was startled and hurriedly took Gu Tianbao to the inn and helped him unload the things from the car.
"Since you have some money, ask your mother later whether you plan to stay for a short time or a long time. If you plan to stay long-term, it would be more cost-effective to rent two rooms. Staying in an inn is too expensive!"
"Sigh! I'll ask my mother later." Gu Tianbao hadn't thought of these things, but now that Gu Lianshan had reminded him, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
If his mother goes back to the village, she will face gossip. But if she doesn't go back to the village and stays in Bei'an City, what should she do?
No one here knows his mother, nor does anyone know about her past. Living in Beian City, he doesn't have to worry about outsiders talking behind his back.
Gu Tianbao looked at Gu Lianshan with hopeful eyes: "Second Uncle, do you think it would be okay if I took my mother and settled down in Bei'an City in the future?"
"Settle down?" Gu Lianshan was very surprised. "You won't be coming home anymore?"
Gu Tianbao scratched his head: "The marriage my father arranged will definitely not be called off. If my mother goes back to live in the village, she will have to face the villagers' pointing fingers and gossip, and she will also have to face my father remarrying. I'm afraid my mother won't be able to bear the blow."
This is true.
Rather than returning to the village and facing numerous embarrassments, it would be better to settle in Bei'an City, live a quiet life under an assumed name.
However... to do this, you need to have enough silver on hand.
"The idea is good, but if you want to settle down in Bei'an City, you'll need money! Not to mention anything else, you'll need to rent a house to settle down, and the monthly rent alone will be quite a lot!"
"The rent is enough!" Gu Tianbao moved closer to Gu Lianshan and whispered, "I found thirty taels of silver at home, plus the silver my grandmother left for my mother at the money exchange, it's enough for my mother to live on for the rest of her life."
Even if we run out of money later, I'm here for you! I plan to find some work in Beian City after the New Year, any amount is fine, as long as it helps out a little.
This surprised Gu Lianshan greatly: "What? You're not going to study anymore?"
When the topic of reading came up, Gu Tianbao looked embarrassed: "Second Uncle, to be honest, I really have no talent for studying! You've seen how I've been studying all these years. If it weren't for Dad constantly pushing me, I would have given up studying long ago!"
Previously, when I was home, you went out first, and I was left alone in the house when my father scolded me. My father said that from now on I wouldn't need to go to school anymore, and would only stay at home to work in the fields.
"That's quite rare!" Gu Liansheng exclaimed in amazement upon hearing this.
“You’re your father’s only son! Hasn’t he always valued you the most? And Grandma and Grandpa, they both love you too, so why would they suddenly stop you from studying?” “I guess it’s because my father is about to remarry. I heard that Qian is only in her early twenties. My father and grandma are probably thinking of having Qian give birth to another son to be my father’s successor.”
“The old couple spent a lot of money on you, and I thought they wouldn’t want to give up their efforts and would continue to support your studies. I never expected that they would stop you from studying.”
Gu Lianshan sighed, realizing he had always believed the old couple genuinely loved Gu Tianbao.
And that idiot eldest son, who used to dote on his son so much, is now giving up on him so easily.
Gu Tianbao remained calm about it: "Maybe the family is out of money. Not letting me study is exactly what I wanted; I'm overjoyed."
"Of course, I can choose not to study, but as for me to stay home and farm, that's out of the question! From now on, I'll live with my mother in Beian City; that won't prevent Qian from giving my father a son."
"That's good too. If your father really has another son, he won't come looking for you anymore, and you can live peacefully with your mother."
Go back and talk to your mother. I'll come back in a couple of days. If you really intend to stay in Beian City, I'll help you find a place to live.
"Oh! Thank you so much, Second Uncle!"
"Alright, let's go back. The rain is getting heavier, and Uncle should head back to the inn too."
Gu Lianshan waved to him, and after everyone went inside, he drove the oxcart home.
In the courtyard, Uncle San's expression was not good in the face of the sudden rain.
Standing under the eaves with his cane, watching the winter rain fall like silk threads, he turned to ask Gu Tang beside him.
"I told your father to buy more grain, did he buy it?"
"I bought them, and they're all in the west wing. Let me open the door, and you can go take a look."
"Alright! I'll go take a look." Third Uncle really wanted to go see.
Gu Tang went back to her room, got the key, and opened the door to the west wing room.
Every room in this courtyard is spacious and comfortable, including the side rooms. The side rooms, which should have been small and low, are built to be comparable to the main room in Uncle San's house.
Pushing open the door and entering the room, after taking a few steps, there was nowhere left to go; the entire side room was piled high with grains and various meats and vegetables.
The food in this room is enough to feed their family for more than half a year.
Reaching out and touching the bag of grain, Third Uncle breathed a sigh of relief: "Your father is still sensible. With so much grain, we won't have to worry about this winter."
"Sir, is there really a snow disaster this year?" Gu Tang felt that the recent snow disaster rumors were strange, and everything had gone up in price. The key point was that the government had not stepped in to stop the rumors.
If it's true, that's fine. But if it's false, it's likely that this was deliberately spread by officials and businessmen in collusion, with the aim of raising prices and plundering the money from ordinary people.
"Based on past experience, the later the snow falls here, the more frightening the snowfall will be! This year, it should be almost certain!"
Third Uncle left the side room, his face full of worry.
With prices skyrocketing this year, people can't buy enough food. If there is a snow disaster, they may eat up all their stored food.
The grain stored in people's homes is not all used for eating; some is reserved for planting after the New Year when the weather warms up.
If we eat all of this, when it's time to plant after the New Year, we'll either have no seeds left and they'll just sit there uncultivated, or we'll have to spend money to buy more!
But right now, with prices skyrocketing, every household has emptied their savings, so where would they find the money to buy seeds?
Ultimately, there are only two possible outcomes.
One option is to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates to buy seeds; the other is to not plant any seeds and leave the land barren for a year, then sell the children to make a living.
Gu Tang locked the side room. Hearing the phrase "almost certainly", his heart tightened. He hoped that Agou would act quickly and set up the charity hall before the snow fell.
Third Uncle faced the courtyard, looking at the rain outside, and continued to chatter to Gu Tang: "When we go back to the village, we must take all this grain back with us. There's no one guarding this place, and if some starving villagers climb over the wall, all this food will be looted!"
“Okay, I’ll have my dad make a few more trips, or we can hire a few oxcarts to transport it home.”
"We can't hire an oxcart!" Third Uncle waved his hands repeatedly. "We can't let anyone know that we have grain. Have your father make a few more trips, avoiding people, to transport the grain back."
If there really is a snow disaster, and outsiders find out that we have food, our whole family will probably be in trouble!
"Okay, I'll do as you say and have my dad make a few more trips."
The old man's concerns were not unfounded.
If there is no snow disaster, these things are fine to show, but if there is a snow disaster, these things might be a death sentence!
"Come inside, it's terribly cold outside." Gu Tang helped him up and escorted him back to the main room.
Once inside, Third Uncle was a little tired and said he wanted to take a nap, so he asked Gu Tang to sit in front of the stove and warm herself by the fire.
Seeing the person enter the east wing, Gu Tang didn't stay in the main room for long. She lifted the curtain and went to the east wing to find Gu Ping'an.
The two dogs she bought are still in Gu Ping'an's house. She said she would make a doghouse for them, but it's been so long and she doesn't know when it will be finished.
After knocking on the door and waiting for a response from inside, Gu Tang pushed the door open and went in.
Hearing the noise, the two puppies were so frightened that they immediately crawled under the bed.
Gu Tang squatted by the bed and called out a few times, but the two puppies just wouldn't come out.
"They're not familiar with you, so they instinctively try to hide when they see you. They'll get used to you as you get to know them better."
Gu Pingan was still building the doghouse, talking to Gu Tang while keeping busy with his work.
The floor inside the house was covered with wooden strips of varying lengths, scraps of cloth, and various tools.
Gu Pingan had already used wooden strips to make the outline of the doghouse. Now all he had to do was sew the scraps of cloth together and then put them over the doghouse.
Looking at the extremely rudimentary doghouse, Gu Tang felt cheated: "You did this wrong! You promised me you'd make a doghouse out of pure wood, but take a good look at what you've made. You just used a few wooden strips to make the outline, and the rest is all scraps of cloth!"
"Second sister, you should be content!" Gu Ping'an was extremely frustrated. "I originally planned to have Father do it, but I don't know when he will be back, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it myself!"