novelraw Chapter 260 Apologize and return the money!
Chapter 260 Apologize and return the money!
Chapter 260 Apologize and return the money!
Madam Wei invited the father and daughter to sit down, and personally poured tea for them, telling them to have a cup of hot tea to warm themselves up.
Gu Lianshan took a sip out of courtesy, then put down his teacup and asked the mother and her two children if they had made up their minds.
"Are you planning to settle down in Beian City, or pack your things and go back to the village? It's snowing now. Whether you stay or go back to the village, you need to find a house to live in as soon as possible, and you also need to buy things for the winter."
“Second Uncle, we’ve already discussed this matter,” Madam Wei said with a smile. “We won’t go back to the village. We’ll rent two rooms in Bei’an City and deal with it after this winter.”
"Alright! Let Tianbao come with me, I'll take him to find a house. Do you and Sanya have any requirements for the house? If so, tell me so I can remember them and find one according to your requirements."
"I'm looking for a detached house, not too big, just three or four rooms, and the rent can't be too expensive."
Uncle, I won't lie to you, I do have some money on hand now, but as you know, neither my daughter nor my son is married yet.
"I can't rely on their father anymore, so I'm thinking of saving some money so that I'll at least have some to help my children when they get married."
With a forced smile, Wei's words made Gu Lianshan sigh.
Indeed, his good older brother didn't even want Gu Tianbao, his son, so there was no way he could expect him to provide financial support for the child in the future.
"Okay! I've got it. I'll look for it the way you said."
"Oh! Thank you, Second Brother!" Madam Wei thanked him repeatedly, her words and actions making her extremely humble.
Gu Lianshan nodded to her, then stood up and beckoned Gu Tianbao to come out with him.
Seeing this, Madam Wei hurriedly called out to him, "Second brother, there is one more thing your sister-in-law hasn't said yet, please wait a moment."
Gu Lianshan stopped in his tracks: "Is there anything else?"
Wei smiled ingratiatingly at him, then turned and went to the bedside, taking out a money pouch from under the pillow.
Holding the money bag, Wei Shi approached Gu Tang and apologized, "Siya, your aunt was bewitched and greedy back then, which is why I stole your money."
Now that your aunt has repented, she doesn't ask for your forgiveness, she only hopes you will accept this money. There are twenty taels of silver in this money bag; it's your aunt returning the money to you.”
Looking at the silver handed to her, Gu Tang stared at Wei Shi for a while, sensing no malice, and confirmed that she was sincere.
After receiving the silver, Gu Tang did not accept it all. Instead, she opened the money bag, took out half of the silver ingots, and stuffed them back in.
"I overstated the accounts that day. Besides, I know my mother wouldn't give you half; she definitely wouldn't tell you the truth."
I'll take half of this money today; you can take the other half back.
To be frank, my uncle is a real scoundrel! You have money, and your cousin is old enough to get married. With him backing you up, there's no need to put up with my uncle's temper!
It's not that Gu Tang is a saint, but after being in this world for so long, she has come to realize one thing: it's really too difficult for women in this era!
Whether it's good or evil, life is pretty much the same. There are no human rights to speak of, not even the most basic dignity. Most women are just reproductive tools in the family and free labor.
If Wei does not cause her any further harm, she can forgive and forget the past.
If it were the Wei family of the past, who hadn't experienced hardship and seen through Gu Liansheng's true nature, they would have definitely exploded upon hearing these words.
But now, Madam Wei has completely seen through Gu Liansheng's character and knows that Gu Tang's words to her mean he genuinely wants to help her.
At that moment, she felt nothing but gratitude and regret.
“I’ve remembered this! After this experience, I will never believe your uncle again and will only live with Tianbao and Sanya.”
The fact that Madam Wei didn't mention Gu Qing here suggests that she knows what Gu Qing did and has no choice but to give up on Gu Qing in order not to anger her son and second daughter.
Gu Tang was unaware of the situation and did not intend to ask. She simply handed the silver to Madam Wei and told her to take it.
Madam Wei refused to accept it and hurriedly pushed it back, saying, "This is what my aunt owes! My aunt has to pay it back!"
"I'll keep half for myself; you can take the rest back. If you feel bad about it, you can give me the money back when Tianbao becomes successful in the future."
Gu Tang insisted on stuffing the silver into his hand.
When Wei disappeared, she searched Wei's house once and found a lot of silver.
This half, in retrospect, shouldn't be taken.
But it wouldn't be right not to take it, so I might as well take half.
She didn't keep half of it; she'd give it to Ah Gou next time so he could use it at the charity center, which would be considered accumulating good karma.
Wei was still unwilling to accept the money, and in the end, Gu Lianshan made the decision.
“Just listen to my daughter! She doesn’t lack money right now, but you’re different. You’ll be living in Bei’an City from now on, and you’ll need money for everything. Give her half of this money, and you keep the other half.”
Now that Madam Wei listens to Gu Lianshan very much, she could no longer refuse when he spoke, and kept bowing and thanking the father and daughter.
Gu Tang was a junior, and no matter how much she had a falling out with Wei Shi, she should not accept Wei Shi's courtesy at this time. Therefore, she hid behind her father.
Gu Lianshan and Wei Shi were of the same generation, and since Wei Shi was someone he had saved, he didn't make a move and accepted Wei Shi's greeting with a clear conscience.
After accepting the greeting, Gu Lianshan led Gu Tang and Gu Tianbao out of the house.
Before leaving, Gu Tianbao worriedly instructed Gu Lian to take good care of Wei Shi, rambling on and on until Gu Lianshan called him from outside. Only then did he leave, turning back every few steps.
After leaving the inn, the three of them went to a small teahouse.
When Gu Tang saw the teahouse owner, she suddenly remembered that this was the same Manager Qian they had found when they bought the courtyard last time.
"Dad, it's just renting a house, do we need to hire a broker?" Gu Tang was very puzzled, as she had never hired a broker when renting houses before.
"It's safer to find a dentist. Besides, Bei'an City is so big, and we're not familiar with it. If we try to find it ourselves, how long would it take?"
That's true. Using a broker can save time and effort, but... you have to pay the broker a fee.
Gu Tang didn't hide anything from Gu Tianbao and told him about it. If he was willing to pay the fee, then he could go in and find a broker.
If they don't want to come out, then they'll go and ask in every alley; they'll find it sooner or later.
Gu Tianbao shared the same thought as Gu Lianshan: if spending a little money could save a lot of trouble, then so be it!
"It's alright, let's do as Uncle says and find a house as soon as possible so that my mother and I can move there sooner."
Alright! Since you're willing to spend the money, let's go to the teahouse and find a broker.
Manager Qian of the teahouse had a good memory. When he saw Gu Lianshan, he was a little unsure, but when Gu Tang came in, he immediately remembered.
"Oh my! Isn't this Mr. Gu and Miss Gu? What brings you two here today!"
The shopkeeper smiled ingratiatingly, talking as he invited the guests inside and called for the waiter to serve tea.
Gu Lianshan casually picked a table and sat down.
As soon as I sat down, the waiter brought over a tray to serve tea.
The tea sold in the teahouse was different from the tea enjoyed by customers like Gu Lianshan; the latter was clearly superior. A cup of hot tea warmed him from head to toe.
Gu Lianshan wiped his mouth and looked at the shopkeeper with a look of surprise: "How long has it been? It's kind of you that Shopkeeper Qian still remembers me."
"What you're saying..." Manager Qian glanced at Gu Tang without changing his expression and smiled, "Others may not remember, but you and I will never forget!"
"No wonder you're in business, your tongue is really sharp!" Gu Lianshan praised with a smile, then changed the subject and pointed at Gu Tianbao.
He said, "Stop joking. I have something to discuss with you today. This is my nephew, my own nephew! My nephew wants to rent a small courtyard."
It doesn't need to be too nice, just three or four rooms will do. The rent should be cheap, and the neighbors should be honest people, not the kind who steal, fight, or quarrel.
"Oh my! You've really come to the right person!" Manager Qian exclaimed with delight, slapping his thigh.
He moved closer to Gu Lianshan and whispered, "To be honest, lately, because of the rumors of a snow disaster this year, many families who rent houses in the city have returned to their hometowns, leaving many courtyards vacant. I have quite a few courtyards that meet your requirements. I'll take you to see them in a bit."
"Since that's the case, let's not wait any longer. Let's go now while the snow outside isn't too heavy, and make a decision as soon as possible!"
Gu Lianshan was anxious and wanted to get this done as soon as possible.
When business came knocking, Manager Qian was even more attentive than Gu Lianshan. Upon hearing this, he immediately nodded in agreement and told his assistant to get the cart ready in the backyard.
Before long, Manager Qian got into his own oxcart and led the way, taking Gu Lianshan to see the house.
If you're looking for cheap rentals in Beian City, the only place to go is on West Street.
Manager Qian led them straight to West Street.
The houses on West Street are denser than those in other neighborhoods, and both the houses and the courtyards are more numerous.
In particular, the courtyards rented out by the owners are mostly partitioned off from the original courtyards by building a wall, making them very small.
The first courtyard that Manager Qian showed Gu Lianshan and the others was like this.
It was separated from the main house's courtyard, consisting of three south-facing rooms. The courtyard was long and narrow, and a simple shack was built against the west wall, which was drafty on three sides.
Shopkeeper Qian pointed to the shack and said, "We can build two stoves down there to use as a kitchen. In the summer, it won't be hot at all when cooking in this shack!"
Yes, cooking rice in the summer isn't hot, but it's winter now!
Cooking outside on a freezing winter day, by the time the food is done, you're practically frozen solid!
Gu Tang secretly rolled her eyes. While Manager Qian was still praising everything, she took the opportunity to tug at her father's clothes, telling him to ask the price first, regardless of whether it was good or bad, and to look at a few more shops later.
Compare prices from three different places: the size of the yard, the quality of the house, and most importantly, the monthly rent.
Since this wasn't about finding a courtyard for his own family, Gu Lianshan couldn't make the decision entirely on his own.
He winked at Gu Tianbao and quietly asked him, "How was it? Did you find one you like?"
"Second Uncle," Gu Tianbao said in a barely audible voice, "I really don't know anything about renting houses! You have the final say."
This is the truth; Gu Tianbao really knows nothing about this matter.
Okay, let's listen to his daughter and ask how much the rent is first.
"Manager Qian, stop praising me. Tell me, how much rent do we need to pay for this courtyard each month?"
"I'm not trying to rip you off. There aren't many people renting houses these days, especially this year. The number of people renting houses has decreased by half! If you like this courtyard, it's only one hundred copper coins a month, and you can move in today!"
One hundred copper coins a month? That's not expensive.
"Are there any more? I'd like to look at a few more sets, but you have to let us choose, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes! There are five or six small courtyards on West Street alone. I'll take you to see them."
After leaving the small courtyard, the group climbed onto the oxcarts and headed to the next small courtyard.
Following behind Manager Qian, Gu Lianshan and his group visited five small courtyards.
Each courtyard is pretty much the same, with three rooms facing south, plus a kitchen built in the courtyard, making it roughly four rooms.
The courtyard was the same; it was entirely partitioned off from the main house's courtyard, and it was not only small but also extremely poorly soundproofed.
The monthly rent ranged from one hundred to one hundred and fifty copper coins, which was not considered expensive.
After looking around, it was almost over, so Manager Qian took them to see the last shop.
"The rent for this courtyard is a bit more expensive. The house consists of three north-facing rooms and two east-facing rooms. The courtyard is quite spacious, more than twice as large."
"You can plant some vegetables in the yard later, and raise some chickens and ducks. Basically, you can do whatever you want with it; the homeowner won't interfere."
Manager Qian boasted all the way, arousing everyone's curiosity.
Before long, two oxcarts stopped one after the other at the entrance of an alley.
The courtyard they wanted to see was right at the entrance of this alley.
After jumping off the oxcart, Manager Qian took out the key to open the courtyard gate and started talking about the owner of the courtyard.
"The master doesn't live here. The master's family lives on East Street. They don't come here often. Even when they rent a house, they entrust it to us brokers. They're too lazy to deal with this kind of thing."
After opening the courtyard gate, Manager Qian invited the three of them in and told them to take a good look around the courtyard.
Just as Manager Qian had described, the courtyard had three north-facing rooms and two east-facing rooms, and was spacious enough to be used for growing vegetables or raising chickens and ducks.
Manager Qian opened all the rooms and let them in to have a look.
"The house is also very spacious. The family used to live here."
Once inside, Gu Tang measured the house with her feet and found that it was smaller than the house in her courtyard, but more spacious than the houses in the village.
"How is it?" Gu Lianshan leaned closer to Gu Tang and Gu Tianbao and asked them in a low voice.
Gu Tang didn't say whether it was good or bad, but instead asked Gu Tianbao, "What do you think of this place compared to the previous ones? Do you prefer this place or the previous ones?"
"Of course I like it here," Gu Tianbao replied without hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Gu Tang looked at her father: "Did you hear that? Go and ask how much the rent is. If you can accept it, then it's settled."
"Yes, yes, Second Uncle, please go and ask." Gu Tianbao was a little timid when he returned to the rented house for the first time, and he didn't dare to talk to Manager Qian.
"Okay! I'll go ask!"
Manager Qian stood under the eaves and did not come in to disturb their conversation.
Those in their line of work know that whether buying or renting a house, the family always has to discuss it.
At times like these, he needs to be discerning and not get too close to people.