novelraw Chapter 262 Here again?
Chapter 262 Here again?
Chapter 262 Here again?
Gu Tang stopped the person: "Father has already gone far away, and it's windy. Even if you call him, he might not hear you."
"Why are you leaving in such a hurry?!" Gu Pingan stamped his foot, clearly dissatisfied.
"Dad went to help Gu Tianbao move, hoping to get there as soon as possible and finish things quickly. Why are you looking for me? Has something happened at home?"
Gu Tangxin's heart tightened, and she hurried into the courtyard.
Seeing that Gu Tang had misunderstood, Gu Ping'an quickly called her back: "Everything is fine at home, nothing happened."
"Then why are you so anxious?"
After closing the courtyard gate, he pointed towards the main room: "That Young Master Gu is here again!"
"Huh?" Gu Tang was stunned for a moment.
"Didn't you and Dad see him off? He just came back!"
Gu Tang took a deep breath to calm herself down: "What's he doing here again?"
"Send meat to our house!" Gu Ping'an gestured with his hand. "The young clerk from the butcher shop on East Street is pushing a wheelbarrow behind you, young master. There are three dwarf sheep on the cart. He said it's for our house to eat."
They came to deliver meat.
Gu Tang breathed a sigh of relief: "Let him give it to you. If he gives it to you, just accept it. It's a waste not to accept it."
"You make it sound so easy. You accepted their meat, so you have to reciprocate, right? Our stuff can't compare to the mutton they gave us. What are we going to give them in return?"
Gu Ping'an was worried about this matter. He said, "I was just worried about it. I wanted to ask Father what to do about it, but before I could even open my mouth, Father left in a hurry."
"What's there to worry about? He's our father's nephew! His family is wealthy and powerful, so it's only right that he buys a few sheep to show his respect to our father. There's no need to return the favor!"
Gu Tang's words were somewhat sarcastic, causing Gu Ping'an to frequently turn around and look at her.
"Walk carefully! Be careful not to slip!" Gu Tang scolded impatiently, then simply walked past him and entered the second courtyard first.
Upon entering the courtyard, three skinned sheep were prominently displayed under the eaves of the main room.
Gu Tang raised an eyebrow. She remembered that Ah Gou had said that he had no money. If he had no money, how did he buy the sheep?
Walking along the veranda to the front of the main room, upon closer inspection, these three sheep were larger and fatter than the ones she had bought before, and their price was certainly higher.
He took off his straw hat and hung it on the wall, then lifted the curtain and went inside.
Inside the house, Third Uncle and Ah Gou were talking about something, their faces full of smiles, and the atmosphere between them was very harmonious.
Seeing Gu Tang enter the room, Third Uncle looked behind her and saw that the curtain was lifted again, and Gu Ping'an followed closely behind, rubbing his hands as he went to the stove to warm himself.
After that, the curtain remained still.
"Where's your father? Why didn't he come in?" Third Uncle thought Gu Lianshan was feeding the cattle, so he hurriedly said, "Is your father feeding the cattle? Go and call him over, his nephew brought him some meat!"
Gu Tang blinked: "After my father saw me to the gate of the courtyard, he drove off again in his oxcart. My aunt has rented a courtyard and is currently moving. My father went to help move the things, so he didn't know that Young Master Gu had come again."
Gu Tang emphasized the last three words, "Here we go again." Third Uncle didn't notice, but Ah Gou did.
His scalp tingled; he was doomed, he'd made a mistake again!
Upon learning that Gu Lianshan had gone to help the Wei family move, the Third Uncle didn't say anything, only saying, "It's only right. In this snowy weather, it's good to lend a hand."
At this point, he looked at Ah Gou apologetically: "San Lang, your uncle is away and can't keep you company. Don't mind, I'll keep you company!"
Saburo?
Gu Tang was stunned for a moment when she heard the new nickname. Who was this being called? Ah Gou?
Sure enough, Ah Gou chimed in, "Sir, you're overthinking it. I consider this place my home; my own family doesn't need any company."
"Yes, yes, yes! I didn't expect that. You're family now." Third Uncle laughed again, warmly inviting him to stay.
"It's getting late, and it's still snowing outside. Don't leave today. There are houses and bedding at home, so just stay here and wait for your second uncle to come back. Have a good meal tonight, and then leave early tomorrow morning!"
"Ah!" Ah Gou couldn't have been happier and immediately agreed.
This is an opportunity...
Seeing the old man's warm invitation to stay, Gu Tang suddenly felt that this was a great opportunity.
She secretly winked at Ah Gou, then leaned close to the old man and asked, "Grandpa, are you going back to the village tomorrow? If you're leaving tomorrow, then we need to pack our things today."
Uncle San had completely forgotten about going back to the village tomorrow.
Only after Gu Tang reminded him did he belatedly realize it.
Just like Siya said, if we're leaving tomorrow, we have to pack our things today.
Since we need to pack our things, it seems... a bit inappropriate for Young Master Gu to stay at our house now.
Ah Gou's mind worked incredibly fast this time, and he quickly understood Gu Tang's meaning.
Before his third uncle could speak, he said with a look of surprise, "Grandpa, what a coincidence! I have a horse-drawn carriage and an oxcart, and they're both sitting idle in my yard, unused!"
Today I'll stay and help pack up at home. Tomorrow I'll have someone bring over the family's horse-drawn cart and oxcart to help haul the things back to the village. The horses and oxen will do their work too!
These words struck a chord with Third Uncle.
The old man swallowed back his words, which were meant to be seen off.
He dared not use other people's oxcarts, for fear that his family's grain would attract covetous eyes.
But the Sanlang in front of us is different. His family is very wealthy and powerful. All the Gu family's assets combined probably don't even amount to what he has that slips through his fingers.
If he helps transport the grain, it can be completed in two trips, saving a lot of trouble.
But, is it really appropriate to start ordering people around now that they've just met as family?
Seeing the old man's hesitation, Gu Tang advised, "Grandpa, what are you hesitating about? My cousin's idea is excellent, it couldn't be better. Besides, let my cousin go and get acquainted with the family."
This family reunion, though not a major event, should still be celebrated with a feast for the elders of the clan to inform them of the occasion, so that they will at least be legitimate relatives in the future. Don't you agree?
The word "cousin" sent a shiver down Ah Gou's spine!
He glanced at Gu Tang cautiously, and seeing that she didn't seem angry, he continued speaking along with Gu Tang's words.
"My cousin is right. I'm going there this time for three reasons: first, to help my family move things; second, to get acquainted with the family; and third, to host a banquet for the elders in the clan so that my grandson can show his face in front of them."
Uncle San could not find fault with these words.
A proper family reunion is indeed the proper thing to do.
"Alright! Then we'll do as you and your sister wish, and trouble Sanlang to go along."
They finally relented.
Gu Tang also breathed a sigh of relief.
She said, "Since we have some time now, I'll take my cousin and Ping An to the west wing to pack our things?"
Third Uncle paused for a moment. Did he really ask someone to help pack his things?
"Why don't you go and pack with Ping An? I doubt your cousin has ever done this kind of packing before..."
"I've done it before! I've done this job before!" Before Uncle San could finish speaking, Ah Gou eagerly interrupted.
“I used to do this job at home. I always tidy up my own things and never let anyone else do it.”
These words reminded Third Uncle of what Gu Tang had said earlier, that this person was not favored at home and did not have a good life, and it seemed to be true.
That made it difficult for him to say anything more, lest people overthink it.
"Since you've already done it, why don't you go with your cousin?"
"Sigh!" Ah Gou responded, then looked at Gu Tang, waiting for her praise.
He did a good job this time, didn't he?
Praise and compliments?
Without even thinking about it, Gu Tang rolled her eyes at him, called out to Gu Ping'an, and turned to leave the room.
Ah Gou was silent for a moment, not suspecting that Gu Tang did it on purpose, but wondering if he had done something wrong.
Seeing that the man was stunned, Gu Pingan tugged at his sleeve: "Let's go."
"Huh? Oh!" Ah Gou snapped out of his daze and quickly followed.
After leaving the house, it only took a few steps to reach the west wing.
Gu Tang opened the door and asked Gu Ping'an to find some hemp rope, saying that some things needed to be re-tied.
The hemp ropes from the Gu family's house were kept in the west wing; they were specially brought from home to tie things up.
Gu Ping'an reached out and asked Gu Tang for the key. The west wing was locked, and all the keys were in Gu Tang's possession.
"The key to the west wing is in my dressing case in my room. My room is locked. You can use the key to open the door and find it yourself."
Gu Tang handed him a key and told him to hurry up and go.
Gu Ping'an was completely unaware and took the key before going to the backyard.
Once everyone had gone far away, Gu Tang immediately grabbed Ah Gou's clothes and pushed him into the side room.
Pushing him into the house, Gu Tang asked him, "What did you say to the old man?"
"N-nothing..." Ah Gou looked confused, not understanding what was going on.
"Didn't say anything? Then why did the old man call you Sanlang?"
"When the old man asked me what my name was, I didn't know how to answer, so I said I was the third child, and my parents called me Sanlang."
Gu Tang was completely speechless!
"No, it's just a name! You can just make one up, right? Right now you're saying your name is Sanlang, but when we get back to the village, the old man will definitely introduce you by that name."
What will you do then? What's the point of using ranking or the title of "Third Brother" as an excuse? If you really dare to do that, let me tell you, in less than a day, the whole village will know that my father has adopted a rich but foolish nephew as his nephew!
Ah Gou: ...He's not stupid.
"Think of one quickly! Find an opportunity to bring it up during dinner tonight!"
With an impatient tone, Gu Tang peeked outside to check on Gu Ping'an, who was still not back.
Pulling her head back, Gu Tang asked him again, "Didn't you say you didn't have any money? Where did you get the money to buy the sheep?"
This...
Ah Gou laughed: "I went to the Cheng family and found that there were a few more boxes of silver in their storeroom, so I took some."
Gu Tang: ...Going to the Cheng family again!!!
She reached out and tapped Ah Gou's head hard, gritting her teeth as she cursed, "You bastard! Didn't I tell you before not to go to the Cheng family again?! Did you really ignore me?!"
Ah Gou didn't dare to dodge, and several faint finger marks appeared on his forehead.
"The Cheng family is rich and bad, so why can't we go to their house?"
"Even if you're rich, you can't keep taking advantage of people like this! What if you anger them and they deliberately set a trap? Then you're finished!"
Ah Gou wanted to say no, most people are no match for him.
Just then, his ears twitched as he heard Gu Ping'an's footsteps approaching.
"Your brother is here."
Gu Tang paused for a moment, then immediately moved away from Ah Gou, pretending to be packing her things.
Ah Gou also followed her example, sorting the items in front of him.
Gu Ping'an, who had come with the key, stood at the door of the side room and glanced inside.
"Second sister, I've locked your door again. Here's the key."
Gu Tang came out and took the key: "Go quickly to the west wing and get the rope. There are too many things in this room, and they are too messy. We need to sort them out first."
"Ugh!"
Seeing Gu Ping'an go to the west wing, Gu Tang returned to the room and once again instructed A'Gou: "If you ever run out of money in the future, just come to me for more. You are not allowed to go to the Cheng family again!"
If... you absolutely must go in the future, you must get my permission! Right now, I have enough hallucinogens to take down four or five members of the Cheng family; taking them all down is the safest course of action.”
That's it...
Following Gu Tang's line of thought, Ah Gou suddenly had a glint in his eyes: "If that's the case, then why not send the entire Cheng family down there? Wouldn't that be safer?"
"Send it down?" Gu Tang was a little confused and didn't react. "Send it where?"
"Send them to the underworld! I'll kill them all and send them all to the underworld. How about that? Is that a good idea?"
Gu Tang gasped, then exploded: "Is it okay? Okay my foot! Get that idea out of your head right now!!!"
Ah Gou, who thought his idea was brilliant, looked bewildered. Wasn't this idea good?
"I don't want to talk to you about this right now. Turn around and get back to packing! Don't make me yell at you!"
Gu Tang's face was downcast, clearly indicating her displeasure.
Upon seeing this, Ah Gou's heart trembled, and he immediately dared not speak again. He obediently turned around and continued packing his things.
A short while later, Gu Pingan walked in carrying a bundle of rope.
He didn't notice the strange atmosphere inside the room. He handed the key back to Gu Tang and then stood next to her, helping her drag some bags of grain.
Rice, flour, and other grains were all packed in burlap sacks. This was easy to handle; just check if the rope tied around the sack was loose.
The most troublesome thing is the various meats, cabbage, radishes, river fish, oil, salt and other miscellaneous items.
Fortunately, some of them were already frozen solid, so they could be safely piled together without worrying about being crushed.
Put the small ones in bags and tie the large ones together with rope. When we load them onto the truck tomorrow, we can cover them with a cloth to block the view.
After tidying up the food, the three of them went to the west wing.
The charcoal that the Gu family bought was all stored in the west wing, half in bags and half in baskets.
The charcoal that was placed in the basket was put into a bag, and the bag was tied up so that no one would know what was in the bag. This was much more discreet than using the basket.
Gu Ping'an kept filling the bag with charcoal, and took a moment to ask Gu Tang, "Second Sister, should we tidy up the bedding in the room?"
"It's up to you. We have bedding at home anyway, so it's fine whether you bring it in or not."
"So, Second Sister, will you accept it or not?"
"Me? I'll definitely accept it!" The bedding in her room was provided by the system, and it was really warm when she covered herself with it!