novelraw Chapter 264 On seducing men, that's just like you!
Chapter 264 On seducing men, that's just like you!
Chapter 264 On seducing men, that's just like you!
Some of the snow on the road melted into mud, while some was compacted and spread thinly on the ground.
The road conditions were not difficult to travel along the way, which was much smoother than traveling in the rain.
It started snowing again halfway there.
The snowfall wasn't heavy at first, with small, scattered snowflakes falling from the sky. But once the oxcart entered the village, the snowfall suddenly intensified, with goose-feather-like snowflakes falling densely, obscuring even visibility.
The village road was deserted, and every household had their doors tightly shut, with everyone staying indoors to keep warm by the fire.
The north wind did not lessen; its strong sound drowned out the creaking of the cart wheels.
When the oxcart stopped in front of their house, Gu Lianshan and his party did not disturb anyone.
Seeing the heavy snow falling, Gu Lianshan was a little anxious. He hurriedly opened the courtyard gate, led the oxcart into the yard, helped the old man into the house first, and then called his son to help unload the things from the cart.
Gu Tang wasn't idle either. She lit the stove, poured the lukewarm tea from the water bag into the kettle, and put it on the stove to heat it up.
By the time the father and son finished their work, the tea in the pot was ready.
Taking out the sugar jar, Gu Tang added a few spoonfuls of sugar to the tea, then poured it into bowls, first giving one bowl to each of the father and son, and the rest to her third uncle.
After finishing his tea, Gu Lianshan felt warm all over. As previously agreed, he put on his bamboo hat and headed back to the city.
"Let Ping An come along. The snow is too heavy, and I'm worried about you going alone." Gu Tang stopped him, wanting him to take Gu Ping An with him.
Gu Ping'an was also happy to go. He finished the tea in his bowl in one gulp, put down the bowl, and looked at his father with hopeful eyes.
Gu Lianshan pondered for a while and did not refuse Gu Tang's suggestion.
With such heavy snow, it's bad enough that visibility is limited, but in a little while, we might not even be able to see the road.
My son knows how to drive a carriage. If I take him with me and let him drive the carriage while I lead the way, it will be much safer.
"Alright, then let Ping An go with us."
"Hey!" Gu Ping'an jogged to get his straw hat.
"Put on the cloak; wrapping it around you will keep you warm."
When they returned, Gu Tang and his third uncle both wore rabbit fur cloaks, but the father and son refused to wear them because they thought they were inconvenient.
She took out the rabbit fur cloaks she had bought for the father and son and made them put them on.
This time, the father and son didn't complain about the inconvenience. They obediently got dressed and drove the oxcart out of the yard.
Third Uncle and Gu Tang saw them off at the courtyard gate, giving them several words of advice out of concern, fearing that something might happen on the way.
The father and son agreed repeatedly, waving for the grandfather and grandson to go back inside and reassuring them.
The old man couldn't put his mind at ease. Standing at the gate of the courtyard, watching the father and son walk away, his worry remained unresolved.
Gu Tang comforted him, "There's nothing in the carriage, so it won't attract attention. As long as we get to the city safely, Gu Sanlang will definitely call his servants to escort us. They'll outnumber us, so we won't have to worry about the journey."
That's definitely true.
Third Uncle nodded, and Gu Tang helped him into the house.
Just as I was about to close the courtyard, a furious roar suddenly came from behind me.
"Four girls!"
The roar was very familiar; Gu Tang recognized it—it was Gu Qing.
Looking back, sure enough, it really was Gu Qing.
Gu Tang looked her up and down and found that Gu Qing had become extremely thin in the few days since she last saw her.
Her once delicate and round face was now withered and sallow, with dark circles under her eyes and a ring of sores around her mouth. Coupled with her ferocious expression, she looked even more mean and vicious.
His clothes were old and patched, thin and ill-fitting, and it was unclear where he had gotten them from.
Gu Tang clicked her tongue twice, looking disgusted: "You're a grown woman, yet you're dressed like a toothless old woman. I'm really curious, where did you get these clothes?"
Where are your own clothes? Besides Gu Tianbao, you were always the one your mother doted on the most. From childhood to adulthood, you always had new clothes made for you every year. How did you end up like this?"
Those words really hit home.
It would have been better if this matter hadn't been brought up, because as soon as it was, Gu Qing immediately exploded.
"How dare you bring that up! You're the one who made me this way! It was those kidnappers who abducted you, it has nothing to do with me! But you instigated that brat Gu Lian to report me to the clan and frame me!"
Gu Qing already knew that Gu Tang had temporarily blinded the kidnappers with drugs, which allowed her and Gu Lian to escape and return.
Just thinking about all this made Gu Qing's teeth itch with hatred!
She hated those kidnappers for being useless; they couldn't even tie up two little hooves!
She still hated Gu Tang. Why did he come back? Why couldn't he just obediently let himself be kidnapped?
And that little harlot Gu Lian!
They are sisters!
But that little prostitute was vicious; she had no sisterly affection whatsoever and was determined to complain to the clan, causing her to suffer this torment.
Her father and those two old geezers in the family are just as hateful!
Seeing that she refused to leave with the Wang family, they ransacked her house, taking away all her clothes and savings.
I wonder where that old hag got the clothes she's wearing now!
"This is like a dung beetle wearing a mask—shameless!" Gu Tang spat at her.
"How much latrine stuff have you eaten with your mouth? It's spewing filth, it stinks to high heaven!"
“I heard that the clan, out of consideration for your injury, punished you with forty lashes, but has not made you receive the punishment. They only make you kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours every day.”
"It seems your injury has definitely healed, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here spewing nonsense!"
"You just wait! I'll go find the clan chief in a little while, and at the latest tomorrow morning, I'll be there to see you receive your punishment in the ancestral hall!"
Gu Qing's eyes reddened, her whole body trembled, and she felt both angry and scared.
"You despicable little hussy! I'll fight you to the death! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"
As she spoke, she pulled a pair of scissors from her bosom!
Then he rushed towards Gu Tang without any regard for anything else.
The third uncle was startled and pulled Gu Tang back two steps, trying to close the courtyard gate.
Gu Tang didn't move. She told the old man to hide to the side, then pulled out the door latch and swung a stick at Gu Qing, who was rushing over.
"what--"
The screams drifted through the snow and were mixed with the howling north wind, but they did not cause any disturbance.
Gu Tang struck Gu Qing in the face with the stick. Gu Qing was in so much pain that she threw down the scissors, covered her face with her hands, and rolled around on the ground.
"Am I being too lenient with you? I haven't even settled accounts with you for what you did before, and you have the audacity to challenge me first!"
Gu Tang picked up the stick and lashed the person a few more times, making the person scream for help in agony.
"Alright, alright, that's enough venting. You really wanted to beat someone to death, didn't you?"
Third Uncle came over to persuade Gu Tang, his clothes soon covered in snow. "Go back inside and brush the snow off yourself. If you're still angry, I'll go find the clan leader and have the clan punish her. There's no need to stoop to her level."
With Third Uncle around, Gu Tang couldn't do anything even if she wanted to kill Gu Qing. She put away the stick, kicked Gu Qing again, and then went back with Third Uncle.
With a loud bang, the gate to the Gu family's courtyard slammed shut.
Gu Qing lay on the snow, crying and trembling all over. Her face was burning with pain, as was her body, and her hands and feet were so cold that she couldn't feel them.
She staggered to her feet, snowflakes falling from her body.
His sinister gaze was fixed on the courtyard gate for a long while before he limped home.
At the Gu family's house at the end of the village, the already somewhat dilapidated courtyard now appeared even more desolate and cold in the wind and snow.
The courtyard gate was wide open, which Gu Qing had opened when she came out in the morning. Two hours had passed, and it was still open, clearly indicating that no one in the family had gotten up yet.
Gu Qing had to kneel in the ancestral hall before dawn every day as punishment, and someone was always watching over her.
I knelt for several days in a row, and my legs were about to give out.
The reason she was able to endure it was because the clan elder guarding her said that if she admitted her mistake and her attitude was good, the forty lashes could be reduced accordingly and would not kill her.
Who would choose to die if they could live?
Unfortunately... she offended that little harlot Siya again today, so those forty lashes probably won't be reduced.
Gu Qing's expression was gloomy, and his eyes were sinister no matter who he looked at.
Once inside the courtyard, she ignored the open gate behind her and headed straight for her room.
Now that Gu Lian is gone, she has a room all to herself, something she has always longed for. But now that her wish has come true, she can't be happy.
Pushing open the door, she found the room completely cold. There wasn't enough firewood, so she could only light the stove at night; during the day, she had to endure the heat.
All the bedding and winter clothes in her father's room were taken by that wicked Tianbao, so the old woman in the main room gave her bedding to her father.
Her winter clothes were also taken away and dismantled so that her aunt could sew two sets of winter clothes for her father.
She had originally wanted to wear Gu Lian's clothes, but when she opened the closet, she found it empty; Gu Lian's winter clothes and blankets were all gone!
Without a doubt, it was either that old hag in the main room who did it, or it was Gu Tianbao who did it!
Sitting on the bed, her cold, stiff fingers touched the thin blanket. Looking down at her clothes, and thinking about the possible whipping tomorrow, Gu Qing wavered.
Perhaps the old woman was right. As long as one can live a good life and survive, it doesn't matter where one is. Only by surviving can one find a way to make those who have harmed them kneel at one's feet.
After sitting stiffly for a while, Gu Qingqing's purplish-red face was full of determination. She got up and left the room.
She came out of the house without stopping and went to the main room through gritted teeth.
The main room of the Gu family was originally clean and tidy, but because no one had cleaned it for a long time, it had become messy and dirty, and you could smell a stench of excrement and urine as soon as you entered.
Because of her leg problems and the snow falling outside, Ms. Feng relieved herself in the chamber pot in the east room to avoid slipping and falling.
If someone diligently helps empty the chamber pot and ventilates the room from time to time, there will never be any smell of feces or urine in the house.
But Madam Feng couldn't clean it up herself, Old Master Gu was lazy, and Gu Liansheng was a scholar, so he couldn't do such dirty work. The whole family relied on Gu Qing, who would come back from being punished by kneeling every day, to empty the chamber pot.
Gu Qing is not Gu Lian. If you try to get her to do chores, she'll have plenty of tricks up her sleeve and keep you waiting.
Every day when she came home, she would say that her legs hurt and that she needed to rest before she could work.
If anyone dares to pressure her, she cries loudly until she attracts the attention of her neighbors.
After several such incidents, the Gu family grew afraid of her and simply let her have her way, but Madam Feng managed to control the grain supply.
Not working?
Then don't eat!
Gu Qing was also stubborn. She would sneak a little food after Feng Shi fell asleep, but she refused to empty Feng Shi's chamber pot.
Counting the days, it's been two more days since it collapsed.
If the main room smelled of excrement and urine, one can only imagine what the east room must smell like—it must be comparable to a latrine!
Enduring the smell, Gu Qing was about to head to the east room when the door to the west room suddenly opened.
Looking back, it was her grandfather!
Grandpa Gu, wearing a padded coat and leaning on a cane, saw that Gu Qing had an injury on her face and asked her in a bad tone if she had caused trouble again.
What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?
Gu Qing froze for a moment, then forced a smile and replied, "I ran into Siya, and Siya beat me up..."
"That little beast is back?" Old Master Gu's eyes widened, and he hurriedly asked, "Has your second uncle returned? We're running out of firewood at home, so we need to send your second uncle into the mountains to get some more."
“I didn’t see my second uncle, but I saw Siya and my third uncle. He’s back too.”
Upon hearing the words "Third Uncle," Old Master Gu's expression changed, his face filled with disgust.
"What third uncle? What kind of third uncle are you? You call him that so affectionately, but he doesn't even look down on you!"
Gu Qing lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and casually asked about something else, not wanting to talk about this anymore, afraid that the old man would scold her.
"Grandpa...why did you come out from the west room? Where's Grandma?"
Old Master Gu's anger paused for a moment, and he became uncomfortable.
He said, “Your grandmother is in the east room. Ever since she fell ill, she has been very easily startled awake at night. I was afraid of disturbing her rest, so last night I moved to the west room.”
Gu Qing scoffed inwardly. Afraid of disturbing that old hag's rest? Ha! She must be unable to stand the stench in that room.
"Go to the east room right now and empty the chamber pot there. The whole room smells like excrement!"
Grandpa Gu looked disgusted, waved for Gu Qing to leave quickly, and then turned around and went back into the house.
After the door to the west room closed, Gu Qing raised her head, spat softly into the west room, and turned to go to the east room.
I lifted the curtain and pushed open the door, and an extremely disgusting smell hit me!
Even though she had expected it, Gu Qing couldn't help but turn her head and bend over to dry heave a few times.
Ouch!
Inside the room, on the bed, Madam Feng had lost a lot of weight. Her skin, which had been stretched out by her previous weight gain, had loosened, causing many more wrinkles on her face and making her look much older, like an old woman in her seventies or eighties.
She rarely used crutches and stayed in bed day and night, never washing herself, her hair and face always disheveled.
The blanket covering him hadn't been washed in a long time; it was covered in grease and was black.
Thank goodness it's winter; if it were summer, the house would probably be infested with maggots!
Gu Qing made no attempt to hide his retching. Feng Shi, who had been keeping her eyes closed, opened them and her anger surged to a fever pitch!
She propped herself up on her arms, struggled to sit up, and cursed at the outside with a ferocious expression.
"She slept with that wild man! In broad daylight, she actually opened her mouth and started vomiting! She really comes from her mother, both of them love to seduce men and sneak into bed!"
Gu Qing trembled with anger at these words, and her vision blurred. The hatred that had been building up in her heart for so long immediately erupted.
"My mother can't compare to you! I'm a descendant of the Gu family, and if I'm going to follow any other family name, it'll be you! When it comes to seducing men, no one can beat you!"