novelraw Chapter 270 I won't stop until I send you all down.
Chapter 270 I won't stop until I send you all down.
Chapter 270 I won't come back until I send you all down.
"I'm asking you! Did Madam Wei return? Was Qing'er afraid of the forty lashes, so she secretly ran away to find Madam Wei?!"
Old Master Gu's tone was aggressive, as if he had already concluded that Gu Qing had indeed gone to see Madam Wei.
Gu Lianshan thought he was being unreasonable. Gu Qing had no idea that Wei Shi had returned. Where was she supposed to look for her?
“My family and your son’s family have never spoken to each other again! Don’t ask me, I know nothing about it. If someone is missing, then go find them. What’s the use of you coming to me?”
"Find people? You make it sound so easy!" Old Master Gu was furious. "It's snowing heavily, your mother and I are both sick, and your eldest brother is a scholar, his health is delicate and he can't stand the cold. Lian'er and Tianbao are also missing. Find them? Who are we supposed to find them?"
These words chilled Gu Lianshan to the bone: "You said the same thing when Wei disappeared. Now that Qing'er is missing, you're saying the same thing. I can't ask you about this; you'll have to figure it out yourself!"
Gu Lianshan didn't want to see him anymore, so he pried his hand off the door and tried to lock him out.
Grandpa Gu grew anxious and had no choice but to back down: "I don't want you to go out and search. Just help me find a few people in the village to look around here. If you find them, great; if not, then don't bother searching..."
"You only think about Qing, why don't you look for Lian and Tianbao?" Gu Lianshan wondered, when did that brat Gu Qing become so important to him?
"Tianbao and Lianya were with you before. If anything happens, I'll hold you accountable!"
Old Master Gu was extremely shameless. After saying this, he started urging Gu Lianshan to go find someone.
"Go find someone right now! There's no one at home to take care of your mother; it's all Qing'er's responsibility! If you can't find anyone, you'll have to send your daughter to come and serve her!"
Gu Lianshan said with an annoyance, "Everyone in this family is staying at home. If they want to find someone to look for Qingya, you can just let Gu Liansheng do it. He's a scholar and has more influence than me. I can't handle this!"
"Do you think hiring someone is free? You either have to provide them with a good meal or give them money afterward. Neither of these options costs money."
Besides, your elder brother is a scholar, and scholars are most averse to owing favors. Your elder brother cannot get involved in this matter!
Gu Lianshan was so angry he laughed!
It turns out the old man knew that finding someone wasn't a free lunch; it involved investing favors and money!
"What you're saying has nothing to do with me! Go back and let that bastard Gu Liansheng take a good look at the adoption certificate!"
"If someone has studied for decades and still doesn't understand what adoption means, I think they shouldn't even bother taking the imperial examination next year; it would be a complete waste of resources!"
After saying this with a cold laugh, Gu Lianshan closed the courtyard gate.
He couldn't calmly face the old man right now; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back his anger and start cursing!
Looking at the tightly closed door, Old Master Gu's face turned ashen, he trembled with anger, and a faint pain returned to his chest.
He clenched his right fist and slammed it fiercely against the door again!
"Second son! Open the door! If you're not going to find Qingya, then let your daughter go home and serve you..."
The third uncle in the courtyard frowned deeply, Gu Lianshan's face was even darker, while Gu Tang's eyes shone brightly, full of eagerness.
She leaned closer to the door and called out, "You want me to come and serve you? Sure! But we need to agree on this beforehand! If I go to your place, I won't leave easily!"
As the saying goes, it's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away. If I go there, I won't leave until I've sent you all down! You'd better think it over!
Grandpa Gu outside the door immediately quieted down. His heavy breathing could be heard even through the door, clearly indicating that he was very angry.
Gu Tang waited for a while before Old Master Gu finally spoke: "Who wants a heartless servant like you? Where are your older brother and sister? Let them come back and live here! From now on, let them serve the whole family! That way, they won't get in your way!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tang subconsciously looked at her father and asked in a low voice, "Don't they know about my older brother and sister?"
Gu Lianshan shook his head with a dark face. He couldn't bring himself to talk about his eldest daughter, and the clan elders and villagers knew about his eldest son being sent away. He thought the old man knew, but it turned out he didn't.
Seeing that her father didn't speak, Gu Tang understood. She opened the courtyard gate and looked at Old Master Gu with a smile.
"Grandpa! My elder brother and sister aren't home, I'll go and take care of them! Come on, let's go back quickly. If you two can hold on until spring, I'll write my name 'Gu Tang' backwards!"
Old Master Gu's hair stood on end!
He flung Gu Tang's hand away: "I don't need you to serve me! Where are your older brother and sister? When they come back, you can let them come back to live here!"
“My older brother and sister have gone to visit relatives and probably won’t be back until the end of the twelfth lunar month. You probably won’t be able to wait for them, so it’s better if I go and take care of them!”
Gu Tang gave a forced smile, baring her teeth at Old Master Gu.
In Old Master Gu's eyes, she looked like a demon!
"Get out! I don't want you to serve me!"
After saying this, Old Master Gu wanted to leave.
Want to go?
Pshaw! It's not that easy!
What do they think of their home? Someone to cause trouble when things don't go their way?
Gu Tang spat with a cold laugh and grabbed the person: "I told you to leave earlier but you wouldn't. Now you want to leave? Bah! Don't even think about it!"
"If you don't take me back today, I'll go up the mountain and catch some live rats and release them all over your place! I'll make sure your house is full of rats!"
"You little beast!" The image of a room full of rats flashed through Old Master Gu's mind instantly. He felt his scalp tingle and his face changed drastically. He shook his arm, trying to shake off Gu Tang's hand.
Gu Tang held onto his clothes tightly, betting that he wouldn't dare struggle too much, for fear of damaging the decent clothes.
While the grandmother and grandson were arguing, the door of the house diagonally opposite suddenly opened, and a woman came out.
This family didn't have a courtyard wall, only a fence that reached their waists, so as soon as they opened the door to their main room, they could see the people on this side.
"Lianshan girl! What are you doing?"
The woman was incredibly curious, so she walked over to her own fence and looked closer.
Upon closer inspection, she recognized Old Master Gu: "Oh! Isn't this Master Tongsheng's father? What brings you here?"
Gu Tang was amused by the address and, before Old Master Gu could speak, directly peeled off his face.
“My eldest cousin ran away, and my second uncle said there was no one at home to take care of my mistress, so he came to call me back to take care of her.”
"Qing'er ran away?!" The woman exclaimed in surprise. "Did you tell the clan chief? Qing'er still has her flogging to receive! According to clan rules, this is punishable by expulsion from the clan!"
“My grandfather forbids me to say anything, dear aunt, please don’t make a fuss for now. I’ll have my father go talk to the clan chief about this later…”
"What nonsense are you spouting, you little beast?!" Old Master Gu, who had been smeared with dirty water, immediately flew into a rage.
"When did I say no or anything! If you want to tell the clan chief, then go ahead! You traitor!"
Gu Tang, who had been scolded, was not angry. Instead, she looked at Old Master Gu with a sigh.
What a pig-like opponent!
Upon hearing this, the woman couldn't help but speak up: "Master Tongsheng's father, Lian Shan's whole family has been adopted. He is now your nephew, not your son."
This Tang girl is the same; she's your grandniece, not your granddaughter. Logically and emotionally, how could you expect your grandniece to serve the mother of the scholar?
Where is your daughter, Gu Zhi'er? Have her come and serve you for a few days. I remember Master Tongsheng has already arranged a marriage, so let's not wait any longer. Quickly bring your daughter-in-law into the family and have her serve you.”
After saying this, the woman turned and went back into the house.
It's too cold outside, and she's only wearing thin clothes. She can't let herself get cold outside!
Grandpa Gu was so angry he couldn't speak, and his face turned pale. Seeing this, Gu Tang immediately let go. "Speak up! You can't extort money from people for no reason!"
Grandpa Gu also realized that this was a sign that he was about to have a relapse, and he became flustered.
He switched the cane to his left hand, and with his right hand trembling, reached into his robes, pulled out a bamboo tube about the thickness of a finger, poured out a pill, and then put it in his mouth and swallowed it.
Seeing this, the third uncle finally spoke up, calling Gu Tang back and asking Gu Lianshan to take the old man back.
We can't let anything happen in front of their house, otherwise even eight mouths won't be able to explain ourselves.
Gu Lianshan did not refuse. He walked to the old man's side and asked him if he wanted him to help him walk.
After taking the medicine, Grandpa Gu had calmed down, but he was still angry.
She initially wanted to say no out of spite, but then she thought that this was an opportunity to ease the tension with her son.
After a moment of silence, he softened his tone and said, "My legs feel a little weak..."
Understood.
Gu Lianshan reached out and took his arm, helping him walk home.
The snow on the village road has not been cleared yet. If you step on it, you sink in instantly. The snow is up to your calves and is very difficult to walk on.
Even that couldn't stop the old man from coming to see him, and Gu Lianshan was truly impressed!
"Second son." Old Master Gu was getting impatient and spoke up after taking only a few steps.
“I know you have grievances in your heart, but your mother and I are just farmers who make a living from the land, and we don’t earn much money all year round…”
Gu Lianshan was very impatient to listen to him and immediately interrupted and retorted.
“Yes! You’re right. You and your mother have no money, but you take all the money I earn. My daughter and son are crying for food, and you say there’s nothing to eat, but then you turn around and buy cloth for Gu Liansheng to make new clothes and shoes.”
There's also the money for tuition, the money for sponsoring candidates in the imperial examinations, the money for writing materials, and the money for food, drink, and entertainment. As long as Gu Liansheng asks, you two old folks will be rich, and he'll give you whatever you want.
But when you turn around and face my family, you two old folks are back to toiling in the fields. Are you taking me for a fool?
Her daughter found eighty taels of silver in the house!
This is what you call having no money?
Gu Lianshan originally didn't want to make a fuss, but the old man just liked to play the victim in front of him.
This is really annoying him!
Old Master Gu's face froze after being rebuked, and there was no need to say anything more; saying anything more would only add fuel to the fire.
The father and son walked in silence for a while. As they approached home, their relationship not only did not improve, but became even more strained.
Grandpa Gu wanted to try again, but his son, who was tough, was not afraid of him and ignored him. So he could only try a softer approach, hoping that his son would help the family.
Unfortunately, Gu Lianshan seemed to know his intentions. No matter what he said, Gu Lianshan kept bringing up the various amounts of money that Gu Liansheng had spent from childhood to adulthood.
From beginning to end, Gu Lianshan believed only one thing: where the money is, there is love!
No amount of sweet talk will change anything; he's not blind, he can clearly see who's truly enjoying the good life.
Old Master Gu had little patience for Gu Lianshan to begin with, and after being repeatedly rebuked, his suppressed anger flared up again. His face darkened, and he stopped talking.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the Gu family's courtyard at the end of the village.
Gu Lianshan didn't go in either. After seeing the person to the door, he turned around and left, not wanting to stay any longer.
This scene angered Grandpa Gu again.
Gu Lianshan returned with a sullen face, not caring whether the old man was angry or not. When he returned to the courtyard, he saw his third uncle leading his son and daughter, squatting in front of the basin to wash radishes.
Upon seeing the three of them, his expression softened, and he seemed to be in a better mood. He rolled up his sleeves, walked over, shooed them away, and started washing himself.
The water in the basin was warm, but it was too cold, and the warm water quickly turned cold.
Gu Tang felt there wasn't enough hot water, so she asked Gu Ping'an to boil another pot. She herself sat on the stool next to her, adding hot water to the basin from time to time.
The third uncle was getting old and couldn't stand the cold, so he got up and went back inside, leaving the father and daughter outside, one doing chores and the other talking.
Gu Tang didn't say anything else. She told her father about the return gift, and then talked about making and selling incense, asking her father what he thought of the idea.
Gu Lianshan thought it was a good idea and suggested giving it a try.
"Alright, let me pickle the radishes for you first, and we'll start this afternoon?"
"Okay!" Since I'm just idling at home anyway, I might as well learn a skill from my daughter.
After using two large pots of hot water, the radishes, weighing over 100 pounds, were finally cleaned.
The cleaned radish should be dried first, and there should be no water on the surface.
Gu Lianshan cleared out a room in the east wing, lit two stoves, and then placed the radishes in a basket to dry slowly inside the room.
While he was at it, he moved all the empty jars out of the west wing, washed them with hot water, drained the water out of them, and then set them aside for later use.
After finishing all that, the water on the surface of the radishes in the east wing had evaporated, so they could be cut into strips and pickled.
The whole family was capable of cutting the knives, but unfortunately there were only two knives in the house. Gu Lianshan and his third uncle took on the job, saying they were afraid the siblings would hurt their hands.
Not having to cut radishes doesn't mean the siblings have nothing to do; they need to neatly arrange the cut radish strips into the jar.
First, sprinkle a layer of salt at the bottom of the jar, then place a layer of radish strips on top of the salt, then sprinkle another layer of salt, and so on...
This is how people pickle vegetables here. It's very simple and straightforward, requiring no skill or level of expertise. You can learn it by listening to or watching once.
It's also easy to eat; after marinating for about ten days, you can take it out and eat it.
No need to wash it with water. You can eat it directly after taking it out, or you can cut it into smaller pieces and stir-fry it with some oil.
Feng would always eat them directly after scooping them out of the water, only adding oil when preparing pickled vegetables for Gu Liansheng.
Third Uncle kept adding oil to stir-fry; he didn't like eating it directly, preferring it stir-fried with meat.
Gu Lianshan and Gu Pingan also liked this way of eating.
Gu Tang, however, doesn't like to eat it no matter how it's prepared.