novelraw Chapter 274 No affinity at first sight, no destiny
Chapter 274 No affinity at first sight, no destiny
Chapter 274 No affinity at first sight, no destiny
After resting for a while at noon, Gu Tang took out some pastries for them to eat to replenish their energy, and also made them a pot of sweet soup, which could also replenish their energy.
The four sisters-in-law repeatedly refused, not daring to eat or drink the pastries and sweet soup. Gu Tang persuaded them several times before each of them ate two pieces of pastry and drank a bowl of sweet soup.
After eating, they rested for about 45 minutes, but the four of them refused to rest any longer. They washed their hands with water and then continued grinding the incense.
They worked on it until late afternoon, and finally all the incense materials in the room were ground into powder.
Gu Tang supervised the entire process, so he knew how much effort they had put into it.
When settling their wages, she gave them a little more than they should have received. What was originally a day and a half's wages was now calculated as two days' wages, and she gave each of them sixty copper coins.
Besides her wages, she also packed up the leftover pastries from lunch and insisted on giving them to her four sisters-in-law so they could take them back to their children.
Smoke rose from the kitchen of the Gu family. Hearing the noise, Gu Lianshan and his third uncle came out of the kitchen and warmly invited them to stay for dinner.
The four sisters-in-law hurriedly waved their hands in refusal: "We've already taken half a day's wages and two packets of pastries. This is already more than enough. If we stay for a meal, we'll be so embarrassed!"
Gu Lianshan was just being polite; he didn't really mean to invite them to dinner. After all, there was no wife in the house, and it would be inappropriate to have women eat at home.
After hearing the four sisters-in-law's refusal, Gu Lianshan didn't insist and said with a smile, "My daughter is very picky! The fact that she's willing to pay you for half a day's work means that your work is very pleasing to her! You deserve it."
These were compliments, and the four sisters-in-law were very pleased. They chatted and laughed for a few more minutes before hurriedly leaving.
The snow has lessened a bit this time, but it's still falling, and it hasn't stopped all day.
The snow in the yard was very deep. In the afternoon, Gu Lianshan cleared some away, but just over an hour later, the snow was thick again.
"Go sit in the main room, dinner will be served in a little while." Third Uncle told Gu Tang to go to the main room, while he went to the kitchen to busy himself.
Gu Lianshan was heading towards the kitchen when Gu Tang called out to him, "Dad, what are we having for dinner?"
Stir-fried radish!
These words instantly dampened Gu Tang's interest; it was radish again!
Seeing his daughter looking listless, Gu Lianshan said, "I know you don't like to eat, so I made you some fried fish."
That's alright!
Gu Tang perked up and happily headed towards the main room.
Frying fish is fine; it's a hundred times better than using radish.
As the curtain at the entrance to the main room was lifted, two childish barks suddenly rang out from inside.
The cry was trembling, as if it had been greatly frightened.
Gu Tang was also startled by the sudden barking. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw two puppies huddled in a corner under the octagonal table, their tails between their legs, their eyes fixed on Gu Tang.
The two puppies looked at Gu Tang as if they had seen a demon, whimpering and occasionally letting out a few fierce but cowardly barks, their whole bodies trembling violently.
Gu Tang was speechless. She swore to God that she had no ill intentions towards these two puppies!
She never bullied them, and even secretly fed them meat behind her father's back, but unfortunately, she just couldn't get these two puppies to be docile!
She's always like this whenever I see her!
If this had happened in her previous life, and someone had seen this, she would definitely have been labeled a "dog abuser".
Even here, she was often suspected by her father and Gu Ping'an, who wondered if she was secretly bullying the two puppies. Otherwise, why would the two puppies react this way for no reason?
Gu Tang was so wronged!
She really, really didn't do anything!
With what she considered her most amiable smile on her face, she took two steps forward, squatted down, and reached out her hand, trying to call to them.
Unexpectedly, her action caused the two puppies to scream even more pitifully than before!
The sound even reached the kitchen.
Hearing the cry, Third Uncle sighed: "These two puppies weren't like this when we bought them. Why are they so afraid of Tang girl after we brought them home?"
Gu Lianshan was also puzzled: "Maybe it's because dogs don't like it."
"Nonsense! When we bought the dogs that day, Tang called them twice, and none of the other dogs moved, but these two responded. That's why she chose them."
"That's strange. If that's the case, then we shouldn't be afraid." Gu Lianshan was completely confused and felt that this didn't make sense.
Gu Ping'an, sitting in front of the stove tending the fire, hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
The other dogs didn't move that day, only these two moved. Could it be that the other dogs were too scared to move, and only these two dared to move?
But if that's the case, then it makes even less sense.
His second sister is neither a demon nor a monster, nor did she beat or threaten those dogs, so why is she so afraid?
Gu Pingan really couldn't understand it.
"Ping An, don't stay here, hurry up and go to the main room to check. Why does this dog seem to be barking even louder?"
Third Uncle felt that the call was not right and wanted Gu Ping'an to go to the main room to take a look.
"Oh! I'll go take a look right away."
Gu Pingan got up, patted his clothes a few times, and hurried out of the kitchen.
He also realized that the shouting sounded wrong!
In the main room, Gu Tang was still trying to reach out to the puppies, saying, "Suck, suck, suck..."
Little did she know, the more she acted this way, the louder the bastards barked!
"Second sister!"
The curtain at the door was lifted, and Gu Ping'an rushed in, only to be dumbfounded by what he saw.
The two puppies were hiding in the corner under the table, while his second sister squatted beside the table, reaching out and calling to them from a distance.
So why is this puppy howling so pitifully?
"Second sister... what are you doing?"
Gu Tang gave up, stood up and sighed: "Do you think I picked two dogs with the guts of rats? I only barked at them twice, and they screamed like they were being skinned alive!"
Gu Pingan twitched his lips. This has nothing to do with dogs, right?
The two puppies are usually fearless around the house, but when they face their second sister, they start running away as fast as they can from a great distance!
In this regard, is it possible that it's his second sister's own problem?
Of course, Gu Ping'an only dared to say these things to himself; he didn't dare to say them to Gu Tang's face.
He dared not speak the truth, nor could he bear to smear the bastards, so he could only bring up the fact that they didn't click with him.
"Everything depends on first impressions and fate. Perhaps you two don't have that connection. That's alright. If you come across a dog seller again in the future, you can pick out two more to buy."
These words made Gu Tang's heart flutter for a moment, but then she thought, what's the point of raising so many dogs?
She's not a dog dealer, nor does she hunt with dogs, and she's not particularly fond of dogs anyway. Rather than buying another dog, she'd rather buy two cats to raise.
"Dogs are out of the question, but if anyone has a cat that has had kittens, I could buy a couple to raise!"
"Some people in the village keep cats, but whether they've had kittens or not, I don't know. Why don't you go ask Dad in the kitchen?"
Gu Ping'an wanted to get rid of them, otherwise these two bastards would never come out.
Speaking of cats, this really stirred up Gu Tang's curiosity: "I'll go ask Dad!"
After everyone left, Gu Ping'an immediately crawled under the table, reached out and nibbled at the puppies, and the two puppies quickly snuggled up to him.
He carried one in each arm and took them to his room, away from his second sister.
As Gu Tang approached the kitchen door, she saw her father and third uncle carrying food out.
She moved aside so as not to block their way.
"Why are you here? Hurry back to the main room for dinner. Look, this fish smells delicious! It's all for you!"
Gu Lianshan pointed to the fried fish on the tray, showing it to Gu Tang with a look of pride.
Gu Tang took a sniff of the aroma and gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Your skills are getting better and better!" Gu Lianshan was very pleased with the praise and carried the tray to the main room, in a great mood.
"Master, let me carry it." Gu Tang took the tray from her third uncle.
Third Uncle whispered to Gu Tang, "He was just waiting for you to praise him in the kitchen, and now he's finally got his wish."
Gu Tang laughed: "My dad loves to hear nice things. No matter how angry he is, as long as you praise him a few times, even the biggest anger will be extinguished."
Gu Lianshan, who had brought the food into the main room, came out again. He took the tray from Gu Tang and urged her and her third uncle to come inside and eat quickly.
"It's too cold, the food gets cold quickly, so we can't eat slowly like we used to."
These words were spoken by Gu Tang, who indeed ate slowly.
Gu Tang ignored him, lifted the curtain at the door, and let the old man go inside first.
When there are no outsiders at home, the Gu family always eats at a small, square dining table, which is very spacious enough to seat four people without worrying about bumping into each other.
Before sitting down, Gu Tang glanced under the octagonal table and found that the two puppies had disappeared.
"Where's the dog?" she asked Gu Ping'an.
Gu Ping'an pointed to the west wing: "They're in my room. They were terribly afraid of you, so I took them away."
Tsk!
Gu Tang looked regretful; she had planned to tempt them with fried fish.
"Girl, those bastards are terrified of you! Just stop looking for them."
Gu Lianshan was distributing bowls and chopsticks, speaking without looking up.
Gu Tang sighed helplessly, sat down in her seat, and asked her father with a hopeful look, "Dad, can you find me a cat to keep?"
"A cat?" Gu Lianshan sat down opposite her, glanced at her, and didn't think much of her idea.
"You can't even raise a dog, but you can manage a cat?"
"Why not? What if I'm destined to be with cats? Nobody can say for sure; you'll only know once you've had one."
Listening to her sophistry, Gu Lianshan understood that she had made up her mind.
"Okay! I'll ask someone to help you ask around later."
"I want a kitten, not a big cat!"
Gu Lianshan's eyes widened: "Kittens are rarely born in winter. Where are you going to get me a kitten?"
"Ask around, and I'll let you drink a pound of Qingjiu later!" Gu Tang held up one finger, offering a very tempting reward.
Gu Lianshan couldn't resist the temptation and agreed without thinking: "Then it's settled!"
Watching the father and daughter bicker back and forth, the third uncle didn't interrupt, just smiled and watched them make a fuss.
Once the two stopped arguing, he finally got down to business with Gu Lianshan.
"Don't tell the clan chief and the others about the family reunion banquet for now. With such heavy snow, Gu Sanlang definitely can't come. Let's talk about it after the New Year."
"That's what I think too. That kid is a good person. If he comes to visit after the New Year, we should hold a proper celebration and invite more people. Then we can treat him as a proper relative."
Third Uncle nodded, agreeing with Gu Lianshan's statement.
Gu Tang remained silent upon hearing this.
Her father didn't understand Ah Gou; he was a master of scaling walls and rooftops, and even a blizzard couldn't stop him.
The family reunion banquet will definitely be held as originally agreed and will not be delayed until after the New Year.
"By the way, all those incense materials have been ground into powder. Daughter, when are you going to start teaching your father how to make incense? Your father has been thinking about this for a long time."
Gu Lianshan was excited when he thought about this, and the smile on his face never stopped.
"I'll teach you tomorrow, and Grandpa and Ping An will do it together too."
"it is good!"
"it is good!"
"it is good!"
Three cheers rang out in succession, and everyone beamed with joy.
Clearly, everyone wants to learn.
Since I've agreed to this, I can't stay in bed tomorrow; I have to get up early.
After dinner, Gu Tang went to her room to sleep early.
She also reminded Gu Pingan to wake her up the next morning.
Gu Pingan agreed to the task.
However, he gets up a bit early, so if he wants to wake his second sister up, he has to do it an hour later.
The next day, Gu Ping'an got up at 5 a.m. sharp. He first washed up with the hot water in the room, then lit the oil lamp and began to review the characters he had written the day before. He also had to recite the articles and essays he had learned the day before three more times.
By the time he finished his homework, it was already Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
At this point, you can call him Second Sister.
Gu Pingan blew out the oil lamp, opened the door and went out of the house, arriving at Gu Tang's door.
He knocked on the door and called out a few times. After a short while, Gu Tang inside responded and said she would get up soon.
Gu Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; the mission was complete.
After leaving the west wing, they went straight to the kitchen.
I have things to do today, so I'll eat breakfast early so I can start sooner.
Gu Pingan was extremely impatient.
Third Uncle and Gu Lianshan, who lived in the main room, also woke up. When Gu Pingan called Gu Tang to get up, he also "woke" them up.
Both of them remembered what they had discussed yesterday and didn't dare to delay. They got up, dressed, washed up, and quickly left the room.
The father and son thought the same thing as Gu Ping'an, so they went to the kitchen together, hoping to cook breakfast as soon as possible so they could eat early and get to work.
Upon arriving at the kitchen door, seeing the open door, the father and son immediately realized that Gu Ping'an had already started cooking before them.
They didn't leave either; they went inside to help out and quickly prepared a table full of breakfast.
On the west wing, Gu Tang also got up slowly. After washing up, she opened the door and saw Gu Ping'an walking towards her.
"Second Sister!" Seeing that Gu Tang had really gotten up, Gu Ping'an was overjoyed.
He jogged over to Gu Tang and told her to go to the main room for dinner.
"Breakfast is all ready, just waiting for you! I'll go help Dad get the food, you go wait in the main room first."
Gu Tang: ...This is way too enthusiastic.
Seeing Gu Ping'an rush off again, Gu Tang had no choice but to go to the main room first.
As she entered the house and sat down, footsteps sounded outside. Then the curtain was lifted, and her father led the way in carrying food, followed by her third uncle and Gu Ping'an.