novelraw Chapter 276 Acting as a Persuasive Agent
Chapter 276 Acting as a Persuasive Agent
Chapter 276 Acting as a Persuasive Agent
Gu Ping'an thought that his father had learned enough, and that it would be his turn in the afternoon.
After resting for a while at noon, Gu Lianshan once again monopolized the incense-making tube in the afternoon.
Gu Pingan:……!!!
Gu Ping'an was furious and turned to complain to his third uncle!
The old man had been helping Gu Lianshan with his work, and the father and son worked together very well and had a great understanding of each other. This was the perfect time to get into the swing of things.
Hearing Gu Ping'an's dissatisfaction, he could only offer a few perfunctory words of comfort, which only angered Gu Ping'an again.
Gu Ping'an looked aggrieved and approached Gu Tang, hoping she would speak up and snatch the incense holder back.
Gu Tang told him to calm down and gestured for him to come back to the west wing with her.
The father and son, who were busy working over there, looked up and saw the siblings come out of the house. They didn't think much of it, assuming that the siblings had lost patience and wanted to go out for some fresh air, so they ignored them.
Gu Tang led Gu Ping'an directly into her room.
She asked Gu Pingan to sit down in the outer room, and then went to the inner room to take out another set of incense-making tools from her system inventory.
When the incense-making tools were placed in front of Gu Ping'an, Gu Ping'an was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, his face was filled with surprise.
"There's still one left?!"
"Keep your voice down!" Gu Tang glared at him. "This is the last set. If Father finds out, he'll definitely give it to Grandpa. Then you'll have to keep waiting!"
"Yes, yes, yes! We have to keep our voices down, we can't let Dad know!" Gu Ping'an said warily, lowering his voice.
Gu Tang mixed the previously prepared sandalwood into a fragrant paste, then handed it to Gu Ping'an, letting him work on it at his own pace.
Gu Ping'an happily accepted the incense clay, then picked up the incense-making tube and drying net, saying he wanted to take them back to his room to make incense.
Gu Tang didn't care and just waved his hand, letting him go.
With permission, Gu Ping'an, carrying the things, darted back into the house like a rabbit.
After everyone left, Gu Tang continued working on the fragrance blending.
She took out several new bags and added fragrances such as Snow in Spring, Magnolia Dream, Plum Blossom Fragrance, Clear and Distant Fragrance, and Spiritual Rhinoceros Fragrance.
The bags were foot long, with a separate bag for each type of incense, until all the incense powder was used up.
Instead of putting the perfume powder into her system inventory, she went to the inner room, cleared out a box, and put all the prepared perfume powder packets into the box.
By the time we finished all that, it was already dark outside.
Gu Tang patted herself a few times with a handkerchief, then washed her hands with water, but they still smelled incredibly fragrant.
The same goes for his body. Because of the long time he has been mixing perfume powder, his body is full of fragrance. If you smell it closely, you can smell several different fragrances.
Now, when mixed together, it smells very unique, and after smelling it for a while, it becomes quite addictive.
Gu Tang wanted to change her clothes, and as she opened the closet, a knock came from the courtyard gate.
She closed the cabinet and went out to take a look.
In the main room, Gu Lianshan also lifted the curtain. He originally intended to come out and open the door, but when he turned around and saw Gu Tang coming out of the west wing, he stopped and called out towards the courtyard gate.
Who's knocking?
"Brother Lianshan! It's me! Shunzi!"
Li Shunzi?
Recognizing the voice as Li Shunzi, Gu Lianshan told Gu Tang to open the door: "Dad, go back to your room and pack your things. You go open the door."
Gu Tang responded and walked along the corridor toward the courtyard gate.
When she was still some distance from the gate, she heard a series of "whooshing" sounds.
The footsteps paused, the sound the puppies made when they were trying to intimidate someone.
Upon arriving at the gate, sure enough, two puppies stood behind it, growling menacingly at the man outside through the door.
The fragrance on Gu Tang masked her original scent, and the two puppies didn't notice it. They only felt that the smell was somewhat unfamiliar and turned around warily to take a look.
This one look was terrifying; the two of them jumped up in fright!
This is not an exaggeration; he really jumped up.
Then came several screams, and it quickly ran away with its tail between its legs.
Gu Tang watched the puppies' reactions with a blank expression, her desire to raise a cat growing stronger.
He reached out and removed the latch, opening the door.
"Uncle." Looking at the man shivering outside, Gu Tang smiled faintly, showing no intention of inviting him in.
She asked, "It's snowing heavily, so cold it could freeze your ears off. Why aren't you at home warming yourself by the fire? What brings you here? Is something the matter?"
"Where's your father?" Li Shunzi, oblivious to the danger, trembled all over and tried to step into the yard.
"I need to talk to your father about something. Are you warming yourself by the fire inside? You were just talking to me a moment ago..."
As they got closer, the stench emanating from Li Shunzi made Gu Tang back away, quickly making way for him to come in.
"My dad is warming himself by the fire in the main room. You can go there."
"Done!" Li Shunzi put his hands inside the black brocade sleeves, his clothes on his chest were covered in dirt.
Gu Tang frowned as she looked at him. Although the Li family was not wealthy, they were not so poor that they could not afford to buy cloth. Besides, Li Shunzi had quite a few clothes, so he should wash them.
Firewood for winter is readily available on the volcano; as long as you're diligent, you'll never run out of firewood.
Water is also convenient in winter. Apart from the water we drink, we can just fill a teapot with snow in the yard for daily use.
After being heated, the melted snow water can be used for washing, washing vegetables, and washing clothes.
Gu Tang couldn't understand why anyone would come to visit their neighbor wearing dirty, smelly clothes. These were things anyone could do.
Li Shunzi walked ahead, looking around with envy in her eyes.
He glanced back at Gu Tang and said, "Your father is clever; he actually found himself such a lucky place!"
Once Uncle Gu dies, this courtyard will belong to Gu Lianshan!
I heard that Uncle Gu also owns land and money!
Good heavens, once someone dies, everything will belong to Gu Lianshan!
With this wealth, three generations can live a life free from worry about hardship.
Li Shunzi became increasingly envious, and the jealousy in her heart was almost impossible to hide.
Gu Tang frowned behind him, her smile almost faltering; what he said sounded strange.
Gu Tang didn't back down and retorted directly: "If Uncle thinks this is a good idea, then find one for yourself tomorrow. I wouldn't dare say adoption, but I'll just recognize a godfather as a proper relative to keep in touch with, so that I can at least share in the good fortune in the future."
If one is intelligent, one will understand what this means after hearing it.
Those who are easily embarrassed will probably obediently shut up and not say another word.
But Li Shunzi was stupid; he didn't understand what Gu Tang meant at all and thought Gu Tang was giving him advice.
He sighed, "It's not that easy to find one. Those who have sons don't want godson. Those who don't have biological sons are even less willing to have godson; they only want to adopt one."
He is the only son in the family, and even if someone wanted a son, they wouldn't choose an only child like him.
Besides, they wouldn't choose someone his age; they'd only choose a three-year-old, because young children are easier to raise and can be tamed in a few years.
People are afraid they won't be able to tame someone like him.
If he wants to live a good life now, he can't do it on his own; he can only hope to marry a wife with a generous dowry...
Thinking of this, he suddenly stopped.
Gu Tang's smile vanished completely; Li Shunzi's mind was different from others. Seeing that he had stopped walking, Gu Tang suppressed her impatience and asked, "Uncle, why did you stop?"
"Tang girl." Li Shunzi suddenly turned around, startling Gu Tang.
Before Gu Tang could get angry, he asked in a low voice, "Do you miss your mother?"
Gu Tang: ...What the heck?!
"Uncle... what did you say?" Did she mishear?
Gu Tang's reaction led Li Shunzi to misunderstand.
He thought he had accurately guessed Gu Tang's thoughts.
I thought Gu Tang was always thinking about someone.
He didn't hide his joy and said softly, "Your mother misses you so much that she cries every day. She lives on West Street in Bei'an City now. If you miss her, I'll take you to find her..."
"Shunzi!"
Gu Lianshan's voice suddenly appeared, directly interrupting him.
Li Shunzi shuddered, his face turning flustered, and he hurriedly told Gu Tang, "Don't tell your father about this!"
After saying this in a low voice, he quickly turned around to look at Gu Lianshan.
Gu Lianshan came out of the main room and was standing under the corridor. "I've been waiting for you inside for a while. Why didn't you come in? What are you and my daughter talking about?"
"She didn't say anything, but I asked her if it was warm to live in such a big house? These past two days, my old house hasn't been warm at all, even with the stove on, it's still just as cold!"
"Same here, I've been woken up by the cold these past two nights!"
Hearing this made Li Shunzi feel a little better.
It seems that this big house built of bricks and tiles is no different from his mud-brick house.
With a smile on his face, he walked quickly over and followed Gu Lianshan into the house.
Gu Tang didn't follow; she stood in the cold wind, her eyes icy.
Something suddenly popped into my head.
Previously in Beian City, her father saw Zhang Shi with a man on the street, and they were behaving intimately.
Her father said the man looked extremely familiar from behind, but he just couldn't remember who he was.
Now it seems that the man might be Li Shunzi.
Li Shunzi had mentioned Zhang Shi to her more than once, and he felt that Zhang Shi was not wrong, but that she and her father were wrong.
She hadn't thought much about it before, but now she had to.
This sounds like a complete fantasy!
Li Shunzi and Zhang Shi were two people who had absolutely no connection.
Most importantly, from Zhang's perspective, neither Li Shunzi nor her family's lifestyle were worthy of her approval.
If Zhang wanted to remarry, she would only look for a wealthy widower in Beian City; she would never be interested in Li Shunzi.
But this is exactly what has happened...
When Li Shunzi spoke of Zhang Shi just now, his eyes were full of joy, and his tone was extremely familiar.
Gu Tang thought about it and concluded that the most likely reason for this situation was that Zhang was having a hard time and had not yet found a man willing to marry her.
In order to make her life a little easier, she could only cling to the men who showed her affection and ask them for money or food.
Li Shunzi must have given Zhang what she wanted, which is why Zhang kept him hanging on.
Gu Tang had no opinion on Zhang's actions. In order to survive, some people would sell themselves, let alone hook up with men.
Right now, she needs to figure something out.
Zhang was divorced. Does this have any relation to her or Ping An in terms of etiquette and law?
If Zhang gets into some kind of scandal, will it affect them?
Especially for Ping An, whose family has planned the path of studying for the imperial examinations. Will Zhang's actions affect Ping An's studies for the imperial examinations?
Gu Tang became increasingly uneasy and stepped into the main room.
The atmosphere inside was tense, but Gu Lianshan's expression softened when he saw Gu Tang enter.
Li Shunzi, however, was extremely tactless and actually asked Gu Tang, "Tang girl, tell me, your uncle is getting married, should your father, as the younger brother, step in and run errands for him?"
Gu Tang's eyes widened: "...My uncle is getting married? Wasn't it supposed to be in late December? It's only early December, the date hasn't arrived yet!"
"It was originally scheduled for the end of the twelfth lunar month, but now your cousin has run away and hasn't come back. You've also been adopted away, and your grandmother is bedridden with no one to take care of her..."
"Isn't the old man over there perfectly fine? Can't he take care of him?"
“Your grandfather’s health isn’t good either. Ever since he got sick, he’s been resting for so long but he still can’t get better. He’s weak and sore all over, and he can’t even lift a basin of water. He can’t take care of your grandmother at all.”
"Where is my uncle? He's perfectly healthy, in the prime of his life, and can't he help out and take care of things?"
“Your uncle is a scholar! He’ll be taking the imperial examinations again after the New Year. He’ll be studying from morning till night, with books always in his hands. How can we let him serve us?”
"Oh." Gu Tang looked enlightened. "The old man is too weak to take care of him, and my uncle is a scholar, so he wants to bring the new bride in early and have her take care of him?"
Li Shunzi said matter-of-factly, "That's what I mean. It's a daughter-in-law's duty to be filial to her parents-in-law, and it's something that everyone praises."
"If that's the case, then let's get her married. My uncle can just find an oxcart to pick her up. Why should my dad run errands?"
“Your uncle is taking the imperial examination and can’t stand the cold, so we need to find someone else to fetch the new bride. Besides, the betrothal gifts haven’t been delivered yet, so we need to find another carriage to deliver them…”
"Wait a minute!" Gu Tang interrupted him. "Didn't you say the new bride doesn't need a betrothal gift? Why are we having to give one now?"
“It’s their business if they say they don’t want it. It wouldn’t look good if we didn’t send anything at all. We can send a little over and bring it back later with the new bride’s dowry.”
Good guy!
In this way, Gu Liansheng gained face, and all the betrothal gifts he sent out were returned. It was as if he didn't spend a single penny and even received an extra dowry!
Great!
Gu Tang looked on with admiration.
"I haven't been feeling well these past two days, and besides, as you know, Gu Liansheng and I don't get along. I'm afraid we'll start arguing again, so it's better if I don't go."
“If your elder brother isn’t going, tomorrow you stay home, get the oxcart ready, and wait for me to come and call you.”
When you come back, go straight home; there's no need to go to the banquet there. That way, you won't see each other, and there'll be no chance of arguments.
Gu Tang: ...
Gu Lianshan: ...
Who came up with this brilliant idea?
I'm so grateful to his ancestors!
“Go back and tell the old man that no matter who you ask to come to the house as a mediator, it’s all useless. I still have two words: ‘I’m not going!’”
Gu Lianshan was determined not to agree to it.
Li Shunzi's expression was not good; she felt that Gu Lianshan was neither filial nor respectful to her.
"you……"
"Shunzi! I'm only listening to you patiently because we used to get along quite well, and I haven't kicked you out yet. But if you continue to act as a go-between for them, don't blame me for turning on you and kicking you out!"