novelraw Chapter 281 I earned it myself!
Chapter 281 I earned it myself!
Chapter 281 I earned it myself!
After tying up the horse and giving it some water and food, Ah Gou went back to the front yard with Gu Ping'an.
Halfway there, the two saw Gu Lianshan pulling a carriage toward them.
A large shed had been built in the backyard, which could be used to store firewood, as well as oxcarts, hoes, and other household tools.
Gu Lianshan planned to pull the carriage under the shed and leave it there.
"Uncle, let me do it." Ah Gou quickly stepped forward and took the carriage.
Gu Lianshan didn't stand on ceremony with him and ordered him around, telling him to pull the carriage under the shed and park it properly.
Then, they covered it with a piece of linen cloth that had been patched in several places to prevent rain and snow from blowing in and falling onto the carriage.
After finishing these tasks, the uncle and nephew returned to the front yard together.
"I've put everything from the carriage in the east wing for you, in the room you stayed in last time. That room hasn't been touched since you left; it's been kept for you."
Gu Lianshan said this on purpose to coax people.
Ah Gou didn't care whether he was just trying to appease her or not; he only remembered Gu Tang's words: he had to appease her father. Only by appeasing her father could he stay for a long time.
“When I was tidying up at home earlier, I picked up some useful things and brought them over. I’ll find them here and see if you like them.”
They brought more things.
Gu Lianshan grinned from ear to ear: "We're all family, why do you always bring things back? When you first came home, those twenty baskets of stuff really surprised us!"
Putting aside how valuable the food, supplies, and clothes were, the six hundred taels of silver alone kept your grandfather and me awake all night! Accepting so much from you was really a hot potato!
Six hundred taels of silver?
Ah Gou blinked, and in a flash he understood that the silver must have been placed there by someone.
He didn't say much, but readily admitted to the matter of the money: "Nephew, to tell you the truth, please don't be angry. Given our family's situation, I can only give away things that are inconspicuous but usable. I really dare not give away anything else good, for fear that it will attract too much attention and arouse jealousy."
These words struck a chord with Gu Lianshan's concerns. "That's exactly what I was worried about. Fortunately, you know what you're doing, so I'm not worried anymore."
As they talked, the uncle and nephew went to the east wing, opened the door, picked up the things Ah Gou had brought to deliver to the Gu family, and then went to the main room.
Third Uncle, Gu Tang, and Gu Ping'an were all in the main room. A pot of tea was boiling on the stove inside, bubbling and steaming, filling the room with the aroma of tea.
When Ah Gou came in, the old man pointed to the teapot on the stove and said, "The tea is all ready, just waiting for you to come in. Try it, this is the tea your cousin just bought, she said it tastes very good, and today is the first time she has brewed it."
Ah Gou looked at Gu Tang with sparkling eyes: "Thank you for the good tea, cousin. I will definitely savor it carefully."
Gu Tang: ...She suspected that this guy was taking advantage of her!
Gu Lianshan placed the things he was carrying on the table. Seeing that Gu Tang didn't reply, he coughed lightly: "Your cousin is talking to you. You should at least say something. Look, your cousin has brought things over again."
Gu Tang rolled her eyes, then thanked A Gou with a forced smile: "Thank you, cousin! I was thinking about something and didn't react for a moment. I hope you don't mind!"
Ah Gou shuddered and waved his hands repeatedly: "My cousin is my savior, I will never forget her. There is no need for such formalities between my cousin and me."
After saying this, he glanced at Gu Lianshan with a deep look in his eyes.
Every time this person speaks up for him, he gets into trouble!
To shut Gu Lianshan up, Agou quickly stepped forward to unpack the package and start distributing the items.
If it were up to Ah Gou, this first thing should be given to Gu Tang.
But reason told him he couldn't do that.
He handed a foot-long wooden box to his third uncle: "This is for you."
Third Uncle took it and opened the box with great joy: "I'm so lucky to have Tang girl... What is this?!"
The moment the box was opened, Uncle San's smile froze on his face.
He looked at the contents of the box, somewhat bewildered: "Is this ginseng?"
"That's right. I have a lot of ginseng of various sizes in my storeroom, but I don't need them. It would be a waste to leave them lying around, so I picked one out and brought it to you."
"This..." Third Uncle dared not accept it. "This ginseng is bigger than my palm. A ginseng of this size must be very old. It is far too precious..."
"That's why I chose this gift for you; you can't refuse it."
Ah Gou knew what the old man wanted to say, so he simply shut him down, leaving him no room to refuse.
Third Uncle really couldn't bring himself to refuse. Considering that he had already accepted those valuable items and six hundred taels of silver, it didn't seem like he couldn't accept this ginseng instead...
After rummaging through a pile of boxes for a while, Ah Gou found the box he was looking for, held it with both hands, and handed it to Gu Lianshan.
"This is for my uncle."
Gu Lianshan didn't care whether he accepted it or not; as long as someone gave it to him, he would happily accept it.
He opened the box, glanced at it, and was very pleased: "This gift is exactly what I wanted!"
Gu Tang glanced at it curiously and was speechless. Inside the box were rows of small gold ingots, each one plump and round like a dumpling, extremely pleasing to the eye!
Her father loves gold and silver, so nothing is worse than giving him gold and silver directly!
It seems that Ah Gou has figured out how to please her father.
"Cousin, this is for you."
Ah Gou handed Gu Ping'an another box, the largest of the three!
Gu Ping'an was already starting to look forward to it.
He accepted it without hesitation, his mind racing with all sorts of speculations, sometimes thinking it contained gold, sometimes ginseng.
Or perhaps both!
He eagerly opened the box, only to be immediately dumbfounded.
The box contained writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, all exquisitely crafted.
It is a very respectable way to give gifts.
"These are writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones transported from the south. I've heard they're much better than the ones we have here."
Ah Gou looked at Gu Ping'an with a smile: "I heard from my cousin that the family intends for you to study for the imperial examinations. When I saw this set of writing materials, the first thing I thought of was to give it to you."
Gu Ping'an: ...For some reason, he always felt that the smile on this person's face was a bit off.
After delivering them all, only Gu Tang remained undelivered.
Ah Gou stacked all the remaining boxes from largest to smallest, carried them all, and placed them on the coffee table in front of Gu Tang.
"These are for my cousin!"
Gu Tang stared at him intently, a sense of foreboding flashing through her mind.
The man's expression, so eager for praise, made her uneasy, fearing he might do something bad again.
"Why does my second sister have so many, but I only have one?" Gu Ping'an stared wide-eyed at A Gou with a accusing expression.
Ah Gou glanced at him sideways: "You two are different!"
"What's different?!" Gu Ping'an asked angrily.
Ah Gou ignored him and just smiled as he spoke to Gu Tang: "Open it and take a look, you'll definitely like it."
So sure?
Gu Tang raised an eyebrow, casually picked up a box and opened it. After seeing what was inside, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.
She really likes it!
"Second sister, let me take a look!" Gu Ping'an, like a cat with claws in his heart, moved closer to Gu Tang. After seeing what was in the box, his eyes turned red with envy!
The box was full of pearls! Each pearl was about the size of a fingertip, round and plump, and sparkling white.
This box of pearls alone is worth a fortune!
Gu Lianshan and his third uncle also saw it. The father and son were shocked and looked at each other, trembling a few times at Agou's extravagant gesture.
Gu Tang only opened one box; there are still nine boxes left to open.
Ah Gou helped her open them one by one. Since there wasn't enough room on the coffee table, they were placed on the octagonal table.
There were ten boxes in total, containing gold, silver, jade, and pearls.
Some items were hairpins, bracelets, and bangles, while others were jade pendants and necklaces.
The ten boxes were filled with all sorts of jewelry belonging to young women.
Gu Lianshan, Third Uncle, and Gu Ping'an were too shocked to speak.
The three stared in disbelief at these things. If they could just take any one of them and sell it, their family could live comfortably for several years!
Gu Tang also loved these things very much, but right now she was trembling with fear.
She hadn't forgotten that Ah Gou had recently gone to the Cheng family to fleece them again!
So, these things were obtained from the Cheng family?
She took a deep breath and asked, "Did you buy these things yourself, or did you take them from... the storeroom?"
Gu Tang emphasized the word "warehouse" very heavily, and Ah Gou quickly understood its meaning.
He hurriedly replied, "I earned all of this myself!"
Gu Tang: ...? ? ?
What the hell?
"You earned it all yourself?!"
"Yes! I earned it myself!" Ah Gou said firmly, not like he was lying.
Gu Tang didn't believe him, but before she could speak, her father Gu Lianshan and her third uncle started praising Agou.
"Excellent! To earn so much wealth, you truly have a remarkable skill!"
"That's right, Sanlang is really skilled! He can make a fortune with just one move!"
Ah Gou smiled modestly: "I was lucky this time. It just so happened to be something I'm good at, which allowed me to snag a bargain. I figured only girls could wear these things, so I brought them along."
That's why I came back late. I originally planned to return the next day, but a business deal came up unexpectedly, so I had to stay a few days longer.
He didn't want to delay, but the other party offered too much, and he couldn't bear to give it up.
After all, he had always been plagued by bad luck, and this was a rare stroke of good fortune. If he missed it, he didn't know how many years he would have to wait for the next change of luck.
After much hesitation, I finally compromised.
Now that he has handed over all the wealth he has earned, I'm sure his master will be happy!
"Business should always come first! You can come here anytime; the door is always open for you."
“Your uncle is right. We’re all family, so there’s no need for formalities. If you’re busy with business, then focus on business. You can come to our house anytime you want!”
Ah Gou was very happy with what the father and son said; his gift hadn't been in vain!
He turned his head and glanced at Gu Tang, only to see that the man's brows were furrowed and he remained silent.
Gu Tang found it hard to believe Agou's words, but they had a contract between them, and through the contract, she could sense that Agou was indeed not lying.
Upon realizing this, Gu Tang's curiosity was instantly piqued!
What did Ah Gou do to acquire so much wealth?!
"Ping An, help your sister carry her things inside." Ignoring the stares of others, A Gou helped Gu Tang organize her things.
"Sigh!" Gu Ping'an exclaimed excitedly as he stacked the ten boxes and carried them to the west wing.
Having received a great deal of money, the Third Uncle felt a little uneasy and began to shower Ah Gou with concern and care.
Gu Lianshan appeared no different on the surface, but his tone towards Agou became much warmer.
The three of them chatted intimately for a long time, their affectionate manner giving Gu Ping'an goosebumps.
Gu Tang couldn't bear to look at him and wanted to leave, but she was still thinking about Ah Gou making money, so she patiently listened to what Ah Gou had to say.
But no matter how much I listened, Ah Gou never mentioned how he made his money!
Gu Tang's face darkened, and she looked ready to snap at any moment.
Ah Gou was preoccupied with Gu Lianshan and didn't notice Gu Tang's side, only focusing on urging Gu Lianshan to hold the family reunion banquet.
Gu Lianshan had previously discussed with his third uncle that since Agou was not around, the family reunion banquet would be postponed until after the new year.
I never expected that they would come back despite the heavy snow!
Now, the family reunion banquet can no longer be postponed until after the New Year; it must be held immediately.
Third Uncle bypassed Gu Lianshan and made the decision directly: "Come with me. We'll go see the clan chief first and let the clan elders discuss it and see when to hold the banquet."
"Sigh!" Ah Gou laughed.
Turning her head, she saw Gu Tang's dark face, paused, and cautiously asked, "Do you want to come along?"
"I'm not going!" Gu Tang said, then turned and left the main room.
She had no desire to go out in the dead of winter!
Ah Gou looked completely bewildered, thinking the person was angry and had no idea what was wrong.
"Your cousin just has this bad temper, it's nothing to worry about." Third Uncle understood Gu Tang to some extent, but his words of comfort were rather weak and ineffective.
After instructing Gu Pingan to watch the house, Third Uncle and Gu Lianshan put on their straw hats and led Ah Gou eastward.
The snow had lessened a bit by now, and the three of them, supporting each other, trudged through the snow to the clan chief's house.
The thick snow made the journey very difficult. Gu Lianshan glanced at Agou and wondered how difficult it must have been for him to drive the carriage to the village earlier.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the gate of the clan chief's house, one after the other, and knocked on the door.
After a while, Yang's voice came from behind the door: "Who's knocking?"
"Auntie, it's me, Lianshan!"
Upon hearing Lian Shan's voice, Madam Yang quickly opened the door.
As soon as the courtyard gate opened, Madam Yang froze, her gaze fixed on Ah Gou, stunned by his overwhelming wealth: "This, this gentleman is... whose young master is he?!"
"Auntie, this is my nephew."
Yang raised her voice: "...What did you say?!"
Gu Lianshan recounted the whole story without hiding anything, and finally asked, "Is your uncle at home? I'd like to ask him to find an auspicious day to hold a family reunion banquet."
Yang looked dazed: "At home, at home, come in quickly."
He stepped aside to let the three of them into the courtyard, his gaze involuntarily falling on Ah Gou again, feeling utterly astonished!
What did Lian Shan say?
It is said that Tang Yatou saved this noble young man, and this noble young man said that Lianshan looked just like his uncle who died young, so he recognized Lianshan as his uncle.
Now that they've come home, they'd like to find an auspicious day to hold a family reunion banquet.
Yang: ...Even a storyteller wouldn't dare write something like this!