novelraw Chapter 293 Burn him alive!
Chapter 293 Burn him alive!
Chapter 290 Burned alive!
Seeing this scene, Old Master Gu's eyes reddened: "Son! When have you ever suffered such injustice! Think of your former wife, Madam Wei, she always put you first and respected you the most! And look at you now!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng also began to sob, her eyes filled with disappointment and frustration.
She can't afford a daughter-in-law like that!
You should have divorced him when things started to get heated!
In this heavy snow, with no one to take her, where can she go? In the end, she'll definitely give in obediently!
Unfortunately, the son was naive and easily manipulated by that woman, Qian.
If I could still speak and walk, I would have pinned Qian down and given her a good beating, and I would have definitely beaten her into submission!
Madam Feng's gaze was cold, her heart filled with indignation. She felt that God was blind to have let her suffer from such an illness.
“My son, you’ve only just gotten married, and the Qian family has already put pressure on you. What are you going to do now?”
"You're a scholar, how can you let a woman control you? If word gets out, how will you face your classmates and friends?"
These words struck a chord with Gu Liansheng; Qian's actions today had indeed made him lose face.
But then I thought, if Qian's dressing box contains forty or fifty taels of silver jewelry, then the amount of silver in those locked boxes must be double that!
Putting everything else aside, just for the sake of the money, he couldn't afford to fall out with the Qian family right now.
Under the old man's expectant gaze, Gu Liansheng gritted his teeth and defended Qian Shi.
"The matter is already over, so there's no point in bringing it up again. Just now in the east wing, Madam Qian said that today is her wedding day, and neither you nor Mother showed up. I even made her serve you in front of everyone, which really embarrassed her."
Grandpa Gu was very disappointed; he couldn't agree with his son's choice.
He knew that his son married Qian for her dowry, but now that Qian was already in the family, and with the roads blocked by heavy snow, Qian had nowhere to make a fuss.
If we take this opportunity to subdue Madam Qian and seize the dowry, then our son will be in charge from now on.
Grandpa Gu couldn't understand what his son was hesitating about.
What are you hesitating about?
Of course, they were hesitating about the matter concerning the elderly couple.
What Old Master Gu could think of, Gu Liansheng could naturally think of as well.
But Madam Qian was different from others. Just now in the east wing, Madam Qian had told me to be nice to her and not to hit her.
Her deceased husband had hit her before, but she couldn't stand it. After he fell asleep, she took a kitchen knife and slashed his arms and legs several times.
Since then, Qian has never been beaten again.
Gu Liansheng didn't know if Madam Qian was bluffing him or telling the truth.
However, it cannot be denied that Qian's words made him wary.
In addition, Qian Shi is plump and tall, and her physique is not lacking in strength. If they really fought, Gu Liansheng might not be her match.
"She just married into our family, so it's understandable that she might not want to wait for you two right away..."
"And what about the future? If she's unwilling to take care of me and your mother, then who will? Will you take care of her from now on?"
Gu Liansheng's heart skipped a beat: "I still need to study for the imperial examinations so that I can earn a title for my mother in the future. If I serve here day and night, I'm afraid my studies will fall behind..."
Mr. Gu was increasingly disappointed, but upon reflection, his son's words did indeed make sense.
A person's energy is limited. If one spends a lot of time and effort serving others here, one's studies will inevitably suffer.
The only way to change the Gu family's current situation is for their son to pass the college entrance exam. If he fails, it will only make things worse.
"Are you... confident about next year's imperial examination?"
"I'm 90% sure!" Gu Liansheng said with a look of delight.
“A classmate of mine inquired about who the examiners would be next year and what their preferences were for essays. He decided to write according to the examiners’ preferences. My son begged him and got an essay as well. These days, I’ve been imitating their style. Next year, I’m sure I’ll pass the exam!”
These words cheered up the disappointed old man, Mr. Gu: "In that case, you should focus on preparing for the exam."
"Then you and my mother..."
“Ask Madam Qian. Tell her that taking care of her seriously ill parents-in-law is what a daughter-in-law should do. If she is unwilling, then take out some money and hire someone to come and take care of them.”
Gu Liansheng frowned. All of Qian's money belonged to him. If he spent it now, what would he do if he didn't have enough later?
After thinking for a moment, Gu Liansheng said in a low voice, "How about I send someone to the Wang family to call Qing'er back?"
Gu Qing...
Old Master Gu was somewhat tempted, but he feared it was too late.
"When we tried to sell the second son's daughter, the deal fell through, and the Wang family wanted us to return the money. Your mother negotiated with the Wang family, and instead of returning the money, they offered Qing'er as payment."
Now that Qing'er is in their hands, she's probably already been taken away and sold. Even if she hasn't been sold yet, they won't release her now.
"I'll handle this. If Qing'er won't come back, then let Zhi'er come back! Right now, we need manpower at home. Whoever it is, just one of them will do!"
The old man hesitated and wasn't very optimistic about the matter.
Gu Liansheng thought it was a great idea and left the house with the empty bowl in his hand.
Watching his son leave, Old Master Gu thought of Gu Tianbao and Gu Lian.
He looked at his wife, whose eyes were gloomy, and told her what was on his mind.
"Wei must have been found by the second son. Tianbao and Lianya must be with Wei now."
When Wei was mentioned, Feng's eyes lit up, and she mumbled incoherently.
The elderly couple had lived together for decades. Although Madam Feng could no longer speak, Old Master Gu still understood what she was thinking.
"I know what you mean, you want Wei to come back and serve us?"
Mrs. Feng nodded; that was indeed what she meant.
Moreover, after Wei returns, Tianbao and Lianya will also come back with her. In the future, will there be any fear of no one to serve them?
Mrs. Feng's plan was good, but she forgot one thing.
“Wei has been held captive for so long, aren’t you afraid that people will… If she comes back, the villagers will definitely start pointing fingers and gossiping.”
Feng paused for a moment; this was indeed a problem.
Grandpa Gu was also very conflicted: "Letting Wei Shi come back is not only because we are afraid of what people will say. Qian Shi has entered the family, and now Wei Shi is coming back. What does that mean?"
But if Wei doesn't come back, there will be no one to take care of us. Qian probably won't come near us; her son can't control her, and she has to study. In this cold weather, if we're neglected for three days, we old folks will kick the bucket!
Madam Feng's eyes reddened, and tears fell from her eyes.
She doesn't want to die!
She hadn't lived enough yet; she hadn't seen her son pass the imperial examination and become an official!
"Let's see if our son can bring Qing'er back first. If that doesn't work, our daughter will do. If neither of them comes, then we'll go find the second son!"
Either the second son will support and serve us, or he'll bring Tianbao and Lianya back!
This idea is feasible!
Feng wiped away her tears, and hope returned to her eyes.
The elderly couple had a good plan, completely disregarding whether Gu Lianshan would even acknowledge them.
Fortunately, their primary hope right now is still Gu Qing and Gu Zhi'er.
Perhaps to free himself, Gu Liansheng, who is usually lazy, surprisingly took the initiative today.
He first dismissed the women who had helped set up the banquet, giving each of them ten copper coins, and then returned to the east wing. Madam Qian and the others were already impatient and were about to go to the east wing to look for someone again when Gu Liansheng entered.
Upon seeing Gu Liansheng, Madam Qian immediately turned hostile: "Have you had enough of being affectionate with your parents? If so, then tell me properly about today's banquet!"
"What's wrong with the banquet?" Gu Liansheng asked knowingly.
Madam Qian glared at her angrily: "What do you mean? There are at least ten people at the table, and as many as twelve crammed in! But there are only ten dishes on the table!"
Ten dishes are one thing, but the first nine were either cold dishes or stews, without a single drop of oil, and they even served a plate of pickled vegetables as a side dish!
And those flatbreads, they're made entirely of millet flour, and they're only about half the size of a palm! Who are you trying to disgust?
You invited guests to a feast on a cold winter's day, with snow falling outside. Ten dishes and half a palm-sized pancake were served, leaving the guests hungry and forcing them to go home on empty stomachs!
You're really good at taking care of your family! Are you planning to cut off all contact with the villagers from now on? Are you not planning to leave the house? If word gets out, how will you save face?
Gu Liansheng hadn't really thought about what Qian said in detail.
When the banquet was being discussed earlier, he didn't have any money on hand, and because he was used to being lazy, he didn't prepare many things in advance. He only started to rush to do things when things were already at his doorstep.
The event was a complete mess, with this and that missing, and the banquet was a complete disaster!
Of course, he really saved money; he only lost money on the last meat dish, while the other dishes cost him nothing.
Although he saved money, Gu Liansheng knew that he had indeed lost face today. He still wanted to coax money from Madam Qian, so he readily admitted his mistake.
“I was wrong about what happened today. I really had no other choice. The old lady’s illness is getting worse every day. If she really passes away, I will have to observe three years of mourning. Three years is not a short time. Can you afford to wait that long?”
Ms. Qian pursed her lips and remained silent.
Wait until Gu Liansheng is promoted for three years?
If he were a scholar, he would definitely wait for it himself!
But he's just a student who only passed the preliminary exams, and I'm making him wait for three years?
Don't even think about it...
Gu Liansheng added, "It's already difficult to buy things in this snowy weather, and we're short on time. In order to marry you, we can't worry about many things, so you have to suffer."
But I've kept this in mind. When we have a son in the future, I'll definitely throw a big celebration for him when we have his full-month celebration!
Set up a feast for dozens of tables, with delicacies from land and sea, chicken, duck, fish, and lamb, twenty-eight dishes on each table! It will definitely make you proud.
Qian was easily swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force. When Gu Liansheng, a scholar, softened his tone, Qian's anger dissipated.
If they're about to get married and things fall apart, they'll be the ones who suffer.
Since they've given us a way out, we should accept it while we're ahead.
"Alright, alright, it's all in the past anyway, there's no point in arguing anymore, let's just leave it at that. But, when it comes to hosting banquets in the future, I'll have to make the decision!"
"Alright! Whatever you say." Gu Liansheng smiled good-naturedly.
Finally, Mr. Qian gave him a smile.
Upon seeing this, Gu Liansheng hurriedly mentioned that he had paid someone to make a trip to the Wang family.
“My younger sister married into the Wang family. A few days ago, she fell ill. My eldest maid, being kind-hearted, packed a few clothes and went to the Wang family to take care of her.”
Two days ago, the old couple urged me to go and bring Qing'er back. They said that since you've just married into the family, it's not appropriate for you to serve them. So they were thinking of finding someone to bring Qing'er back. With her there, you won't need to worry about things in the west wing.
This is a good thing; she doesn't have to worry about Xijian anymore, and she's happy to be free!
Madam Qian laughed and urged Gu Liansheng to hurry up and go: "Then go and pick him up. Bring him back so I can see him too. It's getting late. If we go now, we might be back before dark."
Gu Liansheng paused, about to ask Qian Shi for money.
But to everyone's surprise, Madam Qian pushed him to leave, urging him to hurry up and leaving without mentioning the money.
Gu Liansheng wasn't stupid; he could tell that Madam Qian didn't want to spend the money.
Having just made a profit from the Qian family, Gu Liansheng was in a comfortable position and couldn't force the Qian family to hand over money.
He simply followed Qian's lead out of the east wing, put on a straw hat, and went to find Li Shunzi.
……
Gu Tang and his group had already arrived home and were enjoying mutton soup noodles cooked by Ah Gou.
After finishing a bowl of noodle soup, Gu Tang felt alive again.
I was so cold and hungry just now, I really suffered!
Not long after they finished eating, Gu Lianshan returned.
He was covered in snow, and his lips were frozen purple.
Gu Tang poured him a cup of hot tea and told him to drink it first. Then she told him to go back to his room to change his clothes and shoes. After that, she arranged for Ah Gou to make him a bowl of soup noodles.
There's still plenty of dough left, and a good amount of mutton soup. Making noodle soup will be quick; it won't take long.
Gu Lianshan changed his clothes and shoes, washed his hands with hot water, and sat down in the main room to wait for dinner.
Taking advantage of her father's free moment, Gu Tang leaned forward and asked curiously, "How did it go? What did the Guan family say?"
"They ransacked Gu Baoshan's house and beat up Gu Baoshan and his two children to vent their anger. What else can we say?"
They spent four taels of silver to buy two coffins, which have now been brought back. They also bought paper money, burial clothes, mountains of gold and silver… a whole host of funeral necessities, saying they wanted to give the mother and daughter a grand and dignified burial.
"Can that grave be dug?"
For some reason, this question popped into Gu Tang's mind.
In this freezing weather, will it be possible to dig a grave for a burial?
This isn't something you can just dig a small pit at random; there are two coffins, one large and one small, so you'll need to dig two separate graves.
"Digging the grave is a small matter; the difficult part is that, according to clan rules, unmarried girls and boys cannot be buried in the ancestral grave."
There's another rule: when unripe boys and girls die, they are cremated, and only their ashes are placed in an urn before being buried in a mass grave.
"What do you mean by not having grown up yet?" Gu Tang counted on her fingers. "Da Ni is thirteen, she's a grown woman, how can you say she hasn't grown up yet?"
“Anyone under the age of fifteen, when they reach the age of marriage, is not considered an adult.”
Gu Tang's face turned cold: "What? You killed someone, and then you say they weren't grown up and want to burn their body? Do you think the Guan family will agree to that?"
In ancient times, only monks practiced cremation.
Ordinary people view cremation as a curse, believing that if a person's body is burned, their soul will be scattered and they will never be able to reincarnate.
Gu Dani died unjustly, and the Guan family is heartbroken at this time. In addition, they may also want to use this to spite the Gu Baoshan family, so they will definitely not agree to cremate Gu Dani.
(End of this chapter)