Chapter 195 - 196: What Are You Up To?

Chapter 195: Chapter 196: What Are You Up To?

Intimidated by the harshness in Gu Wenheng’s tone, Gu Lejia didn’t dare to argue further. "Can I find something to do if I go back?"

Gu Wenheng spread his hands. "Isn’t that your own affair? If you need anything back home, ask your parents. They can make decisions for you."

Gu Lejia was speechless. ’Why won’t Seventh Uncle play along? How am I supposed to continue this conversation?’

Gu Wenheng saw Hong Da bringing the carriage over. "If you’re not going back, write a letter, and I’ll take it home for you. But I will give orders that the gates here will not open for you again."

Knowing full well what the young man was up to, Gu Wenheng spoke even more bluntly, not caring whether he could accept it or not. He stepped onto the mounting block, settled into the carriage, and said, "Let’s go."

As the carriage disappeared into the distance, Song Xiuxiang, who had been hiding in a corner, finally stepped out to stand beside Gu Lejia.

"You heard all that, didn’t you? It looks like we have to go back now, whether we want to or not." Gu Lejia glanced at her, then lowered his head and stared blankly at the ground.

"Is that really your blood uncle? How can he be so cold-blooded and heartless?

Aren’t family members supposed to help each other, especially an uncle and nephew? He just can’t stand to see you living a good life."

Gu Lejia didn’t refute Song Xiuxiang’s accusations. "So what do we do now?

The lease on that small courtyard we’re renting is about to expire. You don’t actually want to end up homeless with me, do you?"

"What if we go find your Aunt Seven? If we say a few nice things and get her to soften up, this will probably work out." The thought of the grand residence she had seen earlier made Song Xiuxiang’s heart burn with desire.

"It’s no use. I don’t want to go groveling to her." Gu Lejia looked at Xiuxiang and asked, "How many Silver Taels do you have on you right now?"

"What for?" Xiuxiang’s face was a mask of suspicion.

"What do you think? If we’re going back, we’ll need to buy food and supplies for the journey. I need to see if we have enough."

"You’re actually going back? Are you going to leave my little brother here all by himself?" Xiuxiang’s face was filled with disbelief. "Didn’t you already promise me? You said we would live here from now on, and you could help me take care of my brother."

"What more care does your brother need? We already intervened and helped him move out from your father and stepmother’s place. As long as he’s willing to work a little, he won’t starve."

"How can you say that?" Xiuxiang grew agitated. "I don’t care. Wherever I go, my brother goes."

Gu Lejia held out his hand. "Fine. Then give me back the silver I entrusted to you. I’ll go look around for a place to rent."

"You’re actually going to rent a place? Your Seventh Uncle’s residence is huge. Just go talk to him nicely again. Then my brother can live with us, and we can all look after each other."

Gu Lejia was speechless. ’My uncle won’t even let *me* stay. What makes you think he’d let your brother?’

He didn’t dare say that out loud, though. "First, just tell me how many Silver Taels are left. We need to start planning how we’re going to live."

"There’s none left," Xiuxiang said, her eyes darting away. "My brother just moved out on his own, so I gave him the silver to buy some furniture."

Seeing the incredulous look in Gu Lejia’s eyes, Song Xiuxiang raised her voice. "Didn’t you say you’d treat my brother like your own? Our little brother needs to start building his assets so he can get married someday."

"He’s building assets? But that was the silver I worked my fingers to the bone for, and you just gave it all to him?" Gu Lejia paced back and forth in a panic. "How are we supposed to live now?"

"Well, I thought we had Seventh Uncle to fall back on! They can’t be feasting on fine food and wine and not let a few scraps fall to their own nephew, can they?"

"Well, you saw it for yourself and heard it with your own ears. So you tell me, what do we do now?"

Song Xiuxiang wrung her hands nervously. "How am I supposed to know what to do?"

Gu Lejia was speechless.

＆

「Gaoling Village」

Li Cuicui glared impatiently at Gu Dashishi, who was still lazing on the kang bed. "They say it takes a hundred days to heal from a bad injury, but you’ve been lying there for ages. It’s already spring. Isn’t it time you got up and helped with some chores?"

Gu Dashishi laboriously raised a hand. "I want to get up, but I really can’t."

Li Cuicui thought he was playing the fool again, just like last time. "You haven’t even tried. How would you know?

There’s a mountain of work both in and out of the house. I’m at home waiting on you, and all the work in the fields is piled on me too. I couldn’t get it all done even if I had eight arms.

Old man, we’ve been married our whole lives. Can’t you just do me a favor and give me a break?"

Gu Dashishi’s face flushed red with exertion and anger. "You think *I* don’t want to move?! I really can’t!

Last time, the doctor from the Prefecture City said I might have had a stroke. My leg got better, but the sickness in my body never left. Now I have no strength at all. I can’t move.

If you have time to stand here running your mouth, you should be telling our eldest to hurry up and fetch a doctor for me."

"How would our eldest have time for that? He can’t even keep up with the fieldwork as it is," Li Cuicui said, eyeing him skeptically. "How about I send one of the children to the next village to fetch Doctor Liu?"

"What does that quack Liu know? He can only handle headaches and fevers. Make our eldest go to the county town to get a proper doctor for me. Seventh gave us Silver Taels, so what’s the problem with making them run an errand?"

Li Cuicui pointed a trembling, furious finger at him. "Just keep up your act! How many times have you called for a doctor since before the new year?

And you’re so gluttonous! All those Silver Taels Seventh gave us... what wasn’t spent on your doctor visits was spent to feed your greedy mouth.

The doctor from the county town already came to see you. He told you to sit up and get some exercise every day, but do you listen? No! Look at you, you’ve gotten twice as fat, while our sons are run ragged taking care of you. If you don’t feel bad for them, I do!"

"It’s their duty to serve their old man," Gu Dashishi said with a dismissive look. "Anyway, I can’t move. Either get me a doctor or stop bothering me while I’m trying to sleep."

Li Cuicui gritted her teeth in fury. "Fine. Have it your way."

With that, she angrily flung aside the door curtain and stormed out. She immediately ran into Gu Yuanfeng, who was walking out of the kitchen clutching his stomach, a coarse-grain pancake she had prepared to take to the fields dangling from his mouth.

When Gu Yuanfeng saw that Li Cuicui had caught him, he flashed a grin at her. "Ma, my stomach’s rumbling again."

Li Cuicui took a deep breath, snatched a hoe from the corner, grabbed the rest of the rations from the kitchen, and headed for the fields without a backward glance.

"Ma, you haven’t given me our lunch yet! What are Dad and I supposed to eat?" Gu Yuanfeng cried out, seeing the empty containers in the kitchen. He clutched his stomach and hurried after her.

"Eat whatever you can find! There are wild vegetables everywhere outside. Don’t you know how to go pick some? You’re a grown man, are you still waiting for me to spoon-feed you?" Li Cuicui didn’t look back. All she wanted was to get to the fields and cool her head. Even if the work was hard, it was better than dealing with the frustration at home.