Chapter 614 - 616: On the Way

Chapter 614: Chapter 616: On the Way

Gu Yuanmu rubbed his head, grinning foolishly. "The boy’s mother has been making preparations for days. She’s probably already busy with everyone by now."

Li Cuicui was less diplomatic. "You’d better go back and watch over things. Knowing that stingy wife of yours, you don’t want any mistakes."

’As if we don’t know what she’s like just because we don’t live together.’

Wang Caiyue had always resented that her son hadn’t come home for years, all because of Xu Nuo.

On top of that, her husband was considered the least well-off of all the brothers, so Wang Caiyue was always holding a grudge and would contest every little thing.

All these things combined had made her unpopular in Kao Mountain Village.

But since she never committed any major errors, only a constant stream of minor ones, no one could do much about her. This only made her more audacious.

The thought that his wife might actually make an issue of this made Gu Yuanmu unable to sit still. "Then I’ll head back and see how the boy’s mother’s preparations are coming along.

Le Huan, you come with me. We need to see if the young ladies have any dietary restrictions."

’He’s my son, and I need to look out for him. Can’t let the silly boy keep embarrassing himself here.’

After Gu Yuanmu left with Gu Lehuan, Gu Yuanjin then asked, "Mother, it’s a long journey. Even if Seventh and his family are coming back, it will be a while. How about this: after Le Huan’s wedding is finished, I’ll take some men and make a trip to the Capital City."

Li Cuicui said, "There’s no rush. Your seventh brother’s letter might already be on its way. We should get it in a few days. Let’s see what his plans are before we decide anything."

Ever since Gu Dashishi was last plotted against, Li Cuicui had been keeping the family on a tight leash, telling them not to make a move unless it was absolutely necessary.

Gu Yuanshui added, "Mother’s right. It’s possible that by the time we get news here, Seventh hasn’t even left his post yet. We should wait for the letter before we do anything."

The others heard this and agreed it made sense. Glancing at the sky, one said, "Then we brothers will have a meal at Mother’s place today. Our second sister-in-law and the others are entertaining the women, so we won’t go get in the way."

Xu Nuo’s situation was somewhat unusual; no male elders had accompanied her this time. As uncles and cousins of the groom, it was best for them to keep some distance.

Even if they were to dine with them, separate arrangements would have to be made, so there was no need for the extra complication.

Li Cuicui, buoyed by the sudden good news, was in a cheerful mood. "It’s been a while since you all ate here. Today, Mother will have the kitchen prepare plenty of good food and wine for you."

Gu Yuanjin and the others glanced at the room behind Li Cuicui but ultimately didn’t dare ask for the person inside to join them. Instead, they just smiled and said, "Mother, you can’t be stingy with all that good wine and the dried goods that our seventh sister-in-law sent over."

Everyone in Fu County knew that Ancient Wen Heng and his wife were the most filial of children. For every festival and holiday, they would send several carriage-loads of gifts to honor the family elders.

And while they never forgot the other clan elders, Li Cuicui always received the lion’s share.

"Hah. I’ve given you your fair share of the things Seventh sends. Are you telling me it’s all gone already?"

Gu Yuanshui immediately protested, "Mother, you don’t understand! Everyone out there knows we have these rare delicacies, and they’ve all had their eyes on them."

"The people in our clan, they wouldn’t dare ask you for anything, but they’re always coming to my house to eat and drink their fill. They’re our own clansmen—I can’t just turn them away, can I?"

The other brothers quickly chimed in, all talking at once to coax and flatter Li Cuicui.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Gu Dashishi listened quietly to the sounds from outside, his listless eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Over the past few years, he had lost the energy to be angry. In the end, he was always the one who suffered.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to fight back. He had even gone to the clan elders and asked them to step in.

But it was as if Li Cuicui had fed them all some kind of potion, because not a single one of them took his side.

But Seventh’s return was an opportunity. ’No matter what, I’m still his father.’

He closed his eyes and began to scheme, wondering if he could use this chance to escape his predicament.

* * *

Ancient Wen Heng was unaware of everything happening back home. After two days on the road, everyone’s spirits had gradually settled.

Whenever they encountered a particularly beautiful vista, the families would stop for a while to relax and take it all in.

Lu Shenggen remarked while eating a piece of roasted meat served by an attendant, "Mr. Gu, thinking back on it now, we really went through a lot of hardship back when we were rushing to our posts."

"All that ice and snow, and the endless mud... It was nothing like the comfortable and pleasant journey we’re having now."

Ancient Wen Heng fell silent. ’Can I admit I didn’t really suffer all that much back then?’

"That was a special case. I doubt we’ll have such bad luck again. Still, who would have thought back then that a place everyone dreaded would bring us such great fortune?" Wu Yichen took a contented sip of his wine. "Now this is the good life!"

He Gaofei said, "It’s rare we get a moment of peace like this. Stop reminiscing about the bitter past. With a scene like this before us, shouldn’t we be composing a poem?"

Lu Shenggen stared at him in disbelief. "So, it turns out Mr. He is a great literary master! My apologies for my ignorance."

"But after all these years, you know I’m just a crude fellow. I can’t imitate the ways of elegant scholars. You all go ahead; I’ll just watch from the sidelines."

Ancient Wen Heng also quickly waved his hands in dismissal. "Poetry? I’m truly no good at it. Mr. He, please feel free."

With two people already backing out, Wu Yichen quickly followed suit. "An excellent suggestion, Mr. He! The three of us will stand by and be your cheering section. Please, begin."

As he spoke, he began to clap, and Ancient Wen Heng laughed and did the same.

He Gaofei exclaimed, "You three gentlemen, that’s not very sporting of you! I just made a casual suggestion, and now you’re putting me on the spot. That’s just not fair."

"This is a rare moment of leisure. Even if you couldn’t compose one, you could have at least played along for a bit."

Ancient Wen Heng said, "Mr. He, we can all see you’ve been seized by poetic inspiration. Don’t hold back."

The other two chimed in, goading him on. He Gaofei could only beg for mercy. "Leave such highbrow pursuits to the scholars! Let’s drink, let’s drink..."

In contrast to the men’s boisterous laughter, the area where the ladies were gathered was much quieter. Attended by their servants, they each ate the roasted meat before them.

Once everyone had nearly finished eating, they had tea brought out and began to chat.

"It’s so much more lively traveling in a large group like this. I remember when it was just a few of us women on the road; it was quite nerve-wracking.

Especially the few times we had to camp in the wilderness—we were honestly too scared to sleep all night." Holding a steaming cup of tea, Lady Wu was the first to speak.

Her words started the conversation, and the women began to share their own memories from that journey, one after another.

Jin Qianqian, however, was lost in thought. They should reach Le City in another day. Thinking of the unpleasant events that had happened there all those years ago, she couldn’t help but feel how quickly time had passed.

"Mrs. Gu, how was it for you when you traveled here alone last time? Did you also hire an escort agency?"