Chapter 155: Xiao Mansion

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Xiao Mansion

Seeing her arrive, Ms. Yang hurriedly ran over, her face full of worry as she asked, “When did you get here, Third Sister-in-law? Are you injured?”

Ms. Yang carefully examined her from head to toe. Finding her unscathed, she sighed in relief.

“Third Sister-in-law, who is this child?” Ms. Yang finally noticed Daniu.

Gu Qingli smiled and said, “This is Daniu from the village, Aunt Xiangqin’s son. Aunt Xiangqin has passed away, so he will be with us from now on.”

“Daniu, greet your Eldest Sister-in-law,” Gu Qingli instructed gently.

“Eldest Sister-in-law,” Daniu obeyed, wiping the large tears that had been pouring down his face since hearing of Aunt Xiangqin’s passing. He looked up to call out to Ms. Yang.

“Oh, you poor child,” Ms. Yang’s eyes welled up as she patted Daniu’s head. “You can stay with Xiao Han and the others from now on.”

Daniu nodded.

“Third Sister-in-law.”

“Third Aunt.”

Ms. Wang also arrived with Xiao Han, Eldest Brother Xiao, and Second Brother Xiao. They all greeted her, and Gu Qingli nodded and smiled back at them.

Then she introduced Daniu.

Upon hearing that Daniu would be living with them, the other three children warmly reached out to him.

Being all boys of similar ages, it didn’t take long for the four of them to start playing together.

Seeing the children getting along so well, the three sisters-in-law felt quite relieved.

“Let’s go inside; it’s cold out here,” Ms. Yang said, linking arms with Gu Qingli as they headed for her courtyard.

Gu Qingli nodded.

They entered the main hall of the second courtyard. Gu Qingli glanced around; the furnishings were quite exquisite, and it was clear that a lot of care had gone into the arrangement.

Once everyone was seated, a maid and an older female servant promptly served tea.

“How is everything at home, Third Sister-in-law?” Ms. Yang asked impatiently as soon as they settled down. “We heard that Qinghe County was severely affected by the disaster. We wanted to go back, but we thought you would be coming, so we stayed.”

Gu Qingli took a sip of tea to warm her stomach. She said, “All the houses have collapsed, not just ours. There isn’t a single intact house left in the entirety of Qinghe County…”

“HISS!”

Ms. Yang and the others gasped upon hearing this.

How would the surviving disaster victims manage to live?

The room fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

“It’s so tragic!” Ms. Yang finally managed to say after a moment.

As a woman, even if she wanted to do something for the victims, her abilities were limited.

She got up and went to the bedroom, returning shortly with a small coffer. Opening it in front of everyone, she took out several bank-notes of various denominations and placed them before Gu Qingli. She said earnestly, “Third Sister-in-law, this is all the silver I have. I know you have ways; please buy some food, clothing, and other necessities to send to the people in the village.”

“I have some too! I’ll go get it,” Ms. Wang also stood up, ready to fetch her money. Even Xiao Han and the other two children got up, intending to get their private savings.

“All of you, sit down and listen to me,” Gu Qingli quickly stopped them.

How much could they possibly buy with their silver? One could figure out with their toes that supplies were extremely scarce right now; it was likely that even with silver, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to buy anything. And anything they could buy would probably be exorbitant.

Ms. Wang and the others paused. At Gu Qingli’s gesture, they returned to their seats.

Gu Qingli said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, Xiao Han, I understand your feelings, and the Village Chief and the others will be grateful when they hear of your intentions. But right now, even with money, it’s hard to buy anything, isn’t it? However, rest assured, an ox-cart of supplies was sent back to the village last night. Everyone should have received their share by now.”

“Oh, right,” Ms. Yang laughed awkwardly.

She had just acted on impulse, always wanting to do something for the villagers.

Ms. Wang also smiled sheepishly. The three children, however, remained quite composed.

Their hard-earned pocket money wouldn’t have to be taken out. To be honest, they were a little reluctant to part with it. Since they didn’t have to give it up, they decided that when they returned to the village later, they would help out with whatever they could.

“So, will we only return after spring arrives?” Ms. Yang asked again. After staying in the city for a few days with nothing much to do, she wasn’t used to being idle.

“Yes, we’ll probably go back around then. All the houses at home have collapsed, so we’ll need to rebuild when we return. We originally planned to start after the rain stopped, but then it suddenly started snowing,” Gu Qingli sighed.

Ms. Yang nodded. “Coincidentally, Eldest Brother and Second Brother are due back. We should tell them to come here.”

Seeing that the important matters had been discussed and there was nothing else pressing, Gu Qingli stood up and said, “Alright, you all carry on. I’m going to check on my parents. Daniu can stay here.”

Ms. Yang replied, “Then hurry back. I’ll arrange for lunch.”

Gu Qingli waved her hand. “You don’t need to worry about me for lunch.”

She took out a five-hundred-tael silver bank-note and placed it in Ms. Yang’s hand.

Looking at the bank-note in her hand, Ms. Yang exclaimed in surprise, “Third Sister-in-law, this is so much!”

Gu Qingli said, “Prices are high, so this silver won’t buy a lot. Keep it for emergencies. I’ll arrange for other food and living expenses; you don’t need to worry.”

Ms. Yang said, “Third Sister-in-law, how can I accept this?”

In the past, she wouldn’t have thought much of these bank-notes, but times had changed. They were no longer the renowned General’s Mansion of the Daqian Kingdom. A few hundred taels was a huge sum now.

Gu Qingli patted her hand. “We are family.”

Eldest Brother Xiao and Second Brother Xiao were risking their lives on the battlefield; if she had silver and was stingy, she would despise such behavior. She wanted to give more but was afraid of scaring them.

“Yes, we are family,” Ms. Yang said, no longer hesitating, and put the bank-note away.

Gu Qingli then took out another five hundred taels and gave it to Ms. Wang, treating them equally.

Ms. Wang accepted it readily.

The three sisters-in-law chatted for a few more moments before Gu Qingli walked over to Daniu and patted his small shoulder. “Daniu, from now on, you’ll be with Xiao Han and the others. If you need anything, just tell your Eldest Sister-in-law or Second Sister-in-law.”

Daniu, who was talking with Xiao Han and the other two, turned his head and nodded sensibly at Gu Qingli. “Alright, Third Aunt, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Gu Qingli smiled. After saying goodbye to Ms. Yang and Ms. Wang, she left with Wuqing and Wuyou, heading towards Gu Dalin’s residence.

The snowfall was even heavier today, and the streets were almost devoid of pedestrians. Only Gu Qingli and her two servants walked through the deep snow.

Gu Dalin’s house was not far, located on the same street, just two alleyways over.

“Miss, this is it,” Wuyou said, stopping in front of a residence similar in appearance to the Xiao Mansion.

“Alright, knock on the door.”

Wuyou nodded and stepped forward to knock.

The doorman, a middle-aged man, opened the door, rubbing his hands together. Recognizing Wuyou, he quickly bowed and scraped. “Ah, it’s Miss Wuyou! The Madam was just talking about you today. Quick, quick, come in.”

He didn’t recognize Gu Qingli or Wuqing, but he knew that the Gu family had a married eldest daughter, so he presumed this must be her.

He respectfully invited the three of them into the residence.

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