Chapter 16: The Background of Second Brother Gu

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: The Background of Second Brother Gu

As he spoke, he took the lead in entering the main room.

The Village Chief and Gu Qingli followed.

Several onlookers from outside followed them in and stood at the entrance of the main room; unusually, Ms. Hua hadn’t come.

Gu Qingli glanced at the people who followed and saw the Village Chief’s elder brother among them. She called out, “Grandpa Gu, please come in and have a seat.”

Grandpa Gu nodded and came in.

The Village Chief, his elder brother Grandpa Gu, and Master Gu sat down, while Gu Qingli remained standing.

Master Gu took out his tobacco pipe, lit the dry tobacco, and said slowly, “Grandpa Gu, Second, you don’t need to stare at me like that. I’ll tell you the truth today. My second son isn’t our biological child. Everyone knows he was born at Ms. Hua’s parents’ house, right? Our real son died at birth. We found this child on our way back home. Seeing how pitiful the child was, and having just lost a son ourselves, we decided to bring him back and raise him.

We’ve raised him for so many years. Today, he’s so seriously injured, and we truly have no silver to treat his leg. Besides, it’s still uncertain whether his leg can even be healed.”

After saying that, he continued to puff on his dry tobacco.

When Second Brother Gu was brought back, covered in blood with a broken leg, Master Gu had been stunned. How could a perfectly healthy person go out and return in such a miserable state?

Who will do the work in the future?

It so happened that Doctor Li heard the commotion and came over. He could only do so much; such a severe injury had to be treated in town or the county seat.

But healing Second Brother Gu’s injury would cost several dozen taels of silver.

Ms. Hua immediately refused. If the silver was spent on Second Brother Gu, what would Third Son and the two grandsons use for their prospects next year?

The old couple didn’t even think twice before deciding to reveal Second Brother Gu’s true origins.

This way, no one could say the old Gu family didn’t care for Second Brother Gu. After all, if they hadn’t taken him in back then, he might have been eaten by wild dogs long ago. Second Brother Gu should be grateful to them.

Gu Chang’an, Grandpa Gu, and the people outside listened in silence, sighing deeply.

No wonder that of Master Gu’s three sons, it was Second Brother Gu who had worked since he was young, never shirking from dirty, tiring, or bitter tasks.

Gu Qingli listened without much surprise; this was all within her expectations.

Here, finding and abandoning children is as common as eating. Finding a child requires no formalities, and abandoning one isn’t illegal. In an era where adults struggled to find enough food and clothing to survive, abandoning a child might at least give them a chance at life. Ultimately, it’s all a disaster caused by poverty.

Gu Chang’an pondered for a long moment before asking, “So, what’s your plan? Are you going to disown his family?”

Master Gu took another fierce puff from the pipe, raised his eyes to look at Gu Chang’an, and said, “Second, why are you being so harsh? I’m still your older cousin, after all.”

“Hmph! I’d rather not have you as an older cousin. You say my words are harsh, but look at the hideous thing you’re doing! Their branch of the family is small, the children are young, and one is injured. You must provide some explanation. You can’t just purse your lips and declare he’s not your son, and that’s that. What if the rest of the village starts following your example?”

Gu Qingli wanted to give a thumbs up to Second Master Gu Chang’an, who could stand up for their family at such a critical moment. However, she remained silent, waiting for Master Gu to announce he was driving out Second Brother Gu’s family.

This is an opportunity, a perfect chance to get rid of this old couple.

After puffing on his pipe for a while longer, Master Gu finally said, “My intention is to expel his family from our household. From now on, Second Brother Gu’s branch will have nothing to do with us.”

“What? How can it be like this? I thought at most you’d just separate their households. What’s the difference between expelling them and completely severing ties?” As soon as Master Gu finished speaking, someone among the few people outside the door exclaimed in surprise.

“Quiet! This is their family’s private matter,” another person quickly admonished the speaker.

The people outside the door fell silent.

Gu Chang’an was deeply disappointed. He had thought Master Gu would at least offer some silver to treat Second Brother Gu first, but he hadn’t expected Master Gu to declare he was expelling Second Brother Gu’s family.

Gu Chang’an was furious. He said, “To think he called you ’father’ for so many years, slaved like an ox and horse for your family, supporting all of you, and this is how you treat him in the end!”

Master Gu rolled his eyes. “Didn’t I raise him?”

“How many years did you raise him? He repaid that debt for those few years long ago. If you took him in, why didn’t you treat him well? It would have been better not to pick him up at all. Perhaps he could have found a better family.”

“Enough! More words are useless. I can’t very well ignore my own flesh and blood, my children and grandchildren, can I?” Master Gu waved his hand impatiently.

“Fine. Since he’s not your biological son, you have no right to the betrothal money for Second Daughter. Hand it over, and I’ll immediately issue the documents to separate the household registrations.”

Gu Qingli listened, wanting to applaud Second Master Gu Chang’an. She had never seen such a fair Village Chief. She cast him a grateful glance.

“It’s all gone,” Master Gu said.

“Then compensate with your family’s silver.”

Master Gu, like a dead pig that doesn’t fear scalding water, stuck out his neck and said defiantly, “Don’t have any.”

“You—”

Gu Chang’an pointed at Master Gu, too angry to speak.

Grandpa Gu also frowned.

Gu Qingli, hearing they couldn’t reach a resolution, walked over to help Gu Chang’an calm down. “Second Master Gu, please don’t be angry. Our family is very grateful to you. How about this, Grandpa,” she said, turning to Master Gu, “since Grandpa Gu, Second Master Gu, and the other uncles are here as witnesses: we don’t want the betrothal money. Since my father isn’t your biological son, we don’t want to cling to you either. Let everyone here bear witness for our family. Second Master Gu, please issue the document for us immediately to separate our household registration. My father is waiting for me to find a solution.”

Gu Chang’an looked up and asked, “Second Daughter, you mustn’t act on impulse. Besides, are you truly in a position to make this decision?”

Gu Qingli replied, “Second Master Gu, this isn’t about acting impulsively. I can make this decision. My father is in his current state, Dashuang and Xiaoshuang are still little, and you know my mother’s temperament.”

Seeing no room for negotiation, Gu Chang’an shook his head and sighed. “Then where will you live?”

Gu Qingli’s mind raced. “Aren’t there a few vacant houses at the foot of the mountain over there? We’ll move there.”

It’s close by. Once we’ve severed ties with the old Gu family, and our family prospers in the future, we’ll make them green with envy and die of regret. Most importantly, it’s near the path up the mountain. Not only is there a large open space behind the houses, but there’s also a large water hole at the foot of the cliff, so we won’t have to fetch water for drinking and use from the well at the front of the village.

Gu Chang’an said worriedly, “Those few houses are almost collapsing. Are they even habitable? How about this: your family will likely be staying in town for the next few days anyway. Tomorrow, I’ll gather some people to help repair and tidy them up.”

Gu Qingli nodded. “Thank you very much, Second Master Gu.”

She glanced at Master Gu, still puffing on his dry tobacco pipe.

What a cold and selfish man.

Grandpa Gu and Gu Chang’an were Master Gu’s paternal cousins, yet their personalities and moral characters showed a stark contrast.

She also pitied Second Brother Gu: abandoned at birth, only to end up with such an awful pair of adoptive parents.

What will happen when he learns the truth?

Gu Qingli sighed deeply in her heart.

I hope he’ll be alright.

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