"This is true, your sister is smart and ruthless in her actions; she has never let our Gu Family suffer a loss." Gu Dashan nods as he listens, but then adds, "Xiao Yu has taken over the Xia Familyâs properties in Tianfu County, wonât the Xia Family People bear a grudge and send someone after Xiao Yu? After all, the Xia Family is a family of wealth and nobility, and Xia Gu is a Master Scholar."
"And about the poison Xiao Yu gave to the Xia Family couple... No, she wouldnât really have poisoned them to death, would she? That would be a case of manslaughter." Gu Dashan whispers, with a worried glance around him for fear that others might overhear and report them to the authorities to have Xiao Yu arrested and beheaded.
Gu Jinâan says, "Father, please donât worry, it wasnât any real poison. Xiao Yu was just scaring them; they will be fine after vomiting blood for a couple of days."
In fact, the poison Xiao Yu gave the Xia Family couple was indeed deadly, but knowing that his own father was not very brave and that these matters were related to the whole Lu Family, Gu Jinâan did not want to let Gu Dashan know.
With him and Xiao Yu here, thereâs no need for father and mother to worry about such things.
After hearing this, Gu Dashan sighed with relief, "Thatâs good, thatâs good."
He pauses and then looks at Gu Jinâan, "Good Brother An, no matter what you do, remember to keep yourselves safe. Our family is already living comfortably, and all your parents want is for you to be safe and sound."
Gu Jinâan smiled, "Donât worry, father, I will protect myself and Xiao Yu, and we will protect you as well."
His father was not completely ignorant; he knew he had little ability and did not want to know too much to avoid causing further trouble.
Before long, the father and son returned home. After a night of turmoil, it was almost dawn by the time they could go to bed.
Gu Jinli couldnât hold up any longer, and after taking a bath, she took Gu Jinxiu to bed to sleep.
Luo Family.
Father Luo was not sleeping, but instead he was speaking to Ms. Chu, "Brother Wu feels inferior to Dashanâs family, plus he has been manipulated by Xia Guâs crafty use of emotional strategies, leading him to believe that heâs not worthy of Sister Xiu, and thatâs why he gave up on her, hoping to let her marry into a noble family... Itâs my fault as a father."
If he hadnât sought comfort by hiding in the countryside and instead had made a name for himself, Brother Wu wouldnât feel so inferior.
Ms. Chu hurried to say, "Itâs not your fault, itâs mine... Itâs all on me... If you hadnât married me, you would be living a life of luxury right now; I am the one who dragged you down."
Upon hearing this, Father Luoâs expression turned grave, "Why say such nonsense again? Iâve told you, marrying you was my willing choice, without a shred of pity or sympathy, I simply took a fancy to you as a person."
Ms. Chu had been through great hardships, he had seen her suffering and experienced her resilience and fortitude.
He never could have imagined that a weak woman could become so strong just to survive. If his own mother had had even a fraction of Ms. Chuâs resilience, she might not have died so early, leaving an advantage to his stepmother.
And besides...
"They would rather see me dead; if I had not become a farmer, I reckon I would have long since died, and would not be living a life with a wife and children."
But Ms. Chu still felt that she was to blame, "Back then, when people came calling you back home, if you had gone back, and married another lady, maybe Brother Wu wouldnât have ended up this way."
Indeed, back then, someone from the Luo Family had come to him with the condition of divorcing her, but he refused.
The words of those from the Luo Family were too unpleasant, and they even planned to sell her. Once he found out, in a rage, he severed ties with the Luo Family, changed his name, altered his household registration, took her, and left.
Had he not done so, their lives would surely have been very different.
Father Luo held Ms. Chuâs hand, half embracing her, and looking down at her, he said, "Marry what lady? Whatâs so good about those ladies? They are so delicate they could die from a slight; do you believe, with that personâs cruelty, if I married one, she would kill one, and not let me have any offspring."
Seeing Ms. Chu shivering from the cold, Father Luo brought her a jar of mutton soup that they brought back from the Gu Family, "Have some soup to warm up your body."
Ms. Chu did not want Father Luo to worry about her, so she took the drink and had it.
After she finished, Father Luo took the empty bowl and said seriously, "I cut ties with them because I see them for what they really are... Theyâre not human, they are a bunch of evil spirits in human skin, I will not live under the same roof with a bunch of ghostly creatures."
He smiled again, "Itâs good that I married you. Weâre well-matched in temperament, and life together is truly comfortable, and I like living this way... Itâs just that Iâve troubled Brother Wu and Hui Niang."
"Iâve thought it over, Brother Wu feels this way because he thinks our family relies on Dashanâs family. He is a man, and he likes Sister Xiu. He doesnât want to lose face in front of the girl he admires. I am his father, I have to give him some confidence."
Ms. Chu asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Father Luo said, "Iâm thinking of taking over the escort agency in the county to return to my old trade."
There was only one escort agency in the county, the one where Uncle Mao sought Convenient Medicine from Gu Jinli three years ago.
This spring, the Chief of the county escort agency was severely injured while escorting a convoy, and will have to stay in bed for recovery. The family that owned the agency spent a lot of silver for the treatment, and now the owners want to sell the agency and return to their hometown for a more secure livelihood.
Father Luo knew Uncle Mao, and happened to meet him a few days ago while buying sheep in the county. He and his brothers were worried; if the escort agency was sold, they would have no livelihood. However, as ordinary escort masters, they simply did not have enough silver to buy the agency.
At that time, Father Luo merely comforted them with a few words, but now, because of Luo Wu, he is seriously considering taking up his old trade again.
That is his own son, and he, as a father, cannot be selfish, cannot just nestle in the workshop day by day.
Ms. Chu became anxious upon hearing this, "This wonât do, youâve suffered serious injuries before. If you go back to being an escort, how can your body withstand it?"
Father Luo smiled, "Itâs been over a decade, the injury has long since healed. Xiao Yu even had Doctor Wu examine me, and after nearly two years of treatment, there are no major issues anymore. Doctor Wu said even if I were to suffer another cut, it wouldnât be an issue. Itâs just that I will cause you worry."
Every time he went out on escort duty in the past, Ms. Chu was always very worried. Once, he came back in the middle of the night and saw her sleeping with a knife in her hand. When he tried to take the knife away, she almost chopped him with it.
It was then that he knew, every time he took an escort job, she would sleep like that, worried about him, and also worried about the house.
"Actually, the reason I stopped being an escort back then was not because of the injury, but because I didnât want you to worry anymore."
After hearing this, Ms. Chu shed tears... She may have suffered in ways others have not, but perhaps being with Father Luo made her life worthwhile.
Ms. Chu was strong, and after crying briefly, she said, "You go, do what you want to do, I will wait for you at home."
Father Luo smiled and wiped her tears, "What I like most about you is this strength of yours; other women canât compare to you."
Ms. Chu blushed at his words, and scolded, "At your age, still saying things like this, arenât you ashamed."
Father Luo laughed heartily, "Itâs just the two of us here, whatâs wrong with saying it?"
The couple exchanged some more words and then stood up to check on Luo Wu, seeing that his fever had greatly subsided, they felt more at ease.
By this time, the sky was already getting light, and at the Gu Family, Gu Jinli had only slept for an hour before getting up.
After putting on her cotton-padded jacket, she took a large cloth bag and left her home.
Just as she stepped out, she saw a figure with a horse not far away - it was unmistakably Qin San Lang.