Chapter 1016: Lady Xu

He Jinseng was not angry. He admired Gu Jin’an greatly. It was partly because of Gu Jin’an’s help that he passed the county examination as a student. He was more than happy to go welcome Gu Jin’an.

However, he still instructed He Dacang, "Dad, don’t start making noise yet. The two sisters of the Gu Family are still in the mule cart. If too many people come to watch, it won’t be good."

Village Chief He said, "What’s the big deal? Little Xiao Yu roams around the village all day. Could she still be shy?"

Gu Jinli was too daring. No matter how pretty she was, the villagers never saw her as a proper lady. They all regarded her as a female bully, and whenever they saw her, they’d avoid her.

"Stop dawdling, hurry up and go welcome the Good Brother An. If you waste any more time, their convoy will have reached the government gate, and you’ll have missed your chance!" Village Chief He urged He Jinseng, clearly annoyed by his hesitation.

Then, he saw He Yinseng beside him, hit him on the leg with a cane, and scolded, "You go too! You useless thing, you can’t even pass the county exam, and you still won’t hurry up to catch Master Top Scorer’s good fortune!"

He Yinseng, having been scolded, quickly ran off with his cousin.

Village Chief He saw this and yelled again, "Slow down, can’t you run with some dignity?"

Just look at Brother An, even the way he walks exudes nobility, but why do the boys from my family walk like willows and run like ducks?

Alas, comparing people really drives one mad.

"Has the top scorer of our Tianfu County returned?!"

The townspeople, hearing He Dacang’s words, became extremely excited and rushed out to see the commotion. Upon seeing the mule carts from the Luo Family Escort Agency, and remembering the relationship between the Luo and Gu families, they all flocked toward the carts.

In no time, the large street became blocked.

Elder Xu, sitting in his shop, smirked. That village chief from Da Feng Village was a fool, going crazy for fame. The top scorer hasn’t even reached the village yet, and they’re already shouting at the gates of the county government. Look what happened now—they’ve attracted people right to their Xu’s Shop.

Elder Xu immediately instructed the bodyguards he brought with him: "Go, stop those people watching the spectacle, don’t let them get close to the Gu Family people."

He then called out to Xu Zhao Ming, his second son, and his second daughter-in-law, "Brother Ming, Er, Er’s wife, come with me. Let’s go welcome the Gu Family people into the shop."

"Okay." Xu Er and Xu Er’s wife responded, rising with Elder Xu to go out of the shop and welcome the Gu Family people.

Xu Zhao Ming thought it was a bit excessive, pulling on his grandfather, saying, "Grandfather, I’m familiar with Brother Gu. I’ll go welcome them. You and Uncle and Aunt should go back first, there’s no need for you to greet them in person."

In fact, Xu Zhao Ming was thinking that Uncle and Aunt should hurry back with the sisters from the various branches of the family. Waiting in the shop with all these sisters and then welcoming the Gu Family in seems very purposeful.

Indeed, Elder Xu had a purpose.

He had taken a liking to Gu Jin’an. He heard that Gu Jin’an had not only ranked first in the county but also earned the favor of Lord Magistrate, with a promising future ahead. Such a fine young man, the Xu Family could not miss out. How could he let such a good opportunity slip away? He’d be overwhelmed with regret!

Don’t talk to him about how bringing granddaughters to greet someone might look bad. What’s bad about it? It’s not like they’re unaccompanied. How is it inappropriate?

Besides, if he didn’t take such measures, you wait and see. Gu Jin’an—before even entering the village, as soon as he stepped into the government office to see County Magistrate Zheng, people from the office would be upfront about discussing marriage with him.

Others dare to speak plainly, why shouldn’t he hint a little from the perspective of an elder?

"Brother Ming, if you’re too shy, just stay quiet. Let Grandpa do the talking. Just come along and show your face." Elder Xu said, striding out of the shop.

Outside the shop, the Xu Family shopkeeper, alongside the bodyguards, had already stopped the spectacle-watching townspeople: "Fellow townsfolk, step aside, don’t block the road, let Master Top Scorer pass first."

Step aside? After finally getting a good spot to watch the excitement, would they give it up? Dream on!

The townspeople watching the spectacle not only did not move aside but squeezed in even tighter.

Gu Jinli was frustrated. Village chief, what exactly do you intend to do? Is it really necessary to make such a scene in the county? Now they’re stuck and can’t move.

Qin San Lang came riding over on horseback, tapped the carriage, and said, "Aunt Dashan, Little Xiao Yu, don’t be afraid, we’re here to protect you. Nothing will happen."

Gu Jinli said, "We’re fine, don’t worry. There are just too many people. If you can’t disperse them, just throw money."

Gu Jin’an, being the first top scorer to come out of Tianfu County, naturally caused a stir upon returning home. Gu Jinli had anticipated this, so when they were approaching Tianfu County, she had Erqing exchange for three baskets of Copper Coins. Now, just scattering them should be enough to draw these onlookers away.

Qin San Lang said, "Yes, if it gets out of hand, we’ll scatter money and make an escape."

Mrs. Cui hadn’t expected so many people either and was quite frightened. Hearing Qin San Lang’s words, she finally felt at ease, saying, "San Lang, be careful yourselves, don’t get pushed down."

Qin San Lang replied, "Rest assured, we’ll be fine."

With that, he whipped the wall of a nearby shop with a crack, breaking off a corner of the wall.

The sound was loud, and the townspeople eager to squeeze through and watch were all startled.

Qin San Lang, being a Company Commander at the Military Office, occasionally moved about the county. Some in the crowd recognized him and were frightened, even calling out his nickname: "Oh no, it’s King Qin from the Military Office!"

The words were quite effective, scaring quite a few people, causing those surrounding the convoy to retreat quickly.

Gu Jinli: "..."

What do you mean by this? My Brother Qin is clearly gentle and kind. Is it necessary to be so scared?!

Luo Wu also brandished his squad leader badge, shouting to the crowd, "I am Squad Leader Luo from the county government. The top scorer is returning home to meet Lord County Magistrate. Clear the way, or else if you delay the meeting, you’ll receive thirty strokes!"

All of them were common folk, and what they feared most was entering a government office and getting beaten. Upon hearing they’d be given thirty strokes, they quickly retreated.

Thirty strokes—if they’re dealt with force, they could kill a person. These people only wanted to watch a spectacle, not to die.

Elder Xu saw the crowd dispersing, and thought this was bad. He hurriedly led his son and daughter-in-law toward the mule cart, saying, "Are you the family of First Place Gu? I am from the Xu Family of the county. My grandson, Zhao Ming, is a friend of First Place Gu. Upon learning of your return, we came to greet you and make your acquaintance."

He added, "It’s quite congested here, the road ahead is blocked. Why don’t you come to our shop through the corner gate to avoid any collisions with the women?"

He kicked Xu Zhao Ming to prompt him to speak.

Xu Zhao Ming, reluctantly, said, "Brother Gu, it’s me."

After hesitating a moment, he continued, "There are too many people here, and with ladies in your family, why don’t we first go into our shop with my aunt for a bit?"

Gu Jin’an, upon hearing his voice, lifted the curtain to look at Xu Zhao Ming, then at the people around him. Thinking he still needed to go to the government office to meet Lord County Magistrate, he nodded and smiled, "Brother Xu, you came at the right time. Thank you."

This indicated his agreement to go to the Xu Family’s shop.