"Stop, Lian Niang, stop!" Gu Dagui hurried forward and grabbed Mrs. Chenâs arm. "Donât be so impulsive. Youâre their daughter, theyâre your family. If you go with a knife to chop people, how will others see us?"
"I donât care how they see us. You know exactly what the Chen family is like. If we donât show them some colors and make them fear, youâll be eaten by them for a lifetime." Mrs. Chen shouted, her face dark with anger, "And this time theyâre trying to harm Brother Xing. Big Brother and Sister-in-law only have him left. He used to be so stubborn that he seemed useless, but he finally made something of himself. If the Chen family ruins him again, arenât you afraid Sister-in-law will come to demand our lives at night?!"
Mrs. Chen feared ghosts and shook off Gu Dagui.
With a bang, Gu Dagui was thrown to the ground, landing solidly. His tailbone hurt so much that he grimaced, his face turning pale.
Mrs. Chen looked at him disdainfully and said, "Look at you, so useless. Just sit there; I can manage it myself."
"Manage what? Youâre just boasting." Gu Dagui grabbed Mrs. Chenâs foot, "Are you out of your mind? Yinhua already said your Big Brother and Third Brother are waiting outside the Prefecture Government Office. If you just rush over to find them, by tomorrow morning, the whole Prefecture will know, and Brother Xingâs marriage will be ruined!"
Mrs. Chen saw her foot grabbed by Gu Dagui and intended to kick him off, but hearing this, she urgently asked, "Then what should we do? We canât let them meet Old Master Xu. Weâve got to solve them quickly, or else the marriage will definitely fall apart."
Old Master Xu is not someone who takes losses, and he is protective of his reputation. If her familyâs trouble finds him, Gu Dexing will undoubtedly suffer.
"Aunt, you can send this young man to stop Uncle and Third Uncle!" Chen Yin Hua was also shocked by Mrs. Chenâs stance of grabbing a knife to chop people. After coming to her senses, she pointed at Ah Feng, "This young man knows martial arts. Let him take two guys, and theyâll surely be able to quietly bring Uncle and Third Uncle back."
Gu Daguiâs eyes lit up hearing this, and he told Mrs. Chen, "Lian Niang, your niece is right. Let Ah Feng and Ah Ling go together to grab your Big Brother and Third Brother and keep them from meeting Old Master Xu."
Ah Feng, Ah Ling, and Granny Cao were people Xiao Yu appointed for the shop. The two young men knew martial arts, while Granny Cao was bought from the government, understanding rules, chores, and accounting. With these three in the shop, the couple felt much relieved.
Mrs. Chen was initially unhappy when she met the three of them because they were specified by Gu Jinli to stay, while she wanted her and her husband to manage the shop, not wanting others watching over. But hearing this, she immediately said to Ah Feng, "Boy Feng, quickly call Boy Ling, letâs drive to the government office. We canât let those two bastards ruin Brother Xingâs marriage!"
"Yes." Ah Feng responded, rushed into the mansion, and not long after, came out driving the mule cart with Ah Ling.
"Hurry up and get in the cart." Mrs. Chen grabbed Chen Yin Hua and said, "Itâs been over a decade, those two scoundrels must have changed appearances. You go with us and point them out."
Time was tight and couldnât be wasted; she had no time to slowly search for faces.
"Hey." Chen Yin Hua had no hesitation about getting on the mule cart. Ever since deciding to find her aunt, she was already on her side, not fearing exposure in front of the Chen Family... The Chen Family couldnât be relied upon. Now only her aunt and uncle could be her support, and she needed to hold onto them.
Seeing her respond so quickly, Mrs. Chen coldly laughed, "Put away your schemes. If you dare intend anything against my family like the other Chen Family members or plan against Brother Xing, Iâll tear you apart!"
"I wouldnât dare, Aunt." Chen Yin Hua bowed her head, "I know my status is low and dare not have inappropriate thoughts. Coming to inform you this time, I just hope that after it succeeds, Aunt can help my brother and me get a household registration."
She added another piece of information to Mrs. Chen, "My father is dead."
So even if there was past resentment, she hoped Aunt would consider her fatherâs death and not hold grudges. Now she was just an orphan girl without a father and household registration, not asking for much.
Mrs. Chen paused at this but said nothing more, pulling Chen Yin Hua onto the mule cart.
"Ah Feng, hurry up!" Gu Dagui was also anxious, urging Ah Feng driving the cart.
Ah Feng harshly whipped the mule, driving the cart toward the government office.
It was near evening, and Gu Jinâan and the others had been at the government office for half a day. The Magistrate Gu was very satisfied with them, talked with them for a long time, and even had them stay for a meal. It wasnât until the sun was nearly set that they were allowed to go home.
In the small alley across the street, Chen Canggu asked Chen Cangjin, "Big Brother, is that group of people including Xu Family members?"
Chen Cangjin squinted his eyes to look but couldnât see clearly from the distance, "Letâs go, get closer and take a look."
After speaking, they walked toward the opposite street, and their sons followed quickly.
They changed into new clothes, appearing as ordinary rural folks, just their hair was a bit messy and emitted the sour odor of not having washed it for a month.
So as they walked over, no one suspected anything, just distastefully covered mouths and cursed, "Damn it, doesnât your family have water? In this hot weather, how long has it been since you washed? The stench is intense!"
The Chen brothers didnât care about othersâ remarks, instead approached the government gate, staring at Gu Jinâanâs group, eyes falling on Old Master Xu... The only old man in the crowd must be Old Master Xu. Following him would certainly lead to the Xu Mansion to extort money.
The steward of the Magistrate Gu personally escorted Gu Jinâan and the others out of the government office, saying, "Sirs Scholars have really brought glory to our Heâan Prefecture; go home and rest well. As for the Prefecture School, consider it carefully and give a reply to the Magistrate later."
Having become Scholars, they could study at the Prefecture School. But Gu Jinâan and the others seemed uninterested, as there was Master Ouyang the Great Scholar, and wasting time at the Prefecture rather than studying under Ouyang was foolish.
However, Magistrate Gu still wanted them to attend the Prefecture School, so Gu Jinâan and his group didnât refuse immediately, saying theyâd discuss it with their families.
"Yes, we will certainly discuss it well with our families and wonât let down the Magistrateâs affection." They bowed in response.
The steward smiled, "Thatâs good. Itâs late, so I wonât hold you up, take care."
He watched as Gu Jinâan and the others got on the mule cart and only returned to the government office after the cart left, really giving them ample respect.