Chapter 112: Chapter 39: Everyone is going to dig ginseng!
"Mom, you all know about this already?" Gu Chengyu entered the main room, put down his book bag, and asked Mrs. Lv.
"Xiao Bao is back! How could we not know? Everyone in the village knows! Just today, who knows how many people came, all asking me if weâve made a fortune! Oh, how did this news spread so fast?" Mrs. Lv said this with a worried face.
Gu Chengyu was about to comfort Mrs. Lv when he heard his second sister-in-law shouting loudly from outside the door.
"Mom! Something terrible has happened!" Second sister-in-law He rushed straight into the main room, panting heavily.
"Second daughter-in-law, why are you shouting so loudly? I could hear you from far away. Canât you keep quiet for a while?" Mrs. Lv was already annoyed, then heard Heâs yelling outside.
"Mom! I just visited some neighbors! Guess what? The whole village knows about our family buying land, and theyâre all saying we sold ginseng for a lot of silver!" He didnât have to cook today, and with nothing to do, she loved visiting neighbors. Who knew that on her way back, she bumped into acquaintances who caught her to ask if the Gu Family had a lot of silver. Moreover, she saw many people with farming tools heading to Changling Mountain.
"We knew about this a long time ago! During the day, who knows how many people came by. You wouldnât be seen during the day, and only now you come back to tell me this."
"Oh, but Mom! You donât know, all the men in the village took their tools and have gone up the mountain to dig for ginseng!" After speaking, He sat on a stool, poured herself a bowl of water, and drank it all in one go. She was so thirsty from rushing back.
"What? They all went up the mountain?" Mrs. Lv was also shocked.
At this moment, Mr. Gu entered the main room from the yard, "You mean all the men in the village went up the mountain?"
Gu Chengyu frowned upon hearing this. Rushing up the mountain like this, as long as they donât go deep inside, they should be safe. But if someone gets greedy and leaves the villagers behind to go into the inner areas, there are wild beasts there. What should be done if something happens then?
Itâs not that Gu Chengyu is being overly sympathetic, but itâs because they went because the Gu Family found ginseng on the mountain, theyâre envious and want to search too. If something happens, will anyone blame the Gu Family? Donât think itâs impossible; some people think in utterly irrational ways. If something really happens, they might even come to extort something.
Mr. Gu also thought of this, "No way! I must go to the village chiefâs house to talk. So many people going into the mountain, if they go into the inner areas, what should we do if an accident happens?" After saying this, Mr. Gu walked off quickly.
"Hey? Old man! Whatâs the use of you talking? Do you think they would listen to you? If you talk to them, they might even think youâre begrudging their good fortune! Itâs better not to bother; if they canât find anything, theyâll naturally quiet down." Mrs. Lv didnât mention that the ginseng was pointed out to Xiao Bao by an Immortal. Would those not guided by the Immortal be able to find ginseng?
"Dad! I think you still need to go to the village chiefâs house and make a big deal out of it. Talk about how ginseng is not easy to find so that everyone knows youâre going to the village chiefâs to discuss this matter. If they donât heed the warning and something happens later, they canât blame our family. But still, if you can persuade anyone, please do. Make sure they donât go deep into the inner areas! Hopefully, the village chief stays clear-headed and can warn everyone!" Gu Chengyu believed giving advice is better than not. He just hoped the villagers wouldnât be driven crazy by the silver they couldnât see.
Sigh! This is the consequence of becoming rich overnight. If his family had a stable income source, others wouldnât be so envious. The Zhao familyâs land in the village is not small, but you donât hear about anyone envying them! At most, thereâs just admiration.
"Then old man, you should go! I think Xiao Bao is right! Better safe than sorry!" Mrs. Lv listened to Gu Chengyuâs words and agreed wholeheartedly.
"Dad! Even if others say something bad about you, bear with it! Just say what you need to and come back, weâll be waiting for you for dinner. Looks like todayâs honeysuckle canât be picked, too many people!" Gu Chengyu expected Mr. Gu to receive a lot of sarcastic remarks on his way to the village chiefâs house. Knowing Mr. Guâs purpose, they might even say Mr. Gu canât stand seeing the villagers doing well.
"Mom? Are we really going to build a house? I want my own room, I donât want to be cramped in the inner room, itâs too small." Gu Wan didnât care about these grown-up matters; she just hoped her family would really build a brick-and-tile house.
"Weâll talk about this later; we donât even know if we have enough silver yet!" Mrs. Lv calculated the remaining silver in the family, thinking if they built earth houses, it wouldnât cost much. But if they want to use blue bricks and tiles, they couldnât build many rooms; blue bricks and tiles are expensive!
"Mom! In the future, when I finish my homework, I can teach the family to read too! If they know how to read, they wonât be illiterate anymore. Just like today, Dad bought land but couldnât understand the deed. Fortunately, Manager Pan helped, or else they wouldâve been swindled without knowing!" Gu Chengyu actually planned for the familyâs boys to go to school, but with the familyâs tight budget now, Dad and the others wouldnât agree. Theyâd have to wait a while. In the meantime, he could teach at home, allowing the girls in the family to learn, too.
Mrs. Lv hesitated upon hearing Gu Chengyuâs plan. Being literate was undoubtedly good. However, "Would it delay you? You have to write the assignments given by the teacher every day. Iâm just afraid you wonât have enough time, and it might hold you back from studying."
"Mom, itâs no problem! After finishing my homework, I still have time. When Dad comes back, Iâll tell him to make a sand tray for everyone to practice on. Learning more characters is always beneficial." Using paper and pens definitely wouldnât be practical at first; a sand tray would be better until they are comfortable writing.
Gu Chenglianâs head ached when he heard about learning characters, "Xiao Bao! Count me out! I donât like this!"
"Third brother! Knowing a few characters makes it easier to find a job and is less demanding than other work. Even if youâre not interested, knowing a few words wonât hurt, right?" Gu Chengyu was a bit helpless. Was third brother really more interested in blacksmithing?
"Xiao Bao! I want to learn!" Gu Chengchi looked at Gu Chengyu with determination in his eyes. If he learns, Doctor Li wonât reject him anymore, right?
"Of course, you have to learn! Everyone should. Anyone in the family who wants to learn can!" Gu Chengyu was relieved that his fourth brother was no longer fixated on Doctor Li. This young man, who seemed to have an unusual obsession with medicine, was earning a reprieve.
"Xiao Bao! Do I have to learn too?" Gu Wan looked at the little person before her with a serious face and smiled as she asked.
"Second sister, of course you have to learn! Otherwise, what will you do if you canât read your dowry list in the future?" Gu Chengyu joked with Gu Wan.
"Oh! Mom, look at Xiao Bao, talking about dowries and such at his age, I donât know who heâs learning it from." Gu Wan grumbled at her little brother but felt a bit melancholic inside. The Gu Family didnât have much property, so in the future, it would all go to the sons. What would be left for her, the married-out daughter? The Gu Family had so many brothers; there wasnât enough land to go around. If her dad could give her two acres of land as a dowry, that would be quite something.