Chapter 272: Chapter 108: How long has it been?
Gu Wan had suffered losses before; this cousin had come over, but that was three years ago.
Back then, the cousin was not yet married and stayed at the Gu Family, sharing a room with her. But staying together was one thing! The cousin liked to take her jewelry. At that time, the Gu Family had just begun to improve, and Gu Wan didnât have much jewelry, which was bought by Gu Chengyu for herâof course, she couldnât bear to lose it.
After Gu Wan cried and made a fuss a few times, the cousin learned to restrain herself, so Gu Wan was unwilling to share a room with her cousin again.
The next morning, the Gu familyâs courtyard was lively. At Gu Chengyuâs request, only close people were invited, but even so, there were still about twenty tables. The rooms of the first and second houses were cleared out for the banquet.
The most celebrated person today was not Gu Chengyu but Mr. Gu. Who among those familiar with the Gu family did not envy Mr. Gu for having such a good son?
The second son sat in the corner, watching Gu Chengyu being flattered, feeling a burning fire in his chest. If only he were the one who passed the Scholar exam! He glanced at his parents, seeing them focused only on eating and drinking, and his face darkened.
His mother was out all day and didnât know what she was doing at her motherâs place! As for his father, there was no need to mention it, he was never around, and once when he came home at night, there was still the smell of makeup on his collar. Both of them didnât care about him; when he came back from school, he still had to go to the first house to scrounge for food and drink.
"Daughter! Your father-in-law is really generous, such a table of meat dishes must have cost quite a bit of Silver, right?" Heâs mother Wangâs mouth was stuffed with pork; she chewed a couple of times and then swallowed, reaching for other dishes on the table. Even Heâs brothers and sisters-in-law ate with greasy mouths.
The second son looked at such a family and only felt embarrassed, as if theyâd never eaten before. His mother already sent quite a bit of Silver Coin to her family every month, so why do they still look so greedy?
"Thatâs his precious son, wouldnât he be willing to spend?" He opened her mouth, and the meat on her chopsticks dripped with juice from her mouth. She carelessly wiped it with her sleeve and went for more food on the table.
"Canât you stop talking even while eating?" Gu Chengyi felt extremely uncomfortable hearing this, and seeing Heâs sloppy appearance made him feel nauseous.
Gu Chengyu looked at the third sister-in-law Mrs. Zhang, wearing a large gown and rubbing her slightly bulging belly, interacting smoothly with everyone. He hadnât realized before, but Mrs. Zhang was quite skillful in socializing.
Mr. Guâs face was full of smiles until the banquet ended. Gu Chengyu sent off Manager Zhou and others, then busied himself with taking Mr. Gu back to the main house, while the women who came to help cleaned up the dishes on the table.
In a farming family, whenever a banquet is held, familiar households come to help, not requiring payment. Just letting the women who helped bring back uneaten meat and dishes is enough. However, usually after the banquet, thereâs not much meat and dishes left over.
But the Gu family was generous, slaughtering four whole pigs and other chickens, ducks, and fish, which couldnât be finished, so many women came to help clean the tables, and they could take some back home.
After sending Mr. Gu back to the main house, Gu Chengyu called Gu Wan in, "Second sister, tell mom that those aunts worked hard, let mom divide the dishes, donât keep any, and let the eldest sister-in-lawâs family take back some food, as her family member Huai Shan didnât come this time."
The Gu family now didnât lack meat, and those big fish and meat dishes looked greasy, but the aunts would definitely like them, bringing them back for the kids and men at home to try. Thereâs too much, and if itâs kept at home, it canât be finished, and in this weather, it might spoil easily.
Mrs. Fangâs mother came, but Mrs. Fangâs brother didnât, as itâs said heâs working in town.
"Then Iâll go tell mom. If youâre not busy, Iâll head out; Chunhua is here." Chunhua could only come out after finishing the chores at home. Chunhuaâs grandmother knew Chunhua was called by Gu Wan to eat meat, so when going back, she must bring some, or else her grandmother would scold her to death, maybe even start hitting her.
Gu Chengyu felt pity for Chunhua upon hearing her name. He suddenly thought of setting up an embroidery workshop for Gu Wan, which could allow Chunhua to learn embroidery and help her out.
"Xiao Bao! Go call your second brother, I have something to discuss with him." Mr. Gu stopped Gu Chengyu and asked him to immediately call Gu Chengyi, fearing he might leave again if it were delayed.
"Alright!" Gu Chengyu was actually puzzled why the second brother was never home recently, but the family never discussed it in front of him, only saying he went to Heâs motherâs place.
Gu Chengyi had said he would pick up He, but he didnât return that day, and several days passed without any trace of him.
Mr. Gu wanted Ming Mo and others to drive the cart to Heâs motherâs place to pick them up yesterday since the sixteenth was such an important day. Missing one from the second house was manageable, but today was a huge day; if they didnât return, it would be too much.
But fortunately, Gu Chengyi did return with He. The house was chaotic yesterday with many people, so it couldnât be discussed, but today was a perfect opportunity.
Once Gu Chengyi entered the main house, Mr. Gu sent Gu Chengyu out. Such disgraceful matters were better kept away from the kids.
"Second son, what have you been up to lately? Why are you never around?" Mr. Gu wanted to see how Gu Chengyi would respond.
"Iâve been home, what could I be up to? Working in the fields, and visiting my mother-in-lawâs house!" Gu Chengyi sat on the stool, speaking nonchalantly.
"But your wife hasnât returned, and I noticed your house hasnât been cooking for days. Where have you been eating?" Mr. Gu knew his son well; he wouldnât confess until the last moment.
"Sometimes I eat at the eldest brotherâs home, sometimes at some house in the village!" Gu Chengyi had already thought of his excuse, so he wasnât flustered at all.
Mr. Gu was furious hearing this; he slapped the table, "Nonsense! Who would let you eat at their place every day? Do you think Iâm an idiot?"
Mr. Gu didnât want to beat around the bush with Gu Chengyi anymore; after all, someone had already seen what happened, and no matter how much he denied it, it was useless.
"Spit it out! Whatâs your relationship with that Wang Yue? Have you gotten involved with her?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyi abruptly looked up, his eyes flashing with shock. He looked at Mr. Guâs fiery gaze and, after a moment, replied, "So, Dad already knows? Then why are you still asking?"
"You fool! What do you think Wang Yue is? Sheâs a widow. Arenât you afraid of ruining yourself? How long have you been with her?" Mr. Gu saw that Gu Chengyi didnât seem remorseful at all and was furious.
"Not long, just over half a year." Gu Chengyi seemed to provoke Mr. Gu further, casually dismissing it as over a year.
"What? Over half a year?" Mr. Gu pointed at Gu Chengyi, too angry for words.
"Anyway, sheâs just a widow. Her husband died, dead for over two years now, whatâs the deal?" In Gu Chengyiâs mind, Wang Yue being a widow meant it wasnât considered an affair.
"What do you know? She still lives in Shangling Village, and her mother-in-law hasnât disowned her. Sheâs still part of the Yang Family. Now that youâre involved with her, itâs adultery. If found out, you could be drowned in a pig cage!"
Mr. Gu saw that Gu Chengyi didnât take it seriously at all and deliberately made the situation sound severe. If the Yang Family really took it seriously, they might actually do it.