Chapter 273: Chapter 109: News from the Jiang Mansion
Gu Chengyi was reminded by Mr. Guâs words that Wang Yue indeed hadnât received the divorce papers yet. If people found out, it could really implicate him.
"How did you know about this, Dad?" Gu Chengyi thought he should first find out how many people knew about this issue.
"Donât worry about that, not many in the village know. I think you should break it off with her sooner. Widows are trouble!" Mr. Gu recalled Heâs disgrace and sighed, fearing Gu Chengyi would still refuse to break up, so he advised him again.
"Our family has no tradition of taking concubines. You absolutely canât take her. Sheâs just a troublemaker, very cunning! Besides, Iâve heard sheâs not just with you. Who knows how many men she has? You now have some silver. Why must it be Wang Yue? If you need to find someone, it shouldnât be her!"
Mr. Gu couldnât stand Wang Yue. This woman didnât seem like a good person, and whenever she saw a man, her bones seemed to soften by three degrees.
Mr. Gu finally understood Uncle Guâs troubles. His second son wasnât young, yet he still liked this type?
"What? How do you know, Dad? That damned woman dared to cheat me?" Gu Chengyi snorted coldly and cursed.
Gu Chengyi had spent about thirty taels of silver on Wang Yue. She always found excuses to ask him for money or buy jewelry. He also knew Wang Yue might not truly care for him, but was only interested in his silver!
How could Gu Chengyi not understand the sense in Mr. Guâs words? He was just playing around with Wang Yue. She might have some looks, but she wasnât young anymore. Besides, the sun and wind had made her skin less smooth.
His father wasnât wrong. He now had some extra money. He could even consider courting a maiden. Not to mention, Wang Yue herself wasnât a good person. He long suspected she had other men. Perhaps she had already hooked up with some man in the village before Yang Laosan died?
"I never intended to take her. Rest assured, Dad. I will break up with her." Gu Chengyi was definitely not the type to be indecisive once he made up his mind.
"Iâm glad you understand. Donât forget, the second son is still studying! You cannot affect his future. If people find out and the issue gets big, he will surely be looked down upon and pointed at." Mr. Gu feared Gu Chengyi would still hesitate, so he used the second sonâs future to warn him.
"I understand! If thereâs nothing else, Dad, Iâll be heading out now." Gu Chengyi got up intending to leave the main house.
"By the way, arenât you going to take care of your wife yet? Have you seen any wife running back to her maternal home so often? No matter how much silver is given to the Wang Family, itâs never enough. Watch her, and donât let her empty your familyâs wealth! The second son returns from school with nothing to eat, how can she as a mother bear that?"
Mr. Gu spoke of this daughter-in-law with helplessness. He had approved of the marriage back then, who knew she would end up like the Wang Family?
"I gave her a talking to yesterday. She wonât dare do it again. If she keeps going back, Iâll divorce her!" Gu Chengyi was losing patience with He more and more. She spent all day whispering with her brother and sister-in-law, who knew what they were plotting!
"Then go home and live well. Stop causing trouble and think more about the second son!" Mr. Gu, seeing that Gu Chengyi understood, stopped asserting. He couldnât tie his second son to his side, after all.
Gu Chengyu came out of the room and glanced at the main house through the window, noticing Mr. Gu asleep alone on the heated brick bed, with no one else in the room.
He guessed Gu Chengyi had returned to the second house. He didnât know what the father and son talked about but suspected it was about Heâs frequent trips to her maternal home. It didnât seem like how normal people lived.
A couple of days later, Yu Tuanzi invited Gu Chengyu out at night, saying he had found a house in the Prefecture near the Prefecture School. However, the price was a bit high, two thousand two hundred taels of silver. Gu Chengyu thought it would be at most two thousand taels, but considering it was a school district house, being a bit expensive was normal.
"That three-courtyard house is huge, and its scenery is wonderful! I think buying it wouldnât be a loss. Once you see it, Iâm sure youâll like it,"
"Itâs not easy to find a three-courtyard house in the Prefecture. Itâs just our luck. By the way, howâs the farmland and shop I asked you to buy and rent? Anything suitable?" Gu Chengyu sat back in his armchair and, after putting down the book in his hand, gestured for Yu Tuanzi to sit and talk.
"The land is sorted. Itâs very close to Shangling Village. Thereâs a plot of one hundred sixty-eight acres of top-grade fields for sale, which is more than the one hundred acres you mentioned. I wanted to ask for your opinion; if you donât mind the excess, we can buy it. We also found a shop, but the owner doesnât want to rent it, only sell. Itâs a small shop with a yard behind it, right next to the oil workshop on the west side."
Upon receiving Gu Chengyuâs gesture, Yu Tuanzi sat down.
"Having more land is fine. Go buy it tomorrow! Measure out ten acres separately from the edges, as I donât want to get entangled with family lands. About the shop, if itâs not too expensive, buy it. Ask about the original shopâs rent. Weâll collect less rent from my auntâs family. Once the shop is bought, leave the rent matters to Ming Mo!"
Gu Chengyu knew Yu Tuanzi was busy and thought it unreasonable to burden him with everything.
"Okay!" Yu Tuanzi replied. Now that Ming Mo and Ming Yan had shared a lot of his responsibilities, he wondered if he could hold his position for long once Gu Wanqian arrived. He felt a deep sense of insecurity.
Just as he thought of Gu Wanqian, Gu Chengyu suddenly spoke, "How is Gu Wanqian learning lately? Is he recognizing characters? Can he manage accounts?"
Yu Tuanzi pursed his lips. What coincidence this was!
"Heâs learning quite fast. I estimate it wonât take a few months before he can handle tasks for Master." Though he thought so, he had to admit Gu Wanqian learned fast and put in a lot of effort.
"After a few months, let him learn by your side. Lead him. Youâve worked hard, and I wonât forget the year-end bonus." Gu Chengyu, unaware of Yu Tuanziâs worries, felt he was diligent and used to getting things done through him, so he wouldnât be stingy with rewards.
"Thank you, Master!" Yu Tuanzi thought of Manager Niuâs words: to maintain a stable foothold, one must make the master rely on and get used to using you, ensuring stability.
"By the way, Master! Iâve got news on the Jiang Mansion from the Prefecture. The mysterious illness of someone from the Yu Family is almost cured. Prefect Jiang locked her in the Buddhist Hall, with only Mrs. Xi taking care of her. I heard a couple of days ago she was frightened by her reflection and attempted suicide by cutting her wrists. Fortunately, Mrs. Xi saved her!"