Chapter 278: Chapter 114 Entangled with Gu Xi
"Iâve discussed with Senior Brother Sun and the others, and we plan to take the waterways to reach the Beijing Inn quickly. This time, scholars are gathering from all directions, itâs definitely going to be crowded. If we donât arrive half a month early, we definitely wonât find an inn."
Gu Chengyu was eating while sharing the plan he discussed with Sun Xian and the others. He also planned to explore the Capital, buy some well-located shops, and possibly open First-class House and Juxiang Building there!
"Recently, the second son has been gloomy and itâs quite scary to watch!" Gu Wan mentioned the second son afterward. Although he passed the county examination, he failed at the prefectural test. Mr. Niu had said he was very hopeful this year, but who knew he would take such a big fall.
Gu Chengyu also frowned; it seemed the second sonâs disposition was becoming more and more crooked. He wouldnât try to persuade him, because the one the second son might hate the most was probably him. As long as he existed, it seemed impossible to eliminate the second sonâs resentment.
Gu Chengyu thought of Da Lang, who didnât even pass the county examination, dropping out in the third stage. Although the eldest brother was disappointed, he seemed to understand and didnât say anything harsh. However, Da Lang himself felt guilty and somewhat downhearted.
"Has Da Langâs mood improved recently?"
"Somewhat better. Da Lang feels heâs not cut out for studying and wants to learn another trade!" Gu Wan shook her head. Da Langâs mind was never on studying anyway, but it seems he hasnât figured out what to do yet.
Hearing this, Gu Chengyu remembered the experimental fields he had worked on with Prefect Jiang. They had already expanded to the surrounding towns over the past two years. Gu Chengyu thought of introducing Da Lang to Prefect Jiang to lend a helping hand, since Da Lang has shown some interest in agriculture, even if he hasnât realized it yet.
Mrs. Lv chimed in after the siblings finished talking, "Your third brother might not make it back tomorrow either, and Mrs. Zhang is getting lazier, not taking good care of her daughter."
Mrs. Zhang had a daughter three years ago. Although Mrs. Lv wasnât happy, it was still her first grandchild, and she wanted to hug the child regularly, but Mrs. Zhang seldom returned.
Gu Chengyu recalled the lovely little niece, and his smile grew larger. This time he brought some food and playthings for the niece. But no matter how adorable she was, someone didnât like her, and that was Mrs. Zhang. Since the child was a girl, Mrs. Zhang wasnât too good to her. The child grew up drinking goat milk. Initially, they wanted Mrs. Lv to take care of her, but the third brother wouldnât allow it because he cherished his daughter too much.
"Mom, do you miss Little Yue? Iâll have Ming Yan pick her up tomorrow!" Gu Chengyu said with a teasing smile.
"But sheâs just a girl, whatâs there to miss? Mrs. Zhang still hasnât given me a big, fat grandson; sheâs useless." Mrs. Lv felt uncomfortable being teased by Gu Chengyu.
"Give it a rest! When Little Yue comes, youâre the one who canât let go of her!" Gu Wan mercilessly exposed her motherâs lie. Although her mother was displeased with having a granddaughter, she still hugged Little Yue, even if she put on a stern face that scared the child a little.
"Oh, by the way! Your aunt came, Xiao Bao mustnât mention that the tofu recipe was yours." Mrs. Lv thought about her sister-in-law who was persistent in Gu Xiâs house, and felt a headache.
"Huh? Why come back out of season? Isnât she staying at our house this time?" Gu Chengyu was puzzled. Normally, the Gu Familyâs yard had enough space, and Gu Xiu wouldnât stay at Uncle Guâs house. His aunt wouldnât miss the chance to enjoy herself at the Gu Family.
"She doesnât have time to stay with us; sheâs keeping an eye on your eldest sister!" Mrs. Lv was disdainful of Gu Xiuâs behavior, feeling it was shameless.
Hearing this, Gu Chengyu immediately thought of the tofu recipe. Really?
"Yes! Aunt ran to stay at my elder sisterâs house, even forcing her to hand over the recipe. My sister has been enduring and wonât give it up. Sheâs been staying for more than ten days now!" Gu Wan interjected, even she had to admire her auntâs perseverance!
It turned out that Shanhe Town was small, and people came from all directions to the dock. There werenât many from Huaihe Town, so the business of Gu Xiâs tofu hadnât spread there. But thereâs no wall that doesnât let the wind through. Ancient transmission was slow, but itâs not as if Huaihe Town would never hear of it, right?
When Aunt Gu found out, she wanted to know what the tofu was like. After all, she was also in the tofu business, wasnât she? She might even steal the craft. When she went to the shop in town and saw Gu Xi busy, things got out of hand.
Gu Xi naturally refused to hand over the recipe, and Aunt Gu insisted it was a family heirloom, and since it was passed on to her daughter, she had a share too. Later, when Uncle Gu and Mr. Gu arrived and Uncle Gu said the recipe wasnât a family heirloom, Aunt Gu let it go!
But Aunt Gu still couldnât let go of the recipe afterward and had been pestering Gu Xi for the past few days!
"Isnât her shop busy at home? If sheâs here, only Uncle Gu remains. Can he manage?" Gu Chengyu remembered Aunt Gu saying that her two cousins never helped with the shop.
"Of course, the recipe is more important. How much money can tofu sell for in a day? Your aunt is clever! She knows how to calculate." Mrs. Lv called Nanny Li in to tidy up the table after everyone finished eating.
Gu Chengyu planned to teach Gu Xi how to make red tofu and stinky tofu in the next few days. But it seemed he should hold off for now!
"Xiao Bao! Are you back?" At this point, Gu Chengchiâs voice came from the courtyard.
"Hey! Fourth Brother, come in!"
Gu Chenglian and his wife entered the main room one after the other, and Gu Chengyu quickly greeted, "Fourth Sister-in-law!"
"Hey! Dad, Mom, Little Aunt!" Fourth Sister-in-law Mrs. Zhao was a gentle woman who easily blushed. As she smiled at Gu Chengyu, she greeted the people in the room before sitting down with Gu Chengchi on the bench.
The two got married last year, and once they did, Brother Gu gave the share of the family wealth belonging to the fourth branch to Gu Chengchi and his wife. Since they had already separated, the fourth branch no longer needed to live with their parents.
"Xiao Bao, youâll probably leave after resting for half a month this time, right?" Gu Chengchi asked about Gu Chengyuâs schedule.
"Yes! Weâve decided to take the water route, itâs quicker that way."
"Traveling so far, be careful on the way. Xian is steady and considerate, you should listen to him more!"
Gu Chengyu smiled at his fourth brother. Learning medicine had made his fourth brother much more steady, unlike before when he was easily worried. He now seemed more like a man who could support the family! Even his overall demeanor was becoming similar to Doctor Liâs.
"I know! Fourth Brother, when do you plan to open your medical clinic?" For the past two years, Gu Chengchi had gained practical experience by accompanying Doctor Li on his rounds. Doctor Li had agreed to let him start his practice.
So, Gu Chengchi planned to open a medical clinic in town, with Doctor Li visiting every few days, while he managed the clinic daily. As for Mrs. Zhao, she would stay in the clinic to prepare prescriptions for patients.
"In the next few days, you can even wait for me to open before you leave!" Gu Chengchi clearly became more talkative when this topic was brought up.
"I plan to have Mrs. Zhao help in the clinic, and if itâs too busy, weâll hire a young pharmacy assistant to help with preparing herbs! The shop is small, and since I just finished my apprenticeship, I donât expect too much business."