Chapter 342: Chapter 178: Raise Troops to Condemn
The village head turned to look at the house, "Uncle Hua, give me a hand. Iâll be back at first light, please entertain the distinguished guests for me! Wife, quickly fetch some silver."
The village headâs wife initially intended to climb onto the ox cart but quickly got off again after hearing her husbandâs instructions and went back inside to fetch the silver.
Mrs. Tian stood to the side, saying nothing as she watched, merely remaining silent. The village head glanced at her, sighing! This daughter-in-law was also unreliable, might harbor some ulterior motives.
"At a time like this, youâre still concerned about the distinguished guests? Your Gouwa is ill, surely the guests can understand. You should leave first!"
Old Man Hua found it odd that the village head was still concerned about the guests at this point. He had just seen them carry Gouwa; that Gouwa was groaning in pain, and the stain on him, if he hadnât smelled wrongly, was likely blood? And was lying in the yard? The whole thing seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.
With such a big commotion, none of the people staying for the night even showed their facesâthis was even stranger.
The village headâs wife took the silver and got on the ox cart, leaving only Mrs. Tian at home. And Mrs. Tian just stood in the yard, silent, making Old Man Hua even more astonished.
But that was their affair, "Mrs. Tian, if thereâs nothing serious, Iâll be off. You should rest too!"
Old Man Hua figured Mrs. Tian couldnât possibly sleep at this point; his advice was probably in vain. Mrs. Tian seemed a bit dazed, "Okay!"
Gu Chengyu only picked up the book to read again after everyone in the yard had left. Until dawn, surely nothing more would happen.
Yao Mengxian didnât sleep until very late, as if returning to the past in her dream, reliving it, though it felt less real than before. Now, she could calmly face her dreams; no matter what, she would never find herself in that kind of dream situation again.
When day broke, Mrs. Gao woke her up, and Yao Mengxian finally woke from her dream.
While attending to her ladyâs morning routine, Mrs. Gao pondered about last nightâs happenings. How did that boy Gouwa end up losing his manhood so suddenly? It must have been Mr. Gu and his people who did itâdid Gouwa do something offensive to them?
Mr. Gu mentioned thereâd be night watchmen, wasnât it Ming Mo and his crew? She already thought Gouwa wasnât a decent person, and his injury was really his own doing. She soon put the matter out of her mind.
Gu Chengyu returned to his room at first light, and though heâd been up half the night, he looked quite refreshed.
"Sir, are you tired? Have a good rest on the carriage during the day." Ming Yan quickly greeted Gu Chengyu as he entered the room.
In which family do the master and servants keep watch together at night? They were truly fortunate. They didnât wish for their master to be weary, but once the young master made a decision, not even ten oxen could drag him back. Besides, the master didnât like disobedient servants.
Ming Mo brought water into the room for Gu Chengyu to wash up.
At the village headâs house, only Mrs. Tian remained, and it was Mrs. Gao and her group who prepared the hot water in the morning.
Mrs. Gao began inquiring about last nightâs happenings early in the morning. Ming Mo naturally couldnât tell her the truth, for he didnât know himself; it was his master who took the night watch later on.
After a while, Ming Yan entered with a food box. Ming Yan laid out the food on the table; Gu Chengyu looked and found a green rice porridge, two plates of snacks, one plate of side dishes, and five or six buns.
Gu Chengyu immediately recognized it as Mrs. Gaoâs handiwork; people in the countryside couldnât prepare such mealsânot because they lacked ingredients but because they didnât have the skill. Moreover, they didnât eat breakfast early; they usually had two meals a day, much like the Gu Family, eating before noon.
Furthermore, Mrs. Tian couldnât possibly get up to make them breakfast. Anyone with common sense would think twice and know that the matter was likely related to them. Making them breakfast again was implausible.
With so much breakfast prepared, there was definitely enough for Ming Mo and the others. Gu Chengyu hurriedly ate a few bites before letting Ming Mo and the others eat, urging them to pack up. He didnât want to lodge with a farming family again tonight, as they also had plenty of trouble.
As for the village head saying he would return in the morning, Gu Chengyu suspected it was to settle the score with them. He didnât care at all; the village head had no evidence. Even if he went to the government, he wouldnât be afraid.
If he was courteous, Gu Chengyu might be more agreeable and leave some silver upon departure. If not, aside from the lodging fee, he wouldnât give a penny more.
The village head urged Hua Laoda to hurry the ox cart along, even wanting Hua Laoda to whip the ox. Naturally, Hua Laoda refused, as the ox was their familyâs treasure, being the only one in the entire village.
He found it strange that with Gouwaâs injury so severe, the village head didnât stay at the clinic to accompany him, instead rushing back to meet the distinguished guests.
Though he thought about it, Hua Laoda didnât dare delay at all, as the village head urged him on.
The village head, filled with urgency, returned to his courtyard gate and saw the carriage hadnât left yet. He breathed a sigh of relief and then saw two followers hitching the horse to the carriage, promptly going over to greet them.
"Is your master up? I have something to ask him." Regarding the enemy who had injured his son, his expression certainly wasnât pleasant.
Ming Mo and Ming Yan exchanged glances upon seeing the village head, "Our master is indeed up. We are just about to set off. Itâs fortunate the village head is here; this is the silver for our lodging last night. Keep it well!"
Ming Mo and Ming Yan already knew what Gu Chengyu did last night; they certainly knew the village head was here with no good intentions.
Ming Mo took out two taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to the village head. Two taels for one night wasnât a small amount. They hadnât even had meals at the village headâs house, just used the stove. The village headâs household hadnât suffered any loss, getting two taels of silver for free.
The village head looked at the silver but didnât take it. If it had been before, he would surely be happy to receive two taels of silver. But now, did they think two taels of silver would settle the matter?
Ming Mo saw the village head looking displeased, not taking the silver, so he shoved the silver into his hand and turned back to continue his work.
The village head felt talking to these followers didnât make senseâthey were just snobbish people. But he still put the silver in his pocket; after all, who would go against taking silver?
He didnât ask further but turned to enter the yard. There were only a few rooms; how could he not find them? Without compensation for the silver, he wouldnât let them go today.
Gu Chengyu was discussing the dayâs plans with Mrs. Gao. Mrs. Gao and her people had already packed the luggage, just waiting for Ming Mo and the others to load it onto the carriage.
"Mr. Gu!" The village head walked toward Gu Chengyu with a sullen face.
"Oh, itâs the village head? Youâre quite an early riser!" Gu Chengyu looked at the village chief with a smile, as if unaware of last nightâs event.
The village head was taken aback, having not expected this young man, who had rendered his son useless, to greet him with a smiling face today.
"Mr. Gu! Letâs not beat around the bush. Did you have anything to do with what happened to my Gouwa?" The village head naturally didnât suspect Gu Chengyu directly, given his youthful appearance.
Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyu feigned surprise, "Why do you say that, village head? Has something happened to your young master?" Anyway, he would never admit to it, leaving the village head helpless.