Chapter 744: Chapter 580: Dying at the Wrong Time
Once his eyes adjusted to the intense light, he saw Gu Chengyu standing in front of him with a stern face.
"Gu Chengyu?" Without thinking, these three words blurted out.
Ming Yan, upon hearing this, immediately flung Erlang asideâhow could he directly call his masterâs name?
Gu Chengyu sneered, "I see youâre still not awake. Ming Yan, make him sober up."
At these words, Ming Yan stepped forward and slapped Erlang twice, leaving him a bit dazed.
He had been wondering whether the Gu Chengyu before him was real or not when his face was hit twice immediately after.
These two slaps completely sobered Erlang up. Anger surged through him, and he was about to curse.
"Erlang! Your uncle is your elder; how dare you directly call his name?" Mr. Gu sternly reprimanded without further interest in arguing.
He turned to speak to Uncle Gu, "Brother! I have to trouble you to gather some clan members to set up the mourning hall first, and to inform friends and family."
Erlang was still somewhat in shock, not quite believing itâdid his father really die? Was he truly dead?
As Sanlang entered the room, seeing Gu Chengyiâs wretched state, he cried even more sorrowfully.
Erlang repeatedly shouted, "Impossible! Impossible!"
He scrambled and crawled toward the west wing, wanting to see if his father was truly dead.
Seeing that Erlang still cared, Gu Chengyi figured he might be the only one in this family on Erlangâs mind.
Upon entering the room and seeing Sanlang weeping profusely on the kang, his mind went completely blank.
Looking closer at Gu Chengyiâs face, he was suddenly startled, stepping back a few paces.
Only two hours after his death, Gu Chengyiâs body hadnât stiffened yet, but blood was still flowing from his mouth.
The weather was too hot, so the blood hadnât coagulated. With his eyes wide open and mouth agape, Erlang felt a cold shiver rush to his forehead.
Startled by Gu Chengyiâs gruesome expression, Erlang couldnât even cry if he wanted to.
Seeing Sanlang still crying, he thought how foolish that must be, that one could still cry in such a situation.
He ran to a corner of the room, not daring to look at Gu Chengyi anymore.
Gradually, his fear faded, and he recalled the cause of his fatherâs death.
Then he looked up at the bed table, noticing that the bronze lock on the cabinet was unlatched.
Erlang ran to the bed table, opened the cabinet, and found the box had disappeared.
At this moment, he no longer cared about Gu Chengyiâs terrifying visage; he cast a suspicious glance at Sanlang.
"Third brother, did you open this cabinet?"
Sanlang, who was grieving, stopped crying upon hearing Erlangâs words, looking at the bed table with great confusion.
"No, I didnât!"
Hearing this, Erlang grew anxious, his face darkening ominously.
He pounded the cabinet with his fist, "Itâs over! Our silver is gone."
He had just examined Sanlang and knew he couldnât have hidden such a box.
With the box gone, it couldnât have been Sanlang. They returned together, that he remembered clearly.
It must be Gu Chengyu, yes, heâs the one who took it. No! It could also be Wang Yue.
Sanlang seldom returned and wouldnât know where Gu Chengyiâs silver was kept.
Besides, faced with such a situation, silver was certainly of less concern. He believed Little Uncle and others wouldnât take it, nor would their grandfather.
"Could it be with grandpa? Or did Aunt Wang take it?"
Over the years, his father must have saved quite a sum, it wasnât a small amount, and naturally, he couldnât let Wang Yue take it all.
He glanced at Gu Chengyi; his father had held Erlang in high regard, thinking Erlang would become a Scholar, then an Advanced Scholar, and bring prosperity to their family.
His father accommodated Erlangâs every request, but wasnât as generous to him.
He once wanted to buy a small courtyard in the county, just a small place to make marriage proposals easier.
But his father refused, saying the silver was for Erlangâs schooling, though Erlang felt some resentment.
Yet, now that his father truly died, and in such a tragic manner, Erlang couldnât help feeling distressedâafter all, he was his real father!
Although he was sad, he wouldnât refuse what he deserved. Nor would he covet what wasnât his.
"We should first ask grandpa and the others about dadâs sudden death, we need to find out whatâs really going on, why so sudden?"
Sanlang wiped his tears with his sleeve, pondered for a moment, then spoke to Erlang.
At this point, all Erlang wanted was to find out where the silver went, so he ignored Sanlang and went straight out of the room.
He needed to go to the main room to ask about the silverâs whereabouts, as it was for his studies.
Gu Chengyu was supporting Mr. Gu at the doorway when he saw Erlang rushing out.
Seeing them, Erlang quickly asked, "The silver? Whereâs the silver from the cabinet?"
Mr. Gu was taken aback by Erlangâs question, then became so furious he trembled.
When he arrived earlier, he only heard Sanlangâs cries; seeing Erlangâs dry eyes, did Erlang feel no sorrow?
Gu Chengyu, seeing Erlang return from the west wing just for the silver, replied impatiently, "The silver is kept by your grandpa, surely it hasnât flown away!"
"Many people were present when the silver was counted, and the box hasnât been opened since. Once the funeral is over, the silver will be divided among you brothers."
Gu Chengyu feared Erlang and the others might think someone took their silver, so it was best to make things clear early on.
Upon hearing this, Erlang breathed a sigh of relief; heâd feel secure only when the silver was in his own hands.
But asking for it now would be improper, so he decided to endure a little longer.
However, just as he intended to return to the room, he suddenly remembered something, and slapped his thigh in realization.
"Damn it! The college examination is soon. With dadâs death, doesnât that mean I canât participate?"
Even Gu Chengyu found it intolerableâhis father died, and he thought not about mourning, but the examination.
Erlang passed both the county and prefecture exams this time, and was brimming with confidence, preparing for the college examination these past days.
Only yesterday did he relax a bit, going for a night of leisure with classmates at Little Peach Blossomâs place.
Today, he wasnât even fully awake, yet was dragged out of bed with news of his fatherâs death.
He had great confidence in this exam, but given the current situation, while in mourning he couldnât participate for three more years?
Moreover, he was already eighteen, an age for marriage proposals.
Would the teacherâs daughter wait for him for three years under these circumstances?
His heart grew restlessâhis fatherâs death couldnât have come at a worse time!
"Father, why did you have to go so soon?"
Erlang lamented, pounding his chest and stomping his feet, feeling both helpless and regretful.
At this moment, recalling how his father had been decent towards him, he couldnât help but feel a bit more sorrowful.
Hearing Gu Chengyuâs voice, Sanlang finally exited the room.