Chapter 323: Preparations
Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Preparations
No matter how you say it, the Gu Family is really poor now. Maybe not exactly poor, but their silver is almost running out.
With the New Year approaching, many things they need to prepare can only be randomly bought due to the lack of silver.
At first, they didn’t think much of it, as they were better off than the locals in the village. But when the aroma of smoked meat wafted over, they realized that even those living worse off than them were smoking preserved meat at home.
"Smelling this cured meat aroma every day is driving me crazy with craving," Gu Kaichen sniffed, "Dad, how about we buy some meat and smoke it too?
It’s not easy to buy meat here. The weather here fluctuates between hot and cold, and meat won’t keep unless it’s smoked."
Thinking of the aroma of preserved meat, he couldn’t help but salivate. Swallowing, he continued, "I also found out that after the Little New Year, the streets will gradually empty. People won’t sell thingsas much, and many will wait until after the festival to open their stalls again. By then, we can forget about buying meat."
Everyone was eagerly looking at Gu Baijiang. Since they were not going back, they had to solve their food crisis — they didn’t need a feast, but they definitely needed meat.
Gu Baijiang sighed as he pulled out his last bit of silver, "This is all I have left, use it sparingly."
"Just this little bit of silver? It’s not even enough to buy half a pig," Gu Kaichen had been out purchasing for days and knew the prices well, "Besides pork, we’ll need to buy vegetables and grains..."
Gu Baijiang turned to Xu Shuanghong, "How much silver do you have? Bring it out now, and I’ll pay you back double in the future."
Xu Shuanghong said, "Master, why say such a thing? I’m part of this family too — no need to talk about repayment."
As she spoke, she pulled out two pieces of gold leaf, "You all know I brought little with me, and this is the last of it. Make do with it for now."
"What? Is this all you have, Mrs. Xu?" Unsurprisingly, Xu Yulan jumped out.
Gu Baijiang said, "Daughter-in-law, show some respect, remember to address her as mother."
"Father, it’s just that I’m not used to it yet, but I believe mother won’t mind so much, right?" Xu Yulan gritted her teeth. As an aged woman, she was now a stepmother, having a new elder forced upon them. But there was nothing she could do – they needed others to bring out silver to sustain them, so she had to swallow her pride.
"Master," Xu Shuanghong held Gu Baijiang’s hand sincerely, "It’s normal for the children to forget at times; they need time to adjust.
Earlier, I gave you all a meeting gift, and as you can see, my purse is only so big; everything is here."
Her words also reminded Gu Baijiang — right, he had no silver with him, but these sons and grandsons surely still had family assets.
"I almost forgot about that," Gu Baijiang said sternly, "We are at our most difficult time now. No one should hide anything. Go back and get everything out. It’s still early, hurry to town and buy what you need."
No one found an excuse to refuse. After all, everyone had been living at home and claiming they’d used the gold leaves wasn’t realistic. They could only contribute everything.
Seeing so much gold leaf, Gu Baijiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. With these things, they could celebrate a plump year.
"Then hurry to town and buy New Year’s goods."
As soon as Gu Baijiang finished speaking, Gu Kaichen’s eyes gleamed, and he added, "Dad, since New Year is coming, shouldn’t the third child pay some respects?"
"Don’t mention that ungrateful son, hasn’t he already been adopted out."
"Dad, even if he was adopted out, he should repay the kindness you and mom gave in raising him. It’s only right he gives some respect."
"Then I’ll leave this matter to you," Gu Baijiang thought of Gu Kaiyuan now living in a large house, enjoying wealth and being served by others, and felt a pang of resentment.
But he cared about his reputation and didn’t want to lose face in front of clan members and villagers. If both sons were willing to handle this, what else could he say?
Receiving the nod, Gu Kaichen grinned widely, "I’ll go find the third child right away."
Watching him excitedly run out, Gu Kaiping shook his head disapprovingly, "The second child is going to seek embarrassment again. These days, when he bumps into Kai Yuan in the village, sometimes he doesn’t even want to greet."
Gu Antong followed her father’s gripes, "There’s nothing we can do, we’re just poor relatives now. Third Uncle and Aunt don’t like seeing us."
This comment hit Gu Baijiang hard. In the past, when his family was poor, he wanted to support himself, but his mother disregarded her honor and sought help everywhere, making him always feel like he had to lower his head in front of the clan, not daring to face them these years.
There was also the Bai Family. They only helped a few times but acted superior in front of him, even driving a wedge between him and the third child.
"Yes, we’re poor relatives," Gu Baijiang finally couldn’t help but say, "In the future, let’s see if he can look down on us."
The Gu Family and Ms. Xu’s mother and daughter’s eyes brightened, their gaze intense on Gu Baijiang. Yet he halted the topic, saying, "The year is almost here, let’s be diligent. Look at how the villagers prepare, and don’t just come asking me everything."
Finished, he stood up and walked out with his hands behind his back. This time, no one called him back.
"What about these fabrics?" Xu Yulan pulled out the fabrics from before, "Can we exchange them?"
Liu Yun swept all the gold leaves into her purse, "Do as you please. I’ve already bought them back, there’s no way I’m purchasing them anew for you."
Truly, those who don’t run the household don’t know the cost of fuel and rice. Everyone wants to eat well and dress well. How long would these gold leaves last?
"Mrs. Xu, keep these fabrics for yourselves," Liu Yun showed no courtesy to Xu Shuanghong in Gu Baijiang’s absence, "If you don’t like them, you can go to town and exchange them, as long as you have the silver."
After speaking, Liu Yun felt a bit regretful. Since Xu Shuanghong had married into the family, her silver should belong to all of them. She would have her husband probe into how much family assets Xu Shuanghong still had.
Xu Shuanghong didn’t mind her attitude. This family didn’t have any good people, and all were just putting on appearances.
"No need. The clothes we brought are still ninety percent new. We’ll keep these for making clothes after the spring."
In spring, the family would probably return to the capital. They held onto these fabrics for favors and were unwilling to return them to Liu Yun, thus using this as an excuse.
Liu Yun didn’t care how things were used after she gave them away. She only cared about appearing fair and just, giving Xu Shuanghong no reason to criticize her house management.
Gu Antong and her two younger brothers quietly left; they needed to go check at the end of the village...