Chapter 512 - 513: Paying a Visit
Chapter 512: Chapter 513: Paying a Visit
After nearly a month of hard work, coupled with half a month of experiments, Bai Suihe finally saw some results.
Feeling there were still many areas needing improvement, she continued to learn as she worked.
Nanny Pang couldn’t understand it at first. After all, this was entirely different from what she had been taught and what she taught others.
However, a disciple wanting to innovate was a good thing. Nanny Pang stepped in to help as an assistant. Seeing the finished product now, she was somewhat astonished. The effects on rabbits and mice were simply too good; if this were used on humans...
A sharp glint flashed in Nanny Pang’s eyes as she thought, "If this thing succeeds, Bai Suihe will surely go down in history!"
As a result, there was now an elderly assistant in the room who worked tirelessly every day. She didn’t find it embarrassing in the slightest and had an endless stream of questions for Bai Suihe.
Bai Suihe was highly patient, answering every single question as long as she knew the answer. Whenever they encountered a problem she couldn’t solve, the two of them would discuss it together.
They lost track of how long these days lasted. It wasn’t until an uninvited guest came to visit one day that Bai Suihe finally emerged from the pharmacy room.
"Did you say Gu Kaiping is here?" Bai Suihe was somewhat uncertain and asked Gu Kaiyuan to confirm again.
Gu Kaiyuan nodded with a darkened face. "It’s him. He’s currently following the newly appointed County Magistrate of Shao County. I heard he’s working as a clerk."
"Why was he only given such a tiny position?" Bai Suihe asked.
In her previous life, the Gu Family father and son had been quite illustrious, making their return to the imperial court. Now that Gu Baijiang’s face was ruined, they could certainly understand his situation. But how did Gu Kaiping, the nominal father-in-law of the Third Prince, end up in such dire straits?
"When all is said and done, it’s about money," Gu Kaiyuan said. "By handing over all his silver, Gu Baijiang essentially lost a trump card. A profit-driven man like Rong Ruiyuan naturally wouldn’t plan for their future anymore."
"What a pity." Bai Suihe genuinely felt "sorry" for them. Without a high position, Gu Antong would definitely have a hard time. Coupled with her current weight, falling out of favor was only a matter of time.
"Are you going to see him?" she asked.
Gu Kaiyuan replied, "Since he’s already at our door, he probably won’t let it go if I don’t see him.
"Rest assured. Although he now has the new County Magistrate of Shao County to rely on, I’m not afraid of him." He felt that the man was being arrogant with just a little bit of power, completely unaware that there was always someone better out there.
"I’ll go with you then," Bai Suihe said, also wanting to see how much nerve the other party had.
Gu Kaiyuan stopped her. "There’s no need. He’s just an uninvited and unpleasant guest. It’s not worth treating him with courtesy."
Bai Suihe rolled her eyes at him. "What are you talking about? I just want to watch the drama unfold."
"Then you can stay in the next room," Gu Kaiyuan said, coming up with a compromise. He hadn’t ignored Gu Xingyang, who was waving her little hands. Although the little one hadn’t spoken, the gossipy look in her eyes was exactly the same as her mother’s.
"That works too." Although she wouldn’t be able to see the changes in the other party’s facial expressions, it was acceptable.
Carrying Gu Xingyang, Bai Suihe led the way to the room next to the banquet hall and dismissed Zisu and the others.
With her and Gu Xingyang’s hearing, this short distance through the wall was more than enough. However, Zisu and the other servants’ hearing wasn’t as good as theirs. Keeping them around would only interfere with the mother and daughter, so it was better to send them away. That way, they could eavesdrop to their hearts’ content.
Separated by a single wall.
Gu Kaiping couldn’t even remember which cup of water he was drinking. The porter had just said he was going to inform their master and brought him here. That meant Gu Kaiyuan was at home. Not coming over after all this time clearly showed that he didn’t respect his older brother at all.
Taking another sip of water, he was just about to go to the door to urge them when he saw Gu Kaiyuan enter with two guards. He recognized these two men; they were Lin Hua and Lin Wei, who used to follow Gu Kaiyuan around.
He snorted. He didn’t even have any servants by his side right now, yet Gu Kaiyuan was putting on quite the airs. When he first came in, he saw many servants bustling about. Even the Gu Family had never been this grandiose in the past.
"Third Brother, I have to say, your household lacks manners. You had me brought in and just left me hanging here."
"May I ask what business the eldest master of the Gu Family has here?
"If it’s because of these trivial matters, then I don’t have time to entertain you," Gu Kaiyuan said, walking straight to the main seat and sitting down. Lin Hua and Lin Wei stood behind him.
"Bastard, how are you talking to me? No matter what, I’m your older brother! Are you not even willing to call me that anymore?" Gu Kaiyuan sitting in the main seat had already made him very uncomfortable, and hearing him address him like that completely broke his restraint.
"Don’t. After all these years of you not treating me as a brother, I can do without that title." Just as Gu Kaiyuan sat down, a maid brought up some tea. "We’ve already made things very clear between our two families; there will be no more contact in the future. So why have you come to my door?"
The mockery in Gu Kaiyuan’s tone left Gu Kaiping somewhat humiliated. However, thinking that he was no longer a convicted criminal, he gained enough courage to speak up. "I’m here to tell you that I’m currently holding a post in the neighboring Shao County. No matter what, we are brothers. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come find me."
When leaving the capital, his father had only given him one hundred taels of silver. The expenses along the way had already eaten up half of it. If he had to rent a house as well, his days would be very tight.
Gu Kaiyuan had purchased a lot of real estate in Lingnan, including many properties in Shao County. Rather than leaving them empty, it would be better for him to help watch over them. If Gu Kaiyuan was tactful and gave him some settling-in allowance, it wasn’t impossible for him to show some extra care in the future.
"Then congratulations," Gu Kaiyuan said indifferently. "We are merely a small merchant household that abides by the law. We certainly won’t trouble you.
"As for this so-called brotherhood? Do you really think I’d believe it coming from your mouth?"
"Gu Kaiyuan, let your older brother teach you a lesson. Don’t be too isolated. You are just a merchant now, and an ordinary person who relies on the Bai Family to survive. What makes you think you have the right to challenge the government?"
Gu Kaiping felt highly confident now. Even if he was just a petty clerk, he was still an official. So what if Gu Kaiyuan was backed by a wealthy Yue Family? His own status was something Gu Kaiyuan could never reach in his entire lifetime. If he didn’t properly curry favor with him now, then he shouldn’t blame his older brother for showing him a thing or two later.
"You should worry about yourself first. Do you really think you’ve landed a good job? Lingnan is far more complicated than you imagine," Gu Kaiyuan said with a cold sneer. "Don’t think you can just use someone else’s name to throw your weight around. Lingnan might have been filled with exiled criminals in the past, but it’s completely different now. When you entered the city this time, didn’t you feel that things had become exceptionally different around here?"
Zhang County was a necessary route, and there was still a huge mess waiting to be cleaned up over in Shao County. Being so impatient to come here to assert his presence was simply beyond foolish.