Chapter 538 - 539: Sparing None
Chapter 538: Chapter 539: Sparing None
Gu Kaiyuan was also quite disgusted by these two families. Although he didn’t understand why Bai Suihe said that, he agreed briskly. "Do as my wife says. Zhuang Datou, Huang Pingguo, report back to us only when you have settled your family affairs."
After saying that, he held Gu Xingyang, gently patting her back to soothe her so she wouldn’t scream wildly in her mind and hurt his wife. He would certainly handle the situation; all this noise was giving him a headache.
Bai Suihe turned and led her people back toward the Gu family estate. It was a scorching hot day; instead of crowding around here, they might as well go back, gather more saltpeter, and make some ice to beat the heat.
After Gu Kaiyuan and Bai Suihe were escorted away, the Zhuang and Huang families didn’t dare to utter a single word. With just one casual remark, the two men had been stripped of their duties. If they continued to argue, they feared they wouldn’t even be able to stay in the village.
With the two families finally quieted down and no more drama to watch, the villagers slowly dispersed.
Before leaving, Zhu Ziqiang didn’t forget to pat Zhuang Datou and the others on the shoulder. "Handle your family matters properly. It doesn’t look good for the village to have this constant uproar.
"I actually think the neighboring villages are pretty good. As long as you’re hardworking, you won’t go hungry.
"There are also plenty of jobs in the city right now. If you put in the effort, you might even be able to save up a decent nest egg in no time."
These words were also meant for their family members to hear. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand such a simple truth; they just wanted to reap the benefits without doing the work and squeeze out even more.
Once only the two families were left at the foot of the mountain, Lu Cuihua finally stopped forcing herself to stand strong and collapsed onto the ground. Earlier, when the sword point was aimed directly at her, she had genuinely almost wet her pants in terror. If she hadn’t possessed a strong will, she would have probably become a laughingstock by now.
"Wife." Huang Qianlao hastily squatted down beside her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Lu Cuihua shook her head, her face pale. "Let me catch my breath. I almost lost my life just now. I felt like they truly wanted to kill me in that moment."
She had been right in the center of the murderous intent rushing toward her, so she felt it more profoundly than anyone else. She had initially thought the other party was just a young, easily manipulated couple. She never expected them to carry such lethal weapons.
"Let’s help Mother back first," Huang Pingguo said, ultimately unable to bear the sight, as she was his own mother.
"I think we should take this opportunity, while both families are here, to get everything out in the open." Zhuang Datou, however, was not about to let them retreat. Who knew if they would try to pull any more stunts once they went back? Now, while Aunt Huang was at her weakest, was the best time to finalize the matter.
The Huang family wanted to say something else, but Huang Pingguo nodded and said, "Then let’s make it clear right here. It’s not like there are any outsiders present."
If they kept dragging this out, they would truly lose their jobs. They had finally managed to touch the edge of authority; he wasn’t willing to be thrown back to square one.
"You all saw it just now. If our family matters aren’t settled, Huang Pingguo and I will have no choice but to stay home," Zhuang Datou stated.
"If we stay home to farm, we won’t be able to help you with anything at all. Now, the choice is yours.
"What we said before still counts, but if you wait a few more days, that might not be the case."
His later words carried a faint threat—at worst, they would all part ways completely and revert to their original states. The Zhuang and Huang families weren’t stupid. As long as Zhuang Datou and the others lived well, even the crumbs that slipped through their fingers would be better than suffering in the mountains like they used to.
Zhuang Tian was the first to compromise. With a sigh, he said, "Second Son, we’ll do as you said."
Hearing this, the Zhuang family knew it was a done deal. They all began to wonder in their hearts how they could fight for their own benefits next.
The Huang family still wanted to put up a struggle, all turning their eyes to Lu Cuihua. She was the one who always made the decisions in this household.
Lu Cuihua felt a wave of disappointment at their incompetence. They had agreed to advance and retreat together, but the Zhuang family was truly unreliable, conceding defeat so quickly!
But since things had already come to this, if she continued to cause a scene, Huang Pingguo would probably become even more resentful toward her. So, she sighed and said, "We’ll do as you said before. However, you have to help arrange jobs for your brothers. You can’t just watch them deplete our resources while sitting idle. Also, your youngest brother will need to get married in the future..."
Zhuang Datou looked at Huang Pingguo and remained silent; it would be inappropriate for him to interrupt now.
"Father, Mother, my only responsibility is to provide for you two." Huang Pingguo’s voice was somewhat dry. Only when facing it himself did he realize how cruel this situation truly was.
No matter how much he valued family ties, he still knew how to do the math. Arrange jobs for several brothers? How could he possibly manage that? Although they had been separated for a few years, he still knew their true natures. They were lazier than each other; otherwise, they wouldn’t have remained so poor all this time.
And paying for his youngest brother’s marriage? Given how favored his youngest brother was, they would probably expect him to provide a house and a dowry. Who knew, the bride’s family might even have a list of demands. Could he afford to shoulder that burden?
"We’ll do exactly as we discussed before. There’s nothing I can do about the rest," Huang Pingguo said firmly.
"If that doesn’t work, I’ll just stay home and farm those few acres of land. I’ll simply follow how the other villagers provide for their elders."
Lu Cuihua was left speechless. If they really went along with what her second son said and followed the village’s standard for elder care—split among several brothers at that—they would receive at most a few dozen pounds of grain a year. What could they do with that?
Huang Qianlao chimed in, "That won’t do. Your living conditions have improved now, and your wife has her dowry. Can’t you help out your family a little?"
"How am I supposed to help out?" Huang Pingguo flared up, his temper finally breaking. "How about you strip my skin and drain my blood, and see if that’s enough to feed our entire family for two days? What do you think about that?"
The Huang family stumbled back two steps in fright, all seeing the sheer ruthlessness in Huang Pingguo’s eyes.
Dealing with these people was a simple matter of dominance: if you were strong, they would submit. Zhuang Datou practically gave him a thumbs-up behind his back. He knew it—the brother he had spent day and night with for so many years, who had also been taught by the tutor Nanny Wu hired, couldn’t possibly be a spineless coward.
It seemed that familial ties couldn’t shackle Huang Pingguo after all. That made things much easier.
"Anyway, the conditions are set. I will take you to the neighboring village to buy land in a bit, and you will move over there as soon as possible." After saying that, he stared intently at Lu Cuihua. "Mother, surely you don’t want the last bit of our mother-son bond to be ground to dust, do you?"
Lu Cuihua opened her mouth. She could certainly continue to throw a tantrum, but she didn’t dare risk the final outcome. If she succeeded, everyone would be happy; but if she failed, she would likely have to take her family back to their bitter, impoverished lives.
"Then you have to help us buy more land..."
This time, Huang Pingguo didn’t yield an inch. "We’ll do exactly as I said before. I have already given everything I can give. From now on, you all live your lives well in the neighboring village. During the holidays, I will come over and visit you according to custom.
"As for you asking for jobs, it’s impossible in Tian Village. But there are plenty of things to do in the county town. Make a few trips, and you’re bound to find something."
Zhuang Datou glanced at the sky. Since the neighboring village wasn’t far anyway, he went over to the Gu family’s estate to borrow two ox carts. These carts were usually used to transport fruit trees, but this time they were perfect for carrying both families. If they managed to buy the land, the families wouldn’t even have to come back tonight.