Chapter 581: Changes
Chapter 581 -582: Changes
Although she hadn’t taken action yet, Bai Suihe could already foresee the money rolling in.
Arriving in the courtyard in a pleasant mood, she noticed that because of the Bai family’s arrival, the majority of the people in the village were now their own. After all, when an entire family traveled, they brought quite a few servants along.
This also brought a touch of vitality to the originally quiet village.
“Finished talking with your brother?” Old Mrs. Bai approached her, carrying Gu Xingyang. “Hurry up and serve this little ancestor of yours. I don’t even know what she’s babbling about.”
Gu Xingyang felt a bit wronged. “Mother, you hardly paid any attention to me today.”
“Wasn’t your grandmother keeping you company?” Bai Suihe took the child and smiled at Old Mrs. Bai. “Mother, it’s just that I haven’t chatted with my second brother in a long time, and I lost track of time.
“What could this little girl possibly want? She just wants to go out for a stroll.
“We’ll rest for today, and tomorrow I’ll take you all for a walk nearby. How does that sound?”
Gu Xingyang clapped her hands and cheered inwardly, having wanted to go out and explore for a long time.
“That sounds fine.” Old Mrs. Bai didn’t interfere with how the siblings interacted. Regardless, she had faith in her children; they all knew their limits. “I wonder where your husband and your third brother have reached by now?”
Bai Suihe replied, “Now that they’ve set out to sea, who knows? Don’t worry. They’re just testing the ship’s performance this time. They’ll be back in two days at the latest.”
Mrs. Bai had assumed the siblings were just catching up on idle gossip. She hadn’t expected that right after she went indoors to rest, her second son would come sneaking in.
“You’re the head of a family now. Look at yourself—what kind of behavior is this?” Unable to stand his stealthy manner, Old Mrs. Bai couldn’t help but scold him. “If your subordinates see this, how will you ever command their respect?”
“Mother, I have my reasons.” Bai Jiannan leaned close to Old Mrs. Bai. “Mother, I took advantage of my sister again this time.”
“Tell me about it,” Old Mrs. Bai said.
Bai Jiannan explained their business partnership. Old Mrs. Bai wholeheartedly agreed, but she had her own perspective on the matter. “You must remember your sister’s kindness. In the future, you and your third brother must become your sister’s pillars of support.
“However, you absolutely cannot hide any of the profits from this venture. Otherwise, you’ll be letting down your sister and all the support she has given you.”
Old Mrs. Bai didn’t forget to issue a stern warning, fearing this boy might become blinded by greed in the future.
“Mother, don’t worry. I’m not that kind of person. It’s just that since I’m taking such a huge advantage of my sister, I feel like I’m doing her an injustice if I don’t do something in return.”
“Later, go pick out some things from your storehouse and give them to Xing Yang. If you just give her outright gifts, it won’t look like you’re trying to buy off the favor.
“Your sister hasn’t had it easy. Her life seems to be improving day by day, but her foundation is still too weak.
“And she refuses to accept any of my things. I don’t know who she got this stubborn temper from.”
Bai Jiannan chuckled, thinking to himself that his sister had obviously inherited it from their mother.
After several days of exhausting work, the craftsmen hired by Gu Baijiang—who had pinched every penny—finally finished renovating the house.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the house was already very sturdy and quite decent. However, after the craftsmen left, the Gu family father and son found all sorts of things to complain about.
“Father, look at the paint on this door. It’s hideous.
“And they didn’t even tidy up the courtyard or plant any flowers. It’s such a mess. Who’s going to clean this up later?”
“Their workmanship is a bit sloppy.” Gu Baijiang conveniently forgot that the men he hired were mere amateurs. Their only redeeming quality was their cheap labor, which couldn’t possibly compare to professional craftsmen.
“You’re right, Father. They didn’t even whitewash the walls. Look, I just leaned against it for a moment, and I’m covered in dirt. If we live here, we’ll wake up every day with our heads and faces covered in dust.”
The father and son voiced their respective opinions, meticulously critiquing every inch of the house. By the time they finished their tour, they had thoroughly torn the place to shreds.
“The house is already fixed up. Later, come with me to send a letter back. The family still needs to be reunited.”
Gu Kaichen asked, “Father, does Eldest Brother no longer need to make a living in Shao County?”
Although Gu Kaiping didn’t have a massive income, it was more than enough to support himself, and he even had a little left over. If he continued to work and earn money, he could save the family the expense of supporting one person. All things considered, their branch of the family could benefit from it.
“What do you know?” Gu Baijiang scolded. “By leaving without saying goodbye, we’ve essentially fallen out with Rong Ruiyuan. Do you really think your eldest brother will have it easy over there?”
Rong Ruiyuan was a petty man who held grudges. How could he possibly tolerate this? It was best for Gu Kaiping to leave quickly before Rong Ruiyuan freed up his hands to deal with matters here. Otherwise, who knew what he would face in the future? There were a thousand ways to ruin someone in official circles, let alone a small fry like Gu Kaiping.
Gu Kaichen was a bit reluctant, but he still obediently went to prepare the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Seeing Gu Baijiang put pen to paper, he knew nothing could be changed.
“Father, we have a place to settle down now, but we can’t just sit idle and bleed money until we’re broke. I see there are a lot of storefronts around here. Why don’t we buy a shop and start a small business?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? My two grandsons still need to take the imperial examinations in the future. This will ruin their reputations.”
“We’re not full-time merchants, so we won’t be classified as a merchant household,” Gu Kaichen argued. “Father, if you’re worried, you can put the shop under Xu Yulan’s name and treat it as her dowry. Then we can buy a few acres of land, and we’ll be known as a family of farming and studying.”
“Your scheming is so obvious it’s smacking me in the face.” Gu Baijiang sighed inwardly. Gu Kaichen possessed some petty cleverness, but he never used it on the right path.
He was even more determined to keep this son tied to his side wherever he went, to prevent him from causing any more trouble. One had to know that former gamblers had a very strong appetite for risk. Rather than letting this fool go out and get scammed, it was better to just treat him as an extra mouth to feed. Anyway, he no longer expected any returns from Gu Kaichen; as long as he didn’t drag him down, it was good enough.
Gu Baijiang waited for the ink to dry, then took the envelope and tucked it directly into his robes.
“Father, why should you trouble yourself with this? I’ll make a trip to the post station myself.”
Gu Baijiang glared at him. How could this brat be so diligent and kind-hearted? He was probably scheming something else. “No need. I’m idle right now anyway, so I’ll go myself.”
Gu Kaichen was speechless. He thought, “I’m a grown man humbling myself to humor you, yet I still haven’t earned your trust.”
Life was feeling more and more hopeless. He had just made one small mistake, yet they refused to let it go.
When the father and son stepped out of the house, they noticed many people around them stopping to stare. They found it rather baffling. “Is there something wrong with our clothes?”
Gu Baijiang looked his son up and down and found nothing unusual. He then pointed to himself and asked, “Look at me, has anything changed?”