Chapter 587: Flying Chicken
By the time Gu Kaiyuan and his wife received the next letter, ten days had already passed. Upon confirming that Gu Antong had indeed perished in the fire, the couple breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they no longer had to live in constant anxiety.
Even if Rong Ruiyuan were to rebel now, it would have absolutely nothing to do with them.
Things were different for Gu Baijiang. He had finally managed to bring his whole family over, only to be hit with this tragic news on the very first day.
Liu Yun had no mind to manage household affairs; her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
Since the family no longer had any servants, Xu Yulan had to ask Xu Shuanghong and the others for help. They carried Liu Yun to her room and pinched her philtrum hard, which finally made her slowly regain consciousness.
Waking up, Liu Yun stared blankly at the ceiling, scenes of her daughter growing up flashing through her mind. “My poor daughter, how could you just leave like this…”
“Liu Yun, stop crying,” Xu Yulan said, feeling irritable herself. Gu Antong’s passing meant that the Gu family had lost yet another path of hope.
“What’s done is done. Don’t ruin your health over this.” Hiring a doctor would cost silver, and since things had already come to this, what was the point?
Still, it frustrated her to think about it. The girl was someone she had watched grow up, after all. They had invested so much silver into her, only to receive this kind of news. They had truly suffered a massive loss.
“Alright, we’re leaving.” Raising two daughters of her own, Xu Shuanghong had some past grievances with Liu Yun, but she had no intention of kicking her when she was down. She grabbed Xu Yulan and pulled her out of the room.
Knowing her earlier words were a bit inappropriate, Xu Yulan didn’t argue this time, and the two walked out the door.
“Seeing how Liu Yun is, she won’t be able to manage the household today, so you’ll have to take over.” After saying this, Xu Shuanghong turned and left. The Gu family had always been on guard against her and her daughters anyway, so she couldn’t be bothered to get involved now.
Pointing a finger at herself, Xu Yulan instantly felt terrible.
She preferred having things handed to her on a silver platter. There were so many troublesome matters to oversee, and they had just arrived. Where was she even supposed to start?
She wanted to go to the front and ask Gu Baijiang, but as soon as she reached the front courtyard, Gu Kaichen dragged her into the kitchen. “Don’t bother Dad. Just get today’s meals ready first.”
“Easy for you to say. How am I supposed to do that? I’m just one person, I can’t serve this many people.”
“Liu Yun managed just fine before,” Gu Kaichen retorted in annoyance. “Before you got married, you never skipped any of the farm work back home. Who are you trying to fool, acting like a pampered lady here?”
He pointed to the vegetables piled in the corner. “Just keep this meal simple. Throw these vegetables together however you want, as long as it doesn’t kill anyone.”
With that, he waved his hand and left. If he stayed, he might be roped into helping this wicked shrew, and there was no way he was going to let that happen.
Gu Baijiang rubbed his forehead. He had already tried to secure a way out for Gu Antong. As long as the imperial family cared about their reputation, they definitely wouldn’t have harmed her. Why did it have to come to this?
Seeing his father like this, Gu Kaichen didn’t feel good either. When the news about Gu Antong arrived, he knew that the Gu family’s last shred of hope had been shattered.
“Dad, since things are already like this, we should think about what to do next. Can Kai Ping still keep working over there?”
Gu Baijiang looked up at his son. “What do you have in mind?” He felt a pang of regret; he shouldn’t have let his eldest son stay there back then.
“Dad, Prince Ning can’t be relied on, so it’s definitely inappropriate for Kai Ping to stay there. They say that once a person leaves, their connections go cold. Someone like Rong Ruiyuan doesn’t remember favors at all.
“I think rather than letting him muddle along there, it’d be better for him to come back. Our family could look into starting a small business. Someone has to support this household.
“Look at how things have been lately—silver is only going out, not coming in. Sooner or later, we’ll eat through our savings.”
Gu Kaichen tested the waters. He hadn’t originally wanted to include Kai Ping in this, but if he didn’t say it like that, his father would definitely suspect his motives. He did have selfish intentions, but he also wanted what was best for the family.
Gu Baijiang laughed, though his eyes held no warmth. “You look down on Kai Ping now. Are you going to start thinking I’m useless as a father next?”
“Dad, how could you think that? I’m just thinking about the family,” Gu Kaichen quickly said.
“Start a business? Don’t you know that if we register as merchants, your son won’t be able to take the imperial exams?”
“We can just register it under Liu Yun or my wife’s name and claim it’s part of their dowries. Isn’t it the same for Kai Yuan and his family? I specifically looked into it; they aren’t registered as merchants either.” Gu Kaichen felt a twinge of jealousy. “The Bai family really has solid backing.”
“You know yourself that the Bai family is their backing. They made a big show of supplementing Ms. Bai’s dowry. What has your wife’s maiden family ever done?
“Use your brain. Did you really think no one would see through your terrible idea?
“If those officials wanted to target you, this would be a massive lie hanging over the two children’s heads. Or if they were even more ruthless, they could hit you with the crime of deceiving the emperor once the kids enter the imperial court. Our whole family would be dragged down with them.”
“If this won’t work and that won’t work, are we really supposed to buy some land and farm?”
“What’s wrong with farming? Back then, your grandmother worked tirelessly in the fields to raise me.
“She was just an ignorant village woman. You and your wife are able-bodied—don’t tell me you can’t provide for one child?”
“Dad, why are you bringing this up again? We didn’t have the means back then, but it’s different now. It’s not like you’re short on silver, so why should we force ourselves to live such miserable lives?”
“Not short on silver? That little bit of silver isn’t even enough for you to go out and fool around,” Gu Baijiang said, looking at Gu Kaichen coldly. “If you want me to fund your business, fine…”
Gu Kaichen looked at Gu Baijiang in pleasant surprise. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll definitely build a successful business. Who knows, our family might even become the next wealthiest in the Rong Dynasty…”
“Bah!” No longer caring about maintaining his composure, Gu Baijiang spat. “I’ve been waiting for you to show your true colors!
“You want silver? You want to get rich? Are you planning to repeat your past mistakes?
“Do you really think those gambling dens are a good place? If you want to get rich overnight, you have to see if you even have the destiny for it.
“You’re trying to pocket other people’s silver, but they’re scheming to take even more from you! I don’t know who you take after, but after all this time, you still haven’t figured it out.”
Gu Baijiang unleashed a torrent of scolding, but it still didn’t vent all his anger. The house hadn’t been fully cleaned yet, and there was a pile of newly bought firewood in the corner. He walked over, pulled out a thick stick, and started thrashing Gu Kaichen mercilessly.
Not wanting to be beaten until his bones were broken again, Gu Kaichen turned and fled in terror. “Dad, didn’t you say a gentleman uses his words, not his fists? You already beat me before and injured me…”
“I’ll beat you to death, you unfilial son who refuses to walk the right path! You’re always dreaming up these unrealistic schemes. It’d be better if I crippled you—at least you wouldn’t be able to go out and cause trouble for me!”
“If you cripple me, you’ll still have to pay for my medical bills!”