Chapter 729 - 731: Gu Letian
Chapter 729: Chapter 731: Gu Letian
The Gu Mansion hosted a bustling wedding banquet, and the atmosphere in the entire estate immediately transformed.
Joy filled the air. Even the servants from visiting households were curious. When they learned of the great fortune bestowed upon Mrs. Gu’s senior maids, they were filled with envy.
Though the maids had married, they had been transformed into the inner and outer Chief Stewards. They wielded more power than before and enjoyed greater freedom.
This was the dream future for most servants. Who wouldn’t be envious seeing a few young maids achieve such success?
Jin Qianqian stared at Gu Letian, who had suddenly appeared before her. When Housekeeper Xu first reported his arrival, she had been genuinely startled. She never expected the person they had been searching for far and wide to simply show up right in front of her.
"Seventh Aunt," Gu Letian said. He looked apprehensive as he stood in the main hall. The woman before him was vastly different from the Seventh Aunt in his memories.
The old Seventh Aunt had been emaciated, her face smeared with black mud, completely hiding her true features.
"It’s good that you’re back." Jin Qianqian could tell at a glance that Gu Letian had suffered greatly out there. He was painfully thin, barely looking any better than they had during their year of fleeing from the famine. "The family can finally rest easy now. Our family is whole again.
"You’ve had a hard journey back. I’ll have Housekeeper Xu take you to rest first. We can talk about everything else later."
Gu Letian naturally obeyed. He had spent the past few days with his cousins and had asked about his Seventh Aunt. According to them, she was the easiest person to get along with.
Whenever there was something they felt awkward saying or dared not bring up directly to Gu Wenheng, they would turn to Jin Qianqian for help.
After he left, Jin Qianqian murmured to herself, "His luck is truly unparalleled..."
As he followed the housekeeper to a courtyard in the front estate, Gu Letian felt his eyes couldn’t take it all in.
Who would have thought that just days ago, he was a vagabond mountain bandit? He had assumed he would settle down in Xinsheng Village for the rest of his life, never expecting his status to change so drastically and rapidly.
No wonder when he left Xinsheng Village, everyone had spoken words of congratulations, but their eyes couldn’t hide their envy.
"Young Master Le Tian, this is the courtyard where your cousins live. Your room has been prepared for you. Please rest for now. I will come over to call you for your meal later.
"These two serve in this courtyard. If you need anything, just ask them."
Xu Dawang turned and spoke sternly to the two servants. "Niu Ban’er, Wang Jiahe, come greet Young Master Le Tian.
"You must serve him well. If there are any issues, come find me immediately."
"Yes! Greetings, Young Master Le Tian!"
"Yes! Greetings, Young Master Le Tian!"
Gu Letian nodded at them amicably. "I’ll be troubling you from now on."
"We wouldn’t dare. If Young Master Le Tian needs anything, please just give the order. It is what we servants ought to do," Niu Ban’er said cautiously, unsure if this new master would be easy to serve.
Xu Dawang still had a massive pile of tasks on his hands, so he left in a hurry after giving a few more instructions.
This left Gu Letian to slowly explore and adapt on his own.
Gu Letian spent two days adapting to life in the mansion before going straight to Jin Qianqian.
"You’re saying you want to go back first?" Jin Qianqian asked. She had been planning to wait a few more days for an escort team to leave so she could send a letter home with the great news.
In her mind, the child had suffered so much out there for years; he should at least stay in the mansion to recuperate properly.
She had already invited a doctor to take his pulse and give him a checkup. Years of hardship and wandering had left him with quite a few minor ailments.
These could only be slowly nursed back to health over time so they wouldn’t affect his lifespan.
"Seventh Aunt, I want to see my parents as soon as possible," Gu Letian replied. "I’ve been unfilial all these years, making them worry for so long."
Life here was wonderful—so wonderful that it felt somewhat unreal to him.
He wanted to return to his family’s side as quickly as possible to confirm that everything before him wasn’t an illusion, so his heart could finally find peace.
"I understand how you feel. It’s perfectly normal to miss your parents and elders.
"However, there are no escort teams heading back right now, and I wouldn’t feel at ease letting you travel alone.
"How about this? Our family’s own escort agency will be setting out on a run in about ten days. Since our own people will be in charge, we’ll be much more reassured."
They had finally managed to find him after so much difficulty. If something untoward happened to him on the road, they wouldn’t be able to face Gu Yuanjin and the rest of the family.
Hearing this, Gu Letian knew there was no use in rushing. "I will listen to everything you say, Seventh Aunt."
"That’s the spirit. I know it can be a bit stifling staying in the mansion all day. I’ll arrange for some servants to take you for a walk around the area later.
"In a bit, I’ll have the accounting room disburse some silver taels for you. If you see anything you like, just buy it."
Gu Letian waved his hands nervously. "I... no need. I don’t have anything to buy."
"We’re all family. Don’t be so polite.
"Even if you don’t want to buy anything for yourself, you must bring back some gifts for this trip home. Your second brother has given you a nephew! When the little one sees a present, he will naturally gravitate toward you, his eldest uncle."
Ever since Jin Qianqian learned of Gu Letian’s experiences, she felt a degree of sympathy for this newfound eldest nephew.
Not only had he foolishly taken the wrong path, but he had stubbornly followed it to the bitter end, somehow ending up in such a remote place.
If Gu Wenheng hadn’t coincidentally been assigned to this region and implemented his new policies, it would have been impossible to find someone in such an isolated location.
If things had been any different, this kid might have suffered for the rest of his life.
As his aunt, the most she could do daily was instruct the kitchen to send him delicious food so he could put on some weight before going back.
As for his other needs, it was better to give him some silver taels and let him make his own arrangements!
Now that the topic of babies came up, Jin Qianqian smiled and teased, "You’re at that age, too. Who knows, by the time your Seventh Uncle and I go back next time, there might be a few more additions to the family."
Gu Letian lowered his head shyly, his heart brimming with anticipation for the future.
「In the eastern part of the city.」
With the arrival of numerous officials and several aristocratic families, the changes here were visible to the naked eye.
Jin Qianqian hadn’t visited this area for a mere three days, yet the buildings under construction were already nearing completion.
In particular, the combined restaurant and inn she was developing—a two-and-a-half-story structure—stood out prominently in the center.
"This is progressing quite quickly," Jin Qianqian said with a satisfied nod as she sat in her carriage, circling her territory.
Since she had been the first to break ground and had hired the largest number of skilled craftsmen, these workers were giving it their all to earn their next batch of construction silver as quickly as possible.
"Mrs. Gu!" Lady Wu called out. She had also planned to inspect her newly purchased land today. Catching sight of Jin Qianqian’s carriage from afar, she had her own carriage driven over to greet her.
"What a coincidence!" Jin Qianqian replied. "Lady Wu has also come to check on her land."
Lady Wu cast an envious glance at the building before her. She had previously only known that the other woman had bought a massive plot of land, but seeing it with her own eyes was truly shocking.