From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Gu Wenheng had no idea how the father and son of the Tian family had evaluated him after he left; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so motivated.

Bolstered by the imperial grace he had just received, Gu Wenheng immediately summoned all the officials of the Ministry of Revenue again. He wanted to reorganize the entire year’s tax revenue, aiming to be as precise as possible for the commoners in every region.

This was undoubtedly a tedious task. With only the current staff at the Ministry of Revenue, there was no telling when they would finally calculate everything. Gu Wenheng thought of the extra hands Jin Qianqian had sent to the nearby villa, but he ultimately shook his head and dismissed the idea. It didn’t matter if they were a little slow; the upcoming Treasure Exhibition would take some time to prepare anyway.

Meanwhile, at the Fu County Government Office.

Even though Jin Qianqian had instructed Hu Dong to keep a close eye on the situation, County Magistrate Gao ruled that there was insufficient evidence. He concluded that Gu Yuanfeng’s death was merely caused by a delay in seeking medical treatment. As punishment, the Shi family men were each given twenty heavy strokes of the cane and released after being detained for only three days.

Upon leaving the county government office’s prison, the Shi family father and sons pleaded with the government officials to help them find an ox cart to haul them back to Stone Village. Everyone in the county town knew that the Gu family brothers had been handling Gu Yuanfeng’s funeral arrangements over the past few days. Unsure if the two families would ever reconcile in the future, the locals decided it was best to do them a favor and transport the battered men back to their village.

Arriving back at Stone Village, they saw white funeral couplets hanging on their house and the front gates tightly shut.

Shi Laicai shouted toward the entrance, “Chuncao, where the hell are you? Hurry up and open the door! Why is the gate locked in broad daylight?”

He yelled for a long time, but the gate remained shut. The old man driving the ox cart looked at them with a face full of pity. He didn’t rush them or say a word. After all, the three men had already paid him his silver; waiting a little longer wouldn’t delay him much. Besides, he could already see people walking toward them from a distance. It was better for him to keep his mouth shut so as not to invite any trouble.

Upon receiving the news of their return, Village Chief Shi hurried over. Seeing the father and his sons, he let out a heavy sigh. “Stop cursing. Since you’re back, just focus on recovering from your injuries.”

Seeing the three of them lying flat on their stomachs on the cart with bloodstains on their backsides, it was obvious what they had been through.

“Uncle Village Chief, we have no idea where Chuncao and her sister went,” Shi Dayong said, forcing a polite smile at his clan uncle despite the excruciating pain radiating from his backside. “The door is locked in broad daylight. Could I trouble you to help us find them?”

“There’s no need to look,” Village Chief Shi replied. Glancing at the old cart driver, he decided he didn’t want the family to lose any more face in front of an outsider. He ordered a few villagers who had tagged along to watch the commotion to help carry the men inside first.

Seeing that there was no more drama to watch, the old man regretfully led his ox cart away.

“I have no idea where that wretched woman ran off to,” Shi Laicai complained loudly. “There’s no sign of a cooking fire in the house. She didn’t even boil any water to cool for us.”

Looking at the house, which felt completely devoid of life despite them having been gone for only a few days, he couldn’t stop grumbling.

“Didn’t you hear any news while you were at the county government office?” the villagers asked, finding it somewhat unbelievable. They had no idea that the government officials had been avoiding the Shi family men for the past few days, refusing to say a single word to them outside of delivering meals and taking them in for interrogation.

“What news?” Shi Dayong immediately sensed that something was wrong. Did Li Chuncao follow the Gu family back to their home?

From the moment they arrived at the entrance, he had felt suspicious. The courtyard looked like a funeral had just been held. It wasn’t that he looked down on Li Chuncao, but he was certain she wouldn’t have been able to handle it alone; the clan members must have helped.

“Mrs. Shi Li hanged herself in the backyard on the third day after Mrs. Gu passed away,” an older woman standing next to the village chief said, wiping away her tears. “Her funeral was arranged by the Gu family and the clan together. She’s buried right next to Mrs. Shi.”

She continued, “It’s an absolute sin. A perfectly good life, just gone like that.”

If the Shi family hadn’t been so harsh on her in their daily lives, such a good child wouldn’t have been driven to this point of no return. The villagers’ hearts grew even colder when they saw the indifferent expressions on the three men’s faces upon hearing the tragic news.

That was a living, breathing human life, yet to them, it sounded like a piece of news that had absolutely nothing to do with them.

“How dare that wretched woman…?” Shi Laicai scratched his head. He was actually wondering who was going to serve them now that all three of them were injured.

“Shut up,” Shi Dayong scolded, proving to be slightly more tactful. Seeing the disgust on everyone’s faces, he feared his son might say something else to incite public outrage. “I know you’re heartbroken to hear that your wife is gone, but you can’t spout nonsense out of grief.”

Turning his attention back to the crowd, Shi Dayong added, “Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. Once we recover our health, we will definitely visit each of your homes to express our gratitude in person.”

Village Chief Shi sighed and said, “There’s no need for thanks. We didn’t do much anyway; it was mostly the masters of the Gu family who put in the effort. It’s truly a pity that you threw away such a good marriage connection.

“Don’t even think about heading over to Gaoling Village anymore. Old Master Gu left word that the Gu family and the Shi family will have no further ties from now on. The news has already spread throughout the entirety of Fu County.”

Village Chief Shi had no intention of offending the Gu family. If these Shi family men went over to make a scene and provoked their wrath, it would only negatively affect the younger generations in Stone Village.

“What about Chun Ya?” Shi Dayong asked, suddenly remembering his other stepdaughter. Surely the Gu family couldn’t have taken her back as well?

“That girl has already returned to the He family,” the village chief replied. “I heard that over the past two days, she registered as a female head of household. She plans to carry on the family name for He Tuping.”

Shi Dayong was speechless. He wanted to curse out loud and call the girl an ungrateful wretch who bit the hand that fed her. However, he couldn’t say those words at this moment. Everyone in the village knew that while the Shi family hadn’t exactly mistreated Li Chuncao and her sister when they moved in, it was only because Old Mrs. Gu regularly sent people over with gifts and supplies. In reality, it was the Shi family who had benefited from the two girls.

Seeing that the men had returned safely and the necessary matters had been explained, the villagers had no desire to linger. They quickly made excuses and left one after another. Village Chief Shi also claimed he had chores to attend to and tried to leave, but he was unexpectedly called back.

“Uncle Village Chief, could I trouble you to find someone to go to the neighboring village and call my daughter back?” Shi Dayong panicked when he saw everyone leaving. It really wouldn’t do to have no one around to serve them.

At the mention of Shi Niuniu, the villagers’ expressions grew even stranger.

“When the funeral was being held a few days ago, we went to notify her,” the village chief said. “Your Niu Niu said she didn’t have time. I’m afraid going over there again would just be a wasted trip.”

Everyone in the village knew that when Mrs. Gu was alive, she might not have been exceptionally doting toward her stepdaughter, but she hadn’t treated her badly either. She had even prepared a generous dowry for Shi Niuniu’s wedding, which had made many villagers envious at the time. No one expected that after Mrs. Gu’s passing, Shi Niuniu would disregard even the last shred of familial affection. This callousness had already drawn the disgust of many elders in the village.

Shi Dayong still tried to defend his daughter. “She might really be busy. Could someone please make the trip for me? I won’t let you go unrewarded.”

Someone was immediately tempted. It was just running an errand, and they would get paid for it. Someone quickly accepted the job.

Unfortunately, Shi Dayong was destined for disappointment this time. Shi Niuniu’s in-laws sent back a message saying that they were too busy at home and wouldn’t be allowing her to return to her maiden family anytime soon.

Left with no other options, the Shi family men could only fork out some silver to pay their neighbors to help prepare their three daily meals.

Meanwhile, the Gu family brothers were simmering with rage over the incredibly light punishment handed down to the three Shi family men.