CHAPTER 783: CHAPTER 783: OFFICIAL BETROTHAL

Since you’re so scared of Xiao Yu, then don’t talk behind her back.

Being both scared and cowardly, yet still insisting on secretly badmouthing her—isn’t this just asking for trouble?

"Ptui, are you any braver?" Mrs. Chen glared at Gu Dagui as she sat up, grabbing his outstretched arm: "That girl Xiao Yu is viciously fierce, I’m just afraid that our family’s share of the profits will be deducted by her again, hence the slip of the tongue in fear."

Gu Dagui chuckled: "It’s precisely because of your big mouth that our share gets deducted."

Back when Sister Mei was still alive, the deduction of the family’s share was due to Sister Mei’s troubles. Yet, after her death, their share was still deducted twice, both times because of Mrs. Chen’s loose lips, speaking ill words that led to the penalty.

Thankfully, Xiao Yu didn’t send Mrs. Chen home and continued to let the couple manage Gu Family’s restaurant in town.

Indeed, over the past three years, Xiao Yu has slowly changed the type of work each family did; they no longer did menial tasks but started to take on roles as shopkeepers and housekeepers.

Gu Dafu and Gu Damu were in charge of grinding soybeans and making tofu at the tofu workshop; Ms. Yan managed frying tofu and baking tofu skin, while the couple specifically looked after the shop in town.

"Enough, stop talking. If you keep going, Xiao Yu will find out I spoke ill of her earlier." Mrs. Chen, who cherished money the most, was afraid that Gu Jinli would hear and deduct from her family’s silver, so she dared not say more.

Brother Fa, gnawing on a meat pie, looked at his own mother, really wanting to say: Mother, it was obviously you who wanted to speak first, and after speaking, you became a coward yourself; can’t we be a bit tougher?

However, Brother Fa didn’t voice this thought; he glanced at his mother and continued to eat his meat pie.

Yet he was still rebuked by Mrs. Chen: "Eat, eat, eat. You’ve already eaten at the banquet and now you’re eating meat pies. These meat pies have to be saved for Brother Dexing as a midnight snack. If you gobble them all up, what will Brother Dexing eat? If Brother Dexing can’t study well because he’s hungry and fails to achieve an official position, I’ll tear you to pieces."

Mrs. Chen has recently been doting on Gu Dexing, hoping he would pass the examination to become a Scholar, allowing her to flaunt her status as the aunt of a Scholar.

Lately, Gu Dexing was incredibly frightened, fearing that if he didn’t pass, Mrs. Chen would cut him down.

Brother Fa said calmly, "I finished eating at the banquet in the afternoon, and now I’m hungry again; I’m just eating a meat pie to fill my stomach. Mother, don’t worry about not having food, Uncle Shang’s family has sent meat and vegetables as a gift in return to each household."

Especially our family; not only do we have meat and vegetables, but also a good amount of stews and meat pies. All in all, his family couldn’t finish eating all these in two days.

Having heard this, and looking at the basket of meat and vegetables beside her, Mrs. Chen finally stopped scolding Brother Fa.

...

Three days after the apprenticeship feast had concluded, Village Chief Shang gathered all of the Shang Family People at the Shang Family Ancestral Hall to discuss the affair of Shang Shisan’s family.

Some of the Shang Family People felt that the punishment was too harsh and spoke for Shang Shisan’s family, only to be scolded and sent back by Village Chief Shang.

"I know some of you harbor the same intentions as Shang Shisan’s family, but let me tell you this," Shang Youcang warned, "if you don’t want to be expelled from the clan like Shang Shisan’s, then rein in those crooked thoughts! Ha, not diligently working but rather eyeing the more affluent clan members to target, you’ve really got some nerve."

Village Chief Shang made himself clear: "Whoever dares to covet the private property of our clansmen in the future, I will expel their entire family from our clan!"

After hearing this, the Shang Family People thought of Shang Shisan’s family’s dire fate and began to feel afraid.

Recalling Gu Jin’an’s protective words and considering his impending entrance to the exam, the possibility of him passing was significant.

The Shang Family People weighed the pros and cons, deciding to hold off on their intent to divide Scholar Shang’s family property, planning to wait until Village Chief Shang passed away and if Gu Jin’an didn’t succeed in the exam, they would then make their move.

As for the Jiang Family, as the house of a County Magistrate, they couldn’t interfere too much with Scholar Shang’s family property affairs—at most, they could take back Ms. Jiang’s dowry.

Village Chief Shang wanted to make an example out of Shang Shisan’s family, quickly buying up Shang Shisan’s lands and house with silver, the money given directly to Ms. Lv and his eldest son, without letting Shang Shisan and his mother touch a single cent.

Mrs. Wu cried to heaven and earth, trying to take the silver, but she ended up being pinned down and beaten by Village Chief Shang.

Village Chief Shang: "As long as you haven’t left Shang Family Village, the Shang family has the right to discipline you. The more trouble you cause, the fiercer the beating you’ll receive."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wu didn’t dare to continue making a scene, yet she glared viciously at Ms. Lv, wanting to snatch the silver from her hands.

Once Ms. Lv got the silver, she didn’t bother with Shang Shisan and his mother and left immediately with her own children.

Shang Shisan became frantic and shouted at her: "You wretched woman, where do you think you’re going? Stop right there for me."

Speaking, he and Mrs. Wu rushed forward trying to grab Ms. Lv, but Ms. Lv had been hiding a firewood knife and swung it at Shang Shisan, injuring his arm.

"Aow!" Shang Shisan screamed in pain, looking at Ms. Lv in disbelief: "You, you want to kill me?"

Ms. Lv: "You are the father of my children; I won’t kill you. But if you dare to plague this family again, if you dare lay a hand on me, if you dare to find Cen Widow again, I will chop off your legs!"

Ms. Lv’s face was utterly ferocious as she said these words, scaring Shang Shisan significantly.

Mrs. Wu was also taken aback. She had heard rumors that Ms. Lv had chased away the Cen Widow with a knife but thought it was just gossip. Now it appeared to be true.

Could this be tolerated?

Mrs. Wu immediately threw a tantrum, cursing Ms. Lv and even threatened to divorce her.

But Ms. Lv wasn’t the least bit scared and directly said to Mrs. Wu: "Our household registration has already been moved to my mother’s village. If you don’t want to live with us anymore, then divorce me."

After this disaster, Ms. Lv saw things clearly; she had plotted with Village Chief Shang and directly moved her family’s household registration to her maternal village.

It just so happened that Lv Family Gully was also under Village Chief Shang’s jurisdiction and in just one day, arrangements were made with the village chief of Lv Family Gully, waiting only for the government office to open and issue a new household registration. Then Shang Shisan’s family would become people of Lv Family Gully.

Mrs. Wu was dumbfounded: "What are you saying? Our household’s registration has been moved to Lv Family Gully?"

How could everything change just within the three days she and Shisan were detained?

Village Chief Shang said: "Ms. Lv is correct. Your family’s registration has already been moved to Lv Family Gully. If you do not want to become vagrants, you will have to go with Ms. Lv and live in Lv Family Gully."

Ms. Lv wasn’t bad, and the Lv family people were even more timid. As long as Mrs. Wu and Shang Shisan did not bring death upon themselves, even if they were expelled from the clan, life in Lv Family Gully wouldn’t be too bad.

Mrs. Wu was crying uncontrollably, she had oppressed Ms. Lv her whole life, yet now in her old age, she was going to her daughter-in-law’s maternal village to live. Wouldn’t she have to listen to her daughter-in-law from now on and no longer be able to torment Ms. Lv?

But no matter how much Mrs. Wu cried, she had no choice but to follow Ms. Lv to Lv Family Gully.

Shang Shisan was a coward who only bullied the weak and feared the strong. Seeing Ms. Lv become ferocious, he was scared and didn’t dare to provoke Ms. Lv any longer, following her to Lv Family Gully.

...

After settling the issues of Shang Shisan’s family, Gu Jin’an, together with Gu Dexing and Qi Kangming, started to delve into their studies, preparing for the county examination in February.

He Jinseng was already a student and did not have to take the county examination again; he could take the Prefecture Examination directly. However, he was afraid he wouldn’t pass, so he studied hard with Gu Jin’an and the others, and the four of them didn’t even properly celebrate the Lantern Festival.

Gu Jinli’s house, because of Gu Jin’an’s rigorous studies, simply had a lavish dinner together on the Lantern Festival and then ate sweet dumplings, considering that their celebration.

Afterward, on the sixteenth of the first lunar month, Chang Errui and Qi Kangle’s official engagement day was set.