The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 588 Scouting the Border

When Old Madam Gu got angry, even Madam Jia didn't dare to utter a sound.

The dining table at the old house was always controlled by Old Madam Gu. She pulled the meat to her side, transferred the best pieces of meat from her bowl to Gu Honglian and Old Master Gu's bowls, gave most of the remaining meat to Gu Youtian, and only took two chicken bones for herself.

Neither Jia nor Gu Ruinian got anything.

Those two heartless, rotten seeds, eat shit!
Gu Ruinian gritted his teeth.

This was his true predicament in the old house, a situation that was utterly dire for someone who had lived two lifetimes of glory.

Besides his situation at home, there was also Xu Xinghua who made him feel even more suffocated.

The reason why the marriage between him and Xu Xinghua has not yet been finalized is because Grandpa Gu is hesitant about whether or not to let him marry into the family.

He had to break the deadlock.

The key to breaking the deadlock was that he learned from Master Su that he would encounter extremely cold weather.

A few days ago, he went to Yanguan Town and found out that the Zheng family had a manor there. He went there and met one of the manor managers of the Zheng family.

The head of the farm happened to be delivering grain to the Zheng family. He asked the head of the farm to deliver a letter to the second young master of Zheng, saying that he hoped to meet with the second young master of Zheng and tell him about the major events that were about to happen, which he had learned about in the history books of later generations.

But as winter approached, Young Master Zheng still hadn't replied.

After winter set in, Tong Huaqiong became increasingly busy.

The cotton-padded clothes need to be sent to the border. Prefect Yao will definitely send people to transport them. Tong Huaqiong has no doubt about Prefect Yao's ability to get things done and that the cotton-padded clothes will be delivered to the border smoothly.

However, Tong Huaqiong felt that her family also needed a reliable person to accompany them.

Firstly, it demonstrates Tong Huaqiong's determination to contribute to the border region, and secondly, it allows her to explore the border market.

Of course, the latter is the most important. After all, war cannot go on forever, and the two countries will eventually need to trade with each other. She can take this opportunity to expand her business empire towards the border.

These past few days, Tong Huaqiong has been considering who should be sent to the border to scout ahead.

Of course, she herself really wanted to go.

However, with the border in turmoil, she didn't want to take any risks from a selfish standpoint, and secondly, her business in Ningcheng needed her to oversee it.

After some consideration, I decided that the Great Heat (a solar term) was suitable.

This son is a natural social butterfly, good at socializing and handling affairs. Moreover, he has already demonstrated his abilities in both the shops in the prefectural city and Jufulai in Pingchuan County.

In addition to Gu Dashu going to the border, He Chao and Su Chengmin will also go with him.

He Chao is Tong Huaqiong's head manager. By going with him, he can not only access business opportunities that others cannot see, but also keep Gu Dashu in check.

Needless to say, Su Chengmin is extremely familiar with the border, and his presence can guarantee the personal safety of He Chao and Gu Dashu.

After making her decision, Tong Huaqiong sent Su Chengmin to Pingchuan County to call Gu Dashu home.

Gu Baishuang also came with Gu Dashu.

Gu Baishuang's eyes reddened when she saw Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "Is it really necessary to have such strong feelings for her stepmother?"

"What's going on?"

Before Gu Baishuang could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face, and Gu Dashu's expression was also very unpleasant.

Tong Huaqiong thought the siblings had a fight.

"Great Heat, what's wrong?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Gu Dashu gritted his teeth and said, "That little brat Xiaofeng sneaked off to join the army. By the time we found out, he had already followed the troops and is probably already at the border."

Gu Baishuang started to sob.

Everyone knows there's going to be war on the border. Once Nie Xiaofeng gets there, he's definitely going to the battlefield.

Every man has passion and wants to achieve great things, but the key question is how many of them can actually achieve great things on the battlefield.

Tong Huaqiong was wondering why Nie Xiaofeng hadn't come to Qinghewan lately; it turned out he had gone with the group. Without a doubt, the group he went with was the same one Chunwang had joined.

However, Tong Huaqiong felt that Nie Xiaofeng was more suitable for enlistment than Chunwang. First, he was old enough; second, he was strong and used to wielding weapons; and third, he was quite intelligent, so he might make a name for himself if he went to the border with the troops.

Given Nie Xiaofeng's personality, even if he didn't go to the border this time, he would join the army sooner or later.

Of course, she couldn't say this to Gu Baishuang. What mother wouldn't love her son? Even though Nie Xiaofeng was now a general, if he were to suddenly go to the border to fight the enemy, Gu Baishuang would probably be so worried that she couldn't sleep at night.

“He’s been doing business with me in Pingchuan these past few days. I thought he had settled down and was even thinking of arranging a marriage for him next year. He agreed readily, but he secretly joined the army without telling me.”

Gu Baishuang wiped away her tears and started to get angry.

So all of her son's obedience to her these past few months was just an act, a way to lull her into a false sense of security.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Don't worry, he's already gone to the border. I think Xiaofeng is a lucky person, he'll definitely be safe and sound."

Gu Baishuang cried, "This is all we can do now. I don't even dare to think about how many enemies he can kill or how many military achievements he can make. I just hope he's safe."

Tong Huaqiong comforted Gu Baishuang and said, "To be honest, the order my weaving workshop received is for delivering cotton-padded clothes to the border. The reason I sent Dashu home this time is to have him go to the border to deliver the cotton-padded clothes. When we get to the border, he will inquire about Xiaofeng's situation and see if we can meet."

“Laifu will go too; he’s familiar with the border.”

Tong Huaqiong's gaze fell on Su Chengmin.

Su Chengmin avoided it.

Tong Huaqiong guessed that Nie Xiaofeng's trip to the border must have been informed by Su Chengmin.

The news that troops from Shengjing were being transferred to the border and stationed near Ningcheng was something no ordinary person could know in advance.

Unfortunately, Xiaolong found out and tricked Chunwang into going there.

Su Chengmin must have had his own channels to obtain this information.

However, Tong Huaqiong couldn't say anything bad about Su Chengmin, after all, no one could persuade Nie Xiaofeng's personality.

Gu Dashu learned that Tong Huaqiong had summoned him back to send him to the border.

He knew that fighting on the border was dangerous, but he wasn't afraid at all; on the contrary, he was eager to try.

He had long wanted to follow in the footsteps of the managers in the Lu family and travel far away to do business.

Tong Huaqiong could tell from his face that Gu Dashu had never personally experienced war and did not know how terrible war was. She would have to give him a good talking-to later.

Gu Dashu said, "Don't worry, big sister, I swear I will find Xiaofeng."

Gu Baishuang stopped crying and nodded.

Gu Baishuang knew that even if Gu Dashu really found Nie Xiaofeng, he couldn't bring him home, otherwise he would be considered a deserter and would be beheaded. But it would be good to see him at all.

Soon, the date that Tong Huaqiong and Prefect Yao had agreed upon for the delivery of the cotton-padded clothes arrived.

All the cotton-padded clothes were packed into sacks, and Prefect Yao sent a large cart to load them.

He Chao and Su Chengmin, along with Gu Dashu, set off with Prefect Yao's entourage.

Old Master Lu had traveled extensively and had seen much of the world, so he sent several people from the escort agency to accompany him.

"Mother, you said before that this year would be extremely cold, but it's already winter and there hasn't been a single snowfall. How can this be considered extremely cold?" Gu Dashu quietly asked Tong Huaqiong before setting off.

Tong Huaqiong kicked Gu Dashu and said, "Winter isn't over yet."

Tong Huaqiong looked up at the sky.

Although it's winter, the sun is shining brightly, and it doesn't feel cold at all.

Tong Huaqiong was also puzzled, wondering if her appearance had changed the course of the world, but she felt that she was not the male or female protagonist of this world, so how could she have the audacity to change the extreme cold weather?

Su Chengmin repeatedly instructed Xiaolong and asked Tong Huaqiong to take good care of him.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "So much time has passed, and Xiaolong hasn't encountered any trouble at the Gu family home in Qinghewan. There have been no assassins or poisonings. This is the protagonist's halo."