Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Chapter 272. Buying the Mountain
Bai Suihe did not go to the city that day and was unaware that almost everyone in the village, except for the original inhabitants, had left.

After traveling for so long and enduring so much hardship, of course I want to go into the city to improve my life and buy some necessities.

The entire Gu family came out, and everyone had a smile on their face. They were finally able to go into the city and eat at a restaurant.

But when they entered the county town and saw that the small restaurants were already full, they were dumbfounded.

This so-called restaurant only had five or six tables and not even a private room.

"You're late," Zhou Gang's family greeted them with a smile as they managed to snag the last table. "It's a pity this table is too small, otherwise our two families could share one."

"Lord Gu, why don't you eat some with us first? After we're done, it'll be your turn."

He then boldly summoned the waiter, saying, "Bring over your finest wine."

The waiters knew exactly who had come to this small county town. They knew that these were wealthy families who had fallen on hard times and were not short of money. Anyone exiled here would spend lavishly, and once they had squandered their money, they would behave themselves. But these people were generous, and now they were all their ancestors. They immediately agreed and delivered their best wine as quickly as possible.

"Sir, this is our best Shaoxing wine. Please enjoy it."

Zhou Gang shook the wine pot. "How about it? Will Lord Gu do me the honor?"

Although Gu Baijiang was a little tempted, he knew that Zhou Gang had ill intentions. "I won't disturb your family's enjoyment. We'll come back later."

After saying that, he immediately turned around without any hesitation and left with his people, saying, "Let's go buy something first."

Just as the family was about to enter the grain store, they saw Gu Kaiyuan enter a small courtyard not far ahead, and Lin Hua walked to the back and closed the door.

"Father?" Gu Kaiping asked, "Should I go knock on the door?"

"Don't worry about him, he's all grown up now," Gu Baijiang said with disdain. Gu Kaiyuan was really short-sighted, thinking that he could live a life of wealth and luxury by attaching himself to the Bai family. He didn't know that people were divided into social classes, and a merchant was not someone that could be easily manipulated.

He would definitely settle accounts with the Bai family for their various actions these days. When that happened, Gu Kaiyuan, who relied on the Bai family for a living, would truly face hardship.

Even if he regrets it later, the Gu family's doors will be forever closed to him.

"Go in and buy more grain. Second brother, go and find out if anyone knows how to repair houses. We need to get our houses repaired as soon as possible, otherwise we'll all suffer if we encounter rainy weather again."

Gu Kaichen, "...Where are we going to find someone to repair this house?"

"Why don't you just ask? What's the point of having a long beak?" Gu Baijiang said irritably. "Who did the house repairs before?"

“These are all the third brother’s business,” Gu Kaichen muttered. “Didn’t you and Mother say that as long as my eldest brother and I focus on our studies, we don’t need to worry about trivial matters?”

“You’ll have to take on these things from now on,” Gu Baijiang said, refusing to believe that Gu Kaiyuan could do what Gu Kaichen, a mere student, couldn’t.

"You're getting on in years, and with all the neglect of your studies lately, it's probably going to be hard for you to pass the imperial examination. From now on, you'll help your older brother and take good care of the household affairs."

"Why should I?" Gu Kaichen felt it was very unfair. "My elder brother and I are blood brothers, not his half-slave. I think I can still give it a try. What if I pass the exam..." "Our family hasn't been exonerated yet. Where are you going to take the exam?"
Go find someone to build the house first, then see where you can buy furniture. You'll need to buy a lot of things for the house, so don't cause any more trouble here.

After Gu Baijiang finished speaking, he led his men into the grain store. Gu Kaichen stayed behind, jumping up and down in anger. It seemed that he was being asked to replace Gu Kaiyuan in his previous job.

Now he regrets it a bit. If he brings Gu Kaiyuan back, will someone else be able to handle all the household chores in the future?
Staring at the house ahead, just about to move forward, Gu Kaiping, who had seen this scene, stopped him, "Second brother, I advise you not to disobey Father. We're about to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Why did you call the third brother back at this time?"

Gu Kaichen: "...Who said I went to call Lao San? I went to the front to ask about something."

Gu Kaiping ignored him and followed him into the grain store.

The price of grain here is not bad, about the same as in the capital, and much cheaper than at the post stations. Today they came in an oxcart, so of course they have to buy more.

Gu Kaichen stood outside the courtyard where Gu Kaiyuan had entered, and waited for a while, but heard no movement from inside, before leaving.

Little did he know that Gu Kaiyuan had been aware of his actions all along, but simply ignored them.

Lin Wei, who had gotten up early to run errands, was a little anxious. While they were living a comfortable life in the county town, the young master and young mistress were still suffering. "Young master, we've already found people to build the house and bought the grain. Shall we go to Tian Village now?"

"Let Zhuang Datou take the people back first, and while you're at it, go find someone to buy the building materials as well."

"Everything has been bought," Lin Wei said. He had been busy with these things ever since he settled in yesterday, not only buying manpower but also purchasing all the necessary supplies.

"Not bad," Gu Kaiyuan praised, then turned to look at Yunni and the others, "I'm afraid you'll have to work hard for a while longer."

"This is what we should do. We should have gone to the village with you yesterday. We didn't sleep well at all last night." Yunni had already stood up. Gu Kaiyuan was generous yesterday and let them rest in the city for one night and have a good rest.

However, their main task was to protect Gu Kaiyuan and Bai Suihe. If something went wrong that night, they would be out of a job in this line of work.

Fortunately, the night passed peacefully, and they can now set off for Tamura, which puts their minds at ease.

After explaining everything, as for the goods brought by the two escort agencies, pick out some that are useful now and take them back, and leave the rest in this courtyard.

Next, we'll learn about this county. It's called Zhang County, and it's a newly established county. Only 20% of the inhabitants are native residents; the rest are exiled people.

Besides some family members of corrupt officials, there are also some criminals, so the population is quite chaotic. I heard there are many disputes here, and the county magistrate has to work from morning till night every day to resolve these cases.

This area is mostly mountainous, and villages have long existed in the relatively flat areas. However, each village is far apart, and probably no one except the county officials would know exactly how many villages there are.

“You two come with me to the county government office,” Gu Kaiyuan said, pointing to Lin Wei and Lin Hua. “I’m going to buy a few mountain peaks.”

Lin Hua said, "Young Master, what's worth buying in these mountains? Why not buy a manor instead?"

(End of this chapter)