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

Chapter 287. Foolishness
"Alright," Gu Baijiang couldn't let him continue. If someone overheard this, the situation he had worked so hard to stabilize would be ruined.

"They are your elders no matter what, so be respectful when you meet them on the street in the future."

I was thinking of having the brothers visit each other more often when they had free time, but when I thought about the second brother's big mouth and the eldest brother's dull-witted appearance, I decided against it in the end.

If Gu Kaiyuan were still willing to share the burden of the family, they wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

Looking back now, I realize that Gu Kaiyuan had many good qualities. How could I have overlooked them back then?

"Then, Dad, how much did you give this time?" Gu Kaichen's eyes darted around, trying to find out more.

Upon hearing the word "silver," Gu Kaiping's ears perked up.

"I've given you another two hundred taels of silver. I'm out of money now, so you should use what you have sparingly," Gu Baijiang said helplessly.

"Why should we?" Gu Kaichen immediately shouted. "This is never going to end! They come to us whenever they're short of money, treating us like suckers."

"Shut up," Gu Baijiang snapped, "Do you want our branch to become a clan?"

"Let them leave the clan. They can't help us at all; they're just a burden..."

Gu Baijiang slapped him across the face, and Gu Kaichen stared at Gu Baijiang in disbelief, "Dad, you hit me..."

"You've wasted all your education. You don't respect your ancestors or relatives. Do you even care about your children and grandchildren's future?"

There was no hope for this son, but he still had to think about his descendants.

“Second brother, Father is right. We can’t break ties with our clan. None of our children are in the family genealogy. If outsiders find out, our descendants for three generations will have no hope of getting an official position.”

Although he was also heartbroken about the two hundred taels of silver he had given away, Gu Kaiping was more rational. If what his second son said was true, it would become a guillotine hanging over their Gu family.

I couldn't help but feel a little resentful. My parents are really something. In order to prevent the clansmen from taking advantage of us, they have unilaterally cut off contact with the family over the years. They haven't even included some of their children in the family genealogy. That's why there are so many troubles now.

At this moment, he forgot that when he passed the imperial examination, he also chose not to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors.

If those people in the imperial court knew about these things, especially if an imperial censor like Zhou Gang got the news, his family would have been severely punished, and his father would have lost his official position much earlier.

Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out on my back. I was somewhat relieved that these clansmen hadn't made a scene or spread rumors about their family's behavior over the years, otherwise they would have been caught red-handed long ago.

Looking back now, it's only right that people who were implicated by them seek compensation from them.

For the sake of his future career, he couldn't let Gu Kaichen, this useless teammate, hold him back. His voice was stern as he said, "If you want your son and nephew to stay here for the rest of their lives, then shout it from the rooftops."

Gu Kaichen's voice lowered, "...I was just thinking that it's not a solution for them to keep asking for money like this."

Gu Baijiang said, "Alright, the most important thing for you now is to shut your mouth. If you dare to cause trouble for the family, don't blame me for kicking you out of the house."

After saying that, he ignored his two sons and turned to walk towards the village entrance.

"Father, where are you going?"

Gu Kaiping grabbed his simple-minded second brother, "Don't meddle in Dad's affairs. Think carefully about what to do next."

“What can I do? This damn place is so bad that it’s hard to even get an egg. Brother, is there any meat left to eat today?” Gu Kaiping didn’t even want to talk to him. “If you want meat, figure it out yourself. But the village chief said yesterday that we need to clear the wasteland as soon as possible. The yamen runners will come to inspect it in a few days.”

"Clearing land?" Gu Kaichen shook his head repeatedly in fright. "I can't do that kind of work. Why don't we hire someone to do it, like Lao San does?"

"Then you provide the money," Gu Kaiping also thought it wasn't impossible, "The problem is, can you find someone right now?"

All the able-bodied men in the village are now working enthusiastically under Gu Kaiyuan's guidance. I heard that he earns ten copper coins a day and provides meals, which are said to be quite good, with a meat dish every day.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but purse his lips. Although he had bought some meat in the county town before, it was gone in two days with so many people in his family.

“Let’s go to the city and find someone to come over,” Gu Kaichen said, refusing to believe that there was nothing that money couldn’t solve.

"We need to find people to come over, and we also need to provide them with food and lodging. Where should we arrange for them to stay?" It's still drizzling, and the wind is bone-chillingly cold. It's uncomfortable to stay at home on a day like this, let alone have them working in the fields.

We need to find a place for them to shelter from the wind and rain. Right now, their whole family is crammed into a few small, dilapidated rooms, and there's not enough room for even one more person.

"That Gu Kaiyuan is a complete scoundrel. Why did he call all the able-bodied men in the village over there?"

"Brother, why don't we go talk to him and ask him to get a few people to help us with the work?"

Gu Kaiping is no longer so naive. He really can't be ordered around by Gu Kaiyuan. "If you want to go, you go. I'm not going to make a fool of myself."

There's another important matter. Madam Xu keeps urging Father to give her a proper name, and I've noticed Father is wavering these past few days. Do you really want us to have another stepmother like that?

"Of course I don't want to," that woman is really amazing. She's only been here a short time, but she's already made my father, who was originally somewhat ashamed because of his disfigurement, ignore the scars on his face and stop him from hiding in the corner.

If they whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears again, or if they have another son, then the two brothers will be the ones who suffer.

"Then find a way to stop it. Don't be unable to distinguish between primary and secondary matters. And your concubine is not a peaceful person either. Several times I have seen her looking at my sister-in-law and nephew with a sinister gaze."

"No way..."

"Anyway, I've already reminded you. Whether you pay attention or not is your problem. You don't care what happens to Xu Yulan, but An Wei is your legitimate son..."

That foolish second son should stay at home and entangle himself with those two women, lest he ruin his and his father's grand plan.

As they approached home, Gu Kaiping saw his son leading the ox back and quickly went over to take it from him.

"Big brother, you still haven't told me where Dad went?"

Gu Kaiping turned a deaf ear. This guy is simply an idiot. How could his mother have ever thought he was capable of studying?
Where is Dad going at this time? Isn't it obvious?
His pockets are empty now, so of course he has to find money, otherwise how can such a large family survive on nothing?

☆

Gu Kaiyuan was on his way to the city to bring back some winter supplies when he unexpectedly ran into Gu Baijiang and Ming Peifeng again.

It's only been a few days, but Ming Peifeng seems to have lost a lot of weight. Could it be that he can't stand the weather here and is suffering from acclimatization problems?

He immediately remembered what happened that day. It seemed that the magistrate was quite capable, allowing Ming Peifeng to enjoy a few days in prison.

(End of this chapter)