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

“Life is tough now, but we have to stick together as a family,” Gu Baijiang said, placing the book he had just copied in front of them and opening it. “Now everyone has to earn their own living. If anyone doesn’t work, our family won’t support idlers.”

Xu Yulan said, "Dad, are you kidding me? We can barely read any characters, how are we supposed to copy books?"

Gu Baijiang looked at her with disdain, "What are you dreaming about? You think you can do something like this?"

"You and your second brother aren't suited for copying books, but you both have so much energy. So go to the backyard and plant some crops. That'll also help temper your personalities."

That's really audacious! Making them copy books? Not only is it a waste of ink, paper, and inkstones, but it will probably also create new jokes.

"Why should we go farm? What about your sister-in-law?"

“Your sister-in-law is going to manage the entire mansion, and I’ve also found her some work. She’ll have to do some embroidery every day. If you have her skills, you can follow along.”

Xu Yulan pursed her lips and said, "Never mind, I'll still choose to farm."

She thought that marrying into the Gu family would wash away the smell of the soil on her body, but she never expected that she would still have to farm after all the twists and turns.

But what did my father-in-law mean by that? Is the family really in such dire straits right now?

Could someone really be that foolish? To let Gu Antong take all their money as part of her dowry?
The Gu family has more than just Gu Antong. Where does the old man put his two grandsons?

"Dad, is our family really in such dire straits?" In the past, Xu Yulan would never have dared to ask such a question.

"Isn't it obvious? Our family has always been poor. You must learn to be self-reliant from now on." His greatest hope now rests on his two grandsons.

It would be good if Gu Antong could have a son or daughter, but what he hoped for most was that his two grandsons would be successful.

He wants both of his children to try it out in the second half of this year, and the two boys are working very hard now, so they might actually be able to earn some recognition.

"Don't go out and cause trouble these days. The two children at home are about to take their scientific exams, so we can't let them have a bad influence."

When it comes to their children, Liu Yun and her sister-in-law, no matter how much dissatisfaction they had, could only suppress it at this moment. Yes, nothing is more important than their children's future.

For some reason, both of them were thinking of Bai Suihe at the same time. If they hadn't offended her so badly back then, would things be different today?
Bai Suihe was living quite well in Lingnan. Now the Bai family has moved there again. With such great wealth in hand, and with Madam Bai doting on her daughter, their lives must be incredibly extravagant.

They were so short-sighted before. They could have lived a life of wealth and luxury, but they squandered it all.

Although the two of them thought of it, neither of them mentioned it. Gu Kaiyuan was a taboo subject in this family. Anyone who mentioned him would be like starting a firestorm, and there would be no peace for the rest of the day.

Seeing that neither of them objected, Gu Baijiang finally felt a little relieved. It wasn't that they always disagreed; there were some who were more obedient.

Just as he was about to leave, Xu Yulan quickly called him back, "Father-in-law, there's something I'm not sure if I should say?"

Gu Baijiang: "Just say what you have to say."

She's clearly from a peasant family and barely knows any characters, yet she's acting all pedantic and pretentious. It's quite awkward.

“Aunt Xu has taken Miss Fan out quite a few times these days. She’s practically family now, and if she makes a fool of herself in public, it will affect our children…”

Liu Yun glanced sideways; Xu Yulan was quite bold today, not only openly complaining but also resorting to threats. "Let them do what they want," Gu Baijiang sneered. "As long as our family doesn't show up, who will recognize them?"

“But what if they do something immoral,” Xu Yulan had already started, and Liu Yun certainly wouldn’t let such an opportunity pass. “We can’t let them tarnish our child’s reputation, my poor Tong’er…”

"Alright, shut up. I'll keep them in check later." Gu Baijiang hadn't thought of this before. It seems he'll have to have a good talk with the steward later. It's better if the women of the inner quarters don't go out in the future.

After Gu Baijiang left, Liu Yun gave him a rare smile, "Second sister-in-law, I'll go and get busy now. Just let me know if you need anything."

Xu Yulan knew why her attitude had changed, but she didn't take it to heart.

Given Liu Yun's personality, she can turn against you anytime soon; she doesn't remember any favors at all.

She brought this up after hearing her father-in-law mention it, fearing that the mother and son might affect her son's reputation, since they were now considered one person, and were nominally her son's step-grandmother and step-aunt.

Xu Yulan turned and walked back. Liu Yun kept her mouth shut, so she definitely wouldn't be able to find out anything from here today. The servants in this courtyard were also infuriating; they treated them like air except when they were working.

☆

When Gu Baijiang returned to the study, he saw Gu Kaiping sitting there in a daze, so he coughed lightly and asked, "How is it? Have you figured it out yet?"

"Father, I still don't understand. If this gets out, it won't do us any good at all."

Even if An Tong were to rise to a high position in the future, she would still be burdened with a stain that she would never be able to shake off.

Our family's failure to pay off debts is actually the least significant thing.

To be in debt is a sign of ability. As far as he knew, many ministers had borrowed money from the national treasury, and it was said that they only borrowed and never paid it back.

My father used to avoid this for the sake of his reputation, but now that they have no money, with their current status, they can't even get close to the national treasury.

"What a blockhead," Gu Baijiang really had given up on this son. He used to break down and explain all the things that happened in the court to him, but after so many years, he still hadn't made any progress.

A person who lacks independent thinking and only knows how to memorize is nothing more than a relatively cultured but useless person.

"Your son is dull-witted, please enlighten me, Father."

As usual, Gu Kaiping looked at Gu Baijiang with a thirst for knowledge and an eager expression.

Gu Baijiang was amused and annoyed by his expression. What had happened before? How could he have thought his son was studious and ambitious?
They pretend to be very hardworking, but in reality, they're nothing special.

I've taught them before, and afterwards they act like they know it all, but when faced with similar situations, they still don't seem to know it.

“You’re over thirty, and I’ve been teaching you for over thirty years, yet you’re still so incredibly foolish.”

Gu Baijiang said angrily, "Don't give me that look. There's nothing shameful about asking questions if you don't understand. But if I teach you the same question five or ten times and you still don't understand, then there's something wrong with you."

Gu Baijiang pointed to his head as he spoke, wondering how he could have raised so many unfilial sons. (End of Chapter)