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

Gu Baijiang looked exhausted. He was also very dissatisfied with the courtyard, but he had no other ideas now and would just take it one step at a time.

"Stop fooling around, everyone. Pick a room and rest. I'll see if we can buy a courtyard tomorrow."

He didn't feel comfortable living in this dilapidated courtyard. Now that he had some money on hand, rather than waiting for his two unfilial sons to make a move, he might as well buy a house sooner rather than later.

Gu Kaiping showed no joy at buying property when he heard this. Instead, he seemed troubled. "Father, it's probably not that easy to buy a house here. Everyone is holding onto their properties in Lingnan. There's no way to get started."

"How is this possible?" Gu Kaichen was locked in the backyard every day, so of course he didn't know how the situation outside had changed, let alone in Lingnan.

Seeing him ask such a stupid question, Gu Kaiping gave him a disdainful look and said before he could get angry, "You have all seen the changes in Lingnan. Now many aristocratic families and merchants are coming here to hoard land and shops. Ordinary people don't even dare to compete with them."

This means that a large portion of the land has been acquired by these people; some are rented out, but it's unlikely anyone can buy it.

Even so, he worked very hard to rent this small courtyard, and now he's so disgusted with it. I hope they can be just as stubborn tomorrow.

When they entered the house, they found it empty and bare. How were they supposed to live there?

Gu Kaiping was a little embarrassed. "I thought you wouldn't be here so soon. I was thinking of buying some furniture and food tomorrow. How about we make do tonight?"

It's getting late, and even if we go to buy them now, it'll probably be difficult to get everything we need, so it's better not to bother.

Gu Baijiang glanced at Gu Kaiping, took a deep breath, and then said, "Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, make do for now, go unload the luggage from the carriages, and find yourselves a place to settle down."

Anyway, they brought their blankets with them, so it wouldn't be a problem to make do with them on the floor for one night. It was much better than when they last went to Lingnan.

Accommodation can be arranged, but what about food?

The kitchen was empty, with only a stove. Not to mention an iron pot, there wasn't even a bowl or a piece of firewood.

Gu Kaiping touched his nose. "I'll definitely find a way tomorrow."

The group was too tired to complain anymore. They figured it was pointless to say anything now, so they decided to save their energy and go back to rest.

Seeing that they were about to return to their rooms, Gu Anliang pointed to the carriage outside and asked, "What about the horse? It won't do without feeding it some hay."

Gu Kaichen said, "Just tie them up somewhere with grass and let them eat on their own. Besides, they're just livestock, so it doesn't matter if they're a little hungry."

Gu Anliang walked over and touched the head of one of the horses. It was a tall, magnificent horse that he had bought at a high price. It had suffered a lot on the way here and was now thin from hunger.

“Brother,” Gu Anwei didn’t follow them into the house, “let’s get them some water to drink first. They must be thirsty and hungry.”

Seeing the two boys bustling around, Gu Baijiang, feeling sorry for his grandson, stopped them, saying, "You two stop working. Tomorrow we'll drive these carriages to the city to sell them. Go and rest. We can talk about it tomorrow."

The two children were reluctant to part, but they also knew that they were no longer in control of the household.

Everyone else in the Gu family knew that given their current situation, they simply couldn't afford to raise several horses; it would be more practical to raise a cow.

Fearing she would have to serve that old geezer again, Xu Shuanghong simply took her two daughters, chose a room, and slammed the door shut.

Seeing her attitude, Gu Kaiping was stunned. What was she up to now?
They were so desperate to get into the Gu family before, but now they dare to treat them like dirt.

Gu Baijiang didn't care; he could make a scene if he wanted, but leaving was out of the question.

Everything else was fine, but it was time for his two adopted daughters to play their part. Nothing more was said that night, and the next morning, the entire Gu family began their busy preparations.

I haven't had a chance to put my feet on the ground all day. Forget about buying a house, I haven't even found a suitable place to rent.

They were either too small or too big, or too expensive. After much deliberation, they returned to the small courtyard that Gu Kaiping had rented.

I bought some furniture and some vegetables and grains from a nearby shop. The first day passed peacefully.

Only then did Gu Baijiang have time to ask Gu Kaiping about his life here.

"Lord He was quite kind to me at first, but his attitude has been very strange these past few days. He's been assigning me more tasks than before, and no matter how well I do, he's still somewhat dissatisfied."

"You can't even see that?" Gu Baijiang said with exasperation. "This is probably a letter from the Third Prince, a warning to us."

"By the way, Father, I haven't asked you yet. Why did you come all of a sudden? Has something happened in the capital?"

Gu Baijiang recounted his experiences in the capital during this period, leaving Gu Kaiping in a daze. Only then did he remember his wife.

Liu Yun lay down as soon as she arrived yesterday and hasn't gotten up yet today.

"What's wrong with your mother?" Gu Kaiping asked Gu Anliang.

Gu Anliang was somewhat angry. This was the father he had always admired. His mother was ill, and only now did the father, who was his wife, remember her.

"My mother is not feeling well; she feels weak all over..."

Hearing his son's dissatisfaction in his tone, Gu Kaiping didn't take it to heart. "Why are you so delicate?"

Have you called a doctor?

"Yes, the doctor said Mother's illness is caused by her heart. I know Mother is worried about Eldest Sister. Father, could you please speak to Prince Ning and ask him to let Eldest Sister come back? Otherwise, she will lose her life..."

"What a troublemaker," Gu Kaiping said, covering his mouth with his hand. "This is not something you can just say carelessly. Your sister married into the Ning Prince's mansion, and now her comings and goings are all decided by the Ning Prince."

We are powerless to help your eldest sister in this situation. If you want to protect her, then study hard and pass the imperial examinations as soon as possible to become her support.

Gu Anliang said, "But I'm afraid my eldest sister won't live to see that day."

These were very ominous words, but Gu Anliang still shouted them out with his eyes closed, "The royal family will not allow such a tragedy to occur..."

Gu Kaiping really wanted to sew his son's mouth shut, but since he only had this one precious son, he could only coax him gently, "Don't worry, as long as you work hard, one day you will be able to support your older sister."

Leaving the two children behind was also to let them know the current situation at home, so it's necessary to explain things clearly.

"With our family's current capabilities, we can't even get into the Prince Ning's mansion anymore. That's why your grandfather led you all the way here."

Our family is already on the verge of collapse, and we have to be extra careful with every step we take. Don't say such outrageous things in public anymore.

"Once I'm done with these next couple of days, I'll find you a good academy. You two brothers are the future of our entire Gu family..." (End of Chapter)