From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 310: Chapter 311: Deng Yuanhang’s Visit

Li Cuicui looked at Luo Gang, who was returning with Gu Dashishi this time. "On this trip back, find some time to go to Li Family Village. When you see my family, give them this letter and this Silver. If..."

Li Cuicui couldn’t bring herself to say the rest. After a long silence, she continued, "See if Second Master and his family are back in our hometown. If they are, bring them all here. Tell them their old mother will pay for their resettlement."

’I wonder if my second son, Gu Yuanmu, and his family fled back home?’ As their mother, her heart was always wracked with anxiety. She prayed they were in their hometown; it was the only way the family would have a chance to reunite.

Luo Gang tucked the letter and the Silver securely into his clothes. Although he was accompanying the old master back this time, he knew the man disliked him and probably wouldn’t let him serve him up close.

Sure enough, Gu Dashishi’s expression soured the moment he saw Luo Gang. "Why is he going? Get me someone else."

Li Cuicui said, "I’m having him go back to check on my family for me, not to serve you.

"You have your own hands and feet. Just travel with everyone else."

Gu Dashishi immediately refused. "I can just have someone ask about your family when the time comes. Why waste the extra Silver on that?

"Besides, I’m the grand old master of this family! How can I travel without a single person to attend to me? Your sons are so successful; would they really mistreat their own father?"

Gu Yuanjin smiled and called over his long-term follower. "Father, how about you take Laifuzi with you?"

Only then did Gu Dashishi realize he had no one at his own disposal. "These are all people you’re used to. Go buy me a new servant who will serve me exclusively from now on."

Gu Yuanshui looked troubled. "Father, where are we supposed to find someone for you on such short notice? Besides, a hastily hired person might not serve you well. If they end up upsetting you on the road, we’ll be too far away to help."

Gu Dashishi held back his temper and finally pointed at Luo Gang. "Fine, him then. Go pack my luggage for me."

Li Cuicui still found another servant to go along. Otherwise, if the old man really started making trouble, Luo Gang wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

Seeing the old master’s attitude just now, Gu Yuanjin also felt a little worried.

Considering that many households were sending people on this trip back, the brothers split up to give some final words of advice to those they were friendly with.

"You have to give me some travel money for the road!" Gu Dashishi was short on cash now and felt no confidence traveling like this.

Li Cuicui shot him a glare. "Don’t think I don’t know how much Silver you have on you. You’ve already taken twenty or thirty taels of Silver from me, one way or another. How could it all be gone?"

Gu Dashishi said, "When you’re traveling, it’s always good to have a little extra on hand."

"Twenty or thirty taels of Silver, and you’re still saying it’s not enough? Back when we fled the famine from our hometown all the way here, our whole family only had about ten taels of silver. Now you’re going back alone, and your sons have already paid for all your expenses. Asking for more is just too much." Li Cuicui didn’t expose his lies directly but used his own logic to shut him down.

Gu Dashishi was speechless.

Gu Yuanjin and his brothers exchanged glances, then each made an excuse and left.

’As for Gu Dashishi... heh, if he can squeeze more Silver out of Mother, that’s his own skill.’

* * *

The escort agency’s convoy was waiting at the village entrance early in the morning. Surprisingly, Deng Yuanhang and his wife had come to see them off.

Jin Qianqian curiously sized up Deng Yuanhang’s new wife.

Gu Wenheng had already rushed off to Shangjing some time after the wedding, so he had only sent a gift in advance.

As the legitimate daughter of a grain merchant from Dao City, Zhu Le’er had met many official’s wives with her mother. She just never expected that Jin Qianqian, who looked barely older than herself, was already an official’s wife and had even given birth to two legitimate sons.

"I was in a hurry to get to Shangjing and familiarize myself with the city back then, so I wasn’t able to attend your wedding with Senior Brother Deng. Please allow me to apologize to you, Senior Sister-in-law," Jin Qianqian said with a smile.

"I dare not accept such a title," Zhu Le’er said, quickly standing to perform a Fuli. "Madam may simply call me Mrs. Zhu."

Jin Qianqian paused for a moment, then laughed. "Oh, but you deserve it. Senior Brother Deng became a disciple before my husband, and the two of them have always been good friends. That won’t change because of external factors.

"There’s no need to be so formal with me. Let’s just treat each other as we normally would."

Looking at this unassuming Madam, Zhu Le’er’s anxious heart began to relax.

Although her husband had told her beforehand that the Champion Scholar’s Wife was easy to get along with, she had been skeptical. ’After all,’ she thought, ’every official’s wife I’ve met before has looked down on me, the daughter of a merchant.’

These thoughts lasted only an instant. Zhu Le’er quickly rallied her spirits and began chatting with Jin Qianqian.

With both women intending to befriend the other, they chatted about this and that, gradually growing more familiar.

Gu Wenheng saw the somewhat reserved Deng Yuanhang and thumped him on the shoulder. "Senior Brother, what’s all this? Did I do something wrong before to make you so distant with me?"

Deng Yuanhang grinned. "You’re the Champion Scholar now. I was just wondering if I can still claim you as a friend."

"Ha," Gu Wenheng scoffed. "You think too little of me. With our friendship, do you even need to ask?

"You came all this way with the escort agency—you’re not out on another escort mission, are you?"

Deng Yuanhang said, "This time, I really did come to trade on our friendship."

Gu Wenheng raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Ever since the news spread that you became the Champion Scholar, my father and mother have been full of regret at home.

"They say we were fellow disciples, but I got held back because I had to help them run the escort agency.

"In their words, if my Junior Brother is so brilliant, how could I, the Senior Brother, still be a mere Scholar?

"If I had taken the exams for scholar and Advanced Scholar with you back then, I might have even been appointed as an official by now."

At this, Deng Yuanhang gave a bitter smile. "I’ve tried to explain to them that my brain is no match for yours. Besides, I gave up on the last exam for scholar precisely because I wasn’t confident."

Gu Wenheng patted his shoulder sympathetically. "So they sent you here to pick my brain, hoping you’ll amaze everyone next time."

’Ever since I became the Champion Scholar, so many people have asked me if I had any secret tricks.’

Deng Yuanhang wasn’t the first, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. ’None of them are willing to believe what I tell them.’

Deng Yuanhang said, "I’ve wasted my breath trying to convince them, but they just don’t believe me.

"On top of that, Brother Liu also passed the imperial examination this time, which gives them the false impression that it’s easy to become an Advanced Scholar."

Gu Wenheng was truly powerless to help with that. "I can lend you my old books, though. They have some of my annotations in them. But you can’t lose them—I plan on keeping them as family heirlooms."