Chapter 413: Probing for Information
Gu Kaiping knew his brother well enough to realize that Gu Kaichen didn’t dare face their father alone and was waiting for him to share the brunt of his anger.
"Forget it. I just got back from outside. I’m going back to my room to freshen up first." Gu Kaiping already knew what this was about and saw no reason to endure a scolding he didn’t deserve. With that, he turned and left.
Gu Kaichen was left speechless.
After Xu Yulan freshened up and changed into a set of Liu Yun’s clothes, she began to stroll around the courtyard. This new Gu Family residence, of course, couldn’t compare to their previous home. Still, though compact, it had everything they could possibly need. Compared to their life in Lingnan, it was worlds apart. She thought, "Father and the eldest brother’s family are really something. They’ve been enjoying luxury here for so long without ever thinking of bringing us over."
Of course, she hadn’t forgotten about her son. The sheer desire to see him had been the sole belief keeping her going on the journey; otherwise, she would never have been able to walk all the way here on her own two feet.
"Liu Yun, where are Wei Er and the others?"
Liu Yun’s feelings were somewhat complicated upon hearing her mention her nephew. Gu Anwei’s academic performance was even more outstanding than Gu Anliang’s, and he would likely achieve good results in the upcoming imperial examination. However, she wasn’t foolish enough to sabotage him. With her husband’s future currently uncertain, the family’s hopes rested entirely on the younger generation. If her nephew achieved great things, it would be the glory and hope of the entire Gu Family. It was just that the idea of his brilliance overshadowing her own son always left a sour taste in her mouth.
"They’ve all gone to the academy and won’t be back until their days off. But I’d advise you not to disturb the children, Xu Yulan. It might affect their studies."
Hearing that her son was at the academy, the last trace of worry in Xu Yulan’s heart vanished. She had truly been afraid that the first branch would neglect him or show blatant favoritism, but it seemed she had overthought things. With this in mind, her tone softened significantly.
"I know. I won’t disturb them," she replied. She naturally knew what was most important. Anyway, she would be able to see him in a few days when he came back for his break. "What’s the deal with this courtyard? Why are there people from the Third Prince Mansion here?"
"That’s just how it is. Even this courtyard we’re living in right now belongs to the Third Prince. We’re only staying here temporarily." Liu Yun wasn’t about to tell her that before her daughter married into the mansion, the Third Prince had already gifted this courtyard to the first branch as a betrothal gift, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the second branch. She only phrased it this way to avoid unnecessary disputes.
"Doesn’t Father have a lot of Silver?" Xu Yulan asked, looking around and lowering her voice.
Liu Yun’s expression stiffened. If Xu Yulan found out that all their father-in-law’s Silver had been sent to the Third Prince Mansion as a dowry, who knew what kind of fuss she would kick up. This matter couldn’t be hidden for much longer anyway, but the truth certainly couldn’t come from her mouth. So, she laughed it off and said, "How could I possibly manage Father’s affairs? I’m quite curious myself. Why don’t you go ask him?"
"You don’t know either?" Xu Yulan asked.
Liu Yun shook her head. She truly didn’t know if Gu Baijiang had kept a backup plan or a hidden stash, but given his personality, he definitely wouldn’t tell a daughter-in-law like her anyway. It seemed she would have to properly ask her husband about it when he returned tonight.
Without Xu Huizhen around, Xu Yulan didn’t dare to be as arrogant as before. Now that they were back in the capital, it was Liu Yun running the household, so she spoke with a bit more caution. As a result, the atmosphere between the two remained fairly harmonious.
The two chatted casually until the kitchen prepared the meal. The other clansmen also returned after freshening up. After everyone finished eating, Gu Baijiang finally sat down with them to talk about their journey.
These people were quite bold, daring to set off from Lingnan to the capital with only a few taels of broken Silver. With such a meager amount of Silver, let alone hiring an escort agency, it wasn’t even enough to cover their meals. To save money, they had practically braved the elements and slept rough along the way. If it weren’t for the fact that Kai Chun could dig up some wild vegetables to supplement their meals, they probably would have been left dead halfway.
"You lot are quite bold," Gu Baijiang said coldly. "I told you beforehand that I would send someone to fetch you once we settled down. Why were you in such a rush?"
The several clansmen all looked at Gu Kaichen simultaneously. He was the one who had truly been in a rush. Having traveled together, it was inevitable that they talked about their past lives. Only then did everyone learn how audacious Gu Kaichen really was. Despite being completely penniless, he dared to rack up a debt of over a hundred taels of Silver at the gambling house. No wonder he had to flee overnight.
Seeing Gu Kaichen trembling as he hid behind the clansmen, Gu Baijiang showed no mercy. "Gu Kaichen, you tell me. What exactly is going on?"
Gu Kaichen forced a smile. "Father, I just saw that you all had been gone for so long, and I missed you..."
"Bastard! It’s already come to this, and you still dare to lie to me?" Since everyone sitting there already knew about the disaster Gu Kaichen had caused, Gu Baijiang exposed him directly. "Did you lose a lot of Silver?"
Gu Kaichen glared at Xu Shuanghong and her daughter, knowing immediately that they were the ones who had ratted him out. Xu Shuanghong raised an eyebrow provocatively. So what if she had told on him? It was all the truth.
"It wasn’t that much, just around a hundred taels," Gu Kaichen said, feeling like it was no big deal. Weren’t the hard times over now? His nonchalant attitude left everyone dumbfounded.
"What arrogance! Do you know what a hundred taels can do? It could feed our entire large family for half a year."
"Father, stop joking," Gu Kaichen said. "Does our family really lack this small amount now? Besides, we’ve all come back from Lingnan, and I’m not even asking you to pay off that debt, so stop your nagging."
Gu Baijiang stared at the son in front of him in sheer disbelief. In the past, he would never have dared to speak to him like this. Sure enough, the sketchy places frequented by unsavory characters were the easiest places to ruin a person. Just look at his second son—he had turned into a complete hooligan. Gu Baijiang felt an urge to pinch his philtrum to keep from passing out. "Since you think a hundred taels is nothing, then from now on, you will be responsible for the living expenses of your branch of the family..."
"No way! On what grounds?" Gu Kaichen had no desire to live with empty pockets. "I can’t even take out a single copper coin right now. How about you give me half the family inheritance first, Father?"
"Are you sure?" The expression on Gu Baijiang’s fierce face was rather strange. Even the clansmen noticed something was off, but Gu Kaichen just stood there grinning foolishly. He knew his father had stashed away some Silver. If his father took it out and gave him half, he could totally move somewhere else and live a carefree life, no longer having to listen to his father and older brother’s constant nagging.
"Husband, what are you saying?" Xu Yulan felt quite fortunate that she had probed Liu Yun for information earlier. This household was actually very poor right now, and she suspected their father hadn’t brought out that Silver yet. If they split the family now, they would suffer a massive loss. Thinking of this, she quickly grabbed Gu Kaichen and pinched him hard on the waist. Before he could lash out, she hurriedly interjected, "We traveled a long way just to fulfill our filial duties to Father. We definitely must stay together as a large family."
Gu Kaichen was initially furious. This damn woman pinched so hard! However, knowing her character, he realized she wouldn’t do something like this for no reason, so he decided to keep quiet for now.