Chapter 173: Strangled in the Cradle
Gu Fei’s hands trembled as she read the list. These gifts were so extravagant, and she had only given them two small bottles of Wuliangye liquor in return. ’Should I run after Zhang Ze and give him the whole case? Would that even be enough?’
The deer was still alive, lying on the ground with its four hooves bound, its eyes glistening with moisture.
Little Cao squatted beside the deer, tilting her head and watching it with curiosity. She wanted to reach out and touch it but didn’t dare.
Gu Zhang’s expression was grave. ’What on earth is Young Master Su trying to do?’
They had only traveled together for a short while. Was it really necessary to send such an extravagant New Year’s gift?
His family was just a household of ordinary farmers. Besides Little Fei, was there anything about them that made them worth his notice?
Could he be doing all this for Little Fei?
After all, Young Master Su had seen it all on their journey—Little Fei killing wolves and mountain bandits.
Gu Zhang sighed. ’Oh, well. I’ll stop thinking about it. If it’s a blessing, it’s not a disaster; if it’s a disaster, there’s no escaping it.’
In time, Young Master Su’s intentions would surely become clear.
Mrs. Chen looked at all the things covering the floor. "Good heavens, these wealthy families are really something else! Sending so many things for a New Year’s gift... This must have cost a fortune in silver!"
She was happy one moment and worried the next. ’What are we going to do with all this?’
’We can’t possibly eat all this!’
Gu Zhang said in a low voice, "The New Year is almost here anyway. We can take the cured chicken, duck, and fish and give a portion to each of the other households."
"For Liu Zhuangtou, we’ll cut the roe deer in half and send that over along with some cured chicken and duck."
Just as he was speaking, there was a knock at the door, followed by Ms. Qian’s voice. "Gu the Second! Sister-in-law! Open up!"
Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes.
Gu Zhang frowned. "Don’t just stand there, everyone. Let’s get these things into the kitchen first."
"You got it," Gu Sanlang said, hoisting the deer and walking off. Little Cao scurried after him on her short little legs.
Ms. Qian kept shouting from outside, but everyone in the courtyard was busy bustling about, moving the items.
Only after everything had been moved did Li Chunhua go and open the door for Ms. Qian.
Seeing the whole family standing in the courtyard staring at her, Ms. Qian let out a dry laugh. "I heard Young Master Su brought New Year’s gifts for everyone. How come I don’t see anything? What all did he bring?"
Mrs. Chen sneered. "Everyone? Who do you mean by ’everyone’?"
"Brother Zhang made it perfectly clear they were for our family."
"Whatever he sent is none of your business!"
Ms. Qian’s cheek twitched. "It may not be my business, but Mother is living with us. With the New Year right around the corner, shouldn’t you give her some of these fine things to show your respect?"
Gu Zhang had no desire to bicker with a woman like her, so he just snorted and walked away.
Mrs. Chen started pushing Ms. Qian toward the gate. "What our family gives to Mother is none of your concern. Now go, go! We have to start cooking and don’t have time to stand around gabbing with you."
Ms. Qian was shoved out the gate, and the two doors were promptly shut behind her.
Ms. Qian was so furious she almost fell over backward.
She went back, found the old matriarch, and began to wail, "Gu the Second’s family has lost all sense of decency! People gave them so many gifts, and I only asked what they planned to give Mother to show their respect, and they threw me out!"
"Mother, they’re trying to keep it all for themselves! They have absolutely no respect for you!"
The old matriarch’s chest heaved with rage. "I—I’m going to find Gu the Second! I’ll beat that ungrateful son who has no respect for his own mother!" Just then, Eldest Aunt stepped through the doorway. She looked at Ms. Qian and sneered, "The moment I saw you run in here, I knew you were going to stir Mother up and cause trouble again."
"You’re such a petty, grasping fool. All you think about from dawn to dusk is how to take advantage of others. You’re so greedy, if a manure collector walked by, you’d wish you could stick a finger in just to get a little something."
Ms. Qian spun around and pointed at Eldest Aunt. "You—you—"
Eldest Aunt snorted and turned to the old matriarch. "Mother, stop letting this good-for-nothing troublemaker stir you up. If you turn Gu the Second’s heart cold, do you really think you’ll have any good days ahead of you?"
"I don’t mean to lecture you, but if you had just kept quiet from the start—if you hadn’t meddled in Gu the Second’s family affairs, hadn’t cursed his wife, and hadn’t cursed Little Fei—you’d be living in their house enjoying a comfortable life right now, guaranteed."
"But even after all this, you still don’t get it. You just have to keep making a scene!"