Chapter 270 I won’t come back until I send you down

"I'm asking you! Is it Wei who's back? Is Qing afraid of the forty lashes, so she sneaked away to find Wei?!"

Old Master Gu's tone was aggressive, as if he had already concluded that Gu Qing had indeed gone to find Wei.

Gu Lianshan thought he was being unreasonable. Gu Qing had no idea that Wei had returned, so where could she find her?

"My family and your son's family have never had any contact with each other! Don't ask me, I know nothing. If someone is missing, go find them. What's the point of you coming to me?"

"Looking for someone? That's easy!" Old Master Gu was furious. "It's snowing heavily, your mother and I are both sick, and your eldest brother is a scholar, his body is too precious to be cold. Lian Yatou and Tianbao are also missing. Looking for someone? Who should we ask to look for them?"

Gu Lianshan's heart sank when he heard this. "That's what you said when Wei disappeared. Now that Qing is gone, you're still saying it. I can't ask you about this. You figure it out on your own!"

Gu Lianshan didn't want to see him again, so he pried his hands off the door panel, determined to lock him out.

Old Master Gu was anxious and had to take a step back: "I don't want you to go out and look for it either. Please help me find a few people in the village to search around here. If they find it, it's fine. If not, then don't look for it anymore..."

"You only think about Qing girl. Why don't you look for Lian girl and Tianbao?" Gu Lianshan was puzzled. When did that dead girl Gu Qing become so important to him?

"Tianbao and Lian were both with you before. If anything happens, I will only settle the score with you!"

Old Master Gu was extremely shameless. After saying this, he started urging Gu Lianshan to go find someone.

"Hurry up and find someone! There's no one at home to take care of your mother, so it's all up to Qing girl to take care of her! If you can't find anyone, you'll have to ask your daughter to come home and take care of her!"

Gu Lianshan said with annoyance: "Everyone in this household is staying at home. If you want to find someone to look for Qing girl, just ask Gu Liansheng to go find someone. He is a scholar and has more face than me. I can't interfere in this matter!"

"Is hiring someone to find someone free? Either they provide a good meal, or they pay copper coins afterwards. Which one doesn't cost money?

Besides, your elder brother is a scholar, and scholars are most averse to owing favors to others. Your elder brother cannot intervene in this matter!"

Gu Lianshan was so angry that he laughed!

It turns out that the old man also knows that finding someone is not in vain, and it requires favors and money!

"I don't give a damn about what you said! Go back and tell that bastard Gu Liansheng to take a good look at the adoption documents!

After decades of studying, if you don't even understand what a letter of adoption means, I think you should not take the imperial examination next year. It's a waste of food!"

After saying this with a sneer, Gu Lianshan closed the gate.

He couldn't face the old man calmly at the moment, he was afraid that he would not be able to help but curse!

Looking at the tightly closed door, Mr. Gu's face turned ashen, he was shaking with anger, and his chest began to ache again.

He clenched his right hand into a fist and smashed it fiercely against the door again!

"Second brother! Open the door! If you don't go find Qing girl, then let your daughter go home and serve you..."

The third uncle in the courtyard frowned, Gu Lianshan's face was even darker, but Gu Tang's eyes were shining, and his eyes were full of eagerness to try.

She leaned close to the door and shouted outside, "You want me to come over and serve you? Sure! But we have to make an agreement in advance! If I go to your place, I won't leave easily!"

As the saying goes, it's easy to invite a deity, but hard to send it away. If I go there, I won't leave until I send you all off! You better think about it!"

Mr. Gu outside the door immediately quieted down, and his heavy breathing could be heard through the door. It was obvious that he was very angry.

Gu Tang waited for a while, and finally, Old Master Gu spoke: "Who needs a black-hearted person like you to serve? Where are your elder brother and elder sister? Let them come back and live with you! From now on, let them serve the whole family! So that they won't be an eyesore to you!"

Hearing this, Gu Tang subconsciously looked at her father and asked in a low voice: "Don't you know about the big brother and big sister over there?"

Gu Lianshan shook his head with a dark face. He couldn't bring himself to speak about the matter of his eldest daughter. The clan leaders and elders knew that the eldest son had been sent away, and people in the village were also talking about it. He thought the old man knew about it, but he didn't expect that he didn't know.

Seeing that her father didn't say anything, Gu Tang understood. She opened the gate and looked at Old Man Gu with a smile.

"Grandpa! My elder brother and sister aren't home, so I'll go take care of them! Come on, let's go back quickly. If you two can make it until spring, I'll write the name 'Gu Tang' backwards!"

Mr. Gu's hair stood on end!

He shook off Gu Tang's hand and said, "You don't need to serve me! Where are your elder brother and elder sister? When they come back, let them come back and live with me!"

"My elder brother and sister have gone to visit relatives. They probably won't be back until the end of the twelfth lunar month. I'm afraid you won't be able to wait there. It's better for me to take care of them!"

Gu Tang smiled with his lips but not his eyes, grinning at Old Man Gu.

In Mr. Gu's eyes, she looked like a devil!

"Get lost! I don't want you to serve me!"

After saying this, Mr. Gu wanted to leave.

Want to leave?

Bah! It's not that easy!

What do you think of their family? Just come and make trouble when things don't go your way?

Gu Tang sneered and spat, then grabbed the person and said, "Just now I told you to leave but you refused. Now you want to leave? Bah! Don't even think about it!

If you don't take me back today, I'll go to the mountains and catch some live mice and bring them all to your place! Your house will be full of mice!"

"Little beast!" An image of a room full of rats instantly popped up in Mr. Gu's mind. His scalp went numb and his face turned pale. He shook his arms, trying to shake off Gu Tang's hand.

Gu Tang held onto his clothes tightly, betting that he wouldn't dare to struggle too hard, for fear of damaging the decent clothes.

While the grandfather and grandson were arguing, the door of the house diagonally opposite suddenly opened and a woman came out.

The family had no courtyard wall, only a waist-high fence, so as soon as they opened the door of their main hall, they could see the people over here.

"Lianshan girl! What are you doing?"

The woman was so curious that she walked to her own fence and took a closer look.

The closer she looked, the more she recognized Old Man Gu. "Hey! Isn't this Master Tongsheng's father? Why are you here?"

Gu Tang was amused by this name, and before Mr. Gu could speak, he directly exposed his face.

"My eldest cousin ran away, and my second uncle said there was no one at home to take care of my mistress, so he came to call me back to serve her."

"Qing girl ran away?!" The woman was surprised. "Have you told the clan leader? Qing girl still hasn't received her whipping! According to clan rules, she will be expelled from the clan!"

"My grandfather won't let me tell you, dear aunt, please keep it quiet for now. I'll have my father talk to the clan leader about this later..."

"What nonsense are you talking about, you little beast?!" Mr. Gu, who was splashed with dirty water, immediately became furious.

"When did I ever say you can't tell? You want to tell the clan leader, then go ahead! You're a traitor!"

Gu Tang was not angry after being scolded, but looked at Grandpa Gu with a sigh.

This is such a pig-like opponent!

After hearing this, the woman couldn't help but say something fair: "Master Tongsheng's father, Lianshan's family has adopted him. He is now your nephew, not your son.

The same goes for this girl Tang. She is your great-niece, not your granddaughter. It is neither moral nor logical to ask your great-niece to serve Master Tongsheng's mother.

Where is your daughter Gu Zhier? Let her come and serve you for a few days. I remember that Master Tongsheng has already arranged a marriage, so don't wait any longer and marry your daughter-in-law to your family and let her serve you."

After saying this, the woman turned and went back into the house.

It's too cold outside and she's wearing only thin clothes. She can't stand the cold outside!

Old Master Gu was so angry that he couldn't speak, and his face looked a little strange. Seeing this, Gu Tang immediately let go.

"If you have something to say, speak up! Don't blackmail me for no reason!"

Old Master Gu also realized that he was about to have a seizure and began to panic.

He switched the crutch to his left hand, reached into his arms with his trembling right hand, took out a bamboo tube as thick as a finger, poured out a pill from it, then put it into his mouth and swallowed it.

Seeing this scene, the third uncle finally spoke up, called Gu Tang back, and asked Gu Lianshan to send the old man back.

We can't let anything happen at their doorstep, otherwise we won't be able to explain it even if we have eight mouths to speak of.

Gu Lianshan did not refuse. He walked to the old man and asked him if he wanted to be supported and walked by himself.

After taking the medicine, Mr. Gu has recovered, but he is still angry.

I originally wanted to say no out of spite, but then I thought this was an opportunity to ease the relationship with my son.

After a moment of silence, he softened his tone and said, "My legs are a little weak..."

Understood.

Gu Lianshan reached out and held his arm, helping him walk home.

No one has cleared the snow on the village road yet. Once you step on it, you will sink into it instantly. The snow is so thick that it reaches your calves, making it very difficult to walk.

Even this couldn't stop the old man from coming to find him, and Gu Lianshan also admired him!

"Second brother." Old Master Gu was a little impatient and started talking after just taking a few steps.

"I know you have resentment in your heart, but your mother and I are both farmers, and we don't earn much money throughout the year..."

Gu Lianshan was very impatient to hear him say this and immediately interrupted him and retorted.

"Yes! You are right. You and your mother have no money, and you took all the money I earned. My daughter and son were crying out in hunger, and you said there was nothing to eat, but you turned around and bought cloth for Gu Liansheng to make new clothes and shoes.

There is also the money for the salary, the money for the guarantor for the imperial examination, the money for writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, the money for food, drink and entertainment, etc. As long as Gu Liansheng asks for it, you two old people will be rich and we will give you whatever they want.

But when you turn around and face my family, you two old people become diggers in the fields again. Are you taking me for a fool?

Her daughter found eighty taels of silver at home!

Is this called having no money?

Gu Lianshan originally didn't want to make a fuss, but the old man just liked to play the victim in front of him.

This is really annoying him!

Mr. Gu's face turned stiff after being confronted, and there was no need to say anything else, as saying more would only add fuel to the fire.

The father and son walked in silence for a while. As they were almost home, their relationship not only did not ease, but became even more strained.

Old Man Gu wanted to try again, but his son was not afraid of him or paid any attention to him when he approached him with a tough approach, so he could only try a soft approach and hope that his son would help the family.

Unfortunately, Gu Lianshan seemed to know his intention. No matter what he said, Gu Lianshan would bring up the various sums of money that Gu Liansheng had spent since he was a child.

From the beginning to the end, Gu Lianshan only believed in one thing, that is, where there is money, there is love!

It's useless to talk big. He is not blind and can clearly see who is the one enjoying the benefits.

Old Master Gu didn't have much patience with Gu Lianshan to begin with. After being repeatedly criticized, the anger that he had just suppressed rose again. His face turned dark and he stopped talking.

After a while, they arrived at the gate of Gu's courtyard at the end of the village.

Gu Lianshan didn't go in either. After sending the person to the door, he turned around and left, not wanting to stay any longer.

This scene made Mr. Gu angry again.

Gu Lianshan came back with a sullen face and didn't care whether the old man was angry or not. When he returned to the yard, he saw his third uncle leading his son and daughter, squatting in front of the basin and washing radishes.

Seeing the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, the expression on his face relaxed and his mood improved a lot. He rolled up his sleeves, walked forward, sent the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren away, and started washing himself.

The water in the basin is warm, but the weather is too cold and the warm water will soon turn cold.

Gu Tang felt that the hot water was not enough, so she asked Gu Ping'an to boil another pot. She sat on a stool next to them and added some hot water into the basin from time to time.

My third uncle was old and not very cold-resistant, so he got up and went back into the house, leaving the father and daughter outside, one working while the other talked.

Gu Tang didn't say anything else. She told her father about the return gift, then talked about making and selling incense, and asked her father what he thought of the idea.

Gu Lianshan thought it was a good idea and decided to give it a try.

"Okay then. I'll pickle the radishes for you first. We'll start in the afternoon."

"Okay!" Since I'm idle at home anyway, I might as well learn a skill from my daughter.

After using two large pots of hot water, hundreds of pounds of radishes were finally cleaned.

The cleaned radish should be dried first, and there should be no water on the surface.

Gu Lianshan went to the east wing and cleaned out a room, lit two stoves, and then placed the radishes in a basket, letting them dry slowly in the room.

Taking advantage of this moment, he moved out all the spare jars in the west wing room, cleaned them with hot water, turned them upside down, drained all the water inside, and then put them aside for future use.

After finishing all this, the water on the surface of the radishes in the east wing has evaporated and can be cut into strips and pickled.

The whole family is willing to do the job of cutting the meat into strips, but unfortunately there are only two knives at home. Gu Lianshan and his third uncle took on the job, saying that they were worried that the siblings would hurt their hands.

Just because they don’t have to cut the radish doesn’t mean the brother and sister have nothing to do. They have to arrange the cut radish strips neatly in the jar.

First, sprinkle a layer of salt on the bottom of the jar, then place a layer of radish strips on top of the salt, then sprinkle another layer of salt, then place radish strips again, and sprinkle salt again...

This is how people here pickle vegetables. It is very simple and crude, and there is no skill required. There is no high or low level of craftsmanship. Just listen or watch once and you will know how to do it.

It is also easy to eat. After marinating for ten days or so, you can take it out and eat it.

There is no need to wash it with water. You can eat it directly after taking it out, or you can cut it into smaller pieces and stir-fry it with a little oil.

Feng always ate them directly after taking them out of the water, and only fried them with oil when preparing pickles for Gu Liansheng.

Third Uncle kept adding oil and stir-frying. He didn't like to eat it directly, and it was better to stir-fry it with meat.

Gu Lianshan and Gu Ping'an also like this way of eating.

Only Gu Tang doesn't like to eat anything no matter how it's cooked.