Chapter 6: New Daddy Takes Care of Old Daddy
Gu Mingda heard this and said, "So, even if it's a living person, you have to kill him. This ghost marriage must be arranged, right?"
Mrs. Cai was about to agree, but this time Zhang Guangzong suddenly jumped over.
He always considered himself a scholar and was unwilling to deal with the villagers. Seeing that my mother was about to fall into the trap, he ran away.
"Gu Mingda, stop trying to trick my mother and say all this nonsense. Just give my daughter back to me now!" Zhang Guangzong said viciously.
Gu Mingda and Zhang Yunniang are indeed a couple. When facing Zhang Guangzong, they acted more arrogantly than before and said, "You don't even call me brother-in-law? Is this the rule for you scholars?"
Zhang Guangzong was so angry that he wanted to say that Gu Mingda didn't call Cai Pozi just now, but times had changed and it would seem petty of him to bring up the past now.
Gu Mingda narrowed his eyes, and seeing that he still didn't call anyone, he said, "You don't plan to acknowledge me as your relative? Well, I'll tell others later that you and I are no longer related, and you don't have to work so hard to prove to others that you are my brother-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guangzong looked at Gu Mingda in disbelief.
Zhang Guangzong has never liked Gu Mingda.
Although they were both scholars, they were all only students and none of them passed the examination to become a scholar. However, his and Gu Mingda's popularity in the scholar circle of Guang'an County was very different.
Gu Mingda had become a guest of honor in the county teacher's home and had a wide circle of friends among scholars.
In comparison, Zhang Guangzong was like an unpopular mouse. Others always found out about his little mistakes and his classmates disliked him. If it weren't for his identity as Gu Mingda's brother-in-law, few scholars would be willing to pay attention to him.
Zhang Guangzong always thought that he had hidden it well and felt that Gu Mingda didn't know that he was flaunting himself outside under the name of his brother-in-law.
He didn't expect that Gu Mingda knew everything but just never mentioned it.
At this time, when Gu Mingda said this, it was like poking Zhang Guangzong's aorta directly. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into on the spot.
Zhang Guangzong would not blame himself. He cursed Gu Mingda in his heart as a hypocrite who deliberately made fun of him.
But no matter how angry he was, Zhang Guangzong had to bow his head to Gu Mingda and called him, "Brother-in-law" in order to make a living in the local area.
After Gu Mingda responded, he became even more arrogant as a brother-in-law. He continued to point fingers from the moral high ground and said, "Although you and Yunniang are not born of the same mother, you are biological siblings. Although you have not learned any of Yunniang's noble character, as your brother-in-law, I am also your elder brother. You should also understand that an elder brother is like a father. There are some rules that I have to teach you..."
Zhang Guangzong couldn't help but clench his fists after hearing these words.
At this time, Zhang Yunniang, Gu Mingda's wife of noble character, was holding Niuniu and peeping out through the crack of the door to watch the fun. Seeing her husband using both fighting and defense to extinguish his brother's arrogance, Zhang Yunniang couldn't help but smile.
Niuniu's eyes sparkled as she said, "Mom, the new daddy is so powerful. The old daddy didn't dare to say a word in front of him."
Zhang Yunniang gently touched Niuniu's soft hair and said, "When you meet your old daddy in the future, just call him little uncle, okay?"
Looking at her husband's attitude, Zhang Yunniang understood that it was almost certain that Niu Niu would become her daughter.
In the courtyard, Gu Mingda continued to teach his brother-in-law as an elder brother: "The family has no money to treat the illness and can only watch their daughter die, and deliberately wait for their daughter to die of illness to arrange a ghost marriage. These are two different things. If you really make a fuss, do you think anyone will be willing to take the college entrance examination with you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guangzong looked at his biological mother, Mrs. Cai, with hatred. If she hadn't kept her mouth shut, no one would have known about his selling his daughter for a ghost marriage.
His biggest obsession in life was to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, so that those who looked down on him could see that he, Zhang Guangzong, was much better than Gu Mingda.
To take the examination for a scholar, one must pass the academy examination. In addition to having a guarantor from a government academy student, one must also be guarantor with four other students, guaranteeing that the other party will not cheat.
Gu Mingda's threat was not false. Scholars were the most noble. If the news that Zhang Guangzong forced his daughter to death just for a ghost marriage were to spread, no one would be willing to guarantee him, and he would really not be able to take part in the college entrance examination and become a scholar.
Zhang Guangzong felt guilty at this moment, but he was unwilling to give his daughter to the Gu family, so he could only say stubbornly: "I will raise my daughter myself, and she will not be sent to another family. My mother just said nonsense, I have no intention of letting her enter into a ghost marriage."
Gu Mingda also knew that he would not bow his head so easily. Mrs. Cai only said that she would sell it to a wealthy family, but she did not say to which family. Gu Mingda thought for a moment, then took two steps towards Zhang Guangzong, leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Which wealthy family did you originally plan to sell it to? Was it Mr. Wang's family?"
Zhang Guangzong was shocked when he heard this. He didn't expect Gu Mingda could guess this.
The reason Gu Mingda guessed was simple. He happened to hear that Mr. Wang's youngest son was dead. The child was not much older than Niu Niu, and it was difficult for an ordinary family to keep him alive, so they would not be willing to spend money to arrange a ghost marriage for their son.
Gu Mingda continued, "Based on my understanding of Mr. Wang, he won't be willing to pay too high a price, about five taels of silver, right?"
Previously, it could be said that it was a blind cat catching a dead mouse, but this time, Zhang Guangzong was really scared and sweating profusely. Although he had known for a long time that Gu Mingda was not ordinary, but as a relative for so many years, he had no idea that Gu Mingda was a living god who could guess everything!
Looking at his reaction, Gu Mingda knew that he had guessed correctly. A healthy girl as old as Niu Niu would cost about seven or eight taels of silver outside, and the price offered by Mr. Wang would not be higher than that. If the price was too low, the Zhang family would not be so anxious. He made a casual guess and actually got it right.
Gu Mingda also knew that he couldn't push people too hard. Although all the members of the Zhang family were not good people, after all, they had raised a child to the age of five. If they gave them nothing, then it would be their Gu family that would be criticized.
"I'll pay six taels of silver, and Niu Niu will be adopted by our family." Gu Mingda offered a price that Zhang Guangzong could not refuse on the spot.
Zhang Guangzong was tempted when he saw that he didn't have to bear the bad reputation of a ghost marriage and could get an extra ounce of silver compared to a ghost marriage.
But he had always regarded Gu Mingda as his rival, and he suddenly felt a sense of aggrieved when he let his rival achieve his wish so easily.
"No, Niu Niu is a child I picked up from the river. I have seen her grow up and raised her with great effort. I really can't bear to give her to you like this." Zhang Guangzong tried to force Gu Mingda to raise the price in this way.
He also wanted to see Gu Mingda being humiliated.
But Gu Mingda knew his cunning heart very well and bargained back: "Five taels of silver, if you bargain once more, I will lower the price once more."
Gu Mingda's attitude was very clear. He wanted to adopt the child and he would never tolerate Zhang Guangzong's bad habits.
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