Chapter 7 Niuniu is a child who is being protected
Gu Mingda's words really caught Zhang Guangzong's attention.
He even felt a little regretful and wondered why he didn't agree to come down when the six taels of silver were offered just now.
Now he was frozen in place, with countless thoughts running through his mind. He could indeed refuse the adoption this time.
But what's the point of bringing back a sickly girl? She can't even do housework, so keeping her is just a negative asset.
If Niu Niu dies after returning, whether from illness or murdered by them, the only way to recover the loss is to arrange a ghost marriage. However, if this is done, Gu Mingda will spread rumors out of revenge, saying that Niu Niu was murdered by him.
Although Zhang Guangzong felt aggrieved that he was being plotted against, he finally said, "Okay, five taels is five taels."
Gu Mingda nodded, took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote an adoption document on the spot, which clearly stated all the causes and consequences.
Seeing that he had prepared so thoroughly without leaving any loopholes, Zhang Guangzong could only sign and put his fingerprints reluctantly.
From the very beginning, Gu Mingda had no intention of defaulting on his debt. His original plan was to pay the same amount of money as for the ghost marriage and resolve the matter once and for all.
Only in this way can the Gu family get rid of the bad reputation of snatching children.
Mrs. Cai was not as unhappy as her son. When she saw the white silver, she immediately smiled from ear to ear. Before leaving, she also kindly reminded everyone in the Gu family: "You rushed to spend money to buy a jinx, and you will be unlucky in the future!"
The response she got from her provocative words was that Old Lady Gu chased her with a broom and kicked her out.
But when the Gu family closed the door, Gu's eldest sister-in-law Chen Chunhua, regardless of Niuniu who was listening nearby, said, "Mother, my second brother has quite a lot of money on him. If he wants to buy a jinx, then buy it..."
Before she could finish her words, she was glared at by Old Lady Gu: "Who are you calling a jinx? Who are you talking about! Since Niuniu has come to my house, she must be a member of our Gu family! It's fine if outsiders say these things, but you have the nerve to say them when you are a family member! Don't let people laugh at you!"
Old Lady Gu looked at Niuniu, who was upset because of the word "jinx", and comforted her, "Niuniu, don't listen to your aunt. You are not a jinx. You are the granddaughter of this family. Remember that?"
In order to comfort the frightened little girl, Mrs. Gu, who always had a fierce look on her face, forced a smile.
But this smile looked uglier than crying, and combined with the dim light in the room, it was enough to scare the child to tears.
Gu Xiaobao, who was only three years old, was so scared that he burst into tears on the spot.
Old Mrs. Gu's eyelids drooped immediately.
Niuniu, on the other hand, didn't seem to be afraid at all. Instead, she took the initiative to walk up to Grandma Gu, holding her hand, and said obediently, "Grandma, I remember."
Grandma Gu's cold face suddenly softened. She held the little girl's hand, thinking that girls were more considerate. She then glanced at her still crying grandson with disdain.
Old Mrs. Gu is a notoriously vicious woman in the village, but Niu Niu doesn't think she is vicious at all.
Niu Niu thought to herself: It turns out there are grandmothers who don’t scold their granddaughter. Grandma Gu is the best grandmother in the world!
After being scolded by Old Lady Gu, Chen Chunhua dared not mention the word "jinx" again. But when she thought about buying a stranger with five taels of silver, she still couldn't swallow it.
"My second uncle has been studying these years and has rarely taken care of family affairs, but he has spent a lot of money. Now I don't know where so much money comes from." Chen Chunhua was still mentioning the five taels of silver in her words.
Old Lady Gu glared and said, "Did Old Master waste your money? Why do you talk so much all day long!"
Chen Chunhua said: "Now mother is still the head of the family, and my second brother has hidden his own wealth. He doesn't care about your hard work at all..."
Old Lady Gu said directly: "Speaking of hiding private silver, who wouldn't know about the few taels of silver hidden in the corner of your own room?"
Chen Chunhua's biggest secret was exposed on the spot. She looked around anxiously, facing the curious eyes of the whole family, and stammered to explain: "I didn't hide any money in the corner, mother, you must have remembered it wrong!"
Old Mrs. Gu sneered.
Chen Chunhua didn't know what to say anymore and glanced at her third brother's wife Liu Erni.
Liu Erni laughed at her sister-in-law's low fighting ability in her heart, but she and her sister-in-law had similar ideas. Neither of them was happy to have one more person in the family. She said, "Mom, my sister-in-law doesn't mean anything else. It's just that our family is not well-off now. It's hard enough to raise so many children. If they were our own children, it would be fine. But we are not related by blood. If one more person eats, the others in the family will have to eat less. This doesn't seem fair to us, the first and third wives."
Before Mrs. Gu could speak, Gu Mingda suddenly said, "Mother, since the eldest brother and the third brother have so many complaints, why not split up the family? It's human nature to divide the roots when the tree grows big."
Hearing this, everyone in the first and third rooms panicked.
Old Mrs. Gu also looked at her second son disapprovingly: "Don't talk nonsense, I'm not dead yet!"
Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao San no longer pretended to be deaf and dumb, and said to Gu Mingda: "Second brother, you misunderstood, we really have no intention of splitting up."
Gu Mingda looked at them with a half-smile and said, "Really? My daughter just came into this family on the first day, and the eldest sister-in-law and the third brother's wife couldn't stand her. I thought it was the eldest brother and the third brother's intention."
After hearing this, Boss Gu and Boss San did feel a little guilty.
Old Mrs. Gu did not want any rifts to arise between her three sons, so she said to Gu Mingda, "Second son, please stop saying things that will hurt the harmony between the brothers."
She turned around and scolded the other two sons, saying, "In the early years, our family saved money and sent you three brothers to school. The two of you were slow to learn, and only the second son persevered. It's obviously because of your own failure. Why do you let your wife say these sour words now?"
Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao San lowered their heads in shame.
Old Lady Gu continued, "Old Second spent the family's money before, but he has already paid it back many times over. He certainly didn't work in the fields like you, but he also paid a lot of money home. You know whether this money is enough for his family's food and expenses!"
The reason why the eldest and third Gu were reluctant to split up the family was because of this reason.
Gu Mingda is an extraordinary scholar. Although he is only a student and has not yet achieved fame, he has a quick mind and is not short of money.
Ever since Gu Mingda started giving money to his family, life at home has visibly improved. What Chen Chunhua said about "my family has no food to eat" is pure nonsense.
In the whole village, no one lives a better life than the Gu family. Although they have a large family, they can still eat meat once a month.
An old man like Gu Dad who is confused and unable to work would have been secretly thrown into the back mountain and abandoned like a burden in other families. However, in the Gu family, he is well fed and well provided for, which is enough to show how well-off the Gu family is today.
Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao San were almost forced by their mother to apologize to Gu Mingda together.
Although they truly realized their mistakes, they still felt a little uncomfortable.
Gu Mingda has always understood people's hearts. He said to Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao San: "Big brother, third brother, I have something to do in the county tomorrow. I can't handle it alone. After thinking about it, I think only my brothers can be relied on. I have to trouble you to accompany me on this trip."
When Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao San heard this, their eyes lit up. Every time they accompanied Gu Mingda to the county, no matter what they did, they would have a drink, and this time would definitely be no exception.
When Gu Mingda saw that they agreed, the corners of his mouth curled up. The conflicts between men could be resolved with a drink.
Old Mrs. Gu sighed as she watched this scene, thinking to herself that it was not that she was partial to Gu Mingda, but that this second son was so cunning. If the eldest and third sons offended him, they would be in big trouble!
The happiest person in the room was actually Niuniu. She didn’t understand the tug-of-war between the adults, and her heart and eyes were filled with joy: Niuniu was finally not a child disliked by her family! The new parents and grandma were so nice!
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