Chapter 78 Niuniu Helps
Gu Laosan simply stood aside as if it had nothing to do with him.
Liu Erni, on the other hand, was quick-witted. She reached out and pulled Gu Laosan, then dragged him out of the house and muttered to herself.
The old lady could only stare at Boss Gu.
Boss Gu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "Mom, let me discuss this with my wife."
The disappointment in the old lady's eyes was about to overflow.
Boss Gu didn't dare to look at his mother's eyes any longer and ran hurriedly towards his house.
Old Man Gu in the backyard seemed unaware of the huge changes that were about to take place at home. He was feeding the chickens he raised with wild grass and insects that he had found in the mountains.
Niu Niu leaned aside and watched her grandfather feed the chickens obediently.
"Niuniu is back. Grandpa will kill a chicken for you to eat tomorrow. By then, our dear baby will be strong and healthy, and won't be afraid of any illness..." Old Man Gu said naggingly.
Niuniu raised her little face, smiled sweetly, and said, "Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, brothers and sisters, all eat it! Everyone can grow strong!"
When Old Man Gu heard this, he was so happy that his old face almost wrinkled into a chrysanthemum: "Our sweet baby is really filial. Grandpa is in good health and doesn't need to eat these."
When Niuniu saw Gu Mingda, she immediately said excitedly, "Dad, come and see the chickens that grandpa raises! Grandpa said to give me both big chicken legs!"
When Gu Mingda saw the happy scene of grandparents and grandchildren, his heart also calmed down, as if the mess in the front yard did not exist, and he walked over with light steps.
After staring at Gu Mingda for a long time, Father Gu said softly, "Xiaoer, don't you have to go to school today?"
Gu Mingda was stunned. He had been away from school for more than ten years, but his father's memory remained in the past.
"Dad, I passed the exam and became a scholar." Gu Mingda said softly.
When Old Man Gu heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then his turbid eyes suddenly burst into amazing brilliance. He looked at his son as if he was looking at his most proud work.
"Second brother... Second brother, you passed the exam to become a scholar at the age of fifteen. You kid... You kid..." Old Man Gu couldn't help crying as he said this.
Gu Mingda recalled carefully that his younger sister, Nannan, died when he was fifteen years old.
Niuniu saw her grandfather crying and immediately took out a handkerchief and handed it to him. The little girl didn't understand: "Grandpa, it's a good thing to pass the exam, why are you crying?"
Father Gu took the handkerchief and wiped his face with it, then he picked Niuniu up and said with a smile, "I am crying with joy. My second son passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. When he passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi, our Niuniu will be a lady from an official family. When the time comes, I will choose a husband who is an official for Niuniu to be her wife!"
Gu Mingda felt mixed emotions at this moment. He only knew that his father attached great importance to his studies, but he did not expect that just passing the examination to become a scholar would make him so happy.
Thinking back to the past when I failed the exams time and time again, my father never showed any disappointment. I wonder how sad he felt at that time.
“Second son, let’s go kowtow to your grandfather later and let him know that our Gu family has finally produced a scholar... I’m going to stack gold ingots now..." Old Man Gu excitedly arranged the follow-up plans for his son’s passing the imperial examination.
He even ran into the house to look for incense and yellow paper.
Gu Mingda watched as Old Man Gu came out with a basket in his hand, looking puzzled. "Strange, how come all the gold ingots in the basket are stacked up? It seems like I stacked them. When did I stack them up?"
Old Man Gu has a unique method of stacking gold ingots, which is different from others.
Gu Mingda understood it at a glance. The stacked gold ingots in the basket must have been stacked by his father Gu when the news of his passing the imperial examination came back.
Ever since Old Man Gu became confused, he has been in a daze. He can remember some things clearly, but other things he remembers again and again every day.
Apparently, Father Gu didn't care much about the stacked gold ingots. He took Gu Mingda's hand and set a time: "Second brother, let's go burn incense for your grandfather early tomorrow morning."
Gu Mingda nodded. He looked at his father's excited face and suddenly felt a little reluctant, but he still spoke.
"Dad, I want to separate from my eldest brother and third brother tomorrow."
When Father Gu heard this, his expression was blank for a moment. He stared at Gu Mingda blankly: "Divide the family... why divide the family... only when brothers are united can they break through..."
Gu Mingda shook his head and tried to gain his father's understanding: "Now my eldest brother and third brother have their own children and their own families. They have their own ideas. The hearts of the three of us brothers are no longer together."
"Does your mother agree too?" asked Old Man Gu.
Gu Mingda nodded slightly.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Gu lowered his head and buried his face in the shadows, making it impossible to see his expression clearly.
Niu Niu noticed that her grandfather was depressed, so she leaned towards him gently, as if trying to comfort him in this way.
Old Man Gu stretched out his old hand and gently stroked Niuniu's soft hair. After a long while, he said, "It's better to separate the family. The children are grown up and have more thoughts..."
Gu Mingda felt a little guilty. He could have just brushed it off. After all, his father had been confused for many years and his mother was the head of the family now. But he still chose to tell his father about it solemnly.
"Niuniu, do you want to eat some maltose?" Old Man Gu suddenly asked Niuniu.
Niu Niu nodded.
Old Man Gu held the little girl's hand and walked into the house, muttering in a low voice as he walked: "How come... your hearts are not together..."
At dinner, except for the children who were immersed in the joy of eating meat, the adults had no appetite.
That night, many people in the Gu family suffered from insomnia.
Gu Mingda still felt bad when he thought of his parents' expressions during the day. He knew that his mother didn't want to divide the family, but he still acted forcefully. He couldn't help but start to doubt himself, thinking that if he was truly filial, he should follow his mother's ideas and let these things go.
But his mother was willing to endure the injustice, but he couldn't bear to see his mother suffer.
He also didn't want his daughter to have to look at other people's faces and accept the criticism from her aunts when eating at home.
Seeing her husband tossing and turning, Zhang Yunniang couldn't help but feel distressed. She turned around and saw Niuniu, who should have been sleeping, staring at them with her round eyes.
"Niuniu, why don't you sleep?" Zhang Yuniang asked softly.
"I can't sleep." Niu Niu turned over and over like Gu Mingda and sighed again.
Zhang Yunniang glanced at her daughter in a reproachful manner and said, "You are only five years old and you won't grow tall if you don't sleep."
When Niuniu heard this, she was so scared that she closed her eyes immediately and whispered, "Niuniu needs to grow taller. Niuniu can't be a dwarf."
Seeing his daughter so cute, Gu Mingda barely managed to dispel the strange melancholy in his heart.
The next morning, after breakfast, Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao San went out. Gu Mingda first accompanied Gu Lao Di to the grave to burn incense.
Old Man Gu had forgotten what he had said yesterday when he woke up early. He even asked Gu Mingda for a long time why he had to go to the grave during an unseasonal event. After Gu Mingda explained once again why he had passed the examination to become a scholar, Old Man Gu cried again.
"I'm old now, and my eyes feel painful after crying." Old Man Gu sighed.
Gu Mingda thought to himself, how could his eyes not be painful after crying for two days straight?
"Dad, let's go see grandpa first." Gu Mingda pulled him out of the door to prevent him from crying again when he thought about it later.
After Zhang Yunniang waited for her husband to go out, she grabbed Niu Niu who wanted to go out to find food for the chickens.
"Niuniu, can you do me a favor?"
Hearing her mother's question, Niuniu said without hesitation: "Okay, Niuniu will definitely help me."
Zhang Yunniang couldn't help laughing and asked, "Why don't you ask what you're helping with? What if it's a very difficult matter and Niuniu can't do it?"
Niuniu tilted her head and said innocently, "Niuniu will never refuse mother's request."
Zhang Yunniang felt as sweet as drinking honey when she heard this. She tapped her daughter's small and delicate nose and said, "You little bastard."
According to the custom of dividing up a family in the countryside, in addition to the head of the family, there must also be someone in charge from the daughter-in-law's family, which means that the division of the family has been approved by the in-laws.
The person who came from Chen Chunhua's parents' home was her elder brother, Chen Dajiu. Zhang Yunniang didn't care whether she would suffer any loss from the division of the family property, so she didn't ask Zhang Guangzong to come over.
Liu Erni's case is more outrageous. The Liu family also lives in Qingshui Village. There has clearly been a dispute over stealing the recipe between the two families, but Liu's mother was still able to visit them with her four sons without a care in the world.
She said this in the name of supporting her daughter.
When Old Mrs. Gu saw this, she immediately frowned, but she couldn't get angry in front of the Chen family and the clan leader.
Niuniu quickly reached out and pulled Gu Mingda's sleeve, and whispered, "Dad, grandma frowned. She is unhappy."
This is the task her mother assigned to her. If grandma is unhappy, she must tell daddy immediately!
Second update
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