Five or six days have passed since Gu Pingsheng received the letter, and he still has not arrived in Shuojing.
Gu Xingzhi's men did not encounter Gu Pingsheng on the road, which made Gu Yaoniang somewhat anxious.
Qingyun County wasn't far away. When she traveled from Qingyun County to Shuojing, she stopped and traveled along the way, which took her just over ten days.
According to the departure time mentioned in the letter, Gu Pingsheng should have arrived in Shuojing by now.
But there's still no sign of them. Could something have happened to them on the way?
Gu Yaoniang was getting restless. She wanted to write home to ask if she had left late or if something had happened. But she was also afraid that if nothing was wrong, writing home would only make her parents worry.
So they kept putting it off, waiting anxiously.
Gu Xingzhi also became restless and sent people to search along the only route from Qingyun County to the capital.
A few days later, he brought back news that left people both amused and exasperated.
Gu Pingsheng was traveling alone for the first time, and his parents were worried. They gave him a lot of advice and set off a day later than originally planned.
After Jin Yu Lou made a profit, Gu Yaoniang also brought some money home. However, the Gu family was not well-off and lived frugally for many years, but they got used to it.
Adhering to the principle of "saving money for the journey," Mr. Gu and his wife hired a carriage for Gu Pingsheng so that their son could travel to the capital with peace of mind.
Gu Pingsheng was used to being frugal and felt sorry for his parents, so after leaving Qingyun County, he dismissed the carriage and asked the driver to return to Qingyun County to refund the difference to his parents.
He carried large and small bags, bought a horse at a nearby horse shop, and galloped towards Shuojing on all fours.
No matter how difficult things had been for the Gu family in the past, Gu Pingsheng was still just a young master who had never suffered any hardship or toil since childhood. Less than a day into riding his horse, Gu Pingsheng realized something was wrong.
In just one day, the insides of his legs were red and swollen, and a sharp pain would come out at the slightest touch.
Continuing to grit my teeth and ride on horseback is just too painful; renting a car would cost more than it did in Qingyun County, and I couldn't bear to spend the money; going home or asking my sister in Shuojing for help would feel like losing face.
With no other option, Gu Pingsheng had to ride his horse for a while, then rest for a while, slowly making his way towards Shuojing.
When Gu Xingzhi's men found Gu Pingsheng, he hadn't even gone halfway and was walking along the roadside, grinning and acting strangely as he led his horse.
At first, the Gu family members didn't dare to recognize him, but one of them was quick-witted. Looking at Gu Pingsheng's face, he felt that he looked somewhat similar to Gu Xingzhi, so he asked a question just to be on the safe side, and that's how they finally found him.
The atmosphere was indeed strange at the time. The group noticed that the handsome young man walked awkwardly and strangely, his face was flushed, and he kept his head down when he spoke to others, as if avoiding their gaze. They already had a bad feeling.
They were afraid that the young master had suffered some terrible experience.
Fortunately, the boy had endured so much hardship on the road that he had lost the stubbornness he had when he first set out. He felt wronged and, upon seeing the person sent by his relatives to guide him, he poured out all his grievances.
The people sent by the Gu family to pick up Gu Pingsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
What's a little scratch? As long as no one's hurt.
Therefore, the Gu family sent someone back to Shuojing by fast horse to report the news, and at the same time hired a carriage locally to send Gu Pingsheng back safely.
Gu Yaoniang was stunned when she heard about Gu Pingsheng's experiences along the way.
After a long silence, he murmured, "Have I ever been this concerned with saving face?"
The girls covered their mouths and giggled.
Upon learning of Gu Pingsheng's whereabouts, Gu Yaoniang finally felt relieved. She instructed Bitao to go to Gu Pingsheng's courtyard again to see if there were any items that needed to be purchased. Meanwhile, she went to find Lu Zhaoan and asked him to buy the highly sought-after muscle-regenerating ointment from Lu's family shop.
Seeing that she was in a hurry, Lu Zhaoan assumed she was injured and asked her a question.
Gu Yaoniang didn't say much, only that it was for someone else to use.
With the fortune-bringing in hand, she felt at ease. She went to Jin Yu Lou for a look, and then returned home.
She remembered that Gu Pingsheng liked the food she made, so she tapped her head in the room, thinking about the meals Gu Pingsheng would make and what she needed to ask the kitchen to prepare.
Gu Xingzhi also received news of Gu Pingsheng and breathed a sigh of relief.
However, she couldn't help but feel annoyed and complained to Qiaoniang, "The family is struggling, and the two children are still too concerned about money. To save some money, they're harming their own health. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? I think my brother is too old-fashioned and doesn't know how to teach children."
Qiaoniang gently comforted him, "Master can teach him himself from now on. The young master is different from Yaoniang, so you shouldn't interfere too much."
Gu Xingzhi opened his mouth as if to speak, but swallowed his words back. He simply let out a cold snort.
On the day Gu Pingsheng arrived in Shuojing, none of the Gu family's masters went out; they waited for him at home.
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