Gu Lili put on her shoes and came out of the shack.
Hearing the commotion, Gu Erniu, who was standing nearby, also came out from the shack next to him.
Gu Erniu rubbed his eyes and said, "Sister, that voice sounds like Brother Shuwen!"
Gu Lili suddenly realized why the name sounded familiar; it was Gu Shuwen.
I just don't know why they'd come to my house so late.
Moreover, they had already severed ties long ago, so even if there was something going on, they shouldn't have come to my house.
The knocking and calling from outside the door were still pleasant to hear; judging from the noise, something urgent must have happened.
Could it be that Gu Jingsheng is dead?
Or did Grandma Gu pass away?
Suppressing their doubts, Gu Lili and Gu Erniu went to open the door in the dark.
The door opened, and the room became much brighter; Gu Shuwen had come carrying a torch.
"Is there something you need?" Gu Lili asked coldly.
Gu Shuwen, who had been anxiously knocking on the door just moments before, now stood there looking troubled, remaining silent for a long time.
"Lili, what happened?"
Aunt Zhang's voice came from behind Gu Shuwen.
Aunt Zhang happened to get up to use the restroom tonight when she heard the commotion at Gu Lili's house. Feeling a little worried about the siblings, she went out to check.
Before Gu Lili could answer Aunt Zhang's question, she saw Gu Shuwen suddenly kneel down in front of her.
"Sister Lili, I know I shouldn't be begging you now, but my mother... she's dying, Sister Lili, please help me!" Gu Shuwen cried as she looked towards Aunt Zhang.
His sudden action startled all three people present.
However, since this matter concerned the Gu family, Aunt Zhang didn't say anything and just watched from the side.
Gu Erniu wanted to help Gu Shuwen up, but Gu Lili pulled him aside, interrupting his bending over.
They couldn't accept Gu Shuwen kneeling like that, and judging from his words, it probably wasn't a good thing.
Gu Lili also noticed Gu Shuwen's subtle glances towards Aunt Zhang, and her face grew even colder.
Gu Shuwen immediately knelt down in front of me when he saw Aunt Zhang arrive. Isn't he just trying to morally blackmail me?
It's utterly ridiculous. Back then, when he made Gu Jingsheng return the money to them, Gu Lili even looked at him with newfound respect.
Unexpectedly, he wasn't a good person either. He was only twelve or thirteen years old, but he was full of tricks!
"Gu Shuwen, what you're saying doesn't make any sense! Niu Cuihua is dying, why do you need my help? I can't treat illnesses, and I can't even make a coffin, why are you asking me for help!"
Gu Lili's words showed absolutely no respect for Gu Shuwen.
Gu Shuwen was speechless for a moment after Gu Lili said that.
Gu Lili was getting impatient. She was sleeping soundly in her warm bed when this commotion woke her up.
Seeing Gu Shuwen standing there in a daze, Gu Lili pulled Gu Erniu and started to walk home.
Upon seeing this, Gu Shuwen gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, "Sister Lili, my mother is sick. I want to borrow some money for you so I can take her to town for treatment!"
Gu Lili was amused by Gu Shuwen's words and turned around to sneer, "Gu Shuwen, have you gone stupid or blind from studying too much? First of all, why should I lend you money? And secondly, didn't you see where the four of us siblings live? What makes you think I have money to lend you?"
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Aunt Zhang quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Shuwen, Lili's house collapsed and they don't have money to rebuild it. Where would they get the money to lend you? What happened to your mother? Why did she have to go to Donghai Town for medical treatment?"
“My mother had a high fever a few days ago, but after the fever subsided, she just lay in bed staring straight at the roof beam. No matter how I called her, she wouldn’t respond!” Gu Shuwen cried to Aunt Zhang in a loud voice.
Gu Shuwen had been studying at school and had no idea whether his family had money or when they would start farming.
He was the epitome of a scholar who seemed detached from worldly affairs.
That's why he suggested that Gu Jingsheng return the money to Gu Lili and the others that day.
He just wanted to impress his neighbors and get praise from others.
Today, he came to Gu Lili to borrow money, but actually, he had the same idea in mind.
He wanted all his neighbors to know that Gu Shuwen was a very filial son, who knelt on the ground to beg others for help for his sick mother.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang felt a sudden surge of joy. Sure enough, evil deeds have their retribution; Niu Cuihua must have been driven mad by the burns.
However, Aunt Zhang didn't show it on her face. She frowned and sighed, "Oh, your mother is quite pitiful. Shuwen, you are so filial."
Upon hearing this, a hint of smugness flashed across Gu Shuwen's face, but before he could be happy for long, Aunt Zhang continued to speak.
"Shuwen, Lili's house has collapsed, so she definitely doesn't have any money to lend you. You should hurry home and take your mother to see Yang Dadan! Sigh, it's so late, and I'm sleepy too. Lili, you should take your younger siblings to bed early. I'm going home now. Shuwen, take care too."
As Aunt Zhang spoke, she winked at Gu Lili, as if afraid that Gu Lili would be as soft-hearted as her mother.
Although Aunt Zhang was illiterate, she was a kind-hearted person with strong likes and dislikes.
Although she didn't know what Gu Shuwen was thinking, she at least remembered the tragic situation that Li Xihua and the children had suffered back then.
The four children had no parents, and their grandfather was a terrible person. In her heart, Aunt Zhang had long regarded herself as the elder of the four children.
Therefore, I don't want to see Gu Lili and the others suffer.
Gu Lili looked at Aunt Zhang gratefully. She was too lazy to waste words with Gu Shuwen, so she said coldly, "Gu Shuwen, I don't have any money to lend you. You can go now. We're going to sleep. Aunt Zhang, please be careful on your way back."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and led Gu Erniu back to the courtyard, and Aunt Zhang also went back to her own home.
Gu Shuwen knelt on the spot, his fists clenched tightly together.
His mother was right after all; Gu Lili and her three siblings are ungrateful wretches.
He asked his grandfather to return the money to Gu Lili, so why didn't Gu Lili lend him the money?
Gu Shuwen gritted her teeth and suddenly raised her voice, "Sister Lili, I know you're angry, but you can't just stand by and watch her die! My mother is still your aunt!"
Big Blackie in the yard had been barking incessantly ever since Gu Shuwen knocked on the door, and now that Gu Shuwen's voice was getting louder, Big Blackie was barking even louder.
Aunt Zhang, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped. She was worried that Gu Lili would soften her heart and turn back.
Gu Lili was almost amused and exasperated by Gu Shuwen's thought process. He's really good at reading a lot of books; he even resorted to moral blackmail.
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