Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 50: Gu Dahe’s Thoughts

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Gu Dahe’s Thoughts

"HAHA... Done."

Chen Dalang happily rubbed his hands and quickly went back to finish the rest of his tasks. He had sorted things out for his brother, and now he needed to sort things out for his wife. This way, his wife wouldn’t keep staring at the tall and strapping men in the village, unable to tear her eyes away.

It wasn’t his fault his build was slight. His parents were both small; how could they have produced a tall and strapping son?

「At the Village Chief’s house」

Today, more than half the villagers came to pay New Year’s respects, making it even livelier than a regular banquet.

After lunch, the villagers with nothing else to do sat together and chatted. The men discussed this year’s harvest and the imperial examinations in February, hoping someone from the village would pass the preliminary exam. Then there were the county exams; having someone become a scholar would be quite an achievement...

The women gossiped about this and that, but mostly about going up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs after spring began. It would be a pity not to tap into the goldmine right there.

Meanwhile, Gu Dahe sat to one side, his eyes glued to the lively and spirited Dashuang and Xiaoshuang. If I could get these two boys into that person’s hands, I could sell them for a good bit of silver, he mused. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about the silver needed for my next venture.

Before, those two rascals were as thin as monkeys, and the family was short-handed for work, so I didn’t think of targeting them. But times are different now, so no hard feelings.

Last year, I unintentionally met a procurer from a martial arts world sect. He specialized in coming to poor, remote places like this to find children with excellent aptitude.

According to him, a child like that could be worth fifty taels.

Tsk, tsk, tsk... Fifty taels for one, so these two would be worth a hundred taels!

Gu Dahe looked at Dashuang and Xiaoshuang as if they were a pile of silver, his eyes practically sparkling.

"Third Uncle, what’s making you so happy?" Gu Qingyan asked, noticing he looked like he’d struck gold, and plopped down beside him.

"Nothing. Your Third Uncle is worried sick. What’s there to be happy about?" Gu Dahe wiped the smile from his face and said with a stern expression.

"Oh, your nephew here thought you’d struck gold, Third Uncle," Gu Qingyan said, following Gu Dahe’s gaze to where Dashuang and Xiaoshuang were.

A smirk touched his lips; he instantly understood what his Third Uncle was planning.

Hmph! Gu Qingyan remained silent. I’ll just wait and see how I can get a piece of the pie later.

Gu Qingyan sat for a while longer before leaving. From today on, I don’t want to be associated with him. I’ll wait until the matter is settled.

Unaware of the danger looming over them, Dashuang and Xiaoshuang, who were being praised by the Village Chief, were no longer the ignorant little kids they once were, especially since they started learning martial arts and literacy from Xiao Yunjing.

Moreover, they drank water infused with Spiritual spring water daily, which enhanced their memory and comprehension. Coupled with Xiao Yunjing’s excellent teaching, their current abilities were certainly not lacking among their peers.

Their conversation was refined, and they spoke with propriety and tact, making the Village Chief and several clan elders nod repeatedly in approval.

Such children are promising!

"When school starts, you two go and study hard. Strive to bring honor and glory to our Gu Clan," a clan elder of about sixty said earnestly, patting the brothers’ heads.

Two such intelligent children must be kept firmly within the clan. Fortunately, Gu Dalin hasn’t gone looking for his birth parents, so his family still belongs to the Gu Clan. The clan elder shot a sharp glance at Master Gu. If it weren’t for this fool marrying that stupid woman who made life miserable for Gu Dalin’s family, these excellent prospects might not have even been Gu Clan descendants.

The Village Chief naturally understood the clan elder’s meaning. He also smiled at the twins and said, "Dashuang, Xiaoshuang, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, come find your Second Grandfather. I will definitely support you."

Dashuang and Xiaoshuang nodded. "Thank you, Great-Grandfather Elder and Second Grandfather. We certainly will."

Gu Dalin also said, "Great-Grandfather Elder, Second Uncle, thank you both. I, Dalin, will never forget the clan’s profound kindness."

Even if Gu Dalin was slow-witted, he understood the intentions of the clan elder and the Village Chief. He had no plans to leave the Gu Clan. If his two sons were to truly embark on official careers in the future, they would need the clan’s support. He thus took the opportunity to make his stance clear.

The clan elder and the Village Chief nodded in satisfaction. That Dalin is a sensible fellow. After all, he wasn’t born of Ms. Hua; he’s not stupid.

Then look at those three studying lads, all around twenty years old, taking the preliminary exam year after year, and failing year after year.

Sigh! But no matter what, they are still Gu Clan descendants. The clan elder and the Village Chief wouldn’t ostracize them excessively.

What if one day, one of those three had a stroke of incredible luck and passed the preliminary exam, and then even became a scholar?

They weren’t short-sighted people; they knew how to handle the situation appropriately.

In any case, they wouldn’t dishearten the Gu Clan students.

The day passed pleasantly like this.

「The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh days of the Lunar New Year」

These days passed by with families doing little else besides exchanging New Year visits.

The Xiao Family had also originally planned to invite the Village Chief’s family and Gu Dalin’s family for a meal, but Mr. Xiao said they would do it after Xiao Yunjing returned.

So, Gu Dalin didn’t host one either.

「On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year」

Most shops in town had reopened, and villagers seeking work elsewhere began to leave one after another.

The people in the village returned to their usual routines.

The two boys (Dashuang and Xiaoshuang) continued to come over daily to practice martial arts and study literacy with the three little ones (Gu Qingli’s brothers) as usual.

「Time flew by, and soon it was the Lantern Festival」

Xiao Yunjing still hadn’t returned.

Everyone in the Xiao Family had been in low spirits these past few days, especially Ms. Jiang, who anxiously watched from the village entrance every day.

Since the sixteenth was the day the two boys were to start school in town, Gu Qingli went over to their place after lunch.

The two boys were also preparing gifts for their new Master.

There were two private schools in town. One was the Qinghe Private School, which Gu Dahe and others attended, considered the better of the two.

The other private school, which had no name, was run by a middle-aged Master surnamed Xu. This Master Xu had a very peculiar temperament and taught only a few students.

Two days ago, the two boys had taken gifts and gone to Master Xu’s house themselves. Master Xu only asked them a few questions before telling them to report for school the next day.

Gu Qingli gave the two boys the two schoolbags she had made herself. They took them, looked them over, and asked, "Sis, is this a schoolbag?"

"Yes. Come, Sis will teach you how to use it. It’s very convenient." With Xiao Yunjing away, she couldn’t sleep. After working for a while in her Space, she had made two schoolbags for the two boys. Of course, the three little ones also had them, but she didn’t know if they would be sent to school tomorrow.

Gu Qingli helped the two boys put the schoolbags on and asked them, "How’s this? Is it comfortable to carry like this?"

"Mhm, it’s very convenient! Sis, you’re so clever, you even managed to make a schoolbag like this!" Dashuang praised generously.

They looked it over from side to side, fiddled with it, and agreed. Mhm, this schoolbag was indeed excellent.

Gu Qingli rolled her eyes at them. Clever my foot! Your Sis carried one for over a decade in my past life; I could make it with my eyes closed.

She said, "Just pay more attention to things around you. Look, aren’t the carrying baskets we use quite similar to these schoolbags?"

"Huh? They really are! Sis, did you make it based on those?" Dashuang asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

Gu Qingli nodded. "That’s right. They’re both generally cylindrical and have straps for carrying on both shoulders."