Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 130 - 55: No Visit to the 3 Treasure Hall Without a Reason

Chapter 130: Chapter 55: No Visit to the 3 Treasure Hall Without a Reason

Soon, a woman dressed in a sauce-colored coarse cloth cross-collar shirt and green trousers walked in from the courtyard. However, both the shirt and trousers were patched with large patches.

Gu Chengyu looked at the woman in front of him. Her face was somewhat dark, much like Mr. Gu’s square face, with rather big eyes. Yet at this moment, her face showed a trace of sadness.

"Big sister!" Gu Chengyu had seen Gu Xi before. Gu Xi would return to the Gu Family once every New Year on the second day and usually leave after lunch.

Gu Xi didn’t talk much, and even when she came back, she felt somewhat estranged from the younger brothers. However, it was clear that she was still quite good to the elder and second brothers because her tone and attitude were completely different when she spoke to the main and second rooms, showing a heartfelt intimacy.

"Hey! Xiao Bao is writing? I heard that dad sent you to town for studies?" Gu Xi saw her little brother writing, paused for a moment, then recalled hearing some time ago that her dad had sent Xiao Bao to town for studies.

Her feelings toward this little brother were undoubtedly complex. They weren’t from the same mother, so she always felt unable to get close to him. Moreover, he was especially favored at home, with dad holding him in the palm of his hand,

Gu Xi scrutinized this face closely. She had never seen such a good-looking child, looking so much like that woman.

She still remembered the first time she saw Mrs. Lv at the age of nine. At that time, the villagers said her dad had found them a stepmother and she was already in the house. Hearing this, her heart panicked. She led her brother, following the elder brother back from the fields, always hearing from the villagers that stepmothers were not much kinder to the children of previous women! They might even beat and scold them, causing her fear as she walked back.

Back then, because of the debts incurred for her mother’s medical treatment, dad had no choice but to become a waiter at a restaurant in the Prefecture introduced by her uncle. The monthly salary there was more than what town offered. Her elder brother was already ten years old back then and could support a family. Dad would entrust someone to send money back every month. Although life was tough, there was no need to worry.

The family was poor, and they thought life would continue as such. Who knew a year later her dad brought back a woman from the Prefecture. She still remembered being dumbstruck the first time she saw Mrs. Lv. Was there truly such a beautiful person in the world?

A delicate face, snow-white and smooth skin, eyes indescribably beautiful, with clothes of unknown material and beautiful colors that she had never seen before. Had the woman not been standing there with an impatient expression, she would have thought her a fairy from the heavens!

But she saw that the woman was carrying a bundle in her hand, and her father held a small box. She realized that this woman should be the stepmother her dad brought back.

No matter what she thought, life had to go on. Mrs. Lv usually didn’t care much but would eat as long as her meals were served. After eating, she would throw the bowls aside and lie on the kang. Sometimes she would throw tantrums, and her dad would always yield, warning them not to upset the stepmother. If it were her, she would also be reluctant to annoy someone so beautiful.

But one day, such days suddenly changed. That day, the stepmother was eating and suddenly vomited. After a doctor was invited, the doctor said congratulations, which she didn’t understand. Seeing her dad’s joyful look, she had a premonition it wasn’t good news for them. Indeed, her dad mentioned that the stepmother was going to give them a little brother.

Afterwards, life became more difficult as the stepmother’s temper grew increasingly irritable, often scolding them over trivial matters and even sometimes refusing to let them eat. From then on, Gu Xi began to dislike this woman. Mrs. Lv was unkind to them, yet her father also seemed to change, no longer treating them as he used to.

Gu Xi fell into her memories as Gu Chengyu watched with curiosity, wondering why his elder sister looked at him with such a complex expression while remaining motionless, unaware of what she was thinking.

"Big sister!" Gu Wan, sitting on the kang, called out to Gu Xi. For Gu Wan, Gu Xi felt somewhat unfamiliar since she had just been born when Gu Xi got married, and usually only saw her once a year during the New Year.

"Xi Zi? How come you returned at this time?" Mr. Gu, upon seeing his eldest daughter since stepping into the main house, watching Xiao Bao, immediately asked.

"Dad!" Gu Xi only returned to her senses after hearing Mr. Gu and looked towards his direction. Then she also saw Mrs. Lv sitting beside Mr. Gu.

Gu Xi’s body froze for a moment before softly calling, "Mother!"

"Hmm!" Mrs. Lv, unsure of what to say to this convenient big daughter, was only a few years older than Gu Xi when she married into the family.

"Xi Zi, have you eaten? If not, let your sister-in-law prepare some for you?" From Xialing Village to Shangling Village, it took about half an hour to walk, and Mr. Gu wasn’t sure if Gu Xi had eaten.

"No hurry! I’ve eaten." Gu Xi waved his hand dismissively, having matters on her mind. Even if there was meat in front of her, she had no appetite.

"Big sister, why have you returned at this hour? It’s getting dark; can you see the road to return when it’s pitch-dark? Why didn’t brother-in-law come with you?" This was asked by Gu Chengyi and his wife, who hurried over, as Gu Chengyi heard his elder brother shout from the west wing that the big sister was back and quickly put on his shoes to come out.

Mrs. Fang led Da Ya and the others into the main house as well.

Gu Xi usually only came back once during the New Year and never stayed overnight. Firstly, it wasn’t far, and secondly, the Gu Family had few rooms with many people, not enough space to accommodate Gu Xi, her husband, and two children. A married daughter returning home was considered a guest, and since it was rare to meet, Gu Chengyi and others still missed Gu Xi a lot.

"There are some matters at home, and your brother-in-law is at home! Dad, I heard the family bought land?" Gu Xi turned to ask Mr. Gu.

"Yes, bought fifty-five acres and was just preparing to till the land these days! Since you live nearby, you can help look after it," Mr. Gu thought, as it had already spread through Xialing Village, it was no surprise the eldest daughter knew as well.

"That land cost a lot of silver, didn’t it? At least more than four hundred taels? Did our family really dig up some ginseng in the mountains?" Gu Xi still found it hard to believe such good fortune actually happened, and to the Gu Family no less.

"Yes! The ginseng was found by me and Xiao Bao in the mountains! Your little brother is lucky; our family sold the ginseng for four to five hundred taels. Just recently bought land, and in a few days, we’re planning to build a house. Will Quanshou be free? Can he come help on the day we build the house?" Even if Gu Xi didn’t visit today, Mr. Gu planned to inform her family the day before building the house. Building a house was a big event, something that needed to be discussed with the daughter and son-in-law.

"Going to build a house too? True, with so many people in the family, not building a house means there surely isn’t enough room." Hearing this, Gu Xi wasn’t surprised. The Gu Family had long needed to extend their house, and with money from buying land, adding a few rooms wouldn’t make a difference.

Of course, that’s only because she didn’t yet know that the Gu Family planned to build a blue-brick tile-roofed house with two courtyards, or she would have been very surprised.

"That makes sense. When the house is built, you and your husband can bring the kids home and stay at the house," Mr. Gu didn’t mention building a blue-brick tile-roofed house at the moment, as it would be known sooner or later. He guessed his eldest daughter had come back late for a reason, possibly related to the labor duties the village chief mentioned during the day.

Gu Chengyu had already put away his pen and ink, knowing for sure there would be no writing today. Big sister’s late visit surely wasn’t without reason, and without thinking, he could guess what it was about.