Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 131 - 56 Borrowing Silver

Chapter 131: Chapter 56 Borrowing Silver

Gu Chengyu recalled his elder brother-in-law, named Wang Quanshou. The Wang Family only had two brothers and an elder sister. Last New Year, on the second day, when Gu Xi and the others returned, they mentioned that the Wang Family had divided their property. However, since the elder brother-in-law was the second son, the elderly couple followed the eldest. Naturally, during the division, the eldest son got more. The elder brother-in-law’s family only received two rooms, some household items, two acres of land, and five hundred wen.

The elder sister had two children, the eldest daughter was eight this year, and the younger son was five, the same age as him. The elder brother-in-law was honest, and during the division, the parents favored the eldest, giving just a little, and he didn’t say anything, quietly accepting the divided share.

That time, as he walked through the courtyard to the latrine, he glanced through the window of the west wing and saw his elder sister wiping tears with the second brother, faintly hearing her complaining about Brother-in-law Wang, unsure of his plans for the family.

Today, she probably came because of the conscription issue. Tomorrow, a government officer will come to the village, and Gu Xi had to seize the opportunity to return at night, probably to borrow silver. In Gu Chengyu’s memory, the elder sister never took anything from her husband’s house. The gifts she brought back during New Year weren’t grand—just a bag of brown sugar and two jin of white flour—but she never took advantage of her family.

"Dad!" Gu Xi looked at Mr. Gu, somewhat hesitant.

Mr. Gu sighed, picked up his tobacco pipe, and lit it again.

Seeing Mr. Gu remain silent, Gu Xi had to brace herself to bring it up. Actually, her return was because she hadn’t quite reacted before, but upon thinking it over, she realized why she was back.

"Dad! Today, the village chief informed us that there’s a corvée labor to serve. This conscription is dangerous, and everyone knows it. The Wang Family has only two sons; my father-in-law..." Gu Xi poured out the words in her heart in one breath and felt tears welling up in her eyes as she continued.

"He said to let the child’s father go." Choking on her words, she finished the rest.

Gu Chengyu had heard from Mr. Gu before that when peasant households divided their property, they generally invited a few respected individuals and two clan elders from the village, wrote two copies of the property division document, and invited the village chief to witness, re-dividing the family tree at the next times a family shrine meeting was called. Yet, they didn’t register this at the government because the Dayan Dynasty’s taxes were levied per household. Even if families were divided on the clan register, without official records, the government considered them a single household.

Therefore, to reduce taxes and conscription duty, families usually didn’t register with the government. Of course, prominent families were exceptions; they weren’t short of money, and property division disputes meant they couldn’t stay mixed.

Now, with only two adult males in the Wang Family, if not the eldest going, then the second son had to go. The elderly Wang couple relied on their first son for their old age, meaning inevitably, the younger son had to go.

After Gu Xi finished speaking, she looked up at Mr. Gu, who was staring into his tobacco, occasionally blowing out a few puffs of smoke, yet his brows were tightly furrowed.

"Dad! Could you lend us some silver? Quanshou, he can’t go! He’s the pillar of the family. If he goes and something happens, how are my children and I supposed to live?" Gu Xi’s tears kept flowing down, and she covered her mouth with her sleeve, sobbing.

Gu Chengyu listened, feeling a heaviness in his heart. If silver could be used as a substitute, then risking a life wasn’t necessary.

Mrs. Lv heard this, and she couldn’t hold back. She knew Gu Xi’s family situation. This loan of silver is, in fact, unlikely to be repaid, eighteen taels it was!

"Xi Zi! You know you’re a daughter married off. The old saying holds, a married daughter is like water splashed out. You’ve married into the Old Wang Family; you are now part of them. You can’t just run back to your maiden family whenever you’re short of money. You see, our family is also struggling. Just recently, we dug up some ginseng and bought some land. Otherwise, our family wouldn’t even have the silver to pay taxes!"

Mrs. Lv knew that if Gu Xi came so late, there was certainly no good news, thinking of having the Gu Family foot the Wang Family’s tax bill?

"Mother! I’ve been married for so many years, never asked anything from my maiden family. Now, I’m utterly helpless. How can I watch my husband go to his death?" Gu Xi knew eight taels of silver was indeed a lot, but the Gu Family sold ginseng and bought land not long ago. Now with plans to build a house, they must have extra money.

She looked hopefully at Mr. Gu, hoping he would agree to her request.

"And your husband? Why didn’t he come back with you?" Mr. Gu didn’t immediately agree but first asked about Wang Quanshou. By rights, borrowing such a significant amount of silver should involve both husband and wife for sincerity. Yet, watching twilight settle, Gu Xi was left to run back alone to ask for a loan.

"My husband is imploring on the in-law’s behalf, trying to convince the mother-in-law to pitch in some silver. I came back alone." Thinking back, at the time she was leaving for her maiden family, her mother-in-law was stubbornly refusing, claiming there was absolutely no silver, not even a penny, everything divided during the property division.

"Sister! How much silver did your mother-in-law offer?" Gu Chengyi anxiously asked.

"My mother-in-law says there’s no silver at home, not a single coin." Gu Xi had now stopped crying, sitting somewhat numbly. At this moment, she had resolved to remain kneeling at her maiden home overnight if her father refused, staying until morning—what use was going back empty-handed?

He was surprised by this and exclaimed, "What? Oh dear! Can one’s own family really be this harsh?"

Saying this, as everyone in the room turned to look at her, she chuckled twice.

Then, clicking her tongue, she said, "Oh sister! Let me say, you were shortchanged during the property division! They gave you the original two rooms to live in. Your Old Wang Family had seven acres of land, yet only gave you two acres! And just five hundred wen, clearly exploiting you and your husband for your honesty! Your family isn’t large, the income from seven acres could have surely saved up some, right? Besides, brother-in-law and his elder brother do odd jobs in town yearly, how could they only save such a little money?"

She reckoned that the elder sister and her husband were a bit foolish. While running the household independently was best, it also required financial resources! Being unable to ask her family right upon returning was because she learned of the silver at Gu’s home.

"Xi Zi! In all fairness, with you and son-in-law facing hardship, if the maiden family possesses the means, your father and mother wouldn’t turn a blind eye. However, borrowing silver is a big deal; son-in-law just let you come back alone to ask? This much silver isn’t a trivial amount. Can you alone make the decision?" Mr. Gu thought that the silver would certainly be lent today. Seeing the eldest daughter’s demeanor, he feared she wouldn’t leave without securing the money.