Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 73 - 69: Mrs. Fang Loses Her Temper

Chapter 73: Chapter 69: Mrs. Fang Loses Her Temper

"Dad, actually, Second Brother isn’t a bad person. I think he’s quite resourceful and knows how to adapt. So far, he seems to have some boundaries when doing things," Gu Chengyu advised.

There were actually some things he hadn’t said. As long as his Second Brother’s interests weren’t touched, he would turn a blind eye. But once his own interests were threatened, he would fiercely retaliate, even if it meant scheming against his own family. Take the matter of labor service, for instance. Although borrowing money could exempt one from the labor service tax, every household had to provide labor. Who had that much money? Could it really be gathered together? If not, then their 14-year-old Third Brother would have to do the labor service, which even grown men struggled with, let alone a teenager. This was forcing Mr. Gu to reveal how much wealth the Gu family had, while also avoiding labor service—two birds with one stone. Of course, self-preservation is something everyone seeks, and Second Brother has his own reasons. Gu Chengyu couldn’t comment on who’s right or wrong; it was just a matter of perspective. Perhaps he and his Second Brother were most alike, but he didn’t want to scheme against his siblings.

"Let’s see how it goes!" Mr. Gu also didn’t want to split the family; he hoped the Second Son wouldn’t disappoint him.

"Old man, the food is ready. Should we set the table now?" Mrs. Lv called from the kitchen doorway towards the main room.

Mr. Gu replied from the window, "Yes, set it up! Go call Second Brother back to eat dinner."

Gu Chengyu heard his mother call Da Lang to get them back for dinner. Today, Mr. Gu and Gu Chengli weren’t home, but the farm work couldn’t be delayed, so Second Brother had to go to the field alone. Mrs. Fang stayed at home temporarily to help He with cooking and chores, while Da Ya assisted in stoking the fire in the kitchen.

Just as Mr. Gu set up the dining table, Da Ya and Mrs. Fang brought in large basins of porridge and a big plate of corn cakes. Gu Chengyu looked at these basins that resembled modern pig feed and twitched his mouth. When would the family’s meals improve? Why was it always black porridge, with nothing solid to eat? No, he had to talk to his mother tomorrow since they had money now and didn’t need to continue eating black porridge.

Soon, they heard Second Sister-in-law call Second Brother, "Hurry and wash your hands, there’s pig’s feet today! If you’re late, there won’t be any left." Then his mother said, "Second son’s wife, when called to serve the meal, you know how to be lazy. Do you expect me, your mother-in-law, to serve you?"

"Mom! I just saw the kid’s dad come back. I’ll get the bowls and chopsticks," she said while eyeing the pig’s feet in Mrs. Lv’s hands, which smelled so good.

Mrs. Lv didn’t want to argue with He. She was a stubborn woman, and there were important matters to discuss later; wasting breath was unnecessary. With a humph, she returned to the main room with the food.

Gu Chengyu saw Mrs. Lv place two plates of pig’s feet on the table, one on each table. Today’s table had pig’s feet, but there were only a few pieces. Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but admire his mother’s skill. The originally large pieces of pig’s feet had been chopped into two, making them barely worth eating. You might not even get any meat off one.

"Has the eldest called for dinner? Come over and eat! I have something to announce once we’re done," Mr. Gu figured it was best to eat first before announcing, otherwise, they probably wouldn’t get to eat again.

Mrs. Lv first filled each man’s bowl with a full bowl of the settled solid grains, giving two corn cakes each. These cakes were larger compared to the ones on the other table; even the portions for Gu Chengyu and the smaller kids were the same. After serving the first table, she moved to the next table, where the contents were more diluted, mostly wild vegetables with few noodles, giving two smaller corn cakes per person, the younger children just got one. After serving everyone, the basins were empty. Mrs. Lv always managed the amount of porridge cooked perfectly.

This way of distributing food made Gu Chengyu frown. He knew that if the whole family ate as much as they wanted, the home’s grain would last just over a month. It seemed necessary for his father to buy some farmland; otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough food, and they’d all end up malnourished. Gu Xing, who was over ten months old, still couldn’t stand steadily. She was left on the kang to play by herself since Da Ya was too busy. Also, his sister-in-law didn’t seem too well. Although Gu Chengyu couldn’t feel the pulse yet, he could see that Mrs. Fang had severe qi and blood deficiencies, especially after giving birth to Gu Xing; she seemed completely drained, working every day. They needed Dr. Li to check on her and prescribe some medicine. Nutritional supplements were also necessary. Of course, as a younger brother, he couldn’t bring this up directly, so he had to talk to his older brother.

Before long, the Gu family had gathered. Mr. Gu first picked a piece of chives with his chopsticks, and then everyone started eating. Gu Chengyu sipped on his porridge, and while his mother wasn’t looking, he sneaked a corn cake into his space, planning to share it with Da Lang and the others later. Then he could take some ready-made snacks from the food street in his space to supplement them, claiming they were bought in the county today, hiding them secretly. The buns in the space were already made, just not steamed over fire. Since there was gas inside, Gu Chengyu had cooked them earlier and stored them for future use since the underground storage in his space could preserve food.

He had already set her eyes on the pig’s feet on the table, not understanding why her mother-in-law was so generous today, providing pig’s feet for their table too. Although there were only a few pieces and not much meat, even tasting it was worth it! Picking two fatter pieces for the two sons’ bowls, she found the plate already empty when she tried to get more. Her eyes swept around the table, spotting Er Ya giving the remaining four pig’s feet to Da Lang and Mrs. Fang; the three were sharing them!

Not having eaten any, He couldn’t bear it. "Wow! Er Ya, you’re fast! The elders haven’t eaten, and you’ve already started? Such a greedy little girl, beware you grow up and become unmarriageable," she glared fiercely at the untouched piece of pig’s feet in Er Ya’s bowl.

Er Ya paused midway in giving the pig’s feet to Mrs. Fang, her eyes turning red. Mrs. Fang rarely showed her anger, "Second sister-in-law, don’t you know how important reputation is for young girls? What’s your intention, badmouthing our Er Ya like this?"

He was startled by Mrs. Fang’s sudden cold demeanor. The eldest sister-in-law was always gentle; when did she also have such a temper? Just as she was about to respond indignantly.

"Enough! Can’t you eat a meal quietly? Second son’s wife, these pig’s feet are meant for everyone, not just for you. How come you’re the only one allowed to eat them? Quickly finish up; I have something to announce after the meal," Mr. Gu couldn’t stand it anymore. Among the Gu family, who else had a plumper figure than the second son’s wife? Didn’t she secretly eat enough already? Her constant nagging gave everyone headaches.

He could only sulkily drink her porridge, making slurping sounds and smacking her lips, which only made Mr. Gu shake his head.

Sitting at the table, Chengyi wasn’t paying attention to He’s side of things. His mind was focused on the money from selling honeysuckle today. He’s guessing that after the meal, his dad would announce how much money they made from selling honeysuckle—probably at least three taels of silver? Calculating the silver, he also thought they could still pick two more batches of honeysuckle, and by then, they should have enough to pay for the labor service.