Chapter 628: Chapter 630: One Person Short

Li Cuicui said, "Your eldest brother was going to send someone back, but I stopped him."

Seeing Gu Wenheng’s confused expression, she explained, "Even though your maternal uncles are gone, your cousins are still in Li Family Village. We’ve been exchanging letters these past two years, and I’ve already asked them to keep an eye out. I figure if Le Huan really does try to find his way back, we’ll get word of it here."

It was a shame so much time had passed. There were some things she didn’t even dare to dwell on, afraid the child hadn’t survived that disaster.

Gu Wenheng said, "I’ll get some things together later and have them sent to my cousins. It was thanks to their help back then that my brothers and I managed to grow into adults."

"There’s no need. Didn’t you just have me send them one hundred taels of silver last time? That, plus what I gave them before, is more than enough for them to recover.

Their last letter said they’ve already purchased some good farmland, and life is going well. They’ve even sent the younger boys to study.

Things are already good enough as they are. I’m afraid any more help would just bring them misfortune."

Gu Wenheng didn’t insist. He remembered how his two uncles from the Li Family had helped him and his brothers immensely. Even when they fled the famine, his uncles had sent them grain.

The walk wasn’t far, and the mother and son arrived before they knew it, chatting idly the whole way.

Seeing the household servants and guards standing watch at the entrance, Li Cuicui once again marveled at how different her son truly was now.

Gu Wenheng naturally tried to get her to stay, but Li Cuicui saw the exhaustion in his eyes. "You should hurry inside and rest. I won’t come in, so I don’t end up waking the child."

"Don’t worry, once this child is asleep, not even thunder can wake him.

We haven’t seen each other in so long. Let’s talk a little while longer."

Li Cuicui said, "That’s enough. We’re all family; we can talk anytime.

Look at how exhausted you are. Why are you still trying to act tough in front of me?"

Suiting action to her words, Li Cuicui turned and started walking back the way they came.

"Mother, I’ll have someone see you home."

Without looking back, Li Cuicui called out, "It’s just a short walk in the village. There’s no need for an escort. Hurry and get inside!"

Gu Wenheng was speechless. ’...If it’s such a short walk, then why did you insist on walking me home?’

Starting the next day, Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian became incredibly busy.

Even though they were staying in the village, they were out from dawn till dusk.

First, they paid respects to their mentors, then they visited old classmates. They attended banquets and then hosted banquets of their own.

By the time they finally had a moment to rest, five days had already passed.

Looking at the sprawling, bustling clan, Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but marvel once more at how the family was thriving.

The little tykes from before had turned into young men in the blink of an eye.

By the time she had been introduced to everyone, Jin Qianqian felt like her head was spinning.

There were new daughters-in-law, engaged juniors, and brand-new babies, all gathered together.

Xie Ruyi, cradling her eldest grandson, leaned toward Jin Qianqian and said, "You and Seventh aren’t being posted too far away this time, are you? Otherwise, by your next visit, all these children will have started their own families."

Jin Qianqian reached out to tickle her grandnephew. "We’re honestly not sure yet.

But Eldest Sister-in-law, you really know how to raise children. He’s so healthy and strong."

Xie Ruyi’s face beamed with pride. "Of course! I haven’t let this little one want for anything since the day he was born. I’ve covered all his food and clothing."

Jin Qianqian paused. "...Eldest Sister-in-law, are you raising him yourself?"

"How could I possibly?" Xie Ruyi immediately understood the implication. "I would never do something so thankless. Your eldest brother and I are just responsible for providing the silver; we have no desire to interfere in anything else.

In the future, no matter how many children each of the brothers has, they’ll all receive the same support from us. But the actual raising of the child? That’s up to them."

Xie Ruyi patted her eldest grandson as she spoke. "If this little one proves to have an aptitude for scholarship later on, you and Seventh will have to give him some extra guidance."

Jin Qianqian added a few words of praise. "That would be wonderful. Then his Seventh Grand-uncle can have a companion and someone to help share the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders."

Seeing Jin Qianqian fussing over her son, Xie Yuewei sat up even straighter.

She caught sight of Song Xiuyang nervously wringing her handkerchief out of the corner of her eye, and her mood brightened considerably.

Gu Wenheng quizzed a few of the boys who were studying at the private school, but he was ultimately left somewhat disappointed.

’Even with more resources,’ he thought, ’the best these children could hope to achieve is the rank of Scholar. Anything higher is probably out of the question.’

The only one who seemed passable was Gu Lehua’s future husband, Tang Qingdong. He was a child student from a neighboring village. While not a top-tier talent, if he really applied himself, it wasn’t impossible for him to achieve the rank of scholar.

However, that would all depend on his own destiny, and Gu Wenheng certainly wasn’t going to point that out now.

He offered a few words of encouragement, and with that, considered himself formally acquainted with this generation of children.

When several girls approached Jin Qianqian, she could hardly recognize them.

The once bossy and selfish Gu Lehua now looked like a graceful and poised young lady from a respectable family.

Although there was still a hint of arrogance in her eyes, her etiquette was impeccable.

Liu Liu knew her daughter’s true nature all too well; it had taken years of painstaking effort to gradually straighten her out.

It was only because their family’s circumstances had improved—and because she was one of the rare girls in the Gu family, making her a desirable match—that they were able to secure a future son-in-law like Tang Qingdong.

But Gu Lehua’s past behavior had left a lasting impression on Jin Qianqian, who found she simply couldn’t bring herself to like the girl. After offering a few words of encouragement, she quickly changed the subject.

As for Li Chuncao and Li Chunya, they seemed to understand their position in the Gu family. After paying their respects and receiving their gifts, they obediently retreated to one side. Jin Qianqian, however, could feel Li Chuncao frequently stealing glances in her direction.

Shi Niuniu, Gu Yuanfeng’s stepdaughter, wanted to approach, but Gu Yuanfeng pulled her back and warned her in a low voice.

As for Gu Yuanfeng, Jin Qianqian had already heard about her current situation from Liu Liu.

Ever since giving birth to her son, Shi Laiyun, with Shi Dayong, she hadn’t conceived again.

In recent years, feeling her position was secure now that she had a son of her own, she no longer bothered to keep up appearances with Shi Dayong’s children from his previous wife.

She had only brought her stepdaughter this time because Shi Dayong insisted. The girl was getting on in years, and he hoped to leverage this connection to find her a good husband. If she could earn a few words of praise from Jin Qianqian, it would make arranging her marriage much easier.

Gu Yuanfeng didn’t get along with her sisters-in-law, but she had no desire to waste her energy on a stepdaughter she wasn’t close to.

’In the future, all this support will be the foundation of my son Shi Laiyun’s success,’ she thought. ’I’m not about to let some irrelevant person dilute it.’

Shi Niuniu’s eyes blazed with fury, but in front of so many members of the Gu Family, she didn’t dare speak rashly.

’If only the men and women weren’t separated right now,’ she fumed. ’I’d go find my father and brother to stand up for me. I’d let them see how this vicious woman is bullying me again!’

"Seventh Sister-in-law," Wang Caiyue suddenly asked, "are you two leaving again in a few days?"

Jin Qianqian gave her a strange look. ’Everyone already knows that, so why is she asking again?’

"Yes," she replied. "We don’t know where my husband will be posted next, so we have to return to Shangjing to await the news."

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