Chapter 541: Chapter 542: Choice

Things were trickier on Huang Pingguo’s end. Lu Cuihua was genuinely difficult to deal with, and it took the two men quite some effort to finally get away.

On the way back, Huang Pingguo couldn’t help but bring up Huang Pingan’s schemes. Filled with worry, he said, "I’m just terrified my old mother will lose her mind and actually do it. If they really get a matchmaker to show up at the door, what are we going to do?"

"What’s there to worry about? Mrs. Gu won’t agree to this marriage. However, you really need to have a serious talk with your brother. Thinking too highly of himself is no good thing—it’s likely to bring disaster upon your family."

"I know all that, but my mother calls the shots at home. Plus, she dotes on that brother of mine the most. No one can say a word against him." Huang Pingguo waved his hand in frustration. "Their idea is so naive. I was thinking of giving Mrs. Gu a heads-up when we get back, just to prevent them from ruining Miss Zisu’s reputation."

"You definitely should," Zhuang Datou agreed. "It’s best to be prepared."

The two men chatted about their family troubles for the rest of the journey. As they neared Tian Village, Zhuang Datou gave him one last piece of advice. "From now on, don’t tell your family everything about our households. We’ve worked hard to earn the lives we have today; we can’t let their greed destroy it. You should be able to see it by now—no matter how much you give them, they’ll never be satisfied. So why not set some boundaries early on? Otherwise, they’ll just come back to cause more trouble later, and how will you live your life then?"

Zhuang Datou only offered this earnest advice because they were brothers in arms. Deep down, he was also afraid that Lu Cuihua would continue to make a scene. Although the Zhuang and Huang households were technically separate, their fates were clearly tied together. They would rise and fall as one, meaning any trouble would inevitably affect him too.

"I’ll listen to you from now on," Huang Pingguo mumbled.

"Don’t listen to me; listen to your wife," Zhuang Datou quickly waved his hand. "We’re the ones who wronged them this time. We thought that since we were all family, they could just endure it and it would pass."

Both men knew their wives were suffering at home. However, since they spent their days working up on the mountain and didn’t directly face the abuse, they hadn’t paid it much mind. Dongmei and Chunxiang had mentioned it to them before, but for the sake of family harmony and to avoid trouble, the men had simply told their wives to be more tolerant.

Once the cart entered the village, the two ceased their conversation. They drove the ox cart over to the shed before going to find Gu Kaiyuan to discuss their arrangements.

"What are your thoughts?" Gu Kaiyuan asked. "Do you want to continue as managers here, or would you prefer to move elsewhere?"

Gu Kaiyuan wanted to see what the two men would choose. Secretly, he hoped to transfer them far away—ideally, somewhere their families could never find them. To think that such a shrew had actually tried to charge over and harm his wife and daughter! He wouldn’t feel at ease until he vented that frustration.

"I want to move elsewhere," Zhuang Datou said immediately, without a second thought. He didn’t ask about Huang Pingguo’s plans, simply hoping his friend would be smart enough to make the right choice this time.

Huang Pingguo hesitated for a moment before chiming in. "Mr. Gu, I also want to move. I don’t care if it’s harder or more tiring."

"Then what do you plan to do with your houses and fields here?" Gu Kaiyuan didn’t want to keep haggling with those two families over these matters later on.

"We can’t just give these assets away. They belong to Dongmei and Chunxiang, so we’ll have to ask them how to handle it," Zhuang Datou replied.

Gu Kaiyuan was relatively satisfied with this answer. He turned his gaze to Huang Pingguo, who quickly stated his stance. "I’ll do whatever Chunxiang says."

Gu Kaiyuan raised an eyebrow at them. If they had adopted this mindset earlier, none of these troubles would have happened.

"Then take a rest and discuss it thoroughly. Once you’ve made your final decisions, we’ll help make the arrangements." Gu Kaiyuan had only returned to deal with their mess, so naturally, he wanted it sorted out as soon as possible. Knowing Mrs. Gu and Gu Xingyang were still waiting for news, he dismissed the two men and headed back to the rear courtyard.

Several basins of ice had already been placed in the room, making it noticeably cooler the moment he walked in.

"At least they have some conscience left," Bai Suihe remarked after hearing Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo’s decision. "Moving is for the best. We still have those few large farmsteads on hand; we can let them manage those. However, since they haven’t signed indentured servitude contracts, you should draw up a formal agreement with them."

Bai Suihe was adapting to local customs. With indentured servitude contracts in hand, she wouldn’t have to worry about these people betraying their masters. She trusted Dongmei and Chunxiang, but she still harbored some reservations about Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo. If they weren’t going to sign their lives over, they at least needed to sign a legally binding contract so she could prepare for the worst.

Gu Kaiyuan shared her sentiment. He had previously kept them in Tian Village as managers because the Gu family had their own trusted people stationed there. Surrounded by oversight, Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo definitely wouldn’t dare harbor ulterior motives. But moving them to a remote location was a completely different story.

The subsequent arrangements went smoothly. Early the next morning, Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo drove a carriage to pick up Dongmei and Chunxiang.

Dongmei and Chunxiang had no desire to live in close proximity to their in-laws anymore, firmly resolving to relocate.

Bai Suihe didn’t raise any objections and agreed without a second word. She bought back their houses and fertile fields at a fair market price. Since she was promoting new managers here anyway, the properties would serve perfectly as housing for them.

"However, with you two being so heavily pregnant, you aren’t suited for a long journey. You should go stay in the county town for a while," Bai Suihe said, looking at their large bellies.

"Mrs. Gu, the farmstead you’re sending us to isn’t that far from here. It takes less than a day to arrive. We can just take it slow on the road," Dongmei said stubbornly, not wanting to trouble her any further.

"You need to listen to me on this. You’ll be unfamiliar with the place and the people there; you probably won’t even know where to find a midwife," Bai Suihe said firmly. "Just listen to me this time and stay in the county town for now. Childbirth is no joke. We cannot afford the slightest negligence."

Zhuang Datou, well aware of the hardships of childbirth, immediately voiced his agreement. Huang Pingguo naturally followed suit. And so, the matter was settled. The two men returned home to do some simple packing. In truth, there wasn’t much left to pack; aside from large, immovable pieces of furniture like tables and wardrobes, everything else had long been bagged up and taken away by their families.

They didn’t know when their families would come looking for them again, but they figured it wouldn’t take long for the families to give in. After all, building a household from scratch required far too many things. The moment those two families had to start spending their own money to buy necessities, it would pain them deeply, and they would inevitably scheme to exploit Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo once more.

Once their belongings were packed, seeing that it was still early in the day, they simply borrowed a carriage and headed straight into the city.

Bai Suihe and her family, on the other hand, decided to stay in the village for a while longer. It was a rare visit, so they planned to make a few trips up the mountain to see if they could forage any rare medicinal herbs.

Shangjing.

Gu Antong had lost track of how long it had been since she last stepped out of this courtyard. She hid inside her room, keeping the windows shut tight.

She suffered through the entire summer this way. Despite sweating profusely every single day, it did nothing to slim her down.

How long had it been since Rong Ruiyuan last visited her courtyard? She couldn’t even remember.

In the beginning, the Imperial Physician would come for consultations almost every day, but recently, even he had stopped showing up. This was what worried her the most.

Without even a doctor, how was she supposed to recover...

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