FIMA Ch49: Family Division

Looking at these coarse branches and leaves, if he hadn’t planted them with his own hands, Xie Changyue would have suspected whether they truly grew from those golden seeds.

Gu Er and Mu Xia kept him company by his side.

Mu Xia patted his shoulder, comforting him that it didn’t matter.

Gu Er measured the stems with his hand and smiled: “It sure grows fast. This doesn’t look like any flower; instead, it looks like some kind of tree…”

At this point, he slapped his own mouth. A tree could grow this tall, but how could it grow this fast?

Who knew what kind of thing this was?

Who knew where this overseas place was, either. He’d heard that the people there looked different from them in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so it was possible that the flowers grew differently too…

Xie Changyue was very disappointed, feeling that his husband might have been swindled by that traveling merchant from overseas.

Actually, two months ago, after this flower sprouted, he had been somewhat suspicious. However, he had still diligently weeded and caught bugs in the field, thinking there might be some changes.

Until now, seeing that it was completely beyond saving.

After placing his book basket in the room, Gu Siyuan came out and asked Gu Qingqing. Learning that his family of three was in the backyard, he went looking for them.

It was as if Xie Changyue possessed a built-in Gu Siyuan radar. Even before the person had stepped out of the courtyard gate, he felt a sensation in his heart and looked toward that direction.

The next moment, the familiar tall, cold, and stern figure indeed appeared.

“Husband!” Xie Changyue’s eyes shone like stars. In an instant, all the gloom around him vanished, and he happily charged over.

Gu Siyuan caught the little cannonball crashing into him.

The two held hands, walking to the front of the cornfield like conjoined twins.

Gu Er and Mu Xia exchanged a glance, accustomed to the sight; their son and son-in-law were just on that good of terms.

Gu Siyuan reached out, snapped off a corncob, and tore away the outer husks and silk to reveal the plump, golden kernels inside. He nodded: “Not bad, it’s completely ripe.”

Seeing the familiar golden color in his hand, Xie Changyue widened his eyes: “These… these are the seeds?”

Gu Siyuan: “Mm, and also a food crop.”

Xie Changyue furrowed his brows: “Ah, isn’t this a flower?”

Gu Siyuan spouted nonsense without changing his expression: “No, I ran into that traveling merchant who sold the seeds before. He said he made a mistake back then; this actually isn’t a flower, but a food crop eaten by overseas people called corn, just like our rice and wheat.”

Puffing his cheeks, Xie Changyue said in amazement: “The food crop of overseas people actually looks so beautiful. But… corn, this name is indeed very fitting. These individual kernels look just as if they were made of gold and jade.”

Mu Xia gestured to his son, somewhat skeptical. Could this really be eaten? He had never seen a food crop that looked this good. What if they made a mistake again? Being poisoned from eating the wrong thing was no joke…

Gu Siyuan said with a straight face: “There’s no mistake. That traveling merchant roasted and ate it right in front of your son. Moreover, according to him, not only can it be roasted to eat, but it can also be steamed, stir-fried as a vegetable, ground into flour, and made into sugar…”

Gu Er was astonished: “It can even be made into sugar?”

In this day and age, sugar was truly a precious commodity.

Hearing this, Mu Xia nodded, rather convinced: “Then it does indeed seem like a food crop. Just like wheat, it can be ground into flour and made into sugar.”

Tugging at Gu Siyuan’s sleeve, Xie Changyue was eager to try: “Since it’s a food crop, let’s harvest all of these, and roast them to eat tonight!”

Gu Siyuan nodded.

About ten minutes later, the family of four gathered in a circle in the backyard, staring dumbfounded at the two large sacks of freshly snapped corncobs.

Rubbing his head, Gu Er was somewhat in disbelief: “I remember Mother only sectioned off about a fen (one mu = ten fen) of land, right? Just one fen of land actually grew this much? I just hefted it, and it’s nearly over a hundred catties. Even if we remove the inedible cobs in the middle, there would still be eighty or ninety catties left.”

According to court and folk legends, a super-fertile field had appeared in the Taihu region of Jiangnan a few years ago, yielding nearly 600 catties of rice from two consecutive seasons on one mu of land, which had already opened their eyes.

In their Northern region, due to the cold weather and lack of water, rice could only be planted for one season, so most people planted wheat. The yield of wheat was far inferior to rice; the total for two consecutive seasons was only about 300 catties, merely half of Jiangnan’s.

Now, looking at these yellow cobs, a single fen of land yielded nearly eighty or ninety catties. Wouldn’t that mean an entire mu could produce eight or nine hundred catties, and it only took three months to grow?

My goodness, this was incredible.

Looking at everyone’s shocked faces, Gu Siyuan thought to himself: This is only a fine strain inherited over multiple generations, so the yield per mu can only be around 400 kilograms.

The best modern hybrid corn can reach a maximum yield of 900 to 1000 kilograms per mu, but hybrid varieties cannot be saved for seed. They require seed companies to constantly update and breed them every year. However, this cannot be achieved with ancient technological conditions, so this is the best it can be.

Mu Xia looked at his son-in-law again and gestured: “A’Yue, I saw you didn’t really tend to it much, and it still grew this tall?”

Xie Changyue nodded: “This thing changes every day and grows extremely fast. I only weeded and caught bugs for it as usual.”

Gu Er sighed with emotion: “To be so easy to cultivate and have such a high yield—it’s truly unimaginable!”

Xie Changyue propped his chin with his slender, white palm and said: “Since this thing ripens in three months and is very heat-tolerant, perhaps we can try planting another season next year in February or March, pushing the second season to July. However, if we do that, the yield of the second season might be a bit lower.”

Gu Siyuan glanced at him and said flatly: “My husband is intelligent. That traveling merchant mentioned that in overseas lands, summer lasts for seven months of the year, so this corn crop is planted for two consecutive seasons a year.”

Hearing this, Gu Er was extremely pleasantly surprised: “Even if it’s a bit lower, even if it’s half as much, as long as the second season yields a casual three or four hundred catties, then the total for one mu of land in a year would be one thousand three hundred catties…”

As he spoke, Gu Er unconsciously lowered his voice and supported his forehead with his hands.

Heavens, a yearly grain yield of a thousand catties per mu—he wouldn’t even dare to imagine it.

Bah, no, there was still the three hundred or so fraction left over, which was already the amount of their wheat for a whole year.

In this way, the grain yield in their Northern region would directly bypass the best paddy fields in Jiangnan and double it.

No… the climate in Jiangnan was warmer, and this thing liked heat. If it were planted over there, who knows, it might grow even better than here.

Tsk…

After the pleasant surprise, Gu Er quickly pulled the corn into his arms like precious treasures, preparing to hide it in his own room.

Gu Siyuan looked at his father and Papa, instructing: “Do not spread the news about the yield of this crop for now; I have a use for it.”

Both Gu Er and Mu Xia nodded earnestly. A food crop capable of yielding over a thousand catties per mu was incredibly astounding; it certainly had a great use, perhaps concerning their son’s future prospects.

Even to their parents, they would not speak of it.

After returning to their room, Xie Changyue looked at his husband, hesitating: “Husband, how do you plan to present this corn to the authorities? I… I could go back to the Suining Earl’s Mansion…”

Although he had returned to Huangyang Village on his own back then, he had, after all, grown up in the Suining Earl’s Mansion for nearly sixteen years. Not to mention the Second Master Shen and the Second Madam Shen, the Old Madam of the Shen family had once doted on him extremely. When he insisted on returning to Huangyang Village back then, the Old Madam had even held his hand and scolded him for lacking conscience.

The corners of Gu Siyuan’s mouth hooked up slightly as he glanced at his little husband.

He saw through his thoughts at a single glance. In the end, he was the major cannon fodder villain in the original story; acting silly and foolish in front of him all day was merely a superficial facade.

Thinking of this, Gu Siyuan’s heart softened, and he pulled the person into his arms to sit.

Following along naturally, Xie Changyue wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck.

Stroking his slender waist, Gu Siyuan whispered in his ear: “There’s no need. I have my own ideas, and this matter needs to wait a while longer.”

Hugging him, Xie Changyue asked: “Wait until after the Tongsheng exam next spring?”

Gu Siyuan nodded: “The one who knows me best is Changyue.”

All trades are of low status; only scholarly pursuits are high. Having a scholarly honor naturally made one’s words more convincing.

Hearing this, Xie Changyue couldn’t help but blush slightly.

Although his husband liked to hug and stick to him, verbally he was a cold person. This was the first time he had so straightforwardly expressed his feelings.

With his happiness, Xie Changyue’s mind became a bit clearer, and he continued: “Although I feel there’s no problem planting two seasons of this crop, we still need to wait until spring next year to test it once more to be certain. Moreover, we should appropriately increase the planting quantity. We might seize the opportunity to find out if there are any pest issues or the like, so we can take preventive measures as early as possible. Otherwise, if problems arise after it’s presented, it might incur the Emperor’s wrath, turning good intentions into bad deeds.”

Gu Siyuan hugged the person in his arms even tighter. Truly a smart little thing.

He nodded: “Mm, there needs to be a planting quantity of at least a few mu to be convincing. When the authorities send people to verify it, they’ll definitely need to inspect it carefully plant by plant. Perhaps we’ll even have to trouble my husband to act as a little teacher to introduce the situation.”

Xie Changyue curled his lips.

A food crop yielding over a thousand catties per mu was too astonishing. The higher-ups naturally wouldn’t just believe it based on empty words; they would definitely want to see the real harvest with their own eyes and conduct tests themselves.

However, Xie Changyue puffed out his cheeks and said angrily: “We don’t even have one mu of land right now. Even if we convinced Grandfather and Grandmother, that annoying Eldest Aunt would definitely jump out and make irresponsible remarks.”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes.

It seemed it was about time to divide the family, preferably before the New Year.

Not to mention that some things were hindered when doing them together, his eldest cousin was the protagonist shou Shen Changhuan’s lapdog. On this point alone, they were naturally in a state of opposition.

In the evening, the sun was about to set.

Having finished writing today’s policy essay and copied a volume of the Complete Compendium of the Book of Documents, Gu Siyuan walked out of his room and waved to Xie Changyue, who was squatting next to Mu Xia watching him weave cloth.

“Let’s go…”

Seeing him, Xie Changyue abandoned everything else. Without a word, he trotted over and hugged his arm.

Mu Xia shook his head and smiled, already accustomed to his son-in-law abandoning him for his son.

It wasn’t until they walked out of the courtyard and were nearly out of the village that Xie Changyue remembered to ask: “Husband, where are we going?”

Gu Siyuan hefted the wooden bucket in his hand and said flatly: “Didn’t we say we were going to roast corn to eat tonight? Eating only corn would be monotonous, wouldn’t it? I’m taking you to catch some fish in the river so we can roast them together.”

Xie Changyue’s eyes widened with excitement: “Husband, you’re the best.”

On the way from Huangyang Village to Hexi Town, there was a small stream branching off from the Yongding River. The stream water was crystal clear, flowing ceaselessly year-round, and there was no shortage of fish and shrimp inside.

However, the villagers had a hard life; anything remotely meaty had been eaten clean.

The small stream outside the village was the same. The fish there were individually smarter than monkeys, and the ones that weren’t had entered the villagers’ stomachs early on.

Gu Siyuan put down the wooden bucket, took off his shoes and socks, lifted the hem of his long gown, and tucked it into his waistband. He stepped into the small stream. The autumn stream water carried a slight chill, diluting the dryness in the air, making it extremely comfortable.

He reached out his hand to Xie Changyue standing on the bank: “There are cobblestones at the bottom, it’s very slippery. Come down and hold onto me.”

“Okay, Husband, I’m coming.”

Xie Changyue gave a loud shout, and then practically half-jumped into the river. With a splash, the splash he made was bigger than an explosion fishing crew’s.

Gu Siyuan wiped the stream water splashed all over his body and face, remained silent for a moment, and thought quietly to himself: The wilderness in the middle of nowhere might be a good place for murder and dumping a body.

However, Xie Changyue, this mischievous and wicked little Ger, quickly met with his retribution.

If you don’t listen to your husband’s words, you’ll suffer the consequences right before your eyes. The cobblestones at the bottom of the water had been washed incomparably smooth. When he first jumped onto them, he didn’t feel it, but when he reacted a moment later, his entire body had already begun to sway unsteadily.

Reaching out his hands, Xie Changyue yelled out, both crying and laughing: “Husband, help…”

Gu Siyuan calmly wrung the water droplets from his clothes, pretending he didn’t see.

Finally, just a moment before the person was about to fall into the water, he moved with quick eyes and hands, scooping him up into his arms.

Clutching Gu Siyuan’s clothes, Xie Changyue felt both angry and exhilarated.

He lifted a fair, slender foot, stepped lightly onto Gu Siyuan’s broad instep, and wriggled his toes: “Hmph, see if I let you bully me; now I’m going to stand on you.”

“Who is bullying who?” Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but laugh. He raised a hand and pinched his puffed-up cheeks; making false accusations was exactly this.

“You bullied me! You didn’t pull me up right away just now,” Xie Changyue said self-righteously.

Gu Siyuan looked at him: “Who told you to be mischievous? I’m completely wet.”

“Hmph!” Xie Changyue fumed.

Gu Siyuan was just about to tease him.

The next moment, the little Ger suddenly hugged his waist tightly. Pressing his small face against his damp chest, he said in a very small voice: “Husband, it was like this on our wedding night too. You picked me up and stepped on your own feet. Husband, I like you so much.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on his little husband’s half-wet hair.

Forget it, even if it was a false accusation, he’d accept it.

After quite a while, a gust of stream breeze blew past.

Gu Siyuan released him: “Go sit on the rock by the stream. It’s autumn; with your clothes completely wet, don’t catch a cold.”

Xie Changyue puffed out his cheeks in unwillingness.

But thinking about how he couldn’t even stand steadily, he decided to let it go. It wouldn’t do to delay his husband from catching fish; otherwise, they’d have nothing for the evening…

Holding Gu Siyuan’s hand, he slowly walked over and sat down on a large rock. He dangled his slender, fair calves halfway into the stream water, mischievously kicking the water back and forth with his feet.

In his own original life, Gu Siyuan had grown up in a mountain village, and there was a similar small stream near his home, so he possessed quite a bit of experience in catching fish.

Especially without this little dead-weight holding him back, he successfully caught a fish weighing about two catties in no time.

Xie Changyue yelled excitedly, lifting the wooden bucket beside him: “Husband, put it here, put it here!”

By the end, Gu Siyuan had caught a total of four large fish and two small ones, returning fully loaded.

This was Xie Changyue’s first time catching fish in a stream, and he was thrilled beyond belief. On the way back, he insisted on carrying the wooden bucket himself, and Gu Siyuan couldn’t out-argue him.

However, to keep the fish alive longer, the bucket was filled more than halfway with stream water. With his meager strength, he couldn’t handle it for long.

Then, the old routine played out: whining and calling for Husband.

After Gu Siyuan easily lifted it, the little guy started gazing at him with starry eyes, flattering him the whole way.

Upon returning, Mu Xia looked at the fish swimming around in the wooden bucket and gestured in praise: “You really caught them, how amazing.”

Squatting beside the bucket, Xie Changyue nodded smugly, his pretty eyes narrowing into a line with his smile: “Husband caught them all, but… I contributed a little bit too.”

Mu Xia had never seen such a cute and vibrant little Ger and couldn’t resist wanting to rub his cheeks, but he abandoned the thought the moment he met his son’s unblinking gaze.

He gestured to his son-in-law: “Have A’Yang roast them for you. I’ll go make some sauce for you to brush on them.”

“Thank you, Papa.” Xie Changyue nodded vigorously in joy. After a thought, he steeled his heart and said softly: “Papa, I can share two… one with you.”

“…” Mu Xia.

Actually, there’s no need to force yourself.

Xie Changyue wrapped his arms around the wooden bucket. These were the fish he and his husband had caught together; he was actually reluctant to share even one with anyone else. But Papa treated him very well, and he was his husband’s Papa.

Mu Xia shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He stood up and walked toward the kitchen, having no intention of fighting over these precious fish with his son-in-law.

Gu Siyuan entered the room, took out the few ears of corn he had specifically set aside earlier, and built a small fire in the corner of the courtyard wall.

Carrying the wooden bucket, Xie Changyue immediately hurried over to join him.

Returning from chatting outside, Old Madam Gu looked at the smoke rising from the corner and frowned: “It’s almost time for dinner, what are you doing now?”

Looking up, Gu Siyuan explained: “We harvested the food crop Changyue planted, roasting some for him to try.”

Old Madam Gu furrowed her brows: “Food crop? Didn’t you say you planted flowers?”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained unchanged: “It was a mistake; it’s actually a food crop.”

“I told you, what kind of flower looks like that? Wasted silver, and wasted a fen of my land.” Old Madam Gu curled her lip. After a thought, her voice turned cold: “You are a scholar, don’t just mix around with your husband all day. The exams are next spring; going back and studying more is the proper business. I don’t expect you to be as outstanding as Zhen-er and pass the Tongsheng exam directly, but you at least have to pass the County Exam!”

“Mm.” Gu Siyuan nodded.

Seeing his cold demeanor, Old Madam Gu lost the mood to speak with him. Both were grandsons, but why was there such a huge difference between him and Zhen-er? He wasn’t lovable at all.

Gu Siyuan didn’t care either, turning his head back to concentrate intently on the items in the fire.

Xie Changyue tugged at his sleeve.

Gu Siyuan was puzzled: “Mm?”

Pressing his face against his wrist, Xie Changyue said affectionately: “Husband is the best, I like you the most.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

What should he do when his husband confessed his love at any given time and place?

Corn and fish were both easy to cook. After roasting for a short while, a distinct, burnt aroma slowly wafted out.

The people in the courtyard couldn’t help but sniff the air.

Poking her head out and seeing that the debt-collector Gu Yang wasn’t there, Li Xiangtao immediately ran out: “Brother’s Husband, taking advantage of A’Yang having a holiday at home, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good I could smell it in my room with the door closed!”

Mu Xia handed the sauce to Xie Changyue, letting him slowly brush it onto the fish.

Then, he rolled his eyes and headed straight for the kitchen, having no desire to speak with Li Xiangtao.

If she wanted to ask, she should just ask nicely; why did she have to take a jab at him with hidden barbs?

Li Xiangtao hadn’t expected a reply from this mute anyway. She walked over to Xie Changyue’s side to look, and then her eyes suddenly widened: “Roasted fish! When did you buy fish? Why is your family secretly eating it here? The family hasn’t been divided yet! Even if you don’t give any to our First Branch, you must still show filial piety to Mother and Father!”

Xie Changyue was unconvinced: “What nonsense are you spouting? This is the fish my husband caught himself. Besides, Papa has already stewed fish soup in the kitchen; Grandfather and Grandmother can eat it later.”

Hearing that there was fish soup, a smile appeared on Li Xiangtao’s face, and she said nonchalantly: “We’re all one family, what’s yours or mine or his? Don’t we all eat from the same pot?”

With an arch of his brow, Xie Changyue said with the air of an old sage: “Eldest Aunt, I just saw you buy dried persimmons from the traveling peddler. Grandfather seems to like eating them, and I like eating them too. Why don’t you bring them out later to share!”

Li Xiangtao’s expression changed. She laughed hollowly: “You child, what nonsense are you spouting? What dried persimmons?”

Staring at the corners of her mouth, Xie Changyue said leisurely: “There’s still powdered sugar stuck to your mouth. Eldest Aunt was just hiding in her room eating them, wasn’t she?”

Li Xiangtao’s eyelids twitched, and she hastily wiped the corners of her mouth.

Xie Changyue gave a cold laugh: “Hmph, didn’t you say there weren’t any? You really know how to lie through your teeth.”

“You… you…” Pointing at him, Li Xiangtao was almost ready to charge up and stomp her feet.

However, right at this moment, Gu Siyuan happened to emerge from the room holding something.

Thus, in an instant, she shrank back fearfully.

Ever since the argument over the foreign melon that day, every time she said an extra word about the Second Branch, Gu Yang would find various ways to make her even more embarrassed. She was now deeply apprehensive of Gu Yang.

She could only shoot a fierce glare at Xie Changyue before stumbling back to her own room.

Hmph, her son was coming back tomorrow too. When the time came, she would definitely have him teach Gu Yang, this unfilial seed, a severe lesson.

In the main hall, Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu listened to the commotion in the courtyard and exchanged a tacit glance.

The Old Master sighed: “Zhen-er is coming back tomorrow too. We’ll talk about it when he returns. It’s better to divide this household early; right now it’s only verbal disputes.”

The Old Madam nodded, yet still complained unhappily: “Once they get married, they side with their own spouse. Yang-er wasn’t like this before. As a junior, is it proper for him to scare his Eldest Aunt like this?”

…

The prefectural school in Tongzhou went on the Winter Clothing Break on the third day of the ninth lunar month. Gu Zhen hired a swift horse carriage and arrived back at Huangyang Village in the morning. And this time, he brought back an uninvited guest.

Looking through the window and seeing the horse carriage parked at their courtyard gate, a thought flashed in Li Xiangtao’s mind, and she instantly rushed out beaming with joy: “Zhen-er…”

However, the first person she saw was Shen Changhuan, though the smile on her face only grew brighter because of this.

“Oh my, it’s Xiao Huan! Xiao Huan came back with Zhen-er. Sigh, I always said you two were close since childhood…”

She stepped forward affectionately, intending to take Shen Changhuan’s arm, but right then, two young maidservants stepped out to block her way: “Do not be insolent to our Young Master.”

Li Xiangtao’s face stiffened, but she quickly recovered her smile and said repeatedly: “Of course, of course. Xiao Huan is now a Young Master of the Earl’s Mansion. I was just too happy, pardon my lack of manners…”

Gu Zhen jumped down from the carriage and called out: “Mother.”

Li Xiangtao hurriedly went to greet him: “You’ve arrived home so early in the morning, the journey must have been tiring. Take Xiao Huan inside to sit, I’ll go brew some tea!”

Stepping into the Gu family courtyard, the soles of his boots landing in the village he had been away from for nearly half a year, Shen Changhuan’s mood was very calm.

Upon seeing Xie Changyue squatting under the eaves, wearing ordinary coarse cloth clothes, his fair wrists stained with mud and dust where his sleeves were rolled up, any negative emotions in his heart vanished completely.

Catching Shen Changhuan’s gaze, Li Xiangtao intended to curry favor and reprimanded Xie Changyue verbally: “Can’t you see a distinguished guest has arrived? How can you be so insensible? You don’t even know how to greet him, just acting wooden and dumb. Truly born with the fate of a mud-legged peasant!”

Putting down the soil he had just prepared, Xie Changyue looked up and said flatly to Li Xiangtao: “If you dare scold me one more time, I will immediately go find my husband and complain.”

“You…” Hearing that he would find Gu Yang, Li Xiangtao first subconsciously trembled in her heart. But thinking that her son was also home today, her eyes instantly lit up, preparing to formally debate with Xie Changyue to see who would win or lose.

At this moment, Xie Changyue suddenly chuckled lightly: “Eldest Aunt, your guest is still waiting. Don’t lose your manners in front of an outsider, just mind my business a little less!”

“… ” Li Xiangtao gave a hmph and said no more.

Shen Changhuan stared intently at Xie Changyue.

He had originally wanted Xie Changyue to marry Gu Zhen in the hopes that he would be a bit more obedient in the future, because he knew that regardless of whether Gu Zhen married or what happened, he would always be held in the palm of his hand.

After all, from childhood to adulthood, Gu Zhen had always been like this.

On the other hand, having lived in Huangyang Village for over a decade, he knew all too well how difficult a person Li Xiangtao was to deal with. Especially with Xie Changyue’s current status as her nephew-in-law, he would definitely have a hard time.

But he never expected that Xie Changyue didn’t marry Gu Zhen at all.

At this very moment, although Xie Changyue’s clothes were a bit tattered, the spirited and radiant vigor between his brows had actually grown stronger. In other words, he had been living very well recently, perhaps even better than when he was in the Earl’s Mansion.

Previously, when Gu Zhen told him that Xie Changyue was living very well in the Gu family and told him not to worry, he hadn’t quite believed it.

It seemed that the man named Gu Yang had indeed taken very good care of him.

An unwarranted feeling of indignation rose in Shen Changhuan, and he said sarcastically: “It seems that when one returns to where they belong, they truly are like a fish in water.”

Xie Changyue glanced at him: “Not necessarily. For example, you—you don’t look like you’ve been living very well.”

Shen Changhuan paused, saying no more.

After returning to the capital, he had indeed faced quite a bit of ostracism.

Those young ladies and Gers of the noble families claimed they were speaking out for Xie Changyue’s injustice, but he actually knew it had nothing to do with Xie Changyue. It was just people’s habitual cliquish ostracism of outsiders.

After all, those people claimed to have such a good relationship with Xie Changyue, yet they never thought of contacting him again or sending someone to visit him.

If one traveled by the official road, Huangyang Village was only a little more than half a day’s journey from the capital.

Faced with Shen Changhuan’s arrival, both Old Master Gu and the Old Madam were very enthusiastic. They entertained him personally and successfully kept him for a meal at their home.

However, the one who was happiest about this was Li Xiangtao.

She eagerly went into the kitchen and said to Mu Xia, who was boiling water: “Brother’s Husband, you must make the dishes better for lunch. Cook a few more dishes. Ah, don’t be stingy with the oil. Didn’t your son catch some fish yesterday…”

Sitting behind the stove tending the fire, Xie Changyue stood up unhappily upon hearing this, walked over, and blocked Mu Xia: “The person was brought back by your son; why don’t you cook yourself, only knowing how to boss my Papa around? Still wanting to hog my fish? Dream on.”

Li Xiangtao’s face fell. Thank goodness she didn’t let Zhen-er marry this jinx Xie Changyue back then; she truly clashed with these two husbands.

Thinking about how Xie Changyue had given her no face at the door just now, and thinking that her son Gu Zhen was also home today, she intended to vent this pent-up frustration. She instantly became arrogant and domineering: “I am talking to your Papa, what business is it of yours? Don’t you understand the principle that when elders speak, juniors shouldn’t interrupt? Step aside for me…”

As she spoke, she reached out her hand to push him aside.

Xie Changyue was wholeheartedly confronting her and hadn’t realized she would suddenly resort to physical force. His footing became unsteady for a moment; if Mu Xia hadn’t caught him in time, he would have almost fallen against the rice vat.

Li Xiangtao blinked her eyes.

Mu Xia first steadied his son-in-law, then turned his head and angrily pushed Li Xiangtao.

He couldn’t speak and didn’t want to argue too much; he had always mostly tolerated his eldest sister-in-law, but he could not accept her getting physical with his son-in-law.

Immediately, Li Xiangtao let out a direct scream: “Fine! The two of you are a family; you two little Gers are bullying me all alone. Do you have any respect for seniority?”

Gu Siyuan had originally been writing in his room. Unfortunately, the commotion was just too loud. He put down his brush, stood up, and walked out of the room.

The whole family had already gathered at the kitchen door.

And his little husband was confronting his Eldest Aunt Li Xiangtao like a fighting cock.

Gu Siyuan gave a light chuckle and took large strides over.

The moment Xie Changyue saw him, he hurriedly pouted and complained pitifully: “Husband, Eldest Aunt pushed me! Look, I bumped here, and she even scolded me and Papa…”

Li Xiangtao wouldn’t have it, immediately screeching: “Who pushed you? I just accidentally bumped into you! Doing it in front of so many people, yet you have the nerve to complain to your man.”

Xie Changyue puffed his cheeks: “So what if I complain? Your son brought the guest, yet you want to be lazy yourself. Why don’t you cook? You sit in the hall drinking tea, yet you make my Papa run around busy! The hot water you drank was even boiled by my Papa, give it back to me!”

“Wasn’t I keeping the guest company? Complaining… that’s all you know how to do, right?” Li Xiangtao was trembling with anger. She turned to her own son: “Zhen-er, you don’t know how their family of four bullies your mother when you’re not home!”

Gu Zhen furrowed his brows and pulled his mother: “Mother, whatever it is, we’ll talk about it later. We still have a guest here!”

Xie Changyue gave a cold laugh: “What do you mean talk about it later? Your mother has been counting on you to come back and help her argue! Truly interesting; every time she looks for trouble herself, yet she has the nerve to have the villain complain first.”

Looking at this ridiculous scene, the corners of Shen Changhuan’s mouth hooked into a sarcastic curve.

If he hadn’t left, if he hadn’t returned to the Suining Earl’s Mansion, perhaps he would have been a part of this ridiculous scene too.

When Li Xiangtao lifted her eyes, she happened to catch sight of this mocking smile. Instantly, an indescribable rush of hot blood shot to her head. She viciously raised her hand, about to bring it down toward Xie Changyue: “You are a junior, how dare you speak to me like this!”

“Scram!” Gu Siyuan pulled Xie Changyue behind him with one hand, while his other hand swiftly grabbed Li Xiangtao’s wrist and violently threw it backward.

Everyone’s expressions changed.

Gu Zhen hurriedly stepped forward to support his mother.

“Ah…” Where Li Xiangtao fell, there happened to be a rock, which poked her, making her cry out in pain.

Yet Gu Siyuan acted as if he hadn’t heard. He took the cloth from Xie Changyue’s hand, wiping his hands while speaking methodically: “Eldest Aunt’s conduct is still so unruly. Since when is it your turn to educate my husband? If there is a next time, do not blame your nephew for truly getting physical…”

His features were cold and stern. As he spoke with a darkened face, the imposing aura surrounding him almost oppressed people to the point they couldn’t stand up. He looked at Li Xiangtao as if looking at a dead person.

Li Xiangtao shivered under his gaze.

With his mother humiliated, how could Gu Zhen tolerate it?

He slowly helped Li Xiangtao up, his gaze cold and fierce as he looked at Gu Yang: “My mother is your elder! How dare you treat her with such insolence?”

Gu Yang shot a glance at him: “Firstly, Changyue is my husband, I have the responsibility to defend and protect him. Secondly, I have my Papa; if my husband does something wrong, my Papa will naturally educate him. In no way is it the place for an aunt from another branch of the family to lay hands on him!”

Gu Zhen gritted his teeth: “Even if my mother was in the wrong this time, you shouldn’t have…”

Gu Siyuan suddenly let out a light laugh: “Cousin, perhaps you have thought about whether the reason Shen Changhuan grew up with you, being childhood sweethearts, yet has never been willing to marry you… is actually because he can’t stand your mother?”

“You… what nonsense are you spouting?” Gu Zhen hadn’t expected him to suddenly say something so totally unrelated. His mouth remained stubborn, but his gaze subconsciously looked toward Shen Changhuan.

Shen Changhuan hadn’t expected the topic to suddenly shift to himself. His expression changed, and he smiled dryly at Gu Zhen: “I have always seen Brother Gu as an elder brother.”

“You see,” Gu Siyuan wore a confident smile on his face.

Although Gu Zhen had long known Shen Changhuan’s intentions, having it mercilessly exposed once again at such a moment magnified his feelings of loss more than tenfold. His face instantly turned ashen.

Shen Changhuan couldn’t quite bear the atmosphere. He turned and walked out of the courtyard: “It seems your honorable residence has matters to handle. I will go to the Xie family to take a look first.”

Looking at Shen Changhuan’s departing back, and then turning to see Gu Zhen’s appearance, Li Xiangtao dumbly opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

Old Master Gu walked out of the room, looking at them, and sighed: “To cause such a scene in front of an outsider, it seems you completely no longer wish to live together!”

Gu Da and Gu Er were stunned, calling out: “Father.”

The Old Master said to them: “Go to the county town and call your third brother back. We’re splitting the household.”

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