Old Madam Gu jolted, her voice instinctively dropping.
“You little wretch, what are you trying to say?”
Gu Qingqing smiled, her dark eyes gleaming in the night.
“Your granddaughter is only curious. It’s not even hot yet, so how could a fire have burned so fiercely? And why did it happen right after our family finally got some money?”
She paused, then suddenly slapped her forehead as though she had just remembered something.
“Look at me, I’ve got such a terrible memory! Grandfather smokes a pipe, doesn’t he? There could have been a stray ember left behind. Of course, that’s possible. I’m overthinking things, that’s all!”
As she spoke, she glanced toward Wang Tiezhu and his son standing among the crowd.
“Huh? Why is only Uncle here with Jinbao? Something this serious has happened, so where is Aunt? At a time like this, what could possibly be more important than you and Grandfather?”
Old Madam Gu followed her gaze.
Sure enough, Wang Tiezhu was staring anxiously at the burning house.
He looked as though he were worried about the house, yet at the same time, it seemed like his real concern lay somewhere beyond the flames.
Old Madam Gu narrowed her eyes.
A sharp glint flashed through her cloudy gaze.
The old man did smoke his pipe, but he only ever smoked in the main room or outside.
Every night before bed, he cleaned his pipe thoroughly and hung it on the wall of the main room.
He had done so every day for decades without exception.
Then Old Madam Gu remembered what Gu Changfang and Wang Tiezhu had said earlier that day.
Her heart sank.
“Mother, the sun is scorching. Walking all the way to the county to find Little Brother would be too exhausting! Besides, carrying so much money around isn’t safe. Why don’t you have Tiezhu go and bring Little Brother home instead?”
“That’s right, Mother. I’m a fast walker. I can bring Little Brother back before the afternoon is over. Don’t you still have to stay home today and wait for Eldest Brother to deliver the things? If he changes his mind, you’ll need to handle it yourself.”
After what had happened with Gu Changxing moving out, Old Madam Gu had not been completely blind to the couple’s motives.
But the money was in her hands.
As long as she refused to let go of it, whatever schemes they had in mind would be useless.
So she waited.
And waited.
It wasn’t until nightfall that Wang Tiezhu finally returned alone.
He claimed that he had spent the entire day waiting at the academy but had never seen Gu Changsheng. After asking around, he learned that Gu Changsheng had gone to the neighboring county with his teacher and several classmates to gather material for their studies and wouldn’t be returning that day.
“Mother, don’t worry. I’ve already spoken with his teacher and the gatekeeper. They’ll send someone to call Little Brother home as soon as he returns.”
The moment Wang Tiezhu finished speaking, Gu Changfang immediately chimed in.
“Fortunately, Tiezhu went today. If you’d gone yourself, Mother, you’d have had to carry all that money with you. Apart from being exhausting, it would have been dangerous!”
At the time, Old Madam Gu had been staring at the darkening sky, irritated and furious. She had just been about to curse the two of them when Wang Tiezhu spoke again.
“Mother, did Eldest Brother bring the things back?”
“Bring them back my foot!”
The mere thought made her even angrier.
She had originally planned to storm over and deal with that ungrateful eldest son if he dared go back on his word.
But before she could even enter the house, she had heard several people talking inside.
If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have cared.
But Gu Changfu and Zhao Shuisheng were there.
Gu Changfu was the village head, and he had personally written their separation agreement. There was no way she could go barging in and demand things from her eldest son in front of him.
As for Zhao Shuisheng, he was Old Madam Zhao’s eldest son. His younger brother, Zhao Qiming, studied at White Crane Academy in the county alongside Changsheng.
If Zhao Shuisheng went home and mentioned what had happened, Old Madam Zhao would spread the news throughout the entire village in less than half an hour.
And if Zhao Qiming found out afterward and started spreading nonsense about her Changsheng at the academy, what then?
There was nothing she could do.
She had been forced to swallow her anger and return home, planning to settle the matter once Changsheng came back.
But Changsheng hadn’t returned.
Old Madam Gu figured that Gu Changfu and Zhao Shuisheng would probably stay at the eldest son’s house for dinner, so she didn’t dare cause another scene there.
Now she hadn’t managed to get back the things from her eldest son’s family, and she was afraid even the money in her hands might not be safe.
She had guarded against outsiders day and night, yet the thief had turned out to be from within the family!
Old Madam Gu gritted her teeth.
Just then, she spotted Gu Changfang emerging from somewhere and talking to Wang Tiezhu.
She immediately strode over.
Gu Qingqing silently retreated behind the crowd, watching with interest as she waited for Old Madam Gu to unleash her fury.
But instead of cursing, the old woman walked straight behind Gu Changfang, grabbed her hair, and dragged her backward.
“Ow! Which blind bastard dares grab me? Have you gone completely blind…”
Gu Changfang cried out in pain and instinctively covered her head as she began cursing.
Then she realized who had grabbed her.
“Mother! What are you doing? Ow, ow, that hurts!”
Old Madam Gu said nothing.
She simply dragged Gu Changfang out of the courtyard to a deserted spot before finally releasing her.
Gu Changfang felt as though a chunk of her scalp had been torn off. She rubbed her head furiously, certain that a handful of hair had been ripped out.
“Mother, what are you doing?”
Old Madam Gu remained silent.
She lowered her chin slightly, her slanted eyes narrowing as she stared heavily at her daughter.
Gu Changfang’s heart skipped a beat.
Had Mother figured something out?
No.
Impossible!
Only she and Wang Tiezhu knew about the plan. There was no way Mother could know.
Even if she suspected something, she wouldn’t be able to find any evidence until after the fire had been put out.
Gu Changfang looked toward the three main rooms, now reduced to little more than a few charred earthen walls.
She felt a pang of regret, but at the same time, she couldn’t suppress her secret satisfaction.
Three perfectly good rooms, gone just like that.
What a shame.
But with the house burned this badly, who could possibly trace the fire back to her?
She convinced herself of that and suppressed the guilt she felt toward the old woman.
Then she complained,
“Mother, I know you’re furious because something this terrible happened to the family, but you can’t take it out on me! Those were the best three rooms in the house. How could you and Father have been so careless?”
Old Madam Gu was furious at being blamed instead.
“What did you say? Are you saying your father and I accidentally started the fire?”
“Wasn’t that what happened?”
Gu Changfang looked completely innocent.
“Of course, I’m not saying you and Father did it on purpose. But Little Brother wasn’t home. You and Father were the only ones in those rooms. If it wasn’t you, who else could it have been?”
She lowered her voice and muttered,
“Normally, you won’t even let us stay in the main rooms for a moment longer than it takes to eat. You’re always afraid we’ll touch Little Brother’s things or start coveting those rooms. Now that something has happened, don’t tell me you’re planning to blame us for it?”
Those words were true.
She had always kept a close watch over everything.
There simply hadn’t been enough time for them to do anything.
Old Madam Gu’s slanted eyes narrowed.
Her thoughts raced.
Could it really not have been them?
No!
It had to be them!
She grabbed Gu Changfang by the front of her clothes and stared directly into her eyes.
“Look me in the eye. You and that useless husband of yours, Tiezhu, really didn’t start this fire? You didn’t do it on purpose just to get your hands on that one hundred taels?”
Gu Changfang’s heart sank.
As expected, an old fox was still an old fox.
Her mother had indeed become suspicious.
But she kept her expression calm and instead flew into a rage.
“Mother, have I gone mad? Why would I set fire to my own home?”
“Sure, we can’t live in those rooms right now, but once Little Brother passes the examinations, what if you and Father go with him to the county, then the prefectural city, or even the capital to enjoy the good life? Wouldn’t those rooms belong to us then?”
“Bah! Dream on! That house will always be where my Changsheng belongs!”
How dare this worthless girl set her sights on her precious son’s house?
If it hadn’t been for that incident back then, would she ever have let this daughter marry a man who joined her family? She would have sold her off for a good price long ago!
Old Madam Gu’s eyes darkened as she thought about it.
Yet she had to admit that Gu Changfang’s explanation made some sense.
But at a moment like this, if it wasn’t them…
Then who could it possibly have been?