Xiaohuang Hill, Thatched Cottage.
Night had completely fallen.
After seeing off the villagers who had come to help, Gu Qingqing collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.
There was nothing she could do about it. The thatched cottage was extremely crude. There was neither a kang nor a bed, so they could only wipe down some straw mats and lay them directly on the ground for now.
Fortunately, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold, so they wouldn’t have to worry about catching a chill. There weren’t too many mosquitoes either.
Gu Qingqing lay flat on the straw mat with her hands folded behind her head. Through a hole in the thatched roof, she could see a sky full of stars.
The scenery was beautiful, and the air was fresh.
The only problem was this body.
It was far too weak!
Back in her previous life, she had been the kind of surgeon who could remain at the operating table for thirty hours without stepping away.
Now, after walking for only three hours, she already felt like she was falling apart.
Once everything was properly settled, she was definitely going to cook something delicious and give herself a proper nutritional boost.
“Big Sis, the porridge is ready. Come taste it.”
Just as she was thinking about food, Chunqi came inside.
The little girl crouched beside her, holding out a bowl of porridge as proudly as if she were presenting a treasure.
“Mother made it with broken rice. It smells so good!”
Her big eyes were filled with happiness, and she unconsciously swallowed as she spoke.
This was white rice!
In the past, something this good was so far beyond their reach that they hadn’t even dared to dream about eating it.
Gu Qingqing smiled and pushed herself up into a sitting position.
“Have you all eaten?”
Chunqi shook her head.
“Mother is still serving everyone. I brought yours first.”
Gu Qingqing accepted the chipped bowl and lovingly stroked the little girl’s sallow face.
She was far too thin.
There was barely anything but skin and bones.
She would have to make sure Chunqi got plenty of nourishment too.
No.
The entire family needed to be nourished properly!
“Father, this bowl is yours!”
“You children eat. Your father isn’t hungry! Oh, I wonder if your grandparents have eaten yet. It’s already so late.”
Gu Qingqing’s brows knitted together when she heard Xia’an and Gu Changxing talking outside.
This cheap father of hers really was both lovable and infuriating.
If he was called blindly filial, then he hadn’t actually followed Old Madam Gu’s orders to mistreat his wife and children. When something serious happened, he could even withstand the pressure and step forward to protect them.
But if he wasn’t blindly filial, his fear and reverence toward Old Madam Gu could flare up at any moment.
He practically wanted to put her on an altar like a living goddess, light incense for her every day, and bow down before her.
Gu Qingqing took Chunqi’s hand and walked outside.
Standing beneath the thatched eaves, she spoke calmly.
“Father, why don’t you take some over to Grandpa and Grandma?”
The cottage had been abandoned for years, and the original kitchen had long since collapsed.
They had built a crude stove in the courtyard instead. It served as both their cooking area and their only source of light.
“All right…”
Gu Changxing instinctively agreed.
But when he turned around and saw the faint, chilly smile on Gu Qingqing’s face in the flickering firelight, he hurriedly changed his answer.
“How could I? Your mother cooked this for all of you. You children should eat more.”
White rice porridge.
Even if it was made from the cheapest broken rice, it was still an expensive luxury they couldn’t afford to eat more than once or twice a year.
Back at the old Gu household, they usually drank watery porridge made from coarse grain and wild vegetables.
Liu had been reluctant to use the rice, but since this was their first meal after separating from the family, she had finally steeled herself and used half a bowl of broken rice.
They could save a little more in the future.
Tonight, she just wanted the children to be happy.
Gu Qingqing looked at him.
“So you’re saying Mother didn’t cook any for you?”
“No, that’s not what I said… That’s not what I meant…”
Gu Changxing wasn’t good with words to begin with, and for a moment he had no idea how to explain himself.
“Mother cooked it for you, but you won’t eat it. Are you looking down on her cooking?”
There was no anger in Gu Qingqing’s voice.
She was merely asking in the calmest possible tone.
Yet somehow, that made the pressure even greater.
Gu Changxing wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I’ll eat! I’ll eat!”
There was no way he could explain this anymore!
If he kept talking, Liu might start thinking he was deliberately distancing himself from her.
As if to prove his sincerity, he picked up the bowl and gulped down a large mouthful.
The porridge had just come off the stove and was still scalding hot.
He wanted to spit it out, but the rich, sweet fragrance of the rice made him unwilling to waste a single drop.
He opened his mouth and hissed through the heat, somehow forcing it down.
“Delicious! It’s really delicious!”
His empty stomach was finally filled with warm food.
Gu Changxing let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
Everyone looked at him and exchanged knowing smiles.
Xia’an quietly gave Gu Qingqing a thumbs-up.
As expected of Big Sis.
Two sentences, and Father was already behaving himself.
Gu Qingqing returned the gesture with an encouraging fist.
Let’s keep working together, little man!
After dinner, they moved the most important things, such as grain and farming tools, into the one thatched room that was still in relatively good condition and carefully locked the door.
Gu Qingqing and her siblings sorted the smaller belongings in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Liu held the candle while Gu Changxing worked beside her, the two of them cooperating to patch the holes in the walls of the thatched cottage.
That was when Old Madam Gu and Gu Changfang’s family arrived.
“Eldest! Get your ass out here!”
Old Madam Gu stood across the courtyard fire with her hands on her hips, looking ready for a fight.
Chunqi nervously grabbed Gu Qingqing’s sleeve.
Gu Ping’an and Gu Xia’an also instinctively moved closer to them.
Their fear of this grandmother had been carved into their bones long ago.
Gu Changxing’s scalp tightened.
He quickly put down his work and hurried over, speaking respectfully.
“Mother, you’re here. Come inside and sit.”
Gu Qingqing gently soothed her siblings with one hand and spoke in a low voice.
“Father, do we even have any stools? Where exactly are you planning to have Grandma sit? On the ground?”
They had all just eaten while sitting on the ground, on stones, or on piles of firewood.
Old Madam Gu shot Gu Qingqing a vicious glare.
She had truly underestimated this granddaughter in the past.
Gu Qingqing didn’t flinch.
She met the old woman’s gaze and smiled faintly.
You old hag, your good days are still ahead of you.
Old Madam Gu gritted her teeth before quickly turning her glare toward Gu Changxing.
“Eldest, I don’t want to waste my breath arguing with you and damage the bond between mother and son. Just hand over the things yourself!”
Gu Changxing lowered his head guiltily.
“W-What things?”
“The silver!”
Old Madam Gu’s voice grew sharper.
“The money you prepared for your little brother’s journey to the provincial capital for the imperial examination!”
She had already planned everything before coming.
First, she would get the silver, land deeds, and other valuables into her hands.
As for the household goods and furniture, if they couldn’t reach an agreement, they could simply take them by force.
“Grandma, now that we’ve separated, why are we still responsible for Uncle?”
Gu Qingqing smiled as she spoke.
“Are my parents his parents, or are you his mother?”
“An elder brother is like a father, and an elder sister-in-law is like a mother!”
Old Madam Gu was answering Gu Qingqing, but her eyes remained fixed on Gu Changxing.
“Children don’t understand these things. Surely you understand?”
Gu Changxing lowered his head and didn’t dare say a word.
“Grandma, you’re right. But that only applies when the children’s parents are dead.”
Gu Qingqing tilted her head, her expression completely sincere.
“Are you and Grandpa planning to die before tomorrow?”
Old Madam Gu’s temples throbbed furiously.
She stared daggers at Gu Changxing.
“Eldest! What are you standing there for? Do you want this money-losing wretch to come into my old age and walk all over me until she drives her own mother to death?”
Gu Changxing naturally had never intended anything of the sort.
He was just about to speak when he suddenly felt something cold against his hand.
He looked down.
Liu had taken his hand in hers.
The light was dim, but for some reason, he could see the rough, cracked skin covering her fingers with perfect clarity.
He suddenly remembered what her hands had once looked like when they were newly married.
They had been as white as snow, as smooth and delicate as soft tofu.
The momentary daze in Gu Changxing’s eyes struck Old Madam Gu right in her most sensitive spot.
“GU! CHANG! XING!”
Old Madam Gu shrieked his name.
She stormed over and raised her hand, slapping him hard across the face.
“You unfilial son! I’ll beat you to death! I raised you from infancy, feeding you and wiping your filth away, and this is how you repay your mother?”
Gu Changfang immediately joined in, shouting excitedly.
“Mother, beat him! Beat him to death!”
If he died, everything here would belong to her Jinbao!