That evening, Old Madam Gu called Gu Dachui to eat—but deliberately didn’t call Gu Nianzhi and the other two.
It was obvious the old woman wouldn’t save them any food.
Fortunately, the mother and children had already eaten outside, so the three of them sat on the bed, staring at one another.
“Mother, Grandma wants to sell Sis!” Gu Nian’an blurted out.
He’d heard it already—Brother Chengwen was due to pay his tuition in two days.
“Zhi’er, don’t worry,” Madam Liu said anxiously. “Mother will never let your grandmother sell you!”
Though she said that, her heart was in turmoil.
By herself, she was no match for her mother-in-law and the eldest branch. And her husband—the so-called head of the household—was blindly filial. Resisting this would be incredibly difficult.
Gu Nianzhi knew it.
This was her chance.
There were only six months left before the great famine and flight. She couldn’t reveal her space too openly—not to outsiders, and not even to Madam Liu or Gu Nian’an until she fully trusted them.
The first step had to be splitting the household and building up a small base of assets.
Only then would anything she produced during the escape have a legitimate explanation.
But Gu Dachui was a hidden danger.
At home he didn’t dare utter a word, but toward Old Madam Gu he was filially devoted to the bone.
If they weren’t careful, the supplies the second branch struggled to accumulate would all be handed over by him to “honor his mother.”
And then she’d once again become the stepping stone for the eldest branch.
No.
Absolutely not.
Seeing Madam Liu’s anxious face, Gu Nianzhi poked her arm.
“Mother… how about a divorce?”
“Huh?”
Madam Liu stared at her in shock.
“If I divorce, what about An’an? He’s Old Gu family blood—they’ll never let him go!”
Gu Nianzhi twitched.
“Blood? Then what am I?”
Madam Liu hadn’t expected that question and immediately looked awkward.
Seeing her expression, Gu Nianzhi’s face nearly cracked.
No way…
Her mother looked so honest—don’t tell her she actually…?
Realizing both children were staring at her, Madam Liu snapped back to her senses and coughed lightly.
“What nonsense are you thinking? If you weren’t my own, what—picked up off the street?”
After saying that, she turned over and lay down on the bed as if nothing had happened.
Leaving Gu Nianzhi and six-year-old Gu Nian’an staring at each other in silence.
That night, after Gu Dachui returned, the family blew out the lamp. Soon his snoring shook the roof, but the other three lay awake.
Madam Liu knew Old Madam Gu must’ve already accepted the silver. If she wanted to stop Zhi’er from being sold, the only way was to make a scene—to the point of divorce.
But An’an was only six.
How could she bear to leave him alone in this wolf’s den?
The thought made her heart ache.
Meanwhile, the siblings’ minds were stuck on Madam Liu’s “slip of the tongue” from earlier—and her evasive expression.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t really care, just felt mildly shocked that her cheap mother apparently had a pretty colorful past.
But Gu Nian’an?
His whole world collapsed.
Sis wasn’t her real child?
Then what was he?
An illegitimate kid?
No—no way!
They were clearly real siblings!
The thought of his once fierce sister suddenly roasting him rabbit meat, sneaking him buns to eat… made him cling to her even more.
No!
Then he must not be biological either!
They were obviously real siblings!
With those thoughts tumbling around, the six-year-old finally fell asleep—his last thought still real siblings…
Morning mist drifted through the village. Roosters crowed early, and magpies chirped nonstop in the trees at the village entrance.
Gu Nianzhi had just woken up when a loud commotion reached her ears.
“Oh my! Steward Liu, we’ve been waiting for you! That wretched girl’s still asleep—I’ll go drag her up right now.”
Old Madam Gu was grinning ear to ear, her face creased with wrinkles. At last, she was sending that little slut Gu Nianzhi away.
Only once the girl entered the Liu household would the five taels of silver truly sit securely in her pocket!
Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the room and saw the courtyard packed with people. Her cheap father stood to the side, head lowered, not daring to speak.
She scanned the area—no sign of her cheap mother or Gu Nian’an. They were probably trapped somewhere by Old Madam Gu.
Steward Liu stood there with several servants. A donkey cart waited at the gate.
“Miss Gu, come with me quickly,” Steward Liu urged. “Don’t keep our master waiting.”
He knew very well—few girls who entered the Liu household came out alive, and even fewer came out intact. So he wasn’t polite to Gu Nianzhi at all.
“Your master?” Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. “Shouldn’t your master be paired with my grandmother? Why aren’t you taking her instead? Why call for me?”
“How dare you!”
Steward Liu relied on the Liu family’s power to bully people wherever he went. Villagers always bowed and scraped before him. Today, a snot-nosed village girl dared talk back?
She clearly didn’t take the Liu household seriously!
“Our master is the wealthiest landlord in Qingshan Town, with riches beyond counting! You little wench dare slander him—aren’t you afraid our master will punish you?!”
Gu Nianzhi calmly sat down on the doorstep.
“I’ve only ever heard of the county magistrate punishing people,” she said leisurely. “Never heard of a landlord sentencing common folk.”
Seeing her attitude, Steward Liu only felt she was an ignorant village girl. The disdain in his eyes was undisguised.
“You’ve already sold yourself to the Liu household. You’re one of ours now. However our master wants to punish you—he will!”
“Oh?” Gu Nianzhi raised a brow. “As far as I know, this dynasty forbids private trafficking of people. My grandmother sold me to the Liu household against my mother’s will—that’s no different from abduction. If this goes to court, I’m afraid the Liu household won’t come out clean either.”
She remembered clearly—the novel stated that private sale of people was illegal unless the family consented or the person sold themselves.
Everyone knew her family situation.
As long as Madam Liu didn’t agree, Old Madam Gu had no right to sell her.
Steward Liu choked.
He hadn’t expected this village girl to know the law.
That made things troublesome.
Though Landlord Liu had some influence in Qingshan Town, it wasn’t absolute. They preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible.
So he shifted his gaze to Old Madam Gu.
“You’ve already accepted our five taels. You know the rules. If we can’t take the person today, what do you plan to do about it?”
Old Madam Gu panicked.
Chengwen was still waiting on that silver for tuition!
Besides, another mouth meant more food wasted. Gu Nianzhi was only eleven—five more years before marriage. How much grain would that cost?
No matter what, she had to sell her today!
She turned to Gu Dachui.
“Second son. This is your daughter. You handle it. If she doesn’t marry into the Liu household today, then you can take your family and split off.”
Hearing that his mother wanted to separate the household, Gu Dachui—usually silent—panicked.
“Mother! My own mother! Your son hasn’t yet supported you in old age, hasn’t fulfilled his filial duty—how can I split off?!”
Old Madam Gu shot him a sideways glance.
She knew this second son valued filial piety above all else. That little slut wasn’t going to ruin her precious grandson’s tuition money with a few words.
“Grandma,” Gu Nianzhi spoke up, “if our second branch splits off, there’ll be no one left to farm the fields or earn money for this family.”
The eldest branch usually lived comfortably in town as clerks. They’d only returned a few days ago because of the idea to sell her. Their two sons and one daughter were still enjoying life in town.
Without the second branch farming, hauling loads, and subsidizing them, how could their measly six hundred coins a month support their lifestyle—let alone send Gu Chengwen to school?
Enraged that she dared talk back, Old Madam Gu kicked over a stool and pointed at Gu Dachui.
“Split! Your second branch can split off and live on its own! Your father and I raised you all your life—consider it raising a white-eyed wolf!”
She even pretended to wipe her eyes, though not a single tear came out.
And yet, Gu Dachui swallowed it whole.
“Gu Nianzhi! Get over here right now and apologize to your grandmother!”
Gu Nianzhi acted as if she hadn’t heard him, continuing to sit there and watch the show.
Helpless, Gu Dachui could only keep begging Old Madam Gu not to split the household.
Watching his spineless display, Gu Tiezhu felt nothing but contempt.
Under Zhang Cuihua’s urging, Gu Tiezhu straightened his clothes and stepped out from the eldest branch’s room.
“Nianzhi,” he said kindly, “listen to your uncle. Go with Steward Liu. We’re only doing this for your own good.”