Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Brothers
Liu Yun, who was merely observing coldly, fell into deep thought. If her husband could return to the court, it would be best to separate these two brothers beforehand.
Father-in-law will not be an official in the future; they cannot possibly support the elderly and also take care of the two younger brothers’ families.
Besides, the family has already been ransacked, so they will have to rely on that meager salary to make ends meet. Even if they wanted to support them, they couldn’t afford it. It seems necessary to discuss this thoroughly with Kai Ping afterward.
They can’t just maintain appearances at the expense of living well and still support two unproductive younger brothers, can they?
Gu Antong placed her belongings on the cart, silently calculating the family’s current financial state, and wondered if, by the time they reached the next post station, the Third Prince would still be there to offer assistance.
It was so dangerous today, and no one showed up to protect them. Did the people sent by the Third Prince only pretend to comply, or was there really no protection for their family?
Grandfather was rather agitated today, probably because of this.
"What are you thinking about? Hurry up and help," Xu Yulan wrapped a tarp into a roll. Seeing the mother and daughter standing there dazed, she grew impatient, "Every day, you eat just as much, yet why are you so slow in your actions?
We’re not ladies of leisure now. Stop putting on airs—I’m not your servant."
"Second Sister-in-law," despite feeling upset, Liu Yun walked over to help lift the tarp onto the cart, "Can’t you say something nice?
We’re all family; there’s no need to be so sarcastic all the time."
"Big Sister-in-law, make no mistake—it’s not that I’m sarcastic, but consider it carefully: in such a big family, I handle most matters. You mostly just lend a hand, and yet I’m not allowed to complain a bit." Xu Yulan turned to tidy up the pots and pans. "Look at the state of this pot Antong washed! It’s not even cleaned properly. If we stop to eat later, it’ll be filthy again, costing more time to clean..."
These days, Xu Yulan felt she was verging on madness. With such a large family, she was the only one who knew how to handle things. As such, the tasks naturally became hers.
She especially missed the time when her aunt was around. With her aunt to support her, she hadn’t had to live so arduously.
As she thought about it, the grievances surged up, and tears began to fall unchecked from her eyes.
"We haven’t done anything; why are you crying?" Liu Yun stopped what she was doing to look at her. If others saw, they might think she, as the elder sister-in-law, was bullying her.
"We really didn’t say anything," Liu Yun moved the items and quietly distanced herself, "Don’t feel wronged. I didn’t force you to do these things. Perhaps you should talk to Father-in-law."
Xu Yulan wiped her tears away, "Since you say so, Big Sister-in-law, from now on, the three of us women should share these tasks equally. I’ve done enough today; the rest is up to you two."
Saying this, Xu Yulan climbed into the carriage with Gu Anwei, not wanting to catch a chill outside in the cold.
Seeing the scattered items, Liu Yun wished she could slap herself. Why did she have to say more than she should?
Now, they couldn’t just leave these things behind.
"What’re you still dawdling for? Get those things sorted out," Gu Kaiping, clutching his arm, was about to climb into the carriage when he noticed the many items still on the ground, and couldn’t help but chide.
"Living with someone’s supervision every day, look at other men, and then look at yourselves; you’re just a bunch of useless men," Liu Yun, of course, did not dare to say this out loud, but as she moved the items, she cursed in her heart contentedly.
She had overheard most of the conversation from the Gu family. They were just some superficial people; how could they regard their daughters-in-law’s assets as their own? If they truly did this, weren’t they afraid that their grandsons from the Gu family would be unable to find brides?
Thinking about how this would initially affect her own two children, Liu Yun decided that she must have a good talk with Gu Kaiping later. It would be best if he also restrained Gu Kaichen. Even if greedy, some things should not be so blatantly exposed.
The team ahead had already started moving. Even with grievances, they dared not delay. Hastily, they packed the items onto the cart, but soon another problem arose.
Gu Kaiping’s arm was injured, so he was naturally unsuitable for holding the ox reins. Unexpectedly, Gu Kaichen also covered his stomach and climbed into the carriage, "That Gu Kaiyuan hit too hard, my stomach hurts."
Gu Baijiang, about to enter, turned cold, "Are you two brothers not doing anything, expecting me, this old man, to serve you?"
Everyone fell into silence. Liu Yun and Xu Yulan were of course even less willing to volunteer.
Gu Antong quietly shrunk into a corner. She certainly wouldn’t lower herself to hold the reins.
Besides, holding the reins meant walking the entire way, and it was snowing heavily and so cold outside. She wasn’t foolish.
Gu Baijiang originally wanted the two daughters-in-law to do it, but finally fixed his gaze on Gu Anliang and Gu Anwei, "You two brothers should shoulder the responsibilities of the Gu Family, starting with holding the reins."
Hearing this, Gu Anliang prepared to get up but was immediately stopped by Liu Yun, "Father, Anliang has never done this before. He might not control the ox well. Maybe it’s better if Second Brother teaches them more."
"Big Sister-in-law, don’t you see I’m injured..."
"It’s just a stomach injury; your limbs are fine," Liu Yun could see through Gu Kaichen’s act, "Your elder brother has a wound; you are fine. Aren’t you embarrassed to send two children out while you get laughed at?"
"I don’t care, my stomach hurts, I can’t move," Gu Kaichen whined and directly shut his eyes.
Gu Kaiyuan was living a life of being waited upon, but Gu Kaiping only suffered a cut on his arm, not even on the right hand, yet claimed to need bed rest. What about himself with internal injuries?
"Alright, none of you need to go, I, this old undying one, will go in front to hold the reins for you," Gu Baijiang, seeing that no one responded, swiftly played his trump card, "Let’s see how filial you all are."
"Father," at this point, Gu Kaiping couldn’t pretend anymore, struggling to sit up, "I’ll go with Kaichen then. My right hand can still be used."
Gu Kaiyuan might not care about his reputation, but he did.
"Hmph," Gu Baijiang snorted coldly, "Don’t think I don’t know what little schemes you have in your minds. Rest assured, when we return to Shangjing, I’ll definitely divide the family."
The first house was overjoyed. Splitting the family was great; from then on, the Gu family’s future would be the first house’s domain.
Gu Kaichen, "Dividing the family is fine, but both father and sons are equal, so you must not favor one over the other."
"Get out of here, I don’t need you to teach me how to handle this," Gu Baijiang now felt very insecure, thinking that none of his three sons were reliable. Though his words promised to divide the family, it would only be a surface-level division. He wouldn’t let go of control entirely.
"What about Third Brother?" Thinking that Gu Kaiyuan would also receive a share, Gu Kaichen wanted confirmation.
