Farming Family's Pocket Dimension: A Charmed Little Lady Comes to Farm

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Time for a Meeting

Gu Erlang glared daggers at Ms. Qian.

Gu Zhang tightened his grip, guiding the old woman forward. "Mother, I borrowed this cart and have to return it tomorrow. If you want to go to your cousin’s house, I’ll hire a different one for you."

’Go to your cousin’s house? When did I ever say that?’

Fearing further complications, Gu Zhang and Gu Erlang didn’t wait for the old woman to speak. They hustled her into the adjacent courtyard and settled her onto the kang bed.

With the show over, the crowd of gawkers at the gate muttered a few last comments and dispersed.

Mrs. Chen quickly helped Gu Fei to her feet. "Good heavens, with this kind of commotion day after day, how will your wounds ever heal?"

Mrs. Chen and Li Chunhua helped Gu Fei into the house, stopping short when they saw a young lady on the kang. "Wh-where did this girl come from?"

She had been in the backyard picking vegetables and hadn’t seen the girl come in at all.

"This is the Sec—" Gu Fei started, but the other girl interrupted her. "Auntie, I’m Little Fei’s sister. Please, just call me Lan Zhi."

Gu Fei caught on. The Marquis Mansion was gone, so naturally, there was no longer a "Second Miss."

She nodded. "Mother, Lan Zhi’s parents are gone. Would it be alright if she lived with our family from now on?"

Mrs. Chen was about to say the family couldn’t afford it, but then she thought of all the things her daughter had been mysteriously producing. With that in mind, supporting one more person didn’t seem so difficult. Besides, her daughter had probably gone into town today specifically for this girl. After a moment’s hesitation, Mrs. Chen nodded. "Alright, then. I’ll just consider it as having one more daughter."

Lan Zhi said demurely, "Thank you, Auntie."

Just as they were speaking, someone shouted from outside, "The Village Chief says every household must go to the ancestral hall right now! There’s an important announcement to be made!"

Gu Erlang, who had just reached the door, asked, "Erniu, does everyone have to go, or is one person per household enough?"

"Everyone! The Chief said it’s a big deal. Everyone needs to be there to hear it."

Mrs. Chen pushed aside the door curtain and went out. Seeing that Gu Zhang had also returned, she said, "Old man, you take the boys. Chunhua and I will stay here and make dinner."

Gu Zhang replied in a grave voice, "We’ll eat when we get back. Everyone is going."

From her spot on the kang, Lan Zhi looked at Gu Fei. "Should I go too?"

Gu Fei nodded. "Yes. You’re part of the family now."

’Gu Zhang went to see the Village Chief last night,’ she thought. ’This must be about fleeing the famine.’

’It’s better if everyone hears it at once. It saves me from having to explain it to them one by one.’

Gu Erlang knocked on the door from outside. "Little sis, I’ll carry you."

Lan Zhi scrambled down from the kang in a fluster, turning her back and moving to the side.

As soon as Gu Erlang entered, his eyes immediately found Lan Zhi and lingered for a moment. Then, the tips of his ears turned faintly red.

Gu Fei understood at once. ’He’s a young man, after all,’ she mused. ’Looks like Second Brother’s got his first crush.’

’No wonder he’s been so attentive to me today.’

Gu Erlang hoisted Gu Fei onto his back, Gu Qing carried Little Cao, and Li Chunhua took Lan Zhi by the arm. The entire Gu Family headed out in a great procession.

They had barely left the house when they ran into Ms. Qian and Eldest Uncle Gu Zhong. Xing’er was there too, holding her little brother Bao’er’s hand, but the old woman was nowhere to be seen.

Gu Fei called out cheerfully, "Eldest Uncle!" Ms. Qian, however, had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Lan Zhi. "And where did this girl come from?"

Mrs. Chen shot her a disdainful look and ignored her.

No one in the family answered her. Lan Zhi clung tightly to Li Chunhua’s side, keeping her head down as they walked past.

Ms. Qian spat on the ground behind them. "Pah! A whole family of freaks. Not a good one in the bunch."

On the way to the ancestral hall, they ran into several other villagers. When some of them asked about Lan Zhi, Mrs. Chen would simply say, "She’s a girl from a relative’s family."

Lan Zhi kept her head bowed as low as it could go. ’Aside from the day her family’s home was seized,’ she thought, ’she had never seen so many men in her life!’