Chapter 248: Chapter 249: Going Off-Topic
Gu Yuanjin quickly stood up, waving his hands. "Sister-in-law, your words are making us blush. And we can’t take all the profit. Sister-in-law, you must take back half."
The Gu Family Brothers nodded in unison. Gu Yuanshui said, "Eldest Brother is right. This recipe was yours to begin with, Sister-in-law. We’d be more than grateful even if you just gave us some silver for our hard work. We can’t take all of this."
Gu Yuanhuo chimed in, "That’s right. This is all thanks to you and Seventh. You two should take the lion’s share from now on."
The simple and honest Gu Yuantu wasn’t good with words, so he could only nod vigorously after each of his older brothers finished speaking.
Jin Qianqian saw the sincerity in their eyes. Their words were heartfelt, and she could tell they had even discussed this beforehand. A warmth spread through her heart.
In the end, these brothers hadn’t disappointed her and Gu Wenheng. At least now she felt that her help had not been misplaced.
"Let’s be clear. When I and my husband gave you the recipe, we never intended to profit from it.
Brothers, look, should I have Housekeeper Fu come settle the silver with you now?"
The Gu Family Brothers exchanged a look, knowing that no matter what they said, Jin Qianqian wouldn’t accept the silver.
They stood in a line and bowed deeply to Jin Qianqian, startling her. She quickly stood up and stepped aside. "Brothers, what is this? I’m not worthy of such a grand gesture."
"Sister-in-law," Gu Yuanjin said with utmost sincerity, "we should have come to formally thank you long ago. You gave us this secret recipe so generously. We brothers will be indebted to you for the rest of our lives."
"You deserve it. And let me, your third brother, make this clear: if that boy Seventh ever dares to bully you, I will definitely stand on your side." Gu Yuanhuo was always just that direct.
But he had barely finished speaking when Gu Yuanshui stomped on his foot. "Don’t listen to Third Brother’s nonsense. Seventh isn’t that kind of person."
Then, perhaps feeling that wasn’t quite right either, Gu Yuanshui quickly added, "And his older brothers won’t let him make any mistakes. We’ll all keep an eye on him for you."
Jin Qianqian blinked, unsure of what to say, when Gu Yuantu also spoke up. "I’ll help you beat up Seventh."
Jin Qianqian could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing. How had this conversation turned into a full-blown criticism session against Gu Wenheng?
’Too bad my dear senior isn’t here right now. I’d really love to see his reaction.’
Jin Qianqian gave them a Fuli. "Then I must thank you in advance, my dear brothers. I trust that with you all as my backers, my husband will never dare to bully me.
Now then, brothers, are you planning to take the silver taels with you today?"
Gu Yuanjin was the first to step forward and shake his head. "I’d like to ask you to hold onto my share for me, Sister-in-law. With this much silver, I’d be too worried to sleep at night."
Gu Yuantu nodded along. "I feel the same as Eldest Brother."
The third and fourth brothers, however, hesitated. It was Gu Yuanshui who spoke first. "Actually, having Sister-in-law always sell these soy products for us isn’t a long-term solution. I was just wondering... are there any shops for sale in the county town? If there are, we could buy one. It would be a real asset for our families."
"Third Brother’s mind sure is sharp," the others realized. They had been putting their soy products in the pastry shop, but it wasn’t large to begin with, and they had to make space. They were indeed taking advantage of their sister-in-law.
Jin Qianqian hadn’t expected them to catch on so quickly. If they hadn’t brought it up, she had been planning to remind them herself.
"I’ll have Housekeeper Fu go and ask the baby broker later. If there are any small estates available, you brothers can start thinking about it." Jin Qianqian gave them a well-intentioned reminder. Since they wanted to build a foundation for their families, they could begin considering their options now.
"An estate?" The Gu Family Brothers were both surprised and excited. "Is that really possible?"
Jin Qianqian replied, "Estates come in all sizes. If you come across a suitable one, it might be a good idea to secure it."
Ever since Jin Qianqian had some surplus silver, she had developed a fondness for purchasing estates. Near or far, as long as an estate was decent, she would snap it up. By now, she had several of them, both large and small.
The Gu Family Brothers were fired up. Now that they were all focusing their efforts on a single goal, they naturally entrusted Jin Qianqian with making the arrangements.
「 」
Just as Gu Yuanjin and the others reached the entrance to the village, they saw their wives already waiting for them.
Ever since the family’s tofu workshop had started, Xie Ruyi and the other wives had been staying at home, content to manage the household chores and farm work.
They all knew what their husbands had gone to the county town for. And so, having estimated the hour of their return, they were all standing here waiting.
"So? Did you get the silver or not?" As the wife of the eldest brother, Xie Ruyi was naturally pushed forward to speak for the group.
"You’ve been waiting here just for this?" Although Gu Yuanjin had already guessed as much, he still felt a pang of disappointment.
Liu Liu squinted at them. "We were too anxious to sit still at home, so we all came here to wait."
"But it looks like you’ve come back empty-handed. Don’t tell me that Seventh Wife plans to keep it all for herself?"
Gu Yuanshui shot her a fierce glare. "You and your mouth. You never have a filter, just spitting out whatever nonsense comes to mind.
We can talk when we get home. What do you think you’re doing, making a scene at the village entrance?"
But Liu Liu misunderstood his intent and rolled up her sleeves. "That Jin Qianqian! After all our families have worked ourselves to the bone, by what right does she refuse to give us the silver?"
Gu Yuanshui strode over and grabbed her arm. "What nonsense are you spouting? Have you forgotten where you are? Let’s go home and talk there."
Seeing her husband’s expression darken so suddenly, Liu Liu became a little timid. "I... I was just looking out for all of you."
Gu Yuanshui was speechless. ’You don’t even believe that lie yourself.’
People returning from the fields were casting furtive glances in their direction. Not wanting to satisfy the villagers’ curiosity, the brothers each grabbed their own wives and dragged them home.
Everyone gathered at Gu Yuanhuo’s house, which was the closest. They sent the two children playing in the courtyard over to the old madam’s place, and only then did they lay everything out on the table.
The Gu family’s sisters-in-law were taken on an emotional rollercoaster by the story. But when they saw the silver note for two hundred taels on the table, Liu Liu immediately became indignant. "By what right is this Seventh Wife holding onto our silver taels?"
She had barely finished her sentence when she was met with a slap across the face from Gu Yuanshui. "Didn’t we explain it clearly? She gave us this secret recipe for nothing! Do we brothers not have even this little bit of trust in her?
Besides, even if our sister-in-law had kept all the silver, we brothers would not have said a word.
Stop trying to stir up trouble all day, or else don’t blame me for being harsh."
Liu Liu was frightened by his ferocious glare. Holding her cheek, she felt both ashamed and indignant. ’She couldn’t believe the others weren’t thinking the exact same thing. She was just the one who said it out loud, so why was she getting all the blame?’
Xie Ruyi and Li Xiaohua, who had been about to voice their own objections, caught the warning looks from their husbands and immediately silenced the rebellious thoughts that had been stirring.
"We’re telling you this so you won’t spend all day prying into this matter." Gu Yuanjin shot a pointed look at Xie Ruyi. She asked about it every single day. He was sick and tired of it, even if she wasn’t.
