Chapter 644: Chapter 644: Not Dead
He Laoqiao thought of the tragic situation of He Cui’er’s family after being expelled from the clan and finally became afraid: "This is my fault, big brother rest assured, there won’t be a next time."
Village Chief He snorted coldly: "Even if there is a next time, it doesn’t matter, I’ll just open the ancestral hall and expel your whole family, saving me the trouble of bowing low to the Gu Family to apologize for your family."
He Laoqiao turned pale upon hearing this and hurriedly knelt down and said, "Big brother, please help my family, I truly recognize my mistake."
Village Chief He, seeing He Laoqiao kneel down, felt that he was truly remorseful and sighed: "Xiao Shisi, you used to be honest and upright, not one for trickery. What has come over you now? Have you turned bad just because the times have gotten better?"
He Laoqiao hung his head in shame.
Village Chief He said: "Xiao Shisi, you know very well how the He Family used to be poor and bullied. You should cherish your good fortune."
He continued: "Wanting to establish a prestigious marriage for your granddaughter is fine, but do it the right way. Don’t scheme against others. You can’t outsmart them anyway, why bother?"
He Laoqiao said: "I know I was wrong, big brother, please help my family."
Village Chief He did not immediately agree but was silent for a good long while before saying: "Go kneel outside the ancestral hall, kneel until it gets dark before going home. You need to let the Qin family and the Gu Family People see it, otherwise, if I intercede for your family, they will not accept it."
He Laoqiao had no choice but to comply.
Gu Dewang quickly told Gu Jinli about He Laoqiao kneeling outside the ancestral hall: "Sister Xiao Yu, that old woodcutter is kneeling outside the He Family Ancestral Hall. His eldest son and a few grandsons are also kneeling there; it seems they realize their mistake."
After Gu Defa finished cutting the Mingya Grass at home, he came over to help gather it and commented: "My brother is wrong, he doesn’t realize his mistake, he’s just afraid of pain."
Gu Jinli laughed: "Brother Fa is clever, that’s correct. But as long as they understand pain, that’s enough."
Fear of pain restrains people better than understanding their mistakes.
Gu Dewang glared at Gu Defa: "Talk too much, just focus on your work."
Upon hearing this, Gu Defa kept on handling the Mingya Grass, yet said to Gu Dewang: "Brother, I didn’t help you dry the Mingya Grass today."
He added: "Mom is coming back soon."
Upon hearing this, Gu Dewang sprang up and hurried back home. If his mother came back and saw his work unfinished, she would beat him to death.
Gu Jinli looked at Gu Defa and said: "You’ve learned to be naughty."
Gu Defa replied: "It’s because big brother is too lazy. Only by doing this can we make him go home and work."
Gu Jinli: "Clever, you deserve a reward of a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts."
Gu Defa, hearing this, grinned with eyes squinting: "Thank you, Sister Xiao Yu."
The chestnuts were fragrant and delicious, his favorite. Upon hearing this, he worked even harder.
At dusk, when Gu Jinli and the others finally finished their work, she said to Gu Defa: "Go take a look at the entrance of the village, see if that madman has left?"
Gu Defa replied: "He hasn’t, on my way here I heard Haohao’s mom saying the madman wanted to watch the sunset and planned to light a bonfire in the grass after dark and play the Konghou."
He asked Gu Jinli: "Sister Xiao Yu, what is a Konghou?"
Gu Jinli said: "A musical instrument."
But in her heart, she was quite speechless; that Elder Zhan Zhan Er was really putting on a show.
Brother Cheng said from the side: "Second Sister, why don’t we go have a look? I’m worried he might suddenly die."
Staying up all day and night until now could indeed lead to death.
Gu Jinli said: "It’s okay to go have a look, but you can’t meet him or give him medicine. Otherwise, he’ll want to stay at our house."
Brother Cheng asked: "What if he dies?"
Gu Jinli: "Just let it be, who asked him to be so dramatic?"
Qin San Lang heard them always talking about that Zhan person, so he said to Gu Jinli, "Xiao Yu, it’s time to go home and grill the fish."
The sun was about to set, and if they didn’t make the grilled fish now, they wouldn’t be able to eat it today.
"Right, I still have to make grilled fish for Brother Qin." Gu Jinli instructed Brother Cheng, "If you’re worried, you can take Da Tuan and Xiao Tuan to have a look, but you can’t let them see him."
With that said, she packed up the account book and took back the remaining Silver, then said to Qin San Lang, "Let’s go home and I’ll make you grilled fish."
Qin San Lang smiled, took the booklet from her hand and said, "Let me carry it for you."
Her business was growing larger by the day, and she needed to check the accounts in the evening.
"Okay." Gu Jinli agreed, and followed Qin San Lang home with Xiao Ji.
Brother Cheng took Da Tuan and Xiao Tuan to the entrance of the village.
Gu Defa followed as well; though he was quite detached from world affairs, he was also curious to see what the madman looked like.
Upon reaching the village entrance, from afar they saw the madman sitting on a cart without a canopy, singing poetry to the setting sun, while plucking the Konghou.
Gu Defa nodded to himself, thinking, yes, indeed a qualified madman, he did not disappoint him.
Brother Cheng looked on with a scrunched-up face, but thought that as the man could still sing poetry and play the Konghou, he probably wouldn’t die anytime soon.
Just as he thought this, Zhan Er’s body suddenly swayed and tumbled down from the ox cart with a roll.
"Young Master!" Zhan Er’s two servants hurried over to support him, calling out incessantly.
The village women who had finished cutting grass and were planning to go home to cook were thrilled, almost jumping with excitement as they exclaimed, "The madman’s dead! The madman at the village entrance is dead, sang himself to death!"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Er’s servants roared back, "What nonsense are you spouting? Our young master is fine; he just fainted from the fever."
The village women retorted, "He fainted and is running a high fever; he might die soon enough."
Brother Cheng: "..."
Second Sister was right; the old ladies in the village really were formidable.
He Dayuan, knowing that Zhan Er was a guest of Master Xia’s, feared Zhan Er dying at the village entrance, so he quickly called a few strong men and took Village Chief He’s mule cart to send Zhan Er to Xuanhu Fang in the town to get medical treatment.
This Zhan Er looked like a rich noble young master, surely capable of affordin a mule cart, but he had come in an ox cart instead. The ox cart was too slow; He Dayuan was afraid the man might die before reaching the town, so he had to use Village Chief He’s mule cart to send him.
However, Zhan Er had a strong life force and didn’t die.
Doctor Wu checked on him and said it was just a cold causing fever, and that he would recover after a few days of taking medicine.
He Dayuan came back to tell Gu Jinli about the incident: "When I came back, the young man still hadn’t woken up, but his uncle had arrived..."
At this point, He Dayuan’s face twitched, "His uncle is also a peculiar one; even though his nephew had fainted from high fever, he actually said, ’My nephew has the style I admire, tomorrow I also want to go see the Mingya Grass.’"
He Dayuan felt that the entire family was sick; the nephew was insane, and the uncle was even crazier than the nephew.
Gu Jinli nodded upon hearing this, not really interested in the Zhan Family’s affairs: "It’s good that he’s not dead. Uncle Dayuan, you should head home now. Take these two grilled fish to eat, you worked hard today."
He Dayuan was very pleased, took the grilled fish, and went home.
Qin San Lang accompanied Gu Jinli out to see He Dayuan, and seeing her give the grilled fish in her hand to He Dayuan, he became unhappy.
The grilled fish was originally for him to take back.
Gu Jinli glanced at his face, seeing his discontent, and laughed, "What, are you pining for your grilled fish?"
Qin San Lang nodded, "Yes. You grilled it for me, it’s mine."
Gu Jinli laughed, "Look at how petty you’re being. Come on, I’ll grill a few more for you."