"Yes! But it’s not what you think."
Upon hearing this, Gu Wan beca sowhat anxious. What Brother Xian heard from his classmates turned out to be true. She also knew that Xiao Bao wasn’t young anymore, and going to the brothel, he couldn’t resist temptation when seeing those beautiful won and wouldn’t be able to hold back.
But after all, those are brothel won, and Xiao Bao hasn’t married yet. Bringing back such a woman, how would his future sisters-in-law deal with it?
He hasn’t even married yet! To cause trouble for his future sister-in-law, that’s unacceptable. Moreover, Xiao Bao is still young. If that woman manages to win him over, making him indifferent to his lawful wife, wouldn’t that bring unrest to the family?
Even worse, if over ti, feelings grow and he wants to marry that woman as his wife, how could he hold his head high among his colleagues when he becos an official in the future?
"Xiao Bao! Do you like that girl?" She thought Gu Chengyu’s previous words were just to brush her off, so she decided to counsel him properly.
Gu Chengyu, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry, said, "Second Sister, why don’t you believe what I say? I said it’s not what you think, so it definitely isn’t. You know my character, don’t you? If it were true, I certainly wouldn’t hide it. That girl is also a poor soul, and we share so fate. Don’t worry! In a few days, I’ll send her away."
Gu Chengyu made a promise to Gu Wan, and Gu Wan found it hard to persist further. Besides, she feared that the more she spoke, the more Xiao Bao would actually take it to heart.
However, she made up her mind that in the future, she must frequently visit Gu Chengyu’s residence to keep an eye on things. If there was any sign of sothing amiss, she would imdiately squash it.
Gu Chengyu was sitting in the carriage, preparing to go to the dock located in the West Suburb of the Capital. The carriage slowly moved forward, and it seed they were almost at the dock.
Gu Chengyu lifted the curtain and looked towards the dock. Up ahead, the place was bustling with noise and people. Those n carrying parcels were continuously going back and forth on the dock, shouting, "Excuse ! Excuse !"
Amid the crowd were individuals wearing silk and satin clothes. Upon seeing the porters approaching, they quickly covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs and jumped aside, afraid of colliding with them. The shopkeeper nearby was busy gesturing and instructing those n, fearing the goods might accidentally fall into the water.
Additionally, there were others like Gu Chengyu who were in carriages, waiting at the dock for people. Gu Chengyu had already sent soone to watch over the dock the day before and had just received news that the vessel carrying his teacher was about to arrive. So he hurried over.
His senior brothers were all working in the governnt office at this ti, leaving him relatively free.
It was already springti. The spring breeze was not cold at all but carried so warmth. Ming Mo was sitting on the carriage shaft, eagerly looking towards the river. anwhile, Gu Chengyu was inside the carriage, feeling a little drowsy.
There was nothing he could do; spring lethargy was setting in. With nothing to do, having woken up early to practice calligraphy and read for an hour, he indeed felt sleepy.
"Huh? Master, look, isn’t that a boat?"
Ming Mo’s excited voice rang in Gu Chengyu’s ears, waking him from his sleepiness. He got out of the carriage and looked at the moving object on the river. It was indeed a boat, though not close to the dock yet.
It was most likely his teacher’s boat. Gu Chengyu straightened his appearance and stood by the carriage, waiting. The boat wasn’t slow, and with a favorable wind and current, it wouldn’t take more than the ti of a stick of incense to reach the dock.
"Hey? Are you Xiao Sanzi’s owner?"
Gu Chengyu stared at the river for a while. As the boat hadn’t approached yet, he grew sowhat bored and beca interested in the bustling crowd on the dock instead.
At this mont, a voice suddenly ca from beside him. Gu Chengyu looked to the right.
There was an elderly man, whose attire showed he was from an ordinary family. He wore a crab-shell blue short outfit, though made of coarse fabric, it was without patches. However, Gu Chengyu thought he looked sowhat familiar.
Upon closer inspection, wasn’t he the driver from three years ago when Gu Chengyu and his companions ca to the Capital and almost got scamd at the dock? In the end, he even gained a capable subordinate.
Xiao Sanzi was now managing the affairs of the First-class House for Gu Chengyu, very capable and hardworking.
He even planned to find so other business, letting Xiao Sanzi learn more under Yu Tuanzi.
The old man looked at Gu Chengyu, thinking the distinguished person didn’t rember him, not expecting the man to recall him. Now, Xiao Sanzi had a good life, but he often helped him and his wife and frequently ntioned that his owner was a good person.
"So it’s you, old man? Three years have passed, is your health still strong?" Gu Chengyu recalled the old man and scrutinized him closely.
After doing so, he felt the old man looked much older than he did three years ago, with several new wrinkles on his forehead.
The silver hair on his head now interspersed with strands of black, making his face appear even older.
In just three years, he seed to have aged considerably.
Gu Chengyu was puzzled. Even if soone was aging and living under difficult circumstances, it seed much too fast to age this rapidly.
Gu Chengyu thought there might have been a major upheaval at ho. However, since it was soone else’s business, he thought it inappropriate to ask too much.
The old man forced a bitter smile, "My family suffered a drastic change. Now, it’s just and my wife living day by day."
Having said this, he bent his hunched body even further.
Gu Chengyu didn’t know what had happened to the old man’s family, so he could only offer a few words of comfort.
"Old man, life always needs to look forward. Be a little more open-minded; life must go on."
As soon as Gu Chengyu said this, the old man suddenly began to wipe away tears, "It’s hard to be open-minded! How can I be open-minded? My son’s family of five all died, and living myself is worse than dying."
He too couldn’t bear to leave his wife; otherwise, he would’ve lost the will to live long ago, with white-haired people sending off the young. With the whole family gone...
Now, his wife was severely ill, likely not to live much longer. After she was gone, he planned to follow her.
If not for having no money to buy dicine for his wife, he wouldn’t have even bothered to earn money driving a carriage.
Perhaps having reached the limit of sorrow, the old man lost interest in further conversations with Gu Chengyu. He just walked dejectedly to sit down on a large stone behind.
Gu Chengyu could see he had lost all will to live. No words could console soone grieving over a loss like this, particularly having lost five family mbers at once, likely including his daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Who knows what catastrophe they faced?
The commotion with Gu Chengyu and the old man attracted attention from other carriage drivers. These people were waiting for vessels to dock, hoping to catch so business.
However, they were idling at the mont and started chatting among themselves.
"Sigh! This Old Jue is really pitiful. After all the efforts to raise his son and see him married, and even having a grandson and granddaughter, who would’ve thought that a great calamity would take all five away?"
"Who can say it isn’t true? Natural disasters and man-made calamities, who can foresee? Such a pity for his little grandson and two granddaughters, none survived. This ans the family line is cut off!"
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