Chapter 8 Three Large Boxes of Coarse Cloth.

Gu Feng was furious upon hearing the gossip about his granddaughter outside. His second son, who was closest, became an innocent bystander. “Second son, are you dead? Didn’t you hear those old women yelling at the door? Get a carrying pole and chase them out!”

“Ah—?” Gu’s second son complained, feeling wronged. “How can I, a grown man, chase those old women away?”

“Then I’ll chase you out.”

Gu’s second son: “…” Why am I always the one getting dragged into this?

When Gu Feng was angry, no one in the family dared to utter a sound. He could only sheepishly grab a carrying pole and chase them away.

“Go away, go away! If you want to attend the wedding banquet, go to Hunter Jin’s house early tomorrow. What kind of nonsense is this, blocking the door now?”

“If we don’t want to see it, we don’t need you to chase us away.”
“How dare you, a grown man like you!”

The old women chattered amongst themselves, snorting contemptuously, before slowly leaving.

Soon, the Gu family mansion was in an uproar.

Grandpa Gu, leaning on a cane, was furious, still managing to yell, “This is the dowry you prepared for me? Huh?”

He used the cane to pick out pieces of coarse cloth and threw them all over the yard.

“You told me three big chests, more glamorous than anyone else, and this is how you fooled me? Three big chests of coarse cloth?”

“Dad, this… what are we farmers supposed to wear if not coarse cloth? We can’t afford satin or anything like that,” Huang Shi said softly, hiding far away.

It was her idea to have everything made of coarse cloth; she had even gone to town yesterday to bring it back in an oxcart. Gu Feng was furious, his chest aching, and he gasped for breath.

Gu Lao San, always quick to read people’s expressions, immediately gave his six-year-old son a meaningful look. The boy, like his father, was shrewd and immediately understood his father’s meaning.

The little boy rushed into the house and brought Gu Feng a cup of water. “Grandpa, don’t be angry. Drink some water and calm down. It hurts me to see you upset.”

Grandpa Gu, after all, loved his grandson. He took the bowl and drank a couple of sips to catch his breath.

“The younger one is more sensible than the older one,” he said.

He sighed and added, “Empty two chests of these coarse cloths. Pack in the satin your eldest sister-in-law brought as dowry, and the new quilts that haven’t been used yet. If they’re not full, go to town now and buy some. The money will come from the public funds.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces changed. Coarse cloth took up less space than satin. Filling these two large chests would be a nightmare, costing a fortune. They were unwilling to do it.

Meng Shi wanted to say something, but Gu Lao San quickly pulled her back and whispered in her ear, “Someone else is taking care of it. We don’t need to.”

Meng Shi was startled and swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Her husband was right; even if she wanted to object, she couldn’t be the one to stick her neck out.

Huang Shi, however, was far less shrewd and immediately wailed, “No, Father! You’re forcing us to our deaths! We can’t live like this! Da Bao is getting married after the New Year, and Er Ya is also getting engaged. If everything goes to Youyou, how are we supposed to survive?”
Gu Lao Er quickly chimed in, “Yes, Father, if we fill these two chests with satin, it won’t be enough for our family’s food for three years. That little devil of a girl is practically dying; she might die within two days of marrying him. All these good things will just be free for outsiders…”

This successfully enraged Old Master Gu again. “You unfilial son! Who are you saying is going to die? Are you hoping I’ll die too, so all this stuff will be yours? Did Youyou take any of yours? This stuff was left to her by her parents.