Chapter 5

“Didn’t I just say? I met the county magistrate’s daughter.” Gu Xinxin smiled brightly, showing no trace of guilt from lying—at worst, she could just spend money to hire a few people to play the role of the magistrate’s daughter later.

But perhaps she wouldn’t need to waste that money if she worked hard enough to learn self-defense skills within a month.

“We helped her, and to show her gratitude, she gave me a few silver melon seeds. Wealthy families, you know they love using things like silver melon seeds.” Gu Xinxin said with a smile. Gu Daniu squinted at her, unable to detect any signs of dishonesty.

Who was Gu Xinxin? A big boss who personally hosted live streams, speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts.

When it came to making money, any words would do—no shame in that.

The detail about the silver melon seeds was particularly convincing. If she hadn’t seen them, she probably wouldn’t have been able to mention such a thing.

Gu Daniu was quite worldly. He often went to the county town to sell his game and had even seen the purchasing stewards of wealthy families.

“Dad, aren’t you going to try on the new clothes?” Gu Xinxin asked. Gu Daniu glanced at the medicine packet in her hand. Gu Xinxin chuckled, “This is medicine I bought at the pharmacy, only I can take it. Each person has their own medical case. The doctor said we shouldn’t take medicine randomly, or even healthy people could get sick from it.”

Only then did the stepmother emerge from the room, looking at Gu Xinxin with a gloomy expression. “You and your brother ate all the eggs in the house. Have you calculated how much money those eggs could have sold for?”

Gu Xinxin blinked. “Yes, I did. It would have been enough to buy Grandma a set of clothes. Look, I bought two sets instead, as a gesture of filial piety to Grandma.”

Grandma Gu opened her mouth, wanting to argue. She hadn’t eaten many of those eggs herself, so how could filial piety be considered to her? But looking at the clothes in her hands, it did seem like she was indeed being honored—after all, the clothes were meant for her, right?

If Gu Xinxin hadn’t bought them, could she have expected this woman to sell the eggs and buy clothes for her?

She trembled as she spoke, “Xinxin is a filial child. She never forgets her grandma whenever she gets something good.”

The stepmother looked at Gu Daniu again. Instead of rushing to try on the clothes, Gu Daniu sat down at the table. “First, tell me how you met the county magistrate’s daughter.”

Gu Xinxin handed the medicine packet to Gu Xiangrong. “Go boil the medicine. Do you remember what the doctor said?”

Gu Xiangrong quickly nodded, clutching the medicine packet to his chest, and headed to the kitchen, looking back every few steps.

Gu Xinxin began without hesitation. “Yesterday, I had a terrible headache and a fever. I felt like I was about to die. But my stepmother was being frugal—for both A Rong and me, she only gave us one bowl of water…”

The stepmother retorted, “That was a bowl of porridge! It’s not the busy farming season. Since neither of you are working in the fields, one bowl of porridge is enough to keep you from starving. Isn’t that how every family in the village lives?”

Gu Xinxin feigned surprise. “It was a bowl of porridge. Then why wasn’t there a single grain of rice in it? I thought it was dishwater. My apologies, my eyesight must be poor—I didn’t recognize it as porridge. I was so sick I thought I was dying, and A Rong was frantic. I thought to myself, our mother worked so hard to give birth to us, not for us to starve or die from illness. So, I told A Rong to break open the cabinet, take the eggs to boil, and then we went to the county town to see a doctor.”

Gu Daniu asked, “You dared to go to the county town without any money?”

“If you have no money, you could always become a beggar first. It’s better than staying at home and starving to death,” Gu Xinxin said with a hint of mockery on her face. At least outside, you might beg for a meal, but at home, you can only wait to starve. Listening to that—does it make you feel better?

Gu Daniu did not feel better, not because he pitied his children, but simply because Gu Xinxin had disrespected him.

Frowning, he tapped the stick in his hand on the table. “How dare you speak to your father like that?”

Gu Xinxin blinked and put on a shrill voice. “Yes, your daughter knows she was wrong. Please don’t be angry, Father.” Then she laughed and said, “I learned that from the young maid beside the county magistrate’s daughter today. Do you think I imitated her well?”

A threat was absolutely a threat.

Gu Daniu snorted coldly. “Do you really think you’ve found a backer? You’re my flesh and blood. Even if I beat you to death, without my permission, no one would dare collect your body.” So, what if it’s the county magistrate’s daughter? Can she control everything under heaven, even a father disciplining his own child?

“I know Father is very powerful, but if you beat me to death, the food I’ve eaten over the past ten-plus years would go to waste. If you don’t kill me, I might be able to earn a few taels of silver for the family.” Gu Xinxin knew when to stop. After all, in the face of absolute physical dominance, continuing to provoke him would be asking for death.

She was quite content with living and had no desire to die.

“Don’t you want to live a life of luxury in the future, Father?” Gu Xinxin asked with a smile. As her attitude softened, Gu Daniu also reined in his aggression. After all, if there was room for compromise, who would want to antagonize the county magistrate?

He sneered, “You think I can count on you?”

Gu Xinxin nodded. “Of course, you can count on me. Since I can get close to the county magistrate’s daughter now, I can climb to even better families in the future.”

She pointed at herself. “Father, I’m already sixteen this year.”

Old enough to marry.

Having raised such a grown daughter, even if it were just for a bride price, it would fetch a hefty sum. So, killing her now would truly be a waste. Even if he didn’t kill her, he ought to protect his daughter’s reputation. If her reputation were ruined, which family would offer a large bride price?

After a moment’s thought, Gu Daniu said, “The matter of you eating the eggs yesterday can’t just be dropped.”

Making a big fuss wasn’t feasible, but he couldn’t let it slide entirely. Otherwise, these siblings might tear the roof off in the future.

He declared, “Xiangrong is old enough now. From now on, he’ll follow me up the mountain. Xinxin will stay home and handle the household chores. Everything inside and outside the house will be your responsibility.” It would be good to keep her indoors for a while—perhaps she’d grow fairer and become more marriageable.

With her current dark skin, what wealthy city dweller would take a liking to her?
Gu Chenshi immediately objected, “Da Niu! This matter can’t just be brushed aside. You can tell a child’s future by the age of three—they’re not little kids anymore. Stealing all the family’s eggs just to fill their own belly if you don’t punish them for this, who knows if they’ll steal money from the house next time!”

That wretched girl Gu Xinxin hadn’t even shared the things she bought with her, so why should she let this matter go?

Gu Xinxin quickly interjected, “Father, I want to learn hunting from you too.”

Ignoring Gu Chenshi, Gu Daniu frowned and spoke to Gu Xinxin. “What use is there in a girl like you learning that? For now, stay home and learn sewing and mending.”

Gu Xinxin smiled and said, “Although I’m a girl, the doctor said my body is too weak. Even if I get married in the future, I’m afraid it might be problematic… I want to learn some skills to strengthen my body.”

What’s the use of getting married if I can’t bear children?

Gu Daniu frowned and looked Gu Xinxin up and down. Was she really that weak?

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