Chapter Twenty-Two: I Will Take Them Away (Part One)

Dangling from the tree, Gu Da Cai watched as Gu Xiao Yao found the hidden silver. His face was filled with a desolate gloom, a sense of utter defeat weighing heavily on him.

"Gu Da Cai, you heartless wretch! Our family worries over you night after night, unable to sleep," Yang scolded, her anger boiling over as she saw the purse in her granddaughter’s hand. "I’m always afraid you’ll get yourself killed on the street, hacked to death by someone wielding a knife. And yet you still have the nerve to hide money!"

Yang lunged forward, pounded Gu Da Cai a few times, then collapsed onto the ground in tears. She had spent countless nights fretting over her eldest son’s gambling, fearing that one day the gamblers would drag him out and kill him. Yet here he was, hiding money at home—a truly callous creature.

"Why shouldn’t I hide money? It’s mine. I was hoping to win big, so I stashed it away," Gu Da Cai replied, shamelessly. "Mother, don’t overthink it. I just want to strike it rich one day and be able to honor you properly."

Yang, hearing his words, went wild with fury, yanking at his dangling legs, wishing she could break them apart. "Bah! You think I’m a fool, that I’d believe your nonsense? With your wolfish heart, even if you made a fortune, you’d never think of your family. If that day ever comes, you’ll take the money and run off to enjoy yourself somewhere else."

After so many years, Yang knew her eldest son’s character well—it would never change.

Gu Xiao Yao weighed the purse in her hand, then took out the bits of silver inside. She estimated there to be about three taels.

"Mother, come with me to the city clinic. Illness can’t be delayed—if you wait, your body won’t be able to bear it," she said. The three taels should be enough for a doctor’s consultation, and if it wasn’t, she’d find another way.

"No, Xiao Yao, come here, I have something to tell you," Li called, seeing the silver in her daughter’s hand and considering a trip to the clinic too extravagant. She was used to such injuries; a few days of rest would heal her.

"Keep the silver. I’m sorry, I had nothing good to give you when you married. I know what it’s like for a bride starting out. With money in hand, you’ll feel more secure. Take these three taels, I won’t go to the clinic," Li said, unwilling to waste money—besides, a visit would cost more than just three taels.

"You’re going, whether you want to or not. Who knows how many hidden injuries you have? I must let the doctor examine you," Gu Xiao Yao insisted firmly, making it clear that this was no trifling matter.

She had been beaten so badly—refusing to see a doctor was tantamount to courting an early grave. Wounds accumulate, and one day, disaster will strike.

"There’s something else you need to know. After you’ve seen the doctor, I’ll take you and my brother back to Lotus Flower Village," she declared.

The words stunned everyone in the courtyard. Yang, who had been crying and cursing, froze as if someone had grabbed her throat.

Gu, the old man, puffed nervously on his unlit pipe, his mind in turmoil. He sat down, stood up again, as if needles pricked the bench beneath him.

"Xiao Yao, what are you saying?" Li’s hand trembled as she grabbed her daughter’s hand, her voice rising despite herself. The son-in-law was still here—how could Xiao Yao say such a thing? It was far too disrespectful.