Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 74 Lively
Xu Qingmeng then took charge of the cooking herself.

Braised beef, braised pork belly, pork tripe soup, plus a big plate of chicken and boiled fish—just these few main dishes are enough to dazzle the eye.

Not to mention she also made several stir-fries, such as mushrooms and greens, shredded pork with green peppers, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, and stir-fried potato slices.

Previously, Sister-in-law Xu had only heard from them that Xu Qingmeng was a good cook, but she didn't know the extent of her cooking skills.

Seeing her so quick and efficient, doing things in an orderly manner, as if she were playing with a kitchen knife in her hands, I was instantly amazed.

The same thought that Xu Yongfu had had began to pop into his mind: that sensible and obedient Meng'er had really returned.

While the kitchen was bustling with delicious aromas, the atmosphere between Gu Yunyi, his grandfather, and his three older brothers was far from pleasant.

Xu Yongfu waved for the children to leave, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

His expression was grave: "Yunyi, has something happened?"

Gu Yunyi was taken aback. He hadn't even figured out when or how to speak, but the old man had already seen through him.

Xu Yongfu said, "Last time I heard you say that you had passed the county examination. After the county examination comes the prefectural examination, which is in mid-April. Logically speaking, even if you just finished the exam, you should be resting at home now. If you want to bring your daughter back to visit, you should wait until the results of the prefectural examination are out. So, I guess something must have happened?"

Gu Yunyi smiled wryly: "I knew I couldn't hide this from my father-in-law."

"Alright, go ahead and talk it over. Let's discuss this as a family. There's strength in numbers, and we can always find a solution." Xu Yongfu waved his hand.

Gu Yunyi stood up, his face grave, and knelt down with a 'plop'.

Xu Yongfu was startled. "Yunyi, what are you doing? Get up, get up!"

The three older brothers of the Xu family, who were standing nearby, also quickly tried to persuade him.

Gu Yunyi didn't stand up, but said, "Father-in-law, elder brother, something has happened to Xun-ge'er."
"What?" Xu Yongfu paused, but quickly calmed down, after all, he was the head of a village.

The eldest brother of the Xu family felt dizzy, but the second and third brothers of the Xu family caught him quickly and prevented him from falling.

Xu Yongfu asked, "What's wrong with Xun-ge'er? What happened?"

Gu Yunyi didn't expect to frighten his father-in-law, but he did frighten his elder brother, who quickly told him what had happened yesterday.

Of course, it's also important to tell them that Xun Ge'er's left arm injury will not have any lasting effects, but he may need to rest for a while.

Xu Yongfu breathed a sigh of relief, and his furrowed brows relaxed a little.

When I saw Gu Yunyi kneel down just now, I almost thought something terrible had happened to Xun Ge'er. Now that I heard how dangerous it was yesterday, he only injured his arm and there was nothing seriously wrong. My heart is finally at ease.

Xu Yongfu looked at Gu Yunyi, who was still kneeling on the ground, and quickly helped him up: "This matter cannot be blamed on you. You can only blame the unpredictability of life and your bad luck. You just happened to run into that desperate villain. It is already a blessing that you are only resting now."

"Big brother..."

"Yunyi, you don't need to say anything. Your elder brother knows everything, he knows everything." The eldest brother of the Xu family wiped his face and finally calmed down.

Xu Yongfu tapped the table, his voice slightly deep: "Yunyi, what are you thinking?" Gu Yunyi paused, looked at Xu Yongfu, and didn't understand what he meant.

However, Xu Yongfu's eldest brother, who had been by Xu Yongfu's side for so many years, saw through his unspoken words at a glance and frowned, saying, "Father, my brother-in-law is still studying. Besides, this matter is not his fault. He will only suffer a little, but finding my son will not be a big problem."

Xu Yongfu lowered his eyes. He didn't necessarily want Gu Yunyi to give him an explanation, but he didn't want this matter to cause any estrangement between the siblings in the future.

Although it's not serious, it's still an arm injury. All the work in this village is heavy, and hunting and farming both require strength. I won't be able to do that in the future.

Even if he could barely make ends meet, what girl would want to marry him?
He couldn't just stand by and watch his eldest grandson waste his life in the village, destined to be a lonely bachelor for the rest of his life.

If that's the case, no matter how much the eldest daughter-in-law loves Nannan, even if she doesn't say it now, she will complain about it in the future.

After listening to Brother Xu's words and seeing the deep sorrow in the old man's eyes, Gu Yunyi finally understood the meaning behind his words.

He quickly said, "Mengniang once said she wanted to take over a few more shops. I discussed it with Mengniang. Now that Xun Ge'er is still young, we thought we would let him learn the abacus in the county town for two years. Then he can go directly to the shop to be a manager or accountant. In any case, we will definitely not let him go back to the village to do manual labor."

“This…this won’t do, this won’t do. Xun’er is a young man who is still growing and eats a lot. Learning to use an abacus requires money. This can’t be done.”

Gu Yunyi shook his head: "Brother, no matter what, Xun-ge'er is working for our Gu family. I should take responsibility for this. Besides, we are family, why should we talk like that? Even if this hadn't happened, Mengniang and I didn't plan to be helpers forever. We need to learn a skill so that we can make a living for the rest of our lives."

Before Brother Xu could say anything more, Xu Yongfu spoke up: "Boss, let's do as Yunyi says."

"But Father..."

"However, you can't pay for all of this money."

Xu Yongfu raised his eyes and said, "I have been very forgiving of what Nannan did before. Yunyi, you are different now. You are a capable person. Your father-in-law has his own selfish reasons. In this situation, we certainly cannot let Xun Ge'er come back, but we also cannot take advantage of you. You can help find an experienced master. I will pay for the money."

Gu Yunyi understood that given how much the Xu family doted on Mengniang, they certainly wouldn't blame her. However, there was still his sister-in-law involved, and Xu's father couldn't allow any future conflicts to arise because of this.

Gu Yunyi wasn't naive; he naturally couldn't let Xu's father pay. Even if they did have the money, it would ultimately be spent on the eldest son's family, and someone like his second sister-in-law would cause chaos within the family.

“Father-in-law, to be honest, the monthly tuition fees of a teacher in the county town who is willing to teach sincerely are not necessarily less than those of a student. In addition, there are gifts during festivals. Over the course of a year, it will cost at least several dozen taels of silver.”

Xu Yongfu fell silent. They had saved up a lot of money over their lifetime, but they hadn't divided the family property yet. If he gave up this share, his third daughter-in-law probably wouldn't say anything, but his second daughter-in-law would definitely make a scene.

Seeing his silence, Gu Yunyi spoke again: "If Father-in-law feels bad about it, I will go back and sign a contract with Xun-ge'er. This tuition fee will be considered a loan from me to him. He can pay me back when he finishes his studies and starts earning wages."

These words are fair and eloquent, but after all, no one knows when Xun Ge'er will be able to complete his studies, nor does anyone know whether the shop Gu Yunyi mentioned is real.

In reality, it's still a disguised form of aid.

But Xu Yongfu and the others could not refuse.

After a long silence, Xu Yongfu sighed and said, "Then let's leave it at that."

Gu Yunyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

(End of this chapter)