Carrying a Lucky Charm, I Thrive with My Husband on the Road to Exile
Chapter 99: Passing the Buck
The Gu Family directed all their attention to Bai Suihe, waiting for her response.
Bai Suihe took out a few taels of silver that she had previously gathered from the doctor, "This is what’s left after seeing the doctor. I’ll hand it over to Father to arrange."
"Is this all the silver you have?" Gu Kaichen clearly didn’t believe it, "Didn’t the Bai Family secretly give you anything?"
Bai Suihe said, "Aside from Nanny Wu delivering things to me before, have you seen anyone else come through?"
Looking back, those prior arrangements seemed almost prescient.
Even if she had money, she wasn’t willing to support a bunch of ungrateful people.
But as long as she hadn’t completely distanced herself from these people, outsiders would always see them as one. For the sake of reputation, she couldn’t just ignore it all.
"Sister-in-law, the amount of silver we each have is the same. Why don’t you also contribute some?
Mother is injured and has to endure hardships outside. For us children, it would be utterly unfilial."
Trying to set her up, Bai Suihe directly shifted the burden to the main household.
Liu Yun had been silent before, already anticipating this outcome, yet still couldn’t escape.
Reluctantly, she pulled out ten taels of silver from her bosom, "I’m also running low on silver. Doesn’t Father still have the silver note? Even buying a better cow shouldn’t be a problem."
The old cow we have now doesn’t have much strength. This could be an opportunity to trade for a better one, which would eventually belong to the main house.
Gu Baijiang glanced at them and said in a stiff tone, "Take your silver back. I’ll get a new ox cart. Stop hovering around here and start packing your things, Eldest, go buy some more grain."
After all, it was because of him that Mrs. Xu got injured. He felt somewhat responsible for it, and very straightforwardly pulled out 50 taels of silver from his bosom, directly handing it to Gu Kaiping to handle.
As for the silver Bai Suihe had spent earlier, he didn’t mention it. After all, the Bai Family had silver, and he didn’t believe they hadn’t secretly given some to those two girls.
As the others in the second house were leaving, Bai Suihe made an excuse that she needed to pack and led Dongmei and the others back upstairs.
"Miss, this Gu Family is simply outrageous."
Bai Suihe said, "There’s nothing we can do. We have to endure some grievances until we can completely separate from them."
To be honest, the mother-in-law wasn’t entirely a bad person. Because of Gu Baijiang, she even felt a bit pitiable.
Bai Suihe instructed Dongmei and the others to pack up while she entered the room to bring Gu Kaiping into the space. Once he had rested, she brought him back out.
"What’s happening downstairs?" Gu Kaiping asked as soon as he regained consciousness.
"Mother is injured, but the doctor has already treated her wounds."
Covering his face with both hands, Gu Kaiping’s voice was hoarse, "Even though I didn’t participate, the result is still the same."
Recalling the blame he bore in his past life and the remorse he felt, he found it a bit ridiculous now.
Everyone knew it was Gu Baijiang who caused it, yet they still blamed him.
Bai Suihe said, "We must prepare to leave soon. Before that, you still have to go over and help."
Bai Suihe’s gaze carried a tinge of sympathy. Gu Kaiping would probably have to act as the filial son at the Gu Family for the next few days.
If she wasn’t with child, she wouldn’t have been able to escape either.
"It’s going to be tough for you the next few days," Gu Kaiping apologized. He had promised recently to protect them on the journey, but fate couldn’t be changed.
"Don’t worry, Dongmei and the others will take good care of me." Bai Suihe didn’t finish her thought; with Gu Kaiping at the Gu Family, there would finally be some peace on her side.
Gu Kaiping did a quick tidy-up, not even changing his clothes, and still smelling slightly of alcohol, he stumbled down the stairs.
"Mother..."
Standing at the doorway, Bai Suihe raised an eyebrow watching it all unfold. This antagonist really was a crafty one, quite the performer.
Knowing her opponent couldn’t be easily taken advantage of, she moved into her room to pack her personal belongings, as Dongmei and the others were already approaching.
Seeing Gu Kaiping, Gu Baijiang bellowed, "You unfilial son, such a big issue last night and where were you?"
Though not the same words, it was still the same accusation. Gu Kaiping felt desolate inside, "Father, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, what happened? Didn’t they say they would look after our parents?"
"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, where were you last night?"
Gu Family, "..."
"So what’s the situation with Mother? Can you tell me?" Kneeling beside Xu Huizhen, he asked in anger, "Mother always said Eldest Brother and Second Brother were the most filial, that the sisters-in-law served her most devoutly. But after not seeing Mother all night, she lies here in uncertain condition. How am I supposed to accept this?"
The Gu Brothers felt choked, nearly breathless; they hadn’t even said anything when Gu Kaiping gave them such a blow.
"Don’t just talk about your Eldest Brother and Second Brother, why did you only show up now?"
"It’s all my fault. I had a little too much to drink last night. But I had no idea that in such a short time, Mother would end up like this." Torn with self-reproach, Gu Kaiping continued, "Father, weren’t you with Mother? How did she get hurt?"
Gu Baijiang never knew his previously tongue-tied son could be so eloquent at this moment.
How could he answer that question? Moreover, he was the only one who could.
"Dad, the ox cart is ready. Let’s get Mother there first," Gu Kaiping, the son Gu Baijiang valued most, stepped in at the critical moment.
"Yes, quickly carry your mother to the ox cart," Gu Baijiang had already forgotten what needed doing, and followed Eldest’s lead.
This highlighted the advantage of having many siblings; they borrowed a door plank from the inn’s attendant, used it as a stretcher, and several of them carried the unconscious Xu Huizhen to the ox cart.
Seeing the newly traded ox cart, it seemed this time the Gu Family was going all out.
This ox cart appeared more impressive than the one the Bai Family had prepared, with a strong ox and a much larger cart compartment.
The interior was padded with high quilts, ensuring Xu Huizhen wouldn’t suffer much from the bumpy ride.
While the cart compartment seemed larger, with more things inside and Xu Huizhen lying flat due to her injuries, space for passengers was significantly reduced.
Liu Yun quickly pushed Gu Antong into the cart and then Gu Anliang, before Xu Yulan grabbed her and pulled her down.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing? If all of you are going in, where’s Father supposed to sit?"
"I’ll be with Antong taking care of Mother, and Anliang can handle things like serving tea. Adding Father, we can all fit."
"Sister-in-law, you’re being selfish. Where does that leave us?"
"You managed just fine before. If it comes to it, you can sit by the cart shaft. That works just as well."