"Grandpa, you’re even taking advantage of this little bit."

Gu Daqiang laughed angrily; he had already given Mr. Gu a lot of face today.

"Uncle You Tian, you haven’t said a word. What do you think about this? Grandpa keeps saying your business lost money, and now there’s no silver at home. But if there’s no silver, how is it that Aunt Honglian and Ruinian can eat and drink at Fengle Building today?" Gu Daqiang raised his voice after seeing the figures of Gu Ruinian and Gu Honglian.

Many people from Qinghe Bay go to town every day, and the news of Gu Ruinian and Gu Honglian feasting at Fengle Building had already been revealed to Gu Daqiang.

Gu Daqiang did not believe that Mr. Gu and Gu Youtian had no silver.

Gu Ruinian and Gu Honglian looked embarrassed; the silk in Gu Honglian’s hand made Gu Daqiang even angrier.

"Uncle You Tian, what do you have to say about this?"

Gu Daqiang couldn’t reason with Mr. Gu.

Gu Youtian kept silent, so Gu Daqiang kept pressing him.

Under the intense gaze of Gu Daqiang, Gu Youtian finally opened his mouth and said, "If you say it like this, we have a lot to discuss. Why did Grandpa rent the land to you instead of other clan members or outsiders for higher rent? Wasn’t it because he considered your family’s hardship with so many children that he rented the land to you? Without our five acres of good land, would your family have food to eat now? Would your son be able to study?"

Gu Youtian’s words were more unreasonable than Mr. Gu’s.

Gu Daqiang was nearly driven mad with anger.

Gu Daqiang said, "Uncle You Tian, we must be reasonable people. I rented those five acres with silver; it’s not like you gave them free to me, and I tended to them to get a harvest. How come I’m getting the short end of the stick in your version?"

"You just want to take my season’s wheat. Grandpa, Uncle You Tian, I’m the junior, and you’re just bullying me because of your higher status, right? Clan Leader, what do you have to say about this?"

Gu Daqiang asked the Clan Leader to uphold justice.

The Clan Leader hesitated under Mr. Gu’s gaze.

He owed his position to Mr. Gu, so it was hard for him to speak for his younger kin.

"Daqiang, you are the junior after all, and you mustn’t be too aggressive. Your Grandpa and Uncle You Tian must eat too. How about this: let them buy the wheat from the field as Grandpa suggested, evaluate the yield for its price, and extend the six years’ rent and wheat money to the fall." said the Clan Leader.

Mr. Gu originally wanted to bargain to repay by the end of next year instead, but upon seeing Gu Daqiang’s reddened face, he stopped haggling.

"Fine. But I have a condition, you can’t have all five acres of wheat, I’ll only give you three."

In the end, Gu Daqiang was forced to compromise, returning three acres of wheat field to Mr. Gu at market price.

"Ruinian, come and draft a contract."

Mr. Gu didn’t trust verbal promises. He remembered not using a contract when renting the land to Gu Daqiang, which let him recover the land later. He couldn’t make the same mistake, so he called his grandson to draft a contract.

Gu Ruinian got paper and pen and wrote the contract. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Gu Daqiang stamped his thumb angrily, saying, "We are one clan, yet you act so faithlessly. Who will interact with you in the village in the future?"

Gu Ruinian felt uncomfortable.

"Brother Daqiang," Gu Ruinian suppressed his anger and said plainly, "Faithless is too harsh. You rented our land and we can reclaim it anytime. Plus, you won’t be denied the six years’ rent and wheat money. Don’t worry, next month when I become a Scholar, I’ll have eight dou of grain monthly. With the Scholar’s status, I could tutor wealthy families and earn at least a hundred taels of silver a year. I’m telling you this so you know, I can quickly repay what I owe you."

Gu Daqiang gritted his teeth and said, "You better mean it."

Gu Ruinian maintained a calm expression, saying, "My promises are never empty words."

"Achieve it before saying that," sneered Gu Daqiang, then turned and walked away with the contract.

Gu Daqiang’s reaction caught Gu Ruinian off guard.

Shouldn’t Gu Daqiang respect his willingness to shoulder debts?

Shouldn’t Gu Daqiang admire his forthcoming Scholar status?

Despite the sarcasm, Gu Ruinian remained calm outwardly.

If you don’t believe I can become a Scholar, fine, just wait. I’ll prove you wrong.

"Ruinian is so ambitious at such a young age, shouldering debts. Brother, with such a grandson, what do you have to worry about? He’ll rise soon enough."

"The hope of the family lies in the success of its descendants. Ruinian’s achievements are a blessing for the entire Gu family."

The Clan Leader and others praised Gu Ruinian in front of Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu’s face showed relief.

Many in the village privately said he returned from the south in defeat, which made him swallow his anger; fortunately, he had a successful grandson.

"Not to brag, but Ruinian is not only the most accomplished among my few grandsons but also in his generation in the Gu family. He’s a few months younger than Jingzhe but passed the child student exam at the same time. He’s more stable and filial than Jingzhe."

Mr. Gu praised Gu Ruinian with a smile, subtly belittling the eldest house’s grandson, Gu Jingzhe.

Standing beside Mr. Gu, Gu Ruinian’s expression was calm, but he reassured Mr. Gu with a firm voice, "Grandpa, I feel ashamed. If I hadn’t been so wayward as a child and had realized sooner to study hard, I could have been a Scholar a year earlier and wouldn’t have put you in a difficult position today. But rest assured, I’ll earn the Scholar title for you next month. Don’t worry about the silver owed to Brother Daqiang; your health is more important, leave it all to me."

Gu Ruinian’s filial words inevitably won him more praise.

The conversation continued, and Gu Ruinian took out a storybook with a ’Analects’ cover from his bag and started reading next to Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu’s face was full of satisfaction.

Originally, Mr. Gu wanted to send Ruinian back to study more, but the envious eyes from other clan members made him reluctant to let Ruinian leave his side.

"Brother," the Clan Leader asked, "Has your eldest daughter-in-law’s attitude changed these days?"

The Clan Leader had previously discussed Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu’s retirement with Tong Huaqiong and the second house folks; Tong Huaqiong’s stance remained as it was at the ancestral hall: the second house would take care of the elders, covering some of their food and clothing so they wouldn’t starve.

Nothing more was possible.

Mr. Gu and the second house were dissatisfied with this, and so was the Clan Leader.

Mr. Gu said, "She occasionally sends a bowl of food, and two rolls of cloth to make clothes for me and the missus. Isn’t this pathetic enough?"

The Clan Leader nodded, expressing agreement with Mr. Gu’s views.

The Clan Leader said, "Just now you repossessed the land from Daqiang, reminding me of the land your eldest house has. Brother, last time I talked to your eldest house about your retirement, I forgot to mention the land issue. Actually, the fifty acres of fertile land at the foot of the mountain were bought by your eldest house, now managed by Da Han. Several families in our village are tenant farming on your eldest house’s land."

Mr. Gu furrowed his brows.

He knew too little about the eldest house.

For instance, regarding the land, this was the first he had heard of it.