Gu Youtian stormed into the house in a fury.

No matter how much Mr. Gu scolded, Mrs. Gu cursed, or Mrs. Jia begged, none of it could extinguish his anger.

The challenge to a father’s dignity had already broken the limit of Gu Youtian’s tolerance for Gu Ruinian.

Under Gu Youtian’s wrath, Gu Ruinian once again endured a harsh beating.

"Whether I’m alive or dead, you can only be my son, Gu Youtian’s son. Dream on if you want to be someone else’s son."

Gu Youtian threw away the stick, shattering Gu Ruinian’s fantasy of living comfortably, eating well, and studying by transferring to the main family.

Mrs. Jia wiped her eyes and said, "If he’s not meant to transfer, then so be it. Killing him wouldn’t bring him back anyway."

She felt a sense of relief knowing her son was still her son.

Gu Youtian cursed, "Even if I beat him to death, he’s still my son."

Gu Ruinian lay in bed, fully experiencing the terror of paternal authority in this era.

He reminisced a little about his father in his previous life, who, unlike Gu Youtian, at least had a broader perspective, saying it didn’t matter if he married into a rich family and lived in the wife’s household; he even accepted the idea of a grandson inheriting the wife’s family name. At worst, the family name could be restored after three generations.

As for Gu Youtian, he directly cut off any possibility of him becoming someone else’s son.

Gu Ruinian was carried to the bed, and Mrs. Wei felt a burst of satisfaction, while Gu Fengnian sat at the bedside, worried that his proud and arrogant younger brother might do something rash.

Gu Fengnian said, "Ruinian, the other day you were so enthusiastic that I didn’t think it was right to say anything. Now I’m going to be honest: the idea of being adopted by Aunt’s family was wrong, and the fact that Dad didn’t go to the clan and charge you with unfilial conduct means he’s held back."

Gu Ruinian grinned and bared his teeth in pain.

He had always been the one to reason with Gu Fengnian, and now that it was his brother’s turn, he wasn’t happy about it and insisted, "Brother, you don’t understand."

Gu Fengnian’s expression darkened, "Oh, only you understand! I’m telling you, you always think you’re smart because you read more than the rest of the family, but you’ve strayed from the most basic path of filial piety. Mother has been really upset these past few days, crying behind your back many times. You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get an education. Mr. Su at the village school is very capable. Didn’t Jingzhe learn from him? If you humbly recognize him as a teacher, isn’t it better than following the path of adoption?"

Gu Ruinian remained silent.

What does Gu Fengnian know?

Even if Mr. Su is skilled, he’s just a rural teacher with no connections.

All the little kids at the village school, except for Man Er and Xiao Long, seemed talentless. One was just a useless girl, while the other was a wolf cub who always gave him a sour face and never warmed up to him. Being grouped with them would be like dying before the mission even started.

It was still proper for him to go to Wanliu Academy to study like Jingzhe.

Seeing that Gu Ruinian wasn’t listening, Gu Fengnian said, "Second brother, think carefully about my words. Rest up and take this medicine."

He then shook his head and walked out of Jingzhe’s room, heading to the main room.

In the main room, Mr. Gu sighed, "It’s all because of poverty."

Gu Youtian smirked coldly and said, "Ever since my business failed, Father has lamented our poverty every day, doesn’t he despise my inability to make a comeback?"

Mr. Gu didn’t engage with that topic and instead asked, "When you went to Black Dragon Pond to find Wu Ren these days, did you find any solution?"

Gu Youtian had agreed with Wu Ren to open a store in Pingchuan County. He should’ve returned home proudly, but the situation with Gu Ruinian disrupted that momentum.

This realization only increased his aversion to his second son.

Gu Youtian said, "Wu Ren has a shop in Pingchuan County. He’s not savvy with business and wants to partner with me to open a general store."

This was good news, lifting the heavy atmosphere the whole family had suffered due to the adoption issue.

Mr. Gu asked, "Is it a partnership, or are you acting as the boss for Wu Ren?"

Gu Youtian proudly replied, "A partnership. He provides the store and capital, and I provide the business skills."

Mr. Gu felt reassured.

His own son was unwilling to work for others.

Otherwise, he would have stayed down south as a shopkeeper, instead of bringing the family back to Qinghe Bay.

Now that Wu Ren was willing to take his son as a partner, it was wonderful. With his son’s skills, he surely could run the business successfully.

Not only that, but his son’s spirit and focus would be restored.

"This time, do it well and show Tong Dajiao that we can run the business just as well without her."

Mrs. Gu wiped her tears, feeling relieved that the second son had finally found a path.

Now she would have the confidence to pick a fight with the eldest daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Jia clasped her hands, eyes shimmering with tears, and said, "If only it had been like this earlier, Ruinian wouldn’t have thought about being adopted by Tong Dajiao."

Mrs. Gu gave Mrs. Jia a sharp look, seeing right through her.

Mrs. Wei sighed inwardly, feeling that her mother-in-law had lost her mind regarding the younger brother-in-law.

However, sometimes going crazy enough would make her father-in-law completely give up on Gu Ruinian.

Gu Youtian sneered, he had almost forgotten, but he no longer expected that brat Gu Ruinian to bring glory to the family.

He would leave a bit for himself from this business revamp, instead of investing everything into the youngest son.

Besides, he still had a grandson.

Gu Youtian’s gaze fell on Yaozu beside Mrs. Wei. If the eldest failed, he would just nurture the youngest.

Gu Youtian said, "If Ruinian wants to study, he’ll have to think of a way himself. He should not expect a penny from the money I earn."

Mrs. Wei felt a flash of joy in her eyes.

Mrs. Jia wanted to argue with Gu Youtian but was stopped by a glare from Mrs. Gu.

What grudge could last overnight between a father and son?

Isn’t Ruinian his son?

Isn’t he expecting Ruinian to bring glory to the family?

If he doesn’t support Ruinian’s education, who else would he support?

What the second son was saying now was all in anger, give it a few days.

Mr. Gu felt the same, he didn’t take Gu Youtian’s angry words seriously.

"Youtian, I heard that your sister-in-law also wants to open some kind of supermarket in Yan Guan Town and Pingchuan County, also selling general goods. The marketplace is just like a battlefield, who knows what tactics she might use against you. Be careful."

Mr. Gu then shifted the topic to the news that Tong Huaqiong was opening a supermarket.

Of course, the term "supermarket" was something Gu Ruinian had explained to him, and Mr. Gu understood it as nothing more than a store selling a mix of general goods.

The newfangled name sounded like a trick invented by Taohua, an idea from a little girl that was just a bluff.

When the news came out about Tong Huaqiong opening a supermarket, Mr. Gu had considered swallowing his pride to get Gu Youtian a position as a manager.

But now, there was no need for that; his son was directly the owner.

Gu Youtian smiled faintly and said, "Tong Dajiao made money from the pastry shop and raising pigs, that’s her luck. It’s not like her to think she can just open a general store and have it succeed."

In Gu Youtian’s habitual understanding, pastry shops relied on craftsmanship, and pig farming depended on early rising and hard work, both unrelated to business acumen and strategy.

A general store not only required business skills but also high-quality supplier channels, and without them, failure was certain.

Especially high-quality supplier channels, how could someone like Tong Dajiao, a farmer’s wife from Qinghe Bay, have those?

Setting up supplier channels wasn’t something that could be done overnight; he had been in business down south for years before figuring it out.

The success of a few pastry shops and a pig farm probably made Tong Dajiao overconfident, dreaming about opening a general store to earn big money. It’s just a pipe dream.