Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 28 - 24: 5 Years

Chapter 28: Chapter 24: 5 Years

The evening glow stained the sky with a dazzling rouge, and the sunset’s afterglow shrouded the village by the mountainside.

At the foot of the endless rolling mountains, near the village, a small child in a blue coarse cloth short jacket was sitting on a large stone, looking into the distance.

The terrain here was quite high, and Gu Chengyu leaned against a large tree, his eyes vacant as he gazed afar. Spring had come again, now it was March. Gu Chengyu had been traveling back in time for over four years, and in two months, it would be exactly five years.

Spring was flourishing, with peach blossoms and willows everywhere. Looking around the mountains, it was lush and verdant, with wildflowers and grasses on the roadside thriving, and various flowers exuding refreshing fragrances, in front of the mountain, there was a vast field.

Since it was evening, those working in the fields were carrying their farm tools home. They walked along the paths between the fields, greeting each other, with the joyful laughter of children mixed in, painting a picturesque rural scene. Gu Chengyu contentedly looked at this peaceful and beautiful village, sighing that although rural life was hard, as long as it was time for spring plowing and autumn harvesting, everyone’s faces would show hopeful smiles, which was a simple yet peaceful life.

He watched in the direction of the village, and the thatched-roof houses at the entrance attracted Gu Chengyu’s attention. This was the Gu Family.

Over these four years, Gu Chengyu gradually learned that he had traveled to a dynasty called Dayan, which he had never heard of, possibly a parallel universe. As for the history before the Dayan Dynasty, he didn’t know, because it was all farmers here; they wouldn’t discuss these things, nor would anyone care about the emperor’s surname, only knowing that it was the fifty-eighth year of Dayan.

This village was called Shangling Village, named because it was by the mountain range of Changling Mountain. Changling Mountain was vast, with peaks leading to other peaks, with no one daring to venture into the deep part of the connected peaks, reportedly inhabited by man-eating beasts, so even skilled hunters dared not enter.

This area was in the north, Shangling Village was under the jurisdiction of Shanhe Town, Qinghe County of Jingyuan Prefecture. The village had many surnames, with the Gu Family being one of the large clans among them.

Gu Chengyu’s grandparents had already passed away. His father, Gu Changqing, had two brothers and one sister. The eldest, Gu Changsong, was now the clan leader of the Gu Family, having studied for a few years before the famine, knowing some words. Gu Changsong married Yang and had a eldest son, Gu Chengzhong, and a second son, Gu Chengxiao. Gu Chengzhong had a son and a daughter, the eldest son Gu Wanhua and eldest daughter Gu Yan, while Gu Chengxiao temporarily had only one son, Gu Wansheng.

Gu Changqing’s second brother, Gu Changbai, moved south with his family during a great drought in Jingyuan Prefecture early on, going to his brother-in-law’s family of the Yue Family, and had not contacted since. After Gu Changbai, there was still a Gu Xiu, who got married in Huaihe Town adjacent to Shanhe Town, engaged in the tofu business.

Mr. Gu was forty-two this year, and as for his mother, if guessed correctly, was indeed a stepmother, thirty-three this year. Mr. Gu originally had a first wife, Da He, who was a daughter from Mr. Gu’s maternal uncle’s family, and the two were first cousins. After that, they gave birth to the eldest, Gu Chengli, who married Mrs. Fang and had a son, Da Lang, Gu Wanhai, who was eleven this year, the eldest daughter Gu Lian, who was ten this year, the second daughter Gu Lan, who was seven this year, and there was Gu Xing who was only ten months old.

The second, Gu Chengyi, married the niece of the original wife Da He, Mrs. Xiao He, and had a second son, Gu Wanjiang, who was nine this year; the third son, Gu Wanhe, who was seven; and the daughter Gu Mei, the third among the sisters, who was already three years old. When Gu Chengyu learned of this, he was rather embarrassed with the complex relationship of these Da He and Xiao He.

There was also an eldest sister, who was a twin with Gu Chengyi, named Gu Xi, married to a neighboring village, Xialing Village.

Mr. Gu married Da He when he was just sixteen, and Da He was a year younger. Da He died when Gu Chengli was nine years old, having given birth to twins and her body couldn’t take it anymore, dragging on with illness for a few years, finally passing away when Gu Chengli was nine.

Mr. Gu remarried Mrs. Lv in the gap of a year, which was quite fast. It was said that Mrs. Lv had been a maid in a wealthy family, but somehow at eighteen, she was released and married Mr. Gu, causing a fallout with her family, so that the maternal family rarely interacted with the Gu Family.

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Lv had the third child, Gu Chenglian, and the fourth child, Gu Chengchi, and the youngest daughter, Gu Wan. The third child was already fourteen this year, and mother was looking for a wife for the third brother; Gu Chengchi was eleven this year, and Gu Wan was also nine years old.

After thinking through all these, Gu Chengyu sighed; it truly was a large family, not even counting the collateral branches. Just his own family had such a large household; otherwise, why so much trouble?

Then thinking of the Gu Family’s financial situation, he sighed again. Gu Chengchi had been weak since childhood. Back when his mother was pregnant with his third brother, she had a bad condition, vomiting whatever she ate, so when Gu Chengchi was born, he was like a small kitten, crying without strength, needing lots of medicine every year. However, since he started walking, he would often put a little spring water into the Gu Family’s water jar, daring not to use much for fear of being detected. The family gradually had some changes, looking more energetic, with no sickness, even Gu Chengchi improved a lot and was not taking medicine now, and the family still had some Silver Coin left.

"Uncle, grandma is calling you home, dinner is about to be served!" Gu Chengyu was daydreaming in the direction of the Gu Family when he heard the voice of Gu Lan from his eldest brother’s house.

"Coming!" Gu Chengyu saw the little girl standing on the path between the fields, forming a megaphone with her hands, shouting at him at the foot of the mountain.

Gu Chengyu then stood up, dusted off his pants, and walked to the fields. When he reached Gu Lan’s side, Gu Lan wanted to hold his hand and walk him, as the path between the fields was uneven, and if they fell, grandma would surely scold her. Seeing this, Gu Chengyu understood the reason and didn’t struggle.

This place had a vast terrain, to return to the Gu Family, they had to pass through a field, in which there were fields belonging to the Gu Family.

Gu Lan was instructed by Mrs. Lv to call the Gu Family men working in the fields home for dinner, and by the way, find the little uncle. Gu Lan looked at the little uncle in front of her, with a complicated feeling. To say who had the best life in this family, it wasn’t the grandmother who didn’t have to work, but the little uncle in front of her, only five years old. It was said that her eldest brother and sister, at this age, could carry a large basket as tall as a person, filled with pigweed and brought back, feeding the pigs and chickens at home.

Grandma also loved Third Uncle and them, but the one she pampered the most was the little uncle; she often saw grandma giving little uncle special meals. Besides festivals, the eggs were something girls like her couldn’t eat, and as for those delicate pastries, she didn’t know what they tasted like. Even so, the little uncle didn’t like eating, often throwing tantrums, but grandma still hid food for little uncle, buying other snacks if he didn’t like eggs. However, the little uncle was easy to please; when he didn’t like eating, he sometimes took them out for the younger ones to taste, but there were so many people, and when divided, the good food disappeared before they even tasted it.