Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 32 - 28 Aggrieved

Chapter 32: Chapter 28 Aggrieved

"Mom, for Fourth Brother’s sake, let’s just forget about it! I was just talking about the clothes. I’m going back to my room." Gu Wan’s expression darkened slightly as she left Mrs. Lv and Gu Chengyu, returning to the inner room.

"What’s this all about? Is she trying to pierce her mother’s heart? Have I not been good to her? But he’s her Fourth Brother!" Mrs. Lv suddenly began to cry, collapsing onto the edge of the kang with real tears streaming down her face.

"Mom, don’t cry. Second Sister is just tired and wants to sleep." Gu Chengyu also felt a bit uncomfortable inside. Mrs. Lv was genuinely kind to Gu Wan, and Chunhua, who played with Gu Wan, was constantly being ordered around by her mother every day without rest.

But if it came down to choosing between a son and a daughter, the outcome was obvious. Such were the cruel times. Gu Wan had long understood this outcome. Compared to allowing Fourth Brother to lose a means of livelihood, being hit was not a big deal, especially given that this was merely a small quarrel between girls, and Gu Wan was just feeling hurt inside.

Mrs. Lv embraced Gu Chengyu, burying her head in his neck. Gu Chengyu could feel the warm liquid soaking through his lapel. He had never seen Mrs. Lv cry so sorrowfully before.

In his past life, Gu Chengyu had grown accustomed to the coldness and warmth of people from a young age, and later to the indifference, selfishness, and scheming in the apocalypse, which had made him prefer to watch from the sidelines. In order to survive, he sometimes abandoned his conscience and morality, making decisions without hesitation when necessary.

Perhaps the reason he washed his face after returning to the team that day was because he was tired inside? He no longer wanted to live so cautiously, worried about every step he took. Living like this was too exhausting.

After crossing over to the Gu Family, Mrs. Lv and Mr. Gu were very kind to him. He also thought they liked him because he was a boy. What if he were a girl?

Although he enjoyed their affection, he wasn’t in any hurry to change the Gu Family’s situation. Instead, he saw himself as a passerby, only wanting to help them escape poverty and become prosperous once he was older, without revealing his space’s secret.

But now, he truly felt a mother’s helpless sorrow. In the Gu Family, each of them exists vividly, they are all his family, and they all strive to live every day.

Gu Chengyu closed his eyes, recalling the bits and pieces of life since he crossed over, and he had to admit, he had already become a member of the Gu Family. From now on, he needed to let go of the past and fully integrate into the Gu Family.

"What are you two up to? Why is her mother crying?" Mr. Gu came in from outside and saw his wife embracing Gu Chengyu, crying bitterly.

Hearing Mr. Gu’s voice, Mrs. Lv lifted her head, turned her face to the side, and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

"It’s nothing. Go see why she sent Lao Er to fetch his third brother and he hasn’t come back yet?" Mrs. Lv glanced out the window, noticing that it was already dark, feeling somewhat worried.

Then she remembered that Gu Chengchi hadn’t returned either, "Fourth is still not back! Why are they all so late today?"

Seeing Gu Chengyu there, Mr. Gu decided not to ask much now and planned to inquire further before bedtime.

"Mom, I’ll go fetch Fourth Brother? Call him back for dinner." Gu Chengyu wanted to take this opportunity to see that Lin Liuliu. How can a little child be so sharp-tongued?

Gu Chengyu walked along the village path towards the west end of the village. The sunset by the mountain had already completely set, with only thin streaks of red remaining in the sky. As he walked, Gu Chengyu admired the rural scenery, exhaling a cloud of turbid air from his chest.

Arriving in front of a solitary household, the house layout before him was similar to that of the Gu Family. In fact, the house layouts in Shangling Village were mostly of similar style.

However, the house in front of him appeared quite different. Firstly, it was a large gray-black tiled house, which was the first time Gu Chengyu saw such a grand ancient tiled house—this was surely the village chief Lin Family’s house.

The east and west wings of the Lin Family’s house combined to form many rooms. Although the walls were still built of earthen bricks, they didn’t have to be re-thatched annually, nor did they have to worry about leaks from rain!

The roof of the Gu Family’s house was entirely thatched, and sometimes during thunderstorms and strong winds, Gu Chengyu worried that it might be blown away or collapse.

Standing at the courtyard gate, Gu Chengyu was about to knock when he heard a sharp female voice from inside. No, it was actually a little girl’s voice.

"Fourth from the Gu Family, can’t you hurry up? You’re so slow at boiling water! As my Second Uncle’s apprentice, you should serve your master by filling tea and pouring water, all your duties. Don’t resent it; your Gu Family is so poor. If your father hadn’t begged my Second Uncle to take you as an apprentice, do you think he’d have chosen you? Look at you, can’t even carry a piece of wood, can’t even boil water, what can you do? A family of mud legs, only fit to grub food from the ground, still think you can learn a craft? Gu Wan that girl still wants to touch my jewelry, she’s destined to marry a mud leg. Hmph!"

Upon hearing her call out to his Fourth Brother, Gu Chengyu stopped. The rest of the words made him so angry he trembled. No wonder his Fourth Brother hadn’t returned home yet; it turned out he was here serving people and being insulted.

Gu Chengyu didn’t bother knocking, directly pushed the courtyard gate, and entered. Once inside, he saw his Fourth Brother standing there helplessly with a teapot in hand. Next to a small table was a fallen sea bowl, its steaming hot tea spilling all over, while Gu Chengchi’s pant legs were soaked with a large patch.

Beside the small table in the courtyard of the main house stood a girl of eleven or twelve, dressed in a brand-new crimson fine cotton top and a moon-white pleated skirt. Her features, accentuated by the vibrant clothing, looked somewhat delicate, though that couldn’t hide her otherwise ordinary appearance. Undoubtedly, this was the much-talked-about Miss Lin from the Lin Family, who reportedly liked to look down her nose at others.

Lin Liuliu was about to speak again but was interrupted by the sound of the opening door. Turning her head, she saw a four or five-year-old boy. Lin Liuliu was about to become angry, but upon closer inspection, she was stunned. She had never seen such a beautiful child. With creamy white, delicate skin glowing faintly under the dusky light, and a small, slightly upturned smile seemingly directed at her. Looking further into his striking eyes, they revealed a hint of coldness.

Lin Liuliu shivered slightly, snapping back to reality.

"Whose little child are you? How dare you enter someone else’s house without knocking?" Lin Liuliu immediately put one hand on her hip and pointed at Gu Chengyu with the other.

Gu Chengyu was already burning with anger. His Fourth Brother had always been frail, only recovering somewhat these past two years but still not fully well. At home, his mother never asked Gu Chengchi to do labor.

He also knew that in ancient times, apprentices traditionally served their masters by working for them, doing everything a servant would do. Even if a monthly wage was given, it was at the master’s discretion, and there was no guarantee of payment.

After all, people taught you skills, and there’s a saying, "Teach a student, starve a master," so if you want to learn a skill, you must humble yourself. But that doesn’t mean Lin Liuliu had the right to reprimand his Fourth Brother, who by rank would be considered her elder.

Suppressing his anger, Gu Chengyu responded coldly, "I am the fifth child of the Gu Family; I’m here to call Fourth Brother back for dinner."

Hearing this, Lin Liuliu realized and glanced at Gu Chengyu’s clothing, scoffing, "So you’re the fifth child from the Gu Family. No wonder..." She then gave an exaggerated once-over, "All so poor. Your Fourth Brother can’t even boil a pot of water, truly useless, thinking himself a young master from a wealthy family?" Then, rolling her eyes upward, she shot a look at the brothers.