Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1112: Ouyang Ming

The families have agreed, with Scholar Shang, Scholar Qu, and Elder Xu taking them to Linhe Prefecture for the exam.

Besides Jin’an and the students setting off for the exam tomorrow, Mrs. Chen and Gu Dagui are also going, preparing to set up a shop in the Prefecture city.

Mrs. Chen was very excited, continuously saying, "When we reach the Prefecture city, I will definitely work hard. When I make big money, I will buy each of you a set of golden headpieces when I return!"

This statement scared the families, thinking Mrs. Chen had gone mad.

Gu Dewang didn’t believe it. He secretly said, "My mom won’t buy gold jewelry for everyone, she was just stimulated by the engagement gifts Brother San Lang sent to Sister Xiao Yu yesterday. She’s just kidding. With my mom’s stinginess, at best, she’d buy a couple of chickens for everyone when she returns."

Feeling the pain even giving chickens away, let alone golden headpieces.

Mrs. Chen somehow heard about this and scolded Gu Dewang, also warning him, "Study well, I paid tuition for you. If you don’t study hard and earn an official position, our family will lose out!"

She then told Gu Dafu, "Big Brother, after Da Gui and I leave, you’ll watch over Brother Wang and Brother Fa. If they dare misbehave, spank them until they listen! Don’t worry about their food and drink; they can cook themselves. Also, keep an eye on them and prevent them from eating meat all the time. Teenage boys can eat a lot, and if they keep eating meat, the family would be bankrupt in three days."

After the Gu Dagui couple moves to the city to open a shop, Gu Dewang and his brother will be left in the care of their uncle, Gu Dafu. However, Mrs. Chen doesn’t allow them to eat at Gu Dafu’s household, saying they are old enough to cook for themselves. Also, Gu Dexing’s engagement is set for after he finishes the college examination, so it’s not good for Gu Dewang and Gu Defa to keep eating at Gu Dafu’s house.

"Hey, you two just rest assured." Gu Dafu laughed, pushing Gu Dewang to help Mrs. Chen pack to avoid getting hit.

He went on to talk to Gu Dagui, advising him not to be impulsive when encountered with problems. He should first seek help from the Hu Family or Qi Family for assistance; if someone tries to blackmail them with a corpse, report it to the authorities or seek help from the Prefecture garrison. He gave Dagui lots of advice.

Gu Dagui knew his big brother was worried that he might suffer setbacks in the Prefecture city, so he reassured him by accepting all his advice.

Uncle Tian and Aunt Tian also brought Tian Erqiang and Tian Xiaohua to help Mrs. Chen pack. After the couple left for the Prefecture city, the shop in town would be managed by the Tian Family.

In terms of ability, it would have been better for Ms.Yan and Gu Damu to manage it, but with Gu Dalin already managing a shop in the county, the Tians had the least responsibilities among the families. After discussing among themselves, they decided Uncle and Aunt Tian would manage the town shop.

Uncle and Aunt Tian were hesitant to take on the responsibility at first, but Tian Xiaohua stepped forward and said, "Mom and Dad, we’ve gotten to know the town folks well, so why be afraid? Besides, our family can’t always be like this; we should learn from Aunt Gui and work hard while we can."

If they don’t independently manage a shop to broaden their knowledge now, how can they expect to find Sister Erhua later?

Tian Xiaohua also thought of Tian Erhua, hoping she was somewhere enduring hardships and that she would one day rescue her.

Thus, Uncle and Aunt Tian agreed to take over the shop and had been transitioning it from Mrs. Chen for days.

On May 20th, several families, including Village Chief He’s, were incredibly busy.

The next day, May 21st, they all rose early, loaded the prepared items onto the mule cart, and set off at the auspicious time.

The entire He Village Chief family came to send He Jinseng to the Gu family.

Village Chief He, choking back tears, held Jin’an’s hand and said, "Good Brother An, please look after my Jinseng. He’s not as clever or capable as you, just a simple country boy. You must take care of him."

He Jinseng felt embarrassed, hurriedly pulling his grandfather aside, saying, "Grandpa, I’m older than Brother An and can take care of myself; don’t worry."

Village Chief He: "What do you know? The road to the exam is full of evil men, specifically waiting to rob examinees at this time of year. You must stick by Brother An!"

Good Brother An’s family had Zezi, Feng Jin, and Feng Lian, who knew martial arts, accompanying them. Sticking close to Brother An would ensure safety on the journey.

Gu Jin’an smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Village Chief. I will surely protect Brother Jin Sheng and let him return home safely."

With that, Village Chief He finally felt relieved.

Gu Dashan and Mrs. Cui were reluctant to let go of Gu Jin’an, holding his hand with reddened eyes, advising, "If you need something done, let Feng Jin do it; don’t hesitate to spend money, our family isn’t short of silver. Be careful in the exam room; don’t let others trick you. Listen more to your master; he has passed the scholar exam and has a lot of experience..."

They talked for more than a quarter of an hour, followed by Third Grandpa and Third Grandma having their turn, and then Gu Jinli, Gu Jinxiu, and Brother Cheng each gave a few words of advice.

Brother Cheng was especially unwilling to part with An, saying, "If only I were a few years older, I could go to the exam with Brother."

Gu Jin’an laughed, instructing him, "Be obedient at home, don’t cause trouble, and help your parents with work."

Brother Cheng nodded repeatedly, continually promising.

Gu Dexing and Qi Kangming were also talking with their families, and it wasn’t until they were close to missing the auspicious time that they hurriedly boarded the mule cart and departed.

Scholar Shang had already sent Shang Yuanyuan and Ms. Jiang to the county to the Jiang Family the day before, so Jin’an and the group didn’t need to stop by Shang Family Village but went directly to the county.

After meeting with the Xu Family, the Qu Family, and Scholar Shang, they went to bid farewell to County Magistrate Zheng at the county government, then headed towards the Prefecture city together.

After three days of travel, they finally arrived in the Prefecture city of He’an Prefecture, resting for a night in the city. They sent Mrs. Chen and Gu Dagui to the shop, and after meeting up with Lv Bai and Yao Youqian the next day, they continued to Linhe Prefecture.

Along the way, they encountered many examinees. Fearing robbery, everyone traveled together.

However, the robbers were waiting for them. How could they let them go? They ambushed in the secluded mountain paths, and whenever they encountered examinees with money without the official lanterns on their mule carts, they would jump out and rob them.

Unfortunately, Jin’an and the group were blocked by a gang of about twenty brigands.

With a few clattering sounds, Scholar Qu’s mule cart ran over something, and the entire cart overturned with a crash, leaving Scholar Qu and Young Master Qu stunned from the fall.

The robbers immediately rushed out with large knives, shouting, "Stand still and hand over your valuables if you don’t want to die, or we’ll leave your bodies in the mountains!"

They added, "Don’t try to sweet-talk us about the law or that government officers will catch us; we wouldn’t rob if we feared officers. Once we rob you, we’ll flee to the Central State. Do you think Jianghuai’s officers can come to Central State to catch us? Do you know how chaotic it is in Central State now? It’s filled with refugees from all directions; even officers are reluctant to go there!"

Hearing this, Gu Jin’an realized that these robbers were repeat offenders who wouldn’t rob poor examinees and only targeted wealthy ones who weren’t official’s sons.

Robbing such examinees would yield the most money without angering the government; a smart group of robbers.

...

Not far down the road, the Ouyang Family’s Shadow Guards heard this and quickly reported to Ouyang Ming, "Miss, there’s a robbery up ahead, we should wait and not proceed yet."

When noble family ladies traveled, they always sent Shadow Guards ahead to scout. Only when it was safe would the ladies proceed.