Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 18 - 0: Abandoned

Luo Huiniang ran swiftly and soon found the village chief.

The village chief, upon hearing the news, hurriedly brought the villagers of Gu Family Village to the scene, where the disaster victims had surrounded the Old Gu Family's resting area, and promptly instructed the villagers to send the crowd away: "Folks, please go back. This is a matter for our Gu Family Village and does not involve everyone else."

Now in the midst of fleeing famine, the disaster victims didn't have much time for spectacles. Seeing the villagers of Gu Family Village dispersing them, they scattered, wandering through the woods in search of food to eat.

Gu Dagu burst into tears upon seeing the village chief: "Village chief, you must seek justice for our family. Gu Xiaoyu showed disrespect to her elders and viciously beat me. Look at what she has done to me! Woo woo woo... Although I am not the biological daughter of my father, I grew up in the Old Gu Family, I'm Gu Xiaoyu's aunt, and yet she beat me like this..."

Luo Huiniang, seeing Gu Dagu playing the victim first, was so angry that she interrupted: "You're talking nonsense. It was your family who hit Brother Cheng first, and the person who injured you was Third Grandma, not Xiao Yu. Stop pinning everything on Xiao Yu."

Third Grandma, holding Xiao Yu's wooden stick, stabbed it into the ground and said: "Hui Niang is right, it was I, this old woman, who hit you. If you're not happy about it, come at me. Don't just pick on the soft ones."

Gu Dagu, being exposed, said nothing more, only sobbed incessantly.

Village Chief Gu got irritated by her crying and shouted: "Enough! Stop your crying!"

Gu Dagu quickly shut her mouth.

Village Chief Gu looked at the group from the Old Gu Family, his gaze pausing a moment on Gu Dagu's face, then shifting to Gu Dashan's family. Seeing Gu Jincheng beaten to a miserable state and Gu Jinxiu's face pale with fright, he asked with a frown, "What exactly happened? Explain things clearly, one by one."

Qian Guangzong, quick with words, went to speak to the village chief with a cupped-fist salute, but suddenly a small rock struck his ankle, causing him to cry out in pain. Village Chief Gu frowned, displeasure showing on his face.

Gu Jinli took the opportunity to speak: "Grandfather village chief, my granny wants to sell our family of six. To make us willing to be sold, she let my aunt's family lure my sister and Brother Cheng here, planning to abduct them first, forcing our family to compromise for the sake of sister and Brother Cheng."

She pointed to the injuries on Brother Cheng's face, and said, "When my sister and Brother Cheng resisted, my aunt's family beat them viciously. Fortunately, we arrived in time; otherwise, who knows what they would have done to Brother Cheng?"

Brother Cheng, afraid and aggrieved, burst into sobs upon hearing Gu Jinli's words, recalling the horror of the situation, looking truly pitiful.

Village Chief Gu was shocked, and upon seeing the injuries on Gu Jincheng's face, and the short, fat man who had been standing at the Old Gu Family's resting spot, he knew the matter was true.

The villagers of Gu Family Village were equally astonished. Brother Dashan tirelessly toiled for Sixth Uncle Gu's family, and yet they actually intended to sell their entire family of six.

Gu Dagu quickly called out: "Village chief, Gu Xiaoyu is lying. Don't listen to her nonsense. It was Gu Dashan who willingly wanted to sell his family of six in exchange for food for the Old Gu Family. The Old Gu Family never forced him into slavery."

Gu Jinli laughed, her round almond eyes carrying a hint of mockery as she looked at Gu Dagu: "Auntie, would you be willing to sell your own family for some food for the Old Gu Family?"

How could Gu Dagu possibly be willing? She was no fool.

Seeing Gu Dagu at a loss, Granny Gu began to weep again, telling the village chief: "Village chief, I know I have a bad temper, and everyone in the village thinks I'm malicious, but this time, it is indeed Dashan who wanted to trade his wife and children for food."

She sighed, "Dashan is a filial child, aware that the family's food supply is nearly exhausted and not bearing to see his father starve, so he pleaded with Guangzong to find a way, willing to sell himself and his family, to exchange for food to save his father's life."

Gu Dashan hastened to deny it: "No, village chief, I did not want to sell my wife and children."

Granny Gu, upon hearing Gu Dashan's words, appeared disappointed: "Dashan, we advised you the other day to return the food and Silver Coin to Qi Mansion and reclaim the indenture, but you wouldn't listen. Now that the housekeeper from Qi Mansion has come to collect, you're backing out. Why must you do this?"

Village Chief Gu, greatly alarmed, looked up at Granny Gu: "You've already signed an indenture?"

This is bad. With the indenture in hand, he can't save the Gu Dashan family even if he wants to.

Qian Guangzong once again raised the indenture in his hand and said, "Exactly, this is the indenture I personally witnessed my uncle pressing his handprint on."

He looked at Gu Jinli and sneered, "Niece Xiao Yu, it was your father who wanted to sell you off, no matter how you try to distort the truth, it's useless."

Gu Jinli's face darkened, "Who is really distorting the truth here?"

Seeing both parties firmly sticking to their stances, the village chief Gu turned to Elder Gu, who was standing behind Gu Youwen, and asked, "Lao Liu, is what your son-in-law saying true?"

Elder Gu, being questioned, remained silent without a word.

Gu Dashan looked at Elder Gu with hopeful eyes, wishing he would speak up and clarify the facts, but Elder Gu remained silent as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

With no other options left, Gu Dashan thumped to his knees before Elder Gu, "Father, please tell the truth, I beg you!"

This concerned his family of six being sold. He could become a servant, but he couldn't allow his wife and children to enter into slavery, to live a life forever unable to raise their heads.

Elder Gu still did not speak, and Gu Dashan could only keep kowtowing to him, begging him.

The thumping sound of kowtowing resonated through the Old Gu Family's resting area, Gu Dashan's forehead turning dark from the bruising. The villagers, watching this, could not bear it and began to whisper accusations of Elder Gu's cold-heartedness.

Elder Gu had no choice but finally spoke up, "Dashan, you must own up to your own actions, don't cause more trouble for the family."

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Gu Dashan was stunned for a moment, and looked at Elder Gu in disbelief. Over the years, he had worked like an ox and a horse for the Old Gu Family, enduring the nagging and squeezing from Granny Gu and the rest of the family, all for Elder Gu.

He always felt that Elder Gu had a place for him, his eldest son, in his heart, and did not help him so as not to add to the family's conflicts, after all, keeping silent was the way of a family elder.

But now, at his most difficult time, when his wife and children were about to be sold, when he begged this father for a word of truth, he wouldn't even agree.

Gu Dashan wept, covering his weather-beaten face with both hands, tears falling through his fingers as he cried like a child.

Granny Gu, hearing Elder Gu's words and seeing Gu Dashan weeping bitterly, felt a sense of relief in her heart. Marrying a peasant to fill a family spot had been her humiliation, and only by tormenting the legitimate children could she feel a bit of solace for her unwillingness.

Gu Jinli did not stop Gu Dashan from kneeling and begging Elder Gu, as Gu Dashan being abandoned by Elder Gu was also what she wanted to see.

She had always known that Gu Dashan held Elder Gu in high regard and couldn't bear to leave the Old Gu Family because of Elder Gu. This time, she wanted Gu Dashan to clearly see his status in Elder Gu's heart—comparable to a servant!

Only when Gu Dashan was thoroughly disappointed with Elder Gu could she get Gu Dashan to agree to leave the Old Gu Family.

Gu Jinli pointed to the indenture in Qian Guangzong's hand and said to the village chief, "Village Chief Grandpa, we want to take a look at that indenture. How can we know what it says or whom it's selling without a glance?"

The village chief nodded in agreement, "Lao Liu's son-in-law, bring the indenture over here."

Qian Guangzong was prepared and did not fear the village chief inspecting the indenture. He stepped forward to the village chief, handed the indenture over, and pointing to the handprint on it, said, "Village Chief, look, this is Gu Dashan's handprint, with his fingerprints on it."

Since ancient times, the way to verify a handprint is by looking at the fingerprints.