Looking at Gu Xiao agilely flipped on top of the horse and skillfully commanded the horse and left, a real smile appeared on Gu Ye’s face. It looked like this grandpa wasn’t as down on luck as he wanted others to think. She wondered how much Gu Qiao would kick himself when he finds out in the future.
The two siblings continued to go and collect firewood in the mountain, with the exception that they were no longer bringing the firewood back to the Gu’s, but to store them temporarily in Ninth Uncle and Aunty’s house. All the rabbits and pheasants that were in their traps, they no longer tried to hide them from anyone. They have Ninth Aunty helped them preserved them with salt, these will be added to the workers’ meals when they come to help with the rebuilding of the house.
When Mrs. Gu saw Gu Ye bringing the pheasants next door, she just wanted to shout and yell at her. Unfortunately the canker sores in her mouth had not recovered it and she experiences excruciating pain every time she tried to open her mouth. All she could do was to bang on the table and chair to show her discontent.
Gu Qiao wasn’t in the best of mood after his son was adopted, her behavior made him shout at her, “Will you knock that off already? The kids won’t be staying here for much longer! If it wasn’t you picking fights all day long and wedge that distance between us, why would they bring all the good stuff next door?”
“Gu Qiao, you are such a loser! He still has your, Gu Liao Qi’s, blood running through his veins! You birthed him and raised him, so what you want a pheasant from him! That ungrateful white-eyed wolf!” cursed Mrs. Gu with her slurred words.
Gu Qiao was a prideful man, when he heard her calling him a loser, he lost his temper immediately. He grabbed Mrs. Gu by her hair and dragged her outside like he was dragging a dead dog. Once they got into the courtyard he started beating her ruthlessly, “Oh yeah? I’m a loser huh? Why don’t you go find someone who’s not a loser then? Looking at you! Fat like a pig and so ugly you don’t even look human! I must be blind back them to have married you!”
Mrs. Gu pleaded for mercy from the beating. Xiao Zhuang heard all the ruckus and ran outside. He started bawling when he saw what was going on. Da Zhuang just hid inside the house and didn’t even come out.
When Gu Qiao was finally tired from the beating her, he let out a deep breath and said, “If it wasn’t your stupid idea to let Gu Ming be adopted, all the games that he hunted right now would be ours. And you call him a white-eyed wolf? You are the stupid pig! Oh you want pheasant? Have your precious son go hunt them for you and stop whining in front of me!”
Mrs. Gu’s face was swollen from the beating and she was bleeding from the corners of her mouth. She moaned and groaned from the ground. That irritated Gu Qiao and he gave her another kick before he walked out of the house.
At dusk, the two siblings went to the entrance of the village and, looking down the ruggedly mountain path and saw a huge figure riding on a donkey appearing in front of them in the fading light of dusk. Gu Ming went up holding his sister’s hand in his.
“Fifth Grandpa, you are home!” said Gu Ming, feeling a bit awkward.
“Silly kid, why are you still calling me Fifth Grandpa? You are Gu Xiao’s – my – grandson now!” Gu Xiao gently drummed his knuckle on the young boy’s forehead and smiled. The way the kids have been tiptoeing around him had no escape his observation. After all, they are not yet familiar with each other. But he trusted that it would get better over time. Not just the kids have to get used to him, he also needed to get used being the head of household as well.
“Grandpa….” Gu Ming chuckled as he rubbed his head.
Gu Ye tugged at her brother’s clothes and that immediately jotted Gu Ming’s memory, “Grandpa, you haven’t had dinner yet, right? Please have half of this pheasant for dinner.”
Gu Ye facepalmed: Ge ge, whatever happened to your normal wittiness? Why were you all stiff in the way you talk? Grandpa wasn’t going to eat you!