Chapter 511: Even If You Wanted To, You Won't Have The Chance!
Gu Qingyao almost burst out laughing at her smug expression.
But she controlled herself. She had no choice but to maintain a low profile!
Gu Qingyao beamed broadly. "I heard you've made a match. He's from the town and comes from a rich family?"
Sun Mei hesitated. She had not expected Gu Qingyao to be so indifferent. She immediately felt rather resentful!
"That's right! His family is very rich, and they all work in factories. His parents hold important leadership positions, and he himself earns a high wage."
Sun Mei's smile and pride were sincere. At the moment, she was truly elated!
Gu Qingyao looked at her without a word.
Behind her, Chen Honghua laughed. "Didn't expect that, did you, Gu Qingyao? Sun Mei has made such a good match. You will never have such a chance in your lifetime. In the future, you can only bustle around with that crowd of children from the Mo family. Hehehe! What does it feel like to be a stepmother at such a young age?"
Gu Qingyao smiled. "Even if you wanted to be a stepmother like me, you won't have the chance!"
"You..." Chen Honghua's expression changed.
Gu Qingyao did not quibble with these people. She hoped that Sun Mei would quickly marry Wang Jie and leave the area.
When she arrived at the Mo house, the Mo children were all there. Mu Mu and the younger ones were practicing their writing while Jiang Xun was stacking firewood. When the youth saw Gu Qingyao, he smiled immediately. "Young Aunt!"
Gu Qingyao smiled in response. "Jiang Xun, where are the others?"
"They're in the house! They can't be bothered to come out because it's so cold. Grandma, Mu Mu! Young Aunt is here!"
Jiang Xun clapped and shouted in the direction of the house.
When he heard that, Mu Mu immediately charged out of the house and rushed straight for Gu Qingyao.
"Young Aunt!"
This little fellow's voice was so sweet.
Gu Qingyao was delighted. Seeing this smart and adorable little boy always put her in a good mood.
Mu Mu rushed over and Gu Qingyao reached out to pick him up. The little boy immediately hugged Gu Qingyao around her neck and smiled sweetly.
This little fellow really treated her like his mother.
"Have you been obedient? Have you been studying diligently?"
Gu Qingyao asked as she carried Mu Mu towards Jiang Yingqiu's room.
Mu Mu immediately nodded his small head and looked very obedient!
"I'm very obedient and I've been studying diligently. Every day, I do the homework that Young Uncle left me."
This child was intelligent and mature and the adults did not need to worry about him. He was so lovable.
Actually, whether they were rich or poor, most people were unwilling to care for other people's children.
After all, raising a child was not just a matter of providing food. There were many other things to worry about.
This was even more true of this group of children from the Mo family.
But if the children were intelligent, mature and lovable, that was a different matter. It made it easier to accept them.
At present, Gu Qingyao was growing increasingly close to the children.
She carried Mu Mu and entered Jiang Yingqiu's room. Jiang Yingqiu was just getting out of bed and putting on her shoes.
Gu Qingyao smiled. "Aunt, don't get up. Just lie in bed. There's nothing much to do anyway. You need to take care of your health!"
Jiang Yingqiu had been over-exhausted when she was younger, which caused her to be sickly. She would not recover so easily.
When Jiang Yingqiu saw her enter, she sat by the side of the bed and smiled. "I'm already much better. I've taken so many of your medicines over the past year. I feel that my health has improved greatly."
Chapter 512: A Letter To Grandfather Mo
That was true. She sensed that her health had improved greatly as of late.
She had been in a good mood over the past year. Her son was engaged, and his marriage was settled. Her family was doing well, so she did not have to worry.
For the past few months, Gu Qingyao had given her food and tonics every two weeks. With such care, her health had certainly improved.
Gu Qingyao smiled and said, "I'm glad they're effective. I've brought more for you. Aunt, you must eat them regularly so that you can regain your health more quickly.
"Although there are more children in the family now, they are very mature. Jiang Xun is already grown up and can work, so you must not exhaust yourself."
When she said that, even Jiang Yingqiu could not help but smile. Others felt that there were more freeloaders in her family, and they were all mischievous boys too. They were sure she was burdened with many cares.
But the truth was that these children were all very mature and did not give her much cause for concern.
When her son was home, he did most of the cooking and the housework. After he left, Jiang Xun took over. She just had to help out a little, so she was not much more tired than before.
"The children are all very mature, especially Jiang Xun. He's very capable. He does almost everything in the house. I'm barely involved sometimes."
Gu Qingyao smiled. Everyone liked a grateful child.
"It's winter now. You should have a good rest! The spring planting is starting soon, and you'll have to work in the fields. When that happens, you mustn't exhaust yourself. Brother Beihan can support all of you, so you mustn't make yourself ill. Then we will all have to worry about you."
Jiang Yingqiu continued to smile brightly as she said, "I know, I know. I will take good care of myself. You don't need to worry about me. Just take care of yourselves."
She was much less worried after finding out how much money her son earned. She felt less anxious.
Her son had found a wife and settled his nephews without her help. Under these circumstances, of course she must take good care of herself so that she did not burden her son.
Gu Qingyao took out the tonics. All these were to improve Jiang Yingqiu's health. Some could be directly brewed and drunk, but some had to be added to food and boiled into soup.
She gave Jiang Yingqiu clear instructions for each of them. Jiang Yingqiu was gradually regaining her health and was using different medicines now, so she must clearly explain how to use them.
Jiang Yingqiu was rather embarrassed when she saw all these tonics.
"Yao Yao! These things are so difficult to obtain. Don't bother in the future. I'm slowly getting better and I won't need to do heavy labor anymore. These are too expensive."
In these times, medicinal herbs were really expensive. Exorbitant in fact. She knew very well that the tonics Gu Qingyao had brought were even more expensive than food.
When she looked at the small piece of ginseng, she did not know what to say.
Gu Qingyao smiled nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Brother Beihan sent all these."
Jiang Yingqiu did not say anything.
As if her son could get hold of these things. He had never sent her medicinal herbs before!
These were very difficult to obtain.
It was more likely that since the Gus were doctors, they had used their connections to obtain these. The girl just wanted to put her heart at ease.
Gu Qingyao spent the afternoon at the Mo house, then returned home. She mainly went to the Mo house to play with the children.
Meanwhile, Mo Beihan had reached the provincial capital and he wrote a letter to Old Master Mo in the capital.
He wanted to raise the Gu family's standing and needed the Old Master's help.
Chapter 513: Grandma Mo: I'll Beat Him Again
Besides a letter, Mo Beihan had sent a parcel with some local specialties to Old Master and Old Madam Mo. He had sent it to them via the Ji family.
At the moment, Old Master Mo attached great importance to the Ji family. He treated the Ji family as Mo Beihan's trusted followers and fostered them accordingly.
With the Ji family around, the parcel arrived quickly, and the Old Master received it on the day of the Lantern Festival.
It was the best present that Old Master and Grandma Mo could receive for the Lantern Festival.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Let me see what it is?"
When Grandma Mo heard that her oldest grandson had sent a parcel, she rushed to the study to see what was in it.
When they opened the parcel, the first thing they saw was a thick letter. The two old folks ignored everything else and opened the letter first.
The letter was from Mo Beihan. He asked about their welfare and their health, then told them about his family's situation.
And about Mu Mu, Jiang Jing, Jiang Xun and his brother.
Old Master Mo and Grandma Mo were stunned!
"This... we have another two great-grandsons?" Grandma Mo felt that things were rather surreal.
How long had it been?
She had suddenly acquired another eldest grandson and four great-grandsons!
Grandfather Mo nodded as he read the letter. "That's right! There are another two children. They're even younger and had an even harder life when they were young. Fortunately, they met that girl from the Gu family, or Mu Mu would have died."
Grandma Mo's eyes reddened and she could not stop her tears from falling.
Grandfather Mo panicked when he saw that Grandma Mo was crying. "Hey, old woman, don't cry! We have two more great-grandsons. You should be happy. Happy!"
Grandma Mo's heart ached as she cried. Although she was happy that the two children had been found, but...
"I... I'm happy! But... how can I not cry? How much have these two children suffered? Didn't you read the letter? It was pitch dark when his older cousin carried him on his back to look for a doctor! If they had not run into the Gu girl, Mu Mu would have died.
"Wu wu wu. His older cousin is just a teenager. It was already extremely fortunate that he could get enough food for them every day to prevent them from starving to death. He couldn't possibly have had the energy to take care of Mu Mu. He must have had such a hard life since he was young."
Grandma Mo's heart ached. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
She was shaking with anger!
"It's all our eldest son's fault. That beast! If not for him, my grandsons and great-grandsons would not have to suffer like that. That hypocrite dares to come back here to enjoy life while the children suffer in the countryside. That beast. No, I must go and beat him up!"
Grandma Mo was so infuriated that she turned to go downstairs and beat him up.
Grandfather Mo was frightened by how angry she was and he hastened to pull her back.
"Hey, wife! Wife, calm down. Beating up our son is easy. I'll help you beat him up later. You can just watch. We haven't even finished reading the letter! Let's continue reading and see what our grandson wrote to us."
Grandma Mo was so angry she wanted to go over and punch him. But then she saw the unfinished letter. In the end, her grandson won out.
"Then we'll read the letter first, and when we're done, we'll go and beat him up."
"Right, right, right! Let's read the letter first, and when we're done, we'll go and beat him up. I'll help you!"
Grandfather Mo coaxed her and pulled her back to her seat. He stood next to her and they read the letter together.
The letter described the children's situation, and then came Mo Beihan's request for the Gu family.
When he finished the letter, Old Master Mo sank into deep thought.
Chapter 514: Kidnap His Wife, And Our Grandson Will Certainly Follow
Grandma Mo said impatiently, "Why are you so quiet? Our grandson finally has something he needs help with. We must certainly do something. I don't care. As long as it makes my grandson happy, he can have whatever he wants!"
Grandfather Mo said, "Be patient! Of course, I will help. I'm thinking of how to help him now."
Grandma Mo said in annoyance, "Didn't he make it clear in his letter? He wants you to find a proper job for Jiang Yiru. Nothing can be simpler!
"Jiang Yiru was a famous doctor in Jiangnan. A doctor! Now there's a shortage of doctors everywhere. Even if she came from a major landlord family, it doesn't change the fact that she's a doctor. Many people come from poor backgrounds, but they avoided disaster because they were doctors."
That was true.
In these times, medical care was just too poor. Among those who were bad elements, those who were doctors met with the best treatment.
Jiang Yiru was a famous doctor in Jiangnan, and Old Master Qin was also a doctor. All the Mo family had to do was to step in at an opportune moment, and both of them could be transferred.
Grandfather Mo sat on a nearby sofa, and Grandma Mo immediately followed.
Grandfather Guo said, "Beihan's analysis makes sense. The Gu family's other sons and grandsons have left their hometown, and for now, it will not be easy to promote them very much. And it won't have much effect on those in their old home.
"I've been promoting the second and third sons' families, and they now hold higher positions. But the part of the Gu family that is still in their hometown continues to lack prestige. What Beihan mentioned will happen in the Qing River Brigade, and it has a bigger effect on the people there.
"Especially because the Gus are also doctors. If Jiang Yiru has a good job and her superiors acknowledge her, then these people will naturally respect the Gu family more."
Mo Beihan hoped that Old Master Mo would help Jiang Yiru and Old Master Qin to find jobs. Ideally, prestigious jobs that would allow them to be transferred to the city.
Jiang Yiru's background was poor and she was a doctor. Her situation was almost identical to that of Gu Chonghua.
If Jiang Yiru and Old Master Qin were to leave the cowshed for a job in the city, it would definitely be big news to the locals.
Everyone would naturally think of Gu Chonghua.
No matter what era, everyone naturally revered the upper echelons of society.
Old Master Mo looked at the letter in his hand. "I'll think of something and find an opportunity to have them transferred to the capital. Then... perhaps the little Gu girl will follow, and then... our grandson will probably follow his wife here?"
Grandma Mo's eyes brightened!
"Right, right, right! Hurry up, hurry up. Get Jiang Yiru and her husband transferred to the capital. They have no children to take care of them, and that little Gu girl is their disciple. Perhaps she will accompany them to the capital to take care of them, and also to study medicine. Anyway, all young girls like the city. She will certainly come.
"Then even if Beihan is unwilling to visit the capital, he will have to make frequent trips here. We'll get hold of his wife and see if he comes!"
Old Master Mo smiled!
Grandma Mo was delighted!
She was incredibly agitated at the thought of meeting her oldest grandson.
"Think of a way to get Jiang Yiru a prestigious job that is near us. Doctors build connections the most easily. With Jiang Yiru's medical skills and fame, many people will show her respect when she comes to the capital.
"She's the little Gu girl's teacher, which means she is part of Beihan's circle of influence. Also, think of a way to transfer the second and third Gu sons' families to the capital. Get all of them to come. Oh, and the little Gu girl's father. Isn't he a doctor, too? Get him here as well."
Chapter 515: No Need To Talk, Thrash Him First
The more Grandma Mo thought about it, the more plausible it seemed!
"We'll kidnap his wife and her entire family. Then Beihan will certainly come home. If he doesn't come, he'll worry that the little Gu girl will be bullied without his support! And then there are all those children. If they come, our Mo family's oldest daughter-in-law will certainly plot against them.
"When the Gu family arrives in the capital, Beihan will have influence and connections. Then with the Ji family and our protection, he won't have to worry."
Old Master Mo smiled at his wife's excited expression. "All right, all right, all right! I'll think of a way to move everyone who can be transferred here. I will certainly find a way to get your eldest grandson, granddaughter-in-law, and all your great-grandsons here to the capital to meet you. All right?"
"That's more like it!"
Grandma Mo was elated.
Old Master Mo glanced at the time and said, "It's late in the afternoon. Go and have a nap. You must rest in the afternoon so you won't tire yourself out."
Grandma Mo was still immersed in delight! When she heard the Old Master's words, she said with a smile, "Sure, I'll go and rest. But not now! I probably can't sleep."
Old Master Mo was amused. "Even if you can't sleep, you can lie down. You don't have to sleep in order to rest."
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll go now. I must take care of myself and live a few more years until our Beihan's children are born. Hahaha!"
Grandma Mo happily prepared to leave for her afternoon nap, then she halted abruptly.
"Wait, I still have to thrash that beast."
When Grandma Mo remembered how her eldest son had caused her grandsons and great-grandsons to suffer so much, she was immediately enraged. She immediately started down the stairs to beat him.
Grandfather Mo was sitting on the sofa. He saw that Grandma Mo was about to take a rest and he was ready to move to his office desk to deal with some matters. Then he saw his wife rush away angrily to administer a beating.
Old Master Mo was shocked!
"Oi, wife, don't run. You might sprain your back. I'll beat him up for you..."
Old Master Mo helped Grandma Mo down the stairs, just in time to see Mo Huai come home in a drunken stupor. Grandma Mo was instantly furious. "Where have you been fooling around this time?"
Mo Huai was drunk and did not notice how angry his mother was. He replied, "I drank a little. Today, I was in a go-good mood, so... so I drank a little more hahaha"
Then he laughed foolishly.
Grandma Mo almost exploded in fury.
He had abandoned his wife so many years ago to return alone. But he had never wondered how his two sons were doing?
Or thought of how hard his life used to be and wondered if his children had survived?
Instead, he had heartlessly enjoyed himself.
Grandma Mo was deeply disappointed with his indifference. She lost her patience with this son.
She grabbed a nearby feather duster and rushed at Mo Huai and struck him with it.
The living room once again rang with wild shrieks and howls.
...
Qing River Brigade
Time passed slowly. The weather slowly turned warm after the new year. Under Gu Qingyao's careful nursing, Old Master Guo and Lin Wanyin had slowly regained their health.
When the spring planting began, they could work in the fields to earn work points so that they would have food in the future.
At their age, they thought that they would die in desperate straits, but they had unexpectedly run into old friends at the Qing River Brigade.
Although life was still hard, they were in better spirits.
Lin Wanyin liked whatever she saw of Gu Qingyao, the pretty little girl who bustled about them all day.