Even before his downfall, Gu Baijiang was reluctant to take out so much silver. The open income and expenses of the entire household for a year might only be this much, but all of it was needed to support the family’s livelihood, leaving nothing to save.

"If Mr. Zhou insists, then we have no other way," Gu Baijiang leaned forward slightly, "Mr. Zhou, you should also know the relationship between the Third Prince and me. Are you sure you still want to target my granddaughter?"

Zhou Gang retorted, "A prince committing a crime is subject to the same punishment as a commoner. Your granddaughter hasn’t even entered the manor yet, spare me those tricks."

Although Zhou Gang felt a bit uneasy, he wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t fooled. The prince was surrounded by numerous beauties. In the capital, there were plenty of young women with power, talent, and beauty to choose from. For any ambitious prince, every position around him was important. How could he reserve one for Gu Antong?

He was present that day as well. The Third Prince didn’t even turn his head, showing that the Gu Family’s girl was merely a pastime for him during his leisure.

It was also the courage given by the Third Prince that made Gu Antong dare to lay hands on her own daughter.

If he suffered this loss today, how could he stand firm in the world in the future?

"Demanding two thousand taels of silver from you is already giving you face, otherwise I would demand the Gu Family to pay with their lives."

After Zhou Gang finished speaking, he looked at Gu Antong with a sinister gaze, "If you don’t want to pay, that’s fine. I see your granddaughter has some charm, let her stay at my house to keep my little girl company, and when my daughter’s anger subsides, she’ll naturally come back."

Sinners like them couldn’t have their own servants, but young girls could accompany each other. If Gu Baijiang was really willing, he could let his own wife help with teaching properly.

"Don’t go too far," Gu Baijiang turned his head toward Liu Pingkang, who was watching the scene unfold, "Let’s find someone to arbitrate this matter, rather than you and I deciding."

Zhou Gang was indifferent, as the Zhou Family had the upper hand anyway, "I have no objections, but if this matter is laid bare, I fear your granddaughter won’t even get to enter through the side doors of the Third Prince’s manor.

In fact, I want to know what my daughter, who never competes for anything and is always kind to others, did to offend Miss Gu. I would appreciate it if Mr. Gu could ask for me."

Gu Baijiang also had doubts in his heart, but he couldn’t step into Zhou Gang’s trap at this time.

"Perhaps it’s a small dispute accidentally caused between young girls, sometimes emotions flare up uncontrollably. I will certainly have my Antong apologize properly, and I hope Mr. Zhou will show mercy..."

"Mr. Gu, don’t feign ignorance, I’ve already laid out the terms, give me a definite answer on how you plan to proceed."

"I really can’t come up with so much silver..."

"Then have your granddaughter stay with us for some time..."

"That’s crossing a line..."

The two exchanged words back and forth for a while but couldn’t reach a mutually satisfactory agreement.

It’s not that Gu Baijiang didn’t want to compensate, but he really couldn’t gather that much silver right now.

And seeing that the two families couldn’t start a fight anytime soon, those who were waiting to watch the entertaining scene went on to their own businesses, as the wind was getting colder and the drizzle was turning heavier. Securing their own lives was the priority.

"Mr. Zhou, how about this? I’ll sign an IOU for you, and in a while, I’ll repay the full amount."

Zhou Gang rubbed his fingers, thought for a moment, and then said, "Then it won’t be this amount, it needs to be doubled."

"...Alright," Gu Baijiang had no choice but to agree for now. The funds he had prepared for Gu Antong’s entry into the manor would have to be reduced.

Gu Kaiyuan currently wasn’t bothering with their affairs. As long as the trouble didn’t come to him, he wouldn’t go looking for trouble, and with the escort guarding, Bai Suihe’s tragedy wouldn’t repeat itself.

But he was not at ease, no matter what, he would guard here today.

Leaning on the big tree, a few people began building an impromptu shelter. Although the carriage was quite comfortable, but in this weather, staying near a campfire was much warmer.

Bai Suihe had watched many outdoor survival clips before and knew how to build a shelter.

Holding a stick to illustrate on the ground, Gu Kaiyuan and Zhuang Datou quickly understood how to do it.

"This could work. By laying an oilcloth over the outside, it can block out the cold wind and also keep out the rain." Gu Kaiyuan saw the improvised ventilation opening and thought this was feasible. This way, they could light a fire inside the small shelter, and the temperature would surely rise significantly.

Using the tree hollow as a support, Zhuang Datou and the others cut a few large logs and started to get busy.

Although they could rest in the carriage, following Bai Suihe’s suggestion to stay inside the shelter might even be warmer than the carriage.

Many hands make light work, and having three strong laborers sure helped, with Bai Suihe directing from the side, Dongmei and Chunxiang began tidying up gradually.

In less than half an hour, the simple shelter made of wood was completed. Gu Kaiyuan draped the oilcloth over it and secured it, making a place that could shield from wind and rain.

The escorts were amazed at how a small wooden house was built in such a short time. After roaming and running errands outside for so many years, following so many exiled prisoners, Gu Kaiyuan truly opened their eyes.

To build a house at this speed, and they even went inside to test it, just as the match was ignited, the temperature inside already began to rise. If it were left a while longer, it would surely be very comfortable inside.

Previously, the idea of taking turns resting in the carriage seemed appealing, at least better than what the exiles were enduring, but now it seemed less enticing.

However, since it was already dark, building such a small wooden house now was not worthwhile. They secretly noted down the steps, planning to build one next time they camped.

Even though they had to take shifts patrolling at night, with good rest, they could be more alert during the day.

Some larger families also came over to learn, including Chen Dafu and his family.

Chen Dafu watched once and didn’t ask much, returning only to scold his descendants, "Look at Gu Kaiyuan, he’s not a scholar like you, but why is his mind so sharp?

It would be excusable if you can’t bring glory to our ancestors, but at least strive to be a bit more intelligent. Think more, see more, learn more. Do you understand how Gu Kaiyuan and the others built that house?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The children and grandchildren of the Chen Family shook their heads one after another. They weren’t geniuses, how could they understand just by looking at it once?

"They’ve set an example for you, and you still can’t get it?" Every time Chen Dafu saw these children and grandchildren, who only knew how to eat and act like wooden dummies, his chest would fill with rage.

If it weren’t for these foolish kids, why would he be suffering so much in his old age?

This time, he must get the reward so that he can leave these fools with some family foundation, at least they could each buy some land and become wealthy landowners.