Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 151 - 76: Meeting Senior Brother Sun Again
Gu Wanhua saw this and thought it was rather childish. Indeed, just a little kid who got duped by a piece of candy.
Even though the taste was so-so, Gu Chengyu still refused another piece offered by Gu Chengzhong. Watching Gu Chengzhong put the slightly melted candy back into the oil paper wrapper, Gu Chengyu thought to himself that when he returns tomorrow, he will ask his father to buy some malt candies from the town for the younger members of the family to try.
When the ox cart returned to Shangling Village, Gu Chengyu saw that his house had already been half demolished, with several people busy in the yard. It seemed that all their belongings had been moved into the house at the foot of the hill, but he hadn’t expected the demolition to happen today.
Looking at the half-collapsed adobe brick house, Gu Chengyu’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. He recalled that he was born in this small yard, and in the blink of an eye, he had lived here for nearly five years. Every tree and blade of grass held special feelings for him. Gu Chengyu silently put down the curtain and did not ask Mr. Gu about the construction progress of the house; the ox cart moved straight ahead, and Gu Chengzhong’s home was a bit further inside.
"Third Uncle! You guys are really quick, I think you can tear down the house completely by tomorrow!" Gu Chengzhong also lifted the front curtain and saw that the Gu Family’s house had been demolished more than half. Hua had talked about Third Uncle’s situation several days ago. Alas! Third Uncle’s family is really rising, now they’ve even moved into a big house.
"Indeed! Better early than late! We’ve checked the almanac, and it says the day after tomorrow is a good day, so we’re trying to dig the foundation by then."
After having dinner, Gu Chengyu and they went up the mountain to gather mushrooms and honeysuckle. The honeysuckle was in its last flowering period, and after this harvest, they’d have to wait until next year. This last batch certainly wouldn’t be as good as the previous ones, so Mr. Gu and the others planned not to sell it in the county. Once the flowers dried, they’d sell them directly to Renhe Hall in town.
The mushrooms were brought back, and after weighing, they found they’d harvested a total of one hundred and forty-three pounds. Mr. Gu looked delighted, yet when preparing to dry the mushrooms, he faced a problem. The place had not been used for a long time; the stove was out, and if they wanted to light the stove, they’d have to fix it first. Even putting aside whether it could be fixed, it would take a lot of time and effort.
In the end, they could only regretfully decide to sun-dry them for several days and inform Manager Liang well in advance.
The next day, when Gu Chengyu sat in the ox cart driven by Mr. Gu and passed his yard, he found everyone was already working. Surprisingly, amidst the workers, he spotted a familiar figure.
"Senior Brother Sun?" Gu Chengyu lifted the curtain and looked toward Sun Xian, who was working diligently.
Sun Xian, sweating profusely while working on the devastated home, suddenly heard someone calling him, causing him to pause with the hammer in hand, his expression somewhat dazed. He hadn’t heard this kind of address for a long time. Looking at the hammer in his palm and then at his dust-covered tunic, he gave a wry smile.
"Dad! Please stop for a moment, I think I saw my former senior brother from the private school, I want to say hello." Gu Chengyu was somewhat unsure, as he had only met Senior Brother Sun once.
Sun Xian turned around and saw exactly the little boy he had bumped into at the bookshop that day, his face breaking into a smile.
Putting down the hammer, he cupped his fists toward Gu Chengyu saying, "So it’s Junior Brother Gu!"
Gu Chengyu got off the ox cart and walked happily forward, "It really is Senior Brother Sun! What a coincidence, it’s been quite some time since we last met."
Seeing Gu Chengyu’s smiling demeanor while talking to him and not looking down on him for what he was doing, Sun Xian felt a bit relieved.
"I was too hurried last time, please forgive any oversight!"
"Senior Brother, you’re too kind, it must have been because you had urgent matters!" Although Sun Xian was amidst rubble and doing work unrelated to a scholar’s pursuits, Gu Chengyu didn’t see any embarrassment in him, which increased his admiration for Senior Brother Sun. People like this are certainly worth befriending.
"Is Junior Brother from Shangling Village and heading to the private school now?" Sun Xian asked, looking at the ox cart driven by Mr. Gu.
"Yes! Senior Brother, it’s getting late, so I must take my leave. When I return from school, we can catch up properly, and I can consult you!" Gu Chengyu intended to befriend him, so he’d have to take the initiative to engage more.
"Consulting is too much to ask, I’ve only studied two more years than Junior Brother! I won’t hold up Junior Brother, lest you miss the school hour."
After Gu Chengyu left in the ox cart, Sun Craftsman, who was busy on the side, came up.
"Brother Xian, you know the Gu Family’s fifth son?"
"Uncle! You know him too? I met him in the bookshop in town; he’s also studying at Mr. Wen’s private school, so he’s my junior brother." Sun Xian picked up the hammer and went back to pounding the adobe wall.
"His family owns this house, they are the ones building the new house. To think, their days weren’t good two years ago! Now they’ve risen again; you never know, life might turn around any day." Sun Craftsman seemed to have thought of something, patted Sun Xian on the shoulder, and sighed.
Seeing Sun Xian lost in thought at his words, Sun Craftsman returned to his work. Come to think of it, his nephew had a tough life too! If it weren’t for his sick mother at home, why would life be so difficult? Look at those hands made for holding a pen, now doing rough work like artisans; what a pity!
But he decided to help him because he saw how filial he was to his mother, otherwise, being a distant relative, he wouldn’t have thought to lend a hand. After all, it was generations apart.
Over there, Mr. Gu asked Gu Chengyu in the cart, "That kid looks familiar, kind of like the one we saw at the bookshop last time."
"Dad! That’s him! His surname is Sun, and I heard from classmates that he has good potential for studies, but got held back by family issues. If he had continued studying two years ago, he might have a good chance of passing the scholar exam this year." Gu Chengyu thought it a pity to give up like that.
Gu Chengyu reflected that a single person can’t hold up alone, and if he found an opportunity to help Senior Brother Sun, perhaps in the future they could support each other a bit; as farming families, they naturally lacked the connections of noble sons and had to rely on their own efforts to stand firm.
Even putting these considerations aside, he genuinely appreciated Senior Brother Sun’s character and mostly felt sorry for him.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that the family was not financially strained anymore, so they could propose sending Da Lang and the others to study.
"Dad! Our family isn’t short on Silver now, and Da Lang and the others are no longer young; why not let them go to the private school too? Even if not for the civil service exam, learning some characters would still be good."
