Chapter 15: Following
As Chengfeng Shan was about to rise, almost needing to support his waist to see Gu Yu off, he was politely refused by Gu Yu.
He didn’t want to return with great fanfare like the last time he traveled by carriage, drawing the attention of the villagers again.
Recently, the Gu family had become quite famous in Yang Family Village, and the buzz hadn’t died down. If this momentum continued to grow, it would attract trouble.
It was best to lie low for now and avoid being noticed by those who might have ulterior motives.
So, as Gu Yu walked out of the restaurant alone and headed home, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he realized someone was following him.
He thought to himself that he was like a fragrant roasted chicken, emitting an aroma that attracted people wherever he went.
However, thinking about it, most of those who had held grudges against him had already been dealt with. Who could be following him this time?
Could it be his father-in-law again, sending someone over?
No, he had to lure them out and see who they were, lest he be plotted against in secret.
While Gu Yu was thinking, his pace didn’t slow down. Instead, he walked forward even faster. As the pedestrians around him became fewer, the trackers behind him finally couldn’t resist jumping out and directly stopped Gu Yu.
When Gu Yu looked at the two men in front of him, with their pointed ears and rat-like faces, and confirmed he didn’t recognize them, he felt a surge of happiness.
He wondered what good things these guys, who had delivered themselves to his doorstep, might have on them.
The sword that the man in black had “given” him last time was still hanging on his wall as decoration!
“Kid, what’s your relationship with Chunlai Restaurant!”
“Ah? I just went there for a meal with my uncle. What relationship could I have!”
“Your uncle? What does your uncle do?”
When one of the men spoke first, Gu Yu was temporarily stunned. He quickly put on a naive expression and “foolishly” answered their questions.
It seemed that this time, no one intended to attack the Gu family, but Gu Yu had unfortunately been implicated.
For now, he needed to find out their background first.
Gu Yu’s cooperative attitude immediately made the two men relax their guard, thinking that a mere child couldn’t cause much trouble and that they had been too cautious.
However, after hearing the word “uncle” from Gu Yu’s mouth, the expressions on the two men’s faces became excited, feeling like they had caught a big fish this time.
If this kid’s uncle really had a connection with Chunlai Restaurant, then after capturing him and using him, the young master’s orders would be successfully completed…
In that case, the reward would naturally fall into their pockets, to be spent as they pleased.
“My uncle? He sells tea in town. Chunlai Restaurant wanted to buy my uncle’s tea… but they offered too little, so my uncle refused! While we were eating, they even started arguing, and then they kicked me out but kept my uncle to continue the discussion.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I was kicked out before I even had a few bites. My uncle told me to go back to the village to eat… I thought I was going to have a feast today, but it turned out like this. It makes me feel so upset! Brothers, are you going to buy me something to eat?”
“Go away, go wherever it’s cool! You think we’re going to buy you food? You wish.”
After Gu Yu spoke again, the hope in the two men’s eyes immediately vanished. Seeing that they had mistaken their target again, disappointment swept across their faces.
The man who spoke first waved at Gu Yu impatiently, telling him to leave quickly.
Seeing this, Gu Yu, with a reluctant expression, deliberately slowed his steps as he left. He kept looking back at the two men every three steps.
His seemingly insatiable craving annoyed the two men even more.
“Fengzi, how much longer do we have to keep watching! It’s been so long, and we’ve all been looking for the wrong people.”
“We can’t stop watching! Who dares to disobey Master Hu’s orders? Isn’t that seeking death! Ever since Er Tou Wang caused Master Hu a great loss last time, his temper has become increasingly unpredictable.”
“Wasn’t he always like this before? I don’t think he’s changed much, except that he’s gotten stingier lately and rarely gives us any reward money. Could it be that he was abandoned by the Master after getting injured in that area?”
“No one can tell for sure, but as long as he’s our boss now, we have to do as he says. Let’s go! Continue watching with Da Tu and the others.”
“Sigh, Master Hu already took over Fuman Restaurant, why does he still want Chunlai Restaurant across the street! I heard the owner of that restaurant is not someone to be trifled with.”
“That’s why Master Hu is planning to use underhanded tactics! Enough, we’re just errand runners. There’s no point in thinking so much. Let’s just honestly complete the assigned tasks!”
Having heard the information he wanted, Gu Yu didn’t continue eavesdropping. He turned his head, his face immediately showing a thoughtful expression, knowing who their leader was.
It was Wang Hu, whom he had seen by chance before, who was monitoring the movements of Chunlai Restaurant and wanted to swallow it as well.
However, these things didn’t have much to do with Gu Yu. On the other hand, the news of Wang Hu becoming a eunuch was confirmed.
It had to be said that this was excellent news.
From now on, the young ladies in Lian Town and the village would not have to worry about being harmed by Wang Hu… However, the continuous incidents of kidnapping women and children were a more troublesome problem.
Even the government office had not found any clues, so he needed to take more precautions to avoid becoming a victim himself later, which would be terrible.
Among the three members of the Gu family, Mengyao Gu possessed innate divine strength, so there was no need to worry.
Gu Yu had the golden finger of spatial ability, so he also didn’t need to worry. But Gu Qingheng…
Gu Qingheng was just an eight-year-old child now. Although his memory was astonishing, when he encountered kidnappers, he couldn’t just recite a passage from a book to resolve the situation, could he?
He would probably be knocked unconscious and taken away the moment he opened his mouth.
Thinking of this, Gu Yu stopped paying attention to Wang Hu’s affairs and hurried home quickly.
Fortunately, upon returning home, Gu Qingheng was still honestly reciting his books in the room, and there were no unusual occurrences.
It was at this moment that Gu Yu suddenly remembered that he hadn’t bought anything for his brother-in-law. So, he quickly searched through his spatial abilities and managed to pick out a few items before walking into Gu Qingheng’s room with them.
“Brother-in-law, why are you back so quickly?”
“I didn’t stay in town for long because I heard that not only women and children in the village had gone missing, but several cases had also occurred in town…”
“What! Are they all being kidnapped by traffickers?”
Gu Qingheng, who had been diligently studying, turned his head upon hearing someone enter the room and saw Gu Yu holding many small trinkets. A big smile immediately lit up his face, and he quickly got up from his chair to greet Gu Yu.
As he took the items from Gu Yu, and then heard that people had also gone missing in town, Gu Qingheng’s cute little face immediately scrunched up, clearly sensing the seriousness of the matter.
If one person went missing, it might be accidental. But if several people went missing together, it meant that Lian Town had indeed encountered traffickers!
And not just one, but possibly a group of people who specialized in kidnapping women and children for money.
“Brother-in-law, from today onwards, I will absolutely not leave the house. Even if there’s excitement in the village, I won’t go to join in.”
“Yes, I am very gratified that you can say that proactively. Qingheng, it’s not that I want to restrict you, but the situation is dangerous right now. Your appearance is not ugly, and you’re more likely to be targeted by those traffickers… At that time, even if you screamed at the top of your lungs, no one would come to save you.”
“Brother-in-law! I’m not a three-year-old child anymore. I know what’s important, and I can’t always make you and sister worry!”
“I’ll be staying at home all the time recently. When you get tired of studying, you can call me, and we can go out for a stroll together.”
Gu Yu came to Gu Qingheng’s room not just to deliver things. After he spoke, his intention was clear: he didn’t want Gu Qingheng to go out and join in the excitement anymore, for fear of any accidents.
Gu Qingheng also had a smart little brain, and Gu Yu only needed to say a word, and he immediately understood Gu Yu’s meaning, knowing that this was not the time to act spoiled or willful.
Having lost their parents early and living only with his sister, Gu Qingheng was not as innocent and naive as other children.
His premature maturity worried Gu Mengyao immensely, yet she didn’t know how to make her brother more childish.
However, Gu Yu thought that Gu Qingheng was very good. What if he was young and mature early? It was even better, as he wouldn’t be easily deceived by others!
Just like now, he only mentioned it, and Gu Qingheng immediately understood what he meant, saving him the trouble of explaining at length, making things easier for everyone.
Satisfied, Gu Yu walked out of Gu Qingheng’s room and continued to sit in the courtyard, studying some things that were commonly used in modern times but didn’t exist in ancient times, wanting to pass the time.
Previously, Gu Qingheng had asked Gu Yu if he wanted to study and write with him to avoid being too bored.
Gu Yu was very touched by his brother-in-law’s enthusiasm and politely refused.
He had already studied for so many years in modern times, and now he was enjoying a rare moment of leisure. Let him relax for a while!
Gu Yu wasn’t particularly resistant to studying either. After all, achieving success in scholarly pursuits would prevent others from bullying their family… however, he was currently suffering from laziness.
Besides this, Gu Yu also wanted to earn more silver taels.
Over thirty thousand taels of silver would be an astronomical sum for an ordinary family.
But when Gu Yu thought about… having to go to places like the capital in the future, he felt that this money was far from enough.
Even if he didn’t go to the capital, Gu Qingheng’s future education expenses would be substantial, and if he wanted to climb higher in officialdom later, he would need a lot of silver for bribes.
Thinking this, Gu Yu felt a sense of empathy, much like parents raising children…
Although he was happy that his children were promising, it also required more money!
“Yu! Juan Liu is missing!”
Just as Gu Yu was diligently studying the items in his hand, Gu Mengyao’s voice sounded from the doorway.
The anxiety in her voice made Gu Yu guess that she must be very panicked even without seeing her expression.
Come to think of it, wasn’t Juan Liu one of Gu Mengyao’s three best friends?
How could she have gone missing too?
