Chapter 48: Something is Not Right
After riding horses for half a day, Gu Yu was unsteady when he dismounted. Fortunately, his thighs were not injured as they were the first time he rode a horse, only his legs were extremely sore.
Gu Qingheng, on the other hand, was still in an excited state after finally fulfilling his wish. Gu Yu thought that when they returned, he would tie up the younger brother-in-law and throw him into the wind to let him enjoy it enough.
However, when Gu Qingheng said he couldn’t, Gu Yu couldn’t afford to be slow anymore. After all, in front of his little wife, he had to show his manliness.
The soreness in his legs finally showed signs of improvement after two or three days, allowing Gu Yu to walk steadily again instead of feeling like he was about to be blown away by the wind.
“Hehe, brother-in-law, you’re too weak! Look how handsome and dashing my sister is when she rides a horse. Why do you fail when it’s your turn!”
“Hmph, it’s enough that my wife is amazing. Why should I work hard!”
“…”
While Mengyao Gu was riding ahead, only Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng were left in the carriage. Gu Qingheng looked at his brother-in-law lying in the carriage like a boneless person and immediately spoke, filled with frustration, wanting his brother-in-law to work harder! His sister was riding horses outside to consolidate her riding skills and wanted to practice more along the way. His sister was working so hard, yet his brother-in-law was so lazy. What a huge difference! What if his sister looked down on him now! Gu Qingheng even said the word ‘can’t’ to test Gu Yu’s reaction.
However, even after hearing Gu Qingheng’s words, Gu Yu showed no change. He raised his hand, took a carrot from his space, and crunched on it leisurely. Since Mengyao Gu was not in the carriage, it didn’t matter if Gu Qingheng kept saying ‘can’t’. Gu Yu was only worried about being judged as incapable by his little wife; when Mengyao Gu was not around, he could say whatever he wanted.
However, what Gu Yu said was indeed what he thought. Mengyao Gu was already so capable, why should he practice riding skills? Was it only to win against Mengyao Gu? Mengyao Gu was his wife, not an opponent. Why be so serious! Since Mengyao Gu was skilled in horseback riding, he could be skilled in other areas… Cough cough, not the kind that’s not suitable for children.
“Alas, brother-in-law, you’re so lazy, but my sister doesn’t say anything about you! Look at me, if I don’t recite my books for a day, my sister can lecture me for hours. Thinking about it now, it’s really unequal treatment!”
“If you’re envious, you hurry up and grow up, and marry a woman you like as your wife in the future!”
“Brother-in-law, I’m only nine years old this year. Isn’t it too early to say this!”
“It’s not early! If I remember correctly, I got married to your sister when I was eleven.”
“…”
As they chatted, Gu Qingheng realized that the conversation couldn’t go on. Ahhh, his brother-in-law was so hateful!
“Yu, Qingheng, there’s a small town ahead. We’ll stay at the inn in town tonight.”
“Mm, okay.”
At this moment, Mengyao Gu’s voice came from the side of the carriage. When Gu Yu heard his little wife’s voice, he immediately changed from his previous nonchalance. He sat up properly, reached out and lifted the carriage curtain, and smiled at Mengyao Gu. Mengyao Gu’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she gently smiled back at Gu Yu. Gu Yu was not satisfied with just smiling. Seeing that no one around was paying attention, he immediately blew Mengyao Gu a kiss and sent her a flirtatious look. Then, he smiled and looked at his little wife’s blushing face, thinking she was more and more adorable the more he looked at her!
[Mengyao Gu’s Favorability +10, Space is upgrading…]
While Gu Yu and Mengyao Gu were being lovey-dovey, Gu Qingheng, who was sitting in the carriage, rolled his eyes in exasperation, thinking why he had to witness this. He was still a child! Save the child!
Afterward, when the carriage stopped in front of the inn in the small town, Mengyao Gu and the two of them followed behind the Gu residence servants and walked into the inn. With the accompanying servants, they didn’t have to do anything themselves; everything was handled by others. Gu Yu was quite satisfied with this, and he had time to look around.
It was evening, and there weren’t many people eating on the first floor of the inn. However, these people all had sorrowful expressions, as if they had encountered some difficult problem, especially the bruises on their faces, which clearly indicated they had been subjected to violence. If only one person was like this, it would not be surprising. The key was that Gu Yu looked at several people, and they had all been beaten… Could it be that these people had gotten into a brawl? In that case, this small town was not good! If it were in Lian Town, he would have been caught by constables like Min Yan and sent to prison for a few days.
As Gu Yu observed them, some of them met his gaze but quickly avoided it, then lowered their heads to eat the food in their bowls. Afterward, Gu Yu stopped looking and turned to watch the Gu residence servants explain to the innkeeper how many rooms they needed. Gu Yu, who had been observing the guests, was now curiously observing the innkeeper. Upon closer inspection, Gu Yu couldn’t help but frown slightly, wondering what had happened in this inn. Although the innkeeper appeared normal and had no injuries on his face, he spoke slowly and with occasional coughing fits, often struggling to catch his breath. Moreover, he constantly held his left hand over his chest, leading Gu Yu to guess that the innkeeper had also been beaten. And not lightly. Compared to the superficial injuries of bruises, the innkeeper had been hit in the chest and was now barely holding on.
“Mengyao, we’ve come to a new place. Let’s go for a walk!”
“This guest… it’s better not to go out casually. It’s about to get dark.”
“It’s okay, it’s not dark yet!”
After Gu Yu spoke, before Mengyao Gu could reply, the innkeeper’s expression changed slightly, and he quickly told Gu Yu not to go out at this time, suggesting he should rest at the inn. However, Gu Yu was not someone who could be persuaded by a single sentence.
At this time, Mengyao Gu nodded, agreeing to go to the town with Gu Yu, and brought Gu Qingheng along. The situation was a bit strange. If it were usual, Gu Yu would have been clamoring to return to his room to rest, not in the mood to go sightseeing. He must have discovered something? Quickly figuring this out, Mengyao Gu naturally wouldn’t leave her brother at the inn. Even if there was danger outside, it was safer to keep him by her side.
Seeing that both his young lady and young master were going out, the Gu residence servants naturally couldn’t continue to rest at the inn. After booking the rooms, they divided themselves, half guarding the carriage and the other half accompanying Mengyao Gu and the two on their stroll.
Gu Yu enjoyed the experience of having servants accompany him for the first time while shopping, thinking that life in ancient times was indeed comfortable! Especially for wealthy and powerful families, life was even better. Just as Gu Yu fancied something, the servants following him immediately bought it with keen insight, earning him a satisfied nod. He pondered whether their family should also buy servants in the future to serve tea and water, saving Mengyao Gu from exhaustion… However, upon considering the inconvenience of a stranger suddenly appearing in their family, Gu Yu quickly dismissed the idea. Their family of three was living well, and it was better not to add others indiscriminately. At most, when his younger brother-in-law grew up, he could bring him along when shopping and have him carry things…
Gu Yu was secretly thinking these thoughts. If Gu Qingheng, who was happily picking out items nearby, knew, he would definitely roll his eyes in frustration and then quickly turn into a wronged mode, going to his sister to complain.
However, Gu Yu’s main purpose for coming out was not just shopping. He wanted to see what this small town was like. Was it only the inn like this, or did it include the entire town…
As a result, things had reached the worst possible outcome. It was one thing that there were few people in this town, but the people on the street, although they had no signs of being beaten, looked timid. Even when Gu Yu and his group bought things, the stall owners were forcing smiles. As they walked around, the Mengyao siblings clearly noticed the abnormality. When they looked at Gu Yu, Gu Yu shook his head at them, indicating not to meddle in other people’s affairs. They were only staying for one night. If they hadn’t been sleeping in the carriage for the past two days and Mengyao looked tired… Gu Yu would have already taken them away and wouldn’t have stayed in this town.
“Brother-in-law, there’s a thief.”
“Thief?”
“Yes, he’s currently stealing from a servant’s pocket behind us. What should we do?”
“Let’s go to a place where no one is first. With so many servants, he probably can’t steal all of them in a short time.”
Just as Gu Yu was worried that something might happen tonight, Gu Qingheng came over and whispered that someone was stealing money. As soon as Gu Yu heard this, he immediately had an idea. Since he knew this small town had a problem, why not find a local person and ask what happened…
“Please spare me, sir. I was temporarily out of my mind. Please don’t hit me!”
The matter proceeded smoothly. When Gu Yu led his people to a small alley corner, the thief also followed. The next moment, he was caught by the people Gu Yu sent. The thief was not old, appearing to be around ten years old. Obviously, this natural disguise made his stealing more successful, as it didn’t make people wary. Afterward, Gu Yu reached out and pulled several purses from the thief’s arms. As he weighed them in his hand, the people whose purses had been stolen finally noticed that their purses had disappeared at some point!
“What happened in this town? Tell me now, and I won’t do anything to you. Otherwise, no one will know if I beat you to death here.”
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you. Not long ago, the government soldiers from Xize Town were killed… Even the magistrate couldn’t escape. Now there’s no one in charge of the town. Some local tyrants and ruffians have taken control of the town, ransacking people for money, and resorting to violence for the slightest displeasure.”
“They were all killed?”
After Gu Yu threatened him, the thief quickly confessed. However, what he said startled Gu Yu and his group, as they didn’t expect things to be so serious. The magistrate was killed?
