Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1197: Why Are All the Good Men Snatched Away by Them?

"Young Master." Erqing bowed respectfully to Gu Jinli.

Gu Jinli gave a nod. "Well done, I caught every word."

Truth be told, Erqing had picked up on Gu Jinli’s approaching steps ages ago; she deliberately held back Miss Zhou Er and Miss Lin Si longer just to expose their real intentions to the Young Master.

Xiao Ji fumed with rage and declared, "Young Master, that Miss Zhou lacks any decorum whatsoever. How does one stumble into the back courtyard simply while hunting for a privy? It’s clearly a fabricated story. Latrine facilities exist in the front courtyard; a single request would have servants escorting them there. The back courtyard privies serve only the host family."

Gu Jinli chuckled. "Xiao Ji, you’ve gotten sharper, haven’t you? Now you’re even breaking down situations like this."

Delighted by the praise, Xiao Ji beamed and inquired, "Young Master, Miss Zhou showed no desire to depart right away—one glance reveals her hidden motives. What’s our plan for her? Shall we teach her a harsh lesson to put the fear in her first?"

Xiao Ji had joined Erqing and the rest in rigorous training lately, handling issues with far greater resolve than in the past. She swung her hand sharply through the air in a fierce chop aimed at Gu Jinli.

Gu Jinli shook her head. "Hold off for the moment. She seems to retain some caution; she won’t risk something utterly reckless. Simply bar the back courtyard gate and keep them out."

Whatever plot Miss Zhou Er was brewing, it stood no chance of prevailing in her own home.

"Alright, let’s head to the front and check things out." With those words, Gu Jinli guided Erqing and Xiao Ji toward the front courtyard. As they exited the back area, she secured the rear gate and stationed Zhu Chahua and Tong Dayu to watch the entrance, preventing any stray intruders.

Soon enough, they arrived at the front courtyard’s guest hall, yet held back from entering immediately.

Gu Jinli directed Xiao Ji, "Fetch Aunt Da Gui here."

The moment was perfect for calling in Mrs. Chen; that lady excelled at tearing into people, holding nothing back in her tirades. Failing to deploy her now would be a tremendous missed opportunity.

Xiao Ji nearly exploded with laughter. "Yes, this servant will hurry over at once."

Off she dashed like a speeding arrow straight to Gu Dagui’s household.

From within the front courtyard guest hall, the sound of weeping already echoed; it belonged to Elder Zhou.

Elder Zhou sobbed, "Old brother, you can’t imagine our hardships. Folks from neighboring villages and the town bully us relentlessly as refugees. The fields we cleared ourselves got harvested first by others come reaping time. When we finally gathered our share, barely any sweet potatoes remained, forcing us to survive on mountain wild greens."

"We tried heading to town for casual labor, but everyone shunned us, claiming refugee hands were too dirty to trust; nobody would employ us. Our only option was aiding night-soil haulers with their disgusting tasks—the foul odor almost turned our stomachs—and for a measly five copper coins daily."

"Village tyrants plague us too. My poor eldest granddaughter, such a fine young lady, caught the eye of one brute, who violated her, leaving us no choice but to wed her off without a penny in dowry."

"Wuu wuu wuu, old brother, our suffering is unbearable!" Elder Zhou wailed at the top of his lungs, moving Third Grandpa and Third Grandma to tears in their eyes.

Third Grandma exclaimed, "Old brother, how could you wed your own eldest granddaughter to such a village thug? You ought to have alerted the officials!"

Both County Magistrate Xu and County Magistrate Zheng proved upright administrators, their households recently settled in the village. Thanks to Xiao Yu rescuing Yuanyuan, connections formed with the Shang Family and Jiang Family.

Should the Zhou Family lodge a complaint, they’d undoubtedly seek County Captain Jiang’s aid out of shared county loyalty.

Elder Zhou hesitated briefly, then wept, "Old sister-in-law, it wasn’t for lack of will to report them; those ruffians are savagely intimidating. They warned that refusing to send our eldest granddaughter would mean destroying every other woman in our clan... Terrified, we had no recourse but to offer her up."

Elder Zhou’s tale mixed truth with fabrication. Fear of the village tyrants gripped him genuinely, yet reporting to authorities never crossed his mind; instead, he chose to trade his granddaughter to secure the family’s standing and end the harassment.

His scheme had paid off exactly as planned.

Once the Zhou Family handed over their eldest granddaughter to the bully, no more torment from thugs or local ruffians befell them.

Yet, that eldest granddaughter of the Zhou Family wasn’t properly wed to the bully; she’d been seized and reduced to his nameless, status-less concubine.

That Li bully had already passed forty, married with kids of his own.

Elder Zhou didn't dare speak the truth, fearing the Gu Family would despise them if they found out.

Old Lin stayed quiet nearby, his brows furrowed tightly.

Seeing their silence, Gu Dashan figured they were worn out from the overnight journey. He bellowed outside, "Ah Jiang, where's breakfast? Quick, fetch some food for Elder Zhou and Elder Lin!"

"Right away, right away." Soon enough, Ah Jiang and Da Tuan arrived with two shoulder poles loaded with meals. One went down in the guest hall for the men, while the other headed to the adjacent side room for the women from both families.

The Gu Family put out a hearty breakfast: savory, aromatic egg pancakes paired with soybean milk. The Zhou and Lin folks, men and women together, brightened up at the sight and snatched up the pancakes to devour.

Miss Zhou Er first tried to nibble elegantly, but the egg pancakes smelled irresistible, something she rarely tasted back home. Forgetting appearances, she snatched one up.

She wolfed it down too quickly and choked badly.

"Ugh—ugh—ugh!" Miss Zhou Er thumped her chest, eyes bulging, in total agony.

Mrs. Cui swiftly seized some soybean milk and fed it to her. "Zhou girl, drink this soybean milk fast, wash down that pancake!"

After a chaotic struggle, Miss Zhou Er managed to force the pancake down, then erupted into coughs. "Cough, cough, cough!" Bits of crumbs even flew out.

Miss Zhou Er’s mother ignored her plight entirely. Seeing her daughter safe from choking, she dove back into her egg pancake.

Miss Lin Si paused her eating and offered her own soybean milk to Miss Zhou Er.

Though uneasy, Miss Zhou Er accepted it without protest and gulped down the soybean milk.

Gu Jinli observed the scene briefly before stepping inside. She bowed properly to the women from the Zhou and Lin families, declaring, "Junior pays respects to Aunt Zhou and Aunt Lin."

Hearing her words, Miss Zhou Er’s mother glanced at Gu Jinli, eyes sparkling. "Aiyo, this is Miss Gu, right? You've grown even prettier. During our escape, Auntie already saw you as a beauty, and these years have made you stunning."

She continued, "I heard your mother mention you're betrothed, to a Luo Family lad. That Luo boy has risen fast; suddenly he's squad leader Lord—impressive indeed."

Miss Zhou Er’s mother brimmed with envy. If she'd realized Luo Wu's potential, she'd have pushed her daughter closer to him then. A bit of romance back then, and her girl could be squad leader's wife now.

Gu Jinli smiled faintly. "Aunt Zhou, that's a mix-up. I'm the second Gu daughter, not my older sister. Yes, I'm engaged, but to the third son of the Qin Family, not Luo."

"Qin Family’s third son! Engaged to Qin Family’s third son! So you'll be the Company Commander's wife?" Miss Zhou Er blurted out in astonishment. She'd just learned Qin Family’s third son was now Company Commander Lord.

She'd fantasized about him briefly, but now knowing he was betrothed to Gu Jinli, jealousy twisted inside her.

How lucky were the Gu sisters? All the finest men seemed to fall right into their laps.