Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1199: Not Lending

She had known for a while that folks from the Zhou Family and Lin Family arrived, but she figured they were there to borrow money. Worried her own silver might not be secure, she stayed hidden at home and refused to show up.

Yet Little Xiao Ji dashed over to fetch her, claiming Xiao Yu needed her presence. Mrs. Chen got it instantly; Little Xiao Yu avoided scolding folks herself and wanted her to handle it. No need for niceties—just let loose with the scolding.

Mrs. Zhou Hu got dazed from the tirade, staring at the door that remained firmly shut, and questioned, "Who is that? How dare she act so impolitely?"

"Pfft, you Zhou Family folks, spouting that shamelessly—who's really the rude one here?" Having vented, Mrs. Chen declared proudly, "Who am I? I'm Mrs. Gu Chen, aunt to the freshly minted Scholar. Remember my nephew? Gu Dexing's his name; he aced the Scholar exam this round and got betrothed to the top daughter of the rich Xu Family in the county."

"Haha, no boasting here, but my nephew's got real talent. Plenty fail the exam from youth till they're in the grave, yet he succeeded before twenty-five. What luck is that? His prospective niece-in-law's thoughtful too, frequently shipping gifts our way. Just recently, concerned I'd wear myself out, she delivered a whole box of cubilose."

"Ever heard of cubilose? It's a delicacy reserved for royalty..."

With a creak, Gu Jinli swung open the side room door, grinning at Mrs. Chen. "Aunt Da Gui, step inside first."

Enter and keep bragging away.

She turned to Zezi, who'd hurried over to assess things, and instructed, "Inform Big Brother everything's fine here; he should tend to the guest hall."

Zezi's presence meant Big Brother must have hurried back from Uncle Shang’s, putting her mind at ease.

Last night, Big Brother mentioned heading to Uncle Shang’s early today and warned Uncle Shang against lending silver for several days.

Zezi nodded upon hearing this and headed back to the main room.

The Zhou Family men itched to rush over for a peek, but Feng Lian and Erqing cleverly tripped them, almost sending them sprawling.

Zhou Family's two lads felt furious; they'd only caught Mrs. Zhou Hu's voice and fretted for her, eager to check, yet these Gu Family servants sabotaged them—outrageous!

Still, Third Grandpa and Gu Dashan had already warned them: the right-side room was strictly for women guests, so stay put.

But they insisted on going anyway—what for? To watch your mother get roasted?

At last, Young Master Zhou grew restless, rose abruptly, seized his two cousins, and said, "Second Brother, Third Brother, Aunt Gu's got a mild nature; Second Aunt'll be okay."

Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang sulked, but recalling Young Master Zhou's parents perishing during the famine flight, how his wedding waited on theirs, and his bachelor status till then, their moods lifted.

Gu Jin’an eyed Young Master Zhou, finally sensing the Old Zhou Family harbored some promise.

…

Erqing soon slipped back into the side room and gave Gu Jinli a nod.

Mrs. Zhou Hu remained fuming and snapped at Mrs. Chen, "Gu Family sister-in-law, I get your household's thriving now, but having cash doesn't mean you can curse folks at will, does it?"

"Ha, you brought it on yourself!" Mrs. Chen never backed down in spats, ruthlessly calling out Mrs. Zhou Hu: "You're here borrowing silver, yet scheming extra on the side, acting like family elders—we won't stand for it!"

Mrs. Zhou Hu's scheme got exposed dead-on, her cheeks burning red, though she avoided escalating fully, turning to Mrs. Cui: "Gu Family sister-in-law, your home's faring well, it's just..."

"My family's good fortune came from sweat and toil." Mrs. Cui wasn't naive; she spotted Mrs. Zhou Hu's hidden agenda, seethed with rage, and cut off any further drivel.

Her daughters' weddings were freshly arranged; she'd barely started sleeping easy—did Mrs. Zhou Hu aim to ruin that?

Gu Jinli chuckled inwardly: Mother, well done—that fiery spirit's perfect. In village life, boldness trumped meekness.

Mrs. Zhou Hu hit a wall, faltered in speech, realizing she'd truly irked Mrs. Cui, too scared for sly digs, so she tearfully pleaded, "Gu Sister-in-law, I know my words are rough, but you must loan us the money, or the officials will seize and execute my whole family."

Mrs. Zhou Hu had it all plotted: merely snag two hundred taels from Mrs. Cui—fifty for taxes, fifty to erect a new dwelling, fifty for wedding her sons and grabbing land, remainder for trade.

She found it hard to fathom that since the Gu Family had launched a business, her own family should manage it as well. Given the Gu Family's vast riches, a mere two hundred taels of silver wouldn't faze them. Once the money was in hand, postponing repayment for eight or ten years would surely make them forget all about it.

Regrettably, her dreams were overly rosy. Gu Jinli stated flatly, "Silver? My family cannot lend it."

"Why?!" Mrs. Zhou Hu panicked, fixing Gu Jinli with a fierce glare, as if begging her to stay silent.

Gu Jinli signaled clearly that she simply could not.

"Villagers within ten miles and eight townships lack silver for taxes, yet your two families arrive so boldly, drawing eyes from countless settlements. If my family loans you silver, Da Feng Village would be besieged by borrowers before half a day passes—what could we do then?"

She went on, "That's just the lesser issue. Worse are those villainous rogues who, spotting our family handing out loads of silver, might band together to plunder the village. Wealth must stay concealed, above all in these dire times, so we won't lend you silver. Your efforts here are pointless."

This door must remain shut; opening it would invite unending disasters.

"Truthfully, had your two families sent someone discreetly to alert Third Grandpa and Third Grandma, they might have loaned you silver in secret. But with this public uproar, for our own safeguard, lending is impossible even if we desired to."

...

In the guest hall, Gu Jin’an delivered the identical refusal.

Elder Zhou stood dumbfounded, then erupted in anger, "Young Gu, what's your intent here? You're flat-out refusing to lend?"

Gu Jin’an nodded resolutely, "To preserve household tranquility and evade scrutiny from nearby villages spanning ten miles and eight townships, this silver cannot be lent by my family."

"You!" Elder Zhou boiled with fury, staged a dramatic outburst, only to hear those very words in the end—wasn't the entire journey for nothing?

No way—this was vital silver for survival. Refusing to leave empty-handed, Elder Zhou turned to Third Grandma, pleading, "Sister-in-law Gu, your kind heart is well-known; please aid us. We seek little, just fifty taels per family suffices. A hundred taels alone could rescue both our families—such a meritorious act might even help your household locate Gu Fuya."

Amid the famine flight, Third Grandpa and Third Grandma had sought news of Gu Fuya’s family, so Elders Zhou and Lin were fully aware.

Third Grandma froze, memories of Fuya’s family reddening her eyes, yet she shook her head firmly and replied, "No, we cannot lend this silver to you."

Allowing the Zhou and Lin families entry had been a grave error already; Erqing's warning made clear that loaning silver now would pile mistake upon mistake.

Fuya held great importance, yet Dashan’s family mattered equally to her.

To spare Third Grandma further anguish, Gu Jin’an offered Elders Zhou and Lin a firm reply: "Elder Zhou, Elder Lin, no need to fret. Though my family cannot provide the loan, Tianfu County has those who can."

He explained the new bank in the county, dedicated to extending loans to farmers for their taxes.