Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1202: Almost Went to Heaven

"The old man can rest easy now." After hearing it all, Elder Lin breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands, and declared, "We’ll return first and await your good news."

Gu Jin’an nodded his head before accompanying Third Grandpa and Gu Dashan to see Elder Lin off. The moment they arrived at the gate, they spotted Village Chief He without surprise.

Spotting them, Village Chief He rushed forward with his cane, asking anxiously, "Good Brother An, did your family loan them silver? Don’t do it! A bunch of folks has shown up at the village entrance— all elders from nearby villages—yelling that they want to borrow money from your family for the tax."

The Gu Family’s wealth was renowned across the ten miles and eight villages. With the heavy tax decree from the Lord Emperor, local folks had set their sights on the Gu Family, seeking loans to get through the crisis.

Yet, the sheer number of people in those ten miles and eight villages meant that even if the Gu Family emptied their coffers, they couldn’t cover taxes for everyone.

Truth be told, adding Gu Jinli’s personal funds would suffice to pay taxes for all of Tianfu County’s residents. But why would Gu Jinli foot the bill for them?

Human malice grows when indulged, and Gu Jinli had no intention of wasting coin to feed their greed.

"All the elders from every village? Where are their village chiefs?" Gu Jin’an inquired.

Village Chief He shook his head. "No village chiefs—just some elders and kids."

Elders and children?

Heh, a chuckle escaped Gu Jin’an. They were pulling the pitiful ploy with the weak, but his family wouldn’t bite: "Village Chief, don’t worry—our family hasn’t loaned silver to the Zhou Family or Lin Family."

Elder Lin added, "This old brother, the Gu Family truly didn’t lend us any silver. They told us to head home and wait a few days, saying a new bank will open in the county soon, where everyone can borrow funds for the tax."

"Really?" Village Chief He brightened up, jabbing his cane toward Zhou Erlang with his clear bruises. "Good Brother An, did your family do this?"

Gu Jin’an confirmed with a nod. "Yes, Zezi struck him—he was harassing us for silver."

"Excellent!" Delight surged through Village Chief He, realizing that once villagers saw the Zhou lad’s injuries, they’d assume the Zhou Family had clashed with the Gu Family over a refused loan.

He brandished his cane at Zhou Erlang. "Listen here, boy! The top-ranked Gu Family shares your town, but do you grasp the situation? Barging to their home demanding silver— are you out to destroy them? What if bandits or thugs come calling? It’d spell doom for our whole village!"

Da Feng Village had thrived thanks to the Gu Family, so despite the crushing tax, that wasn’t Village Chief He’s top fear. His real dread was desperate souls chasing silver and endangering their home.

With crowds from the ten miles and eight villages dwarfing their few hundred villagers, they’d be overwhelmed if attacked.

Memories flooded Village Chief He of escorting victims to the county, overhearing officials from the prefecture complain about disaster refugees swarming the city... That thought chilled him, dreading a similar siege on Da Feng Village.

A smile crossed Gu Jin’an’s face, admiring how Village Chief He had wised up and spoken so reasonably.

Gu Jin’an said, "Village Chief, come on—let’s head to the village entrance and see."

"Eh? To the entrance? It’s dangerous facing them right now." Village Chief He fretted over Gu Jin’an, their precious golden child and the glory of He’an Prefecture, scared he’d get caught up outside.

"No worries, Village Chief," Gu Jin’an replied. "I’m just stepping out to calm them down."

It was also perfect for spreading word of the new bank... Master Ouyang worried Tianfu County might erupt in chaos before the bank’s debut, so he planned to leak news of it early—giving people hope, curbing rash actions, and keeping the county steady.

"Fine then," Village Chief He consented, and the group marched off toward the village entrance, dragging the Zhou family along in grand style.

A sizable throng had gathered there—around a hundred souls, all ragged elders clutching children. More figures lurked along the distant roadside, likely young men from other villages watching events unfold.

Gu Jin’an’s expression turned grim as he addressed the elders who had brought their children, "Dear villagers, rest assured, a new bank will open in the county in just a few days..."

He clearly outlined the county’s initiative to establish a new bank that would offer loans to farmers.

"What? First Place Gu, are you telling the truth? Does such a bank really exist?" The elders from surrounding villages couldn’t believe it, suspecting Gu Jin’an was just trying to trick them.

Gu Jin’an gave a full explanation, and noticing their doubt, he declared firmly, "Five days, in five days you’ll see if my words hold true."

He cautioned them further, "I suggest you all rush home and wait quietly for five days, instead of breaking the Criminal Law, or Squad Leader Luo won’t show mercy."

Since everyone knew Luo Wu was Gu Jin’an’s brother-in-law and they all dreaded the authorities, they didn’t dare cause more chaos upon hearing this: "First Place Gu, we trust you, we’ll go back right away, tell our villagers, and wait five days... If no bank appears to lend us money after five days, we’ll come back."

Village Chief He burned with anger at these words, return, return, they were simply pressuring the Gu Family to loan them money!

Gu Jin’an paid no heed to the crowd and ordered He Datian to remove the barricades at the village entrance, letting the Zhou and Lin families go free.

However...

While heading back to Niugou Town, misfortune struck Zhou Erlang—he ran into robbers, suffered a brutal beating, and was left nearly crippled.

Once they’d thrashed him, the bandit chief threatened, "Don’t forget, if your family spreads any slander about the Gu Family or Miss Gu, I’ll cut off your manhood and ship you to the Capital as a eunuch!"

The Zhou Family were no decent folk and had their eyes on the Gu Family sisters. Gu Jinli worried they might resort to dirty tricks, first destroying the sisters’ good names before forcing marriages upon them.

So, acting first, Gu Jinli got Feng Jin to round up men, kidnap Zhou Erlang, give him a savage thrashing, and deliver the warning.

Terrified out of his wits, Zhou Erlang cursed oaths that he’d never utter a word to besmirch the Gu sisters. At last, bound until dusk, he was released only after Elder Zhou handed over ransom in fragmented silver and carried home.

Following this event, a heavy gloom settled over the Zhou Family; they attempted to use the Gu Family’s fame to borrow from rich town families, only to get seized by officials from Si Li Square and locked up for the night.

This arrest at last tamed them, leading them to quickly return all the gifts they’d gathered.

...

Qin San Lang kept tabs on all matters involving Gu Jinli, and when he heard of the trouble, rage boiled within him... What lowlifes dared covet his wife, thinking him gone forever?!

Qin San Lang sent San’an once more to punish Zhou Erlang, pummeling him until he was confined to bed.

Mrs. Zhou Hu, watching her son get beaten time and again, decided some evil spirit must be haunting him. She visited a witch for talisman paper, burned it, and made Zhou Erlang swallow the ashes, nearly killing him.

Convinced now that Zhou Erlang was truly plagued by a malevolent force too strong for common witches, Mrs. Zhou Hu kept hunting for talisman water to force down his throat, almost dispatching him to the afterlife.