Chapter 217: Chapter 218: Brothers Drinking

Gu Wenheng had truly prepared a grand feast. The table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat—practically everything one could wish for. And it was all served on large platters; just a few of them were enough to cover the entire table.

After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Wenheng finally raised his cup to his older brothers. "Ever since we settled in Gaoling Village, I’ve had to trouble you all with looking after Father and Mother..."

This long declaration of gratitude made the Gu brothers feel a sense of unity they had never felt before. The ideal of brotherly love and respect was no longer just a tale of other families.

Seeing his brothers were visibly moved, Gu Wenheng changed his tune and began to lament his own struggles, explaining that being the successful son of a farming family wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed.

He began to recount how he had to study with extreme diligence, and how much effort and hardship Jin Qianqian had endured for their family.

"Good things don’t just fall from the sky. Your younger brother—me—I fought my way up one step at a time.

"Yes, I may look successful now, but the burden I carry is heavy. For poor folk like us to truly break free, we have to put in far more effort than anyone else.

"I’m saying all this today because I want my brothers to understand what it means to be in the same boat—we prosper together, and we suffer together.

"No matter how wide the gap between us brothers becomes in the future, blood is thicker than water. We are brothers, born of the same mother..."

He then cited the rise and fall of several families as examples. "Do any of you, my brothers, want your children to end up like our parents’ generation? To be crushed and thrown back into the mud by the slightest disaster?

"Or do you want our children and grandchildren to be like us, waking up every day with nothing to think about but those few acres of land, worrying constantly about firewood, rice, oil, and salt?"

"But the kids at home are disappointments. They just don’t have a mind like yours," Gu Yuanjin said, his spirits sinking as he thought about recent events at home.

"So what if they are? If you can’t count on your sons, can you not count on your grandsons?" Gu Wenheng suddenly slammed his hand on the table, jolting his brothers, who had been sinking into Gu Yuanjin’s pit of despair.

"..."

"Seventh, we brothers understand what you’re getting at. From now on, I’ll be sure to discipline my children properly, so they can bring honor to our Gu Family," Gu Yuanjin said, believing he had grasped the hidden meaning in Gu Wenheng’s speech. "If they’re still a disappointment, I’ll chain them to the farm for the rest of their lives."

Gu Wenheng sighed. "Eldest Brother, you might have misunderstood me. I just want the kids in our family to have a bit more drive. Even if they can’t take the path of a scholar, they should at least learn a trade to support themselves." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Easy for you to say," Gu Yuanhuo retorted, pouring another mouthful of wine down his throat. "If you hadn’t run into that old scholar, would you be any different from the rest of us?

"None of your brothers can outwit you, so if you have something to say, just say it."

Gu Wenheng glanced at his third brother. He had the worst temper in the family, but despite his blunt words, his mind was as clear as a mirror.

"It’s just that your sister-in-law happened to recall another secret recipe her family gave her, and she actually managed to successfully create it." Gu Wenheng knew it was better to reveal this himself than to try and keep it under wraps.

"You lucky bastard. You married a wife whose family is nothing but secret recipes." Gu Yuanshui also drained his cup, but it tasted sour and bitter. He savagely chewed on a piece of meat, but even that couldn’t wash away the bitter taste filling his mouth.

’The gap between them as brothers was already plain to see, and it would likely only grow wider from now on.’

"Just yesterday, I bought a plot of land in the county town. I’m preparing to build a house and a workshop there. Our family needs manpower right now, so I wanted to see if you brothers were interested.

"Of course, I have to say the hard part upfront: what I really need are common laborers. It’s just grunt work for some hard-earned pay."

Relying on the few acres of land they had at home, it was nearly impossible to earn any silver taels. Besides, the county town wasn’t that big, and the few short-term labor jobs available were always snapped up by the regulars.

In the future, the core operations of the workshop would be controlled by Jin Qianqian and the slaves bound by indentures.

Since they would have to hire outside help anyway, Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian had discussed yesterday that their own clansmen from Gaoling Village should be the first to be offered work.

"Is this true?" Gu Yuanjin’s eyes immediately lit up. The spring planting had just finished, and if he could find some temporary work now, he would take it. Even if it was just hauling rocks, it was still an income.

"Of course it’s true. It’s just all physically demanding work." Seeing the delighted expressions on his brothers’ faces, Gu Wenheng understood exactly what they were thinking.

Ever since they moved to Gaoling Village, they had gone straight into a long winter and then the spring planting. With money only going out and none coming in, they must have been growing anxious.

"Seventh Brother, don’t you worry. We’ve all got plenty of strength. We won’t let you down." Gu Yuanshui raised his cup and clinked it against Gu Wenheng’s. "Your fourth brother thanks you."

Gu Yuantu, however, hesitated. "But if all of us go to work, what about Father?"

"Fifth Brother," Gu Yuanhuo said, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Believe me, if we all go, do you really think our ’dear’ father will be able to keep lying there with a clear conscience?"

Thinking about how their father had been eating, drinking, and relieving himself all in bed, Gu Yuanhuo felt his own anger flaring. "I understand less and less what’s going on in his head. I’m starting to wonder if that fall from the carriage knocked him stupid."

Gu Wenheng added, "We all saw Father running with our own eyes. There’s no reason for him to keep up the act. Don’t worry!"

Gu Yuanjin gently tugged on Gu Wenheng’s sleeve. "Your two nephews don’t have much to do at home. Could they come work as well?"

Gu Wenheng didn’t mind. "Of course. But, Eldest Brother, you have to make it clear to them beforehand. Everyone does the same work, gets the same pay, and is treated the same."

"That’s how it should be. If those two little rascals dare to slack off, you won’t even have to say a word. I’ll chase them back home myself."

As for the other brothers’ children, they were not yet adults, so the others were naturally too embarrassed to make a similar request.

After Gu Wenheng’s passionate speech, combined with the fact that he had found a new source of income for them, the lingering resentment in his brothers’ hearts began to subside.

Meanwhile, Gu Dashishi awoke from a nap in his bed to find the room was pitch-dark. Even Gu Yuanjin, who was supposed to be in the room keeping him company, was gone.

"Eldest? Eldest?" Gu Dashishi called out a few times but received no response. ’It’s so late. Where could that boy have gone?’

He had no idea how long he waited before the door was pushed open from the outside, followed by an overpowering stench of wine.

"Eldest Son?" Gu Dashishi’s scalp prickled with fear. ’Don’t tell me some drunkard has stumbled into the wrong room.’

"Father, why are you still awake?" Gu Yuanjin let out a drunken hiccup. "You should get to sleep. We have to head back early tomorrow."