Chapter 40: A Goal to Strive For

Only after they returned did Lü Big Head and Lü Xiao Mao suddenly remember—oh right, they had a cousin brother and cousin sister still back in the cherry orchard! Their mother had specifically told them their task for the day was to bring their cousins cherry picking…

The two little rascals were, in fact, good kids. They sincerely admitted their mistake and proactively apologized to their mother, as well as to their little cousins, earning forgiveness from everyone.

But their eyes stayed glued to the two baskets full of cherries.

Now, the Lü family owned a cherry orchard, so the brothers were no strangers to cherries—this was a fruit they ate every year, nothing to get excited about. And yet, the cherries their cousin sister and cousin brother picked were somehow different—so much bigger and redder!

Even Yan Fengjiao herself was surprised.

She loved cherries, and her sons’ fondness for them probably had something to do with her own cravings while pregnant. Back then, she could eat several baskets a day. So naturally, when her sons grew older, they were just as fond of cherries.

But what puzzled her was that after so many years of growing cherries on the estate—ever since she married into the Lü family—she had eaten cherries from this orchard every year. To others, perhaps the fruit was a rare treat, but for her, it was quite commonplace.

Yet these cherries were different: large, plump, shiny, each one so red and luscious that just looking at them made her mouth water.

“My darling Zhuzhu, where did you and Bai-ge find these?” Yan Fengjiao asked while glancing at the household staff nearby.

The servants couldn’t really explain it. One elderly maid, seeing how fond Yan Fengjiao was of the children, quickly offered a flattering answer: “I think it’s because the young miss and young master are blessed—so the cherries they picked are better than the rest.”

Everyone could hear the flattery in her words.

But Yan Fengjiao loved hearing it.

“Exactly! Our Zhuzhu and Bai-ge are both blessed children—that’s why they managed to pick such beautiful baskets of cherries. Oh my, even your little aunt is jealous!”

“If Little Aunt likes them, you can have some,” Gu Yuzhu said seriously, lifting her delicate face and deliberately putting on a cute expression. This made Yan Fengjiao dote on her even more. She pinched her soft, pink cheeks and said, “Oh my little sweetheart, why do I adore you so much?”

Gu Yuzhu had also secretly done something sneaky. While picking cherries, she’d tossed quite a few into her space. Recently, she had planted some loquat seeds in her dimensional space during the night and now they had already sprouted. Though they were still just tender green seedlings, she cherished them deeply.

It showed that her space really was useful—plants seemed to grow faster inside. The scallions and garlic she had planted only a few days ago were already half a foot tall. When she saw the Lü family’s cherry orchard, she had to admit—she was extremely envious.

In the world she came from, owning such a large estate on one’s own was no easy feat. But in this era, all one needed was money.

Gu Yuzhu felt like she had just found a new goal to strive toward!

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Meanwhile, over at the Gu family, after Yuan shi finished sniping bitter comments at Yan Fengru and her sister, she began to realize that her former closeness with her daughter-in-law and her grandchildren was gone for good.

Once upon a time, there had at least been some semblance of familial harmony. Now, even that was gone. No matter how much she sneered and griped, it wouldn’t change anything—in fact, it only made her angrier.

Worse, she’d heard that Yan Fengru was planning to build a new house. Given how close Yan Fengjiao was to her sister, she was bound to help out financially. And that meant the house Yan Fengru would build for her younger son was bound to be far grander than the one Gu Dapeng had inherited from the Gu family.

Just the thought of it made Yuan shi burn with jealousy.

But there was nothing she could do about Yan Fengru. That powerlessness only made her feel more stifled.

After a moment of brooding, Yuan shi suddenly remembered the real reason she was here. “I heard that you and Li shi are planning to send Changwen to school?”

When Yuan shi said this, her eyes practically gleamed, a calculating light flickering in them. It would be a lie to say she had no feelings at all for this grandson—after all, he was her flesh and blood.

But compared to her own biological grandsons, this maternal grandson meant very little.

Gu Qingshan, with the blood of the Jiang family running in his veins, could easily read the greed in his grandmother’s eyes. Knowing this visit likely boded no good, he just nodded vaguely in response. That was enough to make Yuan shi’s eyes sparkle even more.

“So… Qingshan, you must’ve saved up quite a bit over the years, right?”

Gu Qingshan didn’t respond.

Even to his own grandmother, he had no intention of revealing how much he’d saved. As a grown man with a stepmother in the household, of course he had long been preparing for the future—for himself and for his younger sister.

He worked hard and endured much. Over the years, he had indeed managed to stash away a sizable sum—one he hadn’t even told Gu Dapeng about. Who knew what that man might do if he found out? He might even be stupid enough to suggest Gu Qingshan “contribute” it to the family.

Gu Qingshan was a very practical man. If he wouldn’t even tell his own father, he certainly wouldn’t let his grandmother fish for a piece of it.

Back when Yan Fengru had insisted on splitting the family estate and taken a portion of the shared silver, he had accepted it—not just because of the two “little bastards” who had survived, but also because he didn’t want to give her any excuse to hold something against him.

He found it distasteful, but he also didn’t want to leave himself vulnerable to moral accusations.

So now, when Yuan shi brought it up, Gu Qingshan had already prepared his answer.

“Changwen is my eldest son. If he has the potential, then even if it’s tiring, I don’t mind. It’s better than having him dig in the fields for the rest of his life.”

But Yuan shi either didn’t catch the deeper meaning of his words or pretended not to. She quickly chimed in, “Exactly! What future is there in farming? Just look at your stepmother, dreaming about sending her son to school. Does she really think he’s some kind of child prodigy sent from heaven?”

Gu Qingshan didn’t comment.

Then he heard her say, “Your uncles’ children are all bright and clever. Why not send them along with Changwen? They’re close relatives, after all—could help look out for each other.”

What she said wasn’t referring to Gu Qingshan’s uncles’ sons, but their grandsons—his cousins once removed. Gu Qingshan was already a grown man, and his two maternal uncles were even older than his late mother. Their sons were close in age to Gu Qingshan—some already in their twenties.

What Yuan shi meant were her great-grandsons—two boys about the same age as Gu Changwen.

In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to hope for this.

But seeing her own grandson now able to afford tuition for his child, Yuan shi grew envious. For the sake of her great-grandsons, she thickened her skin and came to make this request.

Gu Qingshan feigned a surprised look. “If my uncles can afford the enrollment fees, then sure—sending the kids to school to learn a few characters is a good thing.”

Yuan shi’s face darkened immediately. For a moment, she was at a complete loss for words.

“You…”

“Your uncles don’t have that kind of money. If they had any skills, your cousins wouldn’t be where they are now. But your little nephews are bright—you can’t let that go to waste…”

Gu Qingshan nodded serenely, deliberately not taking the bait.

Yuan shi grew increasingly anxious. Finally, she laid her cards on the table. “Grandmother was hoping you might… lend us a bit of silver…”