---

Chapter 32: Rescued (Part 1)

So the eldest brother said, “That’s your own daughter. If you want to save her, do it yourself. We’re not getting involved in this mess. If someone holds a grudge against us for this, our whole family will be in trouble.”

Even a fool could understand what he meant—they simply didn’t want to help.

But Gu Hai Xiong still didn’t give up and pleaded with his mother.

“Mom, she’s your biological granddaughter. Can you really bear to see her being mistreated like this?

I’m begging you, please ask big brother to come with me to find the village chief. Maybe we can gather a few people to go save her. If we manage to rescue my daughter, I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life.”

Yang shi (the eldest brother’s wife) said disdainfully from the side, “It’s pitch dark out there. Who dares to go knock on the village chief’s door now? Besides, this is your family’s business. We’ve already split households a long time ago. If you want to save your daughter, go do it yourself.”

Liu shi (the mother) didn’t want to stir up trouble either. She also felt that her eldest son and daughter-in-law were making sense.

So she said to Gu Hai Xiong:

“My son, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. It’s just that I’m old now and I only want to live peacefully for the remaining days of my life. I don’t want to invite any trouble. You’ll have to figure something out yourself.”

Hearing his own mother say such cold-hearted words…

Gu Hai Xiong was extremely disappointed.

He got up and ran out without looking back.

Most likely, he wouldn’t return here again.

After leaving his brother’s house, he ran to the village chief’s place. But when he got to the door, he hesitated.

It was already very late. He didn’t know whether the village chief would agree to help.

If the chief refused, what could he do alone?

So he paced back and forth outside the door, unsure of what to do.

---

Meanwhile, Gu Le You had already been taken back to the Zheng family residence by Young Master Zheng.

It had been several hours.

She was locked inside a small room.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door.

Gu Le You looked around at the small, dimly lit room surrounded by beeswax.

She thought to herself:

Oh no, am I going to die here?

I still had hopes of going home someday…

Isn’t anyone going to save me?

Just then, the door was flung open with a loud bang.

Zheng Yuan Hao swaggered into the room.

“Have you thought it over?” he asked.

“No, not yet. What are you doing? Don’t come any closer!” Gu Le You was frightened by his expression.

At that moment, her stomach growled loudly. She suddenly remembered that she hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Then she had an idea—it could buy her some time.

If she didn’t stall him, she might really lose her life tonight.

So she rubbed her stomach and said to Zheng Yuan Hao:

“Young Master Zheng, you brought me here and locked me up without even giving me food. I haven’t eaten anything yet!”

But Zheng Yuan Hao was impatient—he just wanted to claim her as his own as soon as possible.

Gu Le You didn’t know if her plan would work, but she had to try.

When he lunged at her, she quickly dodged and stood up, emphasizing again, “Young Master Zheng, I’m really hungry. If you like me, at least get me something to eat. If I starve and become thin, I won’t be pretty anymore.”

Zheng Yuan Hao paused—what she said made some sense.

If he wanted to win her over, he might have to follow her lead.

So he was about to call someone to bring her food.

Gu Le You said, “One fish (black carp, grass carp, etc.), about 1–2 jin (500g–1kg).
Pickled mustard greens, one packet (about 200–300g).
Seasonings: pickled chili, dried chili, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, egg white, cornstarch, cooking wine, salt, MSG, cooking oil, white pepper, sugar.
Optional sides: bean sprouts, tofu skin, enoki mushrooms.”

Zheng Yuan Hao listened, growing more confused the longer she talked, so he called for a maid to summon the chef.

Gu Le You repeated everything in front of the chef.

The chef listened carefully but still looked puzzled.

He had been a cook for many years, but he had never heard of this kind of preparation.

He couldn’t afford to offend either the young master or the woman brought back by him.

After she finished, Zheng Yuan Hao asked, “Did you understand everything she said?”

The chef replied respectfully, “Yes, Young Master.”

“Then don’t just stand here—go prepare it. When it’s ready, have it sent to her.”

“Yes, sir,” the chef said and quickly left.

A little while later, the food was delivered to Gu Le You.

As expected, the chef didn’t really know how to make the dish—he had only followed instructions as best he could.

After all, the cooking method came from her modern time, and hardly anyone in this era would know it.

She looked at the dish and said, “Young Master Zheng, did your chef not understand what I was saying? This doesn’t look anything like what I described.”

Zheng Yuan Hao quickly had the chef brought back.

“Brother Chef, what is this dish called?” Gu Le You asked.

“Isn’t it the pickled fish you asked for? I followed your instructions. Is there something wrong with it?”

Gu Le You smiled and explained, “What I described and what you made are two completely different dishes.”

The chef was not convinced and insisted, “I did what you asked for. Didn’t you say pickled fish? This is a black carp with pickled mustard on top—how could it be wrong?”

Gu Le You played along, “Yes, but the kind of pickled fish I meant isn’t the kind you made. If you don’t know how to make it, I can teach you in the kitchen. Once you learn it, it’s sure to be a big hit.”

Saying that, she grabbed the chef and started heading out.

But Zheng Yuan Hao wasn’t stupid. He immediately saw through her little trick. He picked her up and tossed her back onto the bed.

The chef and the others tactfully excused themselves and left the room.

Just as Gu Le You thought she couldn’t escape his clutches…

A servant came running in, shouting, “Young Master! Something’s wrong! There’s a big man at the front gate yelling that you should return his wife!”

Zheng Yuan Hao was shocked.

“You’re not even married—how come your husband showed up? What’s going on here?”

“I’m not just married,” Gu Le You said, “I even have a son. And my husband is amazing. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let me go right now.”

Of course, Zheng Yuan Hao wasn’t going to let such a beautiful woman go that easily.

So he ordered the maids at the door, “Watch her carefully. If she escapes, I’ll make you pay. I’ll sell you both to the brothel and you’ll never see the light of day again!”

The two maids, terrified, quickly promised, “Yes, Young Master! We’ll watch her closely. We won’t let her get away!”

Gu Le You listened to his disgusting threats and felt nauseated. At the same time, she felt deep sympathy for the two maids.

Being a servant in the Zheng household was truly pitiful. One mistake, and they could be sold off with no chance of redemption.

---