Chapter 12 Driven Out?

nd hopeless expressions on their faces.The villagers who followed lowered their heads, sobbing and wiping away tears. They seemed resigned to their fate, no longer struggling or resisting. They just...Human joys and sorrows are not shared.

Xu Huaiyi cheerfully pushed his wife and daughter through the village, heading straight for the dilapidated small courtyard at the foot of the mountain. This scene, in the eyes of onlookers, could only be described as tragic!

"Oh, so he was driven out by the Xu family"

"The Xu family is truly ruthless. Their daughter-in-law just gave birth yesterday, and it seems like they haven't given her anything. Aren't they trying to kill those three people"

“I guess there’s nothing we can do about it, right A dose of medicine costs two taels of silver. Who can afford that Don't forget, they have a son who is studying and spends a lot of money too. They can only take care of one or the other. Who comes first ... With how shrewd the old couple is, this goes without saying.”

"That's not quite enough to drive them out, is it..."

"Maybe she's afraid to die and bring bad luck at home Besides, Mrs. Gu married into the family as a concubine back then. She wasn't considered an actual wife of the Xu family. And Xu Huaiyi, who came in as her son-in-law, was clearly stated in the marriage document for fifty taels of silver. It was clearly a transaction where she brought incense to the Gu family and severed ties with the Xu family. Before, she stayed at the Xu family out of fear of gossip. Now…"

"Oh, how pitiful!"

"Alright, stop pitying me. First, pity yourselves. If it doesn't rain, there will be no harvest in the fields, and we'll just starve to death."

"If it really comes down to it, I guess I'll have no choice but to flee and beg for food."

"Fleeing Ah, that road is even worse. How many people survive the journey of fleeing"

The couple, who had been pitied by the villagers and thought to be hopeless, were enjoying themselves in their RV. Gu Huanxi was drinking milk with a half-cooked cheese flavored with taro. The creamy and sweet taste made her feel incredibly happy with every bite.

However, her gaze was fixed on Xu Huaiyi across from her, her eyes still full of resentment.

Xu Huaiyi sat cross-legged on the sofa, with a chicken claw in one hand and a drink in the other. He ate with such relish! The chicken claws were marinated with spicy flavors and already deboned, just looking at them made your mouth water. The drink was carbonated and ice cold, taking a big gulp of half the bottle could soothe your entire body from head to toe.

But these, she can't eat.

He just stared, his heart aching with envy.

Xu Huaiyi ate and drank heartily, finally dispelling the heat he'd been feeling. He also noticed his daughter-in-law's odd look. He quickly wiped his mouth and said with a smile, "Well, you know, after you've finished your confinement period, you can eat whatever you want."

Gu Huanxi hummed softly, gently rocking the cradle where her daughter lay. She sighed, "If I were to feed A Li, I'm afraid it would be another year and a half..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Huaiyi dared not speak another word. He thought to himself that in the future, he had better avoid eating these dishes in front of his wife, or else if his wife got angry, how would he handle it

"Go get to work! Didn't we say we still have to go up the mountain after returning the cart We left Mr. Xu's place without even eating a bite, so you need to come up with an excuse for why we haven't eaten afterwards."

At least, going up the mountain is a pretense. Whether you dig something up or catch something, there's at least an explanation. Otherwise, if the couple has nothing to eat and is still alive, wouldn't that be suspicious

Xu Huaiyi got up quickly, "Okay, I'll go right now. You stay home and rest well..."

After he left the house, Gu Huan didn't stop. She knew that after childbirth, moderate activity was good for her body's recovery. Staying in bed all the time would only hinder blood circulation. The three rooms were already spotless, there wasn't much work for her to do. So she took out her clothes and bedding and carefully sorted through them.

The original couple, though meek and timid, were quite clean and tidy. Moreover, the original female lead was skilled in needlework, with meticulously stitched seams and well-crafted garments. Some blouses even had embroidered floral designs on the collars. The only flaw was the somewhat conspicuous patches, but when it truly came time to flee their home, this shabby attire would provide a sense of security and avoid attracting unwanted attention.

However, she didn't want to be too hard on herself with the bedding. She took out some straw and filled it with cotton, mixing the cotton and reed fluff together. It wasn't so noticeable, but the key was that it kept her warm and soft.

On the road of escape, catching up with winter, keeping warm is too important. She had read history books, and most of those fleeing famine didn't die of starvation, but died from freezing, illness, or were killed by bandits.

As for cotton, there's plenty in the car. I planted a few rows before, and harvested over thirty catties. Originally, I planned to use it to make quilts for my daughter when she gets older, but now it comes in handy for this emergency.

After finishing up, it was already past 10. My little girl had also woken up with a whimper. Gu Huan quickly changed her diaper and held her in his arms, trying to feed her a few bites. Although there was formula in the car, she still wanted to be breastfed.

However, the foundation of this body was just too poor. Little Baozi, struggling with all his might, even used his legs to help, but still couldn't get a bite.

He had no choice but to make her a bottle of milk powder.

After serving her daughter a full meal and watching her fall asleep, she went outside. The sun was scorching hot with no breeze at all. She walked around the courtyard for a bit.

The courtyard isn't large, but it's already been tidied up and is clean enough to walk on. The cut grass is piled on one side of the gate; once dry, it can be used as firewood. A pomegranate tree was planted on the west side. It's past its flowering season now and has produced quite a few fruits. On the east side there's a paulownia tree with a wide canopy and lush foliage. It shows no signs of being affected by the drought. Next to the paulownia tree, there's a small shed covered with thatch. There's an earthen stove inside where they can cook.

The backyard was smaller, with only two jujube trees. A small outhouse was built in the corner, and there wasn't even a pigpen or chicken coop, which were common sights in well-to-do households.

Gu Huanxi remembered her past life, so she wasn't surprised by this situation. Her biological father, Gu Feng, was a talented scholar who hailed from Qingzhou, but for some reasons, he lost heart and gave up on the imperial examinations. He then took his five-year-old daughter to travel around mountains and rivers.

He claimed to have been traveling and enjoying the scenery, but his life was actually quite impoverished. After ten years of wandering outside, he thought that his daughter was getting older and that he himself was in poor health, so he decided to settle down in that place.

Gu Feng possesses the aloofness and naiveté of a scholar, but he's also stubborn and uncompromising. He's inept at managing domestic affairs, and his education hasn't made his daughter any less vulnerable or incapable of shouldering family responsibilities. She can hardly hold up the household on her own.

Therefore, after the two people moved to the foot of the mountain, they didn't live like ordinary people at all, with no rules or order.

Before his death, Gu Feng also realized these problems, so he took out all his savings to find a son-in-law for his daughter, and he specially chose Xu Huaiyi who was honest and reliable, just afraid that his daughter would be bullied by her in-laws.

As for Gu Huanxi now, the biggest benefit of having such a father is that if she ever shows some intelligence or knowledge, she can blame it on her father who has over ten years of travel experience.

Another advantage is that the original owner learned to read and write from his father, so he's not illiterate.pting silver is not necessarily incorruptibility, but rather a refusal to be accommodating.Why is thatXu Huaiyi guessed a few points. He nonchalantly sized up one of the yamen officers. The look in th...