Chapter 91 - 92: Sisters-in-law
Ouyang Bing reached out and touched his forehead. "You don’t have a fever. Why are you talking nonsense?"
He then picked up the teacup in front of him and sniffed it. Not a hint of alcohol. "And you haven’t been drinking, either."
"Since when do I have so little credibility?" Guo Yurong knew the story sounded strange. Thinking back on it, he really had acted like some country bumpkin who had never seen the world. ’I must have made a complete fool of myself in their eyes,’ he thought.
"Was the food really that delicious? Why didn’t you think to ask them for the recipe? With Master Zeng’s decades of culinary experience, I’m sure he could recreate whatever delicacy you wanted." Ouyang Bing sounded regretful as he said this. What a rare opportunity.
"You think I’m like you? Besides, they already said their spices were all bought from a foreign merchant. I can’t just take what others value." As for what that sly little lady had said about it being their last batch of seasoning base, he hadn’t paid it any mind.
"That won’t do. Do you know where they are? Let’s go find them right now." Ouyang Bing felt that if the food was enough to earn repeated praise from the notoriously picky Guo Yurong, it was worthy of his attention.
’My own restaurant might be one of the best in Dao City, but who wouldn’t want to pocket all the money for themselves?’
’Besides, I’m also very interested in that glowing light they had. If I could put that in my restaurant, business would be booming.’
He quickly shook his head. He couldn’t let his thoughts run wild; his heart was already starting to race.
He looked at Guo Yurong with a pleading expression. "Hero Guo, Divine Doctor Guo, my future is in your hands, my brother."
Guo Yurong said, "Don’t pin your future on me. Otherwise, your father will go pester mine.
"I suggest you give up on those ideas. I only met them by chance. I was already shameless enough to freeload a meal off them; I can’t bring you along to cause them trouble."
"What? How is that causing trouble? I’ll give them silver! As long as they’re willing to give me the secret recipe, I’ll pay for it," Ouyang Bing puffed out his chest and declared magnanimously.
"No wonder when you went home last time, your father said you reek of money now. It seems he wasn’t wrong." Guo Yurong shook his head, stood up, and straightened his robes. "You should give up this idea. We only met by chance, after all. Who knows if we’ll be fated to meet again."
"I’m making a living with my own skills! That old man just loves to find fault. When I used to stay at home, he always called me worthless. Now that I’ve built this huge business, he looks down on it. You think it’s been easy for me?" Seeing Guo Yurong walk toward the door, he quickly chased after him. "Where are you going? You’re not going to stir up trouble for me again, are you?"
Guo Yurong tugged on the sword at his waist. "I am preparing to rob the rich to help the poor. Would you, sir, care to be my first customer?"
Ouyang Bing’s eyes widened dramatically. "Divine Doctor Guo, have you abandoned medicine for villainy, forsaken good for evil? I’m your best friend, your childhood playmate! And you’re going to make me your first victim?"
"I told you to study more back then, but you insisted on running all over the mountains. Look at your terrible choice of words. When you’re out and about, don’t you dare mention my name." Guo Yurong was full of disdain. "But you have indeed made some money over the years. Remember to set up a stall outside your restaurant and serve a few pots of congee every day."
"Brother, aren’t you just making things difficult for me? Look, in this city, none of the officials have done anything. If I’m the one to step up, I’ll offend people to death. Do you think I’d still be able to get by in Dao City?" Ouyang Bing’s face was a mask of misery. ’This guy really is the worst kind of friend, always doing things that harm others without benefiting himself.’
Guo Yurong said, "Don’t worry! Just get everything ready. It’ll be put to use very soon."
Without waiting for Ouyang Bing to figure out what he meant, he quickly disappeared from the courtyard.
Ouyang Bing...
* * *
Gu Wenheng, carrying the wild vegetables they had gathered, had just arrived at the lakeside with Jin Qianqian to wash them when he saw Gu Yuanfeng, whom they hadn’t seen in days, fetching water there as well.
"Sister, you’re here too," Jin Qianqian saw her and naturally called out first.
"Hmph!" Gu Yuanfeng turned her head to the side and walked past them, carrying her water.
Jin Qianqian shrugged. ’Well, I’ve done my part to be polite,’ she thought.
A cold glint flashed in Gu Wenheng’s eyes, but he spoke softly to Jin Qianqian, "Qianqian, don’t get your feet dirty. Stand to the side and wait for me to fetch the water."
"How improper!" Gu Yuanfeng shot a fierce glare at Jin Qianqian before turning her fire on Gu Wenheng. "I say, Seventh, your sister is standing right here, and you don’t even greet her?
"And as the man of the house, how can you be the one doing these things? What did you marry a wife for?"
"I married a wife to cherish her, of course. To spend my life with, to raise children with, to support each other—not for ’doing’ something."
As Gu Wenheng spoke, he looked Gu Yuanfeng up and down. "Tell me, Sixth Sister, before you married into the He Family, you were so proud, always competitive and striving to be the best. What happened? Did the He Family grind away all those shining qualities?
"Since you’re so devoted to ancient customs, you should know the saying ’a married daughter is like spilled water.’ For you to be meddling in your younger brother’s household affairs doesn’t seem to fit, does it?"
Hearing her own brother lecture her like this for the sake of an outsider, Gu Yuanfeng felt incredibly wronged. "I’m only doing this for your own good! I’m worried you’ll spoil your wife rotten, and you’ll be the one to suffer for it later!"
Gu Wenheng replied, "Then I won’t trouble Sixth Sister to worry about me. But let me offer you a piece of advice: some people are rotten to the core. Don’t be a moth flying into a flame."
After saying his piece, he ignored her and went to the lakeside to fetch water with his bucket.
Gu Yuanfeng, however, was filled with a grievance she couldn’t vent. She could only glare fiercely at Jin Qianqian. "My seventh brother was never like this before. He always listened to me. It’s all because of you, you woman.
"I don’t see anything special about your looks. What right do you have to receive his undivided attention?"
Jin Qianqian caressed her own cheek, a smug look on her face. "Who can I blame but my husband for appreciating my particular style? As they say, ’to each their own.’ A delicate rose like me naturally deserves this kind of treatment.
"But you, Sixth Sister... you’re barely twenty, yet the wrinkles at the corners of your eyes could practically trap a mosquito. And those hands of yours, chapped and cracked all over... I suppose no one has ever treated you with care, have they?
"Sigh. A woman needs more than just her husband’s affection; she also needs to be good to herself.
"I seem to recall that you aren’t the only daughter-in-law in the He Family, are you? Don’t you feel wronged at all?"
Seeing Gu Yuanfeng so angry she could barely speak, biting her lip, Jin Qianqian covered her mouth and laughed. "I’ve heard my husband say that you used to have a very comfortable life at home, Sixth Sister. Besides taking care of your own personal matters, you didn’t have to worry about a thing.
"They say you marry a man for food and clothing, but from what I can see, you’ve become the main laborer for the He Family, supporting a bunch of good-for-nothings."