Free Web NovelChapter 58: Chapter 58: Settled
"Please wait a moment." Gu Wu excused himself and went back into the inner room.
He carefully closed the door and windows, then cautiously checked his surroundings. Only then did he unbutton the top of his shirt and take out a cyan pouch embroidered with the five grains that hung around his neck. He rubbed it for a moment, his expression turning wistful as he thought about the pocket dimension that had suddenly vanished yesterday. He ought to be thankful that once this pouch was filled, it couldn’t be put into the dimension. Consequently, he rarely used that tiny dimension, which contained nothing but a strange, useless stalk of grass.
’Sigh, if it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s not like the treasure was ever of any use to me anyway. Maybe it had a spirit of its own and felt its talents were being wasted, so it sought out a worthy master who could let it realize its full potential? As long as this pouch, which holds all my worldly possessions, is still here, that’s all that matters...’
Gu Wu caressed the pouch. Even as he tried to console himself, the dimension had been with him for the better part of his life. It was difficult to let go of it so suddenly without feeling some pain.
He was lost in thought for a moment before snapping out of it. He shook his head. Without any grand movements, a wooden box, clearly five or six times the size of the pouch, abruptly appeared in his hand. The box itself was unremarkable—it wasn’t made of expensive wood, and the craftsmanship was rather crude. Gu Wu opened it to reveal five or six gold bars and several dozen silver coins inside.
He thought for a moment, taking out three gold bars and ten silver coins. After a brief hesitation, he put one gold bar and all the silver coins back. He then took out a pair of shears and cut the two remaining gold bars in half. Once he was done, he put away the wooden box and shears. With another flick of his wrist, a small, palm-sized, carved rosewood jewelry box appeared. He opened it. Inside lay a single pair of white jade bracelets, carved with a design of two dragons playing with a pearl.
He gazed at them silently for a few moments before closing the small box. He carefully put the pouch back around his neck, tucking it securely against his skin, and re-buttoned his shirt. After ensuring everything was in order, he found an old cloth scrap in the room, wrapped the jewelry box and the gold in it, and carried them out.
When he came out, he saw the Zhang family was still waiting quietly where he had left them, not wandering around. He sighed inwardly, placed the bundle on the table, and unwrapped it.
Upon seeing what Gu Wu had brought out—especially the exquisite jewelry box containing a pair of white jade bracelets that were clearly priceless at a glance—the members of the Zhang family stared at Gu Wu with wide, shocked eyes. Wen Xiu stammered, "F-Father-in-law, this... this is..."
"Rest assured, these things were all obtained legitimately. There’s nothing improper about them."
Seeing the Zhang family’s astonishment, Gu Wu offered this single sentence of explanation and said no more. He closed the jewelry box, wrapped it in the old cloth, and pushed it over to Zhang Minzhen. "I came by this by chance in my early years. I’m told it has some history. This is the only piece of jewelry I have left. In the future, it will be for Nuannuan’s dowry. Don’t make a fuss. Hold on to it for her for now. Consider this an advance gift from me; I won’t be giving her anything else in the future."
"On Nuannuan’s behalf, thank you." Zhang Minzhen stood up. ’It was hard not to be moved. Such a treasure, and the only one her father-in-law had left. If he didn’t truly dote on Nuannuan, how could he possibly bear to part with it?’
Gu Wu nodded for her to sit down, then pushed half a gold bar toward Zhang Dazhuang. "Consider this payment for the lumber and your trouble."
"This is too much," Zhang Dazhuang said, trying to refuse.
"It’s only half a bar, not that much." Gu Wu gave a wry smile and glanced toward the door. "Let’s not push it back and forth. After all, Nuannuan will be in your care from now on. If you really think it’s too much, just consider the extra a small token of her filial piety to you."
Zhang Dazhuang’s gaze unconsciously followed Gu Wu’s toward the door. He knew this wasn’t the time or place for polite refusals, so he simply nodded, said no more, and put the gold away.
The remaining three half-bars of gold were then pushed in front of Zhang Minzhen. "You take these. If you’re frugal, it should be enough to last until Nuannuan goes to college."
"Yes," Zhang Minzhen replied respectfully. She carefully wrapped the items back in the old cloth scrap and put them away, only relaxing after double-checking that they were secure.
Now that the matter was settled and they had received much more than they’d expected, the Zhang family had no desire to linger. Zhang Dazhuang stepped forward to bid Gu Wu farewell. As he left, he offered some well-intentioned advice, "You should get the divorce finalized for the two kids as soon as possible. Also, regarding the Lin family... that Lin Dong who threw acid in your eldest son’s face has been arrested. If his family comes to you to mediate, don’t be too rigid... After all, considering what your eldest son did, if things get too ugly for everyone, they could press charges for hooliganism."
Gu Wu was stunned. Then, a thought seemed to strike him, and he looked at Zhang Dazhuang with a complicated expression. ’If today’s negotiations hadn’t gone so smoothly, if his family had let his wife continue her unreasonable tirade, the Zhangs probably would have used this as leverage directly. His eldest son might not have escaped a prison sentence, would he?’
He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. ’So the Zhang family had an ace up their sleeve when they came. Before his eldest son’s affair came to light, they simply chose not to bicker with his family. How laughable that his own wife had always mistaken their forbearance for weakness.’
Nodding, Gu Wu thanked him sincerely. "I appreciate the gesture. Regarding the divorce, as soon as that rascal of a son of mine is discharged from the hospital, I’ll send word to you. I will personally drag him there to get it done and guarantee he won’t cause any more trouble."
’Since the Zhang family had been kind enough to give him a heads-up and do him a favor, he couldn’t be ungrateful. He should do his best to perfectly fulfill the promises he’d made.’
As for his eldest son, he couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart right now. The boy was a scoundrel, but he was still his own flesh and blood. In the end, he wasn’t a man with a heart of stone...
"Alright. With your word, I can rest easy," Zhang Dazhuang said, also satisfied with the other man’s pragmatism.
"Also, the house in Lihua Village," Zhang Wei Qiang added. "To avoid future disputes, you should also take care of the property and land deeds. Just put them directly in my little sister’s name." Zhang Wei Qiang had no objection to his father doing Gu Wu this favor. A peaceful and smooth resolution was always better than a drawn-out, confrontational one. Out of concern for his sister’s rights, he couldn’t help but add this reminder—getting the deeds sorted out might be a hassle, but the benefit was that it would settle the matter once and for all, preventing future entanglements.
At his reminder, both Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu nodded repeatedly. "Right, we almost forgot such an important matter. Thanks for the reminder, son."
"Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll get that taken care of as soon as possible." Since his in-law had specifically mentioned it, Gu Wu naturally had no reason to disagree. ’My wife really made a terrible move. The house in Lihua Village looks dilapidated now, but whether it’s the feng shui or...’
’It wasn’t that no one in the village wanted to buy the house from him back then, but he could never bring himself to sell it, thinking it would be a valuable inheritance to leave for his descendants.’
’So be it. Who knows when its true value will be discovered. Our family already has a house in town, so we won’t be without a place to live. Nuannuan is of the Gu family’s bloodline, too. Letting her have it is still keeping the wealth within the family.’
"Good," Zhang Wei Qiang said, very satisfied.
After seeing the Zhang family off, Gu Wu returned to the main hall alone. He sat there, staring into space for a long time, then lit his pipe and smoked sullenly...
