The journey was quite a struggle. Carrying thirty catties of rice and unable to afford a cart, Old Master Gu felt his lower back was about to break.
Fortunately, Old Second Gu, along with Old Third, Old Fourth, and Old Fifth, were waiting outside the city gates. He quickly handed the rice over to them to carry.
These four brothers were waiting for him at the city gates not out of brotherly affection, but because they were worried he would hoard food if he got the silver and wanted to keep an eye on him.
The five of them took turns carrying the thirty catties of rice, and it took them nearly half an hour to reach the barren land outside the village where they were currently staying, Pukou Village.
The people of Pukou Village were not kindhearted souls; they would never allow refugees like them into the village.
It was only after Village Chief Gu pleaded incessantly with the Pukou Village chief, explaining their hardships, and using the official document he carried as collateral, which he left with Pukou Village, that they were allocated a plot of land outside the village to camp for the time being.
However, Pukou Village had set conditions: the villagers of Taoyuan were not allowed to enter the village, and if anyone was caught entering, they would all be driven away.
This was a precaution against them, a fear that the refugee villagers would come into the village to steal.
Upon hearing what Village Chief Gu had to say, most of the Taoyuan villagers remained silent, but in their hearts, they felt immensely wronged.
When they were in their own village, they were honest villagers; when had they ever been treated with such suspicion as if they were thieves?
They truly hadn't realized how difficult it would be to leave home, to be looked down upon and guarded against like thieves.
Everyone was thinking, "Let's get to the south as soon as possible. If we have our own land, we'll work hard and no longer have to live this displaced life, looked down upon by the locals."
Old Madam Gu saw her son had bought the rice and complained with dissatisfaction:
"Lao Da, why did it take so long? Were you charmed by some fox spirit in the city?"
Liu Cui heard this and rolled her eyes. This was her mother-in-law; did she know how to speak?
"Hey, I didn't meet any fox spirits. Do you know who I met in the city?"
Old Master Gu feigned mystery.
"Who?" asked Zhang Manzhi.
"It was Lao Liu. The three of them were wearing new clothes, like it was Chinese New Year. They looked no different from the city folks and were happily shopping."
Old Master Gu said with a hint of sourness.
"Lao Liu? How is that possible? I thought they were beggars in the city, begging for food!"
Zhang Manzhi mocked mercilessly.
"Really, the whole family was beaming, all in new clothes, not a single patch.
Mother, did you secretly stash something for them? That's how they could be living so comfortably?"
Old Master Gu asked Old Madam Gu with dissatisfaction.
"Lao Da, what are you imagining? How could we possibly hide things for them? This unfilial son, it's good enough we haven't beaten him to death!"
The thought of her son, who used to be so quiet that not a single sound could be elicited with a stick, suddenly becoming defiant and successfully splitting the family, made Old Madam Gu furious.
Where did this Lao Liu put their parents' dignity?
"Huh? Wearing new clothes? And staying in an inn? Did we act too late? Did Sixth Uncle personally sell Qingcheng?"
Unexpectedly, Gu Mi, who was standing nearby, stroked his chin and proposed this earth-shattering theory.
"Ah? If Gu Mi says so, it's quite possible. Qingcheng and her mother look about seven or eight tenths alike. When Hu Lanfang first married into our family, she was known as a rare beauty in the surrounding ten villages!"
Old Madam Gu casually brought up this past event, and Liu Cui felt a bit sour.
Liu Cui had always felt that as the eldest sister-in-law, she should be the most admired among the sisters-in-law in the family.
When Hu Lanfang first arrived, she was indeed as beautiful as a newly bloomed mountain flower, and the villagers praised her as the "flower of the village." Liu Cui was incredibly jealous.
The villagers had never praised her like that, which made her feel uncomfortable.
Furthermore, although they were both married, Old Master Gu bossed her around, while Lao Liu, though honest, doted on his wife.
The so-called doting, at most, meant remembering to bring Hu Lanfang a bag of wild berries when he went to gather firewood;
or, when encountering a wild beehive, he would risk being stung by bees to cut honeycomb for Hu Lanfang to eat.
Old Master Gu had never done such "small" things for her, nor had he been so caring and considerate.
Where there is comparison, there is a difference. Liu Cui intensely disliked Hu Lanfang and often fanned the flames to Old Madam Gu behind her back, slandering Hu Lanfang, making Old Madam Gu unable to like her.
Under the combined machinations of these women, Hu Lanfang became haggard and aged, the bright sparkle on her face disappeared, and no one called her the "flower of the village" anymore.
For several years, the topic of "flower of the village" had not been mentioned, and Liu Cui had forgotten about it.
Hearing Old Madam Gu mention it again, she couldn't help but say with a hint of sourness:
"Didn't we agree earlier to sell Qingcheng?
Now, Lao Liu has profited. Our money and grain have been washed away by the flood, how can we get to the south?"
"I see Qingcheng is still living with Lao Liu and his wife. It should just be a deposit, and she hasn't been taken away yet. How about I go to the city again tomorrow? If possible, I'll find a way to abduct her and sell her.
However, if Lao Liu sells her to a brothel, who will we sell to? There are only two or three brothels in the city. If we happen to sell to the same establishment, we won't make money and might even get beaten up."
Old Master Gu spoke logically, but he didn't realize he had inadvertently revealed that he knew clearly how many brothels were in the city.
"I heard that the wealthy landowner Master Gu of Pukou Village is actively looking to buy virgin girls. One virgin girl costs ten taels of silver, but there haven't been any suitable candidates yet."
Old Second Gu recalled some news he had heard.
"Ah? Qingcheng is already 13 years old, won't she be too old?" Old Madam Gu asked with concern.
"She probably won't be considered too old, right? A virgin girl refers to a girl who is unmarried and has not had her face unveiled," Old Second Gu said. "When I went to fetch water by the village edge, I overheard the elders in their village discussing it."
"What do they want virgin girls for?" Gu Mi was very curious.
"See that altar at the village entrance? I heard Master Gu wants to build a Seven-Star Demon-Suppressing Pagoda there. It requires a pair of virgin boys and girls to be placed at the foundation for a live sacrifice. The resentment of the virgin boy and girl will be used to counter the drought demon!"
Old Second Gu said mysteriously, clearly finding this topic stimulating.
"Ah? So they're going to kill Qingcheng?"
Gu Xiaohua exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.
The gazes of the entire family turned to her in unison...
Gu Xiaohua felt as if she were being looked at by the wolves' green, glowing eyes.
A chill ran down her spine, and sensing a crisis, she quickly shut her mouth, lowered her eyes, and dared not look at her family.
"Yes, a live sacrifice means dressing the virgin boy and girl like lotus children, placing them at the base of the pagoda, and then burying them alive. This way, once the Seven-Star Demon-Suppressing Pagoda is built, their resentment will be used to counter the drought demon, and there will be good weather."
Old Second Gu had inquired quite thoroughly, speaking as if he were very familiar with the villagers.
In reality, he was just fetching water from the well by Pukou Village. The elders drawing water there, seeing him in pity, gave him a bowl of well water, and he sat nearby, listening to the elders gossip.