Chapter 8: The Daughter-in-law Who Has Not Yet Entered the Door

This Gu Yunniang appears to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a cotton garment that cannot conceal her slender figure. Around her neck is a fur-lined scarf, and her oval face is beautiful, flushed from the cold. Her large eyes possess a certain liveliness as they move, and her hair is styled in a youthful double bun.

He laughed again and said, "Moreover, it seems that after the incident with the young master, he has become much more sensible than before." Ignoring the suppressed laughter of the crowd, he called out to the person behind him, "Yun Niang, why haven't you come to greet your brother from the Huang family?"

The next morning, after having breakfast with the family, after Mother and Sister left the hall, Huang Laifu and Huang Sihao sat down to talk

Huang Lingbin is physically weak, and with his older brother Huang Laifu around, he naturally does not have the opportunity to serve in the military. Given his temperament, it would be a struggle for him to manage the Huang family in the future. Fortunately, Huang Lingbin enjoys reading, and perhaps he can pursue a path of academic achievement.

Huang Laifu cleared his throat lightly; from the memories in his mind, he knew that this Gu Qianhu would be his future father-in-law, and his daughter Gu Yunniang would be his future legitimate wife

At this moment, upon hearing Huang Laifu's words, Huang Lingbin smiled shyly and sat down. Gu Yunniang, on the other hand, appeared somewhat excited and curious, saying: "Brother Laifu, are you going to the fields? Since I have nothing to do, why not let me accompany you, Brother Laifu."

Huang Lingbin, who was standing nearby, said: "I will go with my elder brother as well"

The military household does not have as many rules as the literati. Moreover, with Gu Yun'niang and the three sisters of Huang Laifu being on good terms, it was difficult to resist. Whenever Gu Qianhu visited the Huang family, he would often bring his daughter along. In Huang Laifu's memory, although he was unruly in Wuzhaibao, for some reason, he was always at the mercy of Gu Yun'niang.

Gu Qianhu is 64 years old this year. A few years ago, he retired from his position. As the head of the Xiwai in Kelaizhou Town, he has always been a trusted confidant of the commanding officer and has been highly valued. After his retirement, he is not one to sit idle, and with good health, he often goes out to visit friends. Huang Sihao, being his lifelong friend, is naturally one of his key visiting targets.

Before long, Yang and several of her sisters arrived, all looking at Huang Laifu with teasing eyes. The eldest sister, Huang Ziru, even laughed and said, "Brother, your wife has come to see you. Are you happy?" Everyone burst into laughter, and a few servants nearby also snickered.

Everyone laughed and walked out together, and Huang Laifu also followed the crowd out of the Qianhu residence. A few children joyfully ran behind them

The elder sister laughed and said, "Brother has changed his ways; is it because he saw his wife coming that he is acting so attentive?"

Huang Laifu was reflecting on his own matters. After listening for a while, he stood up and said: "Uncle Gu, Father, please remain seated. I will go to the fields to take a look."

At this time, the mythological novel "Journey to the West" has been published for several decades and has had a significant impact among the people of the Ming Dynasty. Gu Qianhu, having nothing to do, would also read related leisure books, thus adopting a tone relevant to this subject.

Huang Laifu said a few words, while Gu Yunniang sat beside Yang, holding her hand and listening attentively. Whenever her gaze met Huang Laifu's, she would occasionally roll her eyes at him. However, when Gu Qianhu inquired about the circumstances of the incident involving Huang Laifu, the concern in her eyes was indeed genuine

Upon reaching the entrance, one could see a tall elderly man accompanied by a graceful and spirited girl standing at the door; they were Gu Qianhu and his daughter Gu Yunyang. Several individuals resembling servants from his household were attending to the horses nearby, while everyone stood there, exhaling visible breaths in the cold air. It was a chilly morning in mid to late November in Shanxi.

Huang Sihao smiled and said, "Alright, let Butler Yang accompany you." Gu Qianhu was puzzled, and Huang Sihao explained in a low voice, proudly stating, "This child has become much more sensible since returning from his travels. Anyway, the farming in the fortress has always been like this, so it’s better to let him have a go at it."

Huang Laifu said to Huang Sihao that he wanted to go outside the fortress to see the military households and his family's fields. In recent years, the harvest has been poor, and most of the farmland in Wuzhai Fortress has yielded little. However, during his travels in Jiangnan, he gained some insights; perhaps some of the agricultural knowledge from Jiangnan could be useful for Wuzhai Fortress. In any case, since he has nothing to do at the moment, it would be better to help with some tasks at home

Yang lightly pinched his elder sister and said, "As the older sister, all you do is tease your younger brother"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gu Qianhu inquired further about the circumstances of the incident from Huang Laifu, as well as some details regarding Huang Laifu's travels.

Gu Qianhu stroked his grizzled beard and said with a smile, "Struggling is certainly better than idleness. The situation this year is worse than the last, and perhaps my virtuous nephew has brought back the true scriptures from Jiangnan, truly accomplishing something significant."

Butler Yang smiled and said, "Madam, rest assured, this old servant will certainly take good care of the young master."

Seeing the kind gaze of Gu Qianhu, Huang Laifu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to Gu Qianhu, saying: "Nephew pays respects to my esteemed uncle. Thank you for your concern, esteemed uncle. How has your journey been?"

Huang Sihao was quite pleased and said: "My son has grown up; you can make the decisions from now on. Whatever you need, just give the orders, and I will have those servants at your disposal"

Gu Qianhu laughed heartily and said, "Huang Xian-di, I am a person who cannot stay idle. It is boring to remain in the city, so I thought it better to come and find you for a drink. I also heard that my nephew has encountered some issues, so I brought my daughter along to pay a visit."

The graceful and ethereal girl, who is none other than Gu Yunniang, emerged from behind Gu Qianhu, stepped forward, and performed a respectful greeting to Huang Laifu, saying: "I have met you, Brother Laifu"

The hopes of the Huang family are all placed on Huang Laifu. With such ambition, Huang Sihao naturally feels great joy. He does not care what Huang Laifu accomplishes, as long as he has this determination. It is said that Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, perhaps there are some advanced farming techniques. In any case, the current state of the farmland is already beyond repair; it is worth a try to see if Huang Laifu can achieve something.

Huang Laifu gently patted his shoulder and said, "You young man, it would be better for you to read more books at home; perhaps in the future, you might achieve some distinction."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze towards Huang Laifu. Gu Qianhu, dressed in a cotton robe and wearing quick boots, was tall and had three strands of grizzled beard. His features were rugged, resembling Huang Sihao, embodying the typical appearance of an old soldier from a border town

Gu Qianhu looked up and down at Huang Laifu for a while, then smiled and said: "Very well, the journey has been good. I heard that my virtuous nephew encountered some trouble, and I was quite anxious. Now that I see my worldly nephew is fine, your worldly uncle can rest assured."

Yang held Gu Yunniang's small hand and came to greet Gu Qianhu. After a warm exchange of pleasantries among the crowd, they were ushered into the main hall. After the servants served tea and water, Huang Sihao inquired about the situation. It turned out that Gu Qianhu had arrived at Liangjiaping Fort with his daughter and servants yesterday evening, and after resting for a night, they had only reached Wuzhaibao this morning. Huang Laifu thought to himself that the timing was about the same yesterday, and he had not encountered them.

The two families had long agreed that after Huang Laifu took over the position of the thousand-household leader, Er Xiao would get married, which brought a sense of double happiness. At that time, Huang Laifu would be 18 years old, and Gu Yunniang would be 17, which was just the right age.

Huang Sihao was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "So it turns out my brother from another life has arrived. Quickly, go summon the lady so we can go out to welcome him together!" As he spoke, he looked at Huang Laifu with a cheerful smile.

After conversing for a while and confirming that Huang Laifu was fine, Gu Qianhu began to chat happily with Huang Sihao and Yang, discussing trivial matters.

After listening to her husband's explanation, she felt quite pleased. Her sentiments were similar to those of Huang Sihao; regardless of how well Huang Laifu performed, it was the thought that counted. She said to the butler Yang, who was standing nearby: "Uncle Yang, whatever Laifu needs, feel free to provide it to him."

Huang Laifu had grown accustomed to life in the 21st century, yet he still found himself somewhat unadapted to the present circumstances. He wished to engage in activities that would enrich his life. He called for Jiang Dazhong and Yang Xiaolu, intending to go out with Butler Yang. At that moment, a servant suddenly entered, casting a peculiar glance at Huang Laifu. He reported to Huang Sihao that Gu Qianhu from Kelanzhou had come to visit, and was already outside the Qianhu residence.

She performed a courtesy to Huang Laifu, and when their eyes met, she took advantage of the moment when others were not paying attention to slightly wrinkle her delicate nose and give Huang Laifu a significant glare. Then she walked over to Yang Shi and several of her sisters, holding their hands and continuously calling them aunt and sister. This delighted Yang Shi and the sisters, who were all engaged in conversation with her, while several little children also gathered around her, calling out incessantly.

Huang Laifu found the demeanor of the underage girl somewhat amusing. Having been in his thirties in his later life, he had seen many such childish antics between young people. In his previous life, Huang Laifu had been completely at the mercy of Gu Yunniang, but such situations would certainly not occur again in the future.

Gu Yunniang is also known to Huang Laifu. She is 16 years old this year and is quite beautiful. However, because Gu Qianhu has five children, with the first four being sons and only Gu Yunniang being a daughter, she has naturally been somewhat spoiled. Nevertheless, she is very clever, has a sweet tongue, and is well-liked by Huang Laifu's mother, Yang, and her several sisters.

Huang Sihao and Gu Qianhu have been close friends since childhood, referring to each other as elder brother and younger brother. After both of them had children, Huang Laifu and Gu Yunniang, they arranged a marriage between the two from a young age, signifying a bond that deepens their familial ties.

At present, the steward Yang of the Qianhu residence was summoned in, instructed to take Huang Laifu to the outpost to see the encampment. Steward Yang had been with the Huang family for many years, of the same age as Huang Sihao, with hair and beard completely white. He had served the Huang family for over twenty years, always loyal to them. Upon hearing the master’s words, he smiled and responded cheerfully, thinking to himself that the young master was likely to come up with some new tricks again, and he would just let him be.

Everyone laughed, and both Jiang Dazhong and Yang Xiaolu, who were behind Huang Laifu, also chuckled.

Huang Laifu remained unfazed, while Gu Yunniang beside him had her cheeks flushed with a hint of crimson, playfully pouting: "Elder sister..." Yang Shi affectionately pulled her into her embrace, interjecting: "Alright, alright, our Yunniang is shy, so let's not say such things in front of everyone"

Huang Sihao was the first to greet him: "Brother Gu, I didn't expect you to come to Wuzhaibao in such weather, it is truly rare."