Chapter 450: Boiling Beans, Burning the Stalks

Gu Hai finished up, returned home, took off his coat and handed it to his wife.

Tang Yun shook out her clothes, hung them up, and while doing so told him: "Something happened at the elder brother and elder sister-in-law's house."

"What happened?" Gu Hai looked at his wife.

Tang Yun looked at him: "I'm not clear on the specifics, but I only know that after the elder brother just got home, Yin Xue moved her things and left; the old master even personally went over, the elder brother went to the old residence, and hearing from people there, he is currently kneeling in the ancestral hall."

Gu Sen, despite his age and not-low standing in the Gu family, how could he have come to kneel in the ancestral hall? Obviously he did something that goes against the ancestors.

Gu Hai felt a tightness in his heart.

"I won't eat dinner, you guys eat, I'm going to see my older brother."

He had the driver drive him to the old residence, where he first saw Gu Kai, who roughly said: "Your older brother can't figure it out, he's preparing to go develop in A City."

Startled, Gu Hai ran straight to the ancestral hall.

His older brother knelt there, spine straight, gaze firm.

Gu Sen heard the approaching footsteps, and in his peripheral vision soon saw Gu Hai in an administrative jacket come to his side, properly lit three incense sticks, then looked over.

"Older brother, what are you doing? Going to develop in A City—hasn't Jiang Lai returned to the Gu family?"

"Not for her," Gu Sen said. "You don't need to think of putting the blame on her; I'm doing this for myself, to correct my own life."

"Correct?" Gu Hai said, "I really didn't expect you to use such a word, so do you think what you did back then was taking a crooked path?"

"I'm not sure whether I took a crooked path, but Gu Hai, today, in front of our deceased parents, before the ancestors of the Gu family, honestly tell me: back then, for your own future, did you ever collude with outsiders to stop me from sending people to look for my daughter?"

Boom—

A bolt of thunder split the sky, lightning followed and illuminated the courtyard's sky-well; A City's first spring rain is coming.

The ancestral hall's door was open; a sudden brightness fell on Gu Sen's back, while Gu Hai stood a bit off to the side, still in the gloom.

Gu Hai jumped in fright, not knowing whether it was because of that sudden thunderclap or because of his older brother's rhetorical question.

He swallowed, his eyes slightly sinking: "Older brother, I only……"

"Even in front of our deceased parents you won't speak the truth?" Gu Sen turned his head to look at his still-standing younger brother, "You think I'm testing you? I've looked for Wang Peng."

Gu Hai slightly closed his eyes.

Gu Sen: "Back then, when your sister-in-law did that, you begged me not to look for the child, no matter what you wanted to wait until you succeeded in getting the position; I knew you were innocent, so I agreed. But why, now that you have succeeded in getting the position, do you still, together with the old master, block me from going to look for the child?"

Gu Hai gritted his teeth, said nothing.

Silence spread between the brothers.

A sound came from the eaves; it started to rain.

The old residence remained with blue-gray walls and tiles; rain struck the tiles with a patter, running along the gutters and dripping drop by drop.

"Gu Hai, do you still have a conscience?" Gu Sen's voice rose again accompanied by the rain.

Clearly it's spring, but Gu Hai felt his older brother's voice colder than winter snowmelt.

In the ancestral hall only the two brothers were alive; since the past matter has been uncovered, Gu Hai slowly knelt before the ancestors and admitted: "Indeed, I bribed Wang Peng not to go look for the child."

"Older brother, the statute of limitations for abandonment is five years; I can't afford to gamble, it's only five years—how far could I possibly rise?"

"Back then I was young, I was afraid, this was my only chance to surpass you, older brother."

Gu Sen's body stiffened.

He was indeed blowing up Gu Hai; he had never been clear whether Wang Peng was following the old master's orders or if Gu Hai had interfered.

Now he finally understood.

Both the old master's orders and Gu Hai's bribery were involved.

The reason was fear? Or a desire to surpass him?

Gu Sen looked at this younger brother who had always been obedient and well-behaved in front of him since childhood, who now uttered such words, and for a moment his head felt swollen.

"What are you saying, Gu Hai?"

Gu Hai had reached this age, also knowing that no matter how he tried he could not rise any further, and his older brother offered him no other help; so he stopped hiding and revealed the thoughts he had buried since childhood.

"Mom and Dad like you, everyone in the family likes you, thinks highly of you, believes you will be the family's next head; when I was young, everyone at home let me see how excellent you were, had me learn from you; as I grew a bit older, others seeing me would only say I was Gu Sen's younger brother, as if I had no name."

"Older brother, older brother, I've spent half my life living in your shadow, even thinking I'd spend my whole life that way; who would have thought you misjudged, choosing Song Shiwei of the Song family as your wife—if you had instead chosen Tang Yun's sister back then, not only would your daughter not be lost, but now the family's head would be you."

The Gu family had carefully selected a woman, but he took a liking to the mismatched Song Shiwei; perhaps it was also heaven pitying him for always being suppressed by his older brother, giving him a chance, and the next year he married Tang Yun, thereby maintaining the Gu-Tang relationship and also drawing the old master's attention to him.

Later he heard that Song Shiwei had abandoned her daughter; he was angry that this person would drag down his prospects, yet also saw it as a good opportunity to pull his older brother off his pedestal.

Over these years, no matter how hard he tried, the position of family head in the Gu family never came to him; even after sitting in that seat for many years, he could not advance.

By contrast, the older brother took another path and unexpectedly flourished; though he couldn't sit at the main table at home, when he went out, wherever he went he sat at the main table, and nobody mentions the older brother without respect.

The older brother having money instead brought another kind of protection to the Gu family.

The Gu family has always looked down on merchants, but when going out to do things, where isn't money needed? Each Gu family member, if they spend money beyond the limit, can say it was arranged by the older brother, possibly without noticing.

To put it bluntly, the older brother is almost becoming the Gu family's "political-business intermediary."

After hearing Gu Hai finish saying all this, Gu Sen's heart died completely; he slowly closed his eyes, tears silently streaming down his cheeks.

Gu Hai kowtowed to the ancestors, then rose and left.

Upon stepping outside he saw Song Shiwei holding an umbrella, her face pallid, her eyes frightened.

Gu Hai calmly called out: "Older sister-in-law."

Even with the umbrella, Song Shiwei's body was still soaked by the rain; she shivered, her mind filled with Gu Hai's words.

Who would have thought you misjudged, choosing Song Shiwei of the Song family……

If you had chosen Tang Yun's sister, not only would your daughter not be lost……

If you had chosen Tang Yun's sister, now the head of the entire family would be you……

Song Shiwei dropped her umbrella, tears flowing nonstop.

Gu Hai walked into the rain and left.

Song Shiwei rushed to Gu Sen's side, embraced him and wept: "Gu Sen, Gu Sen, don't listen to Gu Hai's nonsense, don't listen……"

Gu Sen knelt motionlessly.

Like a desiccated skeleton drained of flesh and blood.

We are born of the same root; why must we torment each other so urgently…

……

Three days later.

Ms. Nian suddenly received a call from her brother Nian Jingchuan: "Something has happened to the Gu family, and Gu Sen has also met with misfortune."