Chapter 191: with translation of chapter title

An Qinghe nimbly dodged Gu Youfu's lunge.

Gu Youfu still wanted to strike again, but was held down by several of his own relatives.

Since you behave properly and sit upright, what are you afraid of hearing him say a few words?

Who is Boss Zhao, and what does he have to do with this? How come we've never heard you mention him before?

Gu Youfu was at a loss for words: "I... I don't know any Boss Zhao; I just don't want these outsiders spouting nonsense and stirring up our relations."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that aside from Gu Erye's family, the other relatives were staring at him with blank faces, obviously having lost the initial trust.

Gu Xixi breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to those nearby that they could put down their weapons.

Only hearing An Qinghe say, "Boss Zhao, who deals in seeds in Qing Tian County, you can freely inquire about him."

"Gu Daye's family, who grow vegetables, have long been acquainted with Boss Zhao; not long ago they agreed with him that once they obtained Gu Xixi's seed grain secret recipe, they would entrust Boss Zhao to sell it on consignment."

"What does consignment mean? Let me explain: it means that whoever among you wants to grow more and better grain in the future will have to go to Boss Zhao and pay a high price for the prescription."

"They also plan to split the secret recipe into several sheets, each costing ten taels of silver—how many of you can afford that?"

"Or do you really believe that once Gu Daye obtains the secret recipe, he will share it freely with all of you?"

The crowd stirred again; Gu Clan relatives whispered among themselves, their gazes toward Gu Daye and his son filling with more anger.

Gu Youfu still stubbornly insisted, struggling and saying, "Don't listen to him!"

"This barbarian is in league with Gu Xixi!"

An Qinghe gave him a disdainful glance, then slowly drew a rolled paper from his sleeve and flicked it open.

"This is the contract signed between Gu Daye and Boss Zhao; anyone who can read, come forward as representatives to have a look."

Gu Daye, standing nearby, saw his own red handprint beneath the contract and instantly his face turned ashen.

Gu Youfu stared in disbelief.

The contract existed in two copies; the one belonging to his family had been kept by him in his own room, hidden in a secret place, making it utterly impossible for An Qinghe to find it in such a short time.

Then where did this copy come from?

Momentarily, a few people walked up to An Qinghe.

An Qinghe cautiously forbade them from touching the contract; they only needed to gather around and read it.

After reading it, those few people returned to the crowd with grim expressions.

An Qinghe raised his voice: "Did you all see? The contract clearly states that Boss Zhao will give Gu Daye forty percent of the profits from each sale."

"See? I told you so," He Jinglan added, "you're just being used!"

"If they succeed today, later when they're rolling in wealth, will they still remember you relatives?"

Gu Xixi gave He Jinglan an appreciative smile.

"What a fine Miss He—every sentence fans the flames, yet each one hits exactly where it hurts the other side."

Moreover, she shifted the main blame onto Gu Daye and his son, giving most people a way out—truly a blend of favor and authority.

As expected of a young lady from an aristocratic family, in psychological tactics she probably won't lose to her brother He Jinghui.

He Jinglan blinked at Gu Xixi, seemingly sighing regretfully toward the Gu family.

"If I were you, the last person you should offend is Gu Xixi—after all, you originally had no grudge against her, and if you want to grow good grain, you might still hope she'll lend a hand."

"This ingratiation hasn't even had time to kick in, and yet you all—"

The relatives whispered softly for a moment, then lifted their heads to look at Gu Xixi, their expressions somewhat embarrassed.

Someone first gave up: "I think this young lady makes sense; we were all heated just now, but now that we've calmed down, we realize we've been deceived!"

Someone regretted: "Yeah, look at my hands—scraped raw, and at my age I'm still being used as a pawn; truly embarrassing."

Someone angrily said: "I heard Gu Erye was bullied by the younger generation, and I couldn't stand it, so I came to help—but now I see this is utterly baseless!"

He Jinglan had already laid out the steps; everyone naturally took the excuse, never mentioning that their own purpose in coming was also the "secret recipe," only claiming they'd been tricked.

In an instant, the situation was completely reversed.

Gu Clan relatives one after another blamed Gu Daye and his son, as well as Gu Erye's entire family.

Worse still, some spat at them to vent their anger.

Gu Erye had been dazed like a wooden chicken since An Qinghe revealed the truth earlier.

He suddenly leapt up, lunged forward, grabbed Gu Daye's collar with both hands and shook it, saying, "You didn't tell me that back then!"

"You had me first go stir up trouble with Gu Xixi, hoping to recover the losses; if not, it's fine—just say I was beaten, and you'd have reason to get everyone to force Gu Xixi to hand over the secret recipe. Then the recipe would belong to our two families jointly!"

"Why did you deceive me!"

An Qinghe had already released the rope, walked over to Gu Xixi's side, and together they watched the commotion.

Gu Daye's face was ashen, his body swaying on the verge of collapse, yet he still stubbornly argued, "I didn't deceive you; it's just that it didn't work out."

Gu Erye, now sober, was not easily fooled: "What's the deal with Boss Zhao? Did you ever mention him to me? You signed the contract, yet it only bears your name! Do you take me for a fool?"

Gu Erye spoke with increasing indignation: "You thought you were using others as pawns, little knowing that I am the biggest fool of all!"

Gu Erye's son and daughter-in-law also turned against him, chattering to the relatives that they too were victims, and that Gu Daye had deceived everyone.

The crowd clamored in chaotic uproar.

Gu Daye truly couldn't cope; he rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot.

It's unclear whether it was a genuine faint or feigned.

Gu Xixi quietly said to An Qinghe, "Thanks to you finding the contract and bringing it in time; otherwise I would have had to abandon these wheat fields."

After all, if the wheat fields were destroyed, other grain could be replanted next season.

If a person is injured or dies, they can't come back.

An Qinghe, while watching the spectacle, grinned and said, "It wasn't me who found the contract; I searched his main hall and even turned Gu Daye's bedroom upside down, but found nothing."

Gu Xixi blinked in surprise: "Is this contract a fake?"

An Qinghe shook his head: "It's not a fake, I suppose; it was Master Liu who ran to Gu Daye's house and gave this to me."

He let me take it and use it, saying you naturally know what's going on.

Gu Xixi fell silent for a moment.

What you got should be Boss Zhao's contract.

Whoever stole (or took) the contract in advance perhaps knew about today's events earlier than Gu Xixi herself had expected.

Gu Youfu untied the ropes binding Gu Daye, but Gu Erye's family refused to let them go.

The two families, like dogs biting each other, have already become enemies.

Gu Xixi was about to leave, but was blocked by the Gu Clan's relatives.

The leaders among them were all somewhat older.

They faced Gu Xixi, suddenly clasping their hands and bowing to the ground.

Gu Xixi was somewhat surprised, stepping back half a step. "What is this for? I cannot accept it."