Chapter 529 There is no benefit in offending the eldest granddaughter

Chapter 529 There is no benefit in offending the eldest granddaughter

When Gu Youtian learned that the Xu family not only wanted Gu Ruinian to apologize but also to pay compensation, he scolded Gu Ruinian and told Old Man Gu that Gu Ruinian could apologize but could not even think about paying compensation.

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu knew that the Xu family was not easy to deal with, so they planned to borrow money from Mrs. Gu and Jia's parents' home, while also planning to ask Gu Baishuang for money.

Mr. and Mrs. Gu took advantage of Tong Huaqiong's absence and sneaked into Jufulai. The old couple were lucky as they were greeted by Gu Baishuang who was counting the goods as soon as they came in.

"...Bai Shuang, Ruinian is your brother from your mother's side after all. You can't watch him being killed by the Xu family. Please lend me two hundred taels of silver. I'm not lending you this money for nothing. I'll write you an IOU and I'll pay you back next year when I sell the grain. I also have two pigs at home that I'll sell next year and pay you back. This way, I can pay you back in three to five years. Not only will I remember your kindness, but Ruinian will too. When he gets better, he won't treat you badly. It's also a good thing that you have a brother from your mother's side to support you."

Mr. Gu’s words made Gu Baishuang want to laugh.

When Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu lived in the village, Gu Baishuang was very filial to them. After she got married, she would give them money and food from time to time, and also contracted to buy them clothes, shoes and socks all year round.

Even though Mr. and Mrs. Gu have no food to eat now, Gu Baishuang doesn't mind supporting them.

But asking her to help Gu Ruinian is not an option.

She had never eaten a grain of rice from Gu Youtian, and had no feelings for Gu Ruinian.

Gu Ruinian did such a ridiculous thing, and she was conscienceless in helping Gu Ruinian.

Gu Baishuang said to Old Man Gu, "Grandpa, what you said is wrong. I have three brothers from my mother's side. Which one of them can't support me? I want Ruinian to support me? What Ruinian did now makes even me in the Nie family unable to hold my head up. I don't dare to have such a brother from my mother's side."

Mr. Gu’s face paused.

In his eyes, Gu Baishuang was the most conscientious among the descendants of the first wife. Even when he and Old Lady Gu were in the south, Gu Baishuang would ask the merchants who went to the south to bring them things every year.

He was full of confidence when he came. Anyone could refuse him a loan, except Gu Baishuang.

Old Lady Gu couldn't help but say, "Bai Shuang, you have lost your conscience. You lost your mother when you were young, and if your grandfather and I hadn't given you something to eat, you would have starved to death. You can even start a business with your vicious stepmother, but you are unwilling to lend us money."

Gu Baishuang sneered.

Old Mrs. Gu even had the nerve to say that she would give her something to eat.

Before the stepmother married into the family, she lived with Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu. Didn't she do the farm work? Didn't she wash the clothes at home? Didn't she cook for the second uncle's family?

Even if she worked as a maid in someone else's house, she would not only have food to eat but also money for doing so much work.

Every bite you eat is what you deserve.

Gu Baishuang said, "Don't you feel guilty for saying this? I also earn what I eat by working. Over the years, I have given you and me money, made clothes for you, and given you gifts during the New Year. I have paid you back now."

"Since you say I have lost my conscience, then I will really lose my conscience from now on. I can't bear this crime for nothing."

Mr. Gu stopped Mrs. Gu who was about to curse and scolded her.

Now the second wife has no money, and they have a hard time living back in the village. The first wife only gives them two bites to eat. If it weren't for Gu Baishuang's constant support, their lives would be even more difficult.

It will be no good for an old woman to offend her eldest granddaughter.

"Bai Shuang, just think of it as me begging you."

The eldest granddaughter is soft-hearted, so we can’t follow Old Lady Gu’s method. She has to cry poorly and beg to be won over.

This time, Mr. Gu’s begging was of no avail. Gu Baishuang had a cold face and refused to lend the money.

When Old Mrs. Gu wanted to curse, Gu Baishuang ordered her to leave.

At this time, Nie Xiaofeng came in and saw Old Mrs. Gu and Old Mr. Gu complaining about his mother being cruel. Nie Xiaofeng carried the two of them and rushed out.

After finally getting rid of Mr. and Mrs. Gu, Gu Baishuang came to Tong Huaqiong.

She did not tell Tong Huaqiong about this either. Anyway, she would not borrow money, and her stepmother did not need to know about such a small matter. It would only make her upset if she heard about it.

Tong Huaqiong saw Gu Baishuang coming in and said, "I was just about to tell you something. You and Dashu should stock up on some charcoal during the summer. The more the better."

Gu Baishuang was surprised: "Stockpiling charcoal now?"

Tong Huaqiong nodded and said with certainty: "Yes, this winter will be very cold, we will make a fortune then."

Tong Huaqiong would review Tong Dajiao's memories in her mind whenever she had nothing to do, mainly to see who she had offended and what misfortunes had happened to her, so as to avoid retaliation or falling into a trap.

This inventory revealed a remarkable discovery: this winter was an extremely cold one.

It is said that this is a cold weather that occurs once every fifty years.

The extremely cold weather continued until the beginning of next spring.

Due to the warm winters in recent years, many charcoal merchants have relaxed their vigilance and failed to stockpile enough charcoal.

Firstly, the weather was extremely cold, and secondly, there was not enough charcoal, which caused the price of charcoal to soar.

Many civilians had no money to buy charcoal, and many people froze to death.

At that time, many people also froze to death in Qinghe Bay.

Because the roads were blocked by heavy snow, the people who froze to death were not buried in time, which led to a plague when the weather warmed up, bringing a great disaster to Pingchuan County.

The reason why Tong Dajiao's family did not freeze to death was that Gu Jingzhe had a powerful Yue family, and the Lu family had no shortage of charcoal or silver.

Tong Huaqiong decided to take advantage of this information gap to start a charcoal business.

The tragic deaths caused by the extreme cold weather in Tong Dajiao's memory were too horrifying. The charcoal was bought by the wealthy families at high prices, and the only ones who suffered were the common people.

Tong Huaqiong didn't have the heart to distribute charcoal for free. She just wanted to prevent more deaths this winter and make some money at the same time.

Everything in the world is interconnected. With her current financial strength, she is not worried about freezing to death, but she is worried that the people who freeze to death will cause a plague in the spring of next year.

Not to mention this era, even with advanced medical technology in later generations, we were still caught off guard when faced with SARS.

The spread of the plague has nothing to do with wealth; anyone can be infected with the virus.

Tong Huaqiong doesn't want to be shrouded in the plague, have her life threatened, or have her business disrupted.

She couldn't save the extreme cold weather, but she could use charcoal fire to minimize Pingchuan's death.

"Then how much should we stockpile?" Gu Baishuang looked through the window and saw the scorching sun outside.

How did the stepmother infer that this winter would be extremely cold?

The winters in recent years have been warm!

There is one thing about Gu Baishuang that makes Tong Huaqiong very satisfied, and that is her trust in Tong Huaqiong. She never says no arbitrarily to things she does not understand, and she supports Tong Huaqiong once she makes a decision.

Tong Huaqiong said: "Five hundred thousand tons."

Gu Baishuang was stunned.

Five hundred thousand tons?

The entire Ningcheng cannot use so much charcoal in one winter. What should we do if we get a lot of it?

Tong Huaqiong saw the hesitation on Gu Baishuang's face and said, "Just stock up according to the amount I said. If the silver is not enough, use the silver from Taohua Dessert first."

Seeing that Tong Huaqiong was so determined, Gu Baishuang calculated the money in her hand in her mind and nodded.