Chapter 261: Big Maple Vige


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    “Hey!” Gu Yu agreed happily. She saw a gray-haired man walking out of the house into the courtyard. He waved his hand and shouted, “Uncle, I’m back!”


    Gu Yu’s uncle stood in the courtyard, not believing his ears. He looked at Gu Yu, who was getting closer and closer, pped his legs, and shouted, “Dad, Mom,e and take a look! Girl Yu is back!”


    Before he could finish his sentence, he had already run to the wooden door and opened it. There was a smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with tears. “Yu! You’re back! ”


    “I’m back. Uncle, why is your hair white?”


    Gu Yu went forward and held his hand, looking at his gray hair worriedly. Seeing her uncle looking behind her, she hurriedly turned around and pointed at Li Yu. “Uncle, this is my Madam. My Madam came back with me.”


    Uncle Gu bowed to Li Yu. “Thank you, Madam. We thought we would never see


    Xiaoyu again.”


    At this moment, a few people ran out of the house. Gu Yu ran in and knelt in front of an old couple, crying, “Grandpa, Grandma, I’m back.”


    Gu Yu’s grandmother pulled Gu Yu up and hugged her as she cried. Uncle Gu ran in and said to the old man, “Dad, Mom, it’s dark outside. Gu Yu’s main family is still outside!”


    Everyone ran out of the courtyard again. Gu Yu wiped her tears and pulled Old Madam Gu to Li Yu and Ji Xiang. “Grandma, this is my Madam. Madam came to our vige to take a look. This is Little Brother Ji Xiang.”


    The two elders of the Gu family hurriedly bowed again. Gu Yu pointed at the horse. “Grandpa, Grandma, look. Madam even brought food and meat for you to distribute to the old and weak families in the vige.”


    Everyone’s eyes widened when they saw the few sacks of food on the back of the horse and a huge pile of pork.


    Gu Yu’s cousin swallowed and sighed. “Wow! How can we finish so much


    meat?”


    Uncle Gu patted him and said, “Little greedy boy, Madam said this is for your grandfather to distribute to the weak in the vige.”


    “Thank you, Madam. I didn’t expect you to spend so much money.” Old Master


    Gu and Old Madam Gu bowed to Li Yu gratefully and instructed Uncle Gu, “Quickly bring the horses to the courtyard and feed them with the grass we cut today.”


    Seeing their helpless expressions, Li Yu smiled and waved her hand. “Old man, don’t trouble yourself. I just wanted to take a walk.”


    Everyone greeted each other politely and entered the courtyard. Ji Xiang and Gu Yu’s two cousins moved the food and meat into the central room. Gu Yu took out some meat and pickled vegetables and started to cook. Gu Yu’s aunt brought hot water and said to Li Yu cautiously, “Madam, please wash your face.”


    Li Yu looked reserved and said gently, “Sister-inw, sorry to trouble you.”


    Madam He blushed. “Madam, you’re too polite. What trouble is there? You brought our Xiaoyu back to take a look so that her grandfather and uncle can rest assured! I’ll have to trouble you to take care of my Xiaoyu in the future!”


    When Li Yu saw Madam He’s loving gaze as she talked about Gu Yu, she knew that this woman was sincere. Although this family was poor, there was a deep kinship within the family. Under the dim oilmp, Li Yu realized that the Gu family could be said to be poor. There was an old wooden table in the kitchen and a few wooden stools. She didn’t see any other furniture.


    Li Yu picked up a vegetable and started picking. She asked Madam He, who was also picking vegetables, “Sister-inw, I heard from Gu Yu that your family sold the only two acres ofnd to pay for her father’s treatment, but I saw that the terrain here is quite t. Why does your family only have two acres?


    Madam He sighed and said, “Madam, you don’t know this, but I heard from the child’s father that there are ten or so acres of fertilend in our vige, but thosends belong to the Wang family. The rest are sand, gravel, and slopingnds. No one can afford to raise livestock without fertilizers. Even if thosends are developed, there won’t be any crops.”


    Li Yu asked curiously, “The Wang family? Is it the Wang family in Yunzhou


    Madam He shook her head and felt a little strange. These richdies didn’t know how to farm, so what was the use of asking these questions? She still replied honestly, “I don’t know. I only know that it’s from the Wang family. My family plowed 20 acres of farnd for the Wang family and split it 30-70. The Wang family gets 70% and we get 30%. The taxes are also paid by the Wang family. If the heavens reward us with rice and wild vegetables, we can still eat. If the heavens don’t reward us with food, many families can only go to the mountain to scavenge for food. The ferocious beasts on the mountain will kill one at a young age like Second Uncle if they’re not careful.”


    “Oh! Do those slopes and sandstones also belong to the Wang family?”


    “No, those are wastnds that no one nted.”


    At this moment, Gu Yu finished cooking and brought it to the table to treat Li


    Yu and Ji Xiang to a meal. Li Yu asked the Gu family to eat together. Old Master


    Gu said politely, “Madam, we’ve only eaten a while ago. Hurry up and eat.”


    Li Yu saw Gu Yu’s cousin looking at the pickled vegetable stew and swallowing his saliva. She said to Gu Yu, “How can the three of us eat so much? Scoop it up and let your grandparents eat it too.”


    Gu Yu shook her head and said, “Madam, they won’t eat it even if we send it over. Besides, there’s more in the kitchen!”


    After dinner, Ji Xiang whispered to Li Yu, “Madam, I didn’t expect them to be so poor. Life in West Mountain Vige was better than here.”


    “The good farnd in the vige has been upied by the big ns. They don’t have anynd themselves and rely on thend ot the Wang family to farm. Thend is rented 30-70%. Even if they don’t pay taxes, there won’t be much food left in a year. If there’s a day of illness, you can imagine how bad it would be.”


    Ji Xiang came to a realization. “No wonder Gu Yu’s cousin is so small at 13 years old. But the rent is too high! In our case, we offer a 50-50 split for ournd, and we still have to pay taxes. The tenants are also living a tight life.”


    Gu Yuid out the nket and said to Li Yu and Ji Xiang in embarrassment,


    “Madam, can I sleep with you tonight?”


    Li Yu nodded. Ji Xiang looked at her and said, “What about me?” Gu Yu pointed at her cousin and said, “Brother Ji Xiang, you and my cousin are in the same room.”


    They washed up and went to sleep separately. The next morning, when Li Yu woke up, she saw Old Master Gu sending meat back. Behind him were more than ten old men who said that they were here to thank Li Yu. Everyone exchanged pleasantries. After Gu Yu set up the dishes and ate, Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu led Li Yu and the others out to the fields. There was a group of vigers behind them.


    Uncle Gu pointed at the t ground and said, “This area belongs to the Wang family. I’ve sold my only two acres to them.”


    Li Yu pointed at thend beside the mountain stream and said, “Let’s go over there and take a look.”


    When they walked over, Li Yu realized that there was indeed more sandstone over there, but the deste slope was not bad. It was just like the small hill in


    Old Hu’s vige. Li Yu took a hoe and dug a few ces to take a look. She said to Uncle Gu, “Where does the water from that mountain streame from?


    Uncle Gu pointed at a mountain in front of them. “There’s a hole there. The wateres from there. The water is even heavier during the rainy season.”


    With water, they could open terraces. Li Yu said to Uncle Gu, “When I was in Tongzhou, there was a Hu Vige. Their fertile fields were destroyed by the sh flood. In the end, they opened terraces on such small hills and nted wheat and rice in alternate seasons. The harvest was not bad..”