Chapter Thirty-Nine: Preparing for the Hunt

It could be said that the resolution of this turmoil owed much to the help of Village Chief Li. Because of this, Gou Ye gained a new understanding of the word "human nature." The chief was right—doing evil is easy, while being good is hard. Even as a transmigrator, one should not become arrogant, believing everything is under their control.

This incident also prompted Gou Ye to plan a few days’ stay in the county town. On one hand, he needed a change of scenery and the chance to arrange the closure of his shop; it was also time to visit Boss Hu at the bookshop. On the other hand, he hoped to find a way for the village to prosper. Yun Niang agreed with his plan, and since she still needed to care for her mother, Gou Ye had to go alone. Before leaving, he instructed Da Li to look after Yun Niang and her child, and to come find him by carriage if anything happened.

So, early the next morning, Gou Ye left Tumeng Village alone and headed for the county town. The front of the bookshop was as lively as ever, with an even larger crowd of book enthusiasts than before. When people saw Gou Ye, they greeted him as usual with a hearty, “Hero Gou!”

Gou Ye entered the bookshop, but Boss Hu was nowhere to be seen. He placed his thick manuscript on the counter and asked the clerk, “Where is your manager?”

The clerk squinted respectfully, a far cry from his first encounter with Gou Ye. He picked up the manuscript with a beaming smile and said, “It’s all thanks to you, Master Gou. Some days ago, Boss Hu began distributing ‘The Celestial Eagle Lovers’ to the surrounding counties. The first hundred volumes sold out in less than a day, and now our bookshop simply can’t keep up with the demand. That’s why Boss Hu went yesterday to purchase a printing press. Oh, and he said you might come back, so he asked me to prepare your recent manuscript payment in advance.”

With that, the clerk disappeared into the back and soon returned with another man, both carrying a small chest filled with Gou Ye’s earnings. Gou Ye had them load the chest onto his carriage and was about to leave when the clerk said, “Master Gou, there’s been a lot of talk about bandits lately. You often take country roads to and from the county; please be careful. It wouldn’t hurt to buy a sword to carry for protection.”

Although Gou Ye had never liked the clerk’s obsequious manner, he wasn’t a bad sort. Gou Ye smiled and nodded in response. Bandits? Images from television flashed through his mind—brigands who killed without blinking. He often traveled openly by carriage and frequently carried large sums of silver. If there were bandits, he’d be their prime target. It seemed caution was indeed necessary. Gu Shen was said to be skilled in martial arts; perhaps Gou Ye could learn some self-defense from him in the coming days. The thought made him picture himself as a great hero.

As he reached the gates of the Gu Estate, he saw Gu Shen stepping out. Their paths crossed perfectly. “Brother Gou Ye!” Gu Shen strode over with great energy. “It’s been a while! Have you come especially to see me this time? Hmm? Yun Niang isn’t in the carriage—don’t tell me you’ve come just to see Miss Wanxiang? Hahaha!”

Remembering how Gu Shen had set him up last time, Gou Ye felt a flicker of annoyance. Thankfully, nothing untoward had happened that day; otherwise, he’d regret it forever. He jumped down from the carriage with a hint of anger, gave Gu Shen a light shove in the chest, and said, “Still daring to bring that up? If I hadn’t had strong self-control, things would’ve gone wrong, you know? This time, you owe me compensation.”

Gu Shen grinned, knowing Gou Ye wouldn’t truly be angry over such a thing. He even teased, “If you’re really interested, I can have my brother set you up. Don’t worry, I won’t let Yun Niang find out.”

“Don’t be disgusting, will you? Just look at yourself—what kind of young master acts like that? I’m in a bad mood lately, so I’ll be staying here for a few days. Consider it your compensation.”

Gu Shen was delighted that Gou Ye would be staying longer. He quickly pulled Gou Ye along, saying, “Brother Gou Ye, that’s too easy! Stay as many days as you like. If you get lonely, I’ll even invite Miss Wanxiang to keep you company! Hahaha!”

Gou Ye gave Gu Shen a hard kick, but Gu Shen’s mischievous grin didn’t falter. Then Gou Ye remembered Gu Shen had been about to go out. “So, what are you heading out for?” he asked.

“Oh, you’ve come at the right time. I was just about to go hunting in the mountains, but some of my gear is broken, so I’m off to buy new equipment. What do you say, Master Gou—interested?”

Hunting was something Gou Ye had only seen on television; as a modern man, he’d never had the chance to try it, nor would it have been allowed. The freedom of the old days was different. Without hesitation, he agreed.

On the way, Gou Ye said somewhat awkwardly, “Gu Shen, there’s something I haven’t mentioned yet. You know our business partnership with Zhu Ling? I agreed to sell.”

Surprisingly, Gu Shen showed no surprise at all. Instead, he replied, “I spoke to my father about it. He also thought you should sell. He said your influence is small—there’s no need to fight them head-on. Take what you’ve earned and plan for the future. With your talent, you’ll come up with something else. In fact, I was going to persuade you myself. I’m glad you already agreed.”

Seeing how little Gu Shen cared, Gou Ye continued, “To be honest, I was conflicted at first. It was Wanxiang’s advice that made me see sense. Never mind, if this one doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. I’m planning to find a new occupation for Caisheng. That one’s clever—too shrewd for his own good. I want to keep him as my steward, but I’m not sure if he’ll agree. And don’t worry, you put up some silver in our business, so you’re a shareholder too. Let’s see… I’ll give you three percent.”

At this, Gu Shen could no longer remain calm. He jumped in front of Gou Ye and exclaimed, “Three percent? Master Gou, you can’t be so stingy! I put in a hundred taels, you know—and that was borrowed from my siblings. Last time, you counted it all as money for the house. I didn’t get a single tael. By the way, how much did you sell it to her for?”

Gou Ye replied coolly, “Not much, a hundred thousand taels.”

“Oh, I thought— What? A hundred thousand taels?” Gu Shen was dumbfounded, and immediately chased after Gou Ye, shouting.