Chapter 411: Don’t Mention the Poisonous Oath Again

’Arrange what?’

Gu Fei’s face flushed inexplicably as she stammered, "Y-you, don’t get the wrong idea. I made a solemn vow, so I... anyway—"

Xiao Yu frowned. "Don’t mention that vow again. I told you, I will bear any and all consequences."

The air grew thick with silence.

Gu Fei watched Xiao Yu in silence.

’She knew she was developing feelings for him.’

’This wasn’t like the blushing, heart-pounding crush she’d had on idols in her past life. Nor was it the simple admiration and appreciation for good looks she’d felt toward Young Master Su.’

’This was the first time she’d ever wanted to rely on someone, to be protected.’

But she also knew that nothing could ever happen between them.

Their statuses were worlds apart. In this era, that was an insurmountable chasm.

The vow she’d made that day hadn’t been an impulsive act. Deep down, she already knew that nothing was possible between them.

She said nothing more and handed the pistol to Xiao Yu. It was a token of her affection. Even if they had no future together, she wanted him to live a good life—one of happiness, health, and peace.

Gu Fei smiled. "Let’s head back, then."

Xiao Yu was perceptive enough to sense a sudden shift in Gu Fei’s mood. Her smile seemed to hold a hint of sadness.

He didn’t know if he had said something wrong or if his tone had been off.

He wanted to explain, but he didn’t know where to begin.

They both fell silent, walking the rest of the way back to the inn without a word. Gu Fei just said, "Take care," to Xiao Yu before heading inside.

Xiao Yu stood at the entrance to the inn, not wanting to leave for some reason. He remained there until Tie Niu came out to put up the door boards for the night and said in surprise, "Young Master Heir, you’re still here?"

Xiao Yu’s lips tightened. He mounted his horse and galloped all the way back to the Prince Mansion.

When Xiao Yu rode out of the city early the next morning, the city gates had yet to open.

The inn’s doors, too, were still closed.

「Several more days passed in a flash.」

Gu Zhang’s fleet was finally ready to depart.

Gu Fei’s family, her great-aunt’s family, her third uncle’s family, and the village chief’s family all went to the riverbank to see them off.

The ships were truly massive. Gu Fei had seen larger vessels in the modern world, but for a wooden ship to be several stories tall, the craftsmanship was still remarkable.

Gu Fei even went aboard one of the ships for a look. Just as she’d expected, the crates in the cargo hold were all firmly secured.

As for whether the beans inside had sprouted, Gu Fei couldn’t see.

Besides her great-aunt’s husband, Jin Sheng was also going on the voyage. Jin Sheng was on the same ship as Gu Zhang, while her great-aunt’s husband and Steward Qin were acting as stewards on another.

Gu Zhang had recently gotten the hang of things and bought several more servants. Two were assigned to Steward Qin, and two stayed with him to run errands.

The village chief gazed up at the massive ships on the river. He now truly believed his wife’s grandfather had been the real deal. His own wife only knew the basics of his craft, yet she had been able to tell at a glance that the girl, Gu Fei, was destined for great wealth and status.

The "great wealth" part had already come true.

Thousands of acres of land, these ships, and their cargo... according to Jin Sheng, it was all worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.

’Tens of thousands of taels of silver!’

’And to think, just last year when Little Fei returned, Gu Zhang’s family couldn’t even scrape together twenty taels of silver. They’d had to mortgage their land deed with him just to borrow ten taels.’

’It had been such a short time, and now they were this wealthy.’

The village chief felt a pang of envious jealousy, but it quickly gave way to happiness.

His son, Jin Sheng, was working for Gu Zhang and even going out to sea. Gu Zhang was now paying him ten taels of silver a month.

He himself had recently been put in charge of overseeing the construction of everyone’s new houses, and Gu Zhang had entrusted him with a large sum of silver for the project. He’d even given him an extra twenty taels of silver as a bonus for his hard work.

His family’s debts were paid off, and life was getting better and better.

Everyone stood on the bank, watching as the ten great ships, their sails catching the wind, slowly vanished into the distance.