Chapter 412: A Heavy Blow

Once the figures on deck had faded from view, Mrs. Chen began to wipe her tears. She had been holding them back while the ship was still in port, afraid crying would be bad luck. Now that it had sailed, she couldn’t contain them any longer.

The moment she started crying, Aunt Liu began wiping away tears beside her.

Her aunt’s and Zhaodi’s eyes turned red, too.

Even though the men were off to make a fortune, they would be gone for over a year. The seas were notoriously treacherous, with high winds and rough waves. People said there were pirates, too. There was no telling if they would make it back alive.

Gu Fei felt a pang of sadness too, but seeing how gloomy everyone was, she quickly linked arms with her mother and said with a laugh, "Mom, you miss Dad already?"

Hearing Gu Fei’s teasing, Mrs. Chen quickly dried her tears and shot her a look. "Of course not! I couldn’t wait for him to leave. Now I’ll finally get some peace and quiet."

Gu Fei giggled and called out to the group, "Aunt Liu, Aunt, don’t head back just yet. Come to my shop for a meal, everyone. It’s my treat."

Her uncle sidled up to her. "Little Fei, am I invited too?"

Gu Fei laughed. "Of course you are!"

She looked her uncle up and down. "Well now, Uncle, those are some sharp clothes you’re wearing."

Gu Rong was dressed in a silk robe and looked just like one of the wealthy squires from their hometown.

He tugged at his robe, a little embarrassed. "It was your aunt who insisted on making me a silk robe. She said that when I’m out collecting rent and all that, I shouldn’t embarrass your father."

Gu Fei smiled. "She’s right, you should dress this way. When people see you in silk, they’ll respect you more from the start."

She glanced at Hu Zi, who was standing nearby. "Uncle, it’s about time you sent Hu Zi to school. Don’t we have a family tradition that all our descendants must learn to read and write?"

Her uncle nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. I’m already asking around about schools."

Her aunt, listening from behind them, thought, ’Tie Niu is already fifteen—it’s too late for him to start school. But Gangzi is only eight, the perfect age to begin. It doesn’t matter if he becomes a great scholar; just learning to recognize a few words would be a good thing.’

Her husband had told her the same thing before he left. He’d said to send Gangzi to school, mentioning that Gu Zhang now required even his servants to be literate.

After a moment’s thought, her aunt hurried to catch up. "Brother-in-law, let me know when you find a school. I’ll send Gangzi, too. That way, they can look out for each other."

Gu Rong nodded. "Deal. We can take turns taking them to and from school."

Aunt Liu, who had been listening from the back, quickly poked her husband, the village chief. He understood immediately and called out to Gu Rong, "My Shanyao needs to go to school, too! He’ll join them."

Shanyao had attended school back in their village, but his studies had been interrupted when they fled the famine.

The group walked for an hour before arriving at Gu Fei’s shop.

It was nearly lunchtime, so everyone settled in at two tables and enjoyed a lively meal.

After seeing everyone off, Gu Fei headed out to a pharmacy.

Her shadowing powder was running low. She needed to go to the pharmacy to see if she could find a substitute.

There was a pharmacy at the end of Furong Street, right on a corner. The street it turned onto was small and not very busy.

Gu Fei entered the pharmacy, found an assistant, and explained what she needed. "I’m looking for an herb that can dye the skin without causing any harm."

The assistant thought for a moment. "We have something like that, but with any medicine, if you use it for a long time—especially one that can stain—the color will eventually seep into your skin."

Gu Fei figured she had no other choice. "Just weigh some out for me, please."

The assistant weighed out a large bag of herbs for her. Gu Fei took the bag and left the pharmacy.

Just as she stepped out the door, she felt a sudden rush of air behind her. Before she could even dodge, something struck her squarely on the back of the head. Her body went limp, and she collapsed.