At noon, Aries's father-in-law ate an extra bowl of rice out of frustration.
Of course, he ended up overeating, as anyone could tell from how he paced back and forth in the yard afterward.
While they were eating, Doudou ran over to call the eldest sister of the Gu family home for lunch. But in the end, Doudou also stayed and ate with them.
It was Sky who made a trip to the old house, telling them they didn't need to wait and could eat on their own. He also told them to come over for dinner later.
Now the people from the old Gu house and Aries's second aunt's family were even more confused.
What exactly was Aries planning?
Not only did she invite them to eat lunch, but now she also wanted everyone to come to her house for dinner.
There were four generations of people in this big family—quite a crowd!
Wouldn't one meal like that make Aries's father-in-law feel heartbroken over the expense?
In fact, he already did—even before dinner time.
No matter how people guessed, once the old lady gave the word, anyone who wasn't busy in the afternoon had to go help at Aries's place.
Fine! Then they'd just go and see what's up!
After all, she invited them, it's not like they were asking to come.
If anything went wrong, the old lady would be the one dealing with it.
That afternoon, Aries's small house was bustling.
At first, her father-in-law still had a grumpy face, but Sky quickly made him smile with just one sentence.
Sky noticed so many guests had come, and it wouldn't be right for his father-in-law to keep a sour face, so he bravely spoke up.
"Right now, the most capable and successful one is the wife master. I bet uncle and the others must be jealous of you, Father. After all, their daughters aren't as talented."
"The wife master isn't just skilled, she's also very filial! She buys you new fabric for winter clothes, gives you pocket money, and never lets you worry about household stuff. She's the most devoted!"
Sure enough, after hearing that, Aries's father-in-law broke into a wide smile and proudly went out to brag to the other ladies.
Before he stepped out of the kitchen, he even surprisingly complimented Sky.
"You're actually right for once. Seems like you're not completely clueless."
He used to think this Sky was just a dull guy who couldn't talk properly, but turns out he was quite clever.
After all, he managed to win over his precious daughter—how could he be stupid?
Hmph! Still feels like a sly fox!
But since what he said was true, the father-in-law decided to let it go this time.
He wasn't the type of father-in-law who only knew how to make life hard for his son-in-law.
That afternoon, the village chief brought some officers to measure land for Gu Zhao.
The process was simple. After receiving some tips, the officers worked quickly and gave Gu Zhao the land he had his eye on—the empty space at the foot of the mountain and the slope behind it.
It didn't take long before the land deed was in Gu Zhao's hands.
After slipping them some extra silver, they left. And of course, thanks were given to the village chief as well.
Before he left, the chief said, "I'll keep an eye out for farmland for you. If anything good comes up, I'll let you know."
Gu Zhao thought that was a good idea. Buying some land could be useful.
But she was about to leave soon. If good land showed up while she was gone, wouldn't she miss the chance?
Leave the money with her father-in-law? Not reliable.
Give it to her husband?
Her father-in-law would definitely start trouble!
Looking at the village chief standing right there—wasn't he the perfect choice?
Without hesitation, Gu Zhao took out one hundred taels of silver and stuffed it into the village chief's hands, shocking him.
"Aries, what are you doing?" he asked, gulping hard at the sight of all that silver.
Whoa! That was a full one hundred taels!
"Auntie, I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be home for a while. If you find good land, help me buy it."
So that's what it was about—the chief let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, Auntie will handle it! But winter is coming soon—where are you going?"
She had to tell the family anyway, and people would find out once she was gone. Since the village chief asked, she didn't hide it.
She gave the same explanation she told her husband: "I plan to go to the capital and see if there's anything I can do. I have to make a living."
The village chief nodded. She was trying to support her family—good, good.
But he still tried to persuade her. "Aries, it's great that you have ambition, but you don't have to go all the way to the capital. It's a big place and you don't know anyone. Why not stay in town or the county and find something to do instead?"
Gu Zhao knew he meant well, but the jobs in the town or county didn't pay enough.
So, she still planned to go to the capital.
"No worries, Auntie. I'll be back before the snow. If I don't find anything good, I'll just treat it as gaining experience."
Since she put it that way, the village chief didn't say more.
When he got home with the silver, he finally realized something.
Didn't Aries only win a little over a hundred taels?
But he had one hundred now, and she'd already spent a lot before this, plus just bought land.
How much did she actually win?
Looks like the kid was smart enough to keep a low profile.
Good, good!
That night, the old lady and old man came too. The big family needed three tables.
One for the women, one for the men, and one for the kids.
Of course, Aries's house didn't have enough tables, chairs, or dishes—they had to borrow from the other two families.
Looking at the table full of dishes—maybe not luxurious, but definitely generous and full of oil—everyone waited for the old lady to start eating first.
No one knew what Aries was planning, but the food looked too good to wait—eat first, talk later.
After a few rounds of food and drinks, Gu Zhao finally picked up her cup and got down to business.
Everyone immediately tensed up—here it comes!
"Tomorrow I'm heading out to the capital for a while. While I'm gone, I'll have to trouble the elders and my cousins to help look after the house so I can leave without worry."
Huh?
This wasn't what they expected at all.
Aries's father-in-law, who had been busy fighting with a chicken leg, quickly stood up and rushed to her side.
"Aries, why are you going to the capital? Why didn't you discuss it with your father?"
The farthest Aries had ever been was the town—not even to the county. Why suddenly go to the capital?
Everyone else wanted to know too.
Hadn't she just measured land? Wasn't she going to start building?
Plus, winter was almost here—why go now?
The old lady gave her a sharp look, signaling her to explain clearly.
"It won't be long. I'll be back before the snow. Now that I've got a family, I need to build a career. I want to take the chance while I have time to go out, gain experience, and maybe find something to support the family."
What she said made sense, even the old lady couldn't argue.