Gu Da Bo naturally refused to admit that Old Sixth had the ability to feed himself. He felt that Gu Qing Cheng's complexion had improved, and it was probably because Old Sixth and his wife doted on their daughter, giving all the food to Gu Qing Cheng.
After all, in the past, when Gu Qing Cheng was in the Gu family, she only had the watery part of the congee and no nutritious food.
When Gu Chao Bei was asked by Gu Da Bo, he was stunned. Wasn't he supposed to be grieving for his recently deceased son? Why was Gu Da Bo still thinking about the meat?
It was truly unexpected.
But upon further thought, he recalled their wits and courage when negotiating with Liu the Butcher, using his son's death as a bargaining chip to obtain meat and grain, and the excitement they felt. It seemed as if it wasn't his son who died, but an unfeeling outsider.
If his own son could be exchanged for meat, then it was only natural for him, a disliked brother, to ask him for meat.
When Gu Lao Han brought up the matter of meat with Gu Lao Liu, Gu Lao Liu hesitated, looking troubled. Gu Lao Han outwardly showed displeasure, but inwardly scoffed with contempt, thinking:
He wants to fly before his wings have even hardened.
If it were any other time, Gu Lao Han would not have easily agreed to Gu Lao Liu's separation. Wouldn't that be slapping him in the face?
If they separated so easily, who would he rely on for support in his old age?
With each family living a comfortable life, he and his wife would become burdens. He would never allow himself to fall into such a situation, so he had to firmly tie his sons to him and prevent them from separating.
Gu Lao Liu was honest and foolish. Gu Lao Han did not believe he could produce sixty catties of meat in three days, so he deliberately agreed to the separation agreement.
He was just waiting for Gu Lao Liu to be unable to produce the meat, to beg for mercy on his knees, and then he would severely punish Gu Lao Liu, thereby restoring his dignity as the patriarch.
He would also use this as a warning to his other sons, so they would not dare to consider separating.
"Old Sixth, we are one family, so there should not be two Gu characters. If you cannot produce sixty catties of meat, the separation agreement will be void, and you must return to our home.
As long as there is food in the house, you will not be short of food. Why bother with separation?"
Although Gu Lao Han's words sounded like he was deeply concerned for his son, his expression was ever-changing, making him seem somewhat terrifying.
It could be imagined that if Gu Lao Liu begged for mercy and returned home, his family would undoubtedly face much torment.
Gu Po Po followed with a cold snort and said:
"This unfilial wretch, if we let him come back, wouldn't that be too easy for him? Our family just got meat and grain from Liu the Butcher. Should we bring three more mouths to eat for free? I think it's best to let him stay far away from our home and gnaw on bark and roots!"
Gu Po Po unknowingly spoke her mind and was shocked herself.
But seeing that her own family members were nodding in agreement, she didn't feel anything was wrong.
It was fortunate that Gu Chao Bei was not her real son. Otherwise, if he heard his mother say such heartless words, he would surely feel endless sorrow.
"That's right, Old Sixth. If you can't produce the meat, just come home obediently. We still need someone to carry the meat and grain. I think you are the most suitable!"
Gu Lao Wu's hands and feet were already scraped raw from carrying Gu Dou that day. Now, he was afraid of carrying heavy objects and wished Gu Lao Liu would return quickly.
"That's right, Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu. You didn't cook. Aunt's cooking is terrible, and Uncle doesn't distribute food fairly. Often, they get the thick porridge, and we get the thin."
Gu Mi, relying on the fact that Gu Dou was dead and he had now been promoted to eldest grandson, and would bear the great responsibility of "continuing the family line" in the future, spoke with much more boldness.
Liu Cui's face stiffened upon hearing Gu Mi's words...
"Hmph, does he think he can come back just because he wants to? We two elders must agree for him to return!" Gu Po Po's arrogance was evident. She hated that her son dared to separate the family, making them a laughingstock among the villagers. Now, she was determined to torment Gu Lao Liu even more. "If you want to come back, you must kneel for us for a night."
"That's right, kneeling for a night is still light. At least you can't eat meat for a month!"
Gu Da Lang seized the opportunity to say.
The meat in the Gu family now was obtained with the life of his son, Gu Dou. How could they let Gu Lao Liu eat it so easily?
Gu Qing Cheng listened and was amused.
This family didn't treat Gu Lao Liu as family at all; they treated him even worse than an outsider.
It was a typical case of wanting a horse to run while refusing to feed it grass.
With meager meals and heavy labor, it was no wonder Gu Lao Liu's family perished while fleeing famine.
Gu Chao Bei, listening to everyone speak, remained remarkably calm, showing no signs of panic.
Liu Cui found Gu Chao Bei's demeanor strange.
After being cornered by the family like this, shouldn't Gu Chao Bei have knelt down with a thud, begging the Gu family to take them in, and let them return?
But Gu Chao Bei in front of them seemed to not care at all?
Why?
Was Gu Chao Bei different from before?
Just then, Gu Chao Bei finally spoke. His expression was dull, indicating that the previous words had no effect on him. He said faintly:
"I have already prepared sixty catties of meat. However, I was busy with the funeral for my eldest nephew, so I didn't bring it out immediately."
"What? You have sixty catties of meat?"
Upon hearing Gu Chao Bei mention the meat, the Gu family's eyes widened. They were all calculating that if there were indeed sixty catties of meat, their chances of survival would be even greater!
With the thirty catties of meat from Liu the Butcher, plus Gu Chao Bei's sixty catties, they would have ninety catties of meat. If this ninety catties of meat were roasted into jerky, the family could hold on for a long time.
Gu Lao Han's chest tightened upon hearing this.
He never expected that Gu Chao Bei could actually produce sixty catties of meat in three days.
Sixty catties of meat was equivalent to the meat from slaughtering a pig for New Year, which would yield a hundred catties or so, but that required raising it for a year! And they had to ensure the pig didn't get sick and die along the way.
If they hunted, it wouldn't be easy to get sixty catties of meat. Were the animals in the mountains and forests so easy to hunt? He felt that Gu Lao Liu's ability to hunt a python last time was purely due to luck.
Could Gu Lao Liu be so lucky? Would he always get prey?
So, when Gu Lao Liu said he could produce sixty catties of meat, Gu Lao Han was truly dumbfounded.
"Sixty catties of meat? You can produce it now?" Zhang Man Zhi asked excitedly.
"Father, if Old Sixth can produce sixty catties of meat, it wouldn't be bad. If people want to separate, let them separate. Their hearts have wandered, and you can't control them," Gu Lao Er chimed in.
In his eyes, sixty catties of meat was far more important than this brother.
"Sixty catties of meat, that's enough for many servings of braised pork, isn't it? How long has it been since we've eaten braised pork?"
Gu Mi's mouth was almost watering.
Gu Lao Han had initially worried about losing face and his other sons following suit and asking to separate.
He didn't expect his sons to only be tempted by meat!
Most importantly, no one proposed separating anymore.
Considering all this, although the separation had cost him face, it was good to have sixty catties of meat coming in, and it also meant getting rid of Gu Lao Liu's family of three mouths to feed.
Weighing the pros and cons, Gu Lao Han raised his eyebrows and said in an unfriendly tone:
"Fine, Old Sixth, if you have the ability, then hurry up and get the meat. Don't babble!"