Old Man Gu's face darkened. Dividing the family felt like it was taking his life. If they divided, how could he continue to exploit these sons of his?
How could he avoid labor, avoid work, and still get the best food and necessities?
No, today he had to suppress these ungrateful brats!
Old Man Gu said angrily,
"Don't be tempted by a little bit of profit. We are united as a family, and only then can we avoid being bullied by outsiders.
Look at how Sixth Uncle's family is currently prospering, but it's only temporary. Once they reach Jinsha City, it's full of thugs and hooligans. With just their family of three, isolated and weak, when there are no expenses, Qingcheng will surely be sold off. Who knows if she'll be sold to a brothel or to someone's household as a maid.
You must not think that because they are happy now, it's a good thing. They will have their reckoning later."
Upon hearing Old Man Gu's words, the nascent desire for division among the crowd was temporarily suppressed.
Indeed, in the forest, Old Man Gu the Sixth was good at hunting, and he was so generous in giving his catches to the commune, so of course everyone cherished them, and they seemed to be living quite prosperously.
Once they truly reached the city, everyone would have to fend for themselves. Who would care about Old Man Gu the Sixth's family then?
It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived!
Thinking of this, everyone's hearts settled, and the idea of dividing the family suddenly vanished.
Old Man Gu the Second came out to mediate and said,
"Father is right. You two shouldn't go against Grandpa and Grandma. They hit you because they want what's best for you.
Don't be ostentatious like Gu Qingcheng. Once you reach Jinsha City, you'll definitely be targeted. Then, whether it's a blessing or a curse, no one knows."
Old Man Gu the Second's words were quite palatable, and Old Man Gu and Grandma Gu's expressions finally softened.
Liu Cui's eyes darted around, and she suddenly said,
"Second Uncle, you're right. Gu Qingcheng is indeed quite pretty. At this age, she's perfect for being sold as a maid or sent to a brothel. She'll fetch a good price.
Why don't we, after entering the city, find a buyer and sell her? We can even earn some money for the road south.
Speaking of which, Qingcheng was raised by the Gu family for thirteen years, and she doesn't know how to repay us. She doesn't even give us a single piece of game. Such an ungrateful child is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If we don't sell her, who else should we sell?"
At first, everyone listened with bewilderment, but later they all felt it was a good idea.
That's right, Gu Laoliu insisted on dividing the family. Speaking of which, they were no longer one family. Gu Qingcheng, this ungrateful wretch, if they could sell her for some money, it would be good.
"At her age, can she sell for a good price?"
Old Man Gu coughed. Seeing that everyone agreed and nodded frequently after Liu Cui proposed this idea, he also expressed no objection.
"Yes, if not ten taels of silver, then three or four taels for sure." Old Man Gu the First quickly said.
Old Man Gu's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He nodded and said,
"First, you're more experienced in these matters. Once we get into the city, I'll leave this to you."
"Alright, Father, I'll handle it perfectly and strive to sell this stinking girl for a good price."
Old Man Gu the First was naturally willing. He could pocket a lot of extra profit by doing such a thing, so why wouldn't he be willing?
For example, if he sold Gu Qingcheng for ten taels of silver, he could come back and say he sold her for three taels. Who would know? The extra silver would then fall into his own pocket.
Thinking of this, he agreed without hesitation.
While the Gu family was secretly plotting against Gu Qingcheng, Gu Qingcheng was busy sharpening a long stick on a stone slab, preparing to use it as a javelin for hunting.
At this moment, she suddenly sneezed heavily. She rubbed her nose and muttered curiously,
"Tsk, who's been talking about me behind my back?"
Gu Qingcheng rubbed her nose and didn't pay it any mind, continuing to make her flying darts.
These flying darts required tough, woody shrubs, preferably only as thick as a child's arm. This way, they would have the right weight, but still possess enough heft to maintain accuracy when thrown.
Learning archery had given Gu Qingcheng some insight into similar sports. After some experimentation, she was able to quickly master the technique of throwing flying darts to hunt prey.
The density of shrubs and weeds in the forest was extraordinary. Small prey like rabbits and pheasants liked to burrow beneath the grass and plants. If one only used archery techniques, it might not be possible to break through the obstruction of grass and thorns, but with flying darts, it was possible.
Gu Qingcheng had hit several rabbits and pheasants today with her flying darts.
"Qingcheng, someone reported that a wild goat was spotted by the spring. Do you want to go take a look?"
At this moment, Gu Bukou, who had previously borrowed salt from them, walked past her and called out.
Upon hearing about the wild goat, Gu Qingcheng's spirits soared.
A wild goat weighing over a hundred catties was much heavier than ten rabbits. If they could hunt a wild goat, the entire village could have a good feast.
Gu Qingcheng said "Okay," picked up two flying darts, slung her bow over her shoulder, and followed Gu Bukou towards the spring.
Because they were taking a detour and were getting further and further away from the river they had originally followed, they now had to camp near a mountain spring for easy access to water.
By the spring, the village women were busy handling pheasants and rabbits, plucking feathers, and cleaning innards. They were all engrossed in their work.
Unexpectedly, a woman saw a monster coming from the other side of the spring. It had yellow fur and horns on its head. At first, she was startled, fearing it was a leopard or some other fierce beast.
Later, someone recognized it as a wild goat, which was harmless to humans. Thus, everyone dared not make any loud noises and sent someone back to the campsite to see if they could hunt the wild goat.
Gu Qingcheng listened to Gu Bukou explain the sequence of events on the way and soon arrived at the spring.
The women by the spring were tiptoeing, afraid to make loud noises. When they saw them arrive, their eyes lit up, and they pointed to the opposite side, whispering,
"The wild goat is over there. It seemed to have sensed something was wrong and ran in."
Gu Qingcheng and Gu Bukou nodded and, as quietly as possible, waded across the spring towards the direction they pointed.
Gu Qingcheng planned to rely on the flying darts in her hands, while Gu Bukou held a wood-chopping knife. It seemed he intended to kill the wild goat with the wood-chopping knife; such equipment was too unprofessional.
Gu Qingcheng wanted to laugh but feared discouraging Gu Bukou's enthusiasm, so she remained silent. The two of them proceeded slowly and finally spotted the wild goat mentioned by the women.
The wild goat's hindquarters were exposed outside the grass, with its body half-hidden within. Its tail swayed gently as it presumably grazed contentedly.
Gu Qingcheng felt that she could still shoot it from this distance, so she silently took her bow and arrows from her back, signaled to Gu Bukou with her eyes not to make any noise, then drew her bow to its full extent, aimed at the region near the goat's heart, and shot an arrow fiercely.
As expected, the arrow accurately penetrated the wild goat's body.
The goat, possibly due to the sudden piercing of a sharp object, only felt a slight pain at first and twitched its body. It then immediately realized something was wrong and thrashed wildly in the grass in pain.
Having already hit it, they couldn't afford to fail now and let it escape.
Gu Qingcheng held her breath and fired her javelin towards the area where the grass was shaking most violently.