"You did the right thing. In times like these, useless kindness will only get you killed!"
Hu Lanfang clapped her hands in approval upon hearing this.
This was precisely the answer Gu Qingcheng had hoped for.
Her parents always stood by her side and supported her unconditionally when she did the right thing.
"For now, they are just locked up in jail, but we must eliminate this future trouble."
Gu Qingcheng could be soft-hearted, especially towards a pure child like Mi Guo. However, she could also be ruthless towards relatives who betrayed her and tried to take her life.
"Just locking them up is too lenient. We'll discuss their fate in detail when your father returns," Hu Lanfang said.
Gu Qingcheng nodded. There was no rush. Every minute they spent in jail was an unbearable torment for the imprisoned. She had experienced that feeling herself in Old Master Gu's dark cell.
Now that Gu Qingcheng was back, Hu Lanfang planned to take her home to recover.
Just then, Boss Zhang relayed a message: the Prince wished for Mr. Gu to stay at the Prince's manor for a few more days. Gu Qingcheng and her mother were told not to wait for him and to return to their mountain home first.
Hu Lanfang understood that her husband's message meant she should not worry. Thus, she prepared to return to their home on Cliff Mountain with Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo.
Gu Qingcheng had also explained Mi Guo's background to her mother in detail. Hu Lanfang felt great sympathy for Mi Guo's plight.
This young child had nearly been captured and buried alive, and like her daughter, had been betrayed by her closest relatives.
"We can save one if we can," she thought. Even if she couldn't save everyone, seeing her daughter's inclination to take Mi Guo in, Hu Lanfang agreed.
Besides, her daughter needed more than just them; she needed a companion her own age. Taking in a son would also be good.
Of course, this matter would need to be discussed with Gu Zhaobei upon his return.
Gu Bukou waited at Mr. Sun's mediation office for a whole night. He finally witnessed a miracle. He saw the Gu Zhaobei family turn the tide, transforming a hopeless situation into becoming benefactors to Prince Xia. They managed to persuade the Prince's consort and mobilize troops to rescue Gu Qingcheng.
If Gu Bukou hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe.
With Gu Qingcheng rescued, he also needed to leave the city to reunite with his family.
When he bid farewell, Hu Lanfang led him to a secluded side hall in the mediation office and gave him one hundred taels of silver.
Gu Bukou was shocked to see a box brimming with heavy silver. He almost dropped the box in his astonishment and exclaimed,
"How can this be? So much silver?"
Gu Qingcheng solemnly bowed to Gu Bukou, expressing her gratitude:
"Uncle Bukou, if you hadn't delivered the message, my parents wouldn't have known where I was, and I wouldn't be alive today. I would have long since perished."
Recalling the dangers of the morning, Gu Qingcheng still felt a pang of fear.
Relying on her psychological advantage as someone from another world, she hadn't treated the human sacrifice as a brutal reality and had even thought she could escape easily.
But Old Master Gu had made thorough preparations. To escape, it would have been impossible with her strength alone.
Fortunately, power had triumphed over power, and she had finally been rescued.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng perform a deep bow of thanks, Gu Bukou replied with a look of shame,
"You don't need to give me so much silver. This is what I should do. Firstly, Qingcheng is of our Gu clan's bloodline. How could we sell her off as a human sacrifice? Old Man Gu's family lost their minds and did wrong; the Gu clan has wronged Qingcheng.
Secondly, I am also repaying you for the salt you gave us. At that time, our family was severely lacking salt. We hadn't eaten salt for over ten days, and everyone was swollen and unable to move. I shamelessly sought out everyone to trade for salt, but no one was willing, except you. You not only traded with me but gave us a large amount of salt."
Gu Qingcheng still remembered the matter of salt.
At that time, Gu Bukou had brought a bowl of coarse noodles to trade for salt, and her father had generously given him a large spoonful.
For someone from modern society, where salt was treated as an ordinary seasoning, Gu Qingcheng had also not considered salt to be exceptionally precious.
Even though she knew that salt was as valuable as gold in this era, her actions were still as extravagant as in modern society. She had even thought that her father hadn't given enough; since the man had no salt, why not give more?
Gu Zhaobei had explained to her that they had given less to avoid attracting attention.
However, this "less" was perceived by Gu Bukou as Gu Qingcheng's family losing out and him gaining an advantage.
Who would have thought that this small act of kindness would save her life?
Gu Qingcheng was also greatly surprised.
She said, "Uncle Bukou, you must accept the silver. My mother had told everyone in the city who helped that whoever provided clues about me would receive one hundred taels of silver.
If you don't accept it, it would mean my mother is breaking her promise, and who would believe her words in the future?"
Honest people valued their reputation more than their lives.
Hearing Gu Qingcheng's words, Gu Bukou reluctantly agreed to accept the one hundred taels of silver, but he still felt it was too much.
Gu Qingcheng smiled and said, "Uncle Bukou, with sufficient silver, it would be best for you to buy plenty of food and drink, and then quickly head south. Don't delay here.
Your family has over a dozen people. Traveling on the official roads should be safer. I'll draw you a rough map and mark a few locations. You can inquire about these places along the way, and you will surely reach the south."
Gu Qingcheng, possessing a map of the Great Zhou Dynasty gifted by her system, could easily identify the routes south.
Gu Bukou found this feasible.
He and the people from Taoyuan Village were trapped in Pukou Village because they were poor and lacked travel expenses.
However, lingering on the road was not an option. The weather was so cold, and their family was thinly clothed. If they merely endured, they might perish there one day.
Gu Qingcheng's words rekindled hope in his heart.
Another important reason he dared not travel south alone was that they didn't know the way. Since Qingcheng knew, and now she had money, he felt confident enough to make the journey.
As for how Gu Qingcheng knew the way south, Gu Bukou didn't think too deeply about it.
If Gu Zhaobei could befriend Prince Xia, what other miracles were impossible?
Gu Bukou, having received the rough route map drawn by Qingcheng, stated his intention to purchase supplies quickly and depart as early as possible.
Gu Qingcheng knew that when the real extreme cold arrived, impoverished families like Gu Bukou's would have no hope of survival.
Now that they had money and could flee south, his family had a slim chance of survival.
Gu Qingcheng used Mr. Sun's carriage to send Gu Bukou out of the city. As he left, two chests were loaded onto the carriage. Hu Lanfang said they were a small gift from her.
Gu Bukou, unable to see inside the sealed chests, did not know what they contained. Seeing that he couldn't refuse, he accepted them.
When the carriage returned Gu Bukou to Pukou Village, with one hundred taels of silver tucked in his embrace, he felt as if he were floating, as if in a dream.
The coachman unloaded the two large chests and left.
Gu Bukou held himself back until nightfall, when no one was paying attention, before opening the chests. Upon seeing their contents, he was once again astonished.