Chapter 316: I Want to Protect My Sister

Gu Fei rolled her eyes. "If I hadn’t come back when I did, you’d probably be long gone."

Gu Sanlang scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

Gu Fei frowned. "Third Brother, why are you so dead set on joining the army?"

"The border army is no joke. You have to fight in wars, and people die!"

Gu Sanlang grinned widely. "I know. If there wasn’t a war, I wouldn’t even want to go."

Mrs. Chen, who was standing nearby, smacked him hard. "You must have a death wish, is that it? If I had known, I never would have given birth to you."

Gu Fei held Mrs. Chen back. "Mother, stop hitting him. Let’s hear what Third Brother has to say."

She turned to Gu Sanlang. "Why do you want to go to war?"

Gu Sanlang smiled earnestly. "Going to war is the only way to earn merit. Earning merit is the only way to get promoted. And only by becoming an official can I protect my sister and the rest of our family."

Gu Fei thought, ’I can protect myself.’

Sanlang continued, "Sister, I know all about the shop being vandalized and that business with Mr. Xu causing trouble. Xiao Lu told me everything."

"You didn’t even tell the family about these things. You handle everything on your own."

"Is it as if you have no parents or older brothers?"

Sanlang gave a bitter laugh. "You’re the youngest in the family, not even fifteen yet, but you’re the one who has to worry about all our affairs."

"When it comes down to it, it’s just because your older brothers are useless."

Outside, Gu Zhang and Gu Qing were just about to enter when they heard this, and they froze in the doorway.

Sanlang continued, "Now, life at home is better. We don’t have to worry about food or clothing, and I originally thought that was as good as it gets."

"But it’s not enough. Ultimately, our family has no foundation. Anyone feels like they can bully us. That’s why I have to join the army and build a future for myself. I just hope that if something happens to the family in the future, I can share the burden for them, and for my sister."

Gu Qing, standing by the door, clenched his fists. He suddenly walked in. "Sanlang has a point. Our family shouldn’t rely on our sister for everything. In this family, I’m the eldest son. If anyone’s going, it should be me."

Gu Fei put a hand to her forehead. ’Just great. I haven’t even talked one out of it, and now another one wants to join the army.’

Sanlang shook his head. "Eldest Brother, you have to take care of Sister-in-law and Little Cao. Besides, you’re the eldest son; the family can’t do without you for all its matters. Second Brother is about to get married, so he can’t go either. That just leaves me. I’m still young and not in a rush to marry, so it’s the perfect time for me to join the army."

"If I’m lucky enough to secure an official post, however minor, then no one will dare to bully our sister anymore."

Gu Fei looked at Sanlang and said nothing. She didn’t want to crush his spirits. ’Even if he really did manage to secure an official post,’ she thought, ’there would always be people in this world with more power and higher status who could bully him.’

Gu Zhang also walked in then, his face grim. After a long silence, he looked at Sanlang and said, "Since this is what you’re thinking, I support you. In the end, it’s all because I’m a useless father. I couldn’t even pass the exam to become a Scholar. You’re right. As fathers and brothers, we should be the ones protecting Little Fei, not relying on her to protect us."

Gu Qing stared at the floor, lost in thought. After a long while, he said, "The day I bought our sister back, I swore I would protect her and never let her be bullied again. I failed to do that."

He looked at Gu Zhang. "Father, Sanlang is right. If even he knows he has to strive to better himself, then I, as the eldest brother, can’t fall behind. The family doesn’t lack for silver now. I... I want to pursue my studies!"

Gu Zhang was startled at first, then overjoyed. "You really want to study?"

Gu Qing nodded firmly. "I want to try."