Chapter 337 - 335: Hopelessly Ignorant

Chapter 337: Chapter 335: Hopelessly Ignorant

Of course, the villa wasn’t the only carrot being dangled in front of them.

Gu Nuan Nuan’s eldest uncle also funded small businesses for her second and third uncles. Calling them "small businesses" was no exaggeration; they were truly minuscule.

For one, they didn’t require much capital. For another, the work itself involved simple, low-skill contract processing for a single step in a larger production chain. It was basically just grueling work for meager pay—the kind of operation anyone with a little spare cash could start up on their own. If the two brothers hadn’t been backed by the Zhang Group, they couldn’t have even survived. It was the sort of work that, at the end of the month, left you not starving, but certainly not full.

This was a far cry from the treatment they used to receive at the Zhang family’s farm. Unfortunately for Gu Nuan Nuan’s second and third uncles, no matter how dissatisfied they were, there was nothing they could do. Her eldest uncle had given them an ultimatum: if they remained unsatisfied, they could forget about living in the villa. After all, they were brothers who had already divided the family assets. To help them was a kindness, but to not help them was perfectly reasonable.

’So what if he watched his brothers suffer? A few whispers behind his back weren’t going to hurt him, were they?’ In short, they had two choices: obey and be fed, or disobey and find the courage to make it on their own. He would lend them one final bit of capital, and after that, he wouldn’t care if they lived or died.

If there was one thing Gu Nuan Nuan’s second and third uncles lacked, it was the courage to burn their boats and risk it all.

With no other choice, the two could only accept this life, their fates held firmly in another’s grasp.

Only then did those two families finally, thoroughly, settle down. Whenever they saw Gu Nuan Nuan’s eldest uncle, grandfather, grandmother, or mother, they were outwardly obedient, no matter how much they cursed and complained behind their backs, their greed forever unsatisfied.

"Is it for the medicinal herbs needed for the Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment?" Seeing Gu Nuan Nuan nod, Zhang Dazhuang suddenly grew eager. "Then the sooner, the better. You don’t have much of your vacation left, so how about we get ready and leave right away?"

’I didn’t expect Grandpa to be even more anxious than I am!’ Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but smile. She was more than happy to go back a day early, so she immediately nodded. "Okay, that’s what I was thinking too. I was just worried you’d find it too sudden. I originally thought leaving tomorrow would be fine."

"It’s not sudden at all. In fact, it wouldn’t be a problem even if we didn’t pack anything, since we have spares. Your grandma, hehe, she loves to have backups for everything." Zhang Dazhuang chuckled. The "spares" he was referring to were inside the storage bag. With that magical bag, his wife had become quite the hoarder. Whether it was food or daily supplies, she would always prepare an extra portion to put inside his storage bag.

"Hehe," Gu Nuan Nuan laughed too. It seemed hoarding was just in a woman’s nature, a tendency that was fully unleashed upon discovering a "pantry" where nothing ever went bad. She felt a pang of regret. ’It’s a shame. I obviously have more of these wonderful things, but I can’t just take another one out to share with Mom.’

Gu Nuan gave her head a little shake, clearing away the unrealistic thoughts.

She made a call to Zhang Wei Qiang, who quickly arranged for a car. That afternoon, Zhang Dazhuang, Wen Xiu, and Gu Nuan Nuan appeared once again in Zhang Family Village, laden with bags.

Since the old house had been tidied up recently, it only needed a quick cleaning before they could settle in. Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu didn’t let Gu Nuan Nuan lift a finger, shooing her out to go have fun while they rolled up their own sleeves to get things in order. As they were cleaning, a few well-informed neighbors who had heard of their arrival came by to lend a hand.

This suited Gu Nuan Nuan perfectly. Without putting on a show of insisting on helping, she left the old house and began to wander aimlessly through the village.

She had a very clear purpose for this trip. The moment she entered the village, she had Cao Cao extend its Divine Sense to investigate. Cao Cao quickly relayed the information back to her. Just as she had expected, events had progressed to the point where her cousin, Zhang Tianci, had fallen ill. His condition was worsening because their third aunt refused to take him to the hospital. Brainwashed by Xu Banxian, the third aunt was now trying to force her older cousin, Zhang Laodi, to go to Xu Banxian’s home and serve him. When Zhang Laodi refused, her mother locked her in the house. The matter hadn’t become public yet, however, because her third uncle had yet to give his consent.

’Simply absurd. The height of ignorance.’

Gu Nuan Nuan sighed.

In this life, to change her cousin Zhang Laodi’s fate of dropping out of school early, Gu Nuan Nuan had specifically suggested that her grandparents fund the education of her cousins from the second and third uncles’ families. In addition to covering tuition, the cousins attending school could receive a special monthly "scholarship." The requirements weren’t high—they basically just had to pass their exams. Of course, there was a significant difference in the amount of money awarded to those who scored high versus those who merely passed.

Money was no object, and while Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu could no longer feel any affection for their two sons, they still cared deeply for their grandchildren. Naturally, they had no objections to the plan.

So, in this life, not only did her cousin Zhang Laodi not drop out, but her third aunt, eager for the money, hardly even asked her to do chores. She only hoped her daughter would spend more time studying to consistently earn the highest-tier "scholarship." After all, that sum was significantly more than her and Zhang Weiming’s combined monthly income.

Because of this, Gu Nuan Nuan’s second and third uncles and their wives no longer spouted nonsense about studying being useless. Forget the long-term benefits; their children’s education was bringing in ready cash for the family right now. How could they possibly call that useless? Thus, they pushed their children relentlessly to succeed.

The children’s grandfather and grandmother had also made it clear that in the future, the grandchildren who got into college would be treated very differently from those who did not.

Getting into a university was an act of bringing honor to the family and absolutely had to be rewarded. And how would they be rewarded? Depending on the prestige of the university, the student would immediately receive a cash bonus of a varying amount. On top of that, the parents could also receive material rewards based on their child’s achievement, ranging from motorcycles to color TVs, refrigerators, and even gold jewelry.

What a carrot to dangle. Gu Nuan Nuan’s second and third uncles and their wives were practically drooling. They began enforcing a high-pressure policy at home where grades were everything. Of course, this had its drawbacks. For instance, Gu Nuan Nuan’s male and female cousins from her second uncle’s family were under immense pressure. The combined total of their monthly "scholarships" was still a huge chunk less than what their cousin Zhang Laodi from the third uncle’s family was earning. This made the second uncle and his wife gnash their teeth in frustration, but there was nothing they could do.

It was for this reason that Gu Nuan Nuan sighed, concluding her third aunt was a lost cause. The woman was thoroughly brainwashed, her faith in Xu Banxian bordering on a crazed Deviation. To be so desperate for her son that she would disregard everything... even to the point of being willing to sacrifice her own high-achieving daughter, a girl who was practically a cash cow for the family.