Chapter 810: The Art of Hospitality

Gu Honglian and Fan Tong were brought before Tong Huaqiong like two wild people.

Tong Huaqiong and the others gasped.

"Honglian, how did you two end up like this?" Mrs. Hong couldn’t help but ask.

Both were filthy, their clothes unrecognizable in color.

"We were robbed on the road," Gu Honglian said as she started to cry.

Fan Tong and Gu Honglian had to stay in a village outside Shengjing City because the city gates closed the previous night.

The two lodged at a farmhouse.

Traveling in the wind and snow, they were both hungry and cold, so Fan Tong asked the farmer to kill a chicken and prepare some wine for a hearty meal.

Originally, they agreed on a price, but after Fan Tong was full of food and drink, he changed his mind, claiming it was late and they’d settle the bill the next day after another night’s stay.

The farmer believed Fan Tong.

Before dawn the following day, Fan Tong tried to flee with Gu Honglian without paying, hoping the family wouldn’t notice.

Unexpectedly, the family’s young son, who went out to use the latrine, caught them.

The family was furious at being tricked by Fan Tong.

They detained the two on the spot.

Eventually, after the two pleaded and compensated with their luggage and silver, they were released.

Gu Honglian and Fan Tong hurried towards Shengjing City through the wind and snow, stumbling and tumbling.

Their feet numb from the cold, they looked utterly disheveled but finally arrived in Shengjing City by afternoon.

Fan Tong thought Shengjing was so vast that finding Tong Huaqiong’s place was hopeless.

Gu Honglian, however, was confident; she asked everyone she saw where Taohua Dessert and Jufu Supermarket were, as these two shops were quite well-known in Shengjing, and it wasn’t hard to find out.

Having found the shops, it was easy to find out where Tong Huaqiong lived.

Of course, Gu Honglian and Fan Tong only told Tong Huaqiong they were robbed, but were too embarrassed to explain why.

They did something shameless, yet acted dignified in front of Tong Huaqiong!

"Aunt, Uncle, have you been following us all along?" Gu Xiaoxue asked, looking bemused.

Gu Honglian nodded and said, "Yes, Fan Tong and I have been following all the way, hiding very carefully so you wouldn’t notice."

Fan Tong looked embarrassed.

As a scholar, he had never been in such a sorry state.

Tong Huaqiong truly hadn’t expected that Gu Honglian and Fan Tong would make it to Shengjing and find their way to her.

"Sister-in-law, I’m freezing and starving. Please don’t drive us away, even the woodshed would do. It’s New Year’s Eve and we have nowhere else to go. I promise we won’t be any trouble," Gu Honglian pleaded with Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong looked at Gu Honglian’s frostbitten lips. If she didn’t take them in, they would freeze to death.

Under normal circumstances, she could send them to an inn, but most inns had already closed early for New Year’s Eve; they truly had nowhere else to go.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Stay at my place today."

Upon hearing this, Gu Honglian seemed to lose all her strength.

Fan Tong’s eyes lit up.

Tong Huaqiong continued, "You must have prepared well to come to Shengjing; I can only take you in for a few days. Once the market reopens, you must find a place to stay and work; I can’t support you for free."

If it were just Gu Honglian, she would take her in.

But with Fan Tong as well, she definitely couldn’t give them any false hope.

Fan Tong persuaded Gu Honglian to come to the Capital, aiming to rely on her or on Gu Jingzhe.

She needed to dispel their thoughts of relying on her in advance.

Gu Honglian sniffed and nodded, saying, "Sister-in-law, don’t worry! We’ll leave once we’ve found a place. Fan Tong said he’d find a job as a bookkeeper, and he could also transcribe for others. We won’t have to worry about living costs."

Fan Tong felt a wave of darkness come over him.

These words were just to appease Gu Honglian.

His real intention was to reassure Gu Honglian and bring her to Shengjing.

Gu Honglian believed easily, making it difficult for him to ask Tong Huaqiong for refuge again.

Tong Huaqiong smiled and praised, "Brother-in-law is certainly ambitious. With a scholar’s status, living in Shengjing would not be difficult."

This compliment felt overwhelming to Fan Tong.

Without waiting for Gu Honglian and Fan Tong to continue, Tong Huaqiong sent someone to take them for a bath and change of clothes.

The two looked like beggars and were affecting the New Year’s atmosphere.

Gu Honglian and Fan Tong were led by servants to freshen up.

Su Qing knew Tong Huaqiong didn’t favor them; they were only technically her in-laws, just temporarily taken in.

She ordered the maids and older servants to prepare a servant’s quarters for the two.

After cleaning up, Gu Honglian looked at the cozy bed and the charcoal fire, taking a long, relieved breath. After a hard journey, she found the small room quite satisfactory.

Fan Tong, however, barely perceptibly frowned.

He was, after all, Gu Family’s son-in-law; as the saying goes, a son-in-law is a guest of honor. Yet they were given a servant’s room.

During the bath, they were given servant’s clothing; though the cotton clothes were thick, they did not match a guest’s status.

Gu Family’s sense of hospitality was certainly an eye-opener for him.

Gu Honglian, oblivious to Fan Tong’s discontent, excitedly said, "Husband, my sister-in-law treats us so well. I was worried she’d turn us away when I knocked earlier, but she let us in. Did you hear what she said? There are many opportunities in Shengjing, with your scholar status, you’ll surely make money. Once you do, we won’t have to worry about living costs."

Fan Tong replied, "Sister-in-law lives in such a large house, yet gave us just this tiny room. Doesn’t that humiliate you?"

Gu Honglian looked around the room and said, "Now you’re complaining! This room has thick quilts and a charcoal fire; it’s not cold at all, much better than your family’s drafty house. Your mother scolds me for being wasteful even when I want to burn more firewood. My sister-in-law puts a full basin of coal in our room; that’s much better than your mother."

Whenever faced with grievances, Gu Honglian always used Mrs. Fan as a target.

Her words choked Fan Tong.

Gu Honglian had a simple mind.

After suffering in the cold today, she’s truly frightened by it. The hunger and cold instilled some clear thinking in her; she feared that asking Tong Huaqiong for a bigger room and better clothes, per Fan Tong’s suggestion, might anger Tong Huaqiong and get them thrown out, leaving her with no place to cry.

"You’re one to talk; if you hadn’t been stingy, would we have lost our silver and luggage? You better behave; otherwise, if sister-in-law throws us out, we’ll have nowhere else to stay, not even this small shelter."

Gu Honglian felt more and more aggrieved.

Soon, night fully set in.

Red lanterns were lit in the courtyard.

Gu Honglian and Fan Tong were invited to join the New Year’s Eve dinner, leaving Gu Honglian so surprised that she couldn’t close her mouth.

Walking through the corridor, the red lanterns set a splendid scene in the courtyard, leaving Gu Honglian and Fan Tong astounded.

Due to the high number of guests celebrating New Year in Shengjing this year, two large tables were set in the main hall to accommodate everyone.

Maids and servant women busied themselves, bringing dish after dish to the table.

Soon, the tables were filled, with both homemade dishes and delicacies like shark fin soup and bird’s nest soup.

Fan Tong and Gu Honglian were both transfixed.

Tong Huaqiong invited everyone to take their seats.

Gu Jingzhe helped Lu Zhaozhao to sit next to Tong Huaqiong. Seeing Gu Jingzhe felt like seeing a family member, almost bringing tears to Fan Tong’s eyes, but Gu Jingzhe merely smiled faintly at him, leaving him unsure about Gu Jingzhe’s attitude toward him.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Everyone, please feel at ease. Drink, eat, and let’s have a lively celebration."