Gu Zhang didn't say much, just said in a low voice, "Go and get it."
He had a good idea of how much silver the family possessed. There were only a handful of families Gu Qing could borrow from, and none of them were wealthy. They wouldn't be able to lend much.
Mrs. Chen said no more. She returned to her room, opened the cabinet again, took out a small box, and removed the land deed from inside.
Gu Fei's eyes glinted. She turned her head and asked, "Mom, what are you doing with the land deed?"
Mrs. Chen clutched the land deed tightly and forced a smile. "It's nothing. Don't you worry about it. Just focus on getting better. I'm going to kill a chicken in a little while to make something nourishing for you."
Mrs. Chen hurried out and, with great reluctance, handed the land deed to Gu Zhang.
With the land deed in hand, Gu Zhang hurried off toward the village chief's house.
Mrs. Chen watched Gu Zhang walk into the distance. Steeling herself, she went to the coop, caught a chicken, and took it to the kitchen to slaughter.
Gu Fei lay on the kang while Chunhua applied medicine to her back. When she heard a chicken squawk, she licked her lips. 'It's been so long since I've had chicken.'
'After the apocalypse began, just finding enough food to survive had been a struggle, let alone eating chicken.'
'She had a few frozen chickens in her space, but she'd never had a chance to cook them. The base was too crowded, with too many prying eyes. She hadn't dared take them out.'
'I'm really craving some chicken soup.'
About a quarter of an hour later, Gu Zhang returned. "This is twenty taels of silver. It was just weighed at the village chief's house. Please, Brother Stone, take it."
Stone accepted the silver with a complicated expression. 'I have to admire this family. They're destitute, yet they're so determined to keep their word. They have real integrity.'
'I told them they didn't have to pay the silver back, but here they are, selling their land just to do it.'
'When Gu Zhang had pulled Mrs. Chen outside earlier, my hearing was sharp enough to vaguely catch the words "land deed." It wasn't hard to figure out what was happening.'
He nodded. "The silver has been repaid. I won't trouble you any longer. I'll be on my way."
Gu Zhang grabbed his arm. "Don't go yet, young man. You've come all this way. You must at least stay for a meal before you head back."
Stone quickly waved his hands in refusal. "My young master is waiting for me. I really can't delay any longer. But I appreciate the offer. Farewell."
Gu Zhang couldn't stop him and could only watch as Stone climbed into his carriage.
The room fell silent. Gu Zhang turned to Gu Qing. "Your sister—"
The door to the inner room was closed, and he felt it wouldn't be right to barge in.
Gu Qing, who had just run into his father at the village chief's house, glanced at the door to the inner room. "She's injured. Chunhua is putting medicine on for her."
Gu Zhang's voice grew taut. "Where is she hurt?"
Gu Qing answered sullenly, "Her back."
"Her clothes were soaked with blood."
Just as they were speaking, Chunhua came out of the inner room, carrying the clothes Gu Fei had changed out of.
Gu Zhang's gaze lingered on the bloodstains for a long moment. "Did Little Fei say how she got hurt?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Is it serious? Do we need to get a doctor?"
"She said she was caned at the Marquis Mansion," Chunhua explained. "She was already treated in the city and brought back some medicine." After speaking, she carried the clothes to the water basin outside.
Gu Zhang pounded his chest, his face contorted in anguish. "This is all my fault! All my fault!"
Gu Qing helped his father sit down. "Dad, don't blame yourself. Little Fei is back now, and our family is finally reunited. From now on, we'll treat her well and slowly make up for everything we owe her."
Gu Fei, who had been listening intently to the voices outside, let out a long sigh of relief from the inner room.
'From what I've seen,' she thought, 'the Gu Family is full of loyal, affectionate, and upright people. I'll treat them as my true family from now on.'
'We're already connected by blood, after all. Besides, the memories in my mind came with their own emotions. Even if I wanted to cut ties, I don't think I could.'