Chapter 63 Clearing the Misunderstanding

Seeing this, Luo Huian immediately stepped in front of Tong Chuxue, while several burly manservants firmly surrounded the three of them. Other servants, hearing the commotion, quickly swarmed to the scene. In an instant, a three-layered human wall blocked Tong Chuxue's view entirely; at this point, even with wings, it would be difficult for them to fly away.

The one among the servants who appeared to be the leader barked at Tong Chuxue, "If you dare to harm a single hair of the Young Master today, our Gu family will make sure you suffer consequences you cannot bear!"

Without even bothering to understand the situation, this man spoke with such overpowering arrogance. Tong Chuxue frowned and said, "Mister, we were the ones who found your young master. Not only do you fail to express any gratitude, but you actually mistake me for a villain. Is this really how the Gu family conducts itself?"

The leader had not expected a frail-looking young girl to deliver such a logical rebuke, and he was momentarily stunned. However, he quickly recovered and retorted, "The two of you were holding the Young Master hostage. How can you expect me to believe you are good people? I reckon you are just stalling for time, and you likely have accomplices hidden nearby. Men, seize these two and escort the Young Master away!"

Receiving the command, the servants rolled up their sleeves and flexed their muscles, rushing forward to make the arrest. Just at that moment—

"Wait!" A hoarse voice rang out. The human wall of servants automatically parted to clear a path as an elderly man in lavish attire and with a head of white hair hurried over, his face brimming with worry.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the child's tense nerves instantly relaxed, and he cried out with a sob, "Grandfather!"

"Ah, my precious grandson!" The old man pulled the child into a warm embrace, examining him closely. Only after verifying that the boy was completely unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"My good boy, where on earth did you run off to? You gave your grandfather such a fright looking for you. You must never do this again," the old man said gently.

Having just been lectured by Tong Chuxue, the child felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. "I was wrong, Grandfather."

"Good boy, as long as you are back, it's fine. Grandfather doesn't blame you." The old man smiled kindly.

Seeing the servants maintaining their vigilant postures, the elder stood up, held his grandson's hand, coughed twice, and asked, "What is going on here?"

The leader answered respectfully, "Master, these two are the kidnappers who abducted the Young Master. When I arrived just now, I saw them flanking the Young Master, preparing to hold him hostage."

The old man's eyes narrowed as he sized up Tong Chuxue and Luo Huian, the aura around him instantly turning stern.

Tong Chuxue truly loathed being mistaken for a child abductor. Such a wicked act, which would leave one without descendants, was something she would never, ever do.

"Elder, your man has a profound misunderstanding of me. Just now, it was purely by chance that we happened to find the wandering Young Master, and we were simply planning to bring him back to his family. Yet as soon as this man arrived, he stubbornly insisted we were the culprits without even granting us a chance to explain. Besides, whether we are criminals or not can easily be determined by simply asking the Young Master himself," Tong Chuxue analyzed methodically for the crowd.

The elder felt her words made sense and turned his gaze to his little grandson.

The child looked at his grandfather, shook his head, and said, "They didn't kidnap me. I ran off by myself, and this big sister said she was going to take me back to my family."

A child's innocent words are always convincing, and the leader's expression turned rather ugly.

Gu the Elder naturally believed his own grandson, while Tong Chuxue was deeply moved; the child was precocious and kind-hearted. It seemed truly unruly children were not the majority, and most little ones remained lovable.

"So that was it. My apologies to you both; it was a misunderstanding by my servant," Gu the Elder said with great humility before calling out, "Gu Ming."

The one called Gu Ming was the head of the servants.

Realizing they had wronged the pair, Gu Ming also felt somewhat embarrassed. He cupped his fists and said, "I am sorry, the two of you. Please accept this modest token of my sincerity as an apology."

With that, Gu Ming pulled a string of copper coins from his inner pocket.

The onlookers gasped quietly. True to its reputation, the Gu family was the wealthiest household in Guyu County; even an apology was backed by hard cash.

Luo Huian politely declined the offer, saying, "Since it was all a misunderstanding and the Young Master is safe and sound, let us consider the matter closed."

Gu the Elder stroked his beard with great satisfaction and smiled, "This young gentleman is quite reasonable. That being the case, if we insist on showing gratitude, it might actually blemish the young master's fine reputation. How about this—if you ever need any assistance from the Gu family in the future, simply come to our estate and speak a word."

With this, Gu the Elder effectively granted Luo Huian a personal promise.

This was far more valuable than mere money. Everyone knew that one of the reasons Gu the Elder had been so successful in business during his youth was his adherence to the principle that a promise is worth a thousand gold pieces. Whatever Gu the Elder agreed to do, he would always deliver. Over time, he built a legendary reputation in commercial circles, and an increasing number of people sought to cooperate with him.

"Thank you, Gu the Elder." Luo Huian's demeanor remained neither servile nor overbearing, winning even higher praise from the old man.

However, Tong Chuxue's thoughts differed from the rest. The county town was quite a distance away from Qingshan Village, and they could not afford to travel here every so often. Rather than hoarding a promise of unknown utility, it was far better to put it to use right now.

Tong Chuxue tugged at Luo Huian's sleeve and sent him a subtle look.

Luo Huian instantly understood that she had something to say. "Since you are so generous, Elder, this junior will not stand on ceremony. There is indeed one favor I would like to ask."

"Oh? What is it?" Gu the Elder asked. His facial expression remained completely unchanged, yet Tong Chuxue sensed an intensifying pressure radiating from him.

"It is like this, Elder. The two of us are originally from Qingshan Village. Aside from celebrating the festival, our purpose in coming to the county town today is to purchase a carriage to take back with us. However, we are not very familiar with the town. We were wondering if you might be able to lend a hand," Tong Chuxue said with utmost sincerity.

Gu the Elder scrutinized the two for a moment before asking, "You want me to have my men take you to buy a carriage?"

"Precisely," Tong Chuxue answered immediately without hesitation. At this moment, a swift response was vital to ensure the Gu family did not mistake them for beggars asking for a free carriage.

"Just to lead you there to buy one?" Gu the Elder inquired.

"Yes, we simply wish to ask your people to act as intermediaries and make the introductions. To be frank with you, we will have ongoing business dealings with the town in the future, and not having a carriage is quite inconvenient," Tong Chuxue explained.

"Very well. Gu Ming, tomorrow you will accompany these two to select a carriage," Gu the Elder instructed.

"Understood!" Gu Ming replied.

With the Gu family's young master safely recovered, Gu Ming arranged to meet the pair at the entrance of the inn tomorrow morning.

Once the Gu family members dispersed, Xu Jinniang and the others, who had been hiding within the crowd, dared to step forward.

"That was truly terrifying. I kept saying my daughter would never do such a thing," Xu Jinniang patted her chest, visibly shaken.

"All's well that ends well, as long as it was cleared up. Gu the Elder didn't hold it against you either," Lin Chunyan comforted her, then asked, "By the way, are we really going to buy a carriage?"