Aunt Qian expressed her sincere gratitude, saying, "How could I ever mistreat Xue Sheng? Having taken care of him these days, he's like my own son. Every time I see him eating heartily and sleeping soundly, I'm happier than if I were feasting and drinking. I will definitely take good care of him!"
"Alright, if you're willing to take good care of him, we won't treat you poorly. Moreover, we'll likely be heading south within half a year, so we can meet again then."
Hu Lanfang stated openly. This was also to let Huang Changsheng know that Xue Sheng was not without support, lest he mistreat Xue Sheng. Aunt Qian was overjoyed and thanked them repeatedly.
Huang Changsheng, having navigated the world, knew that Gu Zhaobei, with his superb medical skills, was a honored guest wherever he went and could get by anywhere. If her family were to go south without a backer, why wouldn't she latch onto the divine doctor Gu?
With the matter settled, Aunt Qian and Hu Lanfang went up the mountain to fetch Xue Sheng, while Gu Zhaobei accompanied Huang Changsheng to visit the southern merchant caravan. After inquiring about the caravan, Gu Zhaobei found them reliable, with the shopkeeper being quite honest, which put his mind at ease. Gu Zhaobei gave the shopkeeper twenty taels of silver to redeem Huang Changsheng's contract as a worker and paid for the family's travel expenses to the south.
At the old mansion on Cliff Mountain, Mi Guo was very reluctant to see Xue Sheng go south with Aunt Qian. However, he was a sensible child and, though he didn't say it, he understood in his heart that Xue Sheng was too young, and no one in their family could take care of him as well as Aunt Qian. To comfort Mi Guo, Gu Qingcheng told him that they would also be going south in six months, and they would be able to see Xue Sheng then. Mi Guo was finally appeased.
Gu Qingcheng called Aunt Qian aside. Aunt Qian thought Gu Qingcheng had something to instruct her, but unexpectedly, Gu Qingcheng produced ten small gold bars, saying, "These gold bars are for you to buy property when you get to the south. You don't need to refuse. This is for Xue Sheng's good. Buy a large house so we have a temporary place to stay when we visit."
Aunt Qian took the gold bars with trembling hands and couldn't help but cry again. Seeing her hesitate, Gu Qingcheng said, "Taking care of Xue Sheng will cost a lot of money. This is part of the expenses. You just need to take good care of him. After all, he's a life we saved, and in my eyes, he's my own younger brother. We will come to find you again after you reach the south."
Aunt Qian understood Gu Qingcheng's intentions and vowed to treat Xue Sheng well: "Miss, I swear, I will treat him like my own son. If I have a bite to eat, he will have a bite to eat." Aunt Qian felt as if she wasn't just adopting a child, but a golden treasure. She certainly understood that if it weren't for Xue Sheng, the Gu family would not have given her so much, even if they had given her a substantial severance package.
As they spoke, Gu Qingcheng poured Aunt Qian a cup of tea. Aunt Qian knew that the Gu family's tea was of high quality. She took the tea and drank it happily. She didn't know that Gu Qingcheng had added a silencing potion to the tea, ensuring she couldn't reveal the Gu family's secrets to outsiders after leaving.
Next, Gu Qingcheng packed Xue Sheng's daily necessities. She took two large boxes of formula milk, packed in rattan baskets, enough for him to drink for over half a year. He would also be adding solid food soon, so he wouldn't drink so much formula, and by then, they would likely have reunited in the south. In addition, there were two boxes of baby diapers, various warm clothes, and a box of medicine for common ailments like headaches and fevers.
On the way down the mountain with Xue Sheng, Gu Qingcheng held him in her arms the whole time. Xue Sheng was very well-behaved, neither crying nor making a fuss, and even happily blew bubbles at her. Gu Qingcheng looked at his fair and plump little face and couldn't resist kissing his forehead.
On the road, Gu Qingcheng remembered the instructions of Xue Sheng's mother and said to Aunt Qian, "Although Xue Sheng is now being adopted by your family, he is still part of the Zhang family. When he grows up and has children, remember to name one of them Zhang, so as not to fail his mother's trust."
"I will. There will definitely be a child named Zhang then." Aunt Qian also knew how Xue Sheng came to be and how difficult it was for his mother to protect him.
The child was delivered to Aunt Qian's home. Huang Changsheng was very fond of Xue Sheng when he saw how adorable he was. However, upon seeing so many of Xue Sheng's belongings unloaded from the carriage by Qingcheng, he was surprised and said with some difficulty, "We're sharing a carriage with others, and there's no way to fit all this."
"Why don't you rent your own carriage? We'll pay for it," Gu Zhaobei offered. To ensure Xue Sheng had a good living environment, they spared no expense. They were now incredibly wealthy, so rich they could be considered rivals to a nation, and hiring a carriage was a trivial matter. Gu Qingcheng handed Huang Changsheng another twenty taels of silver notes. Aunt Qian and Huang Changsheng repeatedly expressed their gratitude. The three of them took turns hugging Xue Sheng before reluctantly bidding him farewell.
On the way back, Gu Zhaobei said he had learned that the merchant caravan Aunt Qian's family was joining was quite reliable, with frequent dealings in the south and very familiar routes. This year's extreme cold had delayed their journey, but trade was now resuming. Gu Qingcheng suppressed her sadness and said, "It's good that Xue Sheng is going south in advance. Living on a boat in the future would be too unstable and unsuitable for such a young infant. I've already given Aunt Qian a route map and told her to buy property and land in the Lingnan highlands once she gets south, to secure a place for us to stay."
"Good." Gu Zhaobei, seeing that his daughter had made all the arrangements, praised her highly.
When the family returned to Cliff Mountain, the absence of Xue Sheng's noise made the house feel suddenly empty, and they all felt a sense of loss. Fortunately, Wangcai and Kele came to rub against them affectionately, bringing some solace to their hearts. Gu Qingcheng squatted down, put her arm around Wangcai's neck, and nuzzled it. "Wangcai, why do you smell bad again? Shall I give you a bath?" Upon hearing the word "bath," Wangcai immediately showed a resistant expression and tried to slip away with Kele, but Gu Qingcheng caught it and forcefully put it into the special wooden tub for bathing. Gu Qingcheng had bought a pet dryer from the pet mall. After the bath, she directly put Wangcai inside, and the dryer would dry its fur. Gu Qingcheng also took a bath herself. She added some rose-scented essential oil to the water in the bathtub to relax her muscles and joints, making her smell pleasant and improving her mood.
After the bath, it was already late. Gu Qingcheng smelled a peculiar fragrance coming from the kitchen. She ambled into the kitchen to find Mi Guo adding firewood to the stove. Gu Qingcheng asked, "What are you cooking? It smells so good!" "I'm making Yan Du Xian. The ingredients are simple: spring bamboo shoots, fresh pork belly, cured pork belly, ham, dried tofu knots, and lettuce. You'll know how delicious it is soon."