Women Wearing Men: The Growth Path of the Bastards of the Aristocratic Family

Chapter 397 Getting addicted to gambling
"...Gambling addiction?!"

Hearing Gu Yunji's words, Xu Shuhua's expression changed.

Gu Yunji recalled the scene when he saw Xu Shuchang during the day, stretched out his hand and demonstrated to Xu Shuhua:

"I saw that there were thin calluses on his thumb and index finger. Generally speaking, people who hold pens all year round will only have calluses on their knuckles, while people who do hard work have calluses all over their hands. They can accurately use these two positions. Those with calluses... are mostly gamblers."

"When I was in Xuzhou Prefecture, I inspected several illegal gambling houses. People who gamble all year round are used to twisting dice with their index fingers and thumbs. Over time, they will develop calluses."

As he said that, Gu Yunji couldn't help but glance at Xu Shuhua, and said hesitantly: "When I saw cousin Shuchang today, I felt it when I shook hands with him. It was a bit hard and it stung my hands. Then I looked at it and found that it was indeed pregnant. Cocoon. I was just wondering...is he involved in gambling?"

Calluses on fingers are so trivial that most people won't even notice.Even if you notice it, if you don't understand the characteristics and habits of gamblers, you won't pay attention to it.

After listening to Gu Yunji's narration, Xu Shuhua finally realized that something was wrong with Xu Shuchang. When he saw him today, his face was not very good and he was still faintly tired, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, turning left and right, shining shrewdly.

This is clearly the two-level contrast between the tired body and the excited spirit after spending time in a gambling house day and night, and the brain is in a state of stimulation for a long time.

After realizing this, Xu Shuhua's face became solemn.

In a scholarly family like the Xu family, with many branches and clans, it is certain that not all of the children will be successful. Most of them have mediocre qualifications. There are even many dandy children who spend their days eating, drinking and having fun. There is only one truly outstanding person. A handful.

This situation is very common and normal. Therefore, although Xu Shuchang was not good at studying and only passed the examination as a scholar in his twenties, Xu Chengyu was disappointed, but he did not criticize him too harshly.Even if you can't stand out as an official, staying in your hometown safely and having a smooth life is still a good path in life.

However, things are different now. Xu Shuchang is addicted to gambling.

Playboys only eat and drink and do not do their job all day long, but prodigals cost lives.

A family like the Xu family can support ten or a hundred dandy children, but it may not be able to support a prodigal son - especially one with a gambling addiction. It is very likely that the family fortune will be lost overnight. Destroy generations of savings in one fell swoop.

Xu Shuhua knew since he was a child that his cousin was useless and often made his father angry, but he didn't expect that he would actually get involved in gambling now. He was shocked and angry at the same time, and his face turned ugly for a moment: "It's okay if you don't study well, and if you don't do your job properly, forget it. We haven’t seen each other for a few years, and we went to gamble..."

After all, he was his wife's cousin. Gu Yunji didn't want to maliciously speculate on others, but when he thought about Xu Shuchang's important position in Xu Chengyu's heart, since he was aware of it, if he hadn't warned him earlier, he might have caused a catastrophe in the end, causing Xu Chengyu's father and daughter to suffer as well. implicated.

Seeing that Xu Shuhua was in a bad mood, Gu Yunji walked over and comforted him: "Maybe I'm thinking too much. What if... he got it from doing other things? It's not necessarily gambling. Don't be too nervous. "

The breath in Xu Shuhua's chest was stagnant. He knew that Gu Yunji was trying to find an excuse to comfort him, and said in a stiff tone: "As you said, the thumb and index finger are calloused. What else could be the reason besides gambling? Don't make excuses for him."

Gu Yunji didn't understand Xu Shuchang and didn't know how to comfort her. He was blocked by his wife and could only remain silent.

When he looked up again, he saw Gu Yunji lowering his eyes and saying nothing, looking somewhat aggrieved.Xu Shuhua relented, shook his hand, and softened his tone: "I'm sorry Yunji, I'm not irritating you." Gu Yunji held her hand back and smiled again: "No need to apologize, I know you are too worried about Shu Cousin Chang."

Xu Shuhua sighed, with a look of exhaustion on his brows, and said gloomily: "I'm not worried about Xu Shuchang, I'm worried about my father. My uncle and aunt died early, leaving only such a son. My father, with the longing for his lost brother, raised his I have put a lot of effort into it, and if I knew that Xu Shuchang went to gamble, I don’t know how uncomfortable my father would be."

For as long as Xu Shuhua can remember, Xu Shuchang always made Xu Chengyu angry. He would get angry and quarreled every three days, and Xu Chengyu was so angry that he couldn't eat on several occasions.

To be honest, Xu Shuhua didn't like this cousin, but Xu Chengyu had no choice but to regard him as the only flesh and blood left by his younger brother, and regarded him as extremely important. Xu Shuhua had no choice but to follow his father as much as possible.

Xu Shuhua gently exhaled the depression in his chest and sorted out his emotions: "It's uncomfortable to feel uncomfortable, but if Xu Shuchang really gambles, he must correct it as soon as possible, otherwise it will lead to catastrophe sooner or later in the future. I will find an opportunity to tell dad about the matter tomorrow, To prevent Xu Shuchang from falling deeper and deeper."

Gu Yunji responded gently: "Okay, if there's anything I can do, just tell me."

-

However, Xu Shuhua still didn't find a chance the next day. Early in the morning, Xu Chengyu took his family to the Xu family mansion to meet with the Xu family's elders and relatives.

With all his relatives by his side, it was rare for Xu Shuhua to see Xu Chengyu so happy, and he couldn't bear to ruin his mood, so he had to swallow the words that came to his lips and prepare to tell him again in two days.

The Xu family has many relatives and elders, and there are a lot of direct children alone. Gu Yunji rarely experienced the feeling of Xu Shuhua when he returned to Songjiang Mansion. His mind was confused by the relatives who were kidnapped, and he only knew He followed Xu Shuhua and called people with a smile.

This one is called uncle, that one is called aunt, this one is the adopted cousin from the third bedroom to the fourth bedroom, that one is the cousin sister-in-law who married from the cousin's aunt's house... Gu Yunji didn't remember a few people all morning, but he smiled first. Stiff.

Xu Shuhua knew that he couldn't sort out the complicated relationship in a short period of time, so he just quietly reminded him to remember a few of the most important elders.

Xu Chengyu was the eldest son of the eldest son, and was the legitimate patriarch of the Xu family. However, he worked as an official in Beijing in his early years, and later went to Luxi Academy. He was away from Shaoxing Mansion all year round, and his only younger brother also died early.After this calculation, the eldest son of the Xu family in Shaoxing Mansion no longer has anyone left, and the responsibility of taking care of the clan falls to the second eldest son.

The current patriarch is Xu Ziqi, the eldest son of the second wife. He is almost 60 years old. He has a gray beard and has difficulty moving. He has to use a cane to walk.He is obviously a little younger than Xu Chengyu, but judging from his appearance alone, he seems to be more than ten years older than him.

Gu Yunji could see that the younger generation were trembling with trepidation when facing Xu Ziqi. This showed that the patriarch not only had high prestige, but might also have a very rigid temperament, otherwise the young descendants of the Xu family would not be so afraid of him.

So when facing Xu Ziqi, Gu Yunji paid more attention to his words and deeds, and was polite so as not to make him unhappy.

The men in the front yard were chatting happily. In the back house, Xu Shuhua, as a married woman who had not returned home for many years, also attracted a lot of female elders around her, talking about home affairs.

(End of this chapter)