Old master Lin found them pitiful and took them in. Because he were always on duty and hadn't had time to care for two children, he sent them back to capital to let Old Madam Lin care for them.
Because both brothers were the same age of of little Madam Lin, old Madam Lin let two brothers be bodyguards for her and let them follow her.
When Madam Lin got married into Gu Residence, both brothers also followed Madam Lin into Gu Residence but because a scholarly Residence had too many rules, both brothers were chased away from the Gu Residence and settled in the Xiaolin Manor outside the capital.
Since then they had been working there and managing the manor for her.
When Marquis Zhiwu's mansion first collapsed followed by Madam Lin's sudden death and Gu Tianhao's marriage, everything together were very suspicious for them but without any evidence they couldn't do anything and they still have to think about Gu Yanyan but that Gu Yanyan was with them, they would do anything to get justice for Madam Lin.
Knowing their intentions, Gu Yanyan also supported them.
Leaving them in south would be more convenient for them than near the capital.
Here they could gather people and expand their forces under the disguise of business and because they would be working as mere assistants, no one would suspect something fishy about them.
Working in farm could give them reasons to hire more people under the guise of delivering vegetables and grains they could enter the city almost everyday and gather informations from inns and restaurants without coming under suspicion.
In future they could also start export and transport business which could give them reasons to travel from one city to another which would help her in her other businesses.
Of course.
Gu Yanyan was not gonna be satisfied with only snacks shops, she still had to go to a long way to accumulate enough silvers so that she could gather enough power.
As a girl, she couldn't take imperial exams means she couldn't become an official so she only had one way; raise silvers and buy these male officials.
It was something she had done many times in the modern era.
Her grandfather used to say; no matter how powerful and successful a man is, temptation of money could never fail to bring him down.
After settling everything down at her manors after a month, Gu Yanyan finally set off for the city.
In the city she found a good location for her snacks shop and bought a three story building in front of West Lake.
She named it 'Three Galaxy Snacks Shop' and each floor has different patterns.
First floor was for ordinary costumers to make the shop look more busy and more lively.
The flow of customer also reflect on the quality of business.
But the price on this floor would be a lot cheaper which would limit the variety in menu.
Second floor would be expensive than the first floor but variety would be rich too attracting attention from scholars and rich young master and young misses from the noble and rich families. Even the elderly and kids would like to swing by the shop and buy some salty and spicy treats for themselves and their family at home.
Third floor would be exclusive. To reach the third floor, one would have to take membership first. It would give it's customers an exclusive token which would give them access to the third floor where they could book private rooms and enjoy the hot snacks with hot and refreshing tea while appreciating the scenery of the West Lake and bustling streets downstairs.
When the Three Galaxy snacks shop's business took off, Gu Yanyan noticed that the customers at the third floor would like to bring liquor with them to enjoy it with the salty and spicy snacks while admiring the view outside and this resulted in the decrease of their tea business.
"Miss, because of the customer's preference of liquor with snacks over our tea, our tea business is going downhill. What should we do with this..?" Manager of the Three Galaxy snacks shop, Fan Dongjin asked with concern all over his face.
Zhou Fengfeng and Fan Dongjin were two older and most trusted butler of her mother whome her mother had entrusted with the Xiaolin Manor and her other businesses but under Gu Tianhao and Old Madam Gu's guidance and manipulation Madam Lin took away the 108 shops from her trusted butlers and give them to old Madam Gu to manage.
As a daughter-in-law of a scholarly family, Madam Lin who had been grown-up in military household, there were many rules that she didn't understand but because she didn't wanted to make Gu family upset with her, she did whatever she was asked to do hoping that this would make them have a good impression of her.
Marquis Zhiwu's only daughter who had been pampered to no end served Gu family members as their servants for three years but what she got in return was nothing but betrayal.
108 shop's which she had given to her old Madam Gu to manage in hope that she would think highly of her gave only one more motive for her own disasters.
Old Madam Gu greedy by nature when she found out about Marquis Zhiwu and master Lin's death she only thought of ways to remove Madam Lin out of her way so that she could swallow that 108 shops as her own.
Looking at Fan Dongjin, Gu yanyan thought what if her mother wouldn't have been so stupid and given away those shops to old Madam Gu?
May be old Madam Gu wouldn't been so driven by greed that she thought of killing Madam Lin out of her way.
May be Madam Lin would have had more chips for her use and may be for the money Madam Lin's shop's, Gu family's wouldn't save thought of killing Madam Lin so hastily.
May be they would have waited until, until they wouldn't have to look at Madam Lin's money anymore.
May be they would have tried to ask more benefits from Yun family, more benefits than Madam Lin could bring for the Gu family before killing her.
May be this..
May be that....
There were many scenarios that Gu Yanyan could think of but alas...