Chapter 249 A Disappointing Thing (Second Update)

You absolutely cannot call him Lord Gu!

How old is this kid? Don't be fooled by the mask; his eyes, hands, and even his build all reveal his age. He's probably about the same age as Yan'er!

How could I possibly call him "Dad"?!

His dad is really something!

It's one thing for someone so old to become sworn brothers with someone, but how did he end up dragging his own son into it? Was he really adopted? Otherwise, why would he betray his son's father?

What Lord Gu didn't know was that he not only had a father who was a burden to his son, but also a daughter who was a burden to her father!

"Call for help!" the old marquis urged, feigning concern.

He knew he had gone too far; how could a son call his brother "father"? At most, he should call him "uncle."

But as I said before, he had already agreed, and he's a man who cares about his reputation, so he had no choice but to trick his son.

"I won't shout!"

How embarrassing!

Lord Gu is a man of principle. Just because his father cares about his reputation, does that mean he doesn't?

I said I wouldn't yell, and I won't yell even if you kill me!

The old marquis couldn't save face, so he actually raised his hand to slap him.

It's perfectly natural for a father to beat his son.

Lord Gu closed his eyes. "Fine, hit me! I'll let you hit me! Call me 'Father' and I'll admit defeat!"

Gu Jiao stopped the old Marquis and wrote on a small piece of cardboard with charcoal: It doesn't matter, son is disobedient, teach him slowly.

Gu Jiao quickly wrote a few more words and showed them to Lord Gu: Come here and eat.

Lord Gu glanced at the messy handwriting, his lips twitched, and he seemed to understand a little how his father had become sworn brothers with the other party.

Just look at that ugly thing! It's practically a direct descendant of those family-oriented men!

Even among the Gu family members, someone as outstanding as Gu Changqing had calligraphy skills that were, to put it mildly, questionable.

So his father found a sense of familiarity in other people's calligraphy?

But then again, he can't speak? Is he a little mute?

Lord Gu looked the other person up and down. The mask covered the upper half of his face, but judging from his eyes and chin, he should be a delicate young boy.

What a pity.

Lord Gu sat down next to the other party.

Now that their identities were different, Gu Jiao's feelings towards Marquis Gu were completely different from before. She showed great interest in him, and the way she looked at him was exactly like that of an old father.

Lord Gu felt a chill run down his spine.

Is it really appropriate for a teenager to look at people like that?

The food was served quickly.

Lord Gu was startled. Huh? Why are all these his favorite dishes?

Lord Gu peeled a shrimp.

Gu Jiao gave Gu Jiao a look of satisfaction and praise.

Lord Gu: No, is it really necessary to make such a fuss about peeling a shrimp? I'm not an idiot!

Then Lord Gu began to eat.

Gu Jiao remained silent throughout, but Lord Gu had a feeling that her gaze conveyed something like this—

Look! Look! He's eating shrimp! He can eat shrimp!

Look, look! He's eating fish! He can spit out the bones!

All of the above is just Lord Gu's own imagination. He felt that the other party probably didn't mean it that way, but what was with that excited look in the other party's eyes?

"You...you want to eat?" Lord Gu asked Gu Jiao, holding a peeled shrimp. He didn't want to ask, but he was just feeling uneasy under the other woman's gaze.

Gu Jiao nodded.

Lord Gu put the shrimp into her bowl.

Gu Jiao tilted her head smugly.

Lord Gu seemed to read another sentence in her little eyes: Wow, how filial she is!

Lord Gu was utterly stunned by his own words. "Stop thinking! Stop thinking!"

The old lord ran into an acquaintance and went out to greet him.

Only the two of them remained in the side room.

Gu Jiao didn't give up on getting him to call her "Dad." She patiently coaxed him, writing in charcoal: "You call me 'Dad,' and I'll give you a red envelope!"

Lord Gu peeled a shrimp: "Hehehe, you call me father, and I'll give you a red envelope!"

Gu Jiao thought for a moment and wrote: Give, more, less?

Lord Gu: "..."

Gu Jiao wrote again: I didn't study. I didn't learn the characters well. How do you pronounce this character?

The character was written crookedly, and even after exhausting all his learning, Lord Gu could barely make out its outline. He frowned and said uncertainly, "Fall?"

Gu Jiao: "Hey!"

Lord Gu: "...!!"

What a cunning little thing this is?

Wait, something seems off about that sound!

This looks like a little girl?!

Lord Gu's body trembled, and he suddenly looked at Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao fiddled with her fingers; she had been too excited and had accidentally made a sound.

Lord Gu scrutinized her from head to toe, scrutinizing every hair on her head: "You are..."

Gu Jiao shook her head decisively: I'm not!

Lord Gu suddenly stood up: "You are—"

Gu Jiao threw a small punch at him!

"Ah—" Lord Gu was beaten so badly that he had a black eye, and he covered his left eye.

In that brief moment of inattention, Gu Jiao burst out the door.

It took Lord Gu a long time to recover.

That familiar force, that familiar formula...

Why does she look so much like that brat?

Although Lord Gu had no evidence, he felt that there was absolutely no one else in the world as audacious as that brat!

To confirm his suspicions, Lord Gu disregarded whether his father was still entertaining guests at the teahouse and strode out after him.

His body, which had been recuperating for more than half a month, was no match for Gu Jiao's daily exercise, and he lost her in no time.

He went to the clinic, but Gu Jiao wasn't there.

Not here?

very good!

He immediately went to Bishui Hutong, wanting to see where that girl would hide this time!

The gate to the courtyard was ajar. He stormed in, about to yell, "You brat, get out here!" when he saw Yao Shi sitting on a rattan chair in the front yard, embroidering, wearing a loose, pale yellow dress.

After not seeing her for several days, Yao's face was rounder and her complexion was rosier. She wasn't fat, but she looked much more radiant.

Lord Gu was stunned.

The old nanny was the first to spot him, and bowed respectfully: "My Lord!"

Madam Yao slowly turned her face to the side. Perhaps because she was comfortable here, all the worries between her brows disappeared, and her eyes and brows became clear and gentle. She exuded a maternal tenderness from head to toe.

This was a side of Yao that Lord Gu had never seen before.

Madam Yao put down her needlework: "Why has the Marquis come?"

“I…I came…to see you,” Lord Gu said as he stepped forward.

Madam Yao pointed to the stool beside her: "Please sit down, Your Excellency."

"I'll go make a pot of tea for the Marquis!" said Granny Fang as she left.

Lord Gu stared at Madam Yao, unable to look away. He grasped Madam Yao's hand and said, "It's my fault for not coming to see you these past few days."

"She's alright," Yao asked. "How's Jinyu?"

Since moving out, Yao has never gone back. Jinyu used to come to see her, but she hasn't come recently.

"She's fine, she just misses you a little." After saying that, Lord Gu's gaze fell on her slightly plump figure. He wanted to ask her if she had gained weight, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he felt that this was a question that could cost him his life.

He changed the subject, "By the way, is Jiaojiao home?"

Yao said softly, "She hasn't woken up from her afternoon nap yet, are you looking for her?"

Lord Gu muttered, "What time is it? Still taking a nap?"

Yao said, "She goes to bed late. Is there something you need from her?"

Lord Gu cleared his throat and shook his head, saying, "Ah...no, I was just...checking in to see if she was home all afternoon."

Madam Yao nodded: "Yes, there wasn't much going on at the clinic today, so she stayed home the whole time."

Could it be that girl? Or am I just overthinking it?

Yao wouldn't lie to herself; it seems she had been overthinking things.

The dates for the palace examination have been announced: the preliminary examination will be held on April 15th, and the main examination will be held on April 17th.

The so-called preliminary examination was a mock exam held in the palace before the final examination. Its purpose was to allow candidates to familiarize themselves with the examination environment and learn the rules of the imperial court in advance, so as not to lose their composure in front of the emperor.

The quizzes don't count towards your score, but you can't just take them randomly, or you'll offend the examiners.

On April 11th and 12th, the Examination Hall will distribute examination tokens and examination certificates to all candidates who have passed the spring examination.

The pair of cards is used for entering the palace, while the examination card is used for entering the examination hall.

The examinee and the plaque must be collected in person at the examination hall.

Early on the morning of the eleventh, Feng Lin and Lin Chengye came to Bishui Hutong to find Xiao Liulang. The three of them brought their respective examination documents and went to the examination hall to exchange for their examination certificates and credentials.

The documents were to be kept at the examination hall. After the examination, the candidates would return the examination token and the examination certificate in exchange for their examination documents.

The three of them met Du Ruohan at the door.

In the imperial examination, Feng Lin ranked 176th and Lin Chengye 123rd, both relatively low on the list. Du Ruohan scored 15th, just a few places shy of making the top ten, making her a highly regarded contender.

Feng Lin patted Du Ruohan on the shoulder: "Keep it up, little belly! Do your best in the palace examination and try to pass with Liu Lang on the honor roll!"

Du Ruohan snorted: "Why should I go with him? Can't I pass the exam on my own? And what's wrong with you two? Don't you want to pass the exam?"

Du Ruohan's aptitude is considered excellent in the entire capital, otherwise Zhuang Xianzhi would not have spent time and energy personally teaching him. Feng Lin and Lin Chengye are both hard-working talents, and if they hadn't met such a great teacher as Xiao Liulang, they might not have even passed the imperial examination.

Passing the imperial examination with flying colors?

They decided to call it quits.

Seeing that the two were not very motivated, Du Ruohan quickly said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go line up! Let's see if the four of us can line up together!"

Although lining up together meant you couldn't cheat, it was somewhat comforting in that unfamiliar and authoritative environment.

Xiao Liulang didn't say anything and silently lined up behind the three.

"Sixth Brother, come to the front!" Feng Lin said.

Du Ruohan snorted, "You just know how to spoil him!"

Lin Chengye also stepped back, making room for Xiao Liulang.

Du Ruohan's lips were twitching so badly she looked like she was about to have a stroke.

The preliminary examination and the palace examination had the same examination number and the same location.

When the four of them received their examination tokens, they saw that there were indeed two people sitting together, namely Du Ruohan and Xiao Liulang.

I suddenly realized that today's chapter numbering is quite fitting.

(End of this chapter)