Chapter 45 Home Visit

Xiao Liulang really didn't want Gu Jiao to visit that old fox, the dean, but the suggestion was unanimously approved by his family, especially his aunt.

The old lady said, "Yes, we should pay a visit."

Xiao Liulang, feeling dejected, hugged his quilt and went back to his room.

Gu Jiao looked at him in surprise: "You...you're sleeping here with me again tonight?"

Xiao Liulang felt a sudden wave of embarrassment: "...Wrong way."

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and casually crossed her arms over her chest: "You've lived in the west room for half a year without getting lost, but you got lost after only three days here."

Xiao Liulang's ears turned red from being choked, and he said angrily, "I already said we went to the wrong place!"

Gu Jiao calmly replied, "Oh."

Xiao Liulang: "..."

——

Gu Jiao kept her word and that very night she tallied up the New Year's gifts she had bribed the teacher.

The next day, Gu Xiaoshun came over for breakfast and was so excited when he heard that his sister was going to take him to visit the dean near the hot spring resort that he shouted with excitement.

I've never been this far in my entire life!

In all my years, my sister has never taken me out of the house!

The truth is... if Gu Jiao hadn't taken him along, Xiao Liulang wouldn't have allowed her, a young woman, to travel such a long distance alone.

Taking an oxcart there is out of the question; oxcarts are too slow, and they might still be wandering around halfway through the night. But all the cart shops in town are closed, and it's impossible to hire a horse-drawn carriage.

After much deliberation, Gu Jiao brought her younger brother to Huichuntang.

Faced with the sudden arrival of Gu Jiao, the second boss looked somewhat puzzled: "What advice does Miss Gu have for me?"

Gu Jiao said without changing her expression, "I've thought about it. The hot spring resort isn't far at all. It only takes an hour by carriage. Let's set off quickly! You have a carriage, right?"

Yesterday he was so adamant about not making any house calls, how come he changed his mind overnight?

The second landlord looked at the bundle in her hands with suspicion, as well as Gu Xiaoshun, who was also carrying a large bundle outside the door. "Why did you bring a person and so many things? Are they all for medical treatment?"

Gu Jiao smiled and shook her head: "These are New Year's gifts for the Dean. I forgot to mention, my husband's dean lives near the hot spring resort. I can visit him after I finish seeing the patients!"

The second landlord nearly spat out his tea. "I think your visit to the dean is the most important thing, treating patients is just a side thing. How can you make hitting a horse-drawn carriage sound so refined and elegant? Doesn't your conscience hurt?!"

The second employer eventually compromised.

The second master, Gu Jiao, Gu Xiaoshun, and the old doctor all boarded the carriage.

The carriage traveled quite fast, and in less than an hour they arrived at a residence near the hot spring resort, with a tall plaque that read "Li Residence".

This must be the Dean's separate residence.

It is said that the Dean was originally an official in the capital, but he resigned and left the capital when his mother fell seriously ill. He bought a separate residence here so that his mother could live out her old age in comfort.

Gu Jiao got out of the car with Gu Xiaoshun and knocked on the tightly closed courtyard gate.

Before long, a servant opened the door for them. Seeing that they were two poorly dressed country folk, he showed no disdain. Instead, he politely asked, "May I ask who you two are...?"

Gu Jiao said, "My husband and my younger brother are students at Tianxiang Academy, and we have come here specifically to visit the Dean."

"Ah!" the servant exclaimed in surprise.

"What is it?" came an old voice from inside the house.

The servant hurriedly turned around and said, "Reporting to the old lady, he is the master's student!"

The old lady said in a somewhat confused voice, "Then why don't you hurry up and invite them in? It's freezing cold, let them come in and have a cup of hot tea."

Although Gu Jiao had never met the dean, the attitude of his family and servants made her feel very comfortable.

The servant opened the courtyard gate and said, "Please come in with me, gentlemen. Master has gone fishing. He may be back soon if he is quick, or he may not be back until dark if he is slow. That lady just now was my mistress, Master's mother."

The servants led the two to pay their respects to Madam Li, but when they arrived at her bedside, she was already fast asleep.

Madam Li is already in her eighties, and like a baby, she wakes up and falls asleep every day without any set rhythm.

"Please come to the tea room and sit for a while. I'll serve you some tea." The servant led Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun to the tea room, serving them tea and lighting charcoal, taking great care of them and showing no disrespect because of their humble status.

Gu Jiao sat for a while, guessing that the dean wouldn't be back so soon, and that Old Madam Li wouldn't wake up so soon either, so she told the servant that she would go to find the dean herself.

The fishing spot wasn't too far away, and the servant gave her directions.

“I want to go too,” Gu Xiaoshun said.

Gu Jiao coaxed, "What if the old lady wakes up and finds that neither of us is here? She'll think we've neglected her."

"Okay." Gu Xiaoshun obediently stayed.

Gu Jiao left the house and got into the second master's carriage.

“I thought it would take a long time,” the second landlord said.

"The dean isn't here," Gu Jiao asked. "Where is the patient you mentioned?"

"Look, there." The second landlord pointed and saw that at the end of the path, it led straight to the green mountain. The scenery at the foot of the mountain was beautiful, and the houses were scattered in an orderly manner. It was the famous hot spring resort of the Marquis of Ding'an.

The second master didn't provide much information about the other party's identity, only saying that he was the youngest son of a marquis in the capital. He was born prematurely and had been born with a weak constitution. Over the years, he had sought out famous doctors, but his condition had never improved much.

"That young master is about your age, and there are rumors that he won't live past fifteen," the second master said regretfully.

"Then there's only one year left?" Gu Jiao is fourteen years old this year.

"Isn't that right? But it might not last until June."

Is he really that seriously ill?

The second landlord sighed and nodded: "Yes, poor Lady Hou, she only has this one son."

Although the young master has a twin sister, it cannot make up for the pain of losing her son.

The second boss didn't tell Gu Jiao about this information that was unrelated to her illness.

As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the entrance of the hot spring resort.

Here stands a huge archway with upturned eaves, inscribed with the words "Hot Spring Resort" in large gilded characters, and on the far right of these characters is a line of smaller cursive characters—"Ding'an Marquis's Residence".

The group disembarked from the carriage.

Gu Jiao stood beneath the grand and imposing archway, feeling as small as a rabbit.

The grandeur of the Marquis's mansion was on full display, and this was just one of the villas under his name.

The second master had passed by the manor many times, but this was his first time actually visiting. To be honest, he was also awestruck by the grand archway before him. Of course, what he didn't know was that Gu Jiao wasn't staring blankly at the archway because she was intimidated, but simply because she was wondering if the gold on the archway was real.

good morning

(End of this chapter)