Chapter 122 The Vast World
Gu Zhao made a bitter face and said, "Little girls' toys are the most boring."
Having said that, Gu Zhao still obediently took out a big bag from the house. After opening it, it was full of all kinds of messy little gadgets.
"What do you want to play?" Gu Zhao asked.
Luo Zhang and Fang Yuan saw a big red hair flower among the pile of small things, and suspected that it was some kind of girls' game like playing house, and could not help but take two steps back.
Niuniu rolled her eyes and asked, "Let's play house. You play the daughter and I'll be the father."
"I don't want to play!" Luo Zhang and Fang Yuan said in unison.
Niuniu was easy to talk to. She asked, "How about playing shuttlecock?"
The two new friends chose to play shuttlecock without hesitation between pretending to be girls and playing shuttlecock.
They couldn't help but think in their hearts that if they had known this would happen, they would have gone catching bugs, at least they would have looked more manly.
As soon as Mr. Luo walked out of the house, he saw his grandson Luo Zhang playing shuttlecock in the yard and sweating profusely.
Niuniu clenched her fist and shouted, "It's almost ten, come on!"
Luo Zhang kicked the shuttlecock awkwardly, his body twisting and turning, and it seemed like he was about to lose it, but he caught it in a very thrilling way.
Luo Zhang's nurse frowned and stared at him, whispering, "Old man, the young master is usually clean and tidy, but today he looks like he has rolled in the mud."
Mr. Luo waved his hand casually. Not only did he not stop him, but he said with great satisfaction: "Since his mother passed away, this child hasn't been so happy for a long time."
That day, the Luo family stayed at Gu's house until dusk before leaving.
Luo Zhang and Fang Yuan were reluctant to leave because they hadn't met a playmate they got along with for a long time.
Gu Zhao was reluctant to see them leave, and because there were guests, he had to skip a day's schoolwork.
But when he was having dinner, he learned that he would go to Luo's family to study, and Gu Zhao felt like he was bolt from the blue.
"I'm learning well at home, why should I go to someone else's house to study..." Gu Zhao was very unhappy.
But he couldn't change what the elders had already decided.
Niuniu tilted her head and asked Gu Mingda: "I still have to go to work in the shop, so I can't study every day. Besides, I'm a girl. Dad, why don't I not go and make trouble?"
Gu Mingda reached out and touched Niuniu's soft hair, and said softly: "Girls should also study hard. Studying will never cause trouble. Besides, there are days off when studying at the Luo family. You can just go to the shop on that day."
Niuniu looked at Zhang Yuniang reluctantly, tears about to flow out: "Doesn't that mean I don't have time to accompany you? Compared to studying, I prefer to accompany my parents and grandparents."
Niu Niu's emotion was sincere.
Gu Zhao, as if he had been reminded of something, imitated Niuniu and said pitifully, "I don't want to study. I just want to be with you guys..."
But in response, Gu Mingda tapped him on the forehead, not too hard or too lightly: "You think the bugs are real, and you think we are all fake."
Gu Mingda looked at the four children again and said, "The gentleman invited by the Luo family to be the master is a scholar. Ordinary people cannot even visit him. This is a rare opportunity, so we must cherish it."
Gu Yun raised his hand hesitantly.
"Uncle, I'm going there to learn martial arts. You know me. If I really study, I'm afraid my brain will get dizzy..." Gu Yun said.
Gu Zhao nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, I can't read either. I get dizzy when I read."
Gu Mingqi glanced at Gu Zhao lightly, and Gu Zhao immediately lowered his head in fear.
"Ayun, you can't stay in the government office as a guard for the rest of your life. Have you ever thought about your future livelihood?" Gu Mingda asked earnestly.
Gu Yun asked in a low voice: "Second Uncle, you asked me to worship Captain Chen as your master. Don't you want me to stay in the government office forever?"
Gu Yun did not have such a long-term vision. He thought that this was the path that Gu Mingda had arranged for him. After all, Gu Mingda had put so much effort into entertaining guests and giving gifts, and it seemed that they were aiming for a long-lasting relationship.
Gu Mingda shook his head and said, "Nowadays, the government office is short of talents, so they recruit a lot of strong teams. What if the government office is not short of people? When County Magistrate Wu's term is over, the county magistrate will be replaced. The new county magistrate will also have to place new people in the government office, and you will obviously be the first ones to be kicked out."
Gu Yun felt a chill down his spine and asked, "Second Uncle, what do you think I should do?"
"Read more and learn more words. I don't ask for your knowledge to reach the level of imperial examinations, but at least you should be able to handle the simplest clerical work in the government office with ease." Gu Mingda said.
Gu Yun thought carefully and figured out who was handling the paperwork in the government office. It was the clerk.
He couldn't help but breathe faster: "Second Uncle, I... I can also be a clerk?"
He had not been in the yamen for nothing these days. As a low-ranking constable, he had already received many benefits. Not to mention the monthly salary, merchants would also take the initiative to send them gifts every now and then.
If he could become a clerk, he would not have to be included in the list of lowly officials and his job would be more glorious than that of the constables. He would also become a big man in Qingshui Village.
Gu Mingda nodded gently and said, "I always asked you to read more and learn more words, but you never listened. If you had worked harder, you wouldn't be just a strong class now."
Gu Yun wished he could travel back in time and slap the self who didn’t like studying.
But fortunately, it was not too late. Gu Yun said, "Don't worry, Second Uncle. I will definitely change my ways and will never let you down."
As if he was not satisfied with his own progress, he pulled Gu Zhao, who was crying beside him, over and said, "Second Uncle, I am the eldest brother. I will keep an eye on my younger brothers and sisters in their studies and never let them be lazy."
Gu Zhao only felt a darkness before his eyes.
When it was almost time to go to bed in the evening, the couple saw that their daughter was still looking depressed because she had to leave home to study every day.
Zhang Yunniang couldn't bear it, so she said softly, "Mom also wants Niuniu to stay with me all the time, but our Niuniu is very talented in studying, and mom and dad hope that Niuniu will become a talented girl. Talented girls don't grow out of thin air, so you have to study hard."
Niuniu sighed, looked at her parents, and said, "Niuniu likes to study. Niuniu also knows that this is a very rare opportunity, but Niuniu likes to be with her family the most. Why can't she study at home like before?"
In Niu Niu's eyes, nothing in this world is more important than family.
Zhang Yunniang's heart tightened when she heard this, and she hugged her little daughter in her arms. She even wanted to tell Gu Mingda to let the matter go on the spot.
But parents love their children and always want to pave a solid path for them.
Gu Mingda sighed and said, "My dear, people in this world have different expectations for men and women. They expect men to achieve great things and pass the imperial examinations to become officials. They hope that they will live a glorious life and then sigh that they are great men."
"As for women, the world thinks they should be trapped in the inner house, find a man to marry when they are old enough, and then manage the household affairs. Their lives are limited to the narrow sky, unable to see the distance of mountains and rivers, unable to feel the vastness of the world."
When Niuniu heard this, she looked at Zhang Yuniang with a half-understanding look and said, "But isn't this how mother and grandmother live?"
Gu Mingda nodded and said, "They do, but Dad doesn't want you to be like that."
Second update
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