Turning point
Dao Yun was furious when she saw Qin Zhiyi. She looked at Gu Sidu and said, "What do you mean? Why did you bring him back?"
“I saw him when I came out of the county government office. I can’t let him go back on an empty stomach, can I?” Gu Sidu smiled and pushed the man to Daoyun. “This child wants to learn martial arts. Why don’t you take him under your wing?”
Gu Sidu pushed the person to Daoyun and went to find Jiang Yufan. No one would disturb him and the Bodhisattva. He had something to say to Jiang Yufan.
When Jiang Yufan saw Gu Sidu enter, she put down the book in her hand and looked at Gu Sidu: "You're back. Did things go smoothly at the county office?"
“It’s not going well,” Gu Sidu shook his head and sat down next to Jiang Yufan. “Bodhisattva, this is very wrong. This magistrate seems to have lost his mind. He’s gone mad. The food is brought to his mouth, but he won’t open his mouth to eat. What kind of logic is that?”
He presented all his ambitions to the magistrate, and he clearly saw approval in the magistrate's eyes, but that approval was fleeting and quickly vanished without a trace. He acknowledged the decision but did not grant it, only saying to leave it for now.
If it's left unattended, then it's truly left unattended. Gu Sidu hasn't been wasting his years in the capital; he understands the ways of officialdom to some extent. Gu Sidu understands, but he chooses not to do it—that's his choice. However, the county magistrate is convinced that Gu Sidu is a loser, someone he can trample on.
The reason for not agreeing was simply that they didn't want to spend money and effort. The soldiers in the county government were simply not enough, and more people needed to be recruited. However, this meant that money was needed to train the troops, and once the selected elite soldiers entered the county government, they would have a proper job. All of this had to be allocated from the county government.
The magistrate's reluctance was not without its own considerations.
However, this consideration was not for the sake of Chang Le City, nor for the sake of the people. Jiang Yufan looked at Gu Sidu meaningfully, and Gu Sidu understood in that instant.
"I understand now. So, the reason they don't want me to take on important tasks is not only because they're afraid of losing power, but also because they want to amass wealth. That makes sense. Chang Le City is far from the imperial court. As long as the people here can make a living and don't go to the capital to file complaints, the county magistrate is the most powerful person here. Naturally, he doesn't want to share those benefits with others."
“It seems this magistrate has a lot of money to spare,” Gu Sidu said, “but is he unwilling to spend even a little bit?”
"He should have gotten the money, but it was given to someone else. He must be resentful."
It's human nature to be greedy, but it's a pity that this plan has to be shelved because of the magistrate's selfish desires. Jiang Yufan sighed along with Gu Sidu, but just then, a noisy commotion broke out outside, quite lively and never-ending.
"Did you do something wrong?" Jiang Yufan asked Gu Sidu.
"No way," Gu Sidu thought carefully, "It can't be because I didn't go to play chess that they followed me here, can it?"
Gu Sidu was worried and decided to go out and check. When Gu Sidu and Jiang Yufan went outside, they saw many people standing outside, and piled up in front of the Gu family's door were several large bags of grain and various fruits harvested from the fields. The owners of these things were the Qin family.
Gu Sidu was taken aback when he saw the frail old man, and then quickly went forward to help him up. Jiang Yufan turned around when he heard the commotion. Daoyun and Qin Zhiyi had also come to the front of the house. It seemed that the Qin family wanted to express their gratitude, which was why this had happened.
That's good, Jiang Yufan and Gu Sidu were relieved that he hadn't committed any crime.
As soon as the Qin family saw Gu Sidu and Jiang Yufan come out, they grabbed Gu Sidu's hand tightly. Besides them, there were many onlookers outside the street, who were all discussing and trying to figure out what was going on.
The Qin family knew how to be grateful. They explained in detail how Gu Sidu had rescued their child. When Qin Zhiyi returned home, she told her parents what had happened that day. Gu Sidu and Jiang Yufan were their benefactors. They had initially only wanted to bring some things to express their gratitude, but Qin Zhiyi said that Gu Sidu was a newly arrived county magistrate.
He's an official.
For an official to risk his own life to save an ordinary citizen is an immense honor, something that has never happened before.
The onlookers were even more incredulous upon hearing this. They had heard rumors of an official from the capital, but then nothing more was heard of him, leading them to believe that no new official had arrived. If this Lord Gu was indeed the county magistrate, why would he live in such a house?
However, Qin Zhiyi said with certainty that this Lord Gu was indeed the county magistrate.
“I came from the county government office. This Lord Gu came out of the county government office himself. You don’t know that when Lord Gu came to rescue me, it was because the county government refused to send people to search for me. If it weren’t for Lord Gu, Madam Gu and Sister Daoyun coming to rescue me together, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you at all.”
These words sounded genuine and somewhat believable, and the people around them started whispering about it. Some even asked Gu Sidu, "Are you really the new magistrate?"
Unexpectedly, things took this turn. Gu Sidu looked at Jiang Yufan, who nodded to him. Jiang Yufan said, "This Lord Gu is indeed the newly arrived magistrate."
Gu Sidu then cooperatively raised his official badge and showed it to everyone, saying, "I am not very capable and cannot do anything for you, but I am indeed the newly appointed magistrate."
This caused quite a stir. The newly arrived magistrate was not only approachable but also dedicated to serving the people, which was truly rare. Some even pushed through the crowd to get in front of Gu Sidu, staring intently at him.
"Hey, aren't you the guy who watched us play chess at the chess stall before? You even made a promise to play chess with us, but why didn't you show up?"
Gu Sidu looked over and saw that it was indeed the person they had agreed to duel that day. He smiled and apologized, "I'm sorry, I was delayed that day because I had to go to the county government to rescue someone."
Now that the connection was established, the people became intensely curious about the county magistrate and flocked to the Gu family home to see what this kind man looked like.
Upon seeing this, Daoyun immediately stepped aside and warned the crowd.
The Qin family members bowed again to Gu Sidu: "Your Excellency, these things are nothing to boast about, please accept them. Our family has nothing of value to offer. The people of Changle City will need to rely on you in the future."
With precedent set, everyone who heard that they needed to rely on Gu Sidu followed the example of the Qin family and bowed to Gu Sidu. The resounding cry of "Relying on Lord Gu" echoed back and forth in front of the Gu family's gate, and the sound naturally reached the county government office.
Gu Sidu was deeply moved. How could he refuse such an important task? He turned to look at Jiang Yufan and saw the encouraging smile in Jiang Yufan's eyes. He made up his mind, nodded to Jiang Yufan, and then, holding the county magistrate's badge, bowed to everyone. He said, "Rest assured, everyone. If there is anything I can do, I will do it if you ask me."
Being so dedicated to highlighting the goodness of others can also frighten those with ulterior motives.
Gu Sidu accepted the gifts and invited the Qin family to stay for dinner, but the Qin family shook their heads: "Sir, you have already taken good care of us. You sent Zhiyi back and even gave us some silver, which will allow us to buy property and make a living. Zhiyi no longer has to chop wood and can go to school to study and learn to read. We are already extremely grateful."
"Zhiyi, come quickly and thank Lord Gu."
If Qin Zhiyi hadn't told her family that their benefactor was the county magistrate, and if the Qin family hadn't made such a fuss, probably no one would have known about Gu Sidu, and there wouldn't have been the county magistrate's personal visit to chat with Gu Sidu. All of this was a result of good karma; the Qin family deserved it, and so did Gu Sidu.
And it was from this point that Gu Sidu's connection with Jiang Yufan and Chang Le City began, forming a subtle link.
A dead end is not necessarily a dead end; a turning point can indeed lead to a brighter future. After everyone dispersed, Jiang Yufan said to Gu Sidu, "Congratulations, Lord Gu."
Although he wasn't given a prominent position, it was still a good thing that he could share joy with the people.
Gu Sidu was about to return the thanks in kind, but at that moment Daoyun came over and said, "Lord Gu, Buddhist nun, there are government officials outside the door. They say the county magistrate wants Lord Gu to come to the county office for a chat."
"Bodhisattva, should I go?" Gu Sidu asked Jiang Yufan.
Only now did their relationship seem to be forged as it should have been when they first met at Chenxiang Temple: Gu Sidu sought a better future, and Jiang Yufan offered protection. But at this moment, Gu Sidu no longer had such ambitions, and Jiang Yufan no longer denied being a fake bodhisattva.
Everything is a twist of fate; you can't get what you want when you want it, but it always comes when you don't want it.
Jiang Yufan said to Gu Sidu, "No, you're not going."
Gu Sidu trusted Jiang Yufan, and he immediately made up a reason for Daoyun to decline the offer. Gu Sidu didn't ask any questions, only obeying Jiang Yufan's instructions. Even Jiang Yufan was puzzled and asked Gu Sidu, "Aren't you going to ask me why I want to decline?"
"Because I believe that the Bodhisattva would not harm me. If the Bodhisattva wants me to ask, then I will ask. Why does the Bodhisattva want me to refuse?"
Gu Sidu always managed to say things that shocked and delighted Jiang Yufan. She said, "The government officials are like county magistrates. If they come to you, it's because they think you've won the hearts of the people, so they want to win you over."
“If you refuse them, they’ll definitely get anxious. They might pretend to come to you again next time. Then you can settle all the old and new scores together, and you can bring up the request to train troops to protect the city again. Maybe that will work.”
It was a golden opportunity; fate had intervened, allowing Gu Sidu to return to her rightful place. Gu Sidu should have been happy. However, when Jiang Yufan looked at Gu Sidu, she noticed that Gu Sidu was only staring at her lips and hadn't heard what she had just said.
As Gu Sidu watched Jiang Yufan's lips open and close, only one thought crossed his mind.
Gu Sidu wanted to kiss Jiang Yufan.
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