Gu Ting brought half a box of food and went to the poor scholar's house with Pei Man.
"Scholar, scholar, I'm here to bring you some food."
After a long time, there was no movement in the dark room.
Bang!
A heavy object falls to the ground.
Gu Ting shouted, "Scholar, I'm coming in."
As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed the door open and walked in.
There was a bad smell in the room.
The old scholar lay on the ground, his body twitching slightly.
"Scholar?"
Gu Ting hurriedly picked him up and placed him on the bed. He touched his forehead and found it was burning hot.
"Scholar, you have a fever!"
The scholar was breathing rapidly and his face was flushed red.
"No, it's okay. I won't die. Bring me that bowl of medicine. I'll be fine after I drink it."
"You're almost dying, and you're still saying you're fine."
Gu Ting picked up the bowl of medicine on the table and immediately frowned.
"When was this medicine brewed? Is it still safe to drink? Forget it, forget it. I'll get you a new doctor and someone else to take care of you. I'm worried about you being this sick and alone without anyone to take care of you."
"Is that your young wife?" the old scholar asked, staring at the door.
Gu Ting turned around and saw Pei Man, his face flushed, "What little lady? Don't talk nonsense. That's me, my comrade."
The old scholar looked like he saw through everything and asked, "It's not the young lady, why are you feeling guilty?"
"Who's feeling guilty? You old scholar, you're almost dead, yet you still have such a sharp tongue. I won't waste my words on you. I'll get a doctor and other helpers for you right now. Don't worry about the money, I have it."
"etc!"
The old scholar panted and called out to Gu Ting.
"General Gu, I have something to ask for your help."
"you say!"
The old scholar opened his eyes wide and looked at Pei Man again.
Without waiting for Gu Ting to speak, Pei Man said tactfully, "I'm going outside to get some fresh air."
After saying that, he left.
The old scholar smiled with all his strength, "General Gu is very lucky, this young lady is very good."
"I've already said it's not true, stop talking nonsense."
"Not now, but it won't be in the future. Ahem..."
"You should just talk less. I think you can't even catch your breath." Gu Ting said with disdain, but his hands were very gentle.
He helped the old scholar up so that he could breathe freely.
The old scholar's throat was like a bellows, making a humming sound.
It took a while before he caught his breath.
He grabbed Gu Ting's sleeve and said, "General Gu, could you lend me some money? The amount is quite large. If it's difficult for you, just pretend I never said anything."
"You're not borrowing money for medical treatment, are you? I told you, I'll pay for the medicine, don't worry."
Gu Xiucai shook his head slightly. "I'm not borrowing money for medical treatment. It's because something happened at home and I urgently need some money to save my life. I really can't think of any other way, so I can only shamelessly ask General Gu for help. From now on, I will let General Gu order me around and work like a slave for you in return."
"You don't have to work like a slave for me. When you recover, I'll find you a job. With your skills, you can earn at least one or two taels of silver a month. Just tell me how much you want to borrow. I'll lend you whatever I have."
The old scholar's face was miserable, but his eyes were bright. "The amount is quite large. I need to borrow five hundred taels."
Gu Ting frowned slightly.
The old scholar said again: "If it is difficult, then forget it. He is a sinner, so he will die if he dies."
"What are you talking about? I didn't say I wouldn't lend it to you. I don't have that much money, but my sister does. Wait for me, I'll go get the money for you and get the doctor and the cook."
"Where are you going to withdraw the money? Are you looking for someone to borrow money from? If I need you to borrow money, then just pretend I never asked."
"You underestimate me too much. It's just five hundred taels, why would I need to borrow it from anyone? Even if it's ten times more, I can get it for you. Don't disbelieve me, I told you long ago that I have an extremely capable sister. Have you forgotten?"
Seeing that the old scholar still didn't believe it, Gu Ting took out a seal from his pocket.
"See? With this seal, I can go anywhere in the world. And I don't have to worry about money."
"General Gu, could you please let me take a closer look at the seal?"
"for you!"
Gu Ting handed the seal forward.
The old scholar raised the seal, squinted his eyes, and struggled to stand up.
"Whatever you want to do, I'll help you. Just don't get up."
"It's too dark in the room. Help me to the window."
Gu Ting picked up the old scholar with both hands and sat him down by the window.
The old scholar looked carefully at the seal in his hand in the sunlight.
"What fine jade! This must be the work of the chief craftsman."
Gu Ting scratched his head. "I don't know what a general is. This is given to me by my sister. Old scholar, your illness is serious. I'll go get a doctor first."
"No hurry! Let me take a look."
The old scholar looked at it very carefully, and he pictured every line and every turn of the knife in his mind.
He sighed softly and returned the seal to Gu Ting.
"General Gu, I now believe that what you said is true. Your sister is not an ordinary person."
Gu Ting chuckled and smiled foolishly with his mouth open.
The old scholar coughed repeatedly and asked Gu Ting to help him lie down on the bed.
"I now believe you can withdraw the silver. I will lend you five hundred taels. As long as I am still alive, I will definitely return the money to you."
"Alright, take care of yourself. We can talk about repaying the money later. At worst, I can cover the cost for you. My annual income is not a small amount, but my brothers are not up to the task, so the expenses are high."
Gu Ting gave the old scholar some instructions and walked out of the room.
Pei Man was still waiting in the yard.
She heard the noise and turned back to smile at Gu Ting, "Are you done?"
"Wait for me, I still need to call a doctor, a cook and waitress, and also..."
"I'm with you. Don't worry, I'll just watch from the side and won't interfere with your work."
"That's fine. But you have to hide yourself well and don't reveal your whereabouts."
"I have experience, you don't have to worry about me."
Gu Ting took Pei Man out of the courtyard.
Because of the establishment of the express station, this small village, originally located on the official road, has gradually become more popular.
There is a pharmacy just down the street.
They called a doctor and found a maid, and asked Pei Man to take the person over first.
Then he took the seal and went to Kuai Diu Station, "I'm looking for your stationmaster."
Gu Ting showed him the seal, and the stationmaster signed for him to withdraw a silver note of five hundred taels without asking any questions.
"General Gu, please sign here and seal your name. Once the formalities are completed, you can take the banknote away."
After finishing the formalities, Gu Ting hurried back to the old scholar's home.
This small world finally has a bit more life.
The old woman had already lit the coal stove and started boiling water.
The doctor is writing a prescription.
"Come with me to get the medicine. Take it three times a day as directed. Drink plenty of water, as your lips are chapped. Eat a light diet. If you have any problems, talk about them. Don't keep them bottled up."
Pei Man volunteered, "I'll go get the medicine."
Gu Ting took out the silver, but Pei Man stopped him and said, "I have silver. I'll ask you for it when I get back."
Gu Ting nodded and said thank you.
He went into the inner room to visit the old scholar.
"Here's the five hundred taels you asked for, the banknote from the Shaofu Bank. Is that all right?"
The old scholar suddenly burst into tears.
He was in tears and his lips were trembling.
"Why are you crying? Don't cry!"
Gu Ting was completely bewildered.
The old scholar wiped his tears with his sleeve and said, "I am happy, happy! I never thought that at my age, I could still meet General Gu. It is my great fortune."
Gu Ting grinned, looking very happy.
He patted his chest and boasted, "I don't have any other special abilities, but I value loyalty. We're all acquaintances now. How can I stand by and watch you in trouble?"
Old Scholar: "..." Silly child, you don't even know my name, my identity, or why I ended up in the northwest, yet you dare to treat me with all your heart. But I will never let you down.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. This is true.
The old scholar said, "From now on, I will take good care of myself and try to recover as soon as possible. General Gu, you should also hurry up and marry the young lady home as soon as possible. Otherwise, if such a good girl is snatched away by someone else, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Gu Ting's cheeks flushed red. "You old bastard, I've already told you that she and I are not what you think."
The old scholar laughed. "It's not what I thought. You can work hard and become like that. I can tell at a glance that the young lady comes from an extraordinary family and is a good match for you. You are already old, and you say that your sister has given birth to two nephews for you, but you are still not married. Are you worthy of your parents? Your sister should be anxious about your marriage."
Gu Ting said proudly: "My sister never pushes me. She said she respects my ideas about marriage."
"General Gu is almost thirty, do you have any ideas?"
Gu Ting was confused. "I'm still several years away from thirty. Don't talk nonsense."
His age was raised by two levels, which made him very angry.
The old scholar said, "You're only a few years away from thirty. In the eyes of the older generation, you're just an unmarried man of thirty. How unfilial!"
Gu Ting looked upset, "I'm not that old."
"You'll be thirty soon."
…
Until Gu Ting walked out of the courtyard, the number thirty kept buzzing in his ears like a curse.
He was distracted and Pei Man was very worried.
"Are you okay?"
"Do you think I'm old?" Gu Ting asked very seriously.
Pei Man pursed her lips and smiled, "I think you are quite steady."
I mean, it looks pretty old.
Gu Ting suffered 10,000 points of damage in an instant, with a look of despair on his face, and the same expression as Yu Ge'er.
They are indeed uncle and nephew.
"Don't let that bother you! You're not old, really."
Pei Man hadn't expected her words to cause such misunderstandings, and it devastated Gu Ting to the point of collapse.
"Don't say anymore. I understand. I really do."
"What do you understand?"
Gu Ting took the package and rode back to the military camp.
Pei Man really wanted to whip him. He was so stupid and she didn't know when he would come to his senses.
When they arrived at the military camp gate, Gu Ting and Pei Man separated.
He rubbed his face, put the curse of thirty behind him, and went to see General Shangguan Pei Meng with the letter.
…
"Come in!"
"I will pay my respects to the General."
"Gu Ting, what's the matter?"
"My sister replied to the letter I wrote to the general last time about what I said."
"oh!"
Pei Meng suddenly became alert and said, "Show me the letter."
Gu Ting specially took out two pages of letter paper from the letter and handed them to General Pei Meng.
Pei Meng: Haha!
Is this the kind of person who would read other people's mail? How absurd!
He didn't argue with Gu Ting, but picked up the letter and read it quickly.
It wasn't enough to read it once, so I read it carefully several times.
"That's right, that's right. Using laps instead of a military stick not only builds up your physical strength and preserves your fighting capacity, but it also saves money on medical treatment."
If a soldier is beaten with a stick, he needs to see a doctor and get medicine, which costs money! If he is disabled, it is a direct loss of a soldier.
"Run around the training grounds, starting with five laps and no upper limit. If five laps aren't enough, try ten. If ten isn't enough, try twenty, thirty. If you run like this every day, even the weakest person can improve their physical fitness."
"Set up a soldier's retirement account and deposit half of their salary into the account every month. They can only receive the full amount after they are discharged, or they can receive it in monthly installments. This method is advisable."
The barracks are so big and there are so many soldiers. It is impossible for all of them to be discharged at the same time.
But if half of the money is deducted from each soldier every month and saved, it will be a huge amount, and the pressure of money and food can be greatly reduced in an instant.
This method kills three birds with one stone.
It not only effectively curbed the gambling habit, but also saved money for the soldiers' retirement and alleviated the pressure of money and food.
There are only a certain number of people who retire every year.
With the current financial resources of the Ministry of Revenue, it is fully capable of handling this retirement pay.
If the Ministry of Revenue doesn't work, the Ministry of Finance will definitely be able to do it.
In the letter, Gu Jiu also suggested setting up an account for disabled soldiers to contribute to their retirement.
Pei Meng shook his head. "This method is not feasible for the time being. Gu Ting, you have read this letter, right?"
Gu Ting nodded in acknowledgment.
Pei Meng asked again, "If the soldiers' retirement accounts were deposited with all the money every month, it would be a huge sum. It would be a shame to leave so much money in the Shaofu Bank and earn only a tiny amount of interest. Do you have any good suggestions?"
Gu Ting was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and said without thinking, "Invest in Sihai Commercial Bank! The returns will definitely be higher than Shaofu Bank."
"Yeah?"
"Of course! I remember the general's sister also invested in Sihai. She knows best whether the returns are high or not."
Pei Meng glared at him, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes, "Are you familiar with this general's sister?"
Gu Ting's heart skipped a beat. "No, not familiar at all."
This coward!
Pei Meng looked him up and down, then waved his hand and said, "Back off!"
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