Chapter 120 Leaving the Capital (Part 4) The Gold Ring (First Update). ...
After a while, Yu Qi asked Gou'er in a low voice, asking simple questions such as how cats and dogs bark, how many playmates they have, and whether mice have tails. Gou'er could answer some questions but not others. Jiu Li was even more surprised. How could a seven or eight-year-old child not know these things? So she pulled Yu Qi aside and asked him why.
Yu Qi already understood. He tied one hand behind his back, turned his head to look at the dog, and sighed, "This child seems to be born with intellectual disabilities."
"Intellectually disabled?!" Jiu Li was shocked and couldn't believe it. She quickly went to the bedside and asked, "Dog, how many years of schooling have you had?"
The dog shook its head blankly on the pillow.
"What have you learned from your teacher?"
He stretched his hands out from under the covers, counting on his fingers as he recited: "At birth, man's nature is good. Their natures are similar, […]. If they are not taught—"
Yu Qi became even more certain when he heard him stumble over half of the recitation. He followed the dog's face to the side and his eyes widened. Under another pillow was a gold ring with the character "仙" (immortal) engraved on its face, surrounded by a bird pattern. Strangely, the exquisite craftsmanship was something the Cao family should never possess.
"Doggy!"
Suddenly, Xiuzhi came in with a basin of water, interrupting Gou'er's recitation. She put down the basin, sat on the edge of the bed, and put his hand back under the covers. She laughed and said, "Why are you reading at a time like this? Come, let me wipe you down."
As she spoke, she bent down to wring out a handkerchief, wiping Yu Qi's armpits as he had instructed, and said with a smile to Yu Qi, "Sir, you flatter me. Although this child has been to school for two years, his teachers are always busy, and he has changed schools several times, which has wasted a lot of time. He has only learned this much in two years."
Yu Qi didn't reply, but only glanced at Jiu Li. Jiu Li had heard Du Zhong mention this before, and now it seemed that most of the teachers had noticed the child's low intelligence and were unwilling to waste their time teaching him, so they were just making excuses.
Not knowing whether Xiuzhi was aware that something was wrong with her son, Jiuli, seeing her gentle and loving expression, didn't dare to ask. Instead, she quietly pulled Yuqi into the courtyard and asked, "Uncle, you said he was born with intellectual disability. Is there any way to cure this kind of illness?"
Yu Qi tucked his hands into his sleeves and slowly shook his head. “Some children are born with slow minds. If they are lucky, they may have the mental capacity of a ninety-year-old when they are seventeen or eighteen. If they are unlucky, they may be like a five or six-year-old. That is what people call being born stupid.”
Is it truly incurable?
"If there were a medicine that could make people smarter, wouldn't every scholar in the world be a top scholar?"
Jiuli sighed and leaned close to him, asking, "Then tell me, does Aunt Guo know that Gou'er was born with a disability?"
He looked out the window of the house and slowly shook his head. "Maybe she knows but refuses to admit it. What mother would admit that her son is an idiot?"
As the two were talking, Du Zhong came over from the kitchen with a smile, carrying medicine. "Who are you calling a fool?"
Seeing him carrying the medicine, Jiuli urged, "Why are you asking such silly questions? Hurry up and take the medicine inside and give it to the dog while it's still hot."
Yu Qi watched as Du Zhong lifted the curtain and entered the room, his voice slightly low, "You all blame me for being heartless, but look at them, how can they possibly get married in this situation? Zhong'er himself is still not mature, and Sister Guo has a mentally challenged son. Right now, when their feelings are strong and their families aren't involved, everything is fine. But once they're married, hmph, they'll realize how difficult life is, and they'll only end up arguing endlessly. Rather than harboring resentment towards each other in the future, it's better to break it off cleanly now."
Jiuli glanced at it, wanting to refute but finding no words, and could only mutter vaguely, "Everyone has their difficulties in life—"
“Some difficulties can be resolved, while others will remain forever in their way. Even if I don’t stop them, they still won’t succeed.” He chuckled coldly, then turned away. “I won’t say any more. I’m going home. You and Zhong’er can stay as long as you want, until the child’s fever starts to subside before you come back.”
Jiuli felt a tightness in her chest. She lowered her head and saw him out of the hospital. He patted her head, sighed, and left.
She had no choice but to slowly wander back into the house. Through the bedroom curtain, she heard Du Zhong and Xiu Zhi playing with the dog and giving it medicine. The atmosphere was very peaceful. Not wanting to disturb them, she sat in the main room and drank her tea.
Unexpectedly, the dog inside only took two bites before refusing to eat any more because it was bitter. Seeing that Xiuzhi's attempts to coax him were ineffective, Du Zhong pinched the dog's nose and held the bowl to his mouth, saying, "You finished it in two bites with your head tilted back. You can't even handle this little bit of bitterness? Are you even a man?!"
The dog couldn't swallow in time and choked, coughing. Xiuzhi was heartbroken to hear this, her brows furrowed in worry. She snatched the bowl away from Du Zhong and exclaimed, "How can you feed a dog like that!"
Du Zhong stumbled back two steps, still laughing, "That's how it is with children taking medicine. They just swallow it in two gulps. If you try to coax them, the medicine will get cold and they still won't take it."
Xiuzhi placed the bowl on the stool by the bed, pinched her sleeve to wipe the dog's mouth, and glanced at him as she said, "You can heat it up when it gets cold. I didn't ask you to heat it up. What are you complaining about?"
After she finished speaking, Du Zhong remained silent. Only then did she realize that she had been too hasty, and she felt uneasy. She secretly glanced at him and saw that he was sitting under the window with a hint of displeasure on his face.
Suddenly, the air seemed to freeze. Xiuzhi tried to break the silence by picking up the medicine bowl to coax Gou'er, but Gou'er ignored her, not uttering a word. Instead, he picked up the gold ring from under his pillow and started playing with it. Xiuzhi panicked when she saw the ring and reached out to snatch it away. Gou'er quickly turned his hand to the side, but accidentally dropped the ring on the ground.
The gold ring rolled right to Du Zhong's feet. He picked it up and took the opportunity to chat with Xiu Zhi with a smile, "You still have a gold ring."
Xiuzhi suddenly jumped out of bed and tried to snatch it back, shouting, "Give it back to me!"
Du Zhong chuckled and tossed his hand, but the ring fell to the ground again. Just then, Jiu Li lifted the curtain and came in. She picked up the ring and examined it closely. She wondered which craftsman had made it. It was very exquisite. However, judging from the size of the ring, it was much smaller than Xiu Zhi's hand, so it didn't seem to belong to her.
She handed the ring back to Xiuzhi, smiled, and asked, "Aunt Guo, is this 'Xian' your childhood name?"
Xiuzhi hurriedly took it, nodded haphazardly, and put it back in the jewelry box. Jiuli glanced at it; the box contained only a pair of old silver bracelets and three wooden hairpins. The gold ring stood out conspicuously in the box. She couldn't help but notice Xiuzhi's profile; she seemed a little annoyed, a stark contrast to her usual tolerant and gentle demeanor.
Xiuzhi herself realized what was happening, closed the box, and smiled, "Where is the master?"
"My uncle just went back first, and told me and Du Zhong to wait until the dog has taken the medicine and seen the effects before we leave."
Xiuzhi knew Yu Qi's temperament; he wouldn't sit idly at someone's house unless there was something to do. But she couldn't help thinking that perhaps it was too cold sitting in their house. Du Zhong had come once in early autumn; it wasn't cold then, so she hadn't noticed. Now that it was winter, poverty was most apparent.
She then remembered that since they arrived, there hadn't even been a charcoal brazier in the house. She quickly pushed them out, saying, "I'll go and light a charcoal brazier. You can sit in the main room and warm yourselves by the fire. Don't stay here, or you'll catch a cold."
Just as she came out, she ran into Old Mrs. Cao returning home. She said she had bought half a roast chicken, some radishes, and a jar of wine. At this time of year, both vegetables and meat were expensive, and the old lady had been feeling the pinch all day. Hearing that Yu Qi had left, she breathed a sigh of relief and followed Xiu Zhi to the kitchen, saying that the two siblings probably didn't drink, so the jar of wine wouldn't be opened and would be saved as a gift for the dog trainer at the end of the year. Although Xiu Zhi silently agreed, she felt a little guilty.
After lunch, Gou'er's fever subsided considerably, and he started complaining of hunger. Xiuzhi added water to the remaining half bowl of rice and cooked it into porridge to feed him. Seeing that he was eating with relish, Jiuli Duzhong was finally relieved and said goodbye to go home.
Xiuzhi saw them off at the courtyard gate. As Jiuli walked into the alley, Du Zhong quietly said to Xiuzhi, "I'll come to see you again tomorrow and bring you some things. Is there anything you need?"
Xiuzhi turned her head and looked back into the courtyard. Knowing that her mother-in-law was watching from behind the curtain in the main room, she smiled and said, "I'll be relieved as long as Gou'er's fever goes down. I'll take care of him for two more days, and I'll go back on the fourteenth. Don't come back."
Du Zhongyin remembered that he hadn't eaten very well for lunch. There was only half a roast chicken, and it was all given to the guests. Xiuzhi hadn't eaten a single bite of oil or meat. He felt sorry for her and said, "Then I'll go to the market tomorrow and buy some chicken, duck, fish and meat and have someone deliver it to you."
Xiuzhi also recalled the chaotic scene at lunch, feeling extremely embarrassed. She forced a smile and pushed him, saying, "Don't worry about it. Let's go. Look, the girl has already gone far away."
She closed the courtyard gate and went back into the house. The old lady was sitting on the edge of the bed, patting the dog to sleep. She glanced at her with her forehead raised, but quickly looked back at the quilt. Xiuzhi went out and brought in the charcoal brazier, and silently tidied up the bedroom for a while.
Grandma Cao glanced at her every now and then, and finally couldn't help but speak up, "The New Year is coming soon. Even if you pay your monthly allowance, you still have to pay off your debts, and it won't be enough to cover your expenses. Besides, Master Yu said that Gou'er needs to eat nourishing food. I think it would be better to take that gold ring and exchange it for money."
Xiuzhi put the broom in the corner, walked to the bedside and glanced at it. "How could that ring end up on the market? Mother doesn't know the dangers."
Old Mrs. Cao didn't answer. Even if she was uncouth, she knew that the ring was no ordinary item and shouldn't be easily pawned. She was just trying to pressure her. Sure enough, after a while, she heard a rustling sound of clothes being rubbed. After hesitating for a while, Xiuzhi finally reached into her collar and took off the gold gourd pendant that Du Zhong had given her.
"I'll be going back in a couple of days. You can take this and exchange it for silver to buy some good food for the dog. Keep the rest for the New Year."
The old woman looked at the pendant in her hand, and a weight finally lifted from her heart. Women are most vulnerable when they have lingering attachments; once those attachments take hold, they will inevitably lead them elsewhere. She was born a member of the Cao family, and she would die a member of the Cao family; she couldn't let her go!
She looked down at her face, following her hand, and said, "Mother doesn't mean anything by it, but there are really many places where we need money right now. If you can't bear to part with it, I think we should just pawn that ring. Anyway, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and they won't know if we pawn it. Others may not even recognize whose it is."
“This is absolutely unacceptable, it would be a matter of losing one’s head. How could the Empress’s things be allowed to circulate in the market? The Empress’s childhood name is even engraved on it!” Xiuzhi said, her voice becoming increasingly resolute. She shoved the golden gourd into Xiuzhi’s hand. “I have nothing to be reluctant about. I know what is more important.”
The old lady nodded and smiled, seizing the opportunity, "I know you're a sensible person. No matter how important others are, they can't be more important than our own family. I have nothing to say; it's just a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. If I really wanted to, I could easily let go. But Gou'er is your own son. If you dislike him—"
Xiuzhi was most afraid of hearing what was said below, so she quickly interrupted, "Mother, please stop talking."
"You tell me not to say it, and I don't want to say it either. Have you ever said such a thing before?"
In the past, the old lady had only hinted indirectly, because those men weren't good enough; she knew they wouldn't be able to move Xiuzhi. But this time, the man she met was different. His family background and appearance were exceptional, and he was so young. Any woman would be tempted.
“I’m doing this for your own good. That Second Master Zhong is too young. If you really get together with him, doesn’t he want to have a son in the future? How old are you? Can you really withstand a brush with death? Even if you survive, what if you have another child—wouldn’t it all be for nothing? Besides, I know Gou’er is your life. You can abandon him, but I can’t. If you can really be heartless and abandon him, that child is truly unlucky—”
"Mother, please stop talking." Xiuzhi said indifferently, "You're overthinking it. These are all baseless rumors. People are just kind-hearted. They took pity on me because they saw how hard I work and how difficult things are at home. They didn't mean anything by what you think."
"If you don't have it, then so be it. I was just nagging for nothing. We poor people should live our lives honestly. There are some branches that we shouldn't try to climb. Think about when you were at your parents' house, you went with your mother to the Chen family to borrow money. You said it yourself, like a beggar going to beg for food. You've never been able to endure that kind of hardship."
Speaking of the Chen family, the old lady suddenly became interested again, staring at the jewelry box on the table. "Do you think they really keep their word, adopting Gou'er as their godson and bringing him to the capital?" Then she added, "They even sent the Empress's ring as a token. I think it's true—"
"mother!"
The old lady stopped talking, but this inevitably stirred up Xiuzhi's worries. The people sent by the Chen family must still be here; they must still be up to no good and might come knocking on her door again to threaten and entice her.
These past two days, she has been worried about the dog's illness and also anxious about the Chen family's visit. She really doesn't know why they would suddenly think of her, a relative they have no connection with at all.
—Yes, it must be because I met Chen Jia at Qinglian Temple that time. I went to Chen's mansion to beg for money. Although Chen Jia was still young, she had already grown into a pretty girl.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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