Chapter 130 Goodbye Zheng Brothers and Sisters
Gu Jiayue was busy in the school for the whole morning and finally finished the morning class.
She watched the children packing their books and gave them worried instructions. "Make sure your books are well-preserved and don't lose them. When you go to the cafeteria to eat, don't chase or fight. Line up and eat slowly. And everyone must eat their fill, okay? Don't save money for the teacher. Your little bellies won't make mine broke." Aunt Cai took the time to tell him what happened in the cafeteria this morning.
Gu Yuhe happened to hear him talking, and he said that the uncles and aunts in the village had warned the children who came to study to eat less, because eating too much would make the teacher poor. Then there would be no one to teach.
Gu Jiayue felt sad and warm at the same time.
He couldn't say anything directly, so he could only keep reminding the children. "If you don't finish your food, it will just be thrown away. That would be a shame, wouldn't it?"
Although they are all children, they have been suffering since they were in their mother's womb, so what they cannot stand is wasting food.
When I heard that the unfinished food at Gu Jiayue’s club would be thrown away, how could it be so wasteful?
So when eating, everyone eats as much as they can.
However, Madam Cai had a plan and the food she gave was based on Gu Yuhe's appetite, ensuring that everyone could eat their fill but not feel stuffed.
After dinner, the children all went home to rest. They would come back for class at 3pm.
Just then, she inadvertently raised her eyes and saw a carriage slowly approaching from a distance.
At first, she didn't take it seriously and thought they were here to pick up Principal Min and the others.
As the carriage approached, Zheng Yunxi gracefully jumped down. She suddenly slapped her forehead, thinking to herself, "Oh no! I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to invite Yunxi to the opening ceremony."
A trace of regret flashed across her face, and her eyes were full of apology.
Zheng Yunxi stood beside the carriage, curiously observing the children passing by. She couldn't help but wonder, "Sister Yue is truly amazing. How could she teach so many students?"
Just as she was thinking, she caught a glimpse of Gu Jiayue walking towards her. Her already bright eyes instantly shone like stars. "Sister Jiayue!"
Zheng Qinghe, who was riding in front, also dismounted. He tightened his hands on the reins, but his expression remained calm. He bowed and said, "Miss Gu, there was an urgent case waiting to be heard at the yamen yesterday. I'm sorry that I couldn't come to congratulate you. I'm really sorry."
His voice was deep and magnetic, but his eyes hinted at a hint of nervousness. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins, and the tall horse seemed to sense his emotions and swayed slightly.
Gu Jiayue stopped two meters away from Zheng Qinghe, with a faint smile on her face, and responded politely: "It's okay, Lord Zheng, the case is more important."
Her tone was calm, yet she kept a certain distance.
"Sister Yue." Zheng Yunxi walked over, followed by her cousin Song Yao.
When Gu Jiayue saw Zheng Yunxi, the alienated expression on her face softened instantly, and her eyes were full of concern: "Yun'er, go slowly. The mountain road is uneven. Be careful not to fall."
"No, sister, in order to make it convenient to go out today, I specially wore thick-soled embroidered shoes. It is very convenient to walk." Zheng Yunxi said, and was about to lift up her skirt to show Gu Jiayue excitedly.
Gu Jiayue was quick to move and quickly reached out to stop her.
Zheng Yunxi finally realized that this was not a yard that belonged to just the two of them. Her face immediately turned red with shame, and she looked a little flustered, secretly regretting her own loss of composure.
"Is this your cousin? What a pretty girl." In order to ease Zheng Yunxi's embarrassment, Gu Jiayue quickly changed the subject. Her eyes fell on the little girl with bright eyes and chubby cheeks behind Zheng Yunxi. She couldn't help but admire in her heart that this little girl was so festive and cute.
"Hehehe, thank you Sister Yue for the compliment. Just call me Yao'er." Song Yao smiled carefreely, without any shyness.
She is fourteen years old this year and is the only daughter of Lord and Madam Song. She has been spoiled by her parents since childhood and has developed such a casual personality.
"Okay, okay, you are Yun'er's sister, and that means you are also my sister. One day I will ask the owner of Mingren Hall to upgrade your membership card to the top level. Consider it a meeting gift from your sister."
Gu Jiayue thought that since she had seen the little girl's love for food in Mingren Hall that day, she would definitely like this gift.
But who would have thought that Song Yao, who had been smiling, would suddenly fall apart, looking as if she was about to cry but couldn't. Seeing this, Gu Jiayue wondered, "What's going on?"
Zheng Yunxi, standing by, covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled softly, "Sister, you'd better not leave. These past few days, she's been using my membership card to eat and drink at Mingren Hall every day. She's gained so much weight that she can't even fit into the new summer clothes she made last month. So, not only did my aunt confiscate both of our membership cards, she also banned Yao'er from entering Mingren Hall."
"Ah? There is such a thing?" Gu Jiayue was slightly stunned. She looked at Song Yao carefully and found that she was indeed a little rounder than a few days ago.
"Cousin! Don't say that!" Song Yao shyly covered her face with a handkerchief, hiding the embarrassment on her face.
She didn't want to eat there every day, but the food at Mingren Tang was so tempting!
Not only are they delicious, but there are new items every day. My cousin's top-tier membership card also lets her try many delicacies that aren't available that day, and she can even order a super luxurious birthday cake!
She fell in love with that tall, layer upon layer, luxurious and beautiful cake that was beyond words after just one look at the promotional picture.
She had originally planned to have Mingren Hall host her birthday party next month, but now it was all ruined. Not only did her mother confiscate her membership card, she also contacted the shopkeeper and refused to let them in. How could she not be infuriated?
"Hahahaha..." For a moment, crisp laughter came from the path outside the school.
Zheng Qinghe, who was originally in a bad mood, saw Gu Jiayue's hearty smile, and the haze in his heart instantly dissipated.
He looked at Gu Jiayue, his eyes filled with admiration. He secretly made up his mind: Such a wonderful girl should belong to me. Her avoidance and coldness were simply due to the broken engagement. I believe Jiayue still has me in her heart. Otherwise, why would she be so kind to my sister and cousin? She must love me for everything. As long as I persist and let her see my determination, she will definitely accept me.
Thinking about this, he took a step forward. Standing slightly behind Gu Jiayue, he leaned slightly to the side to shield her from the glaring sunlight and said softly, "I know you have a lot to talk about, but I think we should find a cool place to sit and chat. The sun is a bit scorching right now, so be careful not to burn your face."
Zheng Qinghe was tall, estimated to be over 1.85 meters tall. When he stood there, he was like a small mountain, blocking most of the sunlight above his head.
Gu Jiayue was a little embarrassed. Although she looked sixteen, she had the mature soul of a thirty-year-old. She knew Zheng Qinghe's thoughts clearly, but unfortunately, she was not interested in him at all.
Moreover, the two were engaged before, so it was very awkward for them to be together.
So she unnoticeably took Zheng Yunxi's hand, took two steps forward, and said with a smile, "Look at me, I was so happy that I forgot. Come, let's go to the school first."
Gu Jiayue's courtyard was now inhabited by people from Wutong Academy, so it was inconvenient to bring Zheng Yunxi and Song Yao in, so she took them to the waterside pavilion in the middle of the school's teaching building.
The waterside pavilion is furnished with tables and chairs, surrounded by water and sheltered by eaves, making it much cooler than other places. It is a great place to cool off.
Along the way, Song Yao looked around curiously, asking a few questions from time to time. They talked and laughed, and didn't feel bored.
When they arrived at the water pavilion, the newly bought maid Ji Chun had already prepared snacks and tea.
"Wow, I didn't expect that I could eat Mingrentang's pastries so soon." Song Yao's eyes lit up as she stared at the delicacies on the table. If someone didn't know her, they would think she had been hungry for three days.
"If you like it, I'll give it all to you." Gu Jiayue looked at Song Yao, as if she saw the students she taught in her previous life. Her study committee member was also a little girl similar to Song Yao, with a round face and big eyes. She loved milk tea and cake the most. There was milk tea on the table almost every day, and every reward was exchanged for milk tea.
She thought that if they had the chance to meet, they would definitely have a lot in common.
"Wow, thank you, Sister Yue. You are really just like my cousin said, a good person. Hehe." Song Yao was innocent and didn't know how to be polite. Since the host asked her to eat, she didn't hesitate and picked up a piece of cake and started to eat it with relish.
In comparison, Zheng Yunxi was much more elegant. She gently picked up the teacup and sipped the cool fruit tea.
The sour and sweet taste of the fruit tea spread in her mouth, and it had a different flavor than the sweet cake.
"Sister Yue'er, I came here today to say goodbye to you. I have been away for a long time. Yesterday I received a letter from my mother asking me to choose a day to return to Beijing." Zheng Yunxi said, with a trace of reluctance in her eyes. They had only met twice in total, and there were still many things they had not had time to say.
She blamed her brother in her heart. She knew that the person was in Annan County, but she didn't inquire about it earlier, wasting time in vain.
If Zheng Qinghe knew what his sister was thinking, he would definitely feel very aggrieved.
The first thing he did when he arrived in Annan County was to inquire about Gu Jiayue's whereabouts, but there was no news at all.
If my sister hadn't come across it by chance, I don't know when I would have found it.
Actually, this is also Gu Jiayue's fault. She lives a secluded life and keeps a low profile. She never speaks in her own name about external affairs. How could anyone find out?
"So soon? I wanted to keep you in Taohua Village for a while longer." Gu Jiayue frowned slightly, her eyes full of regret. But then she thought, Zheng Yunxi is an unmarried young lady, and it is indeed not appropriate for her to stay for a long time while visiting relatives and friends.
The rules for women in this era were strict, and she couldn't force it.
"It's okay. My brother will be the magistrate of Annan County in the future. If you miss me, you can write a letter to my brother and ask him to send it to me through the post station." Zheng Yunxi comforted Gu Jiayue instead.
"Okay, I will." Gu Jiayue nodded and said with concern, "Be careful on the way back to Beijing, and bring more people with you. If you encounter any danger, remember that nothing is more important than staying alive, understand?"
Zheng Yunxi smiled and nodded. Sister Yue'er was still as worrying as ever.
At this time, Jiang Luli and Min Shanzhang and his party passed by the water pavilion and saw Gu Jiayue having a pleasant conversation with a man.
Jiang Luli narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who is that man? Why does he look so familiar?"
Min Shanzhang stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "I haven't been back to Kyoto in over ten years. How could I know anyone?"
Jiang Luli raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh? Then how do you know he's from Kyoto?"
Principal Min was speechless for a moment. "The prefect had recommended him before. I heard it's Zheng Qinghe, the second son of Grand Tutor Zheng. He won the third place in the imperial examination last year and has now been assigned to Annan County as the county magistrate."
"The second son of Grand Tutor Zheng? The one who tried to commit suicide for a woman some time ago? He was actually sent to this remote place to serve as a county magistrate? Did he offend someone?"
Shanzhang Min curled his lips helplessly. "Couldn't it be that they volunteered?" "I don't know about these things. Why don't you go ask them yourself?"
"Hehe, I'm busy teaching and don't have time to deal with these trivial matters." Jiang Luli snorted coldly, turned around and left this place that made him feel uncomfortable.
After Jiang Luli left, it was not appropriate for Principal Min to stay, after all, there were two girls in the pavilion.
There's no rush anyway, let's talk about it another day.
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