The little girl looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a thin body and a sallow complexion. It was obvious that she was suffering from long-term malnutrition.
"Who are you?" Gu Jiayue couldn't help but ask when she saw that she was a stranger.
The little girl first looked past Gu Jiayue and looked at Jiang Luli behind her.
The moment she saw Jiang Luli, a glint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
In this remote Taohua Village, there is such a handsome man!
I saw that he had an upright posture and outstanding temperament. In a nutshell, he was handsome!
The girl thought, if such a handsome man was born into a wealthy family and received a good education and training, he would definitely achieve something remarkable. It was such a pity that he was left in this small village.
Jiang Luli was incredibly perceptive, instantly catching the little girl's gaze. The gentle smile on his face suddenly faded, and a cold, unapproachable aura emanated from him.
In order to get closer to Gu Jiayue, he has been restraining his sharp tongue recently. He hasn't cursed anyone for a long time and is feeling very uncomfortable.
Jiang Luli's glare snapped the girl back to her senses. Like a frightened deer, she quickly averted her gaze. Turning to Gu Jiayue, she gave a slightly awkward, yet ingratiating smile. "Hello, Mr. Gu, my name is Ye Yuntang. I'm from Xinghua Village, and I'm currently living in the thatched house at the entrance of your Taohua Village."
She raised her hand and pointed in the direction of the village entrance.
Gu Jiayue's heart moved, oh, it turned out to be her.
I heard my aunt mentioned it in casual conversation before.
That was not long after she arrived in Taohua Village. She heard that there was a little girl in the neighboring village who had separated from her eccentric grandparents with her parents and younger brother.
When the family was divided, they were kicked out with only two broken bowls. With no other options, they could only temporarily live in an uninhabited thatched house not far from Taohua Village.
Speaking of which, that thatched house is actually the property of Taohua Village.
In the early years, there was a bandit problem here, and the village chief organized everyone to build this house to use as a sentry. Later, a passing general quelled the bandit problem, and the house became vacant.
Seeing that Ye Yuntang's family was pitiful, the village chief turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.
But Mrs. Hua saw it and ran over to make a fuss twice.
In order to find a stable place to stay, the girl asked to pay 20 coins a month for rent. The village chief was reluctant to accept the money, but the girl insisted, so he only accepted 10 coins.
In this way, Ye Yuntang and his family settled down there.
In the days that followed, the little girl showed extraordinary tenacity.
She often went up the mountain to look for mountain products, and made some food by herself and sold it in the county town.
In just six months, they not only paid off their family debts but also saved enough money to buy a piece of land from the village chief. That land was at the entrance of Taohua Village, and unlike their thatched house, it was within the village proper. This meant that once they finished building their house, they could contact the village chief to transfer their household registration, becoming official residents of Taohua Village.
"I came here today to ask you something. I have an eight-year-old brother who is very smart and loves to read. I'd like to ask if I can enroll him in the school to study with him."
"I know the school only accepts children from Taohua Village, but my house is under construction. Although my household registration hasn't been moved here yet, it's only a matter of time. I'm not asking the headmaster to waive my brother's tuition. I can give him a stipend. I just hope he'll give my brother a chance to study." After saying this, she leaned forward and bowed deeply to Gu Jiayue. Her back bent in a humble arc, and she didn't straighten it for a long time.
Gu Jiayue listened, but her eyes were cast not far away.
A little boy was running hurriedly from a distance. He was thin and looked much younger than his actual age. He didn't look like an eight-year-old child at all.
The little boy looked at his sister who was bowing, and tears instantly filled his eyes. He shouted, "Sister, what are you doing? Who told you that I want to study?"
Ye Yuntang stood up and reached out to take Ye Yunqiao's hand. He gently straightened his clothes, which were messed up from running so fast, and his hair swayed slightly with his movements. "Master Gu, this is my younger brother. Don't underestimate him because he's small, but he's very smart. Qiaoqiao, quickly recite a passage from the Three Character Classic that I taught you."
Ye Yunqiao opened his mouth and instinctively wanted to refuse again.
He knew in his heart that his sister had tried her best for this family.
Our family was so poor and broke that they had accumulated a great deal of debt over the years to pay for his medical treatment. My sister had a hard time paying off the debt, and she also had to worry about repairing the house and supporting the family.
He and his parents were already filled with guilt for not being able to help his sister. Now, his sister even wanted to send him to school.
Studying, grandpa and grandma said, is a bottomless pit. He felt that he was already a burden to his sister enough, how could he have the audacity to study again?
"Qiao Qiao, don't you know how to recite it? Open your mouth." Seeing his brother hesitate, Ye Yuntang said with a hint of anxiety in his tone and his eyes were full of anticipation.
Ye Yunqiao sighed helplessly, turned to face Gu Jiayue, and gave a rather awkward bow. His voice was childish yet held a hint of stubbornness: "Man is inherently good..."
Gu Jiayue listened, her thoughts drifting away.
She remembered that when she first arrived in Taohua Village, her younger brothers and sisters also stood under the tree and recited their lessons like this.
Time flies so fast, it seems like just in the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.
When she came, the village was still full of vibrant spring scenes, but now it is already a season with deep autumn elements.
In a few days, the golden rice in the fields will be harvested, and the plump corn on the mountains will be ready to be picked.
The sweet osmanthus flowers on both sides of the road bloomed wantonly. As the breeze blew by, the rich fragrance of the flowers, accompanied by the sound of reading aloud, drifted into Gu Jiayue's ears, making people feel comfortable.
Ye Yuntang stood aside, looking at his brother who was memorizing seriously, his eyes full of satisfaction.
In modern times, she had no parents and grew up with difficulty by eating at other people's homes.
Later, he passed away due to a heart attack and accidentally traveled to this world, where he suddenly had a family.
Initially, she was filled with excitement, believing it was a blessing from heaven. However, after inheriting the original owner's memories, she discovered that reality was far from what she had imagined.
In order to snatch her marriage, her cousin pushed her off a cliff; her grandparents favored her uncle's family and not only did they not allow her to file a complaint, they also exploited their family to support everyone.
Her father was taciturn, her mother was timid, and her brother was sickly. She herself felt helpless and lost. In the first few days after her time travel, she even considered suicide.
But the sickly younger brother secretly stole grandma's eggs, just to make her get better quickly; the cowardly mother dared to muster up the courage to talk back to her aunt for her; the silent father got angry for the first time because of her and overturned the dining table at home.
Afterwards, the family of four was driven out of their home, leaving behind only two broken bowls and patched clothes.
That’s right, there are really two bowls, and each bowl has more than three notches. If you are not careful when using it, your lips will be cut.
The family slept on the straw stack for three days. Then it started to rain and the straw stack was no match for the rain. They had no choice but to move into a thatched house in Taohua Village.
Ye Yuntang longs for a complete and warm family. Considering that her adoptive parents are good to her, she is willing to devote all her efforts to this family.
She discovered that her younger brother, Ye Yunqiao, was very clever. She occasionally found time to teach him a few words, and he would quickly memorize them. She also noticed that every day her younger brother would secretly stand at the village entrance, eagerly watching the children of Taohua Village carrying their schoolbags to school.
"Headmaster." After Ye Yunqiao finished reciting, Ye Yuntang looked at Gu Jiayue expectantly.
Gu Jiayue smiled and reached out her hand, gently touching Ye Yunqiao's head, her eyes full of praise: "Not bad, you didn't make a single mistake in reciting a word."
Ye Yunqiao didn't expect Gu Jiayue to praise her. Her pretended calmness instantly collapsed, her face flushed red, and she lowered her head shyly.
"But I can't accept you into the school."
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