Chapter 52: Dog, You Have Changed
After some discussion with the villagers, the village chief quickly made a detailed count of the villagers affected by the disaster and listed how many seedlings each family needed.
Then he waved his hand and sent several young and strong men in the village to go to the surrounding towns and villages to inquire about the news of rice seedlings.
The guys took the order and left in a hurry, their figures gradually moving away on the muddy road after the rain.
When grandpa and two uncles returned, they looked a little more relaxed and the sadness on their faces faded a little.
Grandpa breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The village chief has already asked the village boys to go out and inquire about rice seedlings. I think we can recover some of the losses and not end up with nothing."
After hearing this, grandma's tense nerves immediately relaxed, and she kept saying, "That's good, that's good." As she spoke, she patted her chest gently, as if to dispel all the accumulated worries.
Gu Yuhe, who was concentrating on writing, saw that the depressing atmosphere at home had finally eased. He put down his pen, his eyes rolling around, and said to Gu Jiayue expectantly, "Second sister, it rained all night last night, and the fish in the river must have been washed into the rice fields. I'll go catch some fish for you there, okay?" He smiled ingratiatingly, but there was a hint of cunning in his smile.
Gu Jiayue put down the book in her hand and looked at Gu Yuhe quietly without saying a word.
She had noticed two children hanging around the door earlier, and when they caught Gu Yuhe's attention, they danced and made faces. She knew in her heart that these must be his good friends calling him out to play.
Gu Yuhe felt a little guilty under Gu Jiayue's gaze, and didn't dare to meet her gaze. However, after being stared at for a while, he felt uncomfortable all over, as if he was bitten by thousands of ants, itching uncomfortably. He twisted and turned in his chair, his fingers unconsciously picking at the corner of his clothes.
"Today's class still has half an hour left, so let's go after class." Gu Jiayue said calmly and slowly.
Gu Yuhe's lips curled up when he heard this. All the strength in his body seemed to be drained away in an instant, and he felt completely limp. He muttered softly, "Oh."
The tone was full of reluctance, as if the most beloved treasure had been taken away.
Seeing this, Goudan, who was standing by, gently touched Gu Yuhe's arm and said soothingly, "Hurry up and finish the homework assigned by the teacher."
Goudan really didn't understand his friend. In his opinion, it would be great if the teacher was his sister.
He loved reading, and his teacher didn't need to worry about him at all, and he never thought about going out to play. If he could, he would just hold a book in his arms and immerse himself in the ocean of knowledge.
What a pity, the teacher is not his sister. He is full of envy for Gu Yuhe.
Half an hour passed in a flash, and Gu Jiayue indicated that today's class would end here.
When Gu Yuhe heard this, his eyes lit up instantly. Without even having time to put away his books, he jumped up like an agile monkey and ran out.
He ran and yelled, "Hurry up, Goudan! If you don't get rid of the rocks, they'll catch all the fish and shrimp soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed into the kitchen and quickly took out a small bucket and held it in his hand, doing it in one go.
Goudan was still calmly tidying up his desk. He looked calm as he slowly put the books into his schoolbag one by one.
Hearing Gu Yuhe's invitation, he refused without hesitation: "Gousheng, you go and play. I have to go home and help my mother with work."
Gu Yuhe stopped walking when he heard this and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "The busy farming season is over. Is there anything else at home that needs a child's help? Are you going home to study?"
There was a hint of anger in his voice, he felt like his best friend had changed, and even felt betrayed.
How happy they were in the past, going up and down the mountain together, climbing slopes together, playing in the mud together, and being inseparable.
But what about now? Goudan only has his mind on studying. Even though they are together every day, Goudan rarely talks to him.
Even talking is related to learning.
He couldn't stand it anymore! Why did everyone have to study? So many people in the village had never been to school, but weren't they all living well?
What’s so good about reading?
He remembered an old man in the county who had studied all his life. Now he was almost sixty years old, but he still had not passed the imperial examination to become a student. His once wealthy family had been reduced to poverty because of his reading.
Why did he insist on studying? Gu Yuhe couldn't understand it.
Just like Goudan didn’t understand why Gu Yuhe was unwilling to study hard even though he had a literate sister who was willing to teach him.
"There's still a lot of work to do at home. There was hail and heavy rain yesterday, and the yard and house were destroyed. I have to go home to help my mother clean up. Gousheng, I really can't play with you today." Goudan explained patiently, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"Hmph, if you don't want to go together, then don't go together. You're not my only friend." Gu Yuhe's face turned red with anger. He picked up the small bucket and ran away angrily.
He ran very fast, as if he wanted to vent all his dissatisfaction, and happened to bump into Hu Zi who was returning from the county.
Hu Zi saw that he was running so fast and was afraid that he would fall, so he asked hurriedly, "Where are you going?"
Gu Yuhe snorted coldly and ran faster without looking back, as if there was some ferocious beast chasing him from behind.
Goudan felt a little lost as he watched Gu Yuhe leave. But he couldn't bring himself to go out and play, leaving his mother to clean up the mess alone.
He should have taken the day off. The house was a mess, and his father had to work in the fields. His mother would definitely be too busy to handle the housework alone. But his mother disagreed, saying that this was a rare opportunity to study, and he should cherish it.
What if the teacher doesn't want to teach one day? So if you can learn one day, you should learn one more day.
So his parents not only sent him to school, but also helped the teacher's family repair the house before returning.
His parents had such high expectations of him that he couldn't bear to disappoint them, nor did he want to ignore them. He also wanted to give something back, like passing the imperial examinations or helping out with small tasks within his ability. He also wanted to redeem his sister one day.
Gu Jiayue looked at the lost Goudan, walked over and touched his head, and softly comforted him: "Don't think too much, Yuhe has no bad intentions. Tomorrow he will definitely ask you to sit with him affectionately again."
Her voice was gentle and soothing, like a spring breeze, gently blowing through Goudan's heart.
"Yes, Master. I'll go home first." Goudan said respectfully, then turned and left.
Gu Jiayue nodded and advised, "Go ahead, be careful, it just rained and the road is slippery." Her eyes were full of concern as she watched Goudan's back disappear from her sight.
"I understand, Master. Goodbye, Master, and goodbye, Brother Huzi." Goudan turned around and waved as he walked away.
Seeing Goudan running away, Gu Jiayue smiled and shook her head, letting Huzi sit down and rest. "Have you eaten? How's Uncle Li?" Gu Jiayue asked with concern.
Hu Zi took the tea Hua Chao brought, but didn't drink it first. Instead, he replied, "Mr. Li is not in danger of death. He just has a broken leg, and the doctor has already fixed it. But the wounds on his head and abdomen are quite serious, and there's a long gash on his forehead. Fortunately, the doctor knows how to suture wounds, so it's almost healed. But it will take a long time to heal."
Hu Zi's words made everyone in the family breathe a sigh of relief. "As long as the cow is alive, it's fine. We farmers don't care about that much. Life is long, and as long as we take good care of it, it will be fine. It's a pity for the cow," said the grandfather with emotion.
In this era, not everyone can raise cattle.
The cow was his only chance to raise because Uncle Li had a distant nephew who worked in the county government office. He had grabbed a spot for Uncle Li when the cattle were distributed, which was why he was able to raise the cow.
During the busy farming season, the villagers would line up to borrow oxen from Old Man Li. Old Man Li was also an expert at plowing the fields, and he earned a lot of money with this skill.
Now that Niu Gunshan had died, not only did they have to report it to the county government, which could lead to censure, but they also lost a source of income. The village was also without a cow, causing all sorts of inconveniences.
"By the way, miss, I met Brother Kangzi in town. He said he found a few shops in good locations. You can go and have a look when you have time." Hu Zi suddenly remembered and added.
"Then let's go tomorrow." Gu Jiayue said after thinking for a moment.
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