Chapter 105 The Tycoon (Second Update)
Gu Jiao made a book bag for Gu Yan overnight.
The next day at daybreak, Gu Yan was packed up by her own sister and put on Luo Dazhuang's oxcart.
Xiao Liulang asked Gu Xiaoshun to ask the academy for an hour's leave for him, while he and Gu Jiao took Gu Yan and Xiao Jingkong to the private school.
Xiao Liulang paid the money and completed the enrollment procedures.
Xiao Jingkong asked Gu Yan, who was waiting in the corridor, "Which class do you think you'll be in?"
Gu Yan snorted coldly, "Anyway, it's impossible for us to be in the same class!"
Xiao Jingkong was studying elementary school, while Gu Yan was already fourteen, so of course it was impossible for him to attend the elementary school class.
He was assigned to Master Chang's class, which consisted of students around his age who had some basic knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics.
Gu Yan was reasonably satisfied with the class assignment.
But before he could even settle in, Master Chang brought in another new student.
There happened to be an empty seat next to Gu Yan, so Master Chang let the new student sit next to Gu Yan.
Gu Yan stared wide-eyed at the three-headed little monk beside him: "You, how did you end up in this class?"
Xiao Jingkong spread his hands and said, "I skipped a grade!"
Gu Yan: "..."
This actually works?!
Gu Yan began a period of intense suffering. He couldn't lose to a little monk, especially one who was vying for his favor. If the little monk could skip grades, so could he!
snort!
Gu Yan, who had always been just coasting along, suddenly became serious.
Both bodyguards were confused.
They had been assigned to the young master by the old marquis for several years, and it could be said that they knew the young master's character very well. But why did the young master seem to have become a different person after he recognized his sister?
Can you believe he's actually started studying?
After completing the topographic map, Gu Jiao began to plan the land reclamation. She marked on the map where to cultivate medicinal herbs, where to plant crops, and where to build small ponds.
The mountain is located behind Uncle Luo's house. Its shape resembles a series of undulating mountain ranges, with one large peak and four smaller peaks. There happens to be an open space halfway up the first small peak.
What should we do with that vacant lot?
Lord Gu stopped coming after his threats to divorce the two failed. However, Madam Yao came a few times, each time bringing pastries she had made herself.
The old lady liked it very much.
Madam Yao also brought Gu Jiao several sets of clothes that she had made herself. She knew that Gu Jiao would be working, so the nightgowns were made of high-quality silk, while the daytime clothes were mostly made of durable cotton and linen.
Granny Fang didn't quite understand her actions: "Since the young lady is suffering, just give her more money. Why make clothes that even maids wear?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Yao simply smiled and said, "Jiaojiao doesn't need my money."
Madam Yao spent her entire life confined to the inner quarters, living a life dependent on men. Everyone thought that was how she was supposed to be, and she herself once thought so too, until she met her daughter.
She felt that her daughter was living the life she wanted.
It's not about money, it's about freedom.
Since being rejected the first time, Yao has never mentioned staying here again, nor has she ever forced Gu Jiao to call her mother.
She simply came to see Gu Jiao and asked Gu Jiao to examine her.
When she finished her medicine, Gu Jiao gave her four more boxes.
Gu Jiao, as a doctor, got along fairly well with Yao Shi.
Granny Fang also arrived, and she apologized to Gu Jiao for offending her earlier.
The apology was sincere, but she still had some reservations about some of Gu Jiao's actions.
She believed that Gu Jiao should go back with Yao Shi, take good care of Yao Shi, and uphold the status of the eldest daughter.
Because Gu Yan had gone to school, Yao Shi and Granny Fang came several times but did not see him. However, one time when Gu Yan and Xiao Jingkong's private school was on holiday, Yao Shi finally saw her long-lost son.
Then Yao noticed that her son had gained weight!
Mrs. Yao was so excited she almost cried.
I never dreamed that my seriously ill son would grow up to be a little dumpling.
Gu Yan is not considered fat now, but his face used to be too thin, and his cheeks were sunken. Now he has baby fat on his cheeks, and he looks like a cute, round little bun.
Yao couldn't resist pinching it.
It feels so good!
Gu Jiao nodded in deep agreement.
She kneads them every day; they feel incredibly good to the touch.
After getting into the carriage, Madam Yao, overjoyed and weeping, said to Granny Fang, "See, it was definitely the right decision to let Yan'er stay here, wasn't it?"
Granny Fang couldn't refute it: "...Yes, the young master has gained weight and his complexion is much better."
Gu Yan used to get angry every few days in the mansion, and he wouldn't eat properly or sleep well. Yao could only coax him, not force him.
After arriving here, Gu Yan's temper calmed down considerably, and he also made friends and playmates—Gu Xiaoshun, who had defeated him five times, and Xiao Jingkong, who was learning to beat him up.
——
"mother."
When Yao's carriage arrived at the courtyard, Gu Jinyu had already been lingering at the gate for quite some time.
Yao took her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief: "Have you been waiting for me here the whole time? The sun is so strong, aren't you afraid of getting sunburned!"
Gu Jinyu used to avoid sun exposure, fearing that getting a tan would make her less beautiful.
Gu Jinyu smiled sweetly: "I missed Mom. How was it? Did it go smoothly seeing your sister and brother?"
"Yes, your brother's private school is closed today. I saw him and Jiaojiao, and they were both doing well." As Yao said this, there was an undisguised smile in her eyes.
Gu Jinyu's expression faltered for a moment; she couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother so happy.
"What's wrong?" Madam Yao noticed her daughter's absent-mindedness.
Gu Jinyu snapped out of her reverie and smiled slightly, "I also want to see them. I'll visit my sister when she's no longer angry with me."
Madam Yao said earnestly, "She's not angry with you. You've misunderstood her. She's not the kind of person who holds grudges. She's just used to her current life and doesn't want to be disturbed."
Gu Jinyu bowed slightly: "Yes, daughter shouldn't have speculated about her sister like that."
Yao smiled, let go of her hand, and went inside.
Gu Jinyu's eyes flickered slightly, and she took a step to follow.
"Madam, you've finished airing out Miss's clothes!" A maidservant came over carrying a set of soft silk nightgowns.
Gu Jinyu smiled with delight and reached out to take the nightgown: "Is this for me?"
When she unfolded it, she realized the size was wrong; her nightgown wasn't this long.
Her fingers tightened.
The maid hadn't noticed her before, but now that she did, she was so embarrassed that her face turned pale.
The maidservant was caught in a dilemma: whether to take it or not.
Gu Jinyu smiled gently: "Mother, you made my clothes too long. You should give them to my sister instead."
The Yao family's products were originally intended for Gu Jiao, but since Gu Jinyu had already said so, if she were to reveal the truth, it would put the child in an awkward position.
She said gently, "Then Mother will make you a new one."
To be honest, she hadn't made clothes for Gu Jinyu in a long time.
The main problem was that the clothes she made didn't keep up with the trends in the capital. Gu Jinyu thought they were too old-fashioned and didn't like wearing them.
Gu Jinyu affectionately took Yao's arm: "As long as it's made by Mother, Jinyu will wear it every day!"
Gu Jinyu stayed in Yao's courtyard for dinner, and Lord Gu also came over.
He had only recovered today after being soundly beaten up. Too embarrassed to admit that he was beaten by a mere girl, he could only accuse Huang Zhong of drunk driving, causing the carriage accident.
After the meal, Gu Jinyu had a maid bring over a large box.
Yao asked, "What is this for?"
Gu Jinyu said gently, "These are gifts I picked out for my sister. I didn't know what she liked, so I prepared a little bit of everything."
Madam Yao had her maid remove the food and opened the box, revealing the contents: jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, needlework and embroidery... It was clear that she had put a lot of thought into it, and each item was quite exquisite.
But the most eye-catching item was a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument).
When Yao opened the zither case and saw the five-stringed zither inside, exuding an ancient aura, she gasped, "Jinyu, this is..."
Gu Jinyu smiled and nodded: "That's right, it's the Moon Shadow Fuxi Qin."
This is no ordinary guqin; it is a gift bestowed by His Majesty, and there is only one of its kind in the entire Zhao Kingdom.
The genuine antique Fuxi Qin was lost in the previous dynasty. This one was made by Yueying, the first Qin master of the Chen Kingdom. It is the most successful imitation of Fuxi Qin to date, hence it is also called Yueying Fuxi Qin.
Once, Gu Jinyu was playing the zither in Consort Shu's palace when His Majesty heard her and praised her for her superb zither skills, saying that she was second only to the Third Prince's wife.
His Majesty felt that Gu Jinyu was exceptionally talented and bestowed the Moon Shadow Fuxi Qin upon him.
Madam Yao felt this was inappropriate: "How could you give away something so valuable?"
Gu Jinyu smiled sweetly: "It's alright. His Majesty said that once it's given to me, it's mine and I can do whatever I want with it."
Ms. Yao shook her head: "What I mean is, it's too expensive."
Lord Gu wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, besides, that girl... cough, your sister doesn't know how to play the zither either." Giving it to her would be a waste, wouldn't it? What a waste!
Gu Jinyu hugged the guqin in her arms, lowered her eyes with a wronged expression: "But this is the best thing Jinyu can offer. Jinyu loves her sister and wants to make it up to her. Jinyu would give her life for her sister. What is a mere guqin?"
Madam Yao tucked a stray hair behind her ear and sighed, "Silly child."
In the end, Madam Yao did not take the guqin. She kept everything else and planned to give it to Jiaojiao another day. If Jiaojiao liked it, she could keep it; if not, she would bring it back.
Gu Jinyu carried the guqin back to the courtyard.
Lord Gu caught up with her and said solemnly, "Don't do such foolish things again!"
"What?" Gu Jinyu looked at her father with a puzzled expression.
Lord Gu glanced at the guqin in her arms and said, "Aren't you afraid that your mother might have actually accepted it just now?"
Gu Jinyu opened her eyes wide and said blankly, "I originally intended to give it to my sister! It's a pity Mother didn't want it."
Lord Gu breathed a sigh of relief: "Luckily, your mother didn't want it. Your sister grew up in the countryside and doesn't know anything about music. She only knows about firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. You might as well ask her to chop wood, let alone play the zither! Giving her such a good thing would be a waste."
Gu Jinyu said sincerely, "If you're willing, I can teach you!"
Lord Gu snorted coldly: "She has to appreciate it! Alright, keep the Moon Shadow Fuxi Qin safe, and don't give it away so easily again!"
Gu Jinyu lowered her eyes. No one could replicate the Fuxi Qin better than she had ever intended to give it away.
——
The private school was on holiday, but Tianxiang Academy was not. Gu Jiao was cooking dinner in the kitchen. She figured that Xiao Liulang and Gu Xiaoshun should be arriving at the village entrance soon, so she started making the last dish.
"My dear! My abacus is gone!"
Xiao Jingkong, at a loss, rushed into the kitchen.
Gu Jiao put water in the pot and put the lid on: "Don't worry, I'll go find it for you."
Xiao Jingkong brought back a lot of things from the temple, which Gu Jiao put into two large boxes for him.
Although he was a child, Gu Jiao still respected his privacy and wouldn't touch his things.
His suitcase was a mess, containing all sorts of odds and ends.
"Which box was it in?" Gu Jiao asked.
"This! No, it seems to be that!" Although Xiao Jingkong is a very organized child, he is still somewhat unsatisfactory when it comes to tidying things up.
Gu Jiao first rummaged through the boxes on the left and soon found a glittering abacus.
Pure gold!
Gu Jiao asked blankly, "Is it...this?"
"Yes!" Xiao Jingkong nodded vigorously.
Gu Jiao asked, "Who gave it to you?"
"Master!" Xiao Jingkong took the abacus and started tapping away. He had abacus class today and needed to review!
Is your master that rich? He actually gave you a gold abacus?
Gu Jiao finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you know it was made of gold?"
Xiao Jingkong nodded: "I know! Master has many abacuses, and I specifically chose this one!"
"Why?"
"nice!"
Gu Jiao: "..."
Gu Jiao put the things he had turned over on the ground back in one by one. When she picked up a large object wrapped in a tattered cloth, she suddenly heard a string sound.
Gu Jiao opened it and found it was a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument).
It looks very old and worn out, without even a case, but the tone is quite good; that last note was incredibly beautiful.
Gu Jiao dialed the number twice more.
The tone is really good.
Xiao Jingkong looked at Gu Jiao and asked, "Hmm? Can Jiao Jiao play the piano?"
Gu Jiao didn't answer his question, but instead asked him, "Can you do it?"
Xiao Jingkong thought about it seriously: "I can do it a little bit! But I don't like it!"
Gu Jiao asked, puzzled, "Why would someone who doesn't like music have a zither?"
Little Jingkong sighed like a little adult: "Alas, it was a gift from Master! Everything in here was a gift from him!"
Gu Jiao noticed a blackened area on the upper right corner of the guqin.
Xiao Jingkong explained, "Once, when there was no firewood, Master threw the zither in to burn, but it didn't catch fire for a long time, so he took it out again."
Gu Jiao was stunned. Even if it was a broken zither, it shouldn't be used as firewood, right? What kind of master did you end up with?
Xiao Jingkong said, "If Jiaojiao likes it, I'll give it to you!"
Gu Jiao stroked the guqin in her hands and inadvertently noticed two characters engraved on the bottom of the instrument—Fuxi.
Hidden Little Tycoon – Xiao Jingkong
o(*￣︶￣*)o
(End of this chapter)
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