Chapter 122 Jingkong's Strange Encounter (First Update)
Gu Jiao had never heard of it and had no interest in it, but since Xiao Liulang hadn't come out yet, she had no choice but to wait where she was and listen to the little girl chatter on for a while longer.
Xiao Liulang went to the Mingxuan Hall of the Imperial Academy. He knew the way well and didn't need anyone to guide him.
The way he leaned on his cane attracted the attention of many students. He straightened his back and calmly walked past a crowd of strange looks.
Mingxuan Hall was the academic affairs office of the Imperial College. Every day, academic officials and administrators would come here to wait for students from all over the country to report for duty.
Today, presiding over Mingxuan Hall is an academic administrator surnamed Gao, and two academic officials surnamed Wang and Xu respectively.
"Alright, you can go to the dormitory with Xu Xueguan. School doesn't start until the end of October. If you don't have anything to do on weekdays, you can go to the library to browse around."
Thank you.
A student from out of town walked out of Mingxuan Hall, led by Xu Xueguan.
Gao Xuezheng lowered his eyes and sorted through the students' files: "Next."
A slender, jade-like hand placed an admission document in front of him.
This hand is almost too beautiful.
Gao Xuezheng subconsciously looked up, only to be startled by the other person's appearance and stand up: "Sacrifice..."
What are we offering sacrifices for?
Is it the libationer?
Gao Xuezheng suddenly realized that he had made a foolish mistake. The young chief priest had already passed away. How could the person in front of him be him?
It was only because they looked so alike at first glance that he lost his composure.
However, upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem that similar.
The young chief priest was a gentle and refined young man. His eyes always held a smile that was as warm as a spring breeze, and he also had a beauty mark under his right eye.
The person in front of me not only lacked that beauty mark, but also had no gentle and bright temperament whatsoever; even his eyes were cold.
Gao Xuezheng was secretly annoyed that he had almost mistaken someone for someone else because he was exhausted lately. He composed himself, sat down, and picked up the document: "Xiao Liulang? From Qingquan Village?"
Also surnamed Xiao.
Could they be relatives?
Soon, Gao Xuezheng shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.
How could the Marquis of Xuanping's household possibly have a relative from a small village?
Gao Xuezheng said, "Your grades are quite good. You are the top scholar in Youzhou and were directly admitted. School officially starts on October 27th. After school starts, there will be a unified exam to divide you into classes. Don't be complacent just because you became the top scholar. There are many top scholars in the Imperial Academy. You will soon find that you are just an insignificant one among them. Don't run around during this period. Go to the library to read more books, understand?"
He spoke words that were meant to discourage Xiao Liulang, but he hadn't said much to the local student recommended by the government, which shows that he actually favored the top scholar.
But he had seen it all before; many who were the best in their local areas were immediately overshadowed when they came to the Imperial Academy.
He still hoped to give the other party a heads-up, after all, it's not easy for a small village to produce a top scholar.
Gao Xuezheng wanted to arrange for Xiao Liulang to share a dormitory with several other top scholars, but Xiao Liulang refused, saying, "I'll stay outside."
"Why?" Gao Xuezheng asked in confusion. "The dormitories don't charge you any money. You can study more peacefully if you stay at the Imperial Academy. The capital is full of all sorts of dazzling things, and a poor boy like you who hasn't seen the world is most likely to go astray."
Gao Xuezheng is known for his sharp tongue; otherwise, he wouldn't still be just a minor official at the Imperial Academy after all this time.
But he is not a bad person at heart.
Xiao Liulang calmly replied, "It won't interfere with my studies."
Gao Xuezheng sighed: "Alright then. If you're not staying at the Imperial College, you'll have to come back in three days to collect your waist token."
The Imperial College provides free room and board, but it cannot force its students to stay there.
Watching Xiao Liulang's departing figure, Gao Xuezheng shook his head: "What a pity."
It was clear that they had already anticipated that Xiao Liulang would be blinded by the prosperity of the capital, become decadent, and that his grades would plummet from then on.
When Xiao Liulang left the Imperial Academy, the chattering young scholar had already been found by the servants and had slunk away.
Gu Jiao looked at him: "Is it done?"
Xiao Liulang nodded: "Yes, come back in three days to collect your Imperial Academy pass."
The two walked home side by side.
The journey was very short. After leaving the Imperial College, it was just a few steps and a turn to enter the alley where they lived. They lived right in the middle of the alley.
Not all the houses in the hutong are inhabited, and the environment is quite quiet.
“It’s more convenient than going to school in the village,” Gu Jiao said with a smile.
Xiao Liulang hummed in agreement and said, "This afternoon I'll go check out the private schools for Gu Yan and Xiao Shun. Xiao Jingkong will take the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy's elementary school, which will be two days later than mine."
Gu Jiao nodded with a smile: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
They arrived home in just a few words, and Gu Jiao was extremely satisfied with the house.
Just as the two were about to go inside, a carriage drove up from the other end of the alley and stopped in front of their house.
The coachman tightened the reins, dismounted, and asked the two men, "Excuse me, is this Xiao Jieyuan's home?"
Xiao Liulang's gaze turned cold the moment he saw the emblem on the carriage.
Gu Jiao asked, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"
The coachman said politely, "It's like this, my steward learned that Scholar Xiao had come to the capital, so he specially asked me to send some things over. Winter comes early in the capital, and we'll have to start burning charcoal next month. The cart is full of top-quality silver charcoal. There are also some fabrics and cotton wadding, all of the warmest quality. Shall I just let you two carry the things inside?"
Gu Jiao glanced at Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang's expression was as cold as a knife.
Gu Jiao said to the coachman, "No need, we don't lack silver and charcoal, nor do we need cotton quilts and blankets. Take them back to your steward."
The coachman hesitated, "But Manager Liu said..."
"No buts, take it back if I tell you to." Gu Jiao said calmly, then went into the house with Xiao Liulang and closed the courtyard gate.
The driver eventually left.
Gu Jiao looked at Xiao Liulang: "We just moved here yesterday. Only the coachman from the Marquis of Ding'an's residence and Zhang Baoren know where we live. That Steward Liu is very well-informed."
Xiao Liulang said calmly, "Ignore him."
After saying that, he turned and went to the study to organize the books.
Gu Jiao touched her chin.
Could it be that someone is watching us?
Who's so bold as to stare at her?
The coachman drove the carriage out of the alley and to the corner at the other end, where Steward Liu had been waiting for a long time.
"How is it?" Manager Liu asked.
The coachman said, "Young master refuses to accept it."
Manager Liu laughed: "This young master is more stubborn than I imagined."
The coachman asked, "Should we tell the Marquis?"
Steward Liu smiled faintly: "No, this is a small matter, no need for the Marquis to trouble himself. Just wait and see, he will soon find out how difficult it is for a poor scholar to survive in the capital. When that day comes, he will obediently return to his residence."
The old lady and the others slept until noon. When Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang entered the courtyard, Gu Yan and the other two were squatting by the well, washing up without any spirit.
There were public wells near the alley, but there was also a well in the house, which saved them the trouble of fetching water from outside.
The millet porridge in the kitchen was ready. Gu Jiao heated up the steamed buns and stir-fried a plate of bamboo shoots and black fungus, a plate of green vegetables and bean sprouts, and a large portion of chives and eggs.
Xiao Jingkong is not allowed to eat eggs either, so Gu Jiao stewed a small pot of tender tofu soup for him separately.
Although Xiao Jingkong's dishes were all vegetarian, the plating and tableware were more exquisite than other dishes, making Gu Jiao feel like she couldn't afford them.
Xiao Jingkong was showing off his dishes with a particularly arrogant attitude. Although none of the people at the table were actually craving them, they all pretended to be very envious.
After finishing his meal, Xiao Jingkong strode off to wash his own little rice bowl.
This is a habit I developed in the temple; I clean my own alms bowl.
The others weren't idle either. The old lady went to pick corn cobs, and Gu Yan sat down and picked them with her. They were the least capable of physical labor in the family, and they had once been the most pampered, yet they still took the initiative to share the household chores they could manage.
Gu Xiaoshun went to chop firewood.
Xiao Liulang tidied up the kitchen, while Gu Jiao tidied up the two courtyards.
She had thought it through: one yard would be used to grow vegetables and raise chickens and dogs, and the other yard would be for the whole family to enjoy activities. There was a sweet osmanthus tree in the backyard, where Xiao Jingkong could practice his kung fu.
Gu Jiao took a hoe and went to the front yard to till the soil.
Xiao Jingkong led the chicks over: "Jiaojiao, I'm going to walk the chickens!"
"Okay." Gu Jiao nodded. "Don't go too far."
"Mm!" Xiao Jingkong replied.
In the past, when Xiao Jingkong was walking chickens in the countryside, he would walk from one end of the village to the other. But now that he's here, he's decided to walk from one end of the alley to the other.
Gu Yan's little dog was very envious and also wanted to go out for a walk.
Unfortunately, the owner was incredibly lazy; after harvesting the corn cobs, he lay sprawled on the wicker chair, lifeless.
The little puppy wiggled its bottom and followed Xiao Jingkong out.
Xiao Jingkong, with seven chicks and a puppy, strolled to the end of the alley, preparing to turn back. At that moment, two beggars from the neighborhood set their sights on his dog.
The puppy was no longer a newborn puppy; it had grown quite chubby and plump, and its meat looked especially tender.
The beggar's saliva gushed out. The two exchanged a glance, and one of them pulled out a meat bun from his pocket, broke it open, and waved it at the little dog.
This dog is a bit silly; it fell for the trick immediately!
It trotted over happily and was immediately stuffed into a sack.
"Mmm—" the puppy whimpered.
Xiao Jingkong turned around and asked, "Huh? Where's Xiao Ba?"
That's right, Xiao Jingkong named Gu Yan's dog Xiao Ba.
After catching the dog, the beggar set his sights on Xiao Jingkong's chicken.
Seven chickens!
Enough to eat for several days!
The beggar tried the same trick again, using a large meat bun to lure the chickens, but none of the seven chickens moved.
The two beggars simply reached out to grab him. Little Jingkong was only three years old, so no one paid him any attention, and no one paid any attention to the seven half-grown chickens either!
Just as the two pounced, the seven chicks suddenly flapped their wings and jumped up.
They were no longer tiny chicks that couldn't even jump over a threshold; they could leap as high as half a person. The two beggars were short, and the seven chickens hopped onto their shoulders and pecked at their heads fiercely!
"ah--"
The two beggars let out pitiful cries!
The bag containing the puppy fell off a beggar.
Xiao Jingkong walked over with a clattering sound, opened the bag, and said, "Xiao Ba."
Xiao Ba got a sack put on him, and he was furious. He decided to fight back!
Hachi opened its gaping maw and took a bite—
"Awooo—"
It bit its own tail.
Xiao Jingkong covered his eyes; he couldn't bear to look.
The two beggars were pecked to the ground by the seven chicks and ran away.
Seven chickens flapped their wings and chased after the two of them for half a street until Xiao Jingkong called them, and then they returned triumphantly.
However, just as they were crossing the street, a carriage sped past. The first six stopped, but Xiao Qi couldn't stop in time.
"Xiao Qi—"
Little Jingkong pounced over with his short legs.
The coachman might not notice a chicken, but he could see a child. It's just that the carriage was going too fast, and there wasn't enough time to tighten the reins.
Just as the child was about to be trampled to death by the horse's hooves, a long whip lashed out, wrapped around Xiao Jingkong, and yanked him away.
The horse's hoof slipped, and the driver breathed a sigh of relief and continued on his way.
Xiao Jingkong was dizzy and confused. When he came to his senses, he was already sitting in a cold and broad embrace.
He glanced at the ground: "Wow, that's high!"
The man sat on a tall horse, dressed in a black brocade robe. He held the reins in one hand and a whip in the other, and with the whip in his arm, he encircled Xiao Jingkong in his embrace.
Little Jingkong blinked his big eyes at him and said, "Thank you."
The man glanced at the chick in his arms and said coldly, "It's just a chicken. Don't do this again."
"Its name is Xiao Qi!" Xiao Jingkong handed the chicken to the man.
"Where are your parents?" the man asked.
Little Jingkong has no parents; he was abandoned at the temple when he was just a few months old. However, Jiaojiao has parents.
He thought for a moment and said, "My parents have passed away."
"An orphan?" The man frowned.
Little Jingkong shook his head like a rattle-drum: "I have Jiaojiao!"
The man asked, "Where do you live?"
Xiao Jingkong pointed and said, "There!"
The man took Xiao Jingkong home.
Gu Yan and the others were in the backyard, while only Gu Jiao was in the front yard. She had just finished turning over the soil and was using the firewood that Gu Xiaoshun had chopped to make a fence.
She was wearing the clothes she wore when working in the village; they were very simple.
"Jiaojiao! I was almost hit by the carriage just now, but this big brother saved me!" Xiao Jingkong led the man into the courtyard.
Gu Jiao put down the firewood in her hand, raised her sweat-drenched head, and looked at the man.
The man was tall and strong, with cold and resolute features, and his aura was somewhat unapproachable.
However, whether it was her imagination or not, Gu Jiao felt that the other person looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
(End of this chapter)
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