Chapter 14 Repaying Kindness
Gu Jiao finally understood why the original owner and Gu Xiaoshun were able to get along so well; their intelligence levels were practically the same.
Gu Jiao made pheasant stew with mushrooms today. Although pheasant is delicious, its meat is firmer than that of poultry. She stewed it in a large iron pot for a full two hours until it was tender.
She also made a refreshing cold dish of wood ear mushrooms and pickled shredded white radish. The main dishes were white rice and cornbread pancakes cooked on an iron pan.
Although Xiao Liulang only ranked last in the exam, Gu Jiao still took it quite seriously, which is why she killed a chicken to celebrate for him. However, she didn't say it out loud.
"Go call your brother-in-law for dinner," she said to Gu Xiaoshun, peeling off the freshly made pancake.
"Hey!" Gu Xiaoshun went off excitedly.
Xiao Liulang had just finished copying a book.
After some outstanding candidates passed the imperial examinations and became Juren or Jinshi, their books and notes with their own annotations would be borrowed by bookstores, copied, and sold to other candidates.
Xiao Liulang's calligraphy was pleasing to the eye, and the books he copied were the best-selling.
"Brother-in-law! Dinner's ready!" Gu Xiaoshun poked his little head in through the crack in the door.
Having a thick skin is a good thing. Just a few days ago, you were bullying someone half to death, but now you're being all lovey-dovey.
Xiao Liulang's expression remained as cold as ever. He showed no surprise at Gu Xiaoshun's change in attitude, nor did he use Gu Xiaoshun's past immaturity to embarrass him.
Gu Xiaoshun suddenly felt quite comfortable with his brother-in-law.
The three of them sat down to eat.
Gu Xiaoshun picked up a piece of mushroom first. He didn't remember his sister cooking, so this was the first time he'd tasted her cooking, and it was unexpectedly delicious!
He picked up another piece of chicken.
sky!
It was so delicious he almost cried!
Gu Jiao scooped out two large chicken drumsticks, one for Xiao Liulang and one for Gu Xiaoshun.
The chicken drumsticks were stewed until they were full of flavor and juicy. With one bite, Gu Xiaoshun felt like he was ascending to heaven.
Xiao Liulang remained calm.
However, if Gu Jiao knew his previous appetite, she probably wouldn't think that way.
The two quickly finished their bowls of rice. Gu Xiaoshun went to get more rice, and when he noticed that Xiao Liulang's bowl was also empty, he said, "Brother-in-law, let me get you a bowl too!"
"Mm." Xiao Liulang did not refuse.
Whether she didn't refuse his kindness or didn't refuse the title of "brother-in-law," it's impossible to know.
Gu Xiaoshun quickly went to get the rice.
This was the most comfortable meal Gu Xiaoshun had ever had. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere at the table was great. Although his sister and brother-in-law didn't say a word, he could! All three of them enjoyed the meal!
After the meal, Xiao Liulang helped Gu Jiao clear the dishes, while Gu Xiaoshun went to the backyard to chop firewood.
After entering the kitchen, Xiao Liulang suddenly placed a money bag next to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao looked at him strangely.
“For home use,” he said.
Xiao Liulang gave Gu Jiao two taels of silver, which he had earned over a month copying books. He only had about ten copper coins left. However, he was almost finished copying the book and should be able to take it to town to exchange for money in a couple of days.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, glanced at the money pouch on the stove, and took it.
After tidying up the kitchen, Gu Jiao went to the village entrance to fetch water, but Gu Xiaoshun took the carrying pole from her: "Sister, you rest, I'll do this kind of rough work!"
He picked up the carrying pole and left, and Gu Jiao couldn't stop him even if she tried.
Everyone was eating inside and no one came out to fetch water. He had monopolized the well by himself and was drawing water when two imposing and strong men rode up on horseback and stopped beside Gu Xiaoshun without saying a word.
The two men dismounted.
Gu Xiaoshun sensed a chilling killing intent.
He was a local thug, and he could tell at once that the other party had practiced martial arts. All the thugs in the surrounding area combined were no match for any one of them.
"Are you from this village?" one of the burly men asked.
"Uh...yes, is there something you need?" Gu Xiaoshun asked blankly.
"We're here to find someone!" The burly man brandished a tattered umbrella and asked fiercely, "Have you seen this umbrella before?"
I've never seen that before. That's his sister's umbrella!
Gu Xiaoshun was completely devastated.
"You've seen it before, haven't you?" The burly man narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"I...I...I..." Gu Xiaoshun stammered. What had his sister done? Why would such a terrifying person come to her door?
"Kid," the burly man reached out and gently pressed his rough hand on Gu Xiaoshun's shoulder, "I advise you to tell the truth, otherwise I'll ask someone else..."
This person is incredibly strong; half of his body is paralyzed!
Gu Xiaoshun gritted his teeth: "It's mine!"
The burly man was taken aback.
They exchanged a glance with their companion.
The burly man withdrew his hand and asked with some doubt, "Your umbrella? Are you sure?"
Gu Xiaoshun's legs were actually starting to feel weak, but he stubbornly insisted, "Of course I'm sure it's my own umbrella! There's a mark on the handle with the character '小' written on it; I carved it myself!"
The last few sentences are true. He was bored at the time, so he carved his name on his sister's fan handle, but he could only write one small character.
The burly men knew, of course, that there were words on the umbrella handle, so they mostly believed him when he spoke.
"So, you were the one who went to the back mountain that day?"
"It's me!"
"You're the one who stepped on our master's face?"
"……yes!"
"Did you fix our master's arm?"
"...Yes! All of them!"
"Did you prick me with needle marks on my butt too?"
Gu Xiaoshun almost stumbled and fell. "Sister, my dear sister, why did you go and poke people's butts for fun?"
Gu Xiaoshun took a deep breath and closed his eyes: "Yes, yes, yes! It's all true! If you don't believe me, go and ask around. Besides me, Gu Xiaoshun, who else in the surrounding area would do such a thing?"
Gu Xiaoshun thought he was going to be beaten to death here today, but the pain he imagined did not come. He carefully opened his eyes and saw two burly men take a big step back and bow deeply to him!
"Our benefactor! We've finally found you!"
Gu Xiaoshun: "..."
"Sister! Sister!" Gu Xiaoshun ran into the kitchen like he was being reincarnated. "I think I've gotten into trouble!"
"Keep your voice down, your brother-in-law is reading." Gu Jiao gestured for him to shush.
With a long face, Gu Xiaoshun told Gu Jiao everything that had happened at the village entrance: "...Sister, what do we do now? What kind of benefactor is this? Are they trying to extort money from me?"
"I see." Gu Jiao nodded thoughtfully, recalling what happened on the mountain that day. "Didn't you ask who they were?"
Gu Xiaoshun hung his head and said, "I forgot to ask."
"Have they left yet?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Not yet," Gu Xiaoshun cried.
Gu Jiao put down the broom: "Okay, you wait for me here."
"Sister, don't go!" Gu Xiaoshun grabbed her.
"It's nothing." Gu Jiao smiled and headed towards the village entrance.
Gu Xiaoshun didn't know what his sister said to the two men, but in any case, they obediently left.
The next day, just as dawn broke, a carriage drove into the village and stopped outside the Gu family's gate.
A refined-looking middle-aged man stepped down from the carriage.
Today it was the eldest son's turn to cook, and Zhou Shi and Gu Yue'e got up early.
Gu Yue'e carried a basket to the field to cut pig feed. When she opened the door, she saw a middle-aged man about to knock on their door, and a large horse-drawn carriage behind him.
Gu Yue'e had never seen anything like this before and was immediately stunned.
The middle-aged man asked in a friendly tone, "Excuse me, is this Gu Lizheng's home?"
Gu Yue'e turned and ran into the house: "...Mother, Mother! Someone is looking for Grandpa!"
Gu Changhai came out.
Gu Changhai was the eldest son of Old Master Gu. He occasionally accompanied Old Master Gu to the government office to handle matters and was more knowledgeable than most people in the village.
The other party clearly came from a powerful background.
Gu Changhai said politely, "My father is washing up. You are..."
The middle-aged man cupped his hands and smiled, "I am the manager of Tianxiang Academy. I have come here today specifically to deliver the admission documents to Young Master Gu."
Aren't students supposed to pick up their admission documents themselves from town? Why would the academy have to deliver them personally?
Did Da Shun really do too well on the exam?
Gu Changhai felt his back straighten even more, and he proudly called into the house, "Da Shun, the academy has sent you your admission documents!"
Let's have a quiz: Is this Gu Dashun's college admission document?
A: Yes.
B: No.
(End of this chapter)
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