Chapter 296 Mother and Child (Second Update)
When Yao went to the front yard to harvest chili peppers, she spotted Gu Chengfeng sweating profusely in the vegetable garden.
Madam Yao paused slightly, thinking she had admitted her mistake.
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
It was indeed Gu Chengfeng.
Strange, why is he here too?
And they're even doing... work here?
Xiao Jingkong said earnestly, "Don't just water one spot, make sure it's even, so every single vegetable gets fertilized!"
Did Xiao Jingkong make him do it? Do they know each other?
Gu Chengfeng was about to say to Xiao Jingkong, "If you can do it, then do it," when he turned his head and saw Yao Shi.
Their eyes met.
The two: "..."
As dusk fell, Xiao Liulang finished his duties at the Hanlin Academy, just as Lin Chengye and Feng Lin finished their studies at the Hanlin Academy.
"Mukuro!"
Feng Lin jumped down from the carriage and called out to him.
After Feng Lin finished his studies at the Imperial College, he could no longer live in the dormitory. Prices in the capital were high, and so were housing prices. Fortunately, he met Lin Chengye, a local tycoon.
He now lives in Lin Chengye's house and pays Lin Chengye a small rent every month.
The two attended classes together during the day and studied together at night, which greatly benefited them.
Although the Hanlin Academy was affiliated with the Hanlin Academy, its hours for finishing work differed from those of the Hanlin Academy officials, so the three of them never used to meet.
"You're up so early today! Didn't those people give you any tasks?" Feng Lin asked.
The main purpose of Feng Lin and other junior scholars was to study, and they were not assigned many official duties. Xiao Liulang, on the other hand, was going to become an official, so the nature of his duties was different.
Moreover, Xiao Liulang was a newcomer, and it was common for him to be ordered around to do odd jobs.
Ning Zhiyuan was also often called upon to do odd jobs.
Besides Prince An's powerful background, everyone in the Hanlin Academy treated him with deference and dared not order him around.
"Well, nothing much happened today," Xiao Liulang said.
"Liu Lang, we'll take you home," Lin Chengye said, sticking his head out of the car window.
Although Lin Chengye's stuttering problem has not been completely cured, he can occasionally utter three words, which is quite gratifying.
To be honest, this is all thanks to Feng Lin.
Feng Lin would practice speaking with Lin Chengye every night, inspired by Gu Jiao. Gu Jiao would help Xiao Liulang practice walking every night, even though Xiao Liulang showed no signs of recovery day after day.
But Gu Jiao never gave up.
Feng Lin was deeply moved.
Of course, Xiao Liulang's relentless efforts to make Gu Jiao practice her calligraphy day after day, driving Gu Jiao to the brink of madness, were also deeply shocking.
Xiao Liulang hadn't slept all night, hadn't eaten dinner last night, and hadn't had much of an appetite during the day. He was indeed exhausted now, and it would be difficult for him to walk back by himself.
He got into the carriage.
To keep a low profile, Lin Chengye chose a small carriage, but the interior was filled with the extravagance of a nouveau riche.
Lin Chengye was already used to it.
Xiao Liulang was almost blinded by the light.
The two gave the most comfortable seats to Xiao Liulang.
To them, Xiao Liulang was both a teacher and a friend; without Xiao Liulang, they would not be where they are today.
"Liu Lang, you don't look well. Have you been working too hard lately?" Feng Lin wasn't part of the Hanlin Academy's centralized power structure, so he wasn't particularly clear about Xiao Liu Lang's situation.
Moreover, everyone knows that they have a good relationship with Xiao Liulang, so naturally they won't mention Xiao Liulang's news in front of them.
Feng Lin would only ask Ning Zhiyuan a question or two when they occasionally ran into each other at the restaurant.
Xiao Liulang said, "Nothing much. How are you all doing with your studies lately?"
Mentioning this, Feng Lin's attention was successfully diverted, and he couldn't help but complain: "I naively thought that after the imperial examinations, I would never have to study again, at least not write those rigid essays. I never expected that even though I wouldn't have to write those rigid essays anymore, so many subjects like history, arithmetic, agriculture, and astronomy would suddenly appear..."
The content is similar to what the top three students learn, but there are differences in the pace and depth.
After all, they were all prospective officials for the imperial court, so their areas of study were naturally different.
Their goal was no longer the imperial examination, but the way of being an official and benefiting the country and the people, preferably by doing practical things for the people.
The Hanlin Academy in this dynasty is more rigorous than in the previous dynasty; I've heard they even go to the countryside.
It's just a matter of when it will be their turn, this new batch.
When Xiao Liulang arrived home, Gu Jiao had just returned from the clinic, carrying a small basket on her back with her hands tucked under it. She walked casually, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Xiao Liulang inexplicably felt that she walked away with a somewhat arrogant and mischievous air.
Whether she sensed something or not, Gu Jiao turned her head back calmly.
She probably didn't expect Xiao Liulang to be behind her, and her face still showed a hint of annoyance.
Her brows were furrowed tightly, as if her face was practically screaming, "Don't mess with me, I'm so annoyed!"
Gu Jiao saw Xiao Liulang and instantly changed her expression, adopting a well-behaved look.
If being obedient won't work, then being gentle and graceful will do!
Gu Jiao opened her bright, sparkling eyes and gave her all, delivering an acting performance worthy of an S-card!
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Xiao Liulang saw everything he was supposed to see.
Oh, so that's what she's like in private?
Xiao Liulang was stunned for a moment, as if he had discovered a new continent, and then he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
An empty stomach after a day and a night, a tired mind after a sleepless night, and the weariness of a busy day all vanished in the evening breeze.
Gu Jiao gripped the straps of the small basket with both hands, lowered her head, and kicked at the pebbles on the ground with her toes.
Don't laugh.
It will be so good that they'll commit fouls.
"Give it to me." Xiao Liulang walked over with his cane to take the small basket on her back.
"No need, it's not heavy," Gu Jiao said.
The last time she refused his help to carry things was when she went to buy candied hawthorns for Xiao Jingkong.
A familiar scene flashed through his mind, and Xiao Liulang's expression changed slightly. His eyelashes trembled, and he slowly reached out to take her small hand.
When our fingertips were close enough, I could almost feel the heat of the back of her hand.
"Liu Lang is back! Jiao Jiao is back too!"
Aunt Liu suddenly came out of her yard, looking at the two of them with a smile.
Xiao Liulang swiftly withdrew his hand, which was about to touch Gu Jiao's fingertips, and greeted Aunt Liu without changing his expression: "Aunt Liu."
Gu Jiao looked at Aunt Liu with resentment.
Aunt Liu felt a chill run down her spine.
Oh dear, what's wrong with Jiao Niang today?
You don't seem very happy!
Aunt Liu hurriedly said to Xiao Liulang, "Liulang, you...you should quickly comfort your wife. Did you upset her because you didn't come home last night?"
Xiao Liulang couldn't help but chuckle, trying hard to suppress his smile and maintain a serious expression: "I went to the city gates with the yamen last night for my shift."
It was said to Aunt Liu, but also to Gu Jiao.
Aunt Liu stood at the door, looking at the young couple with great affection, showing no intention of going inside.
Xiao Liulang is thin-skinned, old-fashioned, and serious.
Holding hands is completely out of the question.
Gu Jiao walked away with a resentful look on her face.
The two went inside.
Gu Changqing and Gu Chengfeng are still alive.
Last night it rained and the roof of Grandpa Zhao's house was damaged. He originally planned to ask Gu Jiao to help repair it, but Gu Jiao went out to make house calls before dawn.
Grandpa Zhao came by again just now.
After learning about the situation, Gu Changqing went to repair the roof for him.
Grandpa Zhao leaned against his wall, grinning, "Jiaojiao's mother, is that your eldest son? He's quite capable!"
Gu Changqing paused as he reached for the tile.
He refrained from turning around.
Behind her came Yao's voice, as gentle as a breeze and as soothing as water: "Yes."
Family scandals should not be aired in public. The relationship between Yao and Gu Changqing is not something that should be discussed by outsiders.
Even though he understood that Yao's "yes" was not a true admission of his own feelings, Gu Changqing still felt inexplicably relieved.
On the other side, Gu Chengfeng was still fertilizing the vegetable garden, and he was extremely conflicted and in pain as he did so!
When Xiao Jingkong had some free time, he sat on a small stool with Xiao Ba in his arms, supervising the work while also moving Xiao Ba's fur around.
He still hasn't given up on his wish to turn his bad brother-in-law into Xiao Ba. His master said that sincerity brings results, so he prays to Buddha every night before going to bed.
He believed that one day, Buddha would turn his bad brother-in-law into Little Eight and give him to him!
Thinking of this, his heart was filled with longing: "Ah Heng~"
Xiao Liulang, who had just stepped across the threshold: "..."
-
Xiao Liulang wasn't shocked by Xiao Jingkong for long, after all, there was an even more jaw-dropping fertilizer master, Gu Chengfeng.
Madam Yao asked Xiao Liulang about his experience last night: "...Was it hard?"
Xiao Liulang downplayed the difficulty, saying, "It's not hard work. It's just organizing the library, doing some classification, summarization, and document restoration."
He told him to go change his clothes and get ready to eat, then said to Xiao Jingkong, "Jingkong, go and call your great-uncle over for dinner."
"Hmm!" Xiao Jingkong put Xiao Ba down and went off with a clatter!
Yao went next door to call Gu Changqing.
"Come and eat first," she said.
She paused, seemingly realizing that her invitation was not quite in line with her relationship with Gu Changqing, and added, "You fixed the roof for Grandpa Zhao. If you don't fix it, Jiaojiao will have to do it soon."
It turns out he was grateful for what Gu Jiao had done.
"Okay." Gu Changqing finished repairing and replacing the last tile and came down from the roof.
Grandpa Zhao brought over some fruit and pickles and thanked the two of them.
The pickles were homemade, and Yao accepted them. She asked Uncle Zhao to leave the fruit for Zhao Xiaobao.
Watching her handle neighborly relations with such ease, Gu Changqing couldn't help but wonder if his mother would have been just like this if she were still alive.
(End of this chapter)
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