Chapter 8 Solitude
The roads in the village are difficult to travel on, especially the section leading to Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao's house, which has too many potholes and is easy to cause the wheels to get stuck.
The mule cart stopped at the village entrance.
"Brother Xiao." His classmate jumped off the carriage first, reached out to help Xiao Liulang down, and then took Xiao Liulang's bundle off the carriage.
After Xiao Liulang stopped, he turned around and glanced at Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao gracefully jumped off the carriage and carried the basket on her back.
Xiao Liulang withdrew his gaze and said to his classmate, "You can go back now, there's no need to see me off any further."
It was getting late, and the driver was getting a little impatient.
The classmate then said, "Alright, I'm leaving now. Don't forget the exam in three days. The academy won't have a holiday that day, so I won't come to pick you up. Remember to go by yourself."
"Hmm." Xiao Liulang nodded lightly and took the bundle.
The night road was difficult to walk on, and they didn't have any lanterns, so Gu Jiao didn't move and waited silently for Xiao Liulang.
Her classmate gave her a cold glance, pulled Xiao Liulang away a bit, and whispered, "Brother Xiao, do your best on the exam in three days. If you pass, you can live in the academy and won't be bullied by this wicked woman anymore! Don't worry about treating your leg; I'll keep inquiring about Doctor Zhang. Oh, and also, you eat the osmanthus cake yourself; don't let that wicked woman have any!"
Gu Jiao was covered in sweat when she walked back from the market carrying a basket, but it all dried on the mule cart. Her rosy cheeks were now pale with cold, making her stand out in the moonlight.
Xiao Liulang glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. His classmate wanted to say a few more words, but Xiao Liulang interrupted her: "I know, you can go back now."
His classmate opened his mouth, but Xiao Liulang ignored him, grabbed his bundle with one hand and leaned on his cane with the other, and turned to go home.
Gu Jiao followed.
Gu Jiao maintained a perfect distance from him, not too close, but enough to catch him if he fell.
However, Xiao Liulang was very familiar with this road, and nothing went wrong until he got home.
It was completely dark by now, and all the doors of the houses were closed. Only Xue Ningxiang came out to pour out the bathwater and stood at the door for a while.
"Ah Xiang, why aren't you coming in? What are you looking at?"
Inside the house, Xue Ningxiang's mother-in-law lay on the hospital bed and asked her in a hoarse voice.
Xue Ningxiang blinked blankly and said, "No, it's nothing."
She must have seen wrong. How could Xiao Liulang be walking with that little fool? Although they are a couple, they are more like enemies than enemies.
The Gu family's old house.
Today it was the eldest son's turn to cook. Zhou and her daughter Gu Yue'e carried the steaming hot food to the main room and set out the bowls and chopsticks.
In the Gu family, women do not sit at the table to eat. Only Old Master Gu, his eldest son Gu Changhai, his second son Gu Changlu, and his three grandsons sit at the table.
The old lady, Madam Wu, along with her two daughters-in-law and granddaughter, Gu Yue'e, sat in the kitchen to eat.
Grandpa Gu was the village head, and he was more successful than most of the villagers who only knew how to toil in the fields. While most of the villagers could only afford meat a few times a year, the Gu family could eat meat twice a month.
Today is a day to eat meat.
The braised pork belly with cabbage is so delicious that even the broth is filled with a rich meaty aroma.
But there wasn't much pork belly; one person couldn't even get two chopsticks' worth.
After Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu each took a slice, under the imposing aura of their father, they dared not touch the bowl of meat anymore and turned to pickles and vegetables instead.
Grandpa Gu didn't eat much himself, only picking up a small piece, and also picking up a medium-sized piece for each of Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Ershun, and giving the rest to Gu Dashun.
Gu Xiaoshun counted them carefully; there were five pieces in total, and they were all large!
"Why should he get all the food?" Gu Xiaoshun muttered resentfully as he ate his rice.
Gu Ershun said softly, "That's because my elder brother is a scholar, and our family is counting on him to stand up for us."
As he said this, he couldn't help but glance at the meat in Gu Dashun's bowl.
He's greedy.
I'm really craving it.
But he had already gotten used to this differential treatment.
Of all the men in the family, only my eldest brother is academically gifted. This year, he even got into the county school, surpassing my grandfather's achievement.
"Tch." Gu Xiaoshun rolled his eyes. "My brother-in-law is a scholar too, why don't you guys ever ask him to eat meat?"
"How can they be the same? My older brother got into the county school, how can he compare to him?"
"My brother-in-law just didn't take the exam."
The two brothers were about to argue when Grandpa Gu slammed his chopsticks on the table, silencing them instantly.
When the old man gets angry, not only can his three grandsons not handle it, but even Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu are somewhat overwhelmed.
The room was eerily quiet.
"Second brother, have you read the book I gave you? It has annotations I made. Read it carefully, and ask me if you don't understand anything."
The speaker was Gu Dashun.
He was the only one who dared to speak up against the old man's anger.
His voice was clear and gentle, his tone calm and unhurried, truly displaying the demeanor of a scholar.
Grandpa Gu found his grandson pleasing to the eye, and his anger quickly subsided.
Gu Ershun was flattered and smiled, "Then I'll thank you in advance, elder brother!"
Grandpa Gu taught all three of his grandsons, but only Gu Dashun passed the exam and went on to study. Later, when Grandpa Gu could no longer teach him, he sent Gu Dashun to a private school in town.
Private schools are too expensive; the Gu family can only afford to support the most outstanding student.
Gu Ershun dreamed of being like Gu Dashun.
Grandpa Gu said authoritatively without getting angry, "Don't bother your older brother these next few days, he has exams to take."
Gu Ershun nodded respectfully: "Understood, Grandpa."
Gu Xiaoshun didn't want to stay any longer, so he finished his meal in a few bites and left.
He wanted to go out, but he couldn't go through the front door of the main room, nor could he go through the back door of the kitchen. Wu Shi was no easier to deal with than the old man.
Gu Xiaoshun decided to climb over the wall.
But he had only climbed halfway when Liu caught him red-handed: "Gu Xiaoshun! Get down here!"
Gu Xiaoshun was pulled down by Liu.
Liu slapped him on the head and hissed, "Your grandparents are here, do you want to die?"
"Don't hit my head!" Gu Xiaoshun said impatiently.
"What are you doing out so late?"
“My sister hasn’t come to eat all day, I’m going to go check on her.”
Liu snorted, "It's good that she's not coming. What are you going to see? She's married now, yet she still runs back to her parents' house every day. What kind of behavior is that!"
Gu Xiaoshun pouted and said, "Third Uncle and Third Aunt didn't say that before they passed away. Grandpa and Grandma promised Third Aunt that my sister would find a son-in-law in our family. That Xiao is a son-in-law who will live with us. My sister is still family."
Unable to argue with him, Liu pinched him hard!
Gu Ershun is obedient but useless, and Gu Xiaoshun is neither obedient nor useful—what a waste that she gave birth to two boys!
Gu Jiao bought rice and flour at the market. She didn't expect Xiao Liulang to buy some too, and he even bought a few extra steamed buns.
Gu Jiao went to the kitchen to heat up the steamed buns.
It was Xiao Liulang who started the fire.
Gu Jiao didn't act coy.
When she left home, the injury on her wrist wasn't serious. But she did some work at the market, and the wound reopened. Luckily, she had a first-aid kit with her because she felt unsafe at home, so she bandaged it up on the spot.
Neither of them mentioned the three cornbread buns from that morning. Xiao Liulang didn't explain, and Gu Jiao didn't question it.
"Let's eat here, it's warm," Gu Jiao said. She was freezing and was still shivering.
Xiao Liulang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sat down on the small stool next to Gu Jiao.
This was the first time the two had been so close, so close that he, sitting to Gu Jiao's left, could clearly see the birthmark on her left cheek.
In the past, Gu Jiao always covered her face with thick makeup, but now she went out without any makeup, openly and without any concealment.
Xiao Liulang's handsome lips twitched slightly, but he ultimately remained silent.
Just as she wouldn't pry into his affairs, he wouldn't pry into hers either.
These are two completely unrelated people; there's no need for them to become more entangled.
The plain steamed buns didn't have much flavor, but Gu Jiao had been hungry all day, so she didn't mind.
Gu Jiao choked a little while eating, went back to her room to drink some water, and when she returned to the kitchen, Xiao Liulang was no longer there, but there was a package on the small stool.
Gu Jiao opened it and took a look.
It's osmanthus cake.
Good morning! (^_^)
(End of this chapter)
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