Chapter 86 Walking the Chickens (First Update)
The old lady glanced at Gu Jiao, then at Xiao Liulang, her eyes filled with a mysterious and meaningful look.
I feel like I'll be holding my great-grandchild soon!
Gu Jiao seamlessly switched gears and asked about Feng Lin.
Xiao Liulang answered seriously, "He went back to the academy. He was in the prefectural city for a month and missed a lot of classes."
This time, Gu Jiao was very grateful to Feng Lin; she remembered his kindness.
As the two were talking, several tender yellow chicks swaggered out.
Xiao Liulang then discovered that, in the month or so he had been away from home, his family had started raising chickens.
Gu Jiao wasn't interested in raising chickens. It was Xiao Jingkong who happened to see the chicks next door and liked them so much that he asked Gu Jiao if he could raise a few.
Gu Jiao said he could raise them, but on one condition: he had to take care of the chicks himself, feeding and watering them, and cleaning up their droppings.
To help Xiao Jingkong understand the difficulty of raising chickens, Gu Jiao had him go to Xue Ningxiang's house to feed chickens for two days. There were not only cute little chicks, but also mature hens and roosters that were no longer cute.
Gu Jiao told him that all the cute little chicks now would one day grow into old hens and roosters.
In the end, none of this could dissuade him, so Gu Jiao had no choice but to let him support her.
He raised seven, and each one was plump and chubby.
He even named them, from one to seven, and it's unclear how he managed to identify them.
Xiao Liulang brought the old lady a local specialty of Pingcheng—candied bayberries. At this time of year, the bayberries had just ripened, and the fruits were small and very sour. But these bayberries were best suited for candiing, and the sweet and sour taste was not cloying.
Don't be fooled by the fact that these are just two jars of snacks. They are from the most famous candied bayberry shop in Pingcheng. And with so many students taking exams, they are almost always sold out as soon as they come out.
Xiao Liulang went to queue up in the middle of the night and shivered in the cold wind for a long time.
The old lady picked out a dried bayberry and fed it to Gou Dan, only letting him lick it and not allowing him to swallow it, so as not to choke.
Dog Egg drooled as he sucked on the food.
Gu Xiaoshun hadn't finished school yet, and Xiao Liulang had also brought him something—a complete set of wood carving tools.
Zhao Kingdom has extremely strict control over iron, and it is very difficult for ordinary people to buy such exquisite and complete iron tools. Xiao Liulang only managed to buy them by swindling Prefect Luo.
Xiao Liulang's bundle deflated.
Xiao Jingkong was walking the chicks, seemingly unconcerned, but he would occasionally glance at the bundle that Xiao Liulang was carrying.
Gu Jiao noticed his slight change and asked, "Is Jingkong also looking forward to his gift?"
"I didn't!" Xiao Jingkong turned his head away haughtily.
A bad brother-in-law will never buy him gifts!
Xiao Liulang took in the little guy's awkwardness. Their relationship was already strained enough, and after being separated for more than a month, they were no longer even strangers.
Xiao Liulang took out a set of Kongming locks from his bundle: "If you don't want them, that's fine. I'll give them to Gou Dan."
"No way!" Xiao Jingkong jumped off the chair and snatched Kongming Suo into his arms. "He's too small! He can't play with him!"
Dog Egg stared blankly at the older boy, completely bewildered as to what had happened.
Finally, it was Gu Jiao's turn.
It was an exquisitely crafted brocade box; just looking at the box, one could tell it was quite valuable.
Gu Jiao secretly gestured to indicate the length of the brocade box.
Is it a hairpin?
Such an expensive box must contain at least a silver hairpin.
Silver hairpins were rare in the countryside; wooden hairpins were the norm, and the more extravagant ones were made of copper. Only wealthy families could afford silver hairpins, and they were only worn on very important occasions.
Of course, most importantly, if a man gives a woman a hairpin, it represents some unspeakable meaning!
Gu Jiao's face was practically screaming, "I love you so much! I love you so much! I love you so much!"
Thud.
Xiao Liulang opened the brocade box.
It wasn't a hairpin, but a calligraphy brush!
Gu Jiao was stunned on the spot.
Xiao Liulang said, "Your calligraphy is always not good. Besides the incorrect way you hold the brush, it is also related to the brush itself. This is a wolf hair brush made by a famous craftsman in Pingcheng. It is very suitable for your strength."
He introduced himself in a serious manner, but Gu Jiao was completely flustered.
Is the hairpin too hot to handle?
Why give her a pen?
This is like giving a set of past exam papers to a student who only wants to spend money on in-game purchases—can she refuse?!
Seeing Gu Jiao trying so hard to suppress her frustration, the old lady laughed until her stomach hurt!
There is a need called "Liulang thinks you need it".
Gu Jiao clutched the wolf-hair brush in her arms, her little face as black as charcoal.
Then Xiao Liulang handed her a pair of bronze plaques engraved with "Zhouji Money Shop".
"I've deposited my money in a bank for household use. You can withdraw it yourself if you need it."
Xiao Liulang didn't mention the specific amount, and Gu Jiao didn't ask either, still immersed in the rage of being given a calligraphy brush.
What Gu Jiao didn't know was that this wolf-hair brush was more expensive than all the other gifts combined; it couldn't be bought with mere silver.
Gu Jiao didn't go on a rampage for too long; she still remembered the important matter.
Before leaving, Gu Jiao instructed Feng Lin to make sure to keep an eye on Xiao Liulang's daily walking practice, and now she wanted to see the results!
Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang went to the west room and looked at his ankle.
The surgical wound had faded to almost invisible. Gu Jiao reached out and pinched it: "Does it still hurt?"
Xiao Liulang shook his head: "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"It doesn't hurt at all?" Gu Jiao looked up at him.
He nodded: "Yes."
Gu Jiao pinched his calf again; it felt nice, so it seemed Feng Lin hadn't been slacking off.
After nearly four months of rehabilitation, Xiao Liulang's weakened muscles have basically recovered, meaning that he no longer suffers from weakness in his legs.
He still hasn't gotten rid of his crutches, and the biggest problem probably stems from his psychology.
Gu Jiao had seen many similar cases in her previous life. Some were due to excessive self-protection out of fear of being hurt again, but most of these cases would gradually fade away and improve over time.
The other situation is more complicated.
The patient has a psychological issue.
If he can't get over that knot in his heart, he will continue to live in a state of injury, punishing himself or escaping something.
Xiao Liulang pulled down his trouser leg, leaned on his cane, and went out.
Gu Jiao gazed at his aloof and lonely figure, a question creeping into her mind: what had he been through?
The news of Xiao Liulang passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar quickly spread throughout the surrounding villages, and the Gu family, being a prominent family in the village, naturally heard about it as well.
They never dreamed that Xiao Liulang would top the list twice in the imperial examinations and eventually become a government-subsidized student.
How did a mediocre student who almost failed the entrance exam for Tianxiang Academy end up becoming a government-subsidized student just like Da Shun?
Moreover, since they were both students receiving stipends, Xiao Liulang's stipend was obviously more valuable; otherwise, the rice given to Xiao Liulang would not have been much better than the rice given to Gu Dashun.
"Two top scorers, just one short of the top three," Gu Changlu said enviously at the dinner table.
Was he born unwilling to study?
no.
However, he couldn't concentrate on his studies. Later, he had two sons and hoped they would be able to study, but the family couldn't afford to support the ones who were willing to study, and the one who got free admission was that good-for-nothing Gu Xiaoshun.
Little did the Gu family know that it wasn't that Xiao Liulang couldn't pass the preliminary three-pass exam; it was that he voluntarily gave up on it.
The faces of everyone at the table were rather grim.
The ugliest one was Gu Dashun.
Gu Dashun was furious that Xiao Liulang, whom he had always looked down upon, had suddenly turned the tables on him. "With Dean Li personally tutoring him, his progress was naturally significant. In the month before the county exam, I saw Dean Li calling him to the Zhongzheng Hall every day."
He didn't believe that Xiao Liulang had risen to prominence on his own merits. Clearly, in terms of talent, Xiao Liulang was not as good as him. If he were the one personally tutored by Dean Li, he would definitely be able to achieve better results than Xiao Liulang.
To put it bluntly, he lost because of a lack of resources.
In the past, the Gu family would have certainly made a few sarcastic remarks about Xiao Liulang, but tonight no one said a word in response.
This made Gu Dashun frown slightly.
He felt that the atmosphere at home had changed recently; everyone seemed preoccupied, except for Gu Xiaoshun.
It's not surprising that he would think that way. After the Gu family's attempt to take advantage of the Marquis's daughter failed, Gu Jiao's affair was completely exposed.
Without Lord Gu needing to use any interrogation methods, Huang Zhong only needed to walk around the village to find out everything about Gu Jiao's life from childhood to adulthood.
This is a legitimate member of the Marquis's bloodline; how can they be bullied like this? Isn't this like rubbing the face of Marquis Gu into the ground?
You can imagine how furious Lord Gu was.
If it weren't for Gu Jinyu and the third branch of the Gu family, Lord Gu would have had that family arrested and beaten to death long ago!
But while the death penalty may be avoided, punishment is inevitable.
Old Master Gu's tenure as village head has come to an end.
This was the most wronged Old Master Gu had ever been. He went to the clan's gathering for a drink, and when he came back, he was no longer the village official. He was killed because of his own wife, son, and daughter-in-law.
As for Gu Jinyu, Lord Gu made the Gu family relinquish their custody of Gu Jinyu and vowed never to appear in front of Gu Jinyu again.
In addition, you must keep Lord Gu's mouth shut and not divulge a single word.
Therefore, the Gu family kept it a secret even from Gu Dashun and Gu Xiaoshun.
Gu Ershun overheard some things and learned that Gu Jiao might be the child switched at birth, but he didn't know much more.
The above is one of the reasons for the strange atmosphere; the second reason is that the women in the family actually sat down to eat.
Gu Dashun was not used to this.
Gu Dashun glanced at his younger sister Gu Yue'e, and then, as if remembering something, said, "Jiaoniang is truly blessed to have married a scholar."
His younger sister is getting on in years and should be getting married by now. If she marries into a good family, it would be a great help to him.
Gu Yue'e ate in silence.
Everyone thought to themselves, "Is the lucky one the bride? It's clearly that brat Xiao Liulang! Does he even know who he married? The daughter of a marquis!"
This is such a wonderful thing!
In truth, they were careless in arranging this marriage. If they had known that the girl had such a distinguished background, they would never have married her off!
If he stays at home and becomes a money tree, who knows how many benefits he can get from the Marquis's mansion!
The Gu family was heartbroken, but what could they do? That girl was no longer so naive and easily fooled; even if they wanted to repair their relationship, it wouldn't be so easy.
Wu winked at Liu, signaling her to pick up a large piece of meat from her bowl.
This is real, large pieces of meat, each slice is cut particularly thick, and the fat is dripping with oil. In the past, only Gu Dashun could eat it.
Liu swallowed hard, picked up the thickest slice, and originally intended to put it in Er Shun's bowl, but was glared at by Wu, so she quickly put it in Gu Xiao Shun's bowl.
Gu Xiaoshun looked at his mother with a strange expression: "What?"
Liu said awkwardly, "You've finally come back, have some meat!"
Gu Xiaoshun had been staying at the academy for some time, and was only invited back by Gu Dashun today.
Gu Dashun didn't want to be polite to him, but his father had spoken, so Gu Dashun had no choice.
Gu Xiaoshun looked at the meat in the bowl and ate it without much salt or blandness.
Gu Ershun's mouth watered.
Gu Dashun frowned deeply.
The others pretended not to see anything.
Liu smiled and said, "Xiao Shun, you haven't gone to your sister's yet since you got back, have you?"
Gu Xiaoshun asked, "What?"
Liu chuckled awkwardly, "Your sister is so good to you, why don't you go see her now that you're back?"
Gu Xiaoshun took a bite of food: "I'll go in a bit."
Liu continued with a smirk: "Your brother-in-law passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. Remember to say a few words of congratulations."
Gu Xiaoshun: "Mm."
After failing to get to the point for a while, both Madam Wu and the eldest son's wife became anxious.
Gu Changhai said, "Xiao Shun, your uncle has prepared a jar of fine tea and two old hens. We'll take them to your sister together in a bit."
Gu Xiaoshun said, "I'll go, why are you going?"
I'm afraid you won't be able to carry it, okay?
Gu Changhai was so angry with Gu Xiaoshun that he almost lost his mind. Gu Xiaoshun was so straightforward that he couldn't understand any of Gu Changhai's roundabout ways of speaking.
Gu Changhai decided to be frank: "Family members don't hold grudges overnight. We were wrong before, and we apologize to your sister now. From today onwards, let's live a good life as a family."
Lord Gu only said they were not allowed to approach Gu Jinyu, but he didn't say they were not allowed to approach Gu Jiao, as long as they didn't reveal the truth to Gu Jiao.
They could roughly guess what Lord Gu meant. He was afraid that Gu Jiao wouldn't be able to accept it in a short time, so he was taking it slowly. All they needed to do was rebuild their relationship with Gu Jiao before the father and daughter recognized each other!
"You're trying to curry favor with my brother-in-law now that he's passed the imperial examination, aren't you?" Gu Xiaoshun placed his chopsticks on the table indifferently. "Where's the food?"
The first sentence made people frown, but the second sentence made the Gu family feel that there was hope!
Gu Changhai hurriedly said to Zhou Shi, "Go and get it quickly!"
Zhou dared not delay and went inside to fetch the expensive tea leaves and the two fattest old hens in the house.
Gu Xiaoshun put down his chopsticks, grabbed his things, and walked out.
Gu Changhai stretched out his hand: "Hey! Wait for me!"
Waiting for you? You're kidding!
You all owe my sister this!
Get lost!
Gu Xiaoshun took off running and dashed into his sister's house, slamming the door shut behind him!
Gu Changhai, whose nose was bleeding profusely from being slammed on the door: "...!!"
Gu Changhai spent a fortune to give away the tea leaves and the old hen, and they're gone just like that. He doesn't dare to make a fuss or argue. Where can he go to seek justice?
Gu Changhai did want to knock on the door, but no one answered after knocking for a long time, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go back.
Gu Jiao was cooking in the kitchen.
"Sister, sister." Gu Xiaoshun hadn't been back to the village for a long time and missed his sister terribly. He rushed to the kitchen to greet Gu Jiao first, and then went to find Xiao Liulang and the old lady.
Xiao Liulang gave him the carving knives he had brought from Pingcheng. Gu Xiaoshun liked them very much and looked at each knife over and over again, unable to put them down.
The joy a fine knife brings to a craftsman is the same as that of a swordsman; no gift can replace that kind of delight.
Gu Xiaoshun felt more and more that his brother-in-law was a good person.
Gu Xiaoshun was playing with a small knife when he was suddenly called into the house by the old lady.
The old lady waved to him enthusiastically: "Xiao Shun, come and try the candied bayberries that Liu Lang bought for me!"
Gu Xiaoshun blinked: "Why is Auntie being so generous today?"
Getting her a single candied fruit is harder than climbing to heaven on a normal day.
"Here you go." The old lady rummaged around for a while and gave him the smallest one.
Gu Xiaoshun didn't pick and choose, and stuffed it into his mouth in one gulp.
The next second, he saw the old lady count out seven large candied bayberries and put them into her little honey jar, shouting loudly, "Jiaojiao! Xiaoshun ate eight of my bayberries!"
"..."
Gu Xiaoshun almost choked to death!
Is it really worth it for a few dried bayberries?!
Gu Jiao controlled the old lady, allowing her to eat a maximum of three pills a day, and only five pills during the New Year. She managed to save up seven pills in one go, which can be described as an enormous windfall!
The old lady was very satisfied and waved her hand, telling Gu Xiaoshun to go about his business.
Gu Xiaoshun was completely dumbfounded. Had they already used him up?
Gu Xiaoshun planned to go find Xiao Jingkong, but found that the little guy had already gone out.
Xiao Jingkong went to walk the chicks.
At first, he only strolled around in his own backyard, but gradually he felt that the backyard was not enough, so he took the chicks out.
Xiao Jingkong's route for raising chickens is from his home to the village entrance and then back the same way. If he meets any villagers, he will greet them politely.
The villagers went from being astonished at first to now taking it for granted, and even began to like the little monk.
Other people's chicks run around randomly when they go outside, but his chicks can actually form a formation.
"Xiao Qi, you can't cut in line," Xiao Jingkong said.
The little chicken that overtook the car on the curve and moved up to fifth place quietly returned to the back.
As Xiao Jingkong strolled along, he arrived at the Gu family's old house, which was the only way to the village entrance.
He knew the relationship between the two families, so he wouldn't go to the Gu family's place or greet them.
However, today he was drawn to a strange sound.
(End of this chapter)
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