Chapter 32 Using Another's Strength to Fight Back
At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Du Min was already dressed and sitting upright at his desk, reciting scriptures with his eyes closed while looking at the book with blurred handwriting.
"Student Du, your second brother is here." The young apprentice brought over a bowl of warm medicine and said, "Drink this medicine before meals."
Du Min thanked him and said, "I'm going to the school later. After I leave, you don't have to stay here. You can go back to the clinic or go out to play."
The young apprentice smiled obsequiously at him, "May I read your book?"
Du Min picked up the dry, wrinkled book and shook it. "The handwriting is all blurry, and some pages are covered in smudged ink. If you don't mind, you can read it."
"I don't mind, I don't mind. I'd like to learn a few words too, so I can say I've been to school," the young medicine boy said slyly.
Upon hearing this, Du Min said, "Take a look first, and I'll teach you a few words when I have time."
"The food has been delivered." Du Li walked in carrying the lunchbox.
Du Min looked at the child in his arms. He wouldn't mistake the child even if someone else held him. The child looked exactly like his second sister-in-law, not only in appearance but also in mannerisms.
"Why did you bring the child along?" he asked.
Du Li put down the food box and said, "It's cool in the morning, so I'll take him out for a walk. He'll come out with me, and your second sister-in-law will have some peace and quiet for a while."
Du Min felt a little embarrassed when he saw Wang Zhou staring at his head. He said, "Take him out for a walk. I'm going to school later and can't stay with you."
Du Li grunted in acknowledgment. He went out to check that the young medicine boy wasn't nearby, then came back in and asked, "Did you snatch the enrollment spot for the prefectural school from Gu Wuxia?"
Du Min frowned. "Why are you asking about this?"
"Your second sister-in-law asked me to ask, so just answer yes or no."
Du Min resisted answering. After a moment of stalemate, he realized something was wrong: "Did he go looking for trouble with you?"
Du Li told him what happened yesterday afternoon, "He said he would make sure your second sister-in-law could no longer make paper effigies for funerary objects."
Du Min immediately lost his appetite. He cursed under his breath and explained, "I learned from him that there was still one spot left in the prefectural school, but the spot was not yet decided and it wasn't his. So it can't be said that I stole it from him. It can only be said that Master Chen preferred me."
"So you not only learned the information from him, but also found out whose influence he was going to rely on, and you went to fawn over that person?" Du Li summarized for him.
Du Min was displeased. "You're being really rude. Who's your brother here?"
Seeing that he had done something immoral and had no sense of shame or guilt, Du Li thought that it would be no wonder he was beaten to death.
"I'm too lazy to listen to you, I'm leaving." Du Li picked up the food box.
"He had me beaten up, and I thought he'd calmed down, but I didn't expect him to take it out on you all." Du Min's face was grim. "What did my second sister-in-law say? How does she plan to resolve this? Is there anything I can do?"
"What can you do? If you leave this prefecture, you'll probably get beaten up again." Du Li said bluntly, "You stay here, I'm leaving."
Du Min let out a long sigh, feeling a headache coming on.
"Student Du, all the other students in the back dormitory have gone out. Why haven't you eaten yet?" The young medicine boy ran back and saw that Du Min was still in the room. He urged him, "Hurry up and eat. You'll be late if you wait any longer."
Du Min drank half a bowl of medicine in one gulp. He then carried the fish porridge and rice cakes out the door, eating as he walked. After finishing, he asked the young medicine boy to take the bowl and plates back.
Everyone had arrived at the school, including the teacher who taught classical studies. When Du Min appeared at the door, all eyes fell on his head. The bloodstains on the white linen bandage covering his wound had turned dark red.
“Shi Zhengli isn’t coming. His seat is empty. You can sit there,” the teacher said first.
Du Min's heart skipped a beat. Had Shi Zhengli really been expelled? This meant that the prefectural school had freed up another enrollment spot, and an idea popped into his head.
*
"Master, a constable is looking for you." In the paper horse shop, Shen Yuexiu led a constable in black to the backyard.
In the backyard, Meng's mother was splitting bamboo strips with five apprentices, while Meng's father and Meng Chun were making wreaths in the row house. Hearing the noise, the father and son came out.
"Sir, my family's household tax has already been paid." Meng's mother mistakenly thought that the official had come to collect the household tax.
"How many people work in your shop?" the constable asked in a gruff voice.
“My wife and I, my son, and six apprentices,” said Meng’s mother.
Meng's father stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"
"Just the nine of you? Someone reported that your Paper Horse Shop is hiding farmers doing business. This person is your married daughter. Where is she?" The constable looked towards the attic.
“Oh, she stays at home taking care of the children and doing laundry.” Mencius’ mother exclaimed, “Oh dear, my daughter has come back to live with her children. Not only her, but my son-in-law is here too. The whole family lives here with me, only helping us split bamboo strips when we are too busy. What kind of business is that?”
"That's not right. Weren't those two paper horses made by her at Mr. Chen's funeral last month? The buyer admitted it, so what do you have to deny? Bring her over here. If she's going to do business, she should go back to being a merchant." The constable said rudely.
Mencius' mother sneered, "If you're so capable, go and guard the silk shop and arrest all those women who embroider handkerchiefs and sell them, registering them as merchants. They're not even considered merchants, so what kind of merchant is my daughter? And what kind of official are you? You can't even tell the difference between merchants and farmers. My daughter is a married woman; she makes paper horses to help her parents. Has she profited from the merchants' business? We took the money from selling the paper horses; if you don't believe me, go check the accounts."
"What's your name? Don't be a fake constable." Meng's father was equally firm. He ordered, "Meng Chun, go to Ruiguang Temple and find the temple head. There are thieves causing trouble."
"Okay." Meng Chun took off running outside.
The constable's expression changed. He looked at Meng's parents and threatened, "You want to go against the government, don't you?"
“We don’t have the guts or the idea. We’re just ordinary merchants who want to do business honestly. But if you try to bully us, we’re not afraid of you,” Meng’s father said.
The constable knew, of course, that the Meng family's paper horse shop was the only private property at the foot of Ruiguang Temple, and that the officials were well aware that the family were related to Master Konghui and could not be touched lightly. But since the second young master of the Gu family had come to him, he dared not offend him and could only go to their door to cause trouble.
“You know who you’ve offended. They have no ill intentions; they just want Meng Qing to go back to where she came from and stop handling the paper horse shop’s business. If you want to live a peaceful life, send her back to her husband’s family.” The constable changed his attitude and began to negotiate amicably.
"In my forty-odd years of life, this is the first time I've ever heard of a married woman not being allowed to return to her parents' home," Meng's father laughed. "Your request is too rude. We will not agree to it. Even if you take it to the yamen, we are not afraid."
“You won’t listen to either good or bad advice, and it’s you and me who are in a difficult position.” The constable shook his head, dusted off his black clothes, picked up a stool, went out, and plopped down outside the paper horse shop.
Mencius's father and mother followed him out.
“I won’t cause trouble, and you don’t need to bring up Ruiguang Temple to scare me. I’ll just sit here and help you keep your business running,” the rogue constable said.
Just then, a customer arrived. The customer saw a constable sitting outside the paper horse shop from a short distance away. He hesitated and stared at him curiously, but didn't dare to come over.
Mencius' father had no choice but to go over and ask, "Are you buying funerary objects?"
"Has something happened at your store?"
"No," Meng's father denied. "Come with me."
The customer followed, and as he entered, he asked again, "Is he really an official? What happened in the shop?"
The constable smiled and said, "It's nothing serious."
Upon hearing this, the customer went into the shop with some doubts and came out carrying only a bundle of paper money.
Meng Chun led the temple master back, and Meng's mother immediately complained: "Master Huijue, this person is sitting outside our shop and affecting our business."
"Why are you causing trouble, benefactor?" the temple official asked.
The constable rose and bowed, then replied, "Someone has accused the Meng family's paper horse shop of harboring farmers for business purposes. The evidence is conclusive, but the shop owner claims that a relative is helping out here. To ascertain the truth, I must stay here to investigate, so I can report back to the magistrate."
"My married daughter helps out at her parents' home, and I haven't paid her any wages. How is that considered running a business? If you don't believe me, have someone check the accounts. Every transaction in my shop is documented," Mencius' mother said irritably. "How can anyone be so rude, forcing us to send my daughter back to her husband's home?"
"You don't pay her wages openly, but who knows if you're paying her secretly?" the constable shouted.
“Benefactor, you are meddling too much. This is a family matter,” the temple official said. He ordered, “Leave immediately, or I will arrange for someone to report this to Magistrate Ma. Whether he knows you are abusing your power here will be clear when he asks you.”
The constable was speechless and had no choice but to leave.
Mencius' parents thanked the temple master, who nodded and left as well.
But the constable hadn't gone far when he wandered around the foot of Ruiguang Temple. He would follow the people in mourning as they headed toward the funerary objects. Whenever the paper horse shop was crowded, he would go in and cause trouble. Before the Meng family could invite the temple master, he would quickly leave.
At the end of the day, although business was not greatly affected, Meng's parents and Meng Chun were all fuming and looked exhausted.
After dinner, the family sat together and talked about the day's events. Mencius' mother said, "I don't believe that the constable doesn't have other duties. I want to see how many days he can stay here."
"Just treat it like a free-range dog, let it bark wherever it wants," Meng Chun said.
"With your uncle keeping an eye on us, as long as we don't do anything wrong, he can't do anything to us. You don't need to stay home tomorrow; go back to work at the paper horse shop. We'll insist that you came to help. No matter how much outsiders suspect, they won't get any evidence, and it'll all be for nothing," Meng's father said to Meng Qing.
Meng Qing shook his head, "This kind of thing is not suitable to make a big deal out of it. At the very least, it will affect the business of the paper horse shop in the long run. At worst, if someone reports this matter during the Wangzhou imperial examination in the future, he will be affected even if there is no evidence."
"Then what should we do? Should I go to your uncle? See if he can find someone to plead with Gu Wuxia's father on his behalf." This was Meng's father's last resort.
"I'll think of something first, and if all else fails, I'll ask my uncle for help," Meng Qing said. "Dad, Mom, I won't go to the paper horse shop for the next few days. If a big order comes in, you can both take it and practice. I'll step in when you need me. If there's no business, don't be idle either. Besides splitting bamboo strips, you also need to dye paper, boil glue, and fold paper tiles. There's less than a month until the Ghost Festival, so let's stock up on finished products in advance."
“Okay, leave the business to us, you don’t need to worry about it,” Meng’s father said.
After everyone had finished speaking, Du Li spoke up and said, "Father, Mother, Qingniang, I apologize to you on behalf of my third brother. The trouble he caused has implicated you."
"There's no need to say such things. Just tell your third brother to study hard and pass the imperial examinations as soon as possible. Once he becomes an official, outsiders won't dare to bully us," said Meng's mother.
Meng's father nodded, "Don't take it to heart, it's nothing."
"You've had a long day, go back to your rooms and get some sleep," Meng Qing announced, dismissing the group.
Du Li carried Wang Zhou and followed. He had taken Wang Zhou with him when he delivered meals to Du Min this morning and evening. The father and son spent two hours outside that day. Wang Zhou saw all the excitement and became affectionate towards his father who could take him out. He even allowed Du Li to carry him when it got dark.
"What are your thoughts?" Du Li asked as she entered the room.
"We'll find Gu Wuxia's father through the Chen family. Gu Wuxia is young and doesn't know how to behave properly, but his father definitely cares about his reputation. It's already embarrassing enough that the father and son lost to Du Min in front of Master Chen. If Master Chen finds out that the Gu family can't beat Du Min, and then takes his anger out on his second sister-in-law, it will be even more embarrassing." Meng Qing already had a plan.
"Can you see Master Chen?" Du Li asked.
“I’ll try tomorrow. If I can’t find anyone, I’ll go again on June 19th. That day is Mr. Chen’s seven-day fast, and the Chen family will be out.” After saying that, Meng Qingchao spread her arms to Wangzhou. “Wangzhou, come to your mother’s. Let’s go to sleep.”
Wang Zhou also spread out his chubby arms, and Du Li lifted him up, flying over like lifting a fat moth. He laughed happily.
"Look how happy you are. Isn't it fun having your dad with you?" Meng Qing asked, holding Wang Zhou.
Du Li took off her clothes and got into bed, saying, "Our Wang Zhou is a quiet person. He seems to be thinking about things even though he's so young. When I take him out, he can stare at a dog, a cat, or a leaf for a long time. I don't know what he's looking at."
“Kids are all like that.” Meng Qing felt that since he was new to raising children, he was still excited and thought that his son’s every move was full of intelligence.
“Look, the more time you spend with your child, the closer he becomes to you,” Meng Qing said.
Du Li nodded, "From now on, I'll bring Du Min with me when I deliver his meals. As long as I'm here, I'll take care of him."
Meng Qing was more than happy to agree, "Fine, you take care of his clothes, lodging, and transportation, I'll just be responsible for feeding him."
As the night grew quiet, the whispers inside the house gradually subsided.
In the back dormitory of the prefectural school, Du Min put down the book with its illegible handwriting, picked up the wick and flicked the candle, making the flame longer and brightening the room considerably.
He poured water, ground ink, and took out a blank sheet of paper to begin writing a letter.
"Big Fish, you don't need to brew the medicine this morning. Could you run an errand for me and deliver this letter to Gu Wuxia at Chongwen Academy?" When Du Min woke up in the morning, he handed the letter that had been left overnight to the young medicine boy and gave him five coins as well, saying, "When you come back, go to the bookstore and buy a children's calligraphy brush. When I come back from school, I will teach you to read."
The young apprentice beamed, "I'll definitely deliver the letter for you."
Du Min smiled and said, "Go ahead."
At this moment, Du Li carried Wang Zhou out of the house. After the child left, Meng Qing also changed her clothes and left Jiayufang.
At dawn, Meng Qing arrived at Renfeng Lane. She only intended to use Master Chen's influence to force Gu's father to discipline Gu Wuxia, and had no intention of letting Master Chen know about it. The Chen and Gu families were old acquaintances, and she had neither done him a favor nor benefited from him. Even if Master Chen knew that Gu Wuxia was causing her trouble, he would not embarrass the Gu family for her sake.
"Miss Meng? What brings you here so early?" The gatekeeper at the side gate still remembered Meng Qing.
"I'd like to speak to Butler Chen. Could you please pass on a message for me?"
"Steward Chen? Wait outside for a moment. The servants in the manor will start serving meals at the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM). Steward Chen will come over to eat then. I'll call him for you."
Meng Qing thanked her and found a shady spot to sit down and wait.
Half an hour later, the tightly closed wooden door creaked open, and Butler Chen came out. Meng Qing wiped her sweat and ran over, "Butler Chen, I'm here."
"Miss Meng, I heard you need to see me? Is there a problem with the money settled yesterday?" Butler Chen asked.
"No, money is no problem. I have a personal matter I'd like to ask you for a favor." Before Butler Chen could refuse, Meng Qing said quickly, "The other day, our paper horse shop delivered a paper house to your residence. The Gu family also took a liking to it. That afternoon, Gu Wuxia came to my house and asked us to rush to make a paper house for his grandfather. The time was too tight. Even if we worked day and night, we couldn't finish it, so we refused the job."
Butler Chen nodded, "I remember that the anniversary of the Gu family patriarch's death is in two days."
"Yes, there wasn't enough time. After I refused, he got angry and said that if I didn't take the order, I should quit completely. I thought he was just saying it casually, but when he got back, he sent a constable to my family's paper horse shop to cause trouble. I was helping my family, but they fabricated a story that I was engaged in business, and if I didn't become a merchant, they would send me back to the countryside to farm." Meng Qing complained tearfully, "That constable even stood guard near the paper horse shop, and he would cause trouble whenever customers came, saying that as long as I didn't go back to my husband's family, he would keep coming to cause trouble."
Butler Chen frowned. "This is too outrageous. Shall I put in a good word for you with the adults?"
“No, Master Gu is still in mourning, and I don’t want to trouble him. Besides, it’s not worth damaging the relationship between your two families over such a small matter. I wonder if I could ask you to grant me a meeting with Master Gu? I think Master Gu might not know that Scholar Gu has been acting this way outside.” Meng Qing spoke very tactfully.
Upon hearing this, Butler Chen told her to wait a moment, "I'll have someone go and inquire about it."
After a stick of incense had burned, Meng Qing received news that the Gu family had returned to their hometown ahead of schedule and would not be back for five days.
"Miss Meng, the servants who run errands have also found out that on June 17th, Master Gu will be holding a ceremony for his father at Ruiguang Temple. That's practically your territory, so why don't you go to Ruiguang Temple and wait for him?" Steward Chen suggested to her.
"Okay, thank you so much." Meng Qing bowed to him. "I am of lowly status and may not have the chance to repay your kindness, but I still want to say that if you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask."
"You're too kind." Butler Chen helped her up. "I do have a request. Could you please not make the same paper house for my grandfather and sell it to someone else?"
“Okay,” Meng Qing agreed.
"That's great." Butler Chen said with satisfaction. "It's getting hot, you can go back now."
Meng Qing left.
Steward Chen also returned to the manor to report the matter to Master Chen. He said, "That boy from the Gu family really doesn't know how to behave. He has a grievance to settle, and he'll cause trouble for whoever wronged him. He even took his anger out on a weak woman. How could he do such a thing?"
“The Gu family is getting worse with each generation. They have neither ability nor vision,” Master Chen casually commented. He chuckled and said, “Just wait and see. When a position becomes vacant in the Shi family, the Gu family will be scrambling to squeeze in.”
"Aren't they going to bother you again?" Butler Chen asked.
“No, it’s because the head of the prefectural school was not yet determined. Now that there is a head, it would be foolish not to ask him for help instead of going around to me.” Master Chen waved his hand and said, “Go out.”
*
"Student Du, I couldn't find Gu Wuxia at Chongwen Academy. I asked the gatekeeper, and he said Gu Wuxia was on leave. I found out that Gu Wuxia was staying at Renfeng Lane, but when I went there, the servants of the Gu family said that their masters had all returned to their hometown." The young medicine boy returned clutching the letter.
"When will he be back?" Du Min asked.
"Five days later."
"You're quite clever." Du Min retracted the letter. "Did you buy the calligraphy brush? I'll teach you how to write."
"No, I didn't send out the letter, and I didn't dare spend any money."
“Go buy it,” Du Min said.
After the young medicine boy left, Du Min picked up his brush and pondered as he dipped it in ink to continue writing.
In the evening, Du Li brought Wang Zhou to deliver dinner. Du Min inquired, "Was that constable still causing trouble today?"
Du Li nodded, "I spent the whole day wandering around the antique shops."
"My second sister-in-law can write, right? Have her write me a letter, explaining that Gu Wuxia is taking his anger out on her because of me, and clearly stating the reasons for this, with a focus on insulting him," Du Min instructed.
"What are you going to do?" Du Li asked warily.
“Shi Zhengli is gone, and there’s a vacancy at the prefectural school. Gu Wuxia will definitely be scrambling to get in. He has a grudge against me, and if he comes, I’ll suffer even more. I can’t let him in,” Du Min confessed frankly.
"Are you going to publicize this and ruin Gu Wuxia's reputation?" Du Li asked. "I thought you wanted to take this opportunity to reconcile with him."
Du Min chuckled. What a joke! How could they possibly reconcile? He couldn't trust a close friend who wanted to kill him, nor did he want to curry favor with anyone anymore.
“No, your second sister-in-law doesn’t want to make a big deal out of this. She’s worried it will become a handle for others to use against Wangzhou in the future,” Du Li refused.
“You’re mistaken. I don’t intend to make a big fuss. I just want Dr. Xu to know what kind of person Gu Wuxia is,” Du Min explained.
"Would Dr. Xu blindly trust you?" Du Li wondered.
“I’ve inquired, and in the entire prefectural academy, no one else is allowed to enter except you, and you weren’t allowed in before either. The turning point in this matter lies with my second sister-in-law. That day, my second sister-in-law went to the Chen residence to deliver the paper house, and you mentioned that Dr. Xu was also present. He must really appreciate my second sister-in-law’s craftsmanship, which is why his attitude changed. He doesn’t blindly trust me, but perhaps he cherishes my second sister-in-law’s talent and will side with her.” Du Min had no choice but to explain, “Furthermore, Dr. Xu hates people causing trouble at the prefectural academy. He’s just gotten rid of one troublemaker, and he won’t bring in another one who likes to cause trouble. My second sister-in-law’s letter will allow him to see Gu Wuxia’s true character.”
Du Li thought to herself, "You're no pushover either."
"Second brother, please help me, second sister-in-law." Du Min had probably lost all face in front of the couple, and they had seen his most pathetic side, so he was able to lower himself and say soft words.
Du Li couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, and he relented, saying, "I'll go back and ask your second sister-in-law."
The next day, Du Li brought a letter of complaint.
After receiving the letter, Du Min devoted himself to writing policy essays. Apart from attending classes, he never left his dormitory. Within five days, he wrote three policy essays, one as a reflection and the other as an analysis of the development and evolution of funerary objects throughout history.
Before submitting the three policy essays, which were compiled into ten pages, he used three grains of cooked glutinous rice to stick his frayed complaint letter onto the essays.
“Brother Wei, Dr. Xu was interested in funerary objects a few days ago, so I wrote two more articles about them. Could you please pass them on to Dr. Xu?” Du Min asked Dr. Xu’s page.
The pageboy took it.
Du Min was worried that the pageboy would look through the book, so he said awkwardly, "Because of my mistake, I have caused Dr. Xu a lot of trouble. I have been reflecting on this these past few days and have written some words of self-reflection."
He pointed to the paper held by the page and said embarrassedly, "Brother, could you please let only Dr. Xu read it?"
The pageboy immediately understood. He smiled and said, "Alright, I won't look."
As the page took away a stack of papers, a smile crept onto Du Min's lips.
"Student Du, I delivered the letter for you. Gu Wuxia received it personally. He said he'll come to the prefectural school to find you in a few days," the young apprentice told him as he returned in the evening.
Du Min nodded.
*
On June 17th, Meng Qing and Meng Chun went up the mountain at the beginning of the Si hour (9-11 AM). She had already learned that the Gu family's Dharma assembly would be held at the beginning of the Si hour and end at the end of the Si hour, and that the Dharma assembly would be held in the Fahua Hall.
Upon entering Ruiguang Temple, Meng Qing and Meng Chun arrived at the Fahua Hall without any hindrance.
“Senior Sister Meng, please stay in this meditation room. After the Dharma assembly ends, I will bring Elder Gu over,” said a bald monk who was the same age as Meng Chun.
Meng Qing thanked him. Butler Chen was right. Ruiguang Temple was half her territory. She had come to the temple to audit classes when she was young and got to know many monks. Although they were only there to show respect and couldn't do anything important, they never let her down when it came to small matters.
Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door, and then the door was pushed open from the outside.
Standing outside the door, Gu's father was puzzled when he saw Meng Qing and Meng Chun. "You're the ones looking for me?"
"Yes, Master Gu, please come in and speak," Meng Qing said.
Gu's father entered the meditation room, but stood at the door, unwilling to move. He said with a hint of impatience, "Speak, what do you want with me?"
"I implore Master Gu to restrain your son and prevent him from causing any more trouble for the Meng family's paper horse shop." Meng Qing pretended not to know about the feud between Gu Wuxia and Du Min, and complained, "On June 11th, Gu Wuxia came to my house and insisted that we rush to make a paper house for him. Because of the tight schedule, we refused the order, and he got angry and wanted to send me back to my husband's house, forbidding me from helping out at my parents' house anymore."
“How can someone be so rude? My sister lives with her parents and helps out, but he insists that she’s a merchant and sent a bailiff to force her into the business. The bailiff knows he’s in the wrong, but he can’t afford to offend your family, so he’s been causing trouble at the Mingqi Shop at the foot of the mountain every day for the past few days, ruining several of our deals,” Meng Chun said indignantly.
“I wanted to ask Steward Chen to introduce me to you a few days ago, but you weren’t home. He found out you were holding a Buddhist ceremony at Ruiguang Temple today, so we had no choice but to come here. We didn’t mean to disturb the old master’s peace, and we waited until the ceremony was over before seeing you. We hope you understand.” Meng Qing brought out the large Buddha statue in the Chen residence.
Father Gu's face darkened. "Which Steward Chen?"
“Manager Chen from Master Chen’s household,” Meng Qing said.
Father Gu clenched his fists, panting heavily. Without saying a word, he strode out, shouting, "Where is Gu Wuxia? Find Gu Wuxia for me!"
"Master, Wuxia has gone down the mountain first. He said he has an appointment with someone." Madam Gu looked towards the meditation room and asked in confusion, "Why are you looking for Wuxia? What could possibly make you so angry?"
Meng Qing and Meng Chun came out of the meditation room. Meng Chun boldly said, "Master Gu, please send someone with us to take away the dog that Scholar Gu sent."
"A dog? What dog? When did Wuxia start keeping a dog?" Gu's mother asked, puzzled.
"Wu Dong, go there," Master Gu instructed his eldest son. "Don't go back yet, find your second brother for me."
Gu Wuxia had arrived at Wumen Ferry and hired a boat to head to the prefectural school.
"Student Du, someone is looking for you outside the academy. He can't come in; you have to go out." The gatekeeper came to report.
"Okay, I'll go right away." Du Min took out the head wrapping he had changed out of the day before. He had deliberately not washed it, and the dark red bloodstains on it were very conspicuous. He wrapped it around his head again before going out.
Gu Wuxia saw Du Min coming from afar and immediately noticed the veil wrapped around his head and a large patch of blood. He secretly regretted not killing him.
"Brother Gu, how have you been?" Du Min said as he went out.
"I'm fine, but you are." Gu Wuxia didn't hide his schadenfreude. "Did you get brain damage from the accident? You still have the nerve to see me."
"I've been through a near-death experience, and I want to apologize to you. I'm sorry for what I did to you." Du Min forced himself to say these insincere words while suppressing his disgust.
"No, I can't accept that." Gu Wuxia was unimpressed and retorted sarcastically, "You're suddenly being so attentive, don't be thinking about how to harm me again."
“I truly know I was wrong, and I’ve wanted to apologize to you for a long time, but I was arrogant back then, always thinking that I got into the prefectural school on my own merit. It wasn’t until I suffered this misfortune a few days ago that I realized I was wrong. This is definitely not the place for me. Even God couldn’t stand it and made me suffer retribution.” Du Min looked remorseful, then said with relief, “Brother Gu, you are blessed by God. Because of my matter, Dr. Xu drove away Shi Zhengli, and the enrollment spot that was freed up must have been prepared for you.”
Gu Wuxia felt relieved and her expression softened.
"After I received the news, I immediately sent someone to deliver a letter to you, but unfortunately it was too late; you had already returned to your hometown to pay respects to your ancestors. These past few days, people have been coming to see Dr. Xu every day. I don't know if that spot has been taken. You should quickly ask your father to inquire about it," Du Min urged urgently.
"I knew it all along; my dad had already spoken to Dr. Xu." Gu Wuxia, who had a lisp, boasted smugly.
"That's wonderful." Du Min smiled insincerely. "Once Brother Gu enters the prefectural school, I will serve you wholeheartedly, just so I can atone for my sins."
Gu Wuxia immediately frowned, "Are you trying to get close to other students through me again? Don't even think about it. I'll remember this mistake for the rest of my life."
"No, they have a grudge against me. I would be crazy to go near them," Du Min denied. "I know you won't believe anything I say now, and I don't expect you to. Just watch my performance in the future."
Gu Wuxia snorted, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving."
"As for my second sister-in-law..." Du Min hesitated before starting, "She's just a woman, and she's my sister-in-law, not my wife. My mistakes don't involve her. Brother Gu, if you're angry, take it out on me. I hope you won't hold it against her. She has nothing to lose, and you have something to wear. If she makes a scene, you'll be the one who loses face."
Gu Wuxia also felt a little embarrassed, and he mumbled, "I was just trying to scare her."
“Gu Wuxia.” On the river, Gu Wudong stood at the bow of the boat, staring coldly at Du Min. He glanced at his second brother, who was as stupid as a donkey, and said, “Get on the boat and go home. Father is looking for you.”
Gu Wuxia immediately distanced himself from Du Min. He boarded the boat reluctantly and explained, "He contacted me twice before I came to find him."
Gu Wudong ignored this question and asked with exasperation, "Did you send the constables guarding the Meng family's paper horse shop?"
"He's still here? I only sent him to scare the Meng family..." Gu Wuxia shut her mouth under Gu Wudong's gaze.
"Father already knows. You'll be in for the family punishment." Gu Wudong wanted to slap him. Using his power to bully a merchant's daughter—what's the difference between him and a spoiled brat? It's truly shameful.
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