Chapter 8 Ugly
The village chief came to see Gu Yuan again.
After taking the medicine and having a good sleep, Gu Yuan felt much better.
At this moment, he was sitting on the threshold of the old house, his chin supported by his hands, his eyes fixed on the jujube tree in the corner of the yard that had already borne fruit.
The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on him.
"Xiao Yuan, are you feeling better?"
The village chief's voice came from a distance. Gu Yuan looked up and saw the village chief holding a bamboo basket and walking towards him across the threshold.
"Uncle, you're here."
Gu Yuan quickly stood up and took the basket from the village chief: "I'm much better, but I still feel a little dizzy."
The basket was filled with steaming food, which was obviously the work of the village chief's wife.
Gu Yuan felt the warm touch on his fingers, and a warm current spread from his fingertips to his heart.
The villagers are always like this. Today one family sends some vegetables, and tomorrow another family sends some rice, for fear that he will go hungry.
The village chief sat down on the threshold, patted the seat next to him, and motioned for Gu Yuan to sit down as well.
His eyes swept across Gu Yuan's face, his wrinkled eyes filled with worry.
"You have been sickly since childhood. Now that Elder Lin is gone, you are all alone..."
The village chief sighed, took out his pipe from his pocket, but did not light it. He just rubbed it in his hand.
Gu Yuan lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his face.
He knew what the village chief wanted to say.
How could he survive alone when he was so frail and sickly?
But my problem is not whether to survive, but...how long I can live.
"Uncle, don't worry."
Gu Yuan raised his head and smiled: "I'm grown up now and can take care of myself."
The village chief shook his head, his eyes falling on Gu Yuan's slender wrist, where the blue veins were clearly visible.
If Gu Yuan didn't go to school, it would be no problem for him to be self-sufficient by farming in the village.
But with his small body, forget it. Studying is the only way out for him.
"It's a good thing that you got into university, but the tuition and living expenses..."
"I'm rich."
Gu Yuan interrupted the village chief: "Grandpa Lin left me enough money to finish college."
A breeze blew by, and the jujube tree in the corner of the yard rustled.
Gu Yuan suddenly felt a familiar cold aura approaching from behind, and he knew who it was without turning around.
Ji Yunzhou is back.
"Xiao Yuan."
The village chief didn't notice anything unusual and continued, "Uncle wants to discuss with the villagers. Although we are not rich, if each family contributes a little, we can always make up the money for your tuition..."
Gu Yuan felt that the Yin energy behind him suddenly became fierce and emitted a chill.
He quickly turned his head to glance at Ji Yunzhou behind him, with a silent warning in his eyes:
Are you sick? What's wrong with you?
"Uncle, there's really no need."
Gu Yuan refused, and at the same time quietly put his hands behind his back and raised his middle finger.
Ji Yunzhou: “…”
"Other children in the village also need to go to school, and everyone needs to make a living..."
The village chief frowned and wanted to say something.
Gu Yuan took the lead: "Besides, I'm already nineteen, it's time for me to be independent. Grandpa Lin taught me the skills of fortune-telling and physiognomy. I can set up a stall near the school..."
“Nonsense!”
The village chief suddenly raised his voice: "Your grandfather is a real talent. You, a kid, have only learned a little bit and you dare to go out and cheat people? What if you run into a tough guy..."
Gu Yuan shrank his neck and heard a chuckle.
Is that bastard Ji Yunzhou making fun of him?
"I'm just kidding, uncle."
Gu Yuan quickly changed his words: "Actually, I plan to find a job as a tutor or in a convenience store. It's very safe."
The village chief's expression softened, and he pulled out a wrinkled envelope from his pocket. "This is a small gift from your aunt and me. It's not much, just for travel expenses."
Gu Yuan looked at the envelope and his throat suddenly tightened.
The envelope is not thick, and every penny is hard-earned.
"Uncle, I can't have it."
Gu Yuan pushed the envelope back, his voice choking: "I have eaten a lot of food and worn a lot of clothes over the years, I already owe you and aunt too much."
"Silly child, what are you talking about?"
The village chief stuffed the envelope into Gu Yuan's hands and said, "You have been an orphan since you were a child. Brother Lin raised you. Now that Brother Lin is gone, who will take care of you if we don't take care of you?"
Gu Yuan held the envelope tightly, feeling the edge of the paper hurting his palm.
He lowered his head so that the village chief wouldn't see his red eyes.
At this moment, a piercing chill suddenly hit him from behind, and Gu Yuan shivered involuntarily.
"What's wrong? You have a fever again?" The village chief nervously reached out and touched Gu Yuan's forehead.
"It's okay, just a little cold."
Gu Yuan forced a smile, and cursed fiercely in his heart:
Ji Yunzhou, you bastard! You definitely did it on purpose!
The village chief stood up and said, "Then go inside and lie down. Don't be exposed to the wind outside. I'll come to see you another day."
Gu Yuan nodded and stood up, holding on to the door frame.
Just as the village chief turned to leave, he suddenly said, "Uncle, thank you, and thank you everyone, I...I will be fine."
The village chief looked back at him with a complicated look, and finally just nodded, then slowly walked out of the yard with his crutches.
Gu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief only after the village chief disappeared from his sight.
"Come out, everyone's gone."
A slender figure gradually appeared in the air.
"You are good at pretending to be good."
Ji Yunzhou sneered, walked up to Gu Yuan, and lifted his chin with his cold fingers: "Nineteen years old? Independent? You can say that."
Gu Yuan slapped his hand away and turned to walk into the house: "What else? Tell him that my 19th birthday is the day I die?"
Ji Yunzhou's figure flashed and stood in front of Gu Yuan: "Stretch out your hand."
Gu Yuan raised his head and looked directly into those cold eyes: "What?"
"Oh…"
Ji Yunzhou's tone was full of sarcasm: "Why aren't you pretending to be good now? Where's that docile attitude you showed in front of the old man just now?"
He stopped talking nonsense and reached out to grab Gu Yuan's slender wrist.
The force was so astonishing that Gu Yuan couldn't break free at all.
"This is a gift for you. You are not allowed to take it off." Ji Yunzhou said in a tone that did not allow for refusal.
Gu Yuan felt a slight chill on his wrist. He looked down and saw a finely woven, brightly colored red rope had appeared out of thin air on his left wrist.
In the center of the red rope, there is an old round copper coin with a square hole, which emits a warm luster.
Five Emperors' Coins!
Really beautiful!
"Thanks…"
He said softly with a genuine smile. This was the first time in his life that he had received a gift from an outsider.
The room fell into silence, and Ji Yunzhou was stunned.
The sun is still shining, and Gu Yuan is still so attractive...
Gu Yuan walked to the bed and sat down, then took out an admission letter from under the pillow.
Admission letter from University A, majoring in computer science.
He gently stroked the gilded school name, the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised: "Ji Yunzhou, what do you think university is like?"
Ji Yunzhou walked over to him and sat down, rarely without mocking him: "There are too many people, too noisy, and a bunch of idiots."
Gu Yuan laughed out loud: "You talk as if you have really been there! Haven't you always been there..."
He wanted to say something like deep mountains and old forests or ancient tombs, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"Of course I have."
Ji Yunzhou raised his chin arrogantly: "After all, I am also a ghost king who has lived for a thousand years. With the social changes, I must experience this good life..."
He stopped short, realizing he had let the cat out of the bag.
Gu Yuan's eyes lit up: "You never said you have other identities, then you..."
He leaned forward excitedly, and a bunch of questions popped up in his mind:
What is he disguised as? A student? A teacher? Or some mysterious wealthy man?
What did he do in college? What kind of people did he meet?
"Shut up."
Ji Yunzhou glared at him angrily and said, "If you ask again, I'll cut off your tongue."
Gu Yuan made a gesture of closing his mouth, but his eyes were still full of curiosity.
He lowered his head and continued to read the notice. Suddenly, something occurred to him: "Oh, right, the university dormitory... can you go in? I mean, will there be any talismans or something..."
Ji Yunzhou sneered: "A mere university dormitory, can it stop me?"
“That means you can get in.”
Gu Yuan nodded, suddenly feeling distressed: "But you have to promise me that you won't scare my roommate."
"That depends on whether they know what's best for them."
Ji Yunzhou snorted coldly: "If you accidentally provoke me..."
"Ji Yunzhou!"
Gu Yuan yelled at him: "You can't do this, I want to live a normal college life, make friends, join clubs, maybe... maybe even have a relationship..."
The temperature in the house dropped to freezing point in an instant.
Ji Yunzhou's eyes turned completely red, without a trace of white in them: "Say it again?"
Gu Yuan swallowed his saliva and raised his head stubbornly: "I said, I want to live a normal life, but you can't cause me trouble..."
"I'm protecting you! Who cares if you're in a relationship or not!"
Ji Yunzhou's voice suddenly became violent: "Without me, you would have been torn to pieces by those wandering ghosts!"
"I know!"
Gu Yuan also raised his voice: "I know you protected me these days and drove away the dark shadow outside the window. I am very grateful to you."
The two men confronted each other, neither willing to give in.
Finally, Ji Yunzhou looked away first: "Whatever you want, no one will date you anyway..."
He paused, as if searching for the most vicious word, and then, with an extremely contemptuous and determined tone, he uttered two words:
"Ugly."
Ugly?
Gu Yuan was really pissed off by him: "I'm ugly? You're ugly! Not only are you ugly, you're also old! Bah!"
I feel so wronged!
Finally, he could no longer control his tears, which burst out of his eyes and crossed his angry red cheeks.
He wiped away his tears and shouted with all his might:
"Old bastard! Old ghost! Annoying bastard! I'm never going to talk to you again!"
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