Chapter 135.2
Having not seen him for a few months, the once high-spirited Second Owner was slumped on the floor like a sloppy drunkard. It was unknown how many empty wine bottles were strewn around him as he stared at the roof motionless, as though he were a corpse.
Gu Jiao stepped over the bottles, squatted down beside him, opened her medicine chest and took out two anti-hangover pills, "Here."
Second Owner didn"t move.
At this time, Little Liu entered the room with hot tea.
Gu Jiao took the hot tea, asked Little Liu to help Second Owner up, and then she forcibly made him swallow the anti-hangover pills.
Seeing the untidy and unkempt appearance of Second Owner, Little Liu choked with sobs. He said, "Master, Gu girl has come to see you."
Second Owner sat on the ground with a dull look.
Gu Jiao stared at him and calmly asked, "How did your father die?"
Second Owner suddenly regained his senses and stared blankly at Gu Jiao. The emotions that he dared not vent in front of his family instantly collapsed at this moment. His tears fell uncontrollably. He hugged his head and cried, his body trembling all over!
Gu Jiao didn"t disturb him.
She waited quietly until he finished crying.
Little Liu retreated out with red eyes.
No one knew how long it took for Second Owner to finally calm down.
He wiped his tears with his sleeve and looked at Gu Jiao with a smile, asking, "Girl, why are you here?"
"Accompanying my husband to study in the Imperial Academy."
"Ah, so Young Gentleman Xiao became a Jieyuan in the provincial exam, congratulations!"
"What happened to you?"
Perhaps it was the work of the medicine, or maybe he had cried it all out just now, in any case, his whole person felt a lot better. He smiled casually and said, "It’s nothing, I just felt muddle headed these days. I let you see a joke."
"Are you going back to the Hu residence?" Gu Jiao asked.
Second Owner was stupefied.
After a while, he smiled bitterly, saying, "I can"t go back."
"Was your father kind to you?"
Second Owner thought for a long time before answering, "...used to treat me well."
Before the death of his mother, their family of three lived a harmonious and happy life. But ever since a stepmother came into the picture, he also became just like a stepfather to him.
"Then, do you blame your stepmother?"
Second Owner originally wanted to say, how many good stepmothers could there be in this world? When the words reached his lips, however, he suddenly remembered that Gu Jiao"s mother was also a stepmother.
He said, "If my stepmother could be half as kind as the Marchioness, I wouldn"t have ended up like this. But then again, it"s no use. No matter how kind she is, her three stepsons still don"t like her. Then, am I the one with the problem?"
"No, there’s nothing wrong with you. I won"t comment on the Marquis Estate, as for your side, the one’s at fault is your father. He was fickle and in the end neglected you, so why do you still feel sorry for his death?"
Gu Jiao wasn’t blaming Second Owner at all, she just really didn’t understand.
Whatever this thing was, she surely didn’t have it in her emotional reserve.
She would be nice to anyone who treated her well and would get back at those that bullied her, even if the other person was her own father.
She looked at Second Owner oddly.
Second Owner had long known that she was a different girl, and that her way of thinking was different from theirs. He gave a wry smile and patiently explained, "Actually, I don"t understand it myself either. Maybe... I just remember the times he treated me nicely."
Gu Jiao still didn’t understand.
Perhaps she would never understand it in her life.
"Since you can no longer go back to the Hu residence, what do you plan to do in the future?"
"Don"t know."
Gu Jiao thought carefully and suggested, "Why don"t you sell medicine with me?!"
Second Owner：“…”
He wasn’t comforted but thank you!
At first, Second Owner thought that Gu Jiao really wanted to drag him down the streets to sell medicine, but later he realized that Gu Jiao was planning to open a medical hall.
Second Owner would pay the capital and Gu Jiao would use her medical skills as investment, each of them holding 50% of the shares.
If other people were to persuade Second Owner like this, Second Owner would definitely not agree. He didn’t have the confidence and the will.
But Gu Jiao was different.
She inexplicably had this convincing power in her.
Since there was nothing to lose anymore, Second Owner made up his mind, "Alright! Let’s do it!"
Only, Second Owner had already been driven out of the Hu residence and he didn"t have much money on hand. Even the cheapest shop nearby would cost him at least 3,000 taels to buy all in all.
"I can lend you some money." Gu Jiao said, "But there will be interest."
Second Owner: I always feel something is wrong!
At noon, when Xiao Liulang came back for lunch, Gu Jiao talked to him about the money. They still had 1,000 taels left at home, and she probably would have to spend 800 taels.
In the study, Xiao Liulang was sorting out the books he was going to bring to the academy. When he heard this, he said without thinking, "The money is for you to use, there’s no need to tell me."
So generous.
Gu Jiao said, "Are you not going to ask me what I will do with it?"
"What are you intending to do with it?" Xiao Liulang asked obediently.
"Use it for loan sharking!" Gu Jiao answered.
Xiao Liulang looked dumbfounded at once.
Haha. Gu Jiao was amused by his appearance again and said, "I"m just kidding. I"m lending it to others! You also know that person, it’s Second Owner of the Rejuvenation Hall."
Xiao Liulang said seemingly inadvertently, "I heard you used to be a medicine girl in his medical hall?"
Gu Jiao blinked her eyes, asking, "Who told you that?"
Xiao Liulang replied, "Mother-in-law."
Gu Jiao：“…”
Ever since Xiao Liulang discovered that the box she always carried might be a medicine chest, he had been vaguely guessing something, but he wouldn’t mention it until she took the initiative to tell him.
Both of them had secrets they were hiding from each other.
His ident.i.ty, her origin.
Xiao Liulang picked up a cup of hot tea on the table and took a sip of it.
Gu Jiao suddenly uttered an ‘oh’ before pointing to another cup of tea on the table, saying, "That is what I just drank, that one is yours."
Xiao Liulang’s expression on his face stiffened.
Gu Jiao, propping up her chin with her hand, stared at him and said, "We drank on the same teacup. In other words, did we just do that thing called indirect you-know?"
Xiao Liulang blushed at once. He put down the teacup and solemnly said, "What nonsense are you talking about? The spot where I drank and the spot where you drank are different!"
"Oh." Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow. Don"t blush if you have the ability. "I"m going to cook our meal."
"En." Xiao Liulang tried his best to look serious.
Gu Jiao took one last look at him and went to cook in the kitchen.
Hearing the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, Xiao Liulang breathed a sigh of relief. He pressed his disobedient heart and his eyes fell directly on the teacup.
He picked up the teacup slowly and carefully took a sip again.
“Brother-in-law!"
Little Jing Kong suddenly popped in!
Xiao Liulang choked with a guilty heart. Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough… He was choking to death!