Chapter 52
Meanwhile, Gu Dashun also came out of the Gu Family"s old residence at this moment.
Gu Dashun’s complexion didn’t look good.
The Gu Family had a really terrible year. In the past, many people would come to pay them New Year greetings that their threshold would almost be broken. But this time, everyone had heard about the yamen matter and feared that they would be affected, leading to the lack of visitors to the Gu Family this year.
Actually, the villagers didn"t have bad opinions about Gu Dashun because of what happened.
Everyone had lived in the village for so many years, and just as they knew Liu shi and Zhou shi’s characters, they also knew that Gu Dashun was a good seedling. He was different from other troublemaker children in the village.
He was someone who would stand out among his peers in the future, but he was implicated by his own mother and the second branch just like that. All the villagers only felt sorry for him.
It was just that Gu Dashun didn’t think like this. He felt that everyone was laughing at him, and every gaze that fell on him was full of disdain and ill intentions.
When he got on the oxcart, he saw Gu Xiaoshun and Xiao Liulang seemingly having fun talking.
Before, Gu Dashun was only glad that Gu Xiaoshun never stuck to his side, but now he felt shame and annoyance from being isolated.
Xiao Liulang and Gu Xiaoshun didn"t pay any attention to Gu Dashun all the way. Afterwards, they entered Earth Cla.s.s B together, and only when Gu Dashun saw the name plank of their cla.s.s did he finally feel his mood rise.
So what if you two were in cahoots? In the end, it was impossible for you to get out of the bottom.
The academy conducted an examination for returning students. This time, Gu Dashun was bent on getting the first place to wipe away his humiliation. However, he tried too hard and his mind was too tense. As a result, his performance was instead not as good as before, and he suddenly fell out of the top ten.
Gu Xiaoshun was still at the bottom as usual. Anyway, he was attending the academy just to make his sister happy, not to gain any scholarly honor. Therefore, he wasn’t really worried about being the bottom ranker in the exam.
But it wasn’t true that he hadn’t learned anything. Since he liked carving so much, Xiao Liulang told him that the highest realm of woodcarving wasn’t carving people and objects, but engraving characters and pieces of writing. If he could engrave the Four Books and Five Cla.s.sics word by word, that would be really astounding.
These words had reached Gu Xiaoshun’s heart. From that day on, he never took a nap in cla.s.s again and sat more energetically than when watching a c.o.c.kfight. He wanted to remember every word taught by the teacher; he wanted to be a true master of woodcarving!
The sickly student who asked for a leave of absence before the New Year holidays didn"t miss the exam this time and managed to get into the third place from the bottom. Hence, Xiao Liulang fell back to the second place from the bottom just as he wanted.
However, his good days did not end because of this. The next day after the exam, he was called to the Zhongzheng Hall by the Dean.
Looking at the Dean, who was smiling treacherously on the chair, Xiao Liulang"s eyes were instantly full of vigilance.
The Dean said with a gentle smile, "You don"t need to be so nervous. I didn"t call you here today for the last exam. Have you received the doc.u.ments for the county exam? The county exam is ten days away. I promised Jiao girl that I would help you review your lessons after cla.s.ses, and try to get you admitted into a Xiucai smoothly. From now on, you will come to Zhongzheng Hall every noon to study."
I haven"t even settled accounts with you for signing up my name secretly, and now you"re even intending to occupy my lunch break?!
Xiao Liulang expressed his total refusal!
The Dean said with a patronizing tone, "Jiao girl told me that you’re working very hard, studying till late at night every day. She said, you’re actually not stupid, but somehow you always fail in the exam. Maybe your learning method isn’t right, or you can’t raise any mood for learning... She asked me to do something about it."
First, not letting me live in the academy, and now letting the Dean give me preferential treatment. I didn"t know the two of you talked this well during the visit!
Xiao Liulang"s handsome face was drenched in black.
"What do you think? Shall we start now?" The Dean looked at Xiao Liulang with a smile.
Xiao Liulang let out a snort and said indifferently, "I won"t take the county exam. You should just give up the idea early!"
After saying this, he walked away without looking back, stomping his crutch on the ground.
Gu Jiao knew nothing about the happenings in the academy. She only thought that the Dean would give special guidance to Xiao Liulang today. Xiao Liulang had a good talent, he just didn’t put his mind into studying. Once he had received the guidance of a renowned teacher, his academic progress would definitely rise greatly!
Gu Jiao happily cleaned up the house, washed clothes, and chopped firewood. After all this, she said to the elderly woman, "Grandaunt, I will go to the temple later."
The elderly woman, who was eating melon seeds, asked, "What are you going to do in the temple? Pray for Bodhisattva to bless Liulang to be admitted into a Xiucai?"
Hm?
Gu Jiao froze.
There was also this method?
Although she was more of a science believer, wasn’t there a saying that the end of science was theology?
She might as well ask Bodhisattva to bless her husband and turn him from an underachiever to a scholar-lord!
...Alright, she won’t forget about buying a mountain.
Last year had ended. The abbot’s junior brother disciple, who had been wandering everywhere, should have returned by now.
Gu Jiao: "The lunch, I..."
The elderly woman waved her hand and said, "Little Xue will come and do it. Just go on with your business!"
The elderly woman didn’t like the heated meals in pots. Although Xue Ningxiang’s cooking wasn’t as good as that of Gu Jiao, the elderly woman still preferred to eat freshly cooked meals.
Just don"t know who let her get used to this kind of habit.
Gu Jiao often thought that the elderly woman was an ordinary person, but occasionally the habits she revealed gave her the impression that she was someone of high status.
Stroking her chin, Gu Jiao thought she was just overthinking. She carried her back basket and headed to the other side of the mountain.
When she arrived at the foot of the other side of the mountain, Gu Jiao saw a luxurious carriage. She felt strange. This temple wasn’t a grand one. How come there were always n.o.ble personages coming here?
Gu Jiao didn"t pay any more attention to it and made her way to the waist of the mountain. When she reached the last few steps, a figure of a woman suddenly fell from above.
This was a mountain road, so the steps were extremely steep. Falling like that, it would be strange to not fall to your death.
To make matters worse, Gu Jiao was right under her, and Gu Jiao absolutely didn’t want to fall with her.
At almost a lightning speed, Gu Jiao stepped sideways and grabbed her with her hand.
The woman made a twirl in place before she was standing steadily again. Then she looked at Gu Jiao. Gu Jiao also looked at her.
As soon as their eyes met, both of them were shocked, "It’s you?"
Gu Jiao: Isn"t this the Madame I met at the temple last time?
Madame: Isn"t this the little girl who blocked the food case for me in the temple last time?
The Madame revealed a pleasantly surprised smile and said, "Girl, you saved me again."
Gu Jiao asked faintly, "Why are you always in trouble every time I see you?"
The Madame smiled embarra.s.sedly.
Gu Jiao noticed the redness and swelling on her forehead, then saw the dirt on her knees. She asked, "Did you kowtow all the way up here?"
"En." The Madame nodded her head, "I asked the Bodhisattva to bless my son, and the Bodhisattva granted my prayers, so I am here to kowtow in worship as a show of grat.i.tude."
Gu Jiao also planned to offer incense to Bodhisattva and ask Bodhisattva to bless Xiao Liulang so he could be admitted into a Xiucai. But if that would also require her to kowtow step by step, then nevermind.