Ms. Cao was shocked when she saw that Gu Shiba Niang had brought back several hundred coins. Gu Shi Shi Niang briefly told the whole story, but Mr. Cao did not speak for a long time.
"Baba Niang, you kid..." After a long time, Mrs. Cao sighed, reached out and stroked Gu Ba Niang's head and hesitated, feeling a little strange in her heart, why did this child suddenly become so stubborn and aggressive
Gu Shiba Niang knew that what she meant was that she should endure it, and should not offend Shopkeeper Zhou to death all of a sudden and end her future livelihood for these few hundred coins.
"Mom, if I endure this anger today, I will have to endure countless anger in the future. A person like Shopkeeper Zhou is a villain who bullies the weak and is afraid of the strong. You can't obey such a villain. I just want him to know. I know Xiao Jiujiu in his heart, and I'm not afraid of him either," Gu Shiba Niang said.
"Eighteen Mother, we...it is inevitable to be looked down upon by others, you can't..." Ms. Cao sighed and smiled bitterly.
Gu Shiba Niang pursed her lips tightly, "It's okay to look down on us, but that's not the reason why they can point at our faces and insult us!"
She clenched her hands and said, "Mom, don't worry, it's just one business that can't be done. Shopkeeper Zhou can't do it with many businesses. For businessmen, this is a common thing. He won't just follow me." Most of them are sworn enemies. We just no longer deal with each other. This is no loss to him. For me, it was a bit of a loss at first, but now it is nothing..."
She smiled and told the story about Peng Yizhen.
"I know this Peng Yizhen..." Mrs. Cao said, "Your father always had arm pain when he got wind a few years ago, so I invited him..."
"Dad, did you see him for medical treatment?" Gu Shiba was surprised. She had no impression at all, but it was normal to have no impression. In the past, she lived in confusion every day, like a wooden person. She had no impression at all.
"It's not him." Ms. Cao smiled, "It's his father. At the age you said, he has already taken over Peng Yizhen."
It turned out that Peng Yizhen was a signboard. Gu Shiba Niang suddenly realized that she wanted to laugh a little. She thought maybe the name on Peng Yizhen's medicine hall was also Peng Yizhen.
"This family is actually kind." Ms. Cao felt relieved.
Gu Shiba Niang also nodded, "Then I'll go up the mountain to collect more medicine so that I can deliver it as soon as possible."
Mrs. Cao nodded and licked her daughter's hanging hair distressedly.
After digging half a basket of polygala and some windproofs, Gu Shiba Niang sat on the rock, frowning slightly, lowering her head and looking at the basket on her back, and had a vague idea in her heart.
Will she make a living by collecting or selling medicinal materials? At least for now, they have no other means of making a living. Gu Hai has to face three exams before he can stand out. No one can say exactly how long these three exams will last. Some people finish it in three years, while others waste half their life. , such as her father.
With the current rough skills alone, their lives are still not guaranteed. Gu Shiba Niang pursed her lips. After all, she recognized the medicinal materials halfway and quickly discarded them. If she really wants to rely on this craft to survive, she needs to learn. Nowadays, not many medicinal materials are recognized, and even fewer know how to prepare them.
"Just find some books to read. The best one is the one from the Shen family..." she muttered to herself.
"Sister," Gu Hai's voice came to mind at the back.
Gu Shiba Niang turned her head and looked at Gu Hai striding over. She didn't know whether it was because she was running in a hurry or something else, her face was red.
"What book do you want to read?" He asked after taking her words, with a bit of self-reproach on his face. His sister likes to read, "I have sold a lot of books at home..."
Gu Shiba Niang shook her head. Now they don't have spare money to buy books. "I remembered a medicinal material book that I read before. It's nothing...Brother, what's the happy event?"
She looked at Gu Hai and saw the joy at the corners of his mouth and brows. This kind of smile that could not be hidden had not been seen on this young man's face for a long time. Ever since his father died of illness, this young man had been burdened with a burden that did not match his age. Pressure, no longer as vital as others of the same age, until death.
When Gu Hai heard this, a smile spread across his lips, "Today, sir, I was allowed to enter the Ming Hall."
Gu Shiba Niang was overjoyed when she heard this, "Really?"
Schools in the Great Zhou Dynasty generally had three grades, namely Meng, Qi and Ming. Meng was a beginner, Qi Ze was a student like Gu Hai who had studied for a period of time and had not taken the county examination, and Ming was a student They are the students who have failed the county examination and those who have passed the government examination and are waiting for the government examination. Of course, they also include students selected by the teacher who think they can further accept their knowledge. The students are proud of this, not to mention that Gu Hai is about to face It is really a great joy to enter the Mingtang at this time of the county examination.
"Brother..." Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help crying with joy and held Gu Hai's hand tightly.
Gu Hai couldn't help but his eyes were red, and he stroked his sister's head, "It's just that in the future, there will be more homework, and there will be less time to help my sister collect medicine... which will burden my sister and mother..."
"What are you talking about!" Gu Shiba Niang wiped away her tears, "My brother studied hard not for my mother and me."
Only by studying and becoming an official can we live a good life, so that those people will no longer look down upon them, and let my mother and sister live a life like those ladies and ladies in the clan, no, a better life than those in the Gu clan.
Gu Hai clenched his fists and nodded firmly at his sister with a smile.
"Let's go, tell mother about this great happy event." Gu Shiba Niang grabbed the backpack and pulled Gu Hai and ran down the mountain.
Passing by the school, before it was time for dinner, some boarding students walked out of the school and wandered around, reading or talking and laughing. Among these people, a young student stood alone under a green bamboo, looking particularly unsocial.
"That's Senior Brother Cai." Gu Hai saw it and couldn't help but slow down.
Thanks to him delivering the message last time, Gu Hai passed the test of his husband, and Gu Shiba Niang also stopped.
"Let's go thank him," she suggested.
Gu Hai also admired Senior Brother Cai very much, especially since he would study with him in the future, he felt a little happy.
So the brother and sister straightened their clothes and approached him.
"Senior Brother Cai."
Cai Wen was looking at the swaying bamboo leaves and didn't know what he was thinking. It was rare for someone to take the initiative to say hello to him. He turned around unexpectedly and saw the two brothers and sisters in front of him.
"Yeah." He responded lightly.
"Thank you for what happened last time, Brother Cai." Gu Hai said while saluting Gu Shiba Niang.
Cai Wen's expression remained the same, and he said calmly: "It's such a big effort, I don't dare to accept thanks."
Gu Hai saluted again and was about to leave when he saw Gu Shiba Niang staring at Cai Wen's face with a strange expression.
Cai Wen also noticed this gaze and felt slightly uncomfortable on his face, but said nothing.
As a man, he doesn't pay much attention to appearance. When he looks in the mirror, he just adjusts his clothes. He never pays attention to his appearance. However, he also knows from the evasive and whispering attitudes of the maids beside him and the boudoir ladies he meets occasionally. I should be considered pretty good for my appearance.
But there is really no girl who stares at me so directly.
Gu Hai was a little surprised in his heart, his sister was not such a rude person, so he reached out and quietly pulled the corner of her clothes, and saw Gu Shiba Niang suddenly took a step forward and stood in front of Cai Wen.