The road in the village is not easy to walk, especially the section that goes to Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao's house.
The mule cart stopped at the entrance of the village.
"Brother Xiao." The classmate jumped out of the carriage first, reached out to help Xiao Liulang down, and took down Xiao Liulang's burden.
After Xiao Liulang stood still, he looked back at Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao jumped off the carriage lightly and carried the basket on her back.
Xiao Liulang retracted his gaze and said to his classmate, "Go back, you don't need to send it away."
It was really late, and the driver was a little impatient.
The classmate then said: "Okay, I'm leaving, don't forget the exam in three days. If the academy is not on holiday that day, I won't come to pick you up, you remember to go."
"Yeah." Xiao Liulang nodded lightly and took the burden.
It was difficult to walk at night, and they didn't have a lantern in their hands, so Gu Jiao didn't move, and silently waited for Xiao Liulang.
The classmate glanced at her coldly, pulled Xiao Liulang away, and whispered: "Brother Xiao, after three days, you can take the test well, you can live in the academy if you pass the test, and you don't have to be bullied by this evil woman! You don't have to worry about the legs, I will continue to inquire about Dr. Zhang's news. Oh, and also, you can eat the sweet-scented osmanthus cake yourself, don't take advantage of that wicked woman!"
Gu Jiao was sweating when she came back from the market with the basket on her back, but she was all dried on the mule cart. Her little red face was now pale from the cold, and it was pierced in the moonlight.
Xiao Liulang glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and the classmate wanted to explain a few more words, but was interrupted by Xiao Liulang: "Got it, you go back."
The classmate opened his mouth, but Xiao Liulang didn't pay any attention to him anymore, clutching the burden in one hand and a cane in the other, turning around and heading towards his house.
Gu Jiao followed with steps.
Gu Jiao kept the distance from him just right, not to make people feel too close, but if she fell, she would be able to support them in time.
However, Xiao Liulang is very familiar with this section of the road, and nothing happened until his home.
It was already dark at the moment, and the doors of every household were closed. Only Xue Ningxiang came out to pour out the bath water, and was stunned at the door for a while.
"Ah Xiang, why didn't you come in? What are you looking at?"
Inside the house, Xue Ningxiang's mother-in-law was lying on the hospital bed and asked her in a hoarse voice.
Xue Ningxiang blinked blankly and said, "No, nothing."
She must have misunderstood, how could Xiao Liulang walk with that little fool? Although they are a couple, they are more enemies than enemies.
Gu's old house.
Today is the cooking time in the big room. Mrs. Zhou and her daughter, Gu Yue'e, brought the hot meals to the main room and set the bowls and chopsticks.
In Gu's house, women don't eat at the table. There are only old man Gu, the eldest son Gu Changhai, the second son Gu Changlu, and three grandchildren on the table.
The old lady, Mrs. Wu, brought her two daughters-in-law and her granddaughter, Gu Yue'e, to eat in the stove with bowls.
Mr. Gu is Lizheng, and he is more promising than most villagers who only know how to shave food in the ground. The big guy doesn't see meat and fish a few times a year, but the Gu family can eat meat twice a month.
Today is the day to eat meat.
Stewed cabbage with pork belly, even the soup has a rich meaty aroma.
But there is not much pork belly, one person or two chopsticks can't eat it.
After Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu each had a piece, under the majestic aura of their father, they didn't dare to think of this bowl of meat again, and turned their heads to add pickles.
Mr. Gu didn't eat much himself, he only took a small piece, and gave Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Ershun a small piece each, and gave the rest to Gu Dashun.
Gu Xiaoshun counted it carefully, there were five slices, and all of them were big!
"Why give him all to eat?" Gu Xiaoshun muttered bitterly as he cooked the rice.
Gu Ershun said softly: "That's because the eldest brother is a scholar, and our family pointed to the eldest brother."
When he said this, he couldn't help but glanced at the meat in Gu Dashun's bowl.
He is hungry.
I'm really hungry.
But he was used to this kind of discrimination.
There are so many men in the family, only the eldest brother is a piece of reading material. This year, the eldest brother has also been admitted to the county school, which is higher than his grandfather's original achievements.
"Cut." Gu Xiaoshun rolled his eyes, "My brother-in-law is also a scholar, why don't you see him calling him to eat meat?"
"How can it be the same? The elder brother has been admitted to the county school, how can he compare with the elder brother?"
"My brother-in-law just didn't take the exam."
The two brothers were still fighting. Old Man Gu slapped his chopsticks on the table, and the two instantly shut up.
The old man got angry, not to mention that the three grandchildren couldn't bear it, even Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu were a little stubborn.
The house was eerily silent.
"Second brother, have I read the book for you? There is an annotation I made on it. Take a good look at it and ask me if you don't understand anything."
It was Gu Dashun who spoke.
He was the only one who dared to speak out against the old man's anger.
His voice is clear and smooth, his tone is calm and unhurried, and he really has the demeanor of a scholar.
How Mr. Gu looked at this Jin Sun was pleasing to the eye, and his anger quickly disappeared.
Gu Ershun smiled flatteredly: "Then I'll thank eldest brother first!"
The old man Gu taught all three grandchildren at the beginning, but only Gu Dashun passed the exam. The later old man could not teach him the knowledge, so he sent Gu Dashun to the private school in the town.
Private schools are too expensive, and the Gu family can only afford the best one.
Gu Ershun dreams of being the same as Gu Dashun.
Old Man Gu said without anger, "Don't quarrel with your elder brother these days, he wants to take an exam."
Gu Ershun nodded respectfully: "Understood, Grandpa."
Gu Xiaoshun didn't want to wait any longer, so he left after eating three or two bites.
He wanted to go out, but he couldn't get through the front door of the main room, nor the back door of the kitchen room. Wu's family was no better than the old man.
Gu Xiaoshun decided to jump over the wall.
But he had just climbed halfway and was caught by Liu's: "Gu Xiaoshun! Come down for me!"
Gu Xiaoshun was dragged down by Liu.
Liu Shi slapped him on the head and whispered, "Your grandparents are here, don't you want to live?"
"Don't hit me on the head!" Gu Xiaoshun said impatiently.
"It's so late, what are you doing out?"
"My sister hasn't come to dinner for a day, so I'll take a look at her."
Liu Shi snorted: "It's good if she doesn't come, what are you going to see? After becoming a relative, you still run to her parents' house every day, what does it look like!"
Gu Xiaoshun pouted and said, "That's not what the third uncle and third aunt said before she died. Grandpa and grandma promised the third aunt that the elder sister is going to recruit a son-in-law in our family. "
Liu Shi couldn't say no to him, so he pinched him fiercely!
Gu Ershun is obedient and useless, Gu Xiaoshun is neither obedient nor useless, Bai Xia gave birth to two babies! —
Gu Jiao bought rice noodles at the market, but she didn't expect Xiao Liulang to also buy them, and also bought a few more steamed buns with white noodles.
Gu Jiao went to the stove to warm up the steamed buns.
It was Xiao Liulang's fire.
Gu Jiao was not hypocritical.
When she went out, the injury on her wrist was not serious. But she did something at the fair and the wound was torn. It was also thanks to her that her home was unsafe, so she brought a medicine box with her and bandaged it on the spot.
Neither of them mentioned the three cornmeal buns in advance, Xiao Liulang didn't explain, and Gu Jiao didn't question.
"Just eat here, it's warm." Gu Jiao said. She was really freezing, and she was shivering all the time.
Xiao Liulang hesitated for a while, then hummed, and sat down on the little tumbler beside Gu Jiao.
It was the first time the two were so close, so close that he sat on Gu Jiao's left side and could clearly see the birthmark on her left face.
In the past, Gu Jiao was covered with thick powder, but now she is facing the sky, generously and without any cover.
Xiao Liulang's beautiful lips moved slightly, but he didn't make a sound.
Just as she wouldn't ask about him, he wouldn't ask her either.
They are two completely unrelated people, so there is no need for a deeper relationship.
The steamed buns with white flour had no taste, but Gu Jiao had been hungry all day, so she was not picky about it.
Gu Jiao choked a little and went back to the house to take a sip of water. When she returned to the stove, Xiao Liulang was no longer there, and there was a bag on the small bench.
Gu Jiao opened it and took a look.
It's osmanthus cake.
(^_^) Good morning
(End of this chapter)