Chapter 97.3: Snatched Away
Chapter 97.3: Snatched Away
“Where’s the primary school located?” Gu Jiao asked.
Xiao Liulang answered, “Near Tianxiang Academy, there is a private school that has been in operation for more than ten years. There is a primary school class in it. The class time is similar to mine, so he can go to school with me every day.”
He knew it! His bad brother-in-law was going to start separating him from JiaoJiao!
Gu Jiao had a kindergarten in her previous life, so she was very receptive to three-year-olds going to school.
When Gu Jiao wasn’t at home, Little Jing Kong was like a little trumpet master, and the elderly woman suffered so much from it, hence she was also happy to see him go to school.
Gu Jiao turned to Little Jingkong and asked, “Does Jing Kong want to go to school?”
No, I don’t!
But Little Jing Kong left those words on the tip of his lips and thought carefully. If he said he didn’t want to go to school, wouldn’t he be a child who didn’t want to learn?
His bad brother-in-law really dug a pit for him!
Fortunately, he was smart!
Little Jing Kong said, “If I go to school, JiaoJiao won’t be able to see me for a whole day!”
Gu Jiao patted his little head and replied, “It’s fine. I’ll see you off in the morning and wait for you at the entrance of the village in the evening. If I am free, I’ll pick you up at the private school.”
Having reached this point, Little Jing Kong would not be a sensible child if he refused again.
He swallowed the sweet potato porridge in his mouth and squeezed out a cute smile, saying, “Okay, since JiaoJiao wants me to go to school, I’ll go!”
Learning was a must, but in order to make up for the loss of not seeing Gu Jiao all day, Little Jing Kong asked for two parting kisses.
Studying wasn’t cheap. The tuition fee costed two taels of silver a month including the lunch meal, and if you ever stop attending school midway, you wouldn’t get a refund.
Gu Jiao put two taels of silver into Little Jing Kong’s pocket. He insisted on paying the tuition fee himself and not rely on his bad brother-in-law’s fake helping hands.
A big and little one went to school on an oxcart.
Gu Jiao was at home trying to figure out how to fix the roof.
She took a look at the roof and found that there were quite a few broken tiles. She estimated that all three rooms would start leaking after a few more heavy rains.
She decided to repair the entire roof, and by the way, set up two small rooms on either side of the backyard, so that Gu Xiaoshun would not worry about having no place to live in when he returned to the village.
She had some money on hand, but it wasn’t enough if she wanted to do all this. Thereupon, she went to Zhouji Bank in town, withdrew 20 taels of silver, and asked how much money was left.
As a result, the manager of the bank told her, “1,100 taels.”
Gu Jiao was frozen for a whole three seconds.
“Aren’t you mistaken? Not 100 taels? Is it really 1,100 taels?”
The manager smiled and said, “Our Zhouji Bank is about credibility, we will never embezzle the girl’s money ah!”
When Xiao Liulang gave her the copper plate, she didn’t think much of it. She thought that the amount left would at most be 180 taels. She never expected it to be this much.
In fact, the original amount was more than that, but a full 100 taels was spent to buy a brush for Gu Jiao, which was the work of a master unique in all of the State of Zhao. And yet poor Gu Jiao was still secretly bitter about her man’s aesthetic for a long time.
The twenty taels she just withdrew were actually the travel expenses that Gu Jiao gave Xiao Liulang in the beginning. Xiao Liulang didn’t spend it and also deposited it in the bank.
Gu Jiao was suddenly a little suspicious, “Did he really go there to take the exam?”
He didn’t go to the prefectural city to start a book-copying business, did he?
Then, Gu Jiao suddenly remembered the college exam fraud mentioned by Dean Li. Dean Li said that he didn’t know why Xiao Liulang didn’t retake the exam. Gu Jiao thought she probably knew the reason now.
After getting the money, Gu Jiao went back to the village to renovate the house. She invited several craftsmen in the village and told them her own requirements, and that they must finish renovating the house in the shortest possible time.
As long as you give more money, you needn’t worry about people working hard. Besides, this was Xiucai Xiao’s home. They were also expecting that Xiao Liulang would pass the imperial exam brilliantly and then they could live in a few acres of fields for free under Xiao Liulang’s name.
On Gu Jiao’s side, the house was being renovated with burning passion. On the other side, Gu Jinyu suddenly fell ill.
On the night of her return from Qingquan Village, she didn’t feel quite right. She just thought that she was tired and didn’t take it to heart, but in the middle of the night, she had a high fever.
The old servant of the villa said that she caught something unclean when she went to the grave.
The imperial physician prescribed her some medicine, but with little effect.
Marquis Gu was anxious as he said, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have let Jinyu go to the grave!”
“Cough! Cough…” Gu Jinyu coughed twice with a veil over her mouth and asked weakly, “I’m fine. How’s my brother?”
Gu Yan wasn’t very comfortable these two days, mainly because he was born weak and thus was easily exhausted after a night of excitement.
In order to prevent him from running around, Yao shi had to stay at his bedside.
“He’s fine.” When it came to this, Marquis Gu was also very pleased. His son’s body was really much stronger now than before. If he dared to do such a thing in the past, he would have lost his life already. Now he was very much alive and kicking after only lying in bed for a few days.
However, to be cautious, both he and Yao shi thought it was still better to let their son rest in his room for a few more days.
“I’m glad my brother is fine.” Gu Jinyu coughed and said.
Marquis Gu felt distressed, saying, “Oh, you are very sick and yet you still worry about your brother.”
Gu Jinyu smiled, “He is my only little brother after all.”
Marquis Gu suddenly remembered that unfilial girl Gu Jiao, gritted his teeth and said, “If only that girl could be half as sensible as you. I heard everything that happened that day from Huang Zhong. She gave you a look, didn’t she? I don’t think you caught something unclean, it must be that girl making you ill from anger!”
Gu Jinyu hurriedly said, “Dad, don’t talk about my sister like that. My sister grew up in the countryside all these years, and that family didn’t treat her well either. She just suffered too much and didn’t know how to deal with people. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t do better than my sister.”
Marquis Gu said, “You are too kind!”
Gu Jinyu shook her head and said, “I’m really not sick this time because of my sister, but because of myself.”
After a brief pause, she told Marquis Gu about losing the letter with the question.
“Aunt put high hopes on me, but I lost the paper after solving half of the question and fell ill in a moment of anxiety.”
Marquis Gu patted the back of her hand and replied, “Silly girl, what’s there to be anxious about? Even if you can’t do it, your aunt won’t blame you.”
“Really?” Gu Jinyu didn’t believe it.
Marquis Gu smiled mysteriously, saying, “Your aunt wrote to us again. Can you guess what she said in the letter?”
Gu Jinyu thought carefully and said, “For Dad to take me back to the capital quickly?”
Marquis Gu said, “This is natural. What else?”
Gu Jinyu frowned slightly, “This daughter is unable to guess.”
Marquis Gu gave her a spoiled look and smiled proudly, saying, “Your aunt has prepared a big present for you. I meant to surprise you when we returned to the capital, but it’s also fine to tell you earlier. Your aunt asked His majesty for grace, and on your fifteenth birthday, His Majesty will personally issue a decree to confer you the title of county owner!”