Chapter 329: 178 Empty Space (Second Update)

The weather is fine.

All the major academies in the Capital City have started their academic year, including the Qinghe Academy.

Early in the morning, Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun arrived at the academy with their book bags in hand to report for school.

The first day’s homework wasn’t much; the primary focus was to settle in.

As they entered the academy gates with their book bags, they bumped into the Marquis Residence brothers, Gu Chengfeng and Gu Chenglin, whom they hadn’t seen for days.

Gu Chenglin had been recuperating from injuries for two whole months. He could finally walk normally, but the profound psychological shadow he had incurred made him feel like he would get hurt every few steps he took.

The four of them meeting at the entrance was indeed pretty awkward.

Gu Chenglin’s gaze towards Gu Yan was still filled with bitterness, but underlying that bitterness was even more trepidation.

Every time he saw Gu Yan, he was reminded of the scenes where Gu Jiao tormented him in a small dark room, which is why he dared not lay a finger on Gu Yan again.

He only hoped for some misfortune to befall Gu Yan, so he could quench his hatred once and for all!

Gu Xiaoshun quickly stepped in front of Gu Yan, blocking their gazes.

What a joke! The difference between the quiet little carpenter and the most notorious bully within ten miles was just a chicken feather!

He, Gu Xiaoshun, was not easy to mess with!

“Let’s go.” Gu Chengfeng had no intention of fighting with them in the academy.

Gu Changqing had given them a strict order: if they caused trouble outside again, they would be punished to live in the ancestral hall for a year!

Whether they could stay in the ancestral hall wasn’t the main issue; the point was that they were in debt and had to sneak out every night to do tasks to repay it, and it wouldn’t be convenient to leave if they were watched by their eldest brother’s guards.

Gu Chenglin was pulled away by his elder brother.

Gu Yan: “Humph!”

Everyone went into their classrooms.

On the other side, Xiao Liulang and Xiao Jingkong also arrived at the Guozijian for class.

Xiao Liulang first sent Xiao Jingkong to the entrance of the kindergarten class and said to him, “I will pick you up for lunch at noon.”

“I know!” Little Jingkong replied nonchalantly, “I am four years old now, I’m not a kid anymore!”

Xiao Liulang expressed doubt about his age, feeling that it wasn’t impossible for the abbot to have overestimated his age, after all, he appeared so small, just like a four-year-old dumpling.

“Alright, go in,” Xiao Liulang said to him.

Little Jingkong hugged his book bag as he went into the kindergarten reluctantly.

Why did he have to go to school?

He just wanted to be with Jiaojiao, to become her little tail.

The changes in the kindergarten class were quite substantial; because children grow so quickly, over a year, everyone either became taller or fatter, except for little Jingkong. He was still tiny, such that his head would almost be blocked by the desk when seated.

Some classmates started to laugh at him.

“Jingkong, why are you still so small? Won’t you ever grow?”

“Yes, yes! Are you not eating?”

“Are you still a baby?”

In Little Jingkong’s book bag was a bottle of milk that Gu Jiao had packed for him, saying that if he drank more milk, he would grow taller.

But he refused to drink milk in front of these classmates now!

He did not want to be laughed at by them.

The most boisterous of these was Qin Chuyu.

After suffering from chickenpox, Qin Chuyu had been on leave for a while, and only returned after the New Year.

He was eight years old by the lunar calendar, and he had not only gained weight but had also grown a bit taller.@@novelbin@@

He reached out to touch Little Jingkong’s scholar’s cap and said, “Little bun, do you want candy? Call me ‘brother’ and I’ll give you some!”

Little Jingkong just stared at him without speaking: “Childish!”

Qin Chuyu: “…”

Shortly afterwards, the teacher arrived.

Not Teacher Jiang but a Mr. Sun.

Teacher Jiang had been transferred to the Guangye Hall, and from today on, Mr. Sun would take over the Genius Class.

Once Mr. Sun introduced himself, he started checking the vacation homework of the Genius Class.

The classmates who were just making fun of Little Jingkong could no longer laugh. After all, who would remember to do their homework while having fun over the holidays?

Parents like Xiao Liulang who check their children’s homework every day were actually not very common; most of them just let their children grow wildly.

The result was predictable.

There was a collective wail across the classroom.

Amid the wailing, only Little Jingkong quietly opened his book bag and took out his winter homework.

The atmosphere in the Guozijian was somewhat unusual that day. The little children in the kindergarten couldn’t notice this change, but Xiao Liulang felt an eerie seriousness and a dash of gossip as soon as he stepped into the Shuaixin Hall.

“Hey, did you guys hear? Zheng Siye has fallen sick!”

“How could he suddenly fall sick?”

“Isn’t it because of that matter?”

“What matter?”

“You guys have really not heard about it even though it has been widely circulated?”

“No.”