Chapter 56: 56 Apologies

The standoff between the two parties had lasted for quite some time, attracting the attention of all the staff at Huichun Hall.

Only three people at Huichun Hall were aware of Gu Jiao’s medical qualifications: the second boss, the shopkeeper Wang, and the elderly doctor.

Although the rest of them often saw Gu Jiao there, they merely thought of her as a family member of a patient.

Both the second boss and Shopkeeper Wang treated her with great courtesy, and everyone else thought of her as the wife of a student at Tianxiang Academy.

One should never underestimate a scholar, as they could potentially become local dignitaries, wealthy businessmen, or local officials in the future.

However, they never expected her to commit such an act.

“Who would have thought? She seemed so honest and straightforward, but she turned out to be a habitual thief.”

“Yes, she stole someone’s jade pendant, and their jade ring.”

“I wondered why she came to Huichun Hall today even though her husband hasn’t come and she doesn’t have to pick up any medicine. She must have set her eyes on that rich lady? That’s why she followed her in to steal!”

“She’s not afraid of tarnishing her own husband’s reputation.”

“Isn’t that so? What a misfortune for a scholar to end up with such a wicked woman!”

Among all the people present, probably everyone except the second boss believed Gu Jiao was guilty.

Isn’t it obvious? She’s so poor, how could she possibly own such an exquisite jade pendant?

“Miss, please keep your jade pendant safe.” As the maid spoke, she bent down and hung the jade pendant around the young girl’s waist.

Gu Jiao reached out to take it.

“How dare you!” The maid’s eyes turned cold, and gave Gu Jiao a slap.

However, before her slap could land on Gu Jiao’s face, she was knocked down by Gu Jiao’s counter slap.

Everyone was stunned, not having seen clearly how Gu Jiao made her move. By the time they reacted, the maid was already on the ground, her cheeks swelling.

The young girl was shocked as well.

Gu Jiao extended her hand, scarred by years of hard labour, and plucked the jade pendant from the girl’s waist.

Throughout the process, Gu Jiao held her breath, not wanting to smell the fragrance on her.

The young girl stared at her with wide eyes, “You… how dare you!”

She couldn’t believe that a rustic village girl had dared to touch her!

After retrieving the jade pendant, Gu Jiao did not rush to put it in her purse. Instead, she took out a clean handkerchief from her bosom and thoroughly wiped the jade pendant.

The young girl could hardly breathe.

This peasant girl… was she insinuating that she was dirty?

When Gu Jiao wanted to annoy someone, she did it thoroughly and from all angles.

The girl felt as though her chest was blocked, and she was struggling to breathe.

The girl gritted her teeth and shouted angrily, “Go report to the officials!”

“Who wants to report to the officials?”

Along with a majestic and clear male voice, the stern-looking academy director walked over.

Another formidable character had arrived, and the workers of Huichun Hall cleared a path for him.

The director entered the room, looked at the young girl who was fuming with rage, and then at the maid who had been unable to get up from the ground for quite some time. He then respectfully stood next to Gu Jiao.

His position made his stance clear.

He turned around and looked at the young girl calmly, “Is it this lady who wants to report to the officials? May I know what happened that made you so angry?”

His words were courteous, but his tone was not.

The girl knitted her brows, and asked, “Who are you?”

The director answered, “I am the director of the Tianxiang Academy.”

The girl, “Director Li?”

The director, “Indeed, it is I.”

The name of Dean Li is well known in the Capital City; the young girl certainly wouldn’t be unaware of it. Despite Dean Li taking on the role of a small-town teacher after his withdrawal, his influence in the Capital City still persisted.

The young girl was fairly civil to him. She glanced at Gu Jiao and demanded, “She stole something from our house. I want it back.”

“I didn’t steal anything. The jade pendant is mine.” Gu Jiao might not care about the young girl’s opinion, but she did care about the dean’s. As the wife of Xiao Liulang, she didn’t want to leave a bad impression on him.

“What about the jade finger ring?” the girl asked.

“It accidentally fell into my sleeve pocket. I discovered it when I arrived home.” Gu Jiao explained honestly.

The maid fumed, “That’s not what you said just now. You admitted that you stole it!”

See, this was why Gu Jiao didn’t want to explain to them: they wouldn’t listen properly at all.

“Give me the jade pendant to look at.” Dean Li said to Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao passed the pendant to him.

Dean Li remembered that his teacher also had a jade pendant just like this one, and remembered that the teacher had given Gu Xiaoshun a New Year’s gift. He roughly understood the situation.

The jade pendant was given out by his teacher. As for whether it was given to Gu Jiao herself, or given to Gu Xiaoshun and then passed to Gu Jiao, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that Gu Jiao most definitely did not steal anything.

His teacher had withdrawn from society and didn’t want others to know his whereabouts, so naturally, he didn’t mention his teacher.

He smiled faintly and said to the young girl, “Miss, you’re mistaken. This jade pendant isn’t yours. It was given to me by my teacher, and later I presented it to her husband.”

“Her… her husband?” The young girl looked Gu Jiao up and down.

“Her husband is my personal disciple.” The dean unilaterally declared his disciple’s status.

By saying this, everything could be explained.

His master was an esteemed official of Guozijian, greatly favoured by the emperor before his retirement. It wasn’t surprising that he would have items from the palace.

However, the young girl was still somewhat amazed. Many people in the Capital City desired to be disciples of Dean Li, but he had always politely declined. How could a poor country girl, who presumably was married to a poor country boy, have caught his eye?

Just as the young girl was harboring doubts, a worker from Huichun Hall came running over, panting, “Found it! Found it!”

“Achoo!” Gu Jiao smelled the scent of powder from the jade pendant and sneezed again.

The jade pendant was found in the bushes, covered in the same scent that the young girl wore. Compared to Gu Jiao’s pendant, this one appeared more likely to belong to her.

“Is everything clear now?” Gu Jiao asked.

“Even if the jade pendant isn’t something you stole, you certainly stole the jade ring.” The maid muttered under her breath.

“Enough, Yu Ru.” The young girl stopped her, looked at Gu Jiao with a complicated expression, stepped forward, bowed slightly and said, “I’m sorry, I misunderstood you.”

“Miss!” The maid was shocked!

Her lady was a noble daughter from the Marquis Residence, how could she be apologizing to a lowly country girl?

Even if she wronged her, wouldn’t simply clearing her name be enough? Why apologize?

The young girl said to the maid, “You should apologize to this lady as well.”

“But…”

“Apologize!”

The young girl’s tone turned stern, and the maid, not daring to defy her, glowered and apologized to Gu Jiao.

The young girl turned to the shopkeeper and said, “I hope this incident won’t affect Huichun Hall’s treatment for my brother.”

The shopkeeper glanced at Gu Jiao, saw she had no objections, and nodded at the young girl with a smile, “How could we let personal issues delay our treatment? Our Huichun Hall is here to save lives with skilled and benevolent hands.”

“Thank you.” The young girl nodded, and with her bruised maid, left.

Dean Li looked at her retreating figure and mused, “The Gu family? The Gu family from the Capital City?”

The shopkeeper sighed, “Who else but the Gu family in the Capital City could raise such an extraordinary daughter?”

Who among us does not make mistakes? However, to promptly acknowledge one’s errors, and sincerely apologize to a humble country girl, reveals a noble and generous character.

What Dean Li didn’t reveal was that the young lady was indeed named Gu Jinyu.