Chapter 6

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Gu Jiao bent down and, with her left hand, picked up the walking stick on the ground. She walked over to Xiao Liulang and handed it to him.

Xiao Liulang took the walking stick indifferently and stood up.

He went to pick up the bucket that had fallen to the ground.

“Hey, you go,” Gu Jiao said to Gu Xiaoshun.

“Oh.” Gu Xiaoshun eagerly trotted over and picked up the bucket before Xiao Liulang could.

“Go fetch water,” Gu Jiao said to Gu Xiaoshun.

“Go fetch water!” Gu Xiaoshun said to one of his underlings.

The rascal’s mouth twitched. He grabbed the bucket and went to fetch water.

Xiao Liulang walked back expressionlessly, not saying a word throughout the entire process.

When there was some distance between them, Gu Xiaoshun finally spoke again, “Sister, what’s the matter? You don’t hate him anymore? And, and! Sister, how did you become so strong!? What was that move just now? Do it on me again! I’ll use it later!”

Gu Jiao glared daggers at him.

Gu Xiaoshun shut his mouth resentfully.

“Boss! Water’s here!” The rascal walked over with a bucket full of water.

“Hurry up and bring it to my sister… Cough.” Under Gu Jiao’s oppressive gaze, Gu Xiaoshun took the bucket. “Alright, pass it to me. You guys can go!”

“So, we still going to the neighboring village later to…”

“No more of that! Shush! All of you, scram!”

The rascals dispersed.

Gu Xiaoshun smiled at Gu Jiao. “Sister, don’t get mad. If you don’t hate Brother-in-law anymore, then I won’t bully him anymore.”

“You bully him often?” Gu Jiao asked.

Gu Xiaoshun scratched his head. “I… I don’t think so. Only three or four times a month. Or four or five times? Maybe six? Seven? Eight?”

Towards the end, Gu Xiaoshun’s voice became softer and softer. He had a poor memory and did not even know how many times he had bullied Xiao Liulang.

“Let’s go back,” Gu Jiao said.

“Okay!” Gu Xiaoshun giggled and followed behind Gu Jiao with the bucket.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks when his gaze landed on Gu Jiao’s stiff right arm. “Sister, is your arm hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Gu Jiao said.

“No way you’re fine! You’re bleeding!” Gu Xiaoshun put down the bucket and grabbed Gu Jiao’s arm. He rolled up her sleeve and saw that her right wrist was all bloodied. “Was it when I hit you with my stick just now?”

“I already said I’m fine.” Gu Jiao pulled her hand back.

“And what happened to your head?”

“I hit it when I fell into the water before.”

The wound’s hidden all the way in my hair! How is this kid’s eyes so sharp?

Gu Xiaoshun continued, “You fell into the water? When?”

Gu Jiao left without looking back.

“Hey! Sis! Sis! Wait for me!”

When Gu Xiaoshun followed Gu Jiao home, he was surprised to find a young scholar at the door. The other party was wearing a long robe, and he appeared refined and elegant; however, he also exuded a certain haughtiness.

“Who are you? What are you doing at my sister’s house?” Gu Xiaoshun asked with his hands on his hips.

The other party did not even look at Gu Xiaoshun, and simply glared at Gu Jiao coldly. “Did you get someone to bully Brother Xiao again? You evil woman!”

“How dare you scold my sister!?” Gu Xiaoshun put down the bucket and raised his fists at the person.

Although he was only 13 years old, he was really capable. Otherwise, he would not have become the number one rascal in all the surrounding villages.

It was impossible for a weak scholar to be his match.

“Xiaoshun,” Gu Jiao called out to him.

Almost at the same time, Xiao Liulang also changed his clothes and came out of the house.

“My classmate,” Xiao Liulang said to Gu Jiao and her brother.

His classmate snorted in disdain and walked over to support Xiao Liulang. He took the heavy bag from him, and said, “Let’s go!”

When Gu Xiaoshun saw that Xiao Liulang had brought his bag, he could not help but be stunned. “Where are you going?”

Could it be that she was afraid of him and was really planning to leave?

His classmate did not want to talk to Gu Xiaoshun.

Gu Jiao did not ask further and simply walked into the house silently.

When she brushed past Xiao Liulang, he glanced at her slightly stiff right hand.

Gu Jiao had covered her hand with her sleeve, so he could not see the blood flowing down her wrist.

However, when she had already entered the house she suddenly heard Xiao Liulang’s cold voice behind her. “I’m heading to town for a bit.”

“Is it for your leg?” Gu Jiao asked subconsciously.

For some reason, that dream came to Gu Jiao’s mind. She did not really believe in these sort of things, but…

“Are you having an exam in three days?” Gu Jiao looked at him.

Shock flashed across Xiao Liulang’s eyes, but he still nodded. “… Yes.”

Her classmate said angrily, “Why are you telling her this? What if she doesn’t let you go again!? Have you forgotten that you missed the last exam because of her?! And your leg as well, if she hadn’t locked you up at home, you wouldn’t have missed Doctor Zhang!”

Gu Jiao turned to look at Gu Xiaoshun. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She did not remember any of these happening.

Gu Xiaoshun pointed at him and said, “Are you even listening to yourself? What do you mean my sister stopped him from going? My sister was sick. How is it right for him to leave my sister alone when they just got married?”

At the mention of this, Gu Jiao had an impression of what happened. Not long after she got married, her Host had indeed fallen sick, but it was not a real illness; she was simply pretending to be sick because someone told her that Xiao Liulang would never return after leaving—she would become a young widow, just like Xue Ningxiang.

She did not want to be a young widow, so she locked Xiao Liulang up.

She did not know that Xiao Liulang had missed the exam half a year ago because of this, as well as his only chance to treat his leg.

Gu Jiao glanced at Xiao Liulang’s leg. “About that, actually…”

“Brother Xiao, let’s go! The carriage’s still waiting at the village entrance!” His classmate interrupted Gu Jiao and pulled Xiao Liulang towards the village entrance without looking back.

“I want to eat osmanthus cake!” Gu Jiao suddenly walked out, looking at Xiao Liulang. “Li Ji’s osmanthus cake! I only eat theirs! If you don’t buy it back for me, I won’t let you in! I’ll even burn all your books!”

“You evil woman!” His classmate gritted his teeth as he helped Xiao Liulang into an old carriage at the entrance of the village. “Brother Xiao, don’t listen to her! Li Ji is a famous brand, their osmanthus cakes are really difficult to buy! By the time you’re done, Doctor Zhang will have already left! He’s a doctor from the capital, he’s better than any doctor in town; only he can treat your legs. You can’t let that evil woman drag you down!”

“That’s my sister, ordering him around like this!” Gu Xiaoshun gave Gu Jiao a thumbs up.

Gu Jiao held her forehead. “Do you know where the market is?”

Gu Xiaoshun nodded. “Yeah. Sis, why are you asking? You headed there? What for?”

“I want to sell some pheasants.”

“Pheasants? Sis, where did you get the pheasants?”

“I found them in the wild.”

She did not mention anything about forcefully taking it as her consultation fee.

Gu Xiao took it for granted that his sister had caught it herself. “Sister, I realize that you’ve changed. You’ve become more awesome than before!”

Not that she was not stupid anymore, but that she was more awesome than before; Gu Xiaoshun had never treated the Host as an idiot in his heart.

Gu Xiaoshun told her the direction of the market. Both the market and the medical hall were in town, but one was in the west, while the other was in the east.

Gu Xiaoshun insisted on accompanying her, but Gu Jiao refused.

The Gu family did not like Gu Xiaoshun getting too close to Gu Jiao, saying that Gu Jiao was stupid and would make him stupid as well.

Gu Jiao returned to the room and opened the small medicine box. She used some iodophor to clean her wound and applied some antibacterial ointment.

I’m so hungry.

Gu Jiao went to the kitchen.