The Prime Minister’s Darling - Chapter 144
Chapter 144: 107 Jealousy (First Update)_3
Gu Changhai was choked up.
He is Dashun’s father, how can he not know that Dashun can’t fend for himself once he steps out of the house? His clothes from the Academy are always brought home for cleaning.
If that was not the case, how could he possibly have to beg Gu Jiao to let Liulang take Dashun with him?
Originally, Gu Changhai planned to take Dashun to the Provincial City himself, but life at home was hard and they could not afford travel expenses for two.
He had also heard about Liulang’s recent tutoring job. The client was a wealthy family from the Provincial City, not short of money. With Dashun accompanying them, not only would travel fees be saved, but they wouldn’t have to pay for anything along the way.
He beseeched earnestly: “Miss Jiao, I may have wronged you in the past, but your elder brother hasn’t offended you, has he? Your elder brother focuses on his studies and doesn’t know much about our family’s grudges, grievances, and disputes, he’s never interfered. When your parents were alive, they loved your elder brother very much, how can you bear to watch your elder brother suffer?”
When Gu Sanlang couple were alive, they indeed loved Gu Dashun, but how did Gu Dashun, who was loved by them, treat Miss Gu Jiao?
When Gu Jiao was bullied, did Dashun ever speak out to defend her?
Even in that dream, Gu Dashun falsely accused his brother-in-law Liulang for his own selfishness. It wasn’t due to his conscience that he didn’t go ahead with it, but rather because Gu Jiao intervened early.
So even if you disregard the quarrels between Gu Jiao and their elders, Dashun is absolutely not innocent!
Zhou Family chimed in: “Yes, Miss Jiao, let them take Dashun with them! Look at how spacious the carriage is, an extra person won’t hinder it! Let Dashun come along!”
“Coffins underground are also pretty spacious, why don’t you go lie in one?” The old lady came out casually.
The villagers laughed, the old woman’s tongue truly never disappointed.
Zhou Family was choked up: “How do you talk?”
The old lady shrugged: “I use my mouth to talk. Are you using your buttocks?”
Zhou Family fell over in exasperation!
The villagers burst into laughter.
This was simonizing Zhou Family of farting. But the fault also laid in Zhou Family for digging its own grave. Didn’t they know that there was no sarcasm that the old woman couldn’t handle?
She was the last champion of palace gossips after all. Even the three thousand powdered maids in the Imperial Harem were tidied by her, what was a mere Zhou Family in front of her?
“Why are you insisting on involving us in this affair if they are not your Gu Family’s kids?” The old lady pointed to Dashun not far away, “If you really want to bring him along, it’s okay. But let’s be clear about this, Liulang has inconvenience in his legs. He’s not going to serve Liulang, he is going to take care of Liulang.”
Gu Changhai courteously said: “Of course! Of course!”
As long as they got on the carriage it would be fine. Once there, if Dashun didn’t take care of Liulang, could Liulang kick Dashun off? Scholars value reputation the most. If Liulang dared to do this, they would make it difficult for him in the Yamen and tarnish his reputation!
The old lady said: “Words carry no weight, let us write it down. Xiaoshun, bring me a pen.”
Xiaoshun fetched a pen from the west room.
The old lady said leisurely: “Write it clearly. Dashun should get up at dawn every day, buy breakfast for Liulang, warm up his clothes, wake Liulang up and attend him in dressing. He should not miss a single thing, whether it’s washing his face or rinsing his mouth, he should personally deliver it to Liulang. He should clean Liulang’s clothes, and also empty his chamber pot.”
Zhou Family’s face changed drastically: “What? Emptying chamber pot too?”
The old lady ignored her and continued: “In hot weather, he should fan Liulang; when mosquitoes proliferate, he should swat mosquitoes for Liulang. He can sleep only when Liulang sleeps, if Liulang wakes up in the middle of the night, he must awake as well. In short, he must unconditionally satisfy any request from Liulang, and he is not allowed to talk back or disobey. If he does, Liulang can beat him!”
“You…You…” Zhou Family got so angry that she had a chest pain, she nearly collapsed onto Gu Changhai, however, the color of Gu Changhai’s face was not much better than hers.
Zhou Family started crying: “Villagers, please judge for us! This is not taking care of him at all! Clearly, they are bossing around my Dashun like a servant!”
The old lady had a clueless expression: “Huh? This is being treated like a servant? For all these years, this is how you people have been treating the orphan of the third room, I thought this was Gu Family’s way of taking care of people!”
Unable to save any face, Zhou Family, along with her husband and son, shamefully left Gu Jiao’s home.
Gu Jiao pulled apart the curtain on the carriage window and handed a bag of money to Liulang: “I’ve put some small silver and bills in it.”
Small silver of ten taels, hundred tael bills, the bank’s token was also inside, just sewn deep inside.
Liulang nodded, took the money bag, and said to her: “I’m leaving.”
“Hmm.” Gu Jiao nodded, watching him until the carriage disappeared out of the village, then she stepped into the house.
Gu Jiao looked at the empty west room: “Ah, he really left.”
As she finished speaking, she noticed a sudden shadow on the ground. Turning around in surprise, she saw Liulang standing at the doorway.
“Why did you come back?” She asked, her eyes wide open.
Liulang stared deeply at her: “I forgot something.”
Gu Jiao watched him approach, a series of little red hearts flashing through her mind: Is it me? Is it me? Is it me?
Did he forget me?
Gu Jiao watched him in silence.
Then, he walked past Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao: “…”
Liulang came out of the west room, holding in his hand an admission pass to the provincial examination: “Without this, I won’t be able to enter the exam site.”
Gu Jiao, with a blank expression, opened the door: “Take care.”
Liulang took a look at her, a fleeting glance in his eyes. After exiting the house, he suddenly stopped: “If I said that no matter what the result is, I will not go to the Capital City for the examination, would you still think it’s necessary for me to go for the provincial examination?”
“Yes.” Gu Jiao answered decisively, looking at his back, “I hope that you don’t go to the Capital City because you choose not to, and not because you aren’t qualified to go.”
Liulang clenched his fist, his eyes filled with complexity: “Then what if…”
Gu Jiao smiled: “If there are troubles or dangers, I will protect you.”
That’s not what he meant, but… A strange emotion welled up in Liulang’s chest.
This time, he really started his journey.
When Gu Jiao returned to the west room, she found an envelope on the table.
Gu Jiao opened it and the bank’s token fell out.
“He found out so quickly…”
So leaving the admission pass was a red herring, and returning the bank’s token was the real motive?
There was also a small note inside the envelope.
Gu Jiao now knew many characters, she unfolded the note and saw it was written in a clear and neat handwriting: I won’t stay at Lin Family, you don’t have to be jealous.
The words “be jealous” were written particularly strong and vigorous. Gu Jiao wrinkled her small eyebrows in puzzlement, why did she read a hint of smugness from these plain and unadorned characters?
