Chapter 6: Selling Chickens
Gu Jiao bent down and picked up the crutch from the ground, handing it over to Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang took the crutch indifferently and stood up with it. He went to pick up the water bucket that had fallen to the ground.
"You go," Gu Jiao said to Gu Xiaoshun.
"Okay." Gu Xiaoshun skipped over and picked up the water bucket before Xiao Liulang, saying to one of the thugs under his command, "Go fetch some water!"
The thug's mouth twitched, and he grabbed the water bucket and headed to fetch water.
Xiao Liulang walked back expressionlessly, not saying a word throughout the entire process.
It wasn't until he had walked away that Gu Xiaoshun spoke again. "Sis, what's going on? You don't hate him anymore? And sis, how did you get so strong? What was that move just now? Show me again, I'll try it too later!"
Gu Jiao shot him a dagger-like glance.
Gu Xiaoshun sulkily shut his mouth.
"Boss, the water's here!" The thug came back with a full bucket of water, walking briskly towards them.
"Give it to my sister," Gu Xiaoshun said as he took the bucket. "Okay, you guys can all leave now!"
"We're going to the neighboring village to--"
"What are you going to do? Just get out of here! Get out!" Gu Xiaoshun shouted, and the thugs scattered.
Gu Xiaoshun grinned at Gu Jiao. "Sis, don't be angry. If you don't hate brother-in-law anymore, I won't bully him anymore."
"Do you bully him often?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Not often, maybe three or four times a month, or five, six, seven, eight times?" Gu Xiaoshun's voice grew softer as he spoke, his memory not very good so he didn't know how many times he had bullied him.
"Let's go back," Gu Jiao said.
"Okay!" Gu Xiaoshun grinned and followed behind Gu Jiao with the water bucket.
Suddenly, he paused and looked at Gu Jiao's stiff right arm. "Sis, did you injure your hand?"
"No problem," said Gu Jiao.
"You call this no problem? You're bleeding!" Gu Xiaoshun put down the bucket, grabbed Gu Jiao's arm, and rolled up her sleeve. He saw a bloody patch on her right wrist. "Did I just hit you with my stick?"
"I said it's nothing," Gu Jiao said, pulling her arm back.
"What happened to your head?"
"I hit it before I fell in the water."
The wound was hidden in her hair. Why was this guy so sharp-eyed?
"When did you fall in the water?" Gu Xiaoshun asked again.
Gu Jiao walked away without looking back.
"Hey! Sis! Wait for me!" Gu Xiaoshun followed Gu Jiao back home, only to find a young scholar standing at the door. He was wearing a long gown, had a gentle demeanor, and an elegant temperament, but with a hint of arrogance between his eyebrows.
"Who are you? What are you doing at my sister's house?" Gu Xiaoshun asked, hands on his hips.
The man didn't even glance at Gu Xiaoshun. He coldly stared at Gu Jiao and said, "Did you let someone bully Brother Xiao again, you wicked woman!"
"You dare to insult my sister?" Gu Xiaoshun put down the bucket, raised his fist, and aimed at the man.
Although he was only thirteen years old, he was good at fighting, which was why he was known as the top thug in the area.
A weak scholar like the man could not be his opponent.
"Xiaoshun," Gu Jiao called him back.
At almost the same time, Xiao Liulang had changed his clothes and come out of the house.
"My classmate," Xiao Liulang said to Gu Jiao's brother.
The classmate sneered, walked over to Xiao Liulang, helped him up, and took the heavy bag from his hand. "Let's go!"
"Where are you going?" Gu Xiaoshun asked in surprise.
They weren't really scared of him, were they?
The classmate didn't bother to talk to Gu Xiaoshun.
Gu Jiao didn't ask further questions, and just silently walked into the house.
As she passed by Xiao Liulang, he glanced at her slightly stiff right hand.
Gu Jiao covered her hand with her sleeve, concealing the bloodstains on her wrist.
But she had already entered the house. Suddenly, she heard Xiao Liulang's cold voice behind her, "I'm going to the town."
"To treat your leg?" Gu Jiao asked unconsciously.
She didn't know why, but she thought of that dream. She didn't really believe in it, but...
"Do you have an exam in three days?" Gu Jiao looked at him.
Xiao Liulang's eyes flickered with surprise, but he still nodded. "Yes."
The classmate sneered, "Why are you telling her all this? Be careful she stops you from going again! Don't forget that you missed the last exam because of her! And it was also because of her that you missed the chance to see Doctor Zhang about your leg!"
Gu Jiao turned her head to look at Gu Xiaoshun.
She didn't remember any of these things.
Gu Xiaoshun pointed at his nose and said, "Can you speak now? What do you mean my sister stopped him from going? My sister was sick, and he just got married and left her behind. Is that right?"
Thinking about it, Gu Jiao did have an impression. The original owner did get sick not long after getting married, but it wasn't a real illness, it was a feigned one. Because someone had told her that Xiao Liulang wouldn't come back if he left, she became like Xue Ningxiang, a young widow.
She didn't want to be a young widow, so she locked up Xiao Liulang.
She didn't know that Xiao Liulang missed the exam six months ago and the only opportunity to treat his leg because of this.
Gu Jiao looked at Xiao Liulang's leg and said, "Actually..."
"Xiao Xiong, let's go! The carriage is waiting at the village entrance!" A classmate interrupted Gu Jiao, pulled Xiao Liulang up, and headed towards the village entrance without looking back.
"I want to eat osmanthus cake!" Gu Jiao suddenly emerged and looked at Xiao Liulang. "From Li's bakery! I only eat theirs! If you don't buy it for me, I won't let you in the house! I will also burned your books!"
"Evil woman!" The classmate gnashed his teeth, helped Xiao Liulang onto an old carriage at the village entrance, and said, "Xiao Xiong, don't listen to her! Li's bakery is a well-established brand, and it's difficult to buy their osmanthus cake! By the time you finish buying it, Doctor Zhang will have left! He's a doctor from the capital, better than the doctors in town, and only he can treat your leg. You must not be dragged down by that evil woman!"
"This is my sister, she has to order him around like this!" Gu Xiaoshun gave Gu Jiao a thumbs up.
Gu Jiao held her forehead and said, "Do you know where the market is?"
Gu Xiaoshun nodded, "Yes, sis, why are you asking? Are you going? What for?"
"To sell chickens."
"Chickens? Where did you get chickens, sis?"
"Wild chickens."
She didn't mention that she forcefully took the diagnostic fee.
Gu Xiaoshun naturally thought it was his sister who had caught the chickens herself, "Sis, I've noticed that you've changed, you've become more formidable than before!"
It wasn't that she wasn't foolish anymore, it was that she had become more formidable than before. Gu Xiaoshun had never treated the original owner as a fool.
Gu Xiaoshun gave her the direction of the market, which was in the town along with the clinic, just on the opposite sides.
Gu Xiaoshun insisted on accompanying her, but Gu Jiao refused.
The Gu family didn't like Gu Xiaoshun getting too close to Gu Jiao, saying that Gu Jiao was stupid and would make him stupid too.
Gu Jiao went back to her room and opened the small medicine box, cleaned the wound with iodine, and applied some antibacterial ointment.
She was very hungry.
Gu Jiao went to the kitchen.