Chapter 8: Being Alone
The road in the village was difficult to walk on, especially the part leading to Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao's house, with too many potholes that could easily trap the wheels.
The mule cart stopped at the village entrance.
"Brother Xiao." Xiao Liulang fellow student jumped off the carriage first and helped Xiao Liulang down, then took Xiao Liulang's baggage.
After Xiao Liulang stood still, he turned his head and glanced at Gu Jiao.
He saw Gu Jiao lightly jump off the carriage and put the basket on her back.
Xiao Liulang withdrew his gaze and said to his fellow student, "You can go back now, no need to accompany me further."
It was indeed getting late, and the driver was getting impatient.
The fellow student said, "Okay, then I'll go. Don't forget the exam three days later. The academy won't be closed that day, so I won't come to pick you up. Remember to go on your own."
"Okay." Xiao Liulang nodded indifferently and took his baggage.
It was not easy to walk at night, and they didn't have a lantern, so Gu Jiao didn't move and waited silently for Xiao Liulang.
The fellow student glanced at her coldly, pulled Xiao Liulang aside, and whispered, "Brother Xiao, study hard for the next three days. If you pass the exam, you can live in the academy and won't be bullied by that wicked woman anymore! Don't worry about the leg, I'll continue to inquire about Doctor Zhang's news. Oh, and the osmanthus cake, just eat it yourself. Don't let that wicked woman take advantage of you!"
When Gu Jiao returned from the market with the basket, she was covered in sweat, but it had all dried up on the mule cart. Her little face was now red and pale in the moonlight, making it a bit dazzling.
Xiao Liulang caught a glimpse of her, and the fellow student wanted to say more, but Xiao Liulang interrupted him, "I got it, you can go now."
The fellow student opened his mouth, but Xiao Liulang ignored him and walked towards his home with his baggage and crutch.
Gu Jiao followed him.
Gu Jiao maintained just the right distance from him, not too close, but close enough to catch him if he fell.
However, Xiao Liulang was very familiar with this road, and nothing happened until they arrived home.
By now, the sky was completely dark, and every household had closed their doors, leaving only Xue Ningxiang coming out to pour bathwater and standing at the door for a while.
"Xiao Xiang, why aren't you coming in? What are you looking at?" Xue Ningxiang's grandmother lay on the sickbed inside, her voice hoarse.
Xue Ningxiang blinked and said, "Nothing, just looking around."
She must have seen it wrong. How could Xiao Liulang walk with that silly girl? Although they were a couple, they were more like enemies than enemies themselves.
Gu's old house.
Today, the eldest son family cooked, and Zhou and her daughter Gu Yue'e carried the hot food to the hall and set the tableware.
In Gu's family, women do not sit at the table to eat. Only Grandpa Gu, the eldest son Gu Changhai, the second son Gu Changlu, and three grandsons sit at the table.
Old Lady Wu sat in the kitchen with her two daughters-in-law and granddaughter Gu Yue'e, eating.
Grandpa Gu was a manager, and he was more ambitious than most villagers who only knew how to eat from the land. They could not see meat and fish for most of the year, but Gu's family could eat two meals of meat a month.
Today was the day for eating meat.
The stewed pork belly with white cabbage even had a rich meaty smell in the soup.
But the pork belly was not much, and one could not eat two chopsticks.
After Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu each took a piece, they didn't dare to think about eating the meat again under their father's imposing manner, and turned to pickled vegetables and sauce.
Grandpa Gu didn't eat much either, only took a small piece and gave a small piece to Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Ershun. The rest was given to Gu Dashun.
Gu Xiaoshun carefully counted, there were five pieces, all big ones!
"Why does he get to eat all of them?" Gu Xiaoshun muttered with resentment while eating rice.
Gu Ershun whispered, "That's because the eldest brother is a student. Our family relies on the eldest brother to get ahead."
When he said this, he couldn't help but glance at the meat in Gu Dashun's bowl.
He was really hungry.
Really, really hungry.
But he was used to this kind of differential treatment.
There were so many men in the family, and only the eldest brother was capable of studying. He even passed the county school entrance exam this year, which was higher than his grandfather's achievement back then.
"Cut it out." Gu Xiaoshun rolled his eyes. "My brother-in-law is also a student. Why don't you ask him to eat meat?"
"How can that be the same? The eldest brother has already passed the county school entrance exam. How can he be compared to your brother-in-law?"
"My brother-in-law just didn't take the exam."
The two brothers were still arguing, and father Gu slapped his chopsticks on the table, instantly silencing them.
When Grandpa gets angry, not only the grandchildren but even Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu are somewhat intimidated.
The room was eerily quiet.
"Second brother, have I shown you the book I gave you? There are annotations I made on it. Please read it carefully and ask me if there is anything you don't understand."
It was Gu Dashun who spoke.
Only he dared to speak under Grandpa's anger.
His voice was clear and gentle, with a steady tone, really like a scholar.
Grandpa Gu liked his grandson as soon as he saw him and his anger subsided quickly.
Gu Ershun was pleasantly surprised.
Old Master Gu said with a dignified tone, "Don't disturb your elder brother these days, he's taking an exam."
Gu Ershun nodded respectfully and said, "I know, Grandpa."
Gu Xiaoshun didn't want to stay longer, so he quickly finished his meal and left. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't go through the front door of the main hall, and he couldn't use the back door of the kitchen either because Wu Shi was not easy to deal with.
Gu Xiaoshun decided to climb over the wall.
But as he was climbing, he was caught by Liu Shi. "Gu Xiaoshun! Get down from there!" she scolded him.
Liu Shi slapped him on the head and said, "Your grandparents are here, don't you want to live anymore?"
"Don't hit me on the head!" Gu Xiaoshun protested.
"Why are you going out so late?" Liu Shi asked.
"My sister hasn't come to eat all day, so I'm going to check on her," Gu Xiaoshun explained.
"Why bother? She's already married and living with her husband. She shouldn't be running to her mother's house all the time," Liu Shi retorted.
"Uncle San and Aunt San said something different on their deathbeds. Grandpa and Grandma promised them that my sister would marry into our family, and Xiao's family is now part of our family," Gu Xiaoshun argued.
Liu Shi couldn't refute him and pinched him hard instead.
Gu Ershun was obedient but useless, Gu Xiaoshun was disobedient and useless. It was a waste for her to give birth to these two boys.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiao bought rice and flour at the market, but she didn't expect that Xiao Liu Lang had also bought some, and he had bought a few white steamed buns.
Gu Jiao heated the steamed buns in the kitchen, and it was Xiao Liu Lang's fire that she used.
Gu Jiao didn't make a fuss about it, and when she went out, her wrist injury wasn't too serious. But she did something at the market, and her wound tore open. It was a good thing that she brought her medicine kit with her and she was able to bandage it on the spot.
Neither of them mentioned the incident with the three cornmeal steamed buns from that morning. Xiao Liu Lang didn't explain himself, and Gu Jiao didn't ask him.
"Let's eat here, it's warm," Gu Jiao said. She was very cold, and was shivering.
Xiao Liu Lang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sat down beside Gu Jiao on a small stool.
It was the first time they had been so close, and he could clearly see the birthmark on the left side of her face.
In the past, Gu Jiao always covered it up with thick powder, but now she was bare-faced, with no concealment.
Xiao Liu Lang's lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Just as she didn't ask about his affairs, he didn't ask about hers either.
They were two unrelated people who didn't need to be involved with each other any further.
The white steamed buns didn't have much taste, but Gu Jiao had been hungry all day and wasn't picky about it.
After she finished eating, she went back to her room to drink some water. When she returned to the kitchen, Xiao Liu Lang had already left, leaving a small stool behind.