After Xiao Liulang entered the exam site, Gu Jiao, carrying her basket on her back, left.
She planned to go to the marketplace to sell the wild mushrooms and dried fungi in her basket, with a few other tasks thrown in the mix.
Tianxiang Academy was well-known, attracting many examinees, both locals and those from other places such as Xiao Liulang.
Each examinee held a letter of recommendation from their village, county, or province school and entered the corresponding exam site.
Because of different levels, Xiao Liulang and Gu Dashun were assigned to different exam sites.
Xiao Liulang was in the last row.
The steps of Tianxiang Academy were high, and most of its students were at least Scholars. These days, becoming a Scholar was not easy, and it was remarkable that Gu Dashun had achieved it before the age of twenty.
Xiao Liulang was only seventeen, the youngest of all the examinees.
And the most handsome one.
Regrettably, he was a cripple.
Many of the examinees cast unusual glances at him, which didn't last long before they buried their heads in their examination papers.
The morning session was about composing poetry and the afternoon session was about interpreting classics.
Most of the examinees here were well-versed, so writing some poetry on the spot was not difficult for them; what was hard was interpreting classics in the afternoon.
The questions about classics were strictly based on the texts of the Four Books and Five Classics and required use of the eight-part essay.
The rigid eight-part essay format left no room for metaphors, required Confucian language, and could only be interpreted according to Cheng-Zhu School doctrine. There were massive constraints imposed on the examinees.
Additionally, the questions were extremely challenging. By the end of the day, almost all of the examinees looked green.
By the time Xiao Liulang stepped out of the exam site, his peer had been waiting outside for a good 2 hours.
"Liulang! Over here!" His peer waved to Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang limped over, leaning on his crutch.
His peer said: "I just heard a bunch of people complaining about the tricky questions from the classical interpretation. Ah, you guys are just unlucky, these questions were personally prepared by the dean. If you hadn't had that accident and tested with me, you wouldn't have to suffer like this ... It's all that bitch's fault!"
Xiao Liulang gave him a look with furrowed brows.
His peer continued, "By the way, has she been bullying you these past few days? I was so worried you wouldn't be able to show up today."
Indeed... he only just made it.
Xiao Liulang paused for a moment.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he raised his head and looked up the road.
Just after the exams were over, the avenue outside the Academy was bustling with people coming and going.
A slender little figure, leaning against the wall with her back to her small basket, hugged herself loosely, her attitude casual.
People walked by her side from time to time, and they all looked at her in different ways because they couldn't see her face. But she didn't care at all. She wasn't angry, annoyed, embarrassed or awkward.
Soon, his peer also saw Gu Jiao, and he frowned, "Ah! Why is she here? She's not here to give you trouble, is she? Tell me, did you run away from home today?"
In reality, Xiao Liulang wasn't sure if Gu Jiao had come to find him. The only certain thing was that she was leaning there, obviously waiting for someone...
Perhaps seeing more and more examinees coming out, Gu Jiao finally took notice.
She turned her head toward them, and out of the sea of people, she immediately spotted the strikingly handsome youth.
She smiled slightly and walked towards Xiao Liulang.
"The exam is over," she said.
"Yes," Xiao Liulang nodded, "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not really," Gu Jiao replied, fiddling with her earlobes.
"Didn't you go to the marketplace? How come you didn't go home?" Xiao Liulang saw the fungi and wild mushrooms in her basket and knew she would go to the marketplace. But the marketplace would have closed by noon at the latest.
"Just happened to have something to do nearby," Gu Jiao said.
"What could you possibly have to do?" His peer rolled his eyes.
But Gu Jiao's remark did remind his peer of something.
He got out of school early today and visited the medical hall where he found that Doctor Zhang had returned and even saved a man on the brink of death.
"Are you sure it's Doctor Zhang?" Xiao Liulang was astonished.
Last time during the medical dispute, Doctor Zhang suffered some minor injuries. In fact, he was not the one who treated the murderer's family member who died. He was merely implicated. But since he was pissed off, he declared that he would never return in this lifetime.
His peer insisted, "Of course, I saw with my own eyes that the man was carried in. He was covered in blood, his neck was crooked, and he had stopped breathing. Apart from Doctor Zhang from Capital City, who else could have saved him?"
Gu Jiao silently watched the little ants on the ground without speaking.
His peer continued, "Doctor Zhang can even save such a person. He can certainly treat your leg. You don't have to worry about all these things. I'll find out when Doctor Zhang has consultation hours."
"When are you going?" Gu Jiao suddenly asked.
His peer disdainfully glanced at her. "Why do I have to tell you?"
Gu Jiao: "..."
They ate dinner in town. His peer insisted on bringing Xiao Liulang to taste Yangchun noodles near the Academy, saying it had a taste of home.
After dinner, Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao took a mule car back to the village. This time Xiao Liulang chose a car with a carriage.
Night had fully fallen, there was no oil lamp in the carriage, yet the pure moonlight seeped in through the cracks.
Gu Jiao sat across from Xiao Liulang, stretching out her slender legs, bouncing her toes.
She had bought new shoes.
Not the embroidered shoes worn by women from wealthy families, but a pair of cheap black canvas shoes. The pure black color of the shoes looked surprisingly good on her feet.
The way she played with her shoes was endearing, with unnoticed twinkles in her eyes.
The mule cart stopped as usual at the entrance of the village.
After getting off the cart, Gu Jiao still walked a certain distance behind him.
The news that Gu Jiao had had a falling out with Gu Dashun had spread throughout the village. Xue Ningxiang deliberately waited at the entrance and saw the two come back one after the other from the darkness.
Were her eyes fooling her last time?
Were the two of them actually together now?
"Gu, the idiot!"
A voice broke the silence. Xue Ningxiang turned and retreated into her house.
Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang stopped in front of their house, turning to look at the young man striding towards them, it was Gu Ershun from the Gu Family.
Gu Ershun was closer to his cousin Gu Dashun than his own brother Gu Xiaoshun, even though they were both children of the Liao Family.
Gu Jiao just gave him a brief glance before shifting her gaze away, unlocked the door, and entered the house with Xiao Liulang.
With long strides, Gu Ershun walked over, hands on his hips standing in the doorway, he furiously said, "Gu, the idiot, you've really gone too far, daring to treat Dashun like this! Do you have any idea you almost delayed Dashun's exam! You embarrassed Dashun in front of the whole village!"
She wouldn't listen, she wouldn't listen, she had her own tune to sing.
Just as Gu Jiao was about to step over the threshold, she was about to close the door.
Seeing that Gu Jiao was ignoring him, Gu Ershun became even more angered, stepping into the house, he held the door open and said, "You dare? Grandfather sent me here! You better roll over to Dashun and apologize right now! If not, I'll beat you to death!"
Gu Jiao irritably tugged at her earlobe.
Annoying.
"Did you hear me? Today, if we don't clarify this situation... you won't be able..."
His words were cut off midway.
Gu Jiao lifted her leg and with one kick, sent him flying out of the room!