The Pampered Concubine Gu Jiao Niang

Chapter 52: Meeting Again

On the other side, Gu Dashun also came out of the old Gu family house.

Gu Dashun didn't look too good.

The Gu family had a tough year, and in the past, many people would come to pay their New Year's greetings, but this year, everyone had heard about the incident at the government office, and they were afraid that their reputation would be affected, resulting in a desolate New Year's Day for the Gu family.

The people in the village didn't really have much opinion of Gu Dashun.

After all, they had been living in the village for so many years, and everyone knew the character of the Liu and Zhou families. But Gu Dashun was a good seedling, and he was different from the other children in the village since he was young.

He was destined to be successful, but unfortunately, he was dragged down by his own mother and stepmother. The people in the village felt sorry for him.

However, Gu Dashun didn't see it that way. He felt that everyone was laughing at him, and every gaze that fell on him was full of disdain and ill intentions.

When he got on the cart, he saw Gu Xiaoshun and Xiao Liulang laughing and talking.

Gu Xiaoshun used to not pay much attention to Gu Dashun, which made Gu Dashun happy. But now he felt embarrassed and isolated.

Xiao Liulang didn't even look at Gu Dashun throughout the journey. Later, the two of them even went into the same class, and it was only when they saw the wooden sign of the class that Gu Dashun finally felt relieved.

But what was the point of being sneaky and cunning? He would never be successful that way.

The academy held an exam for the returning students, and Gu Dashun was determined to redeem himself by getting first place. However, he tried too hard and was too tense, and as a result, his performance was worse than before, and he fell out of the top ten in one fell swoop.

Gu Xiaoshun remained at the bottom of the class. He only went to school to please his sister, not to pursue academic success, so he had no pressure to get the lowest score.

However, he did learn something. He enjoyed carving, and Xiao Liulang told him that the highest level of carving was not carving people or objects, but carving characters and books. If he could carve the Four Books and Five Classics without a single mistake, then that would be truly impressive.

Gu Xiaoshun took this to heart and stopped dozing off in class, sitting up straighter than a rooster. He wanted to remember every word taught by Confucius and become a true master of carving!

The student who took leave before the winter break didn't miss the exam this time and managed to climb to third from the bottom, while Xiao Liulang fulfilled his wish of falling to second from the bottom.

However, Xiao Liulang's good fortune did not end there. The day after the exam, he was summoned to the principal's chamber.

Looking at the principal sitting on the chair, smiling wickedly, Xiao Liulang's eyes filled with wariness.

The principal smiled gently and said, "Don't be nervous. I didn't call you here because of the exam. You received the county exam papers, right? The county exam is in ten days, and I promised Jiaoniang that I would help you review your studies after the winter break and try to get you to pass the exam. Starting today, you will come to the principal's chamber at noon to study."

I haven't even confronted you about secretly registering for the exam, and now you want to take up my lunch break?!" Xiao Liulang said, absolutely refusing.

The principal spoke in a placating tone, "Jiaoniang told me that you've been very dedicated, studying late into the night every day. You're not stupid, but for some reason, you always do poorly on exams. Perhaps your study methods are wrong, or maybe your motivation is not high... I must think of a way to help you."

No living on campus, and now the principal wants to give me special treatment. I don't even know what you two talked about when I visited!" Xiao Liulang's handsome face was black with anger.

"So, shall we start now?" The principal smiled at Xiao Liulang.

Xiao Liulang sneered and said casually, "I won't be taking the county exam. You should give up on that idea!"

With that, he leaned on his crutch and walked away without looking back.

—— Gu Jiao knew nothing about the academy's affairs, and she was still thinking that the dean would give Xiao Liulang some special treatment today. Xiao Liulang had good talents, but he didn't focus on his studies. Once he had a famous teacher to guide him, he would surely soar to new heights!

Gu Jiao happily tidied up the house, washed her clothes, chopped some firewood, and then said to the old lady, "Grandma, I'm going to the temple later."

The old lady cracked a melon seed and said, "What are you going to do at the temple? Pray to the Buddha to bless Liu Lang's success in the scholar exam?"

Hmm?

Gu Jiao was stunned.

There was still this method?

Although she believed in science, there was a saying that the end of science was theology, right?

She might as well pray to the Buddha to bless her husband and turn him from a poor student to a top scholar!

... Alright, she was actually going to buy some mountain herbs.

It was already the new year, and the younger brother of the abbot who was traveling around the world should have returned by now.

"For lunch, I..."

"Xiao Xue will come to cook. You can go," the old lady waved her hand.

The old lady didn't like to eat food that had been sitting in the pot for a while. Although Xue Ningxiang's cooking skills were not as good as Gu Jiao's, the old lady insisted on eating freshly made dishes.

Gu Jiao often felt that the old lady was just an ordinary person, but sometimes her habits made her feel like the old lady was a superior being.

She was overthinking it. Gu Jiao rubbed her chin and carried her basket to the other side of the mountain.

When she reached the foot of the mountain, she saw a luxurious carriage. She felt curious, as the temple was just a small one, why did so many wealthy people come here?

Gu Jiao didn't think too much about it and walked towards the mountain top. When she reached the last few steps, a woman suddenly fell down from above.

This was a mountain road, and the steps were extremely steep. If she fell down like this, she would surely die.

In a flash, Gu Jiao took a step to the side and reached out to grab her.

That person spun in place before managing to steady themselves, and when they looked up, they saw Gu Jiao, who also looked back at them.

In that moment of eye contact, both of them were shocked: "It's you?"

Madam smiled with delight, "Miss, you have saved me once again."

Gu Jiao asked calmly, "Why is it that every time I see you, you're in trouble?"

Madam smiled sheepishly.

Gu Jiao noticed the swelling on her forehead and the mud on her knee, and asked, "Did you fall all the way here?"

"Yes," Madam nodded, "I prayed to the Buddha to bless my son, and the Buddha answered my prayer. I came here to give thanks."

Although Gu Jiao also wanted to light incense and pray for Xiao Liulang to pass the scholar examination, she wouldn't have done it if she had to stumble her way up step by step like Madam did.

Jiao Jiao has set a flag and emphasized that he will take the examination.