Chapter 9

Before long, it was the day of Xiao Liulang's exam.

Gu Jiao got up early, kneaded the dough, and steamed a basket of solid white steamed buns. She also cooked a pot of wild mushroom soup.

The wild mushrooms were picked from the mountain. The first batch had already been eaten, and these were freshly picked yesterday, with plenty left. She planned to carry them to the market to sell later.

Actually, she had also picked some black fungus, but fresh black fungus is toxic and must be dried before it can be eaten.

While waiting for the meal, she went back to the room to take her medicine.

The wounds on her wrist and the back of her head had healed, and she was almost out of medicine. The ointment, however, was more durable and still had more than half left.

On the other side, Xiao Liulang also got up.

Gu Jiao knew he had studied late into the night again and didn't wake him up in the morning, but unexpectedly, he was still up so early.

Gu Jiao set the table and served him a small bowl of wild mushroom soup. She was worried he might need to find a toilet in the exam room, so she didn't fill the bowl to the brim.

However, it seemed to be Gu Jiao's imagination, but she felt that Xiao Liulang's occasional glances at her were a bit resentful.

The exam would last all day, so Gu Jiao packed buns and water for him.

After a moment, she thought of something and added ten copper coins to the bundle.

Xiao Liulang watched her put the copper coins in, his eyes flickering, but he didn't say anything.

Gu Jiao handed him the packed bundle: "I've already paid for the carriage and arranged for it to take you directly to the academy."

"Okay." Xiao Liulang responded, took the bundle, and limped out the door with his cane.

Gu Jiao looked at his lame leg and resisted the urge to take him to the village entrance. She figured he wouldn't like that.

When Xiao Liulang reached the village entrance, Uncle Luo's ox cart was already parked under the locust tree, with many villagers already seated, all carrying their own vegetables and eggs to sell in town.

The villagers saw him and smiled, waving at him.

Xiao Liulang was a scholar, usually cold, but he had no airs. If any family needed a letter read or written, they would come to him. Although Gu Dashun was also a scholar, he was at the private school during the day and buried himself in books at night, so the villagers rarely disturbed him.

There was one last seat on the ox cart, which seemed to be reserved for him.

Just as Xiao Liulang was about to get on, a figure flashed in front of him, blocking his way.

The person pressed one hand on the ox cart and the other on the back of another figure: "Shunzi, get on quickly!"

It was the mother and son of the Gu family's main branch, the Zhou family.

Zhou Shi blocked Xiao Liulang completely, giving him no chance to get on the ox cart.

A woman on the ox cart spoke up: "Shunzi's mother, Xiao Liulang was here first."

Gu Dashun paused in his movement to get on the ox cart.

He turned his head, his gaze passing over his mother and landing on Xiao Liulang.

Xiao Liulang's expression was cold and indifferent.

Zhou Shi huffed, unconcerned: "My Shunzi is taking the exam! So what if he was here first? Being here first can't delay my Shunzi's exam, can it?"

Everyone in the village knew that Gu Dashun was promising. He had recently passed the county school exam and was a scholar, and it was said that he didn't even have to kneel before the county magistrate.

Xiao Liulang, though a good young man, was not as important as Gu Dashun's future.

If Gu Dashun succeeded, he would bring glory to the Gu family and even the entire Qingquan Village.

Everyone fell silent.

"Um..." Uncle Luo said hesitantly, "Xiao Liulang... is also going to take the exam."

When Gu Jiao came to Uncle Luo last night, she had explained that Xiao Liulang was going to take an exam at an academy. Xiao Liulang had a leg injury, and she had instructed Uncle Luo to take him directly there, even giving him two extra copper coins.

Uncle Luo was quite puzzled. The Gu family's little fool, who had always been at odds with Xiao Liulang, seemed to have changed in both words and actions.

But he didn't have time to ask more before Gu Jiao left.

Hearing that Xiao Liulang was also taking an exam, Zhou Shi didn't take it seriously. How could Xiao Liulang's exam compare to her son's?

Gu Dashun, however, looked at Xiao Liulang in surprise: "You... are also going to Tianxiang Academy?"

"Um." Xiao Liulang responded indifferently.

When Xiao Liulang first came to the village, he was already a student, and at that time, Gu Dashun was also a student. Later, Gu Dashun became a scholar, while Xiao Liulang remained a student, so Gu Dashun didn't look up to him much.

"You haven't been to the private school for half a year..." Gu Dashun shook his head.

The meaning was clear: Xiao Liulang wouldn't pass the exam.

Uncle Luo, who had intended to persuade a villager to give up a seat for Xiao Liulang, silently held back his words.

If he couldn't pass, there was no point in making things difficult.

Uncle Luo took out his money bag.

Going to the market cost two copper coins, and a slightly farther place cost three copper coins. Gu Jiao had given him two extra coins, making it a total of five copper coins.

While Uncle Luo was counting the coins to return to Xiao Liulang, Gu Dashun was pushed onto the ox cart by Zhou Shi.

But before he could sit down, a thin, bony hand suddenly reached out from behind him, grabbed the back of his collar, and pulled him off the ox cart!

Gu Dashun, who was two years older than Xiao Liulang and already nineteen, was a sturdy young man, but he was pulled so hard that he almost fell to the ground.

Zhou Shi was terrified and quickly went to support Gu Dashun.

"Who is it!"

She turned around angrily.

Then, along with everyone else, she saw the thin and small figure of Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao's eyes were cold, with a hint of defiance.

Everyone was stunned.

"Gu Jiao, what are you doing!" Zhou Shi shouted, thinking it was someone else but realizing it was this little fool.

"Take the coins back." Gu Jiao ignored Zhou Shi and looked at Uncle Luo, who had his hand frozen in mid-air, frowning impatiently. "I booked the ox cart last night. If you want to back out, you can, but you have to refund everyone's money."

"What do you mean?" Zhou Shi asked.

"Exactly what I said. If Xiao Liulang can't get on the ox cart today, no one else can either." Gu Jiao said.

"What right do you have?" a woman huffed.

Gu Jiao slowly took out a sickle from behind her: "Because I'm a fool?"

Everyone's faces turned pale at the sight of the sickle.

Zhou Shi, who had been about to rush forward to pull Gu Jiao's hair, was too scared to move.

A fool... a fool could do anything.

But the fool had never liked Xiao Liulang before. Why would she stand up for him against the Gu family, who had always been close to her?

Not only were the villagers puzzled, but even a hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Liulang's eyes.

"Go and get Grandpa Gu if you want to." Gu Jiao said, blowing on the sickle she had polished to a shine.

Zhou Shi really wanted to go.

But she was stopped by Gu Dashun.

It was pointless to reason with a fool, and delaying the exam would be disastrous.

Although Xiao Liulang would also miss the exam, he wouldn't pass anyway, but Gu Dashun was different.

In the end, Uncle Luo came up with a solution, suggesting that Zhou Shi buy a villager's vegetables, and the villager would give up their seat for Gu Dashun.

Gu Jiao didn't care whose seat Gu Dashun bought.

However, to prevent any further incidents on the way, Gu Jiao carried the sickle and went along.

There was no extra seat for her on the ox cart.

She dragged her thin, small body and walked more than ten miles, safely delivering Xiao Liulang to the exam room.