The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 616

Chapter 616: 296 Mother and Son (Second Update)

Yao Family’s matriarch went to the front courtyard to pick chili peppers and saw Gu Chengfeng in the farm, sweating as though he was in rainfall.

She paused in mild surprise, thinking she’d mistaken him for someone else.

However, she quickly dismissed such a thought.

It was indeed Gu Chengfeng.

Strange, why had he also come over?

And why was he hard at work... in the field?

Xiao Jingkong earnestly said: "You cannot just water one spot. You must do it evenly so that each vegetable gets irrigated by the fertilizer."

So, Xiao Jingkong was the one who got him to work? Did they know each other?

Just as Gu Chengfeng was about to tell Xiao Jingkong that if he was so capable, he should do it himself, he turned his head and spotted the matriarch of the Yao Family.

Their eyes met.

They didn’t utter a word.

When the sun set, Xiao Liulang finished his shift at the Hanlin Academy when, by coincidence, Lin Chengye and Fen Lin also finished their studies at the Hanlin Academy.

"Liulang!"

Fen Lin hopped off their carriage to call out to him.

After finishing his curriculum at Guozijian, Fen Lin could no longer stay in the university’s dormitory. With the high cost of living and rent in the Capital City, he was fortunate to know Lin Chengye, the local tycoon.

Now, he was living in Lin Chengye’s mansion, paying him a small amount of rent each month.

The two of them attended classes together during the day and studied together at night, which greatly benefited their learning progress.

Though the Hanlin Academy was under the jurisdiction of the Hanlin Office, their times for ending duty differed. Before, they wouldn’t be able to meet.

"You’re done early today! Didn’t they give you any work?" Fen Lin asked.

The main goal for the scholars like Fen Lin was to study. The official duties assigned to them were not much. However, Xiao Liulang was there for official duties, which made things quite different.

Especially since Xiao Liulang was new, it was very common for him to be tasked with menial jobs.

Ning Zhiyuan was also often asked to do miscellaneous chores.

The only exception was the prince who had a strong background. Nobody at Hanlin Academy dared to order him around.

"Hmm, nothing much today." Xiao Liulang replied.

"Liulang, we’ll give you a ride home." Lin Chengye said, sticking his head out from the carriage window.

Though Lin Chengye’s stutter had not fully recovered, he could occasionally say three words consecutively now, which brought immense joy.

Credit for this goes to Fen Lin.

Every night, Fen Lin would practice speaking with Lin Chengye. This was inspired by Gu Jiao who would help Xiao Liulang practice walking every night, regardless of whether there were any signs of recovery.

Gu Jiao never gave up.

Fen Lin was deeply touched by this.

Of course, Xiao Liulang’s persistence in having Gu Jiao practice her calligraphy everyday that drove Gu Jiao insane, was also quite inspirational.

Xiao Liulang was tired from staying up all night and had not had dinner the previous night. He also didn’t have an appetite during the day and was beginning to feel weak now. He wouldn’t have made it home on his own.

So, he got on the carriage.

To keep a low profile, Lin Chengye chose a small carriage, but the luxurious interior was riddled with ostentatious decorations.

Lin Chengye was used to this.

Xiao Liulang was nearly blinded by the display.

The two provided Xiao Liulang with the most comfortable seat.

For them, Xiao Liulang was both their teacher and friend. Without him, they wouldn’t be where they are now.

"Liulang, you look a bit off today, are you too tired recently?" Fen Lin asked. He didn’t know much about the situation at Hanlin Academy, and wasn’t very informed about Xiao Liulang’s affairs.

And because everyone knew of their close relationship with Xiao Liulang, nobody mentioned any news related to him in front of them.

The only time Fen Lin could get updates was occasionally when he met Ning Zhiyuan at a restaurant and would ask him a few questions.

Xiao Liulang said, "It’s nothing, how have you guys been with your studies?"

Upon mentioning this, Fen Lin couldn’t help but complain: "I naively thought that once the Imperial examination was over, I would no longer need to study, at least no more eight-legged essays. But I hadn’t expected... the eight-legged essays might be over, but new subjects like history, arithmetic, agriculture, astronomy..."

The subjects were similar to those taught at the Three Ding Jia, just varied in progress and depth.

After all, they were all potential government officials, and their direction of study was naturally different.

Their goal was no longer the Imperial examination. Instead, they aimed to learn the art of government administration and ways to benefit the people. Ideally, they hoped to do practical work for the citizens.

The current Hanlin Academy was stricter than the previous one, as they were sent to the countryside as part of their duty.

However, it was uncertain when it would be the turn for their batch of newcomers.

When Xiao Liulang returned home, Gu Jiao had just come back from the Medical Hall. With a small back basket on her back and her little hand placed below the basket, she walked leisurely, almost giving off an unwelcoming aura.

Xiao Liulang inexplicably felt that her stroll was a bit arrogant and playful.

Perhaps sensing something, Gu Jiao casually looked over her shoulder.

She probably hadn’t expected Xiao Liulang to be behind her as her face still wore a slightly annoyed expression.

With her eyebrows close-knit, she was just shy of having the words "Don’t, Mess, With, Me" written across her face.

Upon seeing Xiao Liulang, Gu Jiao instantly changed her expression, putting on a docile façade.

She was so well-behaved it was almost unbelievable, adopting a graceful demeanor that could have won her an acting award!