The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Alone

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The paths in the village were not easy to travel, especially the path to Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao’s house. There were too many potholes, and it was easy for the wheels to get caught.

The mule cart stopped at the village entrance.

“Brother Xiao.” His classmate was the first to jump out of the carriage. He reached out and helped Xiao Liulang down, then carried Xiao Liulang’s bag down.

After Xiao Liulang got his footing, he turned around and glanced at Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao jumped out of the carriage lightly and carried the basket on her back.

Xiao Liulang looked away and said to his classmate, “You should go back. You don’t have to send me home.”

It was indeed late, and the coachman was getting impatient.

His classmate said, “Alright, then I’m leaving. Don’t forget about the exam in three days. The academy isn’t on holiday that day, so I won’t be picking you up. Remember to go yourself.”

“Okay.” Xiao Liulang nodded mildly and took his bag.

It was not easy to walk at night, and they did not have a lantern, so Gu Jiao did not move and waited silently for Xiao Liulang at the side.

His classmate glanced at her coldly and pulled Xiao Liulang further away. He whispered, “Brother Xiao, in three days if you do well and pass the exam, you’ll be able to stay at the academy! You won’t have to suffer under this evil woman anymore! Don’t worry about the treatment for your leg, I’ll continue to ask about Doctor Zhang. Oh, and eat the osmanthus cake yourself. Don’t let that evil woman take advantage of you!”

When Gu Jiao walked back from the market with the basket on her back, she was covered in sweat, but it had all dried while they were on the cart. Her reddened face was pale from the cold, and it was a little eye-catching under the moonlight.

Xiao Liulang glanced at her from the corner of his eye. His classmate wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by Xiao Liulang. “Got it. You should go back.”

His classmate continued to flap his mouth, but Xiao Liulang ignored him. Grabbing his bag with one hand and holding his walking stick with the other, he turned around and headed home.

Gu Jiao followed behind him.

Gu Jiao maintained the right distance from him, so as not to let him feel that she was too close, but still close enough that she could support him in time if he tripped.

However, Xiao Liulang was very familiar with this road. Nothing happened along the way home.

It was already dark, and all the households had closed their doors. Only Xue Ningxiang came out to pour away the bathwater, and she was frozen at the door for a while.

“Ah Xiang, why aren’t you coming in? What are you looking at?”

In the room, Xue Ningxiang’s mother-in-law was laying on the bed as she asked in a hoarse voice.

Xue Ningxiang blinked in a daze and replied, “No, it’s nothing.”

She must have been mistaken.?Why would Xiao Liulang be with that fool? They might be married, but they’re worse enemies than most.

At the Gu family’s old residence.

Today, it was the eldest branch’s turn to cook. Madam Zhou and her daughter, Gu Yue’e, carried the piping hot food to the central room and set the dishes.

In the Gu family, women did not eat at the table. Only Old Master Gu, his eldest son Gu Changhai, his second son Gu Changlu, and his three grandchildren were at the table.

Old Madam Wu brought her two daughters-in-law and granddaughter, Gu Yue’e, to the kitchen to eat.

As a junior officer, Old Master Gu fared far better than the villagers who only knew how to tend their fields. Everyone else could count on their hands the number of times they saw meat in a year, but the Gu family could afford to eat meat twice a month.

Today was one of the days they had meat.

There was pork belly stewed with cabbage, and even the soup emitted a rich, fatty fragrance.

However, there was not much pork belly; there was barely enough even if each of them only had a couple pieces.

After Gu Changhai and Gu Changlu each picked up a piece, under their father’s dignified presence they did not dare to have any more designs on the meat. They turned around, helping themselves to the pickled vegetables.

Old Master Gu did not eat much either, only having a small piece himself. He also picked medium-sized pieces for Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Ershun, then gave the rest to Gu Dashun.

Gu Xiaoshun counted carefully. There were a total of five pieces, and all of them were big pieces even!

“Why can he have so many pieces?” Gu Xiaoshun muttered bitterly as he ate.

Gu Ershun said softly, “That’s because Eldest Brother is a scholar. We’re counting on Eldest Brother to stand up for us.”

When he said this, however, he could not help but glance at the meat in Gu Dashun’s bowl.

He craved it.

He really craved for it.

However, he was already used to this sort of differential treatment.

There were many men in the family, but only their eldest brother was any good at studying. This year, their eldest brother even passed the admission exam for the county school and became an official scholar, an academic achievement greater than his grandfather’s.

“Tsk.” Gu Xiaoshun rolled his eyes. “My brother-in-law is also a scholar. Why don’t I see you guys asking him to eat more meat?”

“How is that the same? Big Brother has already been admitted to the county school. He doesn’t even compare to Big Brother.”

“My brother-in-law just didn’t take the exam.”