Gu Jiao stooped down to pick up the crutch with her left hand, walked to Xiao Liulang and handed it to him.

Xiao Liulang lightly took the crutch and stood up. Then, he went to pick up the bucket that had fallen to the ground.

"You do it." "Gu Jiao told Gu Xiaoshun.

"Oh." Gu Xiaoshun walked over before Xiao Liulang and picked up the bucket.

"Go and fetch water." Gu Jiao ordered Gu Xiaoshun.

"Fetch some water!” Gu Xiaoshun yelled at one of his lackies.

With a twitch of his mouth, that lackey grabbed the bucket and went to fetch water without a word.

Xiao Liulang walked back with an expressionless face. He did not speak a word the entire time.

It wasn’t until he was far away that Gu Xiaoshun spoke again, "Big sis, what happened? You don't hate him anymore? Also, big sis, how did you get so strong? What was that move just now? Show it to me again! I’ll use it later!"

Gu Jiao shot him a sharp look.

Gu Xiaoshun shut his mouth bitterly.

"Boss! Here comes the water!" The lackey came at a brisk pace with a bucket full of water.

"Bring it back to my sister’s... Ahem." Under Gu Jiao's oppressive gaze, Gu Xiaoshun took the bucket and said, "Alright, give it to me. You guys can disperse!"

"What about our fight in the next village..."

"What fight?! Just quickly get lost! Get out of here!"

The bullies then scattered away.

Gu Xiaoshun smilingly looked at Gu Jiao, "Big sis, don't be angry. Since you don’t hate my brother-in-law anymore, I won't bully him again."

"Did you bully him often?" Gu Jiao asked.

Gu Xiaoshun scratched his head and answered, "Well... Not very often. Only three or four times a month? Maybe four or five times? Five, six, seven, eight times, I think?"

The more he spoke, the smaller Gu Xiaoshun's voice got. He had a bad memory and he really didn't know how many times he had bullied his brother-in-law.

"Let’s go back." Gu Jiao said.

“Okay!" Gu Xiaoshun grinned and followed Gu Jiao with the bucket in his hand.

Suddenly, his eyes fell on Gu Jiao's stiff right arm and he asked, "Big sis, is your hand hurt?"

"It’s nothing." Gu Jiao replied.

"Nothing?! It's bleeding!" Gu Xiaoshun put down the bucket, grabbed Gu Jiao's arm and pulled up her sleeve. When Gu Xiaoshun saw that her right wrist was red with blood, he said, "Is it from my hit that you blocked just now?""I said it was all right." Gu Jiao pulled back her hand.

"Also, what happened to your head?"

"Knocked it on a rock when I fell into the water." Her wound was hidden by her hair, how come this boy’s eyes were so sharp?

Gu Xiaoshun said, "You fell into the water? When was that?"

But Gu Jiao merely walked away without looking back.

"Ah! Big sis! Big sis! Wait for me!"

Gu Xiaoshun followed Gu Jiao back home. Suddenly, they found another young scholar at the door of the house. The other party was wearing a changshan[1]. He looked gentle with a scholarly temperament, but there was some arrogance between his eyebrows.

"Who are you? What are you doing at my big sis’ house?" Gu Xiaoshun asked with his fist on his hips.

The other party didn’t even look at Gu Xiaoshun, but only glared at Gu Jiao coldly. He said, "You had others bully him again, didn’t you? You wicked woman!”

"How dare you scold my big sis?" Gu Xiaoshun put down the bucket and swung his fist in front of the man.

Despite the fact that he was only thirteen, he was really capable of fighting. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the number one bully in the surrounding villages.

A weak scholar would be no match for him.

"Xiaoshun." Gu Jiao stopped him.

At about the same time, Xiao Liulang, who had changed his clothes, came out of his room.

"My schoolmate." Xiao Liulang said to the pair of brother and sister.

The schoolmate snorted disdainfully, walked to Xiao Liulang and took over the heavy bundle in his hand, "Let's go!"

When Gu Xiaoshun saw Xiao Liulang with his bundle, he was stunned and asked, "Where are you going?" He’s not really leaving because he’s scared of being beaten by me, is he?

The schoolmate didn’t want to talk to Gu Xiaoshun at all.

Gu Jiao didn't ask any more questions and just walked into the room in silence.

Xiao Liulang glanced at her slightly stiff right hand as she brushed past him.

Gu Jiao covered her hand with the sleeve so that the blood flowing from her wrist was out of sight.

But as she entered the room, she heard Xiao Liulang's cold voice behind her, "I'm going to the town."

"To treat your leg?" Gu Jiao asked subconsciously.

Somehow, Gu Jiao thought of her dream last night. She really didn’t want to believe it, but..."Do you have an exam in three days?" Gu Jiao faced him and asked again.

Xiao Liulang's eyes flickered with a trace of astonishment. He nodded, "...Yes."

The schoolmate said in a sour mood, "Why are you telling her all this? What if she stops you from going again?! Did you forget that you missed the exam last time because of her?! And your legs... if she didn’t keep you at home that day, you wouldn't miss out on Physician Zhang!"

Gu Jiao turned to look at Gu Xiaoshun.

She didn’t remember any of this.

Gu Xiaoshun pointed to the schoolmate’s nose and said, "Watch how you talk! What do you mean my big sis stopped him from going? My sister was sick at that time. Is it proper for him to leave his wife when they just got married?"

At the mention of this, Gu Jiao suddenly had an impression. Not long after they just got married, the original soul fell ill, but she wasn’t really ill. She was just pretending to be sick. It was because someone told her that Xiao Liulang would never come back and she would become a little widow just like Xue Ningxiang.

She didn’t want to be a little widow, so she kept Xiao Liulang from leaving. Little did she know that Xiao Liulang missed the exam six months ago and the only chance to have his leg fixed because of this.

Gu Jiao looked at Xiao Liulang's leg and said, "That, actually..."

"Brother Xiao, let’s go! The coach is still waiting at the entrance of the village!” The schoolmate interrupted Gu Jiao's words and took Xiao Liulang to the entrance of the village without looking back.

"I want to eat osmanthus cake!" Gu Jiao unexpectedly followed them out and said while looking at Xiao Liulang, "Li Ji's sweet-scented osmanthus cake! I’ll only eat food from there! If you don't buy it for me, I won't let you in! I’ll also burn all your books!"

“Wicked woman!” The schoolmate gnashed his teeth and helped Xiao Liulang into an old carriage at the entrance of the village, "Brother Xiao, don't listen to her! Li Ji is a long-established shop, and their osmanthus cake is not easy to buy. By the time you’re done buying, Physician Zhang will be gone! He is a physician from the capital, much better than the physicians in town. He is the only one who can fix your leg. You must not let that wicked woman drag you down!"

…….

“That's my big sis! That's how you bossed him around, alright!" Gu Xiaoshun gave Gu Jiao a thumbs-up.

Gu Jiao could only hold her forehead at his reaction. She then asked, "Do you know where the market is?"

Gu Xiaoshun nodded and replied, "I know, big sis. Why do you ask? Are you going there? What are you going to do there?"

"Sell fowls."

“Fowls? Big sis, where did you get it from?"

"Wild pheasants."

Physician Gu didn't say it was the treatment fee she forcibly earned.

Gu Xiaoshun naturally assumed that his sister caught it by herself, "Big sis, I found that you have changed. You’ve become more amazing than before!"

Rather than saying she was no longer stupid, he praised her for becoming more amazing. In Gu Xiaoshun's heart, he never treated the original soul as a fool.

Gu Xiaoshun told her the direction to the market. Both the market and the medical hall were in the town, but one was in the west while the other was in the east side.

Gu Xiaoshun insisted on accompanying her, but Gu Jiao refused.

The Gu Family members didn’t like Gu Xiaoshun getting too close to Gu Jiao. They said that Gu Jiao was a fool and staying close to her would make him a fool as well.

Gu Jiao returned to her room to open the small medicine chest, cleaned her wound with iodophor and applied some antibacterial ointment.

I'm so hungry. Gu Jiao thought to herself and went to the kitchen.1. ↑ — A traditional Manchu dress (or robe, long jacket or tunic) worn by men. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changshan)