Chapter 436: Long-term perspective
Gu Jingzhe was also very depressed.
He originally came to check on Second Aunt's condition, but after Second Aunt woke up and saw him, she fainted again.
Who would be responsible if Second Aunt died?
"Jingzhe, get out quickly. You are a scholar now. When your second aunt sees you, she will think of Ruinian's failure in the exam. Isn't that like stabbing her in the heart?" Aunt Qin said to Gu Jingzhe.
Everyone agreed and asked the new scholar Gu Jingzhe to stay away from Jia.
At the same time, the onlookers' impression of Gu Ruinian dropped again. His own mother was kicked for him, but he hid in the house and refused to come out.
When Jia saw Gu Jingzhe faint and then regain consciousness after being given an injection by the doctor, she was so angry that she vomited blood when she heard what Aunt Qin said.
Gu Jingzhe shook his head and walked out of the upper room.
"Jingzhe, Jingzhe." Old Man Gu held Gu Jingzhe, pleading anxiously on his face, "Go and help me knock on Ruinian's door. Ruinian has locked himself in the house. Maybe he will open the door if you go."
"Please help me talk things over with him. Tell him that there was an accident during this year's exam, so he can continue to take the exam next year."
Gu Jingzhe sighed softly, wondering what his grandfather’s reaction would be if he knew that all the accidents in the exam were caused by Gu Ruinian himself.
Gu Jingzhe originally didn't want to care about Gu Ruinian, but when he heard Grandpa Gu's plea, he couldn't bear it, so he walked to Gu Ruinian's door.
"Ruinian, open the door."
Gu Jingzhe was prepared to shout twice symbolically. If Gu Ruinian didn't open the door, he would leave the old house and not cause any trouble.
The door opened with a bang.
Gu Ruinian stood in the room, looking at Gu Jingzhe with a smile.
Gu Jingzhe felt that the cousin in front of him was both familiar and unfamiliar, and his eyes seemed to contain resentment towards him.
"Ruinian, grandpa asked me to persuade you to open the door. Your mother has fainted, you should go and see her quickly." Gu Jingzhe said.
As for Mr. Gu asking him to persuade Gu Ruinian to take the second exam next year, he was not going to say it.
Gu Ruinian sneered, "Are you happy?"
Gu Jingzhe felt puzzled and asked, "Why should I be happy?"
Gu Ruinian said, "You won the first place in the case, but I failed. Now everyone in the clan and the village says that you are better than me. Are you happy and satisfied now? You came to knock on my door, don't think I don't know what you are thinking. You just want to laugh at me and remind me that you are the first place and I am the loser."
"Don't think you're better than me, you just have better luck than me."
"So what if you got the first place in the exam? You are just an ancient man who studies hard. Even if we meet in the court one day, I will win and you will lose. You should take a long-term view of things. Don't get complacent too soon."
Gu Ruinian became more and more excited as he spoke.
Gu Jingzhe felt that this cousin was hopeless and said a bunch of incomprehensible things.
Gu Jingzhe understood that his cousin failed the exam because he was unlucky, while he was able to get the first place entirely because of luck.
"Ruinian, you are wrong. I have never considered you as an opponent."
Gu Jingzhe was still young at heart and didn't want to pay any attention to Gu Ruinian. After thinking for a moment, he gave him a contemptuous look and left the old house.
Gu Ruinian was choked, and when he came to his senses he became furious.
What do you mean?
It seems that Gu Jingzhe never took him seriously.
The doctor gave Jia five injections before she came to her senses. After waking up, she couldn't stop crying.
The acupuncture and medicine cost five hundred coins, and Wei gave the money to the doctor.
"Where does the money come from to buy the medicine?" asked Mr. Gu.
Wei said, "I borrowed it from Auntie."
Old Mrs. Gu was unhappy and said, "She should pay for it. If both of them failed the exam, your mother-in-law wouldn't be so unwilling."
"Don't think that Tong Da Jiao is lending you money out of kindness. Who knows how she might laugh at your second wife's joke. Her son is now the first in the case and she is so proud of herself. Would she lend you money if you asked her for it normally? I don't know what kind of shit luck she has that her son can actually get the first in the case. Originally, the first place should have been in Rui Nian's case."
Wei was speechless. She didn't understand Mrs. Gu's logic.
If you are not good yourself, you don't expect your wife to be good too.
Wei didn't want to say a word. She took the leftovers from the main room and went out to heat them up. Gu Xiaoxue silently made a fire.
The dinner at the old house consisted of porridge and these leftovers.
The whole family sat around the table, everyone had a sullen look on their faces, and the low mood made it impossible to eat.
"Fengnian, go call Ruinian to eat."
Gu Ruinian closed the door again after Gu Jingzhe left.
You can't keep people locked up and not eat, so Grandpa Gu asked Gu Fengnian to call Gu Ruinian.
"Starve him to death."
Gu Youtian cursed angrily and went out with two steamed buns.
He was afraid of seeing his younger son lose control and do something, so he simply turned a blind eye.
Just as Gu Fengnian was about to stand up, he saw Gu Ruinian coming in.
"Ruinian is here, please sit down." Old Man Gu asked Gu Ruinian to sit on his left, a little further away from Gu Youtian.
Gu Ruinian sat silently at the table.
If he wasn't extremely hungry, he wouldn't have come out.
Although there were leftovers from the eldest son's family on the table, they were all good meat dishes that had not been touched. They were delicious and tasty. With a basket of large white steamed buns next to them, Gu Ruinian couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks and devour them.
But now that he had failed the exam, he could no longer eat alone with a clear conscience as before.
Gu Honglian snorted. Old Mrs. Gu glared at her and picked up a chicken leg and put it in the bowl in front of Gu Ruinian.
"Ruinian, you should take good care of yourself. You have to study hard from now on."
"Look at how proud your aunt is when Jingzhe gets the first place in the exam. She's holding a banquet and inviting guests. It makes me angry just thinking about it. Doesn't she know how sad our Ruinian is for failing the exam? She has to rub salt into his wounds. Ruinian, I tell you that you were unlucky to fail this time. If you study hard, you can get the first place next year. Then you can get the first, second or third place in the exam and make your aunt die of anger."
Gu Ruinian's face turned black.
If he didn't know that Old Lady Gu loved him, he would have thought that the dead old woman was plotting against him.
Mr. Gu kicked Mrs. Gu under the table.
"Why did you kick me? Was what I said wrong? Tong Dajiao has always been disrespectful to us, and now that his son has won the first prize, he doesn't even take us seriously. What's wrong with me asking Rui Nian to study hard and kill Tong Dajiao's arrogance?"
Mr. Gu said, "Alright, stop talking. Rui Nian is already upset because he failed the exam. Don't make it worse for him."
Only then did Mrs. Gu realize that her words did not hurt Tong Huaqiong but instead killed Gu Ruinian's heart, so she shut up and picked up the fattest and tenderest piece of fish belly meat from the bowl and put it in Gu Ruinian's bowl.
Gu Ruinian's face was gloomy, but he did not hesitate to stuff chicken legs and fish into his mouth.
After eating the chicken legs and fish belly, the chopsticks picked up food from the plate like rain.
Gu Ruinian was used to being the honorable one for his ancestors in his previous life, and he was the hope of the whole family in this life. He picked up the meat and dishes with his chopsticks quickly, accurately and fiercely, without caring about the lives of other people at the table.
Wei felt nauseous.
It would have been fine if it had been like this in the past, but now that he has failed the exam, and knows that his family is poor, and knows that no one else has food to eat, he still eats alone.
"Ruinian, if you don't know how to pick up food, don't do it."
Wei put down his chopsticks with a snap.