The Prime Minister’s Darling - Chapter 4
When Gu Jiao went out to chop firewood, they really were lacking firewood. On the other hand, she also wanted to enter the mountains to find something to fill her belly.
Although their family was not so destitute that they could not even eat, they were close. If Xiao Liulang ate alone, their stores might have been able to last a few more days. With her included, though, the situation became a little problematic.
It was late autumn, and the sky was clear. There were no clouds in sight for thousands of miles.
Not only was it unpolluted, but Gu Jiao also felt that the sky above her was especially blue; it was a hue of blue she had never seen before. The air was also very fresh and refreshing.
She had come here for no apparent reason. She wondered if the lunatics at the research institute would even miss her; they would probably grit their teeth and blame her for suddenly disappearing without sending them the latest research results.
On the surface, while she was an MD at M University’s research institute, she was actually a secret agent. She entered the organization at the age of eight, and all her accolades after that were just a cover for her true identity.
Of course, she did not plan to live a life of bloodshed. She had made an agreement with the organization that this would be her last mission; after she was done, she would leave. Unexpectedly, something happened to the plane…
Now that she thought about it, the plane crash was too coincidental.
However, there was no point in thinking about this now. She was already dead, so it was impossible for her to go back and take revenge on anyone.
Probably no one would feel sorry over her death.
Her parents divorced when she was two years old. After that, they formed their own families and had new children. She had always been superfluous.
In a sense, her fate was really similar to the original owner’s. The Host’s parents had passed away early, and she was also redundant in the Gu family.
Even if the original owner of the body died, no one would truly feel sorry for her.
Gu Jiao laughed self-deprecatingly, feeling a little chilly in her heart.
Because she was worried that it would rain, Gu Jiao did not go too deep into the forest. Even so, she still discovered many good things, and there were a variety of edible fungi growing everywhere.
There were some wood ear fungus growing on a tree stump that was fat and thick, almost covering most of the stump. Gu Jiao had found a big one.
This area had clearly been cut down by the villagers. There were many tree stumps like this, and there were also many wood ear fungi growing out.
Gu Jiao picked them piece by piece. Soon, her basket was loaded.
Seeing that the basket was almost filled, Gu Jiao stopped picking fungi. She cut some dry firewood and secured the firewood and basket together with rope. Carrying them on her back, she prepared to go down the mountain.
However, just as Gu Jiao turned around, she suddenly felt something under her feet, as if she had stepped on something.
Immediately after, she heard a muffled groan. It was very low and weak.
She blinked and slowly moved her leg away.
“I can’t be that unlucky, right…?
She took a deep breath and looked down. In the weeds, she spotted a white-bearded old man, who fainted from her stomp…
Gu Jiao: “…”
No, wait, why would there be someone just lying in a gutter somewhere?
And, why would I just happen to step on him?
With her conscience good, Gu Jiao stepped over him.
However, a couple moments later, Gu Jiao returned expressionlessly.
“Just so we’re clear, I didn’t save you out of goodwill.”
“Cluck, cluck—”
In a tightly tied cloth bag beside the old man, some pheasants flapped their wings and cried out.
Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows and casually glanced at the cloth bag. The bag instantly stopped moving.
Then, she looked at the white-bearded old man in front of her—a huge footprint was left on his face where Gu Jiao stepped on him. It looked truly tragic.
Judging from his clothes, he seemed like an ordinary villager.
However, there was an indescribable dignity between his brows.
Gu Jiao put down the dry firewood on her back and began to check the other party’s pulse.
When she was in school, she studied western medicine. However, in order to carry out a very special mission, she infiltrated the National Healer Sage’s family for five years under the pretext of becoming a disciple.
From his pulse, there was no illness in his body. Gu Jiao guessed that he had caught a cold and suddenly had a high fever, then accidentally fell into the gutter and dislocated his left arm.
Gu Jiao took out her small medicine box from the basket on her back and placed an ice pack on his forehead.
Thereafter, Gu Jiao re-adjusted his arm, and also cut a piece of firewood. She tore off his sleeve and secured his arm.
After doing this, Gu Jiao took his temperature again and realized that it was still high, so she gave him a fever injection in his muscles.
Not far away, there was a small straw shed for the villagers to rest on the mountain.
Gu Jiao moved him there.
His fever had subsided and he was about to wake up. Gu Jiao got up and went down the mountain. Before she left, Gu Jiao left her umbrella for him.
“Personally, I don’t give treatment for nothing.”
When she finished speaking, she took the bag with the pheasants away.
As soon as Gu Jiao arrived home, the rain started. Soon, it became a torrential rain. The mountains, the village, and the straw shed were all enveloped in rain and fog.
Gu Jiao went straight to the kitchen.
Xiao Liulang had already cleaned up the dishes, wiped the stove, and put away the clothes.
Gu Jiao put down the firewood and cloth bag, and opened the cupboard to take a look. She asked in confusion, “You finished everything?”
She had left quite a lot.
That lad looks lean, but his appetite sure isn’t small.
Is he at the age where he’s still growing?
Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows, then found a cage to lock the pheasants in.
Gu Jiao separated the smaller pieces of firewood from the larger pieces, and picked out the ones that needed to be chopped.
By the time she finished chopping the firewood, it was already evening. The rain had not stopped, and the house was cold and humid. She found a brazier and planned to light a fire for herself. Suddenly, she thought of something and walked to Xiao Liulang’s room, knocking lightly on his door.
“Do you want to warm yourself by the fire?”
She asked softly.
There was no response from the room.
She called out again, but there was still no response.
Gu Jiao saw that the door was ajar and gently pushed it open. She poked her head out and saw that under the dim yellow oil lamp, his thin figure was already asleep on the old table.
He was still holding an open book in his hand.
The book was yellowed and the cover was cracked, pasted over with oilskin paper.
Scholars in the countryside had a hard time, especially the sort that Xiao Liulang was. He had been oppressed by the Gu family and her Host for a long time, and could not even attend a private school. He had to rely on himself for his studies.
Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment before walking over quietly. She took a cotton shirt from the cabinet and draped it over him.
It was already midnight when Xiao Liulang woke up.
He had not slept well for the past few days, nor had he thought that he would fall asleep on the table. When he opened his eyes, he realized that there was an additional cotton shirt on him. He frowned, and a trace of vigilance flashed across his eyes.
He frowned as he looked at the book in his hand. Suddenly, he heard a crisping sound. He spun around and spotted a brazier on the ground.
The cold room had been warmed up by the fire in an instant.
Xiao Liulang’s gaze fell on the brazier, and he revealed a thoughtful expression.
There was only a brazier at home. If she gave it to Xiao Liulang, then Gu Jiao would not have one.
After Gu Jiao hid the small medicine box, she quickly crawled under the blanket, wrapping herself up like a small silkworm pupa.
Perhaps it was because she had toiled a few times during the day that her small body was exhausted. Therefore, although it was a little cold, she still fell asleep very quickly.
Gu Jiao had not dreamt for many years, but tonight, she had a dream.
She dreamed that a doctor came to town and Xiao Liulang went to look for him to treat his leg. However, an accident occurred at the medical hall where the doctor was, and many people were injured.
Xiao Liulang had a crippled leg and could not run as fast as the others, and his other uninjured leg was also hurt in the accident.
And while the injury did not kill Xiao Liulang, it would make him miss the exam three days later.
