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Xiao Liulang’s throat went dry, he steadied himself and said solemnly, “It’s nothing.”

Having said that, he left with an empty medicine bowl, walking in an unusually measured manner.

Watching his hasty retreat, Gu Jiao murmured, “It seems he saw quite a bit.”

Today, Xue Ningxiang was the one helping Gu Jiao apply her medicine.

The door was actually closed, but Xiao Liulang still felt uneasy looking at the shut door, so he decided to fetch some water from the village.

Halfway through her treatment, a knock sounded at the main entrance.

“I’ll go check it out.” Xue Ningxiang left Gu Jiao’s room, covered her with the door, and opened the main door, asking the refined middle-aged man standing before her, “Who are you?”

Dean Li laughed, “I’m the Dean of Tianxiang Academy, my surname is Li. May I ask if this is Xiao Liulang’s house?”

Upon hearing that this was the man from the place where Xiao Liulang studied, Xue Ningxiang quickly replied courteously, “So you’re the Dean! Are you looking for Liulang? He’s out fetching water! Huh? Didn’t you bump into him when you came from the village entrance?”

Dean Li’s carriage was parked at the village entrance, but he had walked the rest of the journey, not noticing much as it was getting dark.

Xue Ningxiang said, “Please wait, I’ll go find him!”

Dean Li suddenly stopped Xue Ningxiang, “Um… Is Miss Jiao home?”

Xue Ningxiang tilted her head, “Hmm?”

Gu Jiao invited Dean Li into the main room and poured him a bowl of the tea she had brewed.

Little Jingsky had been feeling a bit fiery these days, so Gu Jiao had picked some fishy grass from the mountains that could reduce internal heat and boiled it as a drink for him.

Dean Li had never drunk such an unpleasant tea before, but he still forced himself to finish the big bowl.

Seeing his liking, Gu Jiao poured him another big bowl.

Dean Li, unable to reject Gu Jiao’s kindness: “…”

After finishing three big bowls in succession, Gu Jiao swayed the teapot: “Hm? It’s finished.”

Dean Li, who was on the verge of vomiting: Thank Heaven, it’s finally finished!

Gu Jiao politely asked, “Dean Li, is there a particular reason for your visit today?”

“You have visited my mother several times, and I haven’t properly thanked you yet.” Dean Li said, taking a bundle from his arms and handing it over to Gu Jiao, “The peach trees in the backyard have borne fruit, and my mother insisted that I bring some for you.”

Gu Jiao accepted the bundle, “Thank the old lady for me.”

Dean Li said warmly, “My mother is getting old now. Sometimes she can’t even remember how many sons she has, but she always remembers you.”

“How many?” Gu Jiao looked at him, puzzled.

“Ah.” Dean Li accidentally let slip some family matters in a moment of incaution, he smiled awkwardly, “I have four elder brothers; I am my mother’s youngest son.”

No wonder Dean Li was not yet forty, and yet Lady Li was already old and frail.

“My brothers are all in the Capital City, it’s been many years since I last saw them.” There was much Dean Li left unsaid.

Gu Jiao didn’t pursue it any further either.

Dean Li said, “There is also a matter related to Liulang which I came here to discuss today.”

Gu Jiao: “What’s going on with him?”

Dean Li: “You may have heard that he passed the entrance examination, but there’s something else you may not know – he originally had the chance to achieve Little Sanyuan. However, someone bribed the examiner to replace his exam paper, causing him to fail his third paper.”

A cold light flashed in Gu Jiao’s eyes.

This was like ancient high school entrance exams, to think there would be cheaters here too.

Dean Li continued, “The matter of re-examination is of great importance. I’m not clear on the reason he didn’t retake the exam, perhaps he himself was unwilling, or perhaps the official government stepped in to mediate.”

He had a student working in the Imperial College in Pingcheng Prefecture, thanks to which he was able to get some news, but he didn’t get the full story.

Dean Li asked, “Has he mentioned this to you?”

Gu Jiao shook her head, “No.”

“He’s always been like that, keeping everything bottled up inside.” Dean Li said, “I asked him about it afterwards, but he wouldn’t say anything. In truth, not achieving Little Sanyuan isn’t a big deal, as long as he passes the entrance examination, he’ll get the chance to take part in the provincial examinations. That’s the real starting point.”

Gu Jiao: “But…?”

Given the climactic buildup, there was bound to be a ‘but’.

Dean Li sighed, “He doesn’t seem that keen on the provincial examinations.”

After some thought, he corrected himself, “Not exactly, when I mentioned the provincial examinations, he didn’t react much. But when I mentioned that he would have to go to the Capital City for the examination after passing the provincial examinations, his face darkened. I’m not sure if it’s accurate to say so, but it seems that his earlier lack of interest in studying was to avoid having to go to the Capital City for the examinations.”

He doesn’t want to go to the Capital City?

Gu Jiao stroked her chin, lost in thought.

Dean Li came to Gu Jiao to find out the situation, but his visit did not yield much. He returned home, helpless.

This great prospect, he truly didn’t want to see him wasting himself away in this small village.

Lost in his contemplation, Dean Li bumped into a small human rolling out from the courtyard.

The child tumbled down from a haystack. If he hadn’t bumped into someone, he would have fallen into a puddle.

Dean Li hurriedly scooped up the little guy from the ground, brushing off the dust on him, “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

The child widened his pair of shiny black eyes, looking at him.

The child was teething, so he drooled a lot. As he continued drooling, he stared blankly at Dean Li, opening his small mouth, he called out, “Daddy!”

Dean Li shuddered!

Xue Ningxiang who just came out from Gu Jiao’s courtyard also trembled!

The child was learning to speak. When he saw a woman, he would call her ‘mama’, but he had never called anyone ‘daddy’. After all, he didn’t have a father.

Xue Ningxiang was horribly embarrassed. She wished she could dig a hole, and bury both the child and herself inside!

She hurried over, lifted the child up, and fumbled out, “I’m sorry, the kid doesn’t know better, don’t mind him.”

Dean Li laughed, “Ah, it’s okay.”

Xue Ningxiang quickly carried the child away, but the child twisted his head around and called out to Dean Li again, “Daddy!”

Xue Ningxiang was so embarrassed she could cry.

Kid, even if your father wasn’t dead, there’s no way he could be the esteemed Dean Li!

You and him, what’s the status difference?

Where did you get this blind skill of acknowledging a father?

Calling you Doggy, it seems you really are gutsy like a dog!

Xue Ningxiang carried her son back to the house as fast as she could, slamming the door shut and bolting it quickly!

Dean Li shook his head, amused.

Father?

In his lifetime… he feared that would never happen.

After Xue Ningxiang took her son back to the room, she set him down on the bed and seriously corrected him, “Doggy, you have no father.”

Doggy: “Daddy.”

Xue Ningxiang: “Not daddy!”

“Daddy.”

Xue Ningxiang: “I told you, you have no father! Don’t call anyone daddy! No!”

Doggy crawled towards the door: “Daddy.”

Xue Ningxiang was going nuts thanks to her son!

If you keep acknowledging people as your father, I won’t be able to keep your real father’s coffin lid down!!!

As Xue Ningxiang angrily shook the pillow, something hard fell out, making a “clank” as it hit the stool.

Xue Ningxiang picked up the object, took a moment to recognize it, then furrowed her brows, “Huh? Isn’t this…”