Chapter 1881: Chapter 936: A Father’s Love Is Like a Mountain (Second Update)
Tang Ming flew down with the torch in his hand. In front of him was an open area where no oil had been spilled, so it was fine if the torch fell.
As for whether Tang Ming would crash down like a pig’s head, that was not within Gu Jiao’s scope of concern.
Gu Jiao stretched out her hand and adeptly caught the Tang Family’s bow.
Tang Yueshan ignored the injury to his abdomen, leaping up to catch the falling Tang Ming mid-air.
The torch fell to the ground, causing no harm.
His body paused in mid-air as he glanced at Gu Jiao, who was playing with the Tang Family’s bow, and said fiercely, “Don’t touch my Tang Family’s bow!”
Gu Jiao carelessly replied with an “Oh,” and with a particularly brazen attitude, she touched the Tang Family’s bow from end to end, not even skipping the bowstring.
Tang Yueshan: “…!!”
Tang Ming was immobilized by Tang Yueshan and sent to the carriage.
With the crisis averted, the constables rushed into the tea house to rescue people.
Gu Jiao and Xiao Hen found the frightened Yao Family and Gu Xiaobao in the private room at the end of the second floor.
Gu Xiaobao was a quiet child, but sometimes he was too quiet, which made people feel sympathetic.
Xiao Hen carried Gu Xiaobao over, and Gu Xiaobao lay on his brother-in-law’s chest, not moving at all.
He was scared stiff.
Gu Jiao helped the Yao Family, whose legs were weak, asking, “Mother, are you guys hurt?”
The Yao Family rubbed her chest, still shaken, and said, “No, we’re not hurt.”
“Your hand is bleeding,” Gu Jiao noticed the bloodstains on the back of the Yao Family’s right hand.
The Yao Family raised her hand to look and said, “I must have accidentally knocked it earlier.”
Gu Jiao glanced at the injury on her hand; it was an open wound, not too severe. She said, “It’s not safe here, let’s talk after we leave.”
The four of them went downstairs.
Their carriage was parked nearby. Gu Jiao first performed simple cleaning and bandaging on the Yao Family’s injuries in the carriage. Xiao Hen sent the Yao Family and Gu Xiaobao back to Bishui Alley while Gu Jiao went to treat other injured citizens.
Tang Yueshan didn’t leave.
He was waiting for Gu Jiao.
But he didn’t rush Gu Jiao. Only after she finished attending to the last patient did he call her to his carriage.
Tang Ming was passed out, with an unstable pulse and breathing.
Tang Yueshan said with difficulty, “I know you dislike Mingming, and if you don’t want to treat him, I won’t blame you.”
Gu Jiao said, “His illness doesn’t need my treatment, just stop the Wushisan, and he will recover on his own.”
Tang Yueshan was somewhat incredulous, “Really?”
“Really.” Gu Jiao nodded.
On this point, she wasn’t lying to Tang Yueshan.
The grievances between Tang Ming and her were in the past; Tang Ming had paid the price for his previous actions. As long as Tang Ming didn’t provoke her again, she wouldn’t pursue him relentlessly.
Tang Yueshan said melancholically, “He actually knows he’s wrong… He indulged himself like that because of me. He harbors resentment against me in his heart, plus my elder brother…”
Purposely led him astray, shaping his current personality and sense of right and wrong.
Tang Yueshan didn’t voice these thoughts.
He said, with a guilty voice, “He is trying hard to change himself, wanting to prove himself to me, and yet, I have cruelly denied him time and again.”
Gu Jiao asked, “Is it because you don’t like him?”
Tang Yueshan shook his head, “No, he’s my own son, how could I not like him?” His denial of Tang Ming was for other reasons.
Gu Jiao curiously asked, “Hasn’t he done many annoying things that made you think of giving up on him?”
Tang Yueshan firmly said, “Never. He makes mistakes, I may hit him, scold him, punish him, but I would never abandon him.”
Gu Jiao pondered thoughtfully.
…
The incident with Tang Ming caused a ripple in Gu Jiao’s thoughts.
It wasn’t surprising for intelligent and sensible children to receive their parents’ love, but for a son like Tang Ming, Tang Yueshan had never once considered giving him up.
From Tang Yueshan, Gu Jiao felt a strength she always lacked.
This strength influenced her, changing her mindset.
When she returned to Bishui Alley, the Yao Family and Gu Xiaobao were already fine. The Yao Family played leaf cards with their aunt in the courtyard, while Gu Xiaobao, led by the returning Xiaojingkong from school, was taken to the backyard to groom the King of Horses and the Hei Feng King.
The two horses lay on the ground.
The King of Horses was utterly disdainful, rolling its eyes dramatically.
But it couldn’t kick, for the Hei Feng King would beat it up.
—Even at the age of three, it still wasn’t a match for the Hei Feng King, a situation sadder than sadness itself.
The Hei Feng King was very friendly to human children, and Gu Xiaobao lay his whole small body on its neck.
He had just gone through a scare, and the Hei Feng King’s strong but gentle aura comforted him.
Gu Xiaobao wasn’t that scared anymore.
In the evening, Xuanyuan Qi and An Guogong also arrived.
An Guogong’s visits were particular, usually choosing times when the grandaunt was present too.
The three of them presented Gu Xiaoshun with the birthday gifts they had prepared.
Gu Xiaoshun was a bit bewildered.
It’s just a small birthday, why are there so many big shots here?
Then at night, Gu Changqing and Gu Chengfeng also came.
Looking at his arms full of birthday gifts, he felt like a little bewildered fruit on a bewildered tree: “No need to go to such trouble… it’s just seventeen… not even the coming-of-age ceremony… are you really celebrating my birthday… or using it as an excuse to come to Bishui Alley?”
Gu Chengfeng winked: “What do you think?”
Gu Xiaoshun had an epiphany in a second, clenched his fist and said, “Of course, it’s to celebrate my birthday!”
The two Gu family brothers: “…”
Gu Chengfeng chuckled dryly: “Having a simple mind… is quite nice too.”
The weather was hot, so dinner was set out in the courtyard.
Tonight, the old winemaker was in charge of cooking, preparing a large table of Zhan Country specialty dishes based on the tastes of the children, while also considering the palates of An Guogong and Xuanyuan Qi, by making some Yan Country dishes.
Little Jingkong said: “Grandaunt, I want to eat brown sugar glutinous rice cakes.”
The old winemaker said without hesitation: “There’s none left.”
“Gone so quickly.” Empress Dowager Zhuang muttered, she wanted to eat them too.
The old winemaker coughed lightly, maintaining his composure as he said to Little Jingkong, “It seems there’s a bit of glutinous rice flour left in the jar, I’ll go check.”
Little Jingkong crossed his arms, pouting, “When grandaunt eats, there’s some, but when I want to eat, there isn’t! Grandaunt is biased!”
The old winemaker was flustered: “Nonsense! I just remembered! I’ll make it for you! I’ll go make it right now!”
The whole table chuckled without a word.
The old winemaker seriously went to the kitchen, made a bowl of brown sugar glutinous rice cake, sprinkled white sesame seeds on it, and placed it… in front of Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Far, far away from Little Jingkong!
Little Jingkong, who couldn’t reach even if he used a ladder: “???”
…
At the end of dinner, Gu Xiaoshun ate a bowl of longevity noodles, and both Little Jingkong and Gu Xiaobao each got a small bowl of longevity noodles.
It was Gu Xiaoshun’s birthday today, so they didn’t make the children practice martial arts.
Xuanyuan Qi went to the backyard to play with Little Jingkong and the others, while Gu Yan took the opportunity to pull Gu Changqing to the grandaunt’s courtyard.
“What’s wrong, is there something?” Gu Changqing asked Gu Yan.
Gu Yan: “Sneak practice.”
Gu Changqing was a bit stunned, then realized Gu Yan wanted to continue the boxing practice from before.
Gu Yan’s motivation for martial arts was quite simple, to show off to the little monk; he never thought of becoming a martial arts master or a hero.
Gu Changqing didn’t care about his motive, practicing martial arts can strengthen the body, and as long as he was willing, there was no reason not to teach him.
He fondly looked at Gu Yan and said, “You’ve finished the boxing techniques from last time, I’ll teach you a set of palm techniques.”
Gu Yan’s eyes lit up: “Iron Sand Palm? The kind that can swish-swish in scalding sand?”
Gu Changqing laughed: “No, to reach that level, you’d need seven or eight years of dedicated practice.”
“Oh.” Gu Yan just wanted to quickly master it without hard practice.
Gu Changqing taught him a set of palm techniques that looked impressive but really only strengthened the body.
…
It was late at night, the children were tired from playing, and Gu Jiao and her group were ready to return home.
The grandaunt was getting old, so Gu Jiao and Xiao Hen didn’t bring up matters of the Sword Lodge to her and the granduncle.
Xuanyuan Qi and An Guogong were in the know, and they asked Xiao Hen privately, learning what they could from Young Master Mingyue.
Everyone sat in the carriage with Little Jingkong, who was already fast asleep as soon as they got in.
Pulled by the horse king and another Hei Fengqi.
With the horse king present, it was fully automatic.
Hei Feng King watched leisurely from the side, making sure it didn’t wander off to some corner to play.
Xuanyuan Qi said, “Are you planning to first try to release news to lure the Sword Lodge’s people?”
Xiao Hen nodded, “That’s right, if this plan doesn’t work, my father will personally visit the Sword Lodge.”
“The people from the Sword Lodge won’t come,” Xuanyuan Qi said confidently.
“Why?” Gu Jiao asked, puzzled, looking at him.
He said, “The Young Master of the Sword Lodge has been missing for years, if they wanted to come, they would have already. Your father just had a daughter and doesn’t want to be separated from his wife and child. This time, Zhengzheng and I will go.”