The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

Chapter 13

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S T E L L A R C L O U D

[Celeste S.] [Azurixa] [Robert K.]

O R A N G E S T A R

[Jungle] [Talia R.]

Y E L L O W S T A R

[Camille] [Linds] [Klancain] [Esther D.]

Feng Lin felt disappointed and was about to walk out of the entrance hall when he heard a polite voice in front of him, "Is the young gentleman here to see a physician?"

"Ah?" Feng Lin froze for a moment and looked at the other party. He was a man dressed in fine clothes. His aura was somewhat powerful, but his attitude was very gentle.

Feng Lin didn’t know him. He said, "Your excellency is..."

The staff recognized the man and they tried to salute him, but they were stopped by the glance of the man.

"Oh, I'm from the Rejuvenation Hall." Second Owner said gently, "Is there something wrong with the young gentleman?"

Feng Lin shook his head and replied, "No, I'm not ill. I'm here for my schoolmate."

"May I ask the young gentleman’s name?"

"My name is Feng Lin." Feng Lin cupped his hands in salute .

"My surname is Hu." Second Owner returned the greeting.

"So it’s Physician Hu." The other party said that he was from this medical hall, and Feng Lin naturally took the other party as a physician here.

Second Owner didn't correct him, but merely smiled and said, "What's the matter with your schoolmate?"

Feng Lin said with a sigh, "His leg was injured six months ago. I went to a lot of physicians but no one could heal him. I think only Physician Zhang can fix his leg. But I heard... Physician Zhang will never come to the medical hall again."

“Who says he won't come anymore?” Second Owner coughed a little and said, "He’ll come. He will come tomorrow!"

"The treatment fee..."

"One-time price, one hundred wen[1]!"

Cough!

All the staff in the room choked up.

Feng Lin also felt choking, "One... One hundred wen?"

"Is it expensive?" Second Owner blinked his eyes and quickly said, "I was wrong, it's ten wen!"

Feng Lin, "..."

The staff, "..."

No matter how stupid Feng Lin was, he knew that a physician’s treatment fee cost quite a sum. Even the travelling physicians in the countryside wouldn’t accept a payment of ten wen.

“But I just heard that Physician Zhang's home visit fee is ten taels?“ He said doubtfully.

Second Owner responded without a change in expression, "Treatment in the medical hall is cheaper than home visit."

"Cheaper... Isn’t that too cheap though?"

"We had a death in our medical hall so business is bad. We’re in low season right now!"

Feng Lin again, "..."

The staff again, "..."

Feng Lin immediately went to the village to tell Xiao Liulang about the medical treatment, "...The treatment fee is only ten wen, and the fee for the medicine is calculated separately. They're business is not doing well right now, so I reckon the price of the medicinal herbs won't be too expensive either."

But even if their business had taken a hit, it was still hard to believe how cheap the fee was.

Feng Lin said excitedly, "I also asked Shopkeeper Wang afterwards just to be sure and he said the same thing. It can’t be fake so you can just wait at ease. It also happens that I have a day off from the academy at the end of the month. I’ll accompany you there!"

Xiao Liulang thought it must be true since even the date had been set.

…...

Three days later, the results of the exam came out, and Gu Dashun took the second spot.

This time, the examinees came from all over the country. There were hundreds of people in total and there was no lack of children from great families who were taught by a tutor from an early age and whose learning conditions were much better than that of Gu Dashun. Therefore, the fact that Gu Dashun could still take second place in the exam really gave the Gu Family a lot of face.

Especially this time, the examination questions were issued by the Dean himself. It was also spreading in the academy that the Dean wanted to come out of retirement and take a post in the government, so he would be recruiting his own direct disciple from this group of examinees.

Gu Dashun felt his chance to be chosen was high.

"How did Liulang do?" Asked Old Mister Gu.

Gu Dashun smiled and said, "He passed, too."

He was also second, though second to the last.

A total of 100 students were admitted this time, and Xiao Liulang ranked 99th.

Thinking that Xiao Liulang had been left behind so far by him, Gu Dashun could not help feeling a little proud. However, he said, "He hadn't gone to a private school and only studied hard at home by himself, but he was able to get a good score in the exam."

"He studied hard for so long and almost failed to pass the exam. It shows that studying is about talent, and you are much better than Liulang on that point." It was rare for Old Mister Gu to say so much. Originally, he did not dare to have too many expectations from Gu Dashun, but now that the results had come out, he thought that Gu Dashun would get next year's autumn provincial exam in the bag.

Old Mister Gu was so happy that he sent his second son to the town to buy two catty of pork belly.

Today, it was the second branch’s turn to cook. Liu shi knew that most of the pork belly would go into Gu Dashun's stomach once they were served, so she secretly stole two pieces and hid them in the pot.

"Mom, you’re hiding meat!"

Gu Xiaoshun, with his sharp eyes, came in.

Liu shi was so scared that she almost knocked over the pot. She turned around and hit Gu Xiaoshun, "Keep your voice down! What are you shouting for?!"

Gu Xiaoshun raised his eyebrow and said, "I want meat."

“No!” Liu shi turned her back to him and guarded the pot tightly.

Gu Xiaoshun harrumphed, "If you don't give it to me, I’m going to tell that you’re hiding meat!"

"You..." Liu shi couldn’t help but raise her fist in anger. People were happy to have a son, but the son she had given birth to only knew how to make her angry.

Liu shi also knew that Gu Xiaoshun was really capable of snitching on her. With no other choice, she opened the pot painfully and cut a small piece of meat for him.

But before Gu Xiaoshun could taste it, it was already gone, "Why did you give me only half a bite? There are two big pieces in the pot!"

"That's for Ershun!" Of the two sons, only Ershun was willing to study, so Liu shi was counting on him to be successful in the future. She wanted to follow Ershun in his success. As for Xiaoshun, she didn’t have any hope for him. He was brutish and naughty. She would praise the Buddha if he didn’t destroy the family in the future.

Gu Xiaoshun wanted to send some meat to his sister, but he just couldn't grab the pot from his mother. He had no choice but to take advantage of his mother's inattention to open the lid of the pot, grab a few wheat steamed buns and run away!

“Little brute!” Liu shi blew her top.

Wheat steamed buns were also a good thing. Normally, only Gu Dashun could eat it while they all eat cornmeal.

Liu shi was so angry that she grabbed a rod and chased him. But Gu Xiaoshun slipped away so fast, disappearing in seconds.

Gu Xiaoshun ran to his big sis in one breath and his hands holding the hot steamed buns were red.

"Big sis!" He rushed into the kitchen, only to smell something and freeze.

He sniffed and said, "It smells good. Big sis, what are you cooking?"

"Pheasant."

Out of the three pheasants she got last time, she had sold two while she kept the last one for a few days before killing it today.

"What have you got in your hands? Gu Jiao looked at his hand.

"Wheat steamed buns." Gu Xiaoshun drooped his little head. He wanted to give her some delicious food, who would have thought that her big sis was cooking some fowl meat? Suddenly, these few wheat steamed buns were a little shoddy and too embarrassing to show...

Gu Jiao took a bowl and asked him to put the steamed buns in it, and then she gave him a basin of cold water next and said, "Your hands, put them in."

"Oh." Gu Xiaoshun didn't ask why, and just obediently did as he was told. As soon as his hand dipped into the water, the pain disappeared.

"Eat here with us." Gu Jiao said to him again.

"Huh?" Gu Xiaoshun was stupefied.

"I saved a bowl for you. I was just thinking about how to send it, but now you’ve come yourself and saved me a trip." Gu Jiao said as she pulled open a cupboard, took out a bowl of fowl meat and poured it back into the pot.

Gu Xiaoshun looked at the bowl of fowl meat and knew that her sister didn’t just say that because he was here. She really saved a share of food for him.

And he even saw that there was a whole big drumstick inside.

Gu Xiaoshun's nose suddenly felt a little sore.

He came up behind Gu Jiao, bent down, pressed his forehead against Gu Jiao's back and rubbed against it, and then he said "Big sis, how can you be so nice? Is it possible that you're actually my mother?"

Gu Jiao, "..."

1. ↑ — wén is used to denominate both coins and paper money, but here it should refer to copper coins. Btw, copper coins are round-shaped with a square or circular hole in the centre. They can be strung together to create higher value. For example a string of 1000 wen, which is equal to 1 tael of silver.

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Also, please also have a look at our other translations!

Everyone But Me Is Reborn

Her father is a coward and senselessly filial. Her mother is weak and gullible. Her elder brother is a wastrel.

When she married into the Wangfu, she suffered and was coldly treated. And by the time she was in labour, she was fated to die with the unborn child in her belly.

This was supposed to be Ning Nuan's life.

However this time, everyone but her is reborn.

Ning Nuan is at a loss. She felt that her dad has suddenly become the pillar of the family, her mother’s temper became fierce, and even her elder brother, who would only walk the dogs and play with birds all day, has begun picking up books and reading them carefully.

There is also that juvenile that shows up at the wall of her courtyard everyday, calling her “Ah Nuan, Ah Nuan” with an honest face.