The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

Chapter 22

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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

[Talia R.] [K.Rom]

Y E L L O W S T A R

[Camille] [Linds] [Esther D.]

G O L D S T A R

[Nem]

The seriousness of the matter was clear to all four people, so even without a reminder, all of them tacitly shut their mouths.

Gu Jiao told Gu Xiaoshun not to come to their house these days. Although the early stage of tuberculoid leprosy was less contagious, there were still some risks.

For a few days, Gu Jiao didn’t go to the mountain to pick mushrooms and just took care of the elderly woman at home.

Maybe she was well cared for. At noon of the third day, the elderly woman woke up completely and was no longer in a daze. Only, something was wrong with her memory.

Gu Jiao asked who she was. As a result, she looked at Gu Jiao with her eyes wide open. Gu Jiao asked where she lived, but she just remained looking at Gu Jiao with wide eyes.

It couldn’t be Alzheimer's, right?

"Do you remember what disease you had?" Gu Jiao continued to ask.

But the elderly woman just continued watching her with her widened eyes.

Gu Jiao was at her wit's end.

It seemed that this elderly woman not only didn’t remember who she was, but also forgot all about her disease.

Actually, it was better to forget. Gu Jiao could keep an eye on her and stop her from going out, but she couldn’t prevent the villagers from coming to their door. In case the elderly woman accidentally blurted out about her leprosy, she, Xiao Liulang and Gu Xiaoshun, who had a close contact with her, wouldn’t have a good end.

As for how to resettle her in the future, it was a matter of the future. The top priority was to cure her, and no one must find out that she had leprosy.

With this in mind, Gu Jiao picked up the medicine pot and went to decoct medicine for the elderly woman.

She must consume both the medicine in her medicine chest and the traditional medicinal decoction, otherwise the secret of the medicine chest would be exposed.

The elderly woman turned her face away in disgust when she saw Gu Jiao bringing the medicine pot outside.

Gu Jiao could even vaguely hear a resentful grunt from her. This elderly woman had a rather big temper, didn’t she?

The medicinal herbs should be boiled on a gentle fire for half an hour. While waiting for the medicine to be cooked, Gu Jiao took out her small medicine chest and checked its contents.

She had used a lot of medicine these days, but she never had a chance to make a proper inventory of them. She had to know how much of her medicine was left and which ones couldn’t be used casually.

As a result, she was a little dumbfounded after the inspection.

There was actually a new bottle of anti-inflammatory drugs which she had used up before, as well as an extra piece of antibacterial ointment. Apart from that, there were also several medicines that she had no recollection of putting in the chest.

Gu Jiao looked at the motionless medicine chest, stroked her chin, and became lost in thought.

…...

Near the end of the month, the academy had another exam.

Gu Dashun had entered the Heaven Class A with the halo of the second-ranking new student. After that, he really lived up to expectations and performed very well. This time, he took the second place in the exam again.

Teacher Chen was very happy. On the other hand, there wasn’t much joy on Gu Dashun's face.

Teacher Chen thought that he was blaming himself for not getting the first place, and patiently consoled him, "Both you and Hanzhi are the best amongst the new students. Hanzhi is two years older than you, and he started learning a few years earlier than you. You don't have to worry about your current achievements."

Gu Dashun certainly wasn't worried about this. The student named Xu Hanzhi could only rely on the fact that he had studied a few years longer than him. Xu Hanzhi might be a little bit ahead of him right now, but his talent wasn’t as good as him, so he had great confidence to surpass Xu Hanzhi in the future.

However, Gu Dashun’s ambition didn’t stop there.

He was aiming to be the direct disciple of the Dean. He really hoped that the Dean could become his teacher.

Since the last time, he had made many good articles, and Teacher Chen had also shown them to the Dean, but the Dean had never called for him again.

"What's the matter? Is there anything else?" Teacher Chen sensed that he wanted to say something but felt hesitant.

After thinking about it, Gu Dashun plucked up the courage to say, "I heard that the entrance exam questions were given by the Dean. I wonder if the Dean really has any plans to accept a disciple?"

"There is indeed." Teacher Chen felt sorry when he thought about it. Unfortunately, the candidate the Dean had his eyes on was not Gu Dashun.

Gu Dashun saw a trace of regret from Teacher Chen’s eyes, and his heart cooled down, "Is it Xu Hanzhi?"

"It's not him." Teacher Chen shook his head, "This matter hasn’t been decided completely, so don't ask yet. Even if you can't be the Dean’s disciple, the Dean will also find time to guide the outstanding students in the academy."

How could that be the same? Being the Dean’s disciple meant you would inherit the Dean’s mantle. You would get not only his knowledge, but also his connections.

Compared to that, random guidance was much less appealing.

He was a child from a poor and humble family and he dreamt of soaring into the skies one day. He could accept it if he wasn’t good enough, but he had enough qualifications to be favored by the Dean.

So why would he not choose him?

Gu Dashun still wanted to ask questions, but Teacher Chen didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

…….

Zhongzheng Hall.

The Dean looked at Xiao Liulang, who had a cold expression as usual, and said gently, "Have you thought it over?"

Xiao Liulang said faintly, "You really want the third from the bottom?"

In this exam, Xiao Liulang took third place from the bottom. Not because he had improved by one place, but because Gu Xiaoshun had been added to the bottom.

The Dean cleared his throat and said, "Alright, I won’t make things difficult for you. For now, you can go back and think it over again for a few days first. Don’t be in a hurry to give me an answer. I will be in the academy until before the end of the year. When you figure out an answer, then come to me again."

The words coming from the Dean's mouth could be said full of sincerity.

Don’t look at how Tianxiang Academy was just an academy in some town. The Dean had once ranked first among the four talented scholars in the capital. His reputation and talent were beyond doubt. Had it not been for the unforeseen event in the family, he wouldn't have left the capital to teach and educate people in the insignificant Qingquan Town.

He had met so many students but Xiao Liulang was the first one who really made him have the impulse to accept him as a direct disciple.

"You really want him as a disciple so badly? I’m afraid you can't subdue such a difficult guy."

The plain-dressed old man behind the screen humphed faintly after Xiao Liulang left.

The Dean saluted towards the screen and said with a smile, "I'm indeed worried that I can't subdue him. How about… Teacher accept him as a disciple instead?"

There was silence behind the screen. After a long time, a faint sigh from the old man could be heard, then he said, "Did you forget? I said that I will never accept a disciple again in this life."

The Little Marquis was dead and the Imperial Academy was shut down forever, which completely turned the teacher's heart dead.

After school, Xiao Liulang and Gu Xiaoshun went back to the village on Second Uncle Luo’s oxcart. On their way out of the town, they found that there were several checkpoints on the road, all searching for leprosy patients, so the two became more vigilant in their hearts.

When Xiao Liulang got home, Gu Jiao told him about the elderly woman, "...She doesn't remember anything."

Xiao Liulang didn’t think it was a bad thing either. At least she couldn’t let it slip if she didn’t know anything.

"Is she clamoring to go out?" Xiao Liulang asked.

Gu Jiao shook her head and said, "No. I told her that she had tuberculosis and the wind outside is not good for her. The red spots on her face might emerge again in the cold. Because tuberculosis is contagious, she'd better stay in her own room, lest she spread it to others. Looking at her appearance, it seems that she has listened to what I said. She had been quite calm all afternoon.”

Xiao Liulang went to the elderly woman’s room to take a look at her. Her condition had improved greatly, and her skin lesions had subsided a lot. Also, without careful examination, the red spots on her face could hardly be seen.

What Gu Jiao didn't say was that after a few more days of treatment, her leprosy would lose its infectivity.

……

In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the month. Feng Lin made an appointment with ‘Physician Zhang’ today to treat Xiao Liulang's leg.

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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.