Chapter 51: A Foolish Man's Sense of Possession

With the several dishes that Gu Qingsong and the others had packed to bring home, the table was filled to the brim.

The Gu family were extremely hospitable people, and Madam Zhou kept urging Zhang Ziheng to eat. The whole table ate and chatted while Zhen Mier listened to their conversation and peeled prawns for Gu Tingzhi.

As for Gu Tingzhi, he occasionally tossed a bite of food to Erbai. Erbai was the little black dog he had recently acquired.

When everyone heard the name, they were bewildered for a long time. Such a fine little black dog was actually named Erbai (meaning "Two Whites"), though considering Yibai, whom he had locked in the room today, it became somewhat understandable.

As for why Yibai was locked in the room today and unable to come out to meet guests, the story went back to when they were sleeping last night.

Yibai had somehow mastered the skill of climbing onto the bed. He could always climb up by following the hanging inner curtains or quilts. Sometimes, when Gu Tingzhi slept quietly on the outside without kicking the quilt around, Yibai couldn't reach the quilt and had to use his four short little legs to climb up along the bedposts at the foot of the bed.

City beds were not like the brick kangs in the village, so these bedposts served as his auxiliary tools for climbing. Several times when Zhen Mier woke up, she found Yibai curled up on her body for warmth.

When she was young, she had heard the village elders say that turtles were afraid of the cold, and since she had plenty of meat on her body, no wonder Yibai liked to curl up on her.

This morning, however, Gu Tingzhi—who usually woke up later than Zhen Mier—woke up before her. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Yibai curled up near her chest, poking its head around. This was simply unacceptable! That spot belonged to him! Gu Tingzhi flew into a terrible rage on the spot, grabbed Yibai, and threw him off the bed, so angry that tears sprang to his eyes.

It was only after Zhen Mier was startled awake by him, asked for the reason, and comforted him for a long while—promising that she would never let Yibai climb onto the bed and touch her again—that he smiled once more. Still, after thinking about it, he remained uneasy, afraid that Yibai would crawl back onto the bed after they fell fast asleep. So he went to the backyard, rummaged around in a flurry, carried the cage Madam Zhou used for chickens into the room, and locked Yibai inside.

Poor Yibai could only sigh in despair today within this tiny world of the chicken coop, gazing helplessly at the delicacies outside.

After Zhang Ziheng left, Gu Tingzhi showed mercy by tossing Erbai into Yibai's cage to give the tortoise a companion, and then ran off to cling to Zhen Mier again.

There were only eight days left until the examination period. During this time, Madam Zhou was so anxious that she broke out in blisters around her lips, and Gu Qingmang had gone to the medical hall to get her several doses of cooling herbal soup, but it was completely useless.

"A-mi, Mother and your sister-in-law will clean up. You should hurry and accompany Tingzhi to his room to read." Madam Zhou felt that even if the Third Young Master couldn't even recognize all the characters now, looking at books more often was still better. Third Young Master had loved reading so much before; perhaps by looking at them more, he might remember something.

Zhen Mier glanced at Gu Tingzhi, who was handing her the dustpan, and, obeying her mother-in-law's words, took him back to their room.

As soon as the two pushed the door open, they saw two living creatures—one black and one white—tangled and fighting in the chicken coop in the corner. Erbai used its advantage of being able to jump and run to step on Yibai under its feet, attempting to bite Yibai's head.

Yibai instantly retracted its head into its shell, pulling its four short little legs inside as well. Because Erbai couldn't bite it, the little dog barked anxiously in frustration. Yet Yibai remained completely unbothered by whatever storms came from any direction, standing steadfast and unmoving on its own.

This angered Erbai so much that it circled round and round the turtle shell, searching for a place where it could sink its teeth.

Gu Tingzhi found this immensely amusing and did not step forward to help either side. Leaving them to continue their standoff, he went into the inner chamber.

Zhen Mier helped him find a book of political essays and told him to read it carefully. She then retrieved a sewing basket from the room and sat on the small table by the window to make shoes for him.

The preliminary county examination for scholars was divided into three stages: the county test, the prefecture test, and the academy test. The county test her husband was going to take in a few days required five consecutive sessions of examination. Although the weather had warmed up, he would only be changing into a slightly thinner padded jacket. Staying day after day in a drafty shed would certainly still be cold. Once this pair of thick plush boots was finished, she would also need to rush-make a lined jacket for him to wear underneath for extra warmth.

Zhen Mier threaded her needle with infinite patience, her expression entirely focused. Her lips curved slightly into a gentle smile, and the setting sun shone through the window onto her fair cheeks, making her look like a picture from a gorgeous portrait of a beauty.

Gu Tingzhi stared at her without blinking. After a long while, his dark eyes shifted slightly, as if his mind had been seized by something, his gaze turning blank and vacant.

He then very naturally pulled a sheet of white paper out from under the desk and spread it flat on the table. Next, he reached out to take the inkstick from the upper right corner and slowly ground it in the inkstone. Once the ink was sufficient, he withdrew his hand. Having done all this, he fell into another daze, as if he had no idea what he was doing right then or what he was supposed to do next.

He stared dazedly at Zhen Mier for a while longer, until a wave of swelling pain struck his head, hurting so much that he bent over and slumped across the desk.

Hearing the commotion, Zhen Mier turned her head to look. Seeing his painful expression and pale face, she was so frightened that she dropped her sewing basket and rushed over to him.

"Husband, what is wrong with you? Where does it hurt?"

Yet Gu Tingzhi could not pay attention to her now. Clenching his large hands into fists, he violently battered his own head. Finding that it brought no relief, he began to slam his forehead directly against the edge of the desk.

"Husband!"

Zhen Mier let out a piercing cry, pulling him tightly into her arms and holding his head to prevent him from slamming it.

"Husband, what is wrong with you? Does your head hurt?"

With that, she shouted again toward the direction of the side window, "Mother, come quickly!"

Su Hehua was sweeping the yard when she vaguely thought she heard the sound of the third sister-in-law crying. Unsure, she walked over, and before she even drew close, she heard those heart-wrenching screams.

Startled, she dropped the broom in her hand and shouted toward the kitchen, "Mother! Something has happened to the Third Brother!"

Hearing the cries, everyone rushed into the western wing. Gu Qingbo ran over to restrain Gu Tingzhi's fists, which were still trying to batter his own head, while Gu Qingmang turned and ran outside to fetch a doctor.

Madam Zhou stood nearby, wiping tears continuously. She approached and used a handkerchief to wipe the fine beads of sweat from Gu Tingzhi's forehead, sobbing, "We won't read anymore, we won't read anymore. Sanlang, let's not read books anymore, all right? Whatever county examination it is, let it be; we won't take it!"

What kind of situation was this?! With the examination period so close at hand, Sanlang was encountering accident after accident. Could this be a hint from the heavens, forbidding Sanlang from taking the imperial examinations?

As Gu Qingmang bolted frantically outside, he accidentally crashed directly into two young men. The older of the two was almost knocked flat on his face, while the younger one hastily steadied him and asked, "Doctor Wang, are you alright?"

Wang Boren waved his hand. "I am fine."

Only now did Gu Qingmang recognize that this younger man was none other than the county magistrate's young master! Lin Mohan had once visited Maoping Village to collect the imperial crabs.

Yet right now, he could no longer spare the energy to be polite and respectful to this distinguished guest. With wide, fierce eyes, he looked at Wang Boren and asked uncertainly, "Are you a doctor?"