Chapter 1391: Chapter 1391: I Have an Older Brother
"Deputy Magistrate Tangās rank is lower than Magistrate Xiās, since his superior has already given him the gift, he had no choice but to accept it and expressed his thanks again, "Thank you, Lord Magistrate."
Gu Jinli, however, began to harbor suspicions in his heart. It was one thing for Magistrate Xi to send them gifts, but why send them to General Guo as well... This case has nothing to do with General Guo.
Could it be that Magistrate Xi wants to use them to climb up to General Guo, so that he could borrow troops from General Guo in case of future needs?
His guess was correct; that was indeed Magistrate Xiās intention.
Furthermore, Magistrate Xi not only wanted to ingratiate himself with General Guo but also with Master Ouyang, hence he prepared so many gifts.
"The hour is late, you should set off now. I wonāt see you off." Magistrate Xi called for Squad Leader Shi and had him lead the Government Officials to escort Gu Jināan and his company out of Tongāan Prefectureās city.
...
After sending the people off, Squad Leader Shi returned to report, "My Lord, Deputy Magistrate Tang and his company have left safely. Rest assured."
"Understood." Magistrate Xi nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Doesnāt your household have two grown sons? And your elder brotherās son, who has been learning martial arts from you since childhood? Bring them all over and let Steward Su have a look. If there are no issues, they can work in the government office."
Both his sons and his nephew could enter the government office!
Squad Leader Shi was shocked, thinking he misheard, and dared not respond.
Steward Su gave him a push and smiled, "Squad Leader Shi, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and thank Lord Magistrate."
Only then did Squad Leader Shi come to his senses, kneeling down with a thud, tears streaming as he said, "This humble servant is immensely grateful to Lord Magistrate... You are like a second parent to the Shi Family!"
With that, he knocked his head on the ground three times.
Magistrate Xi was quite pleased and, after receiving the gesture, waved Squad Leader Shi away.
Steward Su wanted to laugh at the scene; Squad Leader Shi was excessively grateful. The reason why Magistrate Xi allowed Squad Leader Shiās sons and nephew into the government office was mainly because there was truly no one else available to use now.
Squad Leader Lin had already taken a squad of Government Officials to guard the Jia family, and theyāll need to guard until the New Year. The current times are chaotic, and who knows when desperate farmers might revolt. The government office needed more officials.
After Squad Leader Shi left, Steward Su said, "You are indeed wise, my Lord, turning your attention towards the Ouyang family and General Guo."
Magistrate Xi smiled, "Although Junior Minister Ming wasnāt roped in, the Ouyang and Guo families are not bad, it was not a loss."
Then he added, "This Gu Family boy is not to be underestimated. A refugee ends up being favored by so many powerful figures, thatās truly..."
Vexing with jealous admiration!
Steward Su said, "Gu Jināan is quite learned, the second Small Three-Yuan Scholar in Jianghuai. Itās not surprising that nobles are interested in him."
Magistrate Xi scoffed, "There are plenty of learned people out there. If you ask me, the Gu Familyās ancestral grave is truly blessed for the Gu Family boy to have this much luck!"
...
Meanwhile, on the road from Tongāan Prefecture to Heāan Prefecture, inside the Gu familyās carriage, Gu Jināan was pleading with Young Master Dou, "The person returning the gifts from Magistrate Xi requires the help of Young Master Dou. Thank you for the trouble."
"Ha, Gu Jināan, you think you can brush me off with just a few words? On this trip to Tongāan Prefecture, havenāt I taken care of numerous troubles for you?"
Young Master Dou was seizing the chance for benefits, "Iām a businessman; profits are my concern. How about this: exchange with me a hundred premium hams."
The Gu Familyās hams are categorized, and the premium hams are visually appealing, taste exquisite, and are truly rare delicacies.
"A hundred hams? Thatās robbery!" Brother Cheng protested, "No way, a hundred premium hams are too many, theyāre worth a lot of silver, canāt just give them to you for free."
Young Master Dou was quite exasperated; reaching out, he pinched Brother Chengās cheek precisely, angrily saying, "Brat, you still dare to be stingy? After how much Iāve helped your family, is asking for a hundred hams too much?"
Give them to me or Iāll pinch you to death.
"Ah, let go, it hurts!" Brother Cheng grasped Young Master Douās hand, but being just a child, he was nowhere near as strong as Young Master Dou, his face reddening from the pinch.
Young Master Dou grinned and said, "Brat, are you even a man? Crying out in pain from a pinch, worthless."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jināan frowned, raised his hand to grip Young Master Douās wrist joint, and squeezed hard.
"Ouch!" Young Master Dou let go in pain, glaring at Gu Jināan, "You keep spoiling him, turning him into a worthless creature that will cling to you for the rest of his life, making you take care of his every need."
"Nonsense, my Brother Cheng is already quite sensible, not worthless." Gu Jināan, after checking Brother Chengās face and finding no skin broken, was relieved. He then warned Young Master Dou, "Donāt pinch his face; leaving a scar wouldnāt be good."
Young Master Dou replied disdainfully, "So what if he has a scar? A man should have some scars."
Besides, this little Gu Jincheng has been raised fair and chubby, comfortable to pinch.
Brother Cheng said, "Iām not a military general; I plan to be a civil servant like my brother. Having a scar would make people laugh at me."
So stop pinching me!
Young Master Dou leaned against the carriage wall, staring at Brother Cheng, "Ha, want me not to pinch you? Then practice your martial arts more. Once you can beat me, youāll be able to protect your face."
"Humph!" Brother Cheng, rendered speechless, lay next to Gu Jināan, "Brother, Iām hungry and cold."
Gu Jināan, hearing this, retrieved a still warm pastry from the cartās box and handed it to him, then took out a quilt and covered him.
Young Master Dou, watching in annoyance, told Gu Jināan, "Heās already nine years old; you really shouldnāt spoil him like this. Heās not disabled. If heās hungry and cold, canāt he solve it himself?"
Gu Jināan replied, "You neednāt worry Iāll spoil him. At home, he takes care of himself. This time, since he did well, got Hu Dawen to testify, and contributed, Iām just treating him well now."
Moreover, Brother Cheng would soon be nine years oldāin this culture, nine marks the onset of maturity. Even if Gu Jināan wished to, beyond this point, Brother Cheng might no longer appreciate being tended to. So he seized the moment to care for him while he was still young.
And another reason is due to the Third Miss incident; I was too harsh on Brother Cheng, and I donāt want him to fear me as his brother. So lately, Iāve been conscientiously looking after him.
Young Master Dou, utterly speechless, bewilderedly asked, "Why are you so good to something like a brother?"
He had two younger brothers at home, yet he fervently wished he could pinch their lives away right then!
Gu Jināan turned towards Young Master Dou, seeing in his eyes unabashed animosity, he solemnly stated, "Your stepmother tried to harm you, and your two brothers also wanted you dead, hence you naturally have no affection for them. But Brother Cheng and I are full-blood siblings; Iāve been taking care of him since he was bornāthe very first dayāand itās like I raised him single-handedly. Iām eleven years older, and weāve endured the hardships of famine together, survived life-or-death adversity, so the bond naturally differs from what youāve had."
He added, "Iāve long wanted to tell you this: among brotherly feelings in the world, the type that exists between Brother Cheng and I is more common. Yours is the exception. Donāt let your familyās situation cause you to resent all younger brothers."