Love is More than a Word, Chapter 83: The First Comes First (2)...

Love is More than a Word《识汝不识丁》Shi Nu Bu Shi Ding
Love is More than a Word, Chapter 83: The First Comes First (2)...
Tao Mo was startled, his heart was filled with aggravation and sadness, Gu-She obviously changed her mind not because of his words but because of Gu Xiaojia's words. The words of justification that had spilled down his throat shrank back at Gu-She's cold face, leaving him with a mouth full of bitterness, he lowered his head, turned around slowly, hunched his shoulders and walked out.

Gu Xiaojia was just pleased with himself but heard Gu-She calmly say, “You don't need to wait outside tonight.”

Gu Xiaojia was stunned, “So where do I sleep?”

Gu-She said: “There's always a kitchen at the inn.”

Gu Xiaojia: “...” He finally knew what it meant to be overconfident and what it meant to throw stones at one's own feet.

In a few moments, there was a tumultuous and depressing sound of footsteps approaching outside.

Gu-She cheered up and said to Gu Xiaojia, who was standing pitifully by the bed, “Help me up.”

Gu Xiaojia glared, “Young Master, you're not healed yet.”

Gu-She said: “I didn't hurt my head.”

Gu Xiaojia saw his face was unhappy, so she had to help him sit up on her knees, seeing Gu-She's brow furrowed in pain.

Gu-She managed to put one foot down on the ground with Gu Xiaojia's support and then there was a timid knock on the door outside.

“One moment.” His voice was imperceptibly weak and tremulous.

Gu Xiaojia was irritated to hear this but didn't dare to be rude, so she could only shout at the door, “Wait!”

It's quiet out there.

After a while, Gu-She stood at the head of the bed and put on her coat.

Gu Xiaojia saw that Gu-She's forehead was sweating coldly, her face was pale and bloodless and whispered, “Young Master, why don't we just disappear.”

Gu-She sucked in a breath, “When has my word ever failed to count?”

Gu Xiaojia sighs quietly, curses Tao Mo over and over again in her heart and then accosts her to open the door.

When the door opened, it wasn't Tao Mo in the front, it was Liu Chongpin. Tao Mo was standing in the back row with Master Advisor Yao holding him back, only half of his shoulders were showing. By contrast, Gu Xiaojia found Tao Mo cute again, while the others were even more repulsive.

“I, the Tang City Prefecture Liu Chongpin, have long admired Young Master Gu's talent and character and have come to pay my respects.” Liu Chongpin said and bowed deeply to Gu Xiaojia.

Gu Xiaojia rolled his eyes, side-stepped out of the way and deliberately shouted in Tao Mo's direction, “Where's Master Tao?”

Tao Mo struggled to push through the crowd hanging by the door and squeezed forward. Despite his weak hands, Liu Chongpin was pushed aside by him.



“I'm here.” Tao Mo looked at Gu Xiaojia with wide eyes.

Gu Xiaojia turned to look at Gu-She and saw Gu-She lay back down on his side, nodding his head at himself against the pillow, before she relaxed, “Please come in.”

Tao Mo walks in at once, eyes looking Gu-She up and down several times to make sure he's not in discomfort before averting his eyes.

When the others saw Gu-She, they all looked at him again and again and saw his lying on the bed, still calm and unassuming, they were all suddenly disheartened and they all bowed to his.

Gu-She said calmly, “I'm not feeling well, so I can't return your gift, so I hope you'll forgive me.”

The great scholars have been asking why. Master Advisor Yao didn't mention the circumstances of Gu-She's injury when he invited them, so they just assumed he was sick and didn't think anything of it.

Gu-She said: “The Tang City Prefecture’s Magistrate's hospitality is just like that.”

He spoke nonchalantly but Master Advisor Yao had a panic attack, knowing that the situation was not easy to resolve.

The great scholars were amazed but they knew how to save their own skin, so they were amazed but no one asked any further questions.

Gu-She looked away, landing on Liu Chongpin, “Your last name is Liu?”

Liu Chongpin saw that he didn't ask anyone but himself, so he looked at him in a different light and was thrilled but on the surface he didn't move and said with a bow: “I am Liu Chongpin.”

Gu-She said, “How do you make a living?”

Liu Chongpin was slightly startled and quickly replied, “It's just a life of poetry and painting.”

The great scholar, who was well known to the audience for his character, took exception to his artificial answer, with a look of disdain on his face.

Gu-She raised his eyebrows and said, “Oh? What's your poetry worth?”

Liu Chongpin accosted with a smile: “A vulgar work, how dare I trade?”

“If you don't buy and sell your art, how can you make a living said with poetry and painting?” Gu-She asked the question in a casual manner but every word poked at Liu Chongpin's heart.

Liu Chongpin could not say that he relied on his mother and stepfather's support, so he said, “Poetry and painting are my passions. I can't say I'm happy with poetry and painting, “Liu Chongpin said.”

This time, before Gu-She opened his mouth, Gu Xiaojia already knew what he meant and sneered, “You have to rely on Brother Kong to earn your daily bread. If you can't sell poetry and paintings and if you don't do anything else besides that, where do you get Confucius' understanding? Do you want to cheat people or beg on the streets?”

The words he spoke were unintentional but in Liu Chongpin's ears, it sounded as if they meant something, thinking that they knew all his deeds, he was both embarrassed and uneasy, his face was alternately blue and white.

The great scholar originally came here in the name of Gu Xianzhi, not knowing that Gu-She was ill and in bed, they thought they would return disappointed but instead they saw such a good show. They had been disgusted with Liu Chongpin for a long time but they couldn't teach him a lesson because of their own identity.

One of the great scholars said, “I heard that Young Master Gu is a master of both painting and calligraphy but not many of his works have been published. I was fortunate enough to see a painting of Young Master Gu's visit to Zhongling Temple at the end of autumn and I still can't forget it.”

Gu-She looked up at him.

The great scholar's heart was pounding. How can I still have the illusion of being looked down upon when I'm standing and he's lying down and I'm the one who's looking down?

“I've never been to the Zhongling Temple.” Gu-She is slowing down.

The great scholar was startled: “So how do you paint?”

Gu-She said: “I never did.”

The great scholar froze. He's been haunted for years by Gu Xianzhi's painting of his late autumn visit to the Zhongling Temple but it's a fake?” This is impossible. If that man is so accomplished, why would he imitate someone else's name?”

Gu-She asked, “Where's the painting?”

The great scholar said: “This painting is one of the treasures of the Mingjingzhai shop, still in the shop.” He was anxious, originally wanted to ask Gu-She to go with him to check but saw Gu-She lying in bed, thinking that he was unwell, very smug.” He was anxious and wanted to ask Gu-She to go with him to see it but when he saw Gu-She lying on the bed, he remembered that he was not well and hesitated.

Gu-She said to Gu Xiaojia, “You go with him. See if it's Yue Ling, or Clerk Zhang.”

Gu Xiaojia echoed, “Yes.”

The great scholar asked: “Who are Yue Ling and Clerk Zhang again?”

Gu-She said: “The living.”

The great scholar hit a soft hand on a nail, so he won't say it again and ending up looking a fool.

Gu-She closes his eyes, showing his fatigue.

The great scholar's people were all discerning and they left one by one. The great scholar who was looking for a painting before didn't forget to pull Gu Xiaojia away.

Gu Xiaojia was worried but then saw Tao Mo step forward and fill his place, then he left reluctantly.

Liu Chongpin and Master Advisor Yao stayed behind.

Master Advisor Yao sincerely and formally apologized, explained the” inadvertent mistake” of the Prefectural Magistrate and earnestly asked for Gu-She's understanding.

Gu-She closed his eyes, ignoring it.

Liu Chongpin had just had a nose rubbed in it and was still holding a grudge but he didn't want to miss such a great opportunity to rise to the top. “Can I take a look at your paints?”

Gu-She opened his eyes.



Liu Chongpin was ecstatic.

“They are my paintings, why would I show them to you?” asked Gu-She.

Liu Chongpin was surprised by the question but as he has always been thick-skinned, he quickly regained footing and said, “I have long admired Young Master Gu and my fist can inspire the sun and moon. Doesn't Young Master Gu trust me?” He thought his expression and tone of voice were so earnest that even Gu-She, who had a heart of stone, would be a little touched. Who would have thought that Gu-She would not only have a heart of stone but also a heart of stone that was stronger than iron and harder than stone. Without batting an eyelid, he said, “Those who came just now, all looked up to me.”

Master Yao saw that Liu Chongpin's repeated defeats not only pleased Gu-She but also aroused his suspicions, busy saying: “Young Master Gu's injury has not yet recovered, should not be overworked. Young Master Liu, why don't we come back to visit again some other time?”

How could Liu Chongpin not know what Master Yao saw? He descended the ramp with a donkey and said, “Please, Young Master Gu, take a rest, Chongpin.” He bowed deeply again, with a devout attitude, like an offering to a god.

But Gu-She didn't even bother to close his eyes.

Tao Mo was busy escorting them out.

In the corridor, Master Yao suddenly stopped and turned to Tao Mo said: “Master Tao, what happened on that day was a misunderstanding. I hope Master Tao will be forgiving.”

Tao Mo said: “The Prefectural Magistrate's words are true, I was negligent in my duties, I should ask the Prefectural Magistrate to forgive me.”

The Master Yao thought he was being sarcastic but he felt like he had eaten a fly and then he laughed and said, “The past is the past, Master Tao, why do you need to hold on to the past? It's just that Young Master Gu has suffered an undeserved calamity.... I hope Master Tao will be kind enough to say something for me.” he said, pulling out a packet from his sleeve.

Tao Mo suddenly took two steps back, arching his hand, “It's late, please take your time.”

Master Tao's things are exposed in the air. He has been through a lot, so he quickly changed his expression and put it away, then said, “Thank you, Master Tao. He said, “Thank you Master Tao for seeing me off.” He turned around and walked downstairs with Liu Chongpin.

Tao Mo listened to the sound of their footsteps getting farther and farther away, breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to go back to Gu-She's room.

Gu-She was trying to sit up.

Tao Mo saw that he was having a hard time and immediately came forward to help him, worried, “What do you want, I'll get it for you.”

“Take off your clothes.” Gu-She said.

Tao Mo noticed from a moment ago that he was wearing a coat, remembering that he had been reluctant to see himself before and must have been even more reluctant to see the great scholar and felt more and more guilty as he whispered, “I'll help you.”

Gu-She raised his arms.

Tao Mo gently took off his clothes for him, held his arm and lay down again, then hung up his clothes and when he looked back, Gu-She had already adjusted his posture, turned his head inward and left him alone.

“Do you... Are you in pain?” Tao Mo asked.

Gu-She didn't answer for a long time.

Tao Mo asked again, “It hurts?”

“I'm sleepy.” Gu-She said.

Tao Mo tucked him in, “You rest, I'll be outside, just call me if you need anything.” When they invited Gu Xiaojia to look at the paintings, Gu-She had no one to call, so he volunteered to stay.

“No need.” Gu-She said, “he'll be back soon.”

Tao Mo insisted, “I'll leave when he gets back.”

Gu-She turned his head to look at him.

In the past, Tao Mo would have been defeated by his gaze. But right now, Gu-She was lying on the bed, still looking the same but a little less strong and that made Tao Mo's courage grow. He said, “If you don't want me to be outside, I'll wait at the door. You can hear me.”

Gu-She's eyes sharpened.

Tao Mo ran back out the door, closes it from the outside.


~ Love is More than A Word ~
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