Love is More than a Word, Chapter 85: The First Comes First (4)...

Love is More than a Word《识汝不识丁》Shi Nu Bu Shi Ding
Love is More than a Word, Chapter 85: The First Comes First (4)...
Gu-She and Tao Mo get up early in the morning before the Prefectural Magistrate finds out about the incident. Tao Mo wants to help Gu-She wash up but as soon as the door opens, Gu Xiaojia enters the room, carrying a water bottle and with huge bags under his eyes.

Tao Mo went to his room and took care of it himself. Then he woke up Master Jin and Lao Tao one by one, told them to pack their luggage and after breakfast, they left.

This dilly-dallying took half an hour and when everyone went downstairs, the hawkers' yells rang out outside one after another.

Master Jin said, “Since his excellency has decided to go, it would be better to leave sooner rather than later and not to tarry but simply to have some dry food to take with us on the way.”

Lao Tao was impressed.

Tao Mo told Hao Guozi to get ready and he went back upstairs to help Gu Xiaojia clean up.

But as soon as he entered, he saw that Gu Xiaojia had tidied up the room. Gu-She was standing in front of the bed, his hands gripping the bedpost, his face a little pale but in good spirits.

Gu Xiaojia put the big bag on his and then commanded Tao Mo by saying: “You hold Young Master.”

Tao Mo readily stepped forward, hand outstretched, looking at Gu-She with eyes wide open.

Gu-She looked at him, raised his hand to his shoulder.

Tao Mo just felt a warm wave rippling through his shoulders, rushing to his head.

Gu Xiaojia turned back, eyeing him oddly, “How come one of your ears is red and one is white?”

“Huh?” Tao Mo stammered, “It is hot.”

Gu Xiaojia looked at the jacket he was wearing and muttered, “Won't the heat take it off?”

Tao Mo shrank his head, not daring to say anything and moved his feet forward slowly, afraid that his steps would be too big and he would drop Gu-She.

With difficulty, Tao Mo's and Gu-She's foreheads oozed a thin layer of sweat as they moved down the hallway.

“Do you want to take a break?” Tao Mo asked.

Gu-She said, “Are you tired?”

“I'm not tired.” Tao Mo said and added, “I'm afraid you're tired.”

“Let's go.”

Tao Mo's feet are pushing as hard as they can, steadying themselves on the floor.

“Relax.” Gu-She's voice sounded in his earlobe.

Tao Mo felt the weight on his shoulders increase and his earlobes reddened and he whispered, “Okay.” His arm lifted subconsciously but before it touched Gu-She's shirt, it retreated.

Gu-She's eyes flickered and she leaned toward him without making a sound.

They finally moved to the stairs.

Gu Xiaojia scuffled up, turned and crouched in front of Gu-She and said, “Young Master, I'll carry you.”

Tao Mo was so frustrated! Why didn't he ever think to use the back?

“No need.” Gu-She unexpectedly refused, “I'll go alone.”

Gu Xiaojia turned his head to look at him worriedly, then turned back and said, “Then I'll go first. Young Master be careful.”

Gu-She lifted his foot, stepped forward and frowned momentarily.

The movement of the body when going downstairs is obviously tasking than that of moving on the ground. With nearly twenty stairs, it took the three of them an incense stick of time. When both Gu-She's feet landed on the first floor, Gu Xiaojia and Tao Mo breathed a sigh of relief and raised their hands to wipe off the sweat.

Hao Guozi came through the door, saw that they were still standing there and said in surprise, “What else have you forgotten?”

Gu Xiaojia said, “Forget to seal your mouth.”

Hao Guozi was baffled by his rush, turning to see Tao Mo panting, busy saying, “Young Master, I'll help you.”

“No.” Tao Mo approached Gu-She, waved at him, “You go get the carriage.”

Hao Guozi looked at the carriage, which had been waiting for half a day and walked out without a word.

After Gu-She got on the carriage, Gu Xiaojia and Lao Tao immediately turned around and rode the carriage. Hao Guozi rode the carriage and Master Jin sat on the carriage as usual. Only Tao Mo and Gu-She are left in the carriage.

Tao Mo took out some dried food, put a small piece to Gu-She's lips.

Gu-She blinked at him and didn't move.

Tao Mo then realized that his actions were too ambiguous, both ears turned red at the same time, accosted and withdrew his hand, put the broken bun into his mouth and then handed a whole one to Gu-She.

Gu-She shook his head, “You can eat it.”

Tao Mo said, “You don't like it? Well, what do you want to eat? I'll go buy it?”

“I'll sleep for a while.” Gu-She closed his eyes.

Tao Mo watched his back as he lay on his back and noticed that he did not seem to be in a good mood. Since the carriage was Tao Mo's horse, the carriage compartment was so narrow that Gu-She had to lie on his side and curl up his knees. Despite the fact that underneath was a sheet that Gu Xiaojia had brought from the Gu family residence and sold at the Tang City Prefecture, the carriage compartment was shaking very badly. Tao Mo felt uncomfortable just sitting next to the carriage compartment.

After leaving the Tang City Prefecture, about an hour into the journey, Tao Mo noticed that Gu-She was pale and knocked on the carriage wall: “Stop the carriage.”

Hao Guozi stopped the horse carriage and stuck his head in in confusion, “What's wrong?”

Gu Xiaojia and Lao Tao also stopped the horses.

Tao Mo took the capsule, put it on Gu-She's lips.

Gu-She opened his eyes, frowned at the water capsule.

Tao Mo said: “This water caspule is new, unused.”

Gu-She just took a small sip.

Tao Mo saw that he was not as alert as he was in the morning and was both distressed and saddened, gripping the water bag tightly.

Master Jin said: “About as bumpy as the carriage gets.”

Hao Guozi muttered, “The roads are uneven and there's nothing I can do about it.”

Master Jin thought to himself, “His excellency might as well hold Young Master Gu, perhaps it will cushion the bumps.”

“Hold?” Tao Mo was so shocked he barely knew where to put his arms and legs.

Gu-She reopened his eyes, his gaze shifted on the helpless Tao Mo and sat up silently.

Tao Mo slowly moved his body behind Gu-She under the watchful eyes of Hao Guozi, Master Jin, Lao Tao and Gu Xiaojia who were looking in from the window. Gu-She lies down, his head resting on his thigh.

Master Jin and Hao Guozi looked at each other and shrank back.

The carriage is moving slowly.

Before Gu-She shook, Tao Mo put his arms halfway around his shoulders.

Gu-She looked a little better, “Tell me some stories.”

“Stories?” Tao Mo looked embarrassed. Ever since he was a kid, he's heard stories but he's never told them to anyone. He's not very good with words, so he can't tell them in a hurry.



Gu-She added, “It's okay to tell us something about your experience.”

Tao Mo gazed thoughtfully, “Well, then, I'll tell you about my childhood.”

“Yeah.”

“Let's start with my first teacher.” Tao Mo knew Gu-She was in a bad mood, so he tried to think of something funny. But all I can think of are the embarrassing things from my childhood.” My first husband was a woman. My father said she was a poor widow, a young woman, who could hardly read and write, so he asked her to enlighten me.”

Gu-She listened quietly.

“She's good but she's too good.” Tao Mo said, “When I was a child, I was naughty and unwilling to go to school but she let me and she helped to cover for me in front of my father. And so she indulged me for two years, until she got married again.”

Gu-She thought, I'm afraid it's not only the lady's wife who's indulging him but his father as well, right?

“My second teacher was an old man. His eyesight was not good, so unless he looked at the other person closely, he could only make outlines. I sat in on a few classes and when I realized that he often mistook me for Hao Guozi, I asked Hao Guozi to take my place at the school.” Tao Mo's voice dropped suddenly as he spoke, “If I hadn't been ignorant and self-righteous then, I wouldn't have been so illiterate and unsuccessful today.”

Gu-She said, “Not entirely bad.”

Tao Mo was stunned, saying, “Why?”

“It is important to have an enlightened teacher at the beginning of your studies. Do the two your father chose for you have a reputation to uphold?” Just from what he said, Gu-She could tell that Master Tao was more interested in helping his son than in studying for him.

Sure enough, Tao Mo scratched his head, “That's not true.”

Gu-She said, “It is better not to learn than to learn the wrong things.”

Tao Mo said, “Well, then, who should I ask to enlighten me?”

Gu-She was silent.

Tao Mo's head turned a corner, as if turning out to see a different landscape but he couldn't believe it.

A long time ago.

Only then did Gu-She faintly say, “Do you have someone better in mind than me?”

...

Naturally not!

Tao Mo spoke incredulously, “You, you really want to teach me?”

As if hearing the excitement in his words, Gu-She smiled slightly and said, “I am neither indulgent, nor have I patients for dim-wits. Don't regret it.”

“No, I won't regret it. I'm going to learn!” Tao Mo answered with a resounding yes.


~ Love is More than A Word ~
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