Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 94 - 19 Going to Private School

Gu Chengyu chased Gu Chengchi into the room he shared with their third brother. As soon as he entered, he saw Gu Chengchi lying on the kang in his clothes, hands folded behind his head, seemingly lost in thought, not even noticing his entry.

"Fourth Brother!" Gu Chengyu called softly, sitting down on the edge of the kang.

"Oh! It’s Xiao Bao! Why are you here?" Gu Chengchi seemed to have just come back to his senses and turned to Gu Chengyu.

"Fourth Brother! I’ve noticed that you seem to have something on your mind lately?" Gu Chengyu nudged Gu Chengchi inside, then lay back on the kang just like him, hands resting behind his head. Sometimes, conversations are not suited to face-to-face conversations, especially when discussing someone’s private thoughts or feelings; it can make the other person feel awkward, tense, and unnatural.

"What do you little kids know about worries?" Gu Chengyu could clearly feel from Gu Chengchi’s words that he had relaxed a lot compared to before.

"Why can’t kids have worries? Fourth Brother! Do you want to study?" Gu Chengchi was calm and meticulous, and if he studied, he should be able to concentrate. Their third brother couldn’t do it; perhaps he was more suited to martial arts.

"What? Study?" Gu Chengchi turned his head to look at Gu Chengyu, his tone somewhat surprised.

"Yes! If you want to study, we can talk to Dad and the others. Our family can still afford the schooling expenses!"

"But I’m so old already? Can I really learn? Xiao Bao, do you think Fourth Brother is stupid? I couldn’t even finish my apprenticeship at the Li Zheng family, let alone getting bullied by a little girl!" Gu Chengchi was a bit heartbroken. His father had said many good things to the Lin Lizheng family and even paid five hundred copper coins to get this apprenticeship, but in the end, he still couldn’t do it.

"Fourth Brother! This isn’t your fault! Lin Wu already had someone in mind long ago! No matter how well you did, he wouldn’t have liked having you as an apprentice." It seemed that incident still had quite an impact on Fourth Brother.

"Really? Then who did he want as an apprentice? Why not take him in?" Gu Chengchi was somewhat puzzled.

"Because of our family’s apprenticeship fee! Anyway, that’s all in the past, don’t dwell on it." The details of what happened next were not suitable for his Fourth Brother to know.

"But even if that’s true, surely it’s partly because I’m stupid too." Gu Chengchi said pensively.

Gu Chengyu felt a bit speechless, was his brother really so lacking in confidence?

"Xiao Bao! I want to learn medicine from Doctor Li." Gu Chengchi didn’t know why he was telling such a young child this, maybe because he’d been holding it in for too long and just wanted to find someone to talk to, maybe get a suggestion.

"Fourth Brother! Do you really like studying medicine? Are you not going to study?" Gu Chengyu was a bit surprised at Gu Chengchi’s determination.

"I don’t want to study! I just like medicine! But Doctor Li won’t take me. I’ve gone to him several times, but he still won’t take me."

Hearing the dejection in Gu Chengchi’s voice, it turned out his Fourth Brother’s thoughts were in line with his own earlier plan; he just felt his Fourth Brother was suited to study medicine.

"But you don’t even know how to read, and you can’t understand medical texts! Being a doctor requires writing prescriptions! Do you know how to write?"

"Well... I haven’t really thought that far ahead!" Gu Chengchi hadn’t considered something so complicated.

"I’m going to start school in town tomorrow. How about I teach you and Da Lang to read and write when I come home? At the very least, knowing how to read and write won’t do any harm. Once my plan to make money for the family succeeds, if you want to study, money won’t be an issue."

Gu Chengyu chatted with Gu Chengchi for half an hour before managing to persuade him.

After saying goodbye to Gu Chengchi, he thought about how he’d still have to visit Doctor Li’s house after school tomorrow to test the waters with him.

Returning to the main house, after washing up, he waited for Mr. Gu and the others to fall asleep, then went into his special space to start his daily routine exercises.

The next morning, just at around dawn, Gu Chengyu, yawning, put on the sky-blue round-collar Daoist robe his mother had prepared two days prior. After washing up, he ate two steamed buns and drank a bowl of chicken soup left from the day before, grabbed his school bag, and got on the ox cart his father had prepared.

Mrs. Lv stood by the ox cart, looking at Gu Chengyu sitting in the carriage, "Xiao Bao! Did you bring your pen and paper? These two buns are hidden in your school bag, take them out to eat when you’re hungry. Oh, wait." Saying this, she stuffed the buns into Gu Chengyu’s hands and pulled out a few copper coins from her sleeve without counting them, put them in the school bag.

She told Gu Chengyu again, "Take them out and hide them carefully on the road, don’t drop them. When you’re hungry, use them to buy food." She glanced to see Gu Chengyi yawning and coming over, so she didn’t say anything more.

Gu Chengyu felt like crying and laughing; his mother surely didn’t realize that once inside the private school, he wouldn’t be able to just leave whenever he wanted; only after school would the gate open!

"Did you take the six rites for the teacher? When you get to the private school, you must give them to the teacher." Mrs. Lv reminded once more.

"They’re ready! I’ve put them all in the carriage! It’s getting late, shall we go?" Mr. Gu saw Mrs. Lv still standing beside the cart, reluctant to part with their youngest, so he stepped forward to urge her.

Once Gu Chengyi climbed onto the ox cart as well, Mr. Gu drove the cart away. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The sturdy ox was indeed faster than Old Wang’s, arriving in town about a quarter of an hour earlier than usual.

Mr. Gu and the others first delivered Gu Chengyu in front of the private school and watched him enter before driving the cart away.

Gu Chengyu followed the gatekeeper into the courtyard, "As you’re new, you’re probably going to Class C for beginners, which is in that third room. Mr. Wen mentioned yesterday that you should wait at his study door when you arrive." The old gatekeeper knew Mr. Wen liked to test students before accepting them, and he figured the teacher must have high expectations for this student, since he had instructed to wait for him early.

Gu Chengyu glanced at the three houses over there, the first two must be Class A and Class B. Looking through the open windows, the desks and chairs in the private school were individual seats; there weren’t many in Class A, roughly around twelve or thirteen. As Gu Chengyu arrived fairly early, there were only three or four people sitting quietly reading inside, with many empty seats.

There were more seats in Class B, about twenty or more. In Class C, not a single one of the dozen or so seats was occupied, clearly indicating he had come early. Who knew if the teacher was even up yet? Carrying his school bag and the six rites, Gu Chengyu went to the study he had visited the day before. Seeing the door ajar and calling out with no response, he waited about a quarter of an hour, feeling his legs grow a bit tired. Thankfully, he had inner strength, which he infused into his legs and feet, feeling much more comfortable. Observing around, he saw the private school students gradually arriving, and Class B had already begun reciting aloud.