Chapter 7. When Starlight Shatters
Uncle Luo, who had been about to speak up for Xiao Liulang and persuade the villagers to let him take the seat, quietly swallowed his words.
If the boy was going to fail the exam anyway, there was no need for him to struggle unnecessarily.
Uncle Luo took out his money pouch.
A ride to the market cost two coins—three if you went farther. Gu Jiao had added two more on top of that, giving him a total of five.
He counted the coins and was just about to give the extra two back to Xiao Liulang when—
Madam Zhu shoved Gu Dashun up onto the donkey cart.
But before he could even sit down, a thin, bony hand came from behind, grabbed the back of his neck, and yanked him straight off.
Though two years older than Xiao Liulang and already nineteen, the sturdy young man staggered helplessly, nearly falling flat on his face.
Madam Zhu, startled, rushed to support him.
“Who did that?!”
Furious, she whipped her head around.
Together with the other villagers, she saw the culprit—
Tiny, skinny, cold-eyed Gu Jiao.
Her gaze was icy, carrying a strangely intimidating sharpness.
Everyone froze in confusion.
“Gu Jiao! Have you gone crazy?!”
Madam Zhu couldn’t believe someone would dare do such a thing. When she realized it was the fool, she was even more shocked.
“Take the money back.”
Gu Jiao ignored Madam Zhu completely. She looked calmly at Uncle Luo, whose hand still hovered uncertainly in the air. Her brows drew together.
“We made an agreement yesterday for this cart. If she wants to break it, then she should refund everyone’s fare here.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Madam Zhu barked.
Gu Jiao replied flatly,
“Exactly what I said. If Xiao Liulang can’t board the cart today, then no one else will board either.”
“And who do you think you are to say that?” a woman scoffed.
Gu Jiao slowly drew a sickle from behind her back.
“Because I’m a fool.”
At the sight of the sickle, everyone’s faces went pale.
Even Madam Zhu, who had tried to grab Gu Jiao’s hair earlier, didn’t dare step forward again.
A fool… a fool really could do anything.
But this fool had always hated Xiao Liulang. Why was she now defying her own family for him?
The villagers were shocked—and so was Xiao Liulang.
“If you want to fetch Grandfather, go ahead,” Gu Jiao said coldly, the sharp blade catching the light.
Madam Zhu really looked like she wanted to go and bring the patriarch, but Gu Dashun stopped her.
There was no reasoning with a fool. And delaying the exam would be disastrous.
Xiao Liulang could miss his exam, and it wouldn’t matter—he wasn’t going to pass anyway. But he was different.
Finally, Uncle Luo came up with a compromise. Madam Zhu could pay someone on the cart for their food and buy their seat for Gu Dashun.
Gu Jiao didn’t care whose seat they bought.
To prevent trouble on the road, she slung the sickle over her shoulder and followed behind the cart.
There was no seat for her anyway.
Dragging her skinny body along, she walked more than ten li, escorting the cart all the way to ensure Xiao Liulang arrived safely at the exam hall.
When Xiao Liulang stepped inside the academy, Gu Jiao left with her basket.
She sold the wild mushrooms and dried wood ear she had brought to the market—and took care of several other tasks while she was there.
***
The reputation of Tianxiang Academy was famous, so many people came to take the exam. Not just locals—outsiders like Xiao Liulang were there too.
All examinees carried village school certificates. Those with county-school or prefecture-school recommendations entered separate testing halls.
Because their ranks were different, Xiao Liulang and Gu Dashun took their exams in different halls.
Xiao Liulang sat in the very last row.
Tianxiang Academy’s stone steps were steep. Anyone who studied here had already become at least a xiucai (county-level scholar). Passing the xiucai exam before turning twenty, like Gu Dashun, was rare.
Xiao Liulang, only seventeen, was the youngest among all candidates.
And the most handsome.
Unfortunately, he was lame.
Candidates shot curious glances at him, but soon turned back to their writing.
The morning exam was poetry composition; the afternoon was Confucian classics.
Most students here had practically been raised on ink. Composing poetry on the spot was nothing to them. The real challenge was the afternoon’s classical essays.
All questions came from the Four Books and Five Classics, and answers had to follow the rigid eight-legged essay structure: breaking open the topic, carrying it, opening the discussion, entering it, beginning the first leg, middle legs, final leg, and closing the bundle. No metaphors allowed. Only the tone of ancient sages permitted. Only interpretations from the Cheng-Zhu school accepted.
The requirements were extremely strict.
The problem this time was particularly difficult. After writing all day, many candidates looked faint.
*
When Xiao Liulang came out, Dongchang had been waiting half an hour.
“Liulang! Here!”
He waved excitedly.
Xiao Liulang walked over, leaning on his cane.
“I heard just now—everyone said the classics question was horrible. They say the Dean wrote it himself! Tch, just your luck. If you’d taken the exam with me before the accident, it wouldn’t have been this hard. All because of that wicked wife of yours!”
Xiao Liulang shot him a glare and frowned deeply.
“Oh, right. Has that woman been bothering you these days? I was worried you wouldn’t make it today.”
True enough… he had nearly missed it.
Suddenly, Xiao Liulang paused and looked forward.
Crowds poured in and out of the academy gate.
Against the outer wall stood a thin figure, a small basket on her back, her hands tucked into her sleeves. Something about her made him stop walking.
People passing by kept staring at her face. But she didn’t react at all. She wasn’t angry, embarrassed, flustered—nothing.
Dongchang spotted her too and scowled.
“Tch! Why is she here? Don’t tell me she came to cause trouble! Liulang, be honest—did you sneak out of the house today?”
Even Xiao Liulang wasn’t sure whether she’d come for him. All he saw was her standing there quietly—clearly waiting for someone.
When the examinees streamed out in waves, Gu Jiao looked around, scanning the crowd. Even among hundreds, she immediately spotted the handsome boy with the cane.
She smiled and walked toward him.
“Finished your exam?” she asked.
“…Mm.”
He nodded.
“Did you wait long?”
“No.”
Gu Jiao scratched her ear lightly.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at the market? Why didn’t you go home?”
He had assumed the basket meant she’d be selling mushrooms and wood ear. But the market closed at noon.
“I had business nearby,” she said.
“What business?” Dongchang snapped suspiciously.
But her words suddenly reminded him of something.
He had gone to the clinic earlier today, where he heard people saying that Physician Zhang had saved someone from the brink of death again.
“For real? Are you sure?” Xiao Liulang muttered in shock.
Last time’s incident had injured Physician Zhang, who was furious afterwards. He had sworn never to return here again.
Dongchang nodded vigorously.
“Of course! I saw the patient myself—covered in blood, neck crooked, no breath left! Who else but Physician Zhang from the capital could bring someone like that back?!”
Gu Jiao quietly watched ants crawling near her feet, saying nothing.
Dongchang continued excitedly,
“If he can save someone like that, your leg will definitely be cured! I’ll find out his house-call schedule. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“When is he coming?” Gu Jiao suddenly asked.
Dongchang gave her a contemptuous look.
“Why should I tell you?”
“……”
***
That evening, they ate in town. Dongchang insisted on treating Xiao Liulang to noodles at Yangchun Noodles, saying it tasted like home.
After dinner, Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao rode the donkey cart back to the village. This time, Xiao Liulang requested an enclosed compartment.
Night fell. The cart had no oil lamp, but bright moonlight spilled through the gaps.
Gu Jiao sat across from him, stretching her legs out and tugging gently at her toes.
She had bought new shoes—not embroidered ones for rich girls, but simple cloth shoes. Plain black, unfancy… yet surprisingly cute on her feet.
The way she played with them looked almost adorable—like starlight shattering softly in front of him.
As usual, the cart stopped at the village entrance.
After getting off, Gu Jiao followed behind him—keeping her usual not-too-close, not-too-far distance.
The whole village already knew that she and Gu Dashun had fallen out because of Xiao Liulang. The rumor had spread far enough that even Xue Yingxiang, who had been watching her house’s front gate, widened her eyes in shock when she saw the two walking together in the night.
So she hadn’t been seeing things the other day?
Were they really on good terms now?
“Gu Jiao, you idiot!”
A shout broke the silence. Xue Yingxiang flinched and hurried inside.
Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang stopped in front of their door and turned—
A tall youth was marching toward them angrily.
It was Gu Ershun—Madam Liu’s second son.
Although Xiaoshun was her real son, Ershun was actually closer to his cousin Gu Dashun than to his own brother.
Gu Jiao shot him a calm glance, then turned away and unlocked the door, entering the house with Xiao Liulang.
Ershun strode forward, hands on his hips, shouting at the doorway:
“Gu Jiao, you brainless idiot! You’ve overturned the heavens today! How dare you treat big brother like that?! He almost missed his exam because of you! You embarrassed him in front of the entire village!”
Gu Jiao ignored him completely.
She stepped over the threshold and was about to close the door—
Infuriated by being ignored, Ershun jammed his foot into the doorway and blocked it with one hand.
“How dare you ignore me?! Grandfather told me to bring you over! You’d better kneel and apologize to big brother right now! If not, I’ll kill you myself!”
Gu Jiao rubbed her ear lazily.
Noisy.
“If you don’t straighten this out today, you—”
He hadn’t even finished the sentence when—
Gu Jiao swung her leg up and kicked him straight into the air.
