Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 690 My Family 8

Yun Chu raised her eyes, her gaze shifting with a hint of earnest concern for her brother's future. "I just heard you say that Young Master Gu is studying at the academy? Someone as learned and virtuous as him must be attending a top-tier academy."

“Yes, yes! He’s at Qingcheng Academy in the east of the city!” Tang Yunlian immediately chimed in.

"Qingcheng Academy..." Yun Chu repeated softly, a mixture of longing and worry appearing on her face. "I've heard that it's a place with many renowned teachers and a thriving academic atmosphere. If only my brother could be a classmate of Young Master Gu..."

She paused, looking cautiously at Tang Yunlian, her words filled with alluring hope, "Wouldn't that allow me to constantly seek guidance from Young Master Gu on his scholarship and principles of conduct? It would save my brother from running into those like Young Master Li and Young Master Wang again, which would only delay his own progress."

"If my brother could receive guidance and support from Young Master Gu, my parents and I would be overjoyed and relieved..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Yunlian was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly burst into a huge light!

He slapped his thigh suddenly: "That's right! Chu'er! You're so smart! How come I didn't think of that! Be classmates with Brother Gu!"

This idea, like a spark igniting a wildfire, instantly set off all his passion.

Just imagine being able to spend every day with Gu Ting, studying and practicing martial arts together, and avoiding those good-for-nothing friends in the capital who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun... This is simply the brightest and most promising path!

"I'll go talk to my parents right now!" He didn't even have time to say much to his sister before turning and running like the wind. The sound of his boots hitting the bluestone slabs faded into the distance, leaving behind a string of startled birds.

Tang Yunlian rushed to the side room where Du Feiqin was handling household chores, where Tang Wencheng was also enjoying tea and resting.

"Father! Mother! I want to go to the academy to study!" Tang Yunlian pushed open the door and announced loudly before she could catch her breath, her face flushed red from running and excitement.

"Oh?" Tang Wencheng put down his teacup, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Although his youngest son was not a bad person, he had little interest in serious studies since childhood. The fact that he was able to pass the imperial examination was only because of his status as the heir of the Prince of Chang Le, and the teachers turned a blind eye to it.

"My child, why did you suddenly decide to study? Which academy do you want to attend? Do you have any plans?" Du Feiqin put down the account book in her hand, looking at her son with sharp eyes but a hint of expectation. She was more concerned about the reasons and feasibility behind her son's sudden ambition.

"I want to go to Qingcheng Academy! To study with Brother Gu!"

Tang Yunlian, without any guile, spilled the beans about how she met Gu Ting that afternoon and her sister Yun Chu's suggestion, "...Brother Gu is a man of noble character and excellent learning. He's also a student in the imperial examination class at Qingcheng Academy! Chu'er is right. If I can get into Qingcheng Academy, I can ask Brother Gu for advice from time to time, and I can also settle down and stop going out and getting cheated!"

Du Feiqin and Tang Wencheng exchanged a meaningful glance.

Gu Ting is a man whose son speaks highly of him, and whose daughter seems to pay special attention to him as well.

Qingcheng Academy is indeed the premier academy in Meizhou, and its class for successful candidates in the imperial examinations is a gathering place for the elite. If my son could get in, even if he only stayed in the class for children, he would benefit greatly from being exposed to it.

Du Feiqin's mind raced, and she pondered, "Qingcheng Academy is very strict in selecting students, especially the Juren class, all of whom are those who have passed the autumn examinations..." She looked at her husband.

Tang Wencheng stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of being a father: "It's a good thing that Lian'er knows how to make progress now. Qingcheng Academy... I had a chance to meet the headmaster, Elder Li, in my younger days."

"The headmaster is an upright man who values ​​only genuine talent and learning. Although Lian'er's talent and learning are limited, my son is simple and honest, and is still in the early stages of learning. The academy also has corresponding basic schools."

"I'll swallow my pride and go to their door, explain the situation, and ask for a chance to audit classes, along with a generous gift... that should work." He was already planning for his son.

"Then... I'll go prepare the visiting cards right away!" Tang Yunlian was overjoyed to see her parents' support and wished she could sprout wings and fly into the academy immediately.

A few days later, as the first wisp of morning mist quietly dissipated in Meizhou City, the sound of reading aloud from Qingshan Academy broke the silence of the early morning.

Tang Yunlian has successfully entered the academy. Thanks to Tang Wencheng's old friendship with the headmaster, Master Li, and the generous gifts prepared by Du Feiqin, although he is only a student in the elementary class, he can listen to the teachings of sages and saints in front of the ancient academy hall with other young students.

After the morning bell rang, the classrooms for the students preparing for the imperial examinations and the classrooms for those preparing for the provincial examinations were separated in the blue stone-paved corridor. The students preparing for the imperial examinations were in the east wing of the academy. The courtyard was a bit noisy, and the students were mostly fourteen or fifteen years old, whispering to each other and reciting the "Three Character Classic".

The students in the west wing, however, were much more solemn; this was the place where talented individuals prepared for the imperial examinations a year later.

Gu Ting sat upright in the front row, his pen and ink untouched, but his gaze was as focused as a hawk on the essay in front of him. His classmates were all calm and composed students, some with furrowed brows reciting the Book of Rites, others writing furiously at their desks.

The atmosphere was like a deep pool of water, unable to contain even the slightest ripple.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class, Tang Yunlian, like a bird released from its cage, rushed out of the east wing and headed straight for the west courtyard to find Gu Ting—he was naturally cheerful and made no attempt to hide his pure admiration.

"Brother Gu! Wait for me!" Before she arrived, her voice preceded her. Her green robe fluttered as she caught up with Gu Ting, a genuine smile on her face.

Gu Ting originally intended to study alone, but seeing this, he could only shake his head helplessly, though a hint of indulgence appeared on his lips.

After that, Gu Ting had a young follower by his side, becoming a strange yet heartwarming sight in the academy.

When he had free time and no classes, Gu Ting would always patiently guide him in his studies.

For example, two people sat on the ground by a small table under the eaves, the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the green bamboo leaves: Gu Ting held a brush, dipped it in ink, and marked Tang Yunlian's mistakes in the poem on the Xuan paper, explaining in a low voice: "The word 'elegance' here is too superficial. It needs to be accompanied by imagery to be meaningful. Look at 'The wind rises and the lotus moves, floating on the waves'."

Although his voice was strong, every word he uttered was precious.

On days off, Gu Ting was like a different person. He would take Tang Yunlian on horseback and gallop along the mountain roads in the suburbs, the steeds crushing the morning dew. Or they would trek up to high places to look out over the misty waters of Meizhou, their clothes soaked with sweat but they never complained of being tired. Occasionally, they would go hunting in the countryside. Gu Ting's heroic posture with his bow drawn was like a pine tree standing tall in the wind and snow, and Tang Yunlian would clumsily imitate him. The wild rabbits they brought back would always be stewed into a bowl of hot soup in the kitchen.

This interaction gradually smoothed out Tang Yunlian's impetuousness, while Gu Ting's dignified and unyielding demeanor permeated his very being.

As time went on, Gu Ting became more and more familiar with the other members of the Tang family.

On his days off, he was often invited by Tang Yunlian to visit the villa. The courtyard was always filled with laughter and joy: Tang Wencheng would play chess with him and praise him for his "skillful chess moves, steady yet sharp"; Du Feiqin would personally bring him freshly made plum cakes and nod in approval, praising him as "a promising young man"; and Yun Chu would occasionally lean against the window and watch them, casting a smiling gaze from afar.

One evening at dusk, as the setting sun cast its golden glow, Yun Chu and her sister Tang Yunmo sat in the waterside pavilion in the back garden, admiring the lotus blossoms.

Amidst the wafting fragrance of lotus blossoms, Yun Chu gently tugged at her sister's sleeve, her eyes sparkling with curiosity like stars: "Sister, look how kind the Gu family's young master is—he's exceptionally learned, upright, and never gets annoyed accompanying brother on horseback rides and mountain climbs. Why don't you like him?"

Tang Yunmo was shelling a lotus seed when she heard this. She stopped, scoffed, and her crimson skirt exploded like fireworks on the stone bench. She bluntly curled her lip: "Gu Ting? He's a real man, that's true, but his tough exterior is like a block of iron! Me..."

With a smirk, she raised her voice, "What I want is a gentle and refined young master—the kind who wears a blue robe and plays the jade flute, and is always smiling and cheerful! Gu Ting's type is too handsome and imposing, and I find him tiring to look at and even more annoying! I don't care for him."

After speaking, she tossed the lotus seeds into the water, and the ripples seemed to reflect Fan Shaojie's blurry, slender figure.