"Uncle Qian," a clear young voice rang out, "I’ll pay for this silver."

Boss Qian and Gu Ruinian looked over simultaneously.

They saw Gu Jingzhe and Mr. Su coming down from upstairs.

Mr. Su loved the dishes at Fengle Building, so Gu Jingzhe spent his saved silver to treat Mr. Su to a big meal.

They heard the argument downstairs while they were upstairs, and when they came down, they found it was Gu Ruinian and Gu Honglian who couldn’t pay for their meal.

"Uncle Qian, I’ll pay for my cousin and little aunt’s meal," Gu Jingzhe said to Boss Qian.

Boss Qian waved his hand and said, "No need, no need, it’s just a meal, after all. Ruinian is considered my junior, treating him to a meal is no big deal."

As a newly settled resident of Qinghe Bay Village, Boss Qian didn’t mind maintaining good relations with the villagers.

Moreover, this kid was Tong Huaqiong’s nephew, who always greeted him warmly in the village, and he had a good impression of Gu Ruinian.

Gu Jingzhe untied the money pouch, took out the silver, and handed it to the shop assistant, insisting, "Uncle Qian, I’ll pay for it."

Boss Qian had no choice but to let the shop assistant take the silver.

Gu Honglian looked delighted, thankful they had run into Gu Jingzhe.

"Jingzhe, if I’d known you were here, I would have ordered a few more dishes. That sweet and sour pork ribs just now were so delicious! Ruinian ate over half, and I wasn’t satisfied," Gu Honglian said.

She hinted so obviously.

If Gu Jingzhe were considerate, he would have packed a serving for her.

Yet, Gu Jingzhe didn’t get the hint and didn’t instruct the shop assistant to pack a serving of sweet and sour pork ribs for Gu Honglian.

He paid for these two, thinking that the Gu family should not lose face in the eyes of outsiders.

Luckily, this was Boss Qian’s shop; otherwise, at someone else’s shop, they might have gone to Taohua Dessert to demand the money.

Gu Ruinian bit his lip, looking humiliated.

Being suspected of freeloading and accepting help from Gu Jingzhe felt worse than being mocked by the shop assistant.

He really wanted to throw the silver at Gu Jingzhe’s head and tell him that having a little money doesn’t give him the right to show off in front of him.

Gu Ruinian understood the difficulty of being a hero with no money.

"Cousin, little aunt, the bill’s paid, let’s go," Gu Jingzhe said to Gu Ruinian and Gu Honglian.

He didn’t care about their feelings at all.

Gu Ruinian and Gu Honglian followed Gu Jingzhe out of Fengle Building.

"Jingzhe, do a good deed to the end and hire us a carriage," Gu Honglian said.

She didn’t want to take the ox cart back; the smell on the ox cart was too intense.

Gu Ruinian didn’t want to take the ox cart either; he too hoped Gu Jingzhe would hire them a carriage.

He paid for a meal, how much could hiring a carriage cost.

Gu Jingzhe directly refused, "Little aunt, how did you come to town? Just go back the way you came."

Gu Honglian stomped her foot and mumbled, "I don’t want to take the ox cart; it’s too bumpy and smelly."

Gu Jingzhe said, "Then walk back, it’s not far anyway, you’ll be home before dark."

Gu Honglian angrily cursed, "Gu Jingzhe, why are you still as annoying as before, just because I took your milk when we were kids, you’re still holding a grudge."

Gu Jingzhe stared coldly at Gu Honglian; his stare sent shivers down her spine. To be honest, she was still a little afraid of this nephew.

"Ruinian, didn’t you have any idea how much silver you had when you came to town with aunt? How could you order such a big table of food without any thought? What would you have done if I weren’t here? Don’t do this next time," Gu Jingzhe lectured Gu Ruinian, assuming the air of an older cousin.

Gu Ruinian blushed, and to win over his cousin, he obediently accepted Gu Jingzhe’s scolding and promised not to be so reckless again in the future.

After stating his position, he suddenly asked a random question, "Brother Jingzhe, do you know Jay Chou?"

Gu Jingzhe replied in surprise, "Who is that?"

Not expecting an answer, he turned away and left.

Gu Ruinian stared at Jingzhe’s back, the young figure standing tall.

Gu Ruinian lowered his head, hiding the hatred in his eyes.

Was Gu Jingzhe really ignorant or just pretending? If he was pretending, then he was doing a great job.

Gu Jingzhe paying for him today wasn’t really to get him out of trouble.

It was to use this incident to build a reputation for himself as a generous and kind person.

Many people knew about the discord between the two branches of the Gu family, yet Gu Jingzhe didn’t mind helping him pay for the meal, so the story would spread praising Gu Jingzhe’s generosity, while he, Gu Ruinian, would be seen as the petty one.

Well played, Gu Jingzhe, whether you are a native or a transmigrator, I will not let you off.

The county exam is next month, and he was determined to emerge as the top scorer.

...

Gu Jingzhe said farewell to Mr. Su, and went to Taohua Dessert.

He recounted to Tong Huaqiong about paying for Gu Ruinian’s meal.

Tong Huaqiong said, "You did very well. It’s just a silver or two for a good reputation, well worth it."

Gu Jingzhe: "..."

He truly wasn’t doing it for his own reputation.

He just found his cousin annoying, but in the end, he was still part of the Gu family.

Moreover, there was little aunt; he couldn’t let a girl be embarrassed in a restaurant for freeloading.

If it got out, wouldn’t that also tarnish the reputation of the Gu family’s girls?

"Did Ruinian say anything to you?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Gu Jingzhe said, "He asked me if I knew someone."

Tong Huaqiong asked, "Who is it?"

Gu Jingzhe thought for a moment and said, "He asked if I knew Jay Chou? I don’t know what this person does; could he be his teacher in the south?"

Gu Ruinian transformed from an illiterate to a child student; Gu Jingzhe suspected he had undoubtedly been guided by a famous teacher.

That famous teacher was likely Jay Chou.

Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

It was confirmed that Gu Ruinian was indeed from her hometown.

Gu Ruinian was testing whether Gu Jingzhe was a native or a transmigrator.

Very well, Gu Ruinian schemed and yet overlooked her.

Gu Jingzhe’s reaction might intensify Gu Ruinian’s suspicion.

"Mom, do you think Gu Ruinian suspects I also got guidance from this Mr. Zhou to pass the child student exam? And that’s why he’s trying to get me to talk?" Gu Jingzhe asked.

These days, Gu Ruinian frequently sought opportunities to speak with him.

He didn’t feel he was close enough to this cousin, whom he hadn’t seen in years, to have heart-to-heart conversations.

Tong Huaqiong smiled and said, "Maybe, but you don’t need to worry about him. Just focus on preparing for the next county exam."

Gu Jingzhe nodded.

Tong Huaqiong, while checking accounts, thought, poor Gu Ruinian must be going through a tough time these days.

Many of the desserts at Taohua Dessert have recipes similar to modern ones; the fact that Gu Ruinian quickly achieved the status of a child student suggests he’s quite gifted, and he couldn’t not notice.

So he must be confused about who the transmigrator is between Tong Huaqiong and a bunch of bad bamboo.

It was Tong Huaqiong’s intention to confuse him.