Chapter 55 – A Matter of Course

“Father, what brings you here?”

Compared to Gu Yuzhu’s calm demeanor, Gu Qingbai was a bit more expressive. After all, Gu Yuzhu wasn’t the original little girl. The girl had been young, and her mother had protected her since childhood. Gu Dapeng, although her biological father, had always been quiet and reserved. Even if he had affection for her, it came with distance.

So Gu Yuzhu didn’t feel much emotional attachment to her biological father.

In her heart, the image of a “father” was the old Taoist who had raised her, not this overly honest man standing before her—especially one who let his older children from a previous marriage lead him around. Of course, Gu Yuzhu didn’t doubt that Gu Dapeng had real affection for the original girl, but that affection was complicated—probably mixed with selfishness, wavering between his two sets of children. It wasn’t pure.

So as far as Gu Yuzhu was concerned, as long as things were going fine, that was enough. After all, she was still a child, and her mother had lovingly raised her. If some distance had developed with her father after a period apart, it wasn’t unusual.

Looking at his two children, Gu Dapeng suddenly felt overcome with emotion.

Still, as a grown man, he kept those feelings suppressed.

“I—Father just came to check on you. I heard Bai-ge has gone to study at the academy?”

“That’s right. Brother is very smart. The teacher really likes him and has already accepted him as a disciple.”

Gu Yuzhu said this, and Gu Dapeng’s eyes widened in disbelief. Gu Yuzhu thought smugly to herself, Shocked, aren’t you, old man?

After spending some time in this world and listening to gossip from various aunties, Gu Yuzhu had come to fully understand the social status of scholars in a feudal society. To exaggerate, if a family had a scholar, even their ancestors seemed to gain honor. But on the flip side, raising a scholar was incredibly difficult, and that’s precisely one of the reasons why they were so revered.

Most families who could afford to send a child to school only did so to teach them basic literacy. Even so, someone who could read would command more respect as they grew up. But just learning to read was not the same as being accepted as a teacher’s disciple.

To put it another way, ordinary people went to school just to learn a few characters, with no expectation of future glory. But children accepted as disciples carried their teacher’s hope and expectations. It meant the child had talent—otherwise, in this era where “one day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father” was a mantra, why would any teacher bother to raise someone else’s child as their own?

There had to be benefits. The child had to have potential for the teacher to be willing.

Gu Dapeng immediately turned to look at Yan Fengru. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Gu Yuzhu. After all, kids might misunderstand things due to lack of comprehension. That’s why he looked to Yan Fengru for confirmation.

He had expected to be met with her usual cold face, but to his surprise, he saw a touch of pride in her expression.

“The teacher said Bai-ge is smart, a promising young talent.”

Gu Dapeng visibly trembled—not in a dramatic or performative way, but Gu Yuzhu clearly saw his large frame shudder slightly. He was clearly overwhelmed.

The old man even teared up, but then Yan Fengru’s next sentence completely crushed the moment.

“Enough. I’m his mother. Of course I’ll raise him well. Even if I have to sell everything we own, as long as Bai-ge is willing to study, I’ll support him. At least we won’t give people anything to gossip about.”

“How’s your precious grandson doing?”

Her words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over Gu Dapeng’s head, instantly dousing his enthusiasm. Of course, he knew his eldest son and daughter-in-law had been trying to send their own son to school—clearly, his eldest had ambition. But thanks to interference from the Jiang family, Changwen hadn’t been able to enroll.

The couple had complained often at home. But since Li was heavily pregnant, Qingshan tolerated her. Gu Dapeng didn’t know the full details, since it involved his former wife’s family, and he couldn’t interfere.

But here, his youngest son had successfully enrolled and was even accepted as a disciple, while over there, his eldest grandson still couldn’t get into school. He had overheard his daughter-in-law mutter something about sending the boy to a private school…

But private schools weren’t on the same level as academies. And considering the awful relationship between his eldest and Yan Fengru, Gu Dapeng couldn’t be sure if her words carried any sarcasm. He just couldn’t bring himself to reply.

He muttered a few vague words, then looked at Yan Fengru and said, “When I have time, I’ll go into town to look for work.”

A completely unrelated comment. Yan Fengru glanced at him but didn’t say anything. Gu Yuzhu worried her fiery-tempered mother would outright reject her “cheap” father.

If Yan Fengru had known what her daughter was thinking, she probably would’ve said: Little girl, you overthink. Your mother’s schemes run deep!

Your brother is also that cheap father’s biological son. Isn’t it only right and proper for a man to raise his own son?

Besides, if Bai-ge succeeded in the future—even if he didn’t become a high-ranking official—if he passed the imperial exam, the Gu family’s fortunes would surely change. Their whole family’s reputation would be elevated.

So Yan Fengru didn’t feel she was taking advantage of Gu Dapeng at all.

Still, her lack of rejection filled Gu Dapeng with gratitude. Originally, he had just come to check on his two children—and maybe ask his wife if she had any leftovers…

He wasn’t picky, after all…

Gu Dapeng had known hardship. Like most in the village, whenever there was something good to eat, it went to his wife and kids. He never minded going without. In that sense, he really was a good husband and father. But seeing how Yan Fengru had gotten their younger son into school, and even under a teacher’s wing, Gu Dapeng suddenly found himself speechless.

His wife was building a house for their son. And he, the father, still had the nerve to complain about a bite to eat? He could just go back and make do.

Gu Yuzhu was a little schemer. Knowing her “cheap” father had probably not eaten yet, she deliberately ate with exaggerated delight. But to be fair, Yan Fengru’s cooking really was excellent. The kids had the best food—chicken drumsticks, pork ribs, and juicy rabbit meat…

Both she and Gu Qingbai ate very gracefully. Gu Yuzhu played the part of the innocent child, while Gu Qingbai, now studying, remembered to show respect to his parents and politely asked if they’d eaten.

Gu Yuzhu noticed Gu Dapeng swallowing hard, then deliberately looking away before saying, “Let Bai-ge and Zhu Zhu’er eat. I already… already ate!”

Honestly, back when Yan Fengru still lived with him, Gu Dapeng had never realized how important it was to have a wife who could cook well.

Well, to be precise, before marrying Yan Fengru, the thought never crossed his mind. Jiang-shi’s cooking had been average—just good enough to get the food cooked. Country folk didn’t fuss about these things. To a working man like him, quantity mattered more than taste. As long as he was full, flavor didn’t matter.

But after Yan Fengru joined the household, even Gu Dapeng had to admit—when it came to food, good taste and bland taste really made a world of difference!