Gu Jiu listened with interest from the side and asked Sixth Xie, "Sixth Brother, why do you like reading? Why do you read so many books? Or what is your aspiration?"
Sixth Xie had been beaten down by Xie Zhan's criticism, and his mood was low. When asked by Gu Jiu, he seemed a bit lost and unsure, "Reading is just reading. I read because I like it, there's no particular reason."
"What about your aspiration then? What do you want to do in the future? You can't just keep reading books your whole life, you have to use the knowledge you've gained to do something."
Sixth Xie seemed perplexed, as he simply enjoyed reading and had never thought about using the knowledge he acquired for anything in particular.
Gu Jiu pondered for a moment, "I once read a story in a book about a country called **. The royal family was incompetent, and the barbarians kept invading, with the people living in dire circumstances. Later, a great man emerged from this country. During his studies, his teacher also asked him the same question - why do you read books?"
Gu Jiu blinked her eyes, "Can you guess how he answered?"
Sixth Xie answered, "To pass the imperial examination and improve his impoverished life?"
Xie Zhan looked understanding, as she had said that, he must be aiming to improve the weak situation.
Gu Jiu straightened her body, cleared her throat, and answered properly, "He answered, to read books for the sake of... reading books."
Although this line was spoken by the little girl Gu Jiu, it still stirred the heart and aroused grand aspirations.
Sixth Xie listened with his eyes wide open and mouth agape, feeling a touch in his heart. He asked, "And then what happened?"
Gu Jiu said, "When he said those words, he was twelve years old. Later, he became the prime minister of * country, dedicating his life to serving the country and the people."
Even Xie Zhan felt deeply moved. After a brief contemplation, she nodded, "Those who have accomplished great deeds throughout history all had lofty aspirations from a young age."
Gu Jiu glanced at her sideways, "Xie Zhan, what is your aspiration?"
Xie Zhan's gaze drifted into the distance, her eyes seeming far-reaching, "I wish that the granaries will be full, the people wealthy, and the country strong. That we will conquer the barbarians and they will come to pay tribute."
Gu Jiu stared wide-eyed, what a grand wish! Could she be a future prime minister too?
Xie Zhan turned to look at her dazed expression, patting Gu Jiu's head, "What about you? What is your aspiration? What do you want to do in the future?"
Gu Jiu smiled, "My aspiration is simple. I want to continuously study medicine, and compile what I've learned into a book in the future. This way, more people who are interested in medicine but lack access to learning can have a source of knowledge."
Mrs. Gao scratched the needle on her head a few times and laughed, "But if you do that, won't you be giving away the means of earning a living to others?"
Gu Jiu shook her head, "The development of medicine is slow, not because people are not intelligent enough to learn, but because everyone holds the mindset of keeping their secrets to themselves. As soon as someone has a secret recipe, they hide and keep it, only passing it down to their own descendants. But not every family can pass it down continuously. Many families lose their inherited methods due to war, accidents, or the lack of a son to inherit them."
"If it continues this way, good medical techniques will be lost. Medicine will only become weaker and weaker. What I want to do is to set a good example for the world, so that good medical techniques can be passed down, and improved upon from generation to generation. This way, diseases that were previously untreatable can receive proper treatment."
Gu Jiu's long-winded speech left everyone listening in a daze, not expecting this little person to have such broad-mindedness and foresight.
Xie Zhan was surprised. Beneath this little girl's playful exterior hid an unknown profundity. This profundity did not stem from life experiences, but from the vastness of her knowledge and far-sightedness.
How many books must she have read to have such foresight, broad-mindedness, and vision?
What kind of family was she raised in?
After a moment of astonishment, Xie Zhan regained her composure and smiled gently, sincerely saying, "Alright, Fourth Sister will help you achieve your wish."
Sixth Xie felt even more lost. While others lived with such clarity, even the little Gu Jiu had set her goals early on, he was still aimless and muddled.
Mrs. Gao bit off the thread and happily stroked Gu Jiu's face, "Our Jiu Niang is so capable, intelligent, and beautiful. What shall we do? I can't bear to let you marry out of the family. Such a good little daughter-in-law must stay in our family..."
Gu Jiu's eyes sparkled as she stared at Mrs. Gao, "So?"
Xie Zhan averted her gaze and coughed lightly, her fist against her lips.
"Of course, we can't let such a lovely, delicate little girl go to outsiders. Jiu Niang, tell me, which of our family members have you taken a liking to? Whether it's Fifth Xie or Sixth Xie, or Da Ji, Er Qing, whoever you fancy, Mother will betroth you to him."
"Mother, I don't want to be the outsider taking family property."
Mrs. Gao: ...
Describing such a fragrant, soft, fair and tender little girl as an outsider taking family property didn't seem quite appropriate.
But was that the main point?
Initially, when Gu Jiu said she wanted to be the Xie family's child bride, it was just a joke. When she first came to this world, it still felt unreal, as if she was acting, dreaming, or playing a game. So she didn't take it too seriously.
After a few days, she realized this wasn't a game. The people she met weren't NPCs from a game, but real people in a real world, with everything happening for real.
So she didn't act as carefree as before and felt a bit shy instead.
Seeing her hesitation, Mrs. Gao said, "You can't go back on your word now. You were the one who brought it up first. One must be true to one's word and maintain credibility!"
Gu Jiu scratched her head in embarrassment and glanced at Xie Zhan a few times, "I think Xie Zhan is quite suitable."
Mrs. Gao laughed, "You can't be Fourth Xie's main wife, but I have no objection on my side. As long as Fourth Xie agrees, you'll be his child bride."
Xie Zhan coughed even harder, her ears turning red when Gu Jiu looked at her. She glared at her defiantly, "Show some decorum, young lady."
Then she turned to glare at the younger ones snickering, "Write each of the characters you learned today twenty times each. No food until you finish!"
With that, she fled, leaving a chorus of wails behind.
Third Xie was weaving grass shoes nearby, a faint smile on his face as he came to Gu Jiu's rescue, "Our Fourth Xie is shy. Don't mind him, Jiu Niang. Once you two have spent more time together, Fourth Xie will certainly see your good qualities."
He beckoned for Gu Jiu to come over, "Come try these shoes on. Third Brother doesn't know what size you wear, or if they'll fit."
Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows in surprise, immediately forgetting about the child bride issue, "You made them for me?"
She had seen Third Xie cutting grass and weaving it in his hands, but didn't expect he was making grass shoes for her.
Third Xie nodded, "Grass shoes aren't very comfortable, but you can make do with them for now. We'll buy some cloth to make shoes once we're out of the woods."
Mrs. Gao held up the shoe uppers she was working on, "No need to wait until we're out of the woods. These will be done in a few days."
Gu Jiu was even more surprised to learn that Mrs. Gao was also making shoes for her.
