Chapter 1093 - Capítulo 1093: 1093: Living Is Nothing but Torment 38
Capítulo 1093: Chapter 1093: Living Is Nothing but Torment 38
Inside the house, Gao Yaozu’s heart skipped a beat.
He looked again at the book in his hand. He clearly recognized every word, but somehow, he just couldn’t keep reading.
Outside, Old Gao watched Gao Qingmiao’s departing figure, then heard the reading inside cease. He turned around and scolded, “The biggest taboo in studying is a restless mind. Yaozu, the hopes of our entire family rest on you!”
The door suddenly swung open, and Gao Yaozu stood at the entrance in dejection, finally mustering the courage to say something he had contemplated for years.
“Father, Fifth Brother is not young anymore, and his marriage can’t be delayed. My autumn exam isn’t urgent, so why not save the taels for Fifth Brother to get married first?”
The old man dismissed this without a care: “That’s not something you should be worrying about.”
Gao Yaozu’s heart trembled, but he insisted, “Father, I’ve already become a scholar. If I go work in the town, I can also earn some money to help the family, and I…”
“Silence!”
Gao Yaozu’s words angered Old Gao.
Bam…
Gao Yaozu knelt on the ground, and in the next moment, the old tobacco pipe struck his back, eliciting a muffled groan; it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
“His father…”
Tian Shi, worrying for her husband, hurried over to check on him.
However, Old Gao blocked her path with the horizontal shaft of his tobacco pipe.
Seeing the sternness in Old Gao’s eyes, Tian Shi felt a deep bitterness, but she had no power to resist. She could only sulk away to the room next door, locking herself inside, bearing all the grievances alone.
They had been married for decades, yet it would be hard for others to believe that the couple lived in separate rooms most of the time.
Only on the first and fifteenth of the month was Gao Yaozu allowed back into the bedroom.
Ordinarily, he resided in the study.
All this was for Gao Yaozu to focus on his studies, but it was all imposed by Old Gao, not the couple’s own wishes.
Even the children, wanting to see their father, were obstructed by Old Gao.
At the door, Old Gao locked eyes with Gao Yaozu, “Is subsidizing the household something you should be preoccupied with?
Your task is to study diligently. If you don’t want to drag the family down, you should strive even harder, aim to rise high and bring glory to our Gao Family.
Your brothers will naturally benefit as well, and those years of sacrifice won’t have been in vain!”
Who doesn’t want to rise high?
But studying isn’t something that can be accomplished by effort alone.
He had worked very hard, never daring to relax since the first day he entered school.
His diligence was such that, even after marrying, he practically continued living the life of a solitary man.
All his childhood was spent in school, and even when he came home, he was confined to the study.
He thought becoming a scholar would be his liberation, but after that, his nightmare began.
Higher academies were out of reach for ordinary farming families like theirs, and he was not exceptionally gifted to warrant special admission.
Old Gao constantly pressured him not to give up, so except for major events, he almost never left the study doors these years.
Gao Yaozu felt like living was a form of torment for him.
If given a choice, he’d rather be like his other brothers—not privileged, but not pressured either. He could reunite with his wife whenever they wanted, and the children could frolic around his knees.