meeting

The rain is still falling.

The old woman replied in a hoarse voice, "Sir, how much do you want?"

"All of it," the man answered without hesitation. The old woman was a little shocked. "All of it? How can the official finish it?"

But the man continued to explain with a pleasant face, "Don't worry, old man. I teach at the Imperial College, and there are quite a few students who love to eat cabbage. I will send these vegetables to the kitchen to cook them, so they won't be wasted. So, you can sell them to me and go home earlier."

Tai, Taixue?

Zheng looked up at the sound and met the eyes of the young man under the umbrella in the dim light, as if she had fallen into the bottom of a clear lake.

After seeing Erlang's features clearly, she blurted out in surprise, "You, you, you are the person in the painting—"

"The person in the painting? Madam, do you know me?" Cui Zhijun stood tall and straight beneath the umbrella. He stared at the woman before him again and again, but couldn't remember where he'd seen her before. Or perhaps he'd never seen her before.

It was only then that Taishi Zheng realized she had said the wrong thing and hurriedly tried to make amends, "No, no, no, how could I recognize you, sir? It's just that you were so handsome that I mistook you for the immortal in the painting. That's why I made the mistake. I hope you won't blame me."

Zheng didn't tell the truth.

Today, she had simply wanted to catch a glimpse of Choi Shik-jun, but she had never imagined they would meet in this way. But fate had brought them here, and Zheng, with her playful remarks, was curious about the man's reaction.

But Cui Zhijun didn't respond to her words. Instead, he took out his wallet and asked the old lady to weigh the dishes. He completely ignored Zheng's words.

No, the young lady praised your beauty.

You actually ignored it!

Tai Shi Zheng was so angry that she stamped her feet, and the old lady laughed at her.

And what about Cui Zhijun? He stood there motionless, not even glancing at Zheng. He probably thought she was a frivolous person, so it was better not to provoke her.

Wait until most of the vegetables are put into the backpack.

The old woman looked at the few remaining cabbages scattered around and said, "Sir, these are what I want to give to my young lady. Please forgive me. For the rest, I will give you thirty cents."

Cui Zhijun nodded and went to take out the money.

Seeing this, Tai Shi Zheng said, "Grandma, how can I take your vegetables for free? Sell these to him, and you can make more money."

Unexpectedly, the old lady was adamant. "That won't do. You brought me cakes early in the morning, shouted, and even held an umbrella for me. You helped me a lot. I saw it all, and I know you are a kind-hearted young lady. So this is a little gift from me. Just be obedient and accept the food."

Grandma Yuan could see it all.

Zheng felt embarrassed, but it was not easy to refuse her kindness, so she said, "Grandma, let's do this. I only want one cabbage. If you give me more, I won't take any more."

She actually wanted to help out of kindness.

Cui Zhijun listened to the two people talking, and his opinion of them changed slightly. But he remained silent.

The old woman didn't say anything more. After reaching an agreement with Taishi Zheng, she reached out to take the bamboo basket full of cabbages. Unexpectedly, the two young men beside her stopped her in unison...

"Let me do it."

"Let someone come."

The two of them were so startled that the old woman suddenly let go and stopped making any rash moves. After Cui Zhijun saw the old woman retreat, he consciously reached out and carried the bamboo basket on his back.

Zheng didn't stop him.

But the old woman was really uneasy, so she asked, "Sir, how can I ask you to carry the vegetables yourself after paying for them? Why don't you go to the yamen and call some servants? I will wait for you here."

Cui Zhijun smiled upon hearing this, "Old man, I'm not an official, I'm just a teacher. And how could this school have servants from the government? Don't worry, take these forty coins, I'll deliver the vegetables myself. Don't go too far, I'll return the basket when I get back."

"Forty cents! Sir, how can this be possible--" The old lady felt that Cui Zhijun gave her too much.

Cui Zhijun held down the old lady's hand and said, "Old lady, this is the remaining money from the cabbage, except for the one you gave to my wife. Please keep it."

The old lady seemed about to say something, but Tai Shi Zheng quickly took over, "Yes, grandma, this young man doesn't look like someone who is short of money. Since he is willing to buy it, we will sell it to him."

"Okay, my dear, you don't have to make that extra trip. I'll be kind enough to help you deliver the remaining cabbage. When the time comes, give me the basket and I'll return it to Grandma."

After saying this, Tai Shi Zheng stuffed the oil umbrella into the old lady's hand, picked up the extra cabbages on the ground without saying a word, and crawled into Cui Zhijun's umbrella.

"Hurry up, or grandma will regret it soon."

The distance between the two of them suddenly shortened. Zheng was so focused on lying on her back, leaning against Cui Zhijun and whispering something to him, that she didn't notice that the man in front of her had red ears.

When Cui Zhijun came to his senses, he quickly stepped back and hid outside the umbrella, but his hand holding the umbrella was still hanging beside Taishi Zheng and never left.

Zheng looked at his reserved appearance and couldn't help laughing out loud.

Then she nodded and said goodbye to the old lady. Zheng no longer cared whether the people around her followed her or not, and walked into the rain with big strides.

Seeing that she was caught in the rain, Cui Zhijun hurriedly said goodbye to the old lady.

But when the bony hand holding the umbrella handle came into Taishi Zheng's peripheral vision, the person's face was never seen.

Taishi Zheng was puzzled, "Why is my dear standing outside the umbrella in the rain?"

The mist and rain were falling, and no one answered.

He kept a proper distance from her.

Taishi Zheng paused deliberately, and the figure outside the umbrella finally revealed its head. Those same clear eyes remained, devoid of any trace of anger. In the light of reality, Cui Zhijun was as elegant as in the painting.

"Madam, what do you want to say?" Cui Zhijun asked.

Taishi Zheng then realized that he hadn't heard her, and wasn't being silent on purpose. She then said, "My dear, why don't you come in with an umbrella? Won't it rain outside? What if you catch a cold?"

Cui Zhijun hesitated to speak. The rain deepened the green of his official robes. After some thought, he spoke, "My lady and I are alone, a man and a woman, and we have never met before. It would be ungentlemanly to ride under the same umbrella. However, the Imperial College is not far away, so a few raindrops won't be a big deal. My lady, please don't worry."

"A single man and a single woman? You're really well-behaved."

Zheng laughed at him, calling him a blockhead. "Hey, sir, we're on the street, not in that alley. Why are you so reserved? Or are you afraid of me?"

Just at this moment, the sound of bells and chimes came from the school.

Cui Zhijun looked at the door that was about to close and interrupted Zheng, "Madam, I will be late for work and cannot chat with you any longer. Please follow me in first."

Cui Zhijun hurried forward, and Taishi Zheng had no choice but to follow him. They both rushed in before the Imperial College closed.

But watching the door lock down slowly, Taishi Zheng looked back blankly, "Um, my dear. Let me ask, is your Imperial Academy always locked during the day?"

"Well, this is a rule established by the late emperor to prevent students from skipping classes and outsiders from disrupting the school. Therefore, the gates are locked from the beginning of the morning to the beginning of the afternoon, and from the beginning of the evening to the beginning of the evening. Unless it is a major event or an emergency, it is not allowed to be opened privately."

Cui Zhijun explained clearly and logically.

Completely oblivious to the sharp cry uttered by Taishi Zheng beside him, "Ah! What kind of rules are these? My good official, thank you so much."

But what could Zheng do? She could only smile and ask, "Then... have you ever thought about how I can get out?"

Cui Zhijun watched as the storm outside the corridor subsided, calmly folded up his umbrella, and replied, "Don't worry, my lady. I will naturally find a way to get you out. Just follow me."

The young man, carrying a backpack, walked down the steps, creating ripples in the puddles, and headed towards the depths of the Imperial College. Zheng did not dare to delay and followed him.

Then, they went all the way to the kitchen. Someone saw Choi Shik-kyung and called out, "Hey, Dr. Choi! Who did you do a favor for today? What unsaleable items did you buy? Let me see."

The man who looked like a cook wiped his greasy hands and came over to the two of them. He took a look and said, "Oh, it's cabbage. Good stuff."

"Master Li." Cui Zhijun slowly put down the backpack without changing his expression.

Master Li smiled and waved. When he turned and noticed Tai Shi Zheng's presence, he said jokingly, "Hey, Dr. Cui, is this young lady also someone you're helping? Are you planning on helping her find a job here?"

Cui Zhijun didn't follow up on his joke, "Master Li, you misunderstood. This lady is a kind person who is helping someone deliver food."

At that moment, Taishi Zheng stood there in a daze, lost in thought as she gazed at Cui Zhijun's back, which was stained with yellow earth.

There is nothing greater for a gentleman than to be kind to others.

Zheng saw in Cui Zhiyun the virtues that a gentleman should possess. Those who associate with good people develop moral integrity, those who have good hearts enjoy a peaceful home, and those who do good deeds enjoy a prosperous family.

Cui Zhiyun is indeed a good person.

Apart from…

Some are dull, but the rest are fine.

While thinking, Master Li took out all the cabbages. Cui Zhijun then returned to Taishi Zheng with the empty basket. "Thank you for your help, madam. You can put the cabbages down now. I will escort you out of the Imperial College."

"Oh, oh. Okay." Zheng came to her senses and hurriedly put the cabbage on the table.

Cui Zhijun turned to say goodbye to Master Li and left as usual without making a sound. Tai Shizheng continued to chase him, heading deeper into the courtyard.

Hearing the sound of reading on the way, Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have lessons today, sir?"

Cui Zhijun's eyes fell calmly towards the classroom. "I'm teaching at 9:00 PM today, so I still have some time."

After the words fell, the sound of reading accompanied the peace between them.

Taishi Zheng walked past the bright windows and recalled the old days in Zishan Hall. "My dear, do you like this job that brings no fame or fortune, but is tedious and messy?"

Cui Zhijun didn't know why she asked that, but he answered truthfully. "Teaching is about fostering virtue and remedying the lost. It's a very meaningful job. Although fame, wealth, and power can be distracting, I only consider them fleeting. Teaching and educating people is what my heart desires."

Speaking of this, Cui Zhijun suddenly became talkative.

Tai Shi Zheng smiled without saying anything. She suddenly quickened her pace and walked forward.

When they were shoulder to shoulder, Zheng turned her eyes and looked at Cui Zhijun with ill intentions, saying: "My dear, you are truly noble and upright. I admire you so much! Then may I ask if you are married? If not -"

"What do you think of me, my dear?"