Chapter 57 Giving Him Alms, Pitying Him

That sweet "brother" instantly soothed Xie Yunqi's heart. The little tyrant reluctantly said, "Alright, after thinking about it, that makes sense. I won't hold it against him."

"hey-hey."

Old Cat handed Xie Yunqi a fishing rod, and the brother and sister began fishing.

Yan Hu ran to the entrance of Jingyue Pavilion, put the basket on the ground, and tactfully did not go in. He just called out to the courtyard a few times and then sat outside to wait.

Ah Fu came out quickly. Jingyue Pavilion has been deserted for so long, and the only person who would come to Jingyue Pavilion looking for someone is that princess.

Afu was about to say "Greetings, Your Highness" when he came out and saw only the princess's little dog at the door, with a bamboo basket in front of it.

Afu was taken aback: "Young master, the princess's puppy has arrived!"

After saying that, he picked up the bamboo basket in front of Yan Hu and saw that there was a fish that was still jumping around and several bunches of grapes inside.

The fish still had water droplets on it, and there were two tooth marks on its body, so it was obviously freshly caught.

These grapes are crystal clear, large and round, with a blackish-blue color and a white bloom on them. You can tell they must be extremely sweet without even tasting them.

Pei Ji came out, and Afu picked up the basket to show him.

"Young master, why is there another basket of things? Could it be another gift from Her Highness the princess?" Afu chuckled and picked a grape to eat. "Mmm! Young master, these grapes are so sweet! Young master, you should have some too."

Afu moved the basket closer to him, talking to herself, "This second princess is really a kind person, sending gifts and food. And I reckon it's because of the princess that the charcoal arrived exceptionally early this year, and in such large quantities! We've been in Yu Kingdom for so long, and this is the first time we've received such treatment. Before, it was either too little or too late, and the young master was almost freezing. This time, the people from the Imperial Household Department even said that if we run out, we can go back to the Imperial Household Department to get more!"

Winters in the capital are dry and cold, and the Imperial Household Department usually begins sending bamboo charcoal to the palaces in early December.

They are available everywhere, but the quantity of bamboo charcoal and the time of delivery depend on social status.

Jingyuexuan, for example, is almost always the last to receive bamboo charcoal in previous years, and the quantity is always half of what it used to be.

When Pei Ji was seven years old, he traveled from the State of Song to the State of Yu, where he caught a cold on the way and was unable to get proper treatment.

It was winter at that time.

From then on, Pei Ji was often sick and was extremely afraid of the cold in winter.

With limited bamboo charcoal, they have to use it sparingly.

With bamboo charcoal gone, we can only tough it out.

This year, perhaps because the news of Yan Hu going to the Imperial Food Bureau to "ask for food" yesterday had spread, someone saw Yan Hu carrying a basket of things towards Jingyue Pavilion.

Yan Hu is the Second Prince's beloved pet, and he follows the Second Princess around every day since she returned to the palace.

Therefore, the Imperial Household Department speculated that it must have been the Second Princess who sent Yan Hu to do this!

The news that the Second Princess had been laughing and chatting with Pei Ji in public in the Wenhua Hall yesterday had also spread, which further solidified the Imperial Household Department's suspicions.

Who is the Second Princess? She is the beloved daughter of Consort Rong and His Majesty. Just last night, His Majesty even reprimanded someone for the sake of the Second Princess.

Pei Ji has climbed to a high position; the Imperial Household Department should hurry up and send over the bamboo charcoal.

Afu hadn't expected so many twists and turns; Afu only felt that Jingyuexuan had indeed benefited from the Second Princess.

The benefits are real; at least they can eat things they couldn't eat before, and they won't have to worry about running out of charcoal this winter.

The more Afu thought about it, the more he felt that Shengsheng was a good person.

"Young master, eat quickly, it's very fresh. Don't let the princess's kindness go to waste."

Pei Ji did not reach out, but simply looked at the grapes in deep thought.

Pei Ji recalled that the little dumpling had mysteriously told him yesterday that there was a gift, and then when he returned, he saw a basket full of meat and vegetables in the courtyard of Jingyue Pavilion.

There were two shallow marks worn down by sharp teeth on the basket handle, and you could smell dried saliva if you got close.

Those meats were all top-quality meat.

Chicken, duck, and pork were one thing, but he hadn't seen such good mutton many times even when he was in the Song Dynasty.

Even the vegetables are of excellent quality.

It's not hard to imagine that it must have been prepared by Xiao Tuanzi and sent to Jingyue Pavilion by Yan Hu.

Is this another gift today?

Pei Ji looked at the contents of the basket, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together.

What is this? Charity? Pity?

Pei Ji felt a pang of sadness. He knew that this was just her kindness; she was simply treating him as a friend.

But a little voice inside Pei Ji's heart kept screaming: You are so weak and powerless, you have nothing, you can't do anything. Unfavored in his own country, he was even more cautious in a foreign land. He couldn't even speak up when someone took his things. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he lived a life of poverty.

He was a discarded pawn, with only his servant Ah Fu by his side and nothing else.

Fortunately, Ah Fu knew martial arts, not very strong, but enough to prevent him from dying tragically in a foreign land.

This is him, this is him who has nothing—

Is it only possible to survive by relying on the help of others?

How will he repay it?

Afu examined the crucian carp closely: "Young master, I think I heard the princess say yesterday that she was going fishing with the fifth prince today. This crucian carp still has lake water on it, could it be that the princess just caught it?"

As if agreeing with him, Yan Hu barked and wagged its tail in the direction of the lake.

Although Yan Hu didn't have a good impression of Pei Ji, he did feel quite sorry for him.

Besides, since Sheng Sheng wanted to be friends with Pei Ji, he was just extending a friendly greeting out of affection for Pei Ji.

Yan Hu only gave one hint before sitting down again with an air of arrogance.

Pei Ji readily understood his meaning. He casually brushed aside his thoughts and asked, "Is the princess fishing by this lake?"

Yan Hu nodded.

Afu was a little surprised: "Oh, young master, I've heard that the Second Prince's dog is extremely intelligent, and it seems to understand what you're saying!"

Pei Ji chuckled, picked up a grape, and put it in his mouth.

The plump flesh of the grape bursts open between your teeth, releasing a burst of sweet juice that instantly fills your mouth.

"Yes, it is indeed very sweet."

"Huh?" Afu realized he was talking about how sweet the grapes were, and immediately laughed and said, "Right? Putting everything else aside, the fruit from Yu Kingdom is indeed better than that from our Song Kingdom."

Pei Ji patted Yan Hu's head, and Yan Hu didn't dodge because of Sheng Sheng's presence.

Thank you.

Yan Hu let out a howl, which can be considered as an acceptance of the thanks.

"Afu, put the things away, then go to the vegetable garden in the back and pick some spinach, and also pull out a few nice white radishes."

"Oh, young master, I'll go right away."

Afu washed the spinach and white radishes he had just picked from the field and put them in a basket.