Chapter 17 Sang Ji is angry...
"Sister, please understand. I can't separate from Jiaojiao."
"This is a one-time exception. Don't make decisions for me anymore."
Chen Chi's tone was unusually cold.
After saying this, he turned and left, his steps becoming increasingly hurried.
"Yes, I was wrong, I will follow your teachings, brother."
From afar, Chen Jiao bowed slightly to Chen Chi's back, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly.
She always presents herself as this sensible person to the outside world.
But the darkness in his eyes could not be hidden.
"Little Jiaojiao—"
As soon as Chen Chi stepped out of the door, he saw Liu Jiao being thrown to the ground by a burly soldier.
His usually relaxed and gentle brows furrowed deeply, his pale lips tightened, and he stepped forward, ignoring the respectful greetings of the guards, focusing solely on carefully helping Liu Jiao to her feet.
"What else did they do to you?!"
"Does it hurt? I'll take you to the doctor..."
"Can you stand up? Or should I carry you over?"
Chen Chi was so concerned that he became flustered. He looked Liu Jiao up and down, scrutinizing every part of her body.
I'm afraid that if I bump or scrape myself, it might leave a scar if I don't treat it in time.
"It's alright, it's alright!" Liu Jiao let go of his support and even jumped around a few times to tell him that she was fine.
Then, with a smile, she looked at Chen Chi, whom she hadn't seen for several months, and said, "I've come today to congratulate Brother Chen Chi on passing the imperial examination with top honors! I wonder if I've disturbed you?"
Chen Chi was the only son of the Chen family, the most prestigious family in Yangzhou. He was of noble birth and exceptionally ambitious, studying diligently and assiduously.
In the summer, at a young age, he passed the imperial examination with top honors.
After passing the imperial examination with top honors, he became a highly sought-after man in Yangzhou, and marriage negotiations were in full swing, but nothing was decided yet.
Chen Chi and Liu Jiao knew each other because Chen Chi's father was the village chief of Cao Village.
He lived in Caocun for a period of time when he was young.
Because the village chief's house and Liu Jiao's house were two households in one house, and there were only two children in the same house, Liu Jiao and Chen Chi became familiar with each other after a while.
Later, in order to pass the imperial examinations, he left Caocun, but he kept in touch with Liu Jiao. Whenever he had free time, Chen Chi would come to see her.
"What are you disturbing? To my brother, fame and fortune are naturally not as important as you." Chen Chi waved his hand, not caring about what fame or fortune he had obtained.
"I'm happiest when you come to congratulate me, so why would I bother you?"
His gaze towards Liu Jiao was tender and gentle, and a genuine, warm, and serene smile naturally appeared on his face.
Liu Jiao chuckled sheepishly and lowered her head slightly.
"Actually, I've come here this time because I have a favor to ask..."
The two were close; after all, before they were nine years old, they were so close that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they grew up eating and sleeping together.
At the same time, two tall, dark figures stealthily descended from the street corner.
In the shadows, Forget-Worry Lord peeks ahead out of curiosity, eager for gossip.
Sang Ji stood upright and looked at them coldly.
"This is Chen Chi! I told you he was handsome! Look at him, he exudes an air of integrity, just like you," Wangyoujun exclaimed.
Sang Ji completely ignored him.
"You can rest assured, I watched her and Chen Chi grow up, there's absolutely nothing going on!"
"Chen Chi is so young, promising, and handsome, how could he possibly be interested in my Jiaojiao? If you're talking about me, you are..."
"Shut up," Sang Ji suddenly interrupted impatiently.
"nothing?"
"Then tell me, what was she doing?" Just as Wangyou Jun confidently declared their relationship was completely innocent, Sang Ji grabbed his sleeve, turned his head, and forced him to look ahead—
before:
Liu Jiao smiled as she presented Chen with Sichuan peppercorns.
What's wrong?
Wangyou scratched his head, completely baffled: "Jiaojiao is delivering peppercorns to Chen? What's wrong?"
Sang Ji snorted coldly and refused to say another word to this stupid, pig-like accomplice.
This Forget-Worry Lord is obsessed with romantic love, yet he doesn't understand any of these things.
At this moment, Liu Jiao had already discussed with Chen Chi how to help resolve Xiu Lian's matter and was waving goodbye—Chen Chi was holding an open box in his hands, looking at the box full of peppercorns, his eyes filled with emotion and appreciation.
As Liu Jiao skipped and hopped along, in a cheerful mood, past the street corner—
Suddenly, I was pulled by a tremendous force.
She was then grabbed by the waist and lifted up without any resistance, and taken to an empty alley in broad daylight.
Left behind, Wangyoujun, recalling Sangji's gloomy demeanor, suddenly realized:
"Sichuan peppercorn……"
"I regard you as a hibiscus, yet you offer me a handful of pepper!"
Sending Sichuan peppercorns means "I like him!"
Forget-Me-Not slapped his forehead, realized what he meant, and quickly chased after Sang Ji's retreating figure.
Sang Ji knew that sending Sichuan peppercorns was an expression of affection because of his erudition. Wang Youjun knew it was purely because he was a playboy in the world of pleasure.
...
The alleys and lanes were narrow and secluded.
The lush, orange-red trumpet creeper flowers covered most of the shade.
Sang Ji held Liu Jiao's wrist the whole way, and when they were alone, Liu Jiao pressed her back against the gray wall and quickly let go.
He turned around.
He lowered his shoulders, almost as if he were embracing Liu Jiao, leaving her no way to escape.
He looked Liu Jiao in the eyes and asked coldly:
Why did you give him Sichuan peppercorns?
Liu Jiao: ?
Seeing Sang Ji's murderous look, she feared he might chop her up if he got upset, so her thoughts of a cold war and separation immediately vanished.
"Sulking is precious, but life is more valuable." She said timidly.
"It was Brother Chen who asked me to deliver it. He said he needed something from me, so I gave him the Sichuan peppercorns."
Sang Ji could hardly breathe.
So, she gave it to him?
"Then do you know what it means to send Sichuan peppercorns?" Sang Ji's voice was so deep it seemed like it was about to drip water.
Liu Jiao looked indifferent and casually said:
"Perhaps Brother Chen Chi is considerate of my poverty and lack of resources, and since Sichuan peppercorns are cheap and practical, he asked me to deliver them? He likes them as a side dish with his drinks?"
Sang Ji: "..."
Looking at her expression, which showed no doubt.
Sang Jiqi laughed.
Then, he withdrew his body, which had been subtly pressing down on her, and released Liu Jiao from his grasp.
Okay, he's overthinking it.
This silly girl doesn't even know how to read, so how would she know the line "He gave me a handful of pepper" from the Book of Songs?
It's strange.
Logically speaking, Chen Chi was more familiar with Liu Jiao than he was, and should have known that she didn't understand the meaning of sending peppercorns, so why did he still ask Liu Jiao to send peppercorns?
Chen Chi was so touched by the Sichuan peppercorns that he looked like a ghost.
Did he think Liu Jiao gave him Sichuan peppercorns because she really liked him?
Sang Ji narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, keenly recalling the first primer he had found in Liu Jiao's study, which included a copy of the Book of Poetry.
But there were no signs of it being touched, which clearly showed that Liu Jiao couldn't refuse his hospitality and had no choice but to take the book home to gather dust.
The only page with a folded corner is the one with the inscription "Give me a handful of pepper".
Without a doubt, they were all Chen Chizhe's; Liu Jiao hadn't even looked through the things he gave her.
After a moment's thought and integrating the information, Sang Ji understood.
Clearly, those early learning books were given to Liu Jiao by Chen Chi, who wanted her to learn from them.
But Liu Jiao realistically didn't touch a single page.
This is why Chen Chi's little scheme failed.
In fact, Sang Ji's guess was pretty accurate.
Chen Chi did indeed frequently send books to Liu Jiao, thinking that she would surely understand, and he was secretly pleased to see her accept them.
When Wangyoujun caught up, he happened to hear Liu Jiao say that she sent peppercorns to accompany her wine. Seeing Sang Jiqing's colorful expressions of alternating white and red, he burst into laughter.
After laughing for a while, he said sarcastically:
“Jiaojiao, you don’t know why we’re giving it to him, but your brother Sangji does, because he’s very knowledgeable.”
Liu Jiao exclaimed "Ah!" with a puzzled look in her eyes.
She found the two crazy men utterly baffling.
*
The next day, as the sun rose and dawn broke, the rugged grass village connected with the prosperous city center of Yangzhou.
Early in the morning, Chen Chi, at Liu Jiao's request, set aside a whole day and brought two carriages of gifts to Caocun.
After stepping onto the carriage, a pair of slender hands blocked Chen Chi's attempt to pull back the curtain to darken the room.
Chen Chi looked up at the person who had come, "Sister? What brings you here?"
Chen Jiao was dressed in a light blue outfit. She was beautiful and gentle, like a delicate and clear little crystal. It was obvious that she had dressed up.
He frowned deeply, stopping Chen Jiao from getting into the carriage.
Chen Jiao gave a flawless, gentle smile and said sensibly, "I just feel that I was inconsiderate yesterday and now I just want to apologize to Jiaojiao in person. Please don't think I'm being presumptuous, brother."
After all, she's my sister who I grew up with; though we're not blood-related, she's better than blood-related.
Chen Chi values family and relationships very much.
Chen Chi responded, and Chen Jiao stepped inside and sat down next to him.
"Chunfu, please go to Caocun." The host's warm, gentle voice came from inside the carriage.
...
Noon, Caocun.
The clouds stretch for thousands of miles, and the sky has changed again.
Summer rain is about to fall, the sky is a muddy gray, and a suffocating atmosphere hangs in the air.
Chen Chi went to Xiulian's house and had a private talk with her.
Liu Jiao is waiting for news.
As Xiulian sat on a small stool in front of her house, gazing expectantly, Chen Jiao walked gracefully to her side and gave her a disdainful look at her rustic appearance.
"You're Liu Jiao? With what right do you think you are?" She didn't maintain her composed, ladylike demeanor; instead, she covered her mouth with her sleeve, her expression unmistakably mocking.
"Even if you get so close to my brother, no matter how much you pester him, he will never be interested in you."
"You're not even qualified to enter my family. Our Chen family is the most prestigious family in Yangzhou. Who would even look at you?"
"I'm afraid they're not even fit to be servants."
Liu Jiao, who hadn't done anything: "..."
Even lying down, you can still get stabbed.
She chose to shrink onto the bench and ignore them.
So what if you look down on her? She won't die.
If you want her to die, she won't; she'll live a good life.
"Jiaojiao?" Uncle Village Chief, who is also Chen Chi and Chen Jiao's father, was looking for Liu Jiao, holding a blue and white porcelain plate with a piece of layered oil cake on it in his left hand.
This interrupted Chen Jiao's sarcastic remarks.
Seeing Liu Jiao slumped listlessly on the bench, he teased:
"Oh, is it because you've been waiting for my little Chi that the flowers have all withered?"
He stroked his white beard with delight, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Since you care so much about this kid, why don't you come and be my wife?"
Liu Jiao: "..."
What?
How can someone treat their own son like this?
She should probably stop messing with Chen Chi.
She was about to refuse when the village chief stuffed a piece of layered oil cake into her mouth.
"Your aunt made this, and I kneaded the dough. Try it, is it good?"
"Don't rush to refuse to be my daughter-in-law, think it over?" Uncle Village Chief asked expectantly.
Chen Jiao, who had been ignored all along: "..."
She could no longer bear it, "Father, it's me, Jiaojiao... Jiaojiao is here too."
She squeezed out the word "t" through gritted teeth as a reminder.
The village chief suddenly realized what was happening, turned around and glanced at her, his previously cheerful tone becoming somewhat distant: "It's all good, Jiaojiao has lost weight too."
"Jiaojiao, did you and Chen Chi come in the same carriage?" After exchanging pleasantries, the village chief changed the subject, "Don't ride in the same carriage in the future. After all, you're getting old, and you should avoid suspicion."
Compared to her enthusiasm for Liu Jiao, she seemed indifferent, as if Chen Jiao were the outsider.
Chen Jiao almost bit her teeth to pieces.
Beneath the floral-patterned silk sleeves, her knuckles were white, and her feigned obedient and sensible demeanor was twisted with anger.
Isn't she this old man's biological daughter?
They're family too!
They treat Liu Jiao, that coarse and ugly village girl, better than they treat her.
Even if she married her brother, it would be better than this country girl!
A note from the author:
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