Chapter 41
Zhang Yunniang saw a man struggling with Jun Qingmo from a distance, shouted, and ran over quickly.
She is quite strong. She has been working hard and exercising regularly, so her strength is no less than that of an average man.
Even with such strength, he was unable to pry the man's hands apart.
"A gentleman should use his words, not his fists. Sir, what can I do for you? Please let my son go."
"Have you practiced?" Wei Yijun was surprised. This woman was quite strong. The force of the clamp around his wrist was so strong that it hurt.
Then he realized that the woman had grabbed his wrist. The warmth and softness made his face blush.
He has been in the border military camp for many years, and apart from the women in his family, he has never had such close contact with other women.
He quickly let go of the chair back as if it were a hot potato.
"Auntie, don't misunderstand me, I mean no harm."
From the moment Jun Qingmo saw Zhang Yunniang, a mist appeared in his eyes and he pursed his lips. He felt wronged. He felt like a bad person had bullied him and he wanted to cry.
But you can't cry when there are outsiders around and you are not at home.
Zhang Yunniang looked at him with a confused expression. It was obvious that he had been bullied, and anger burned in her heart.
But the most important thing at this moment is whether anyone is hurt.
"Don't worry, I'm not hurt."
"What's wrong with your hand? What just happened?"
Zhang Yunniang pulled his hands over and found some tiny bloodstains on them.
"I was grabbing the wheelchair just now and accidentally scratched it with my nail." It would have been fine if no one mentioned it, but when people mentioned it, Jun Qingmo felt even more aggrieved.
When there are outsiders around, he has to hold back his emotions and not let others see them.
Seeing people looking at Wei Yijun, he didn't like Zhang Yunniang's attention being diverted, so he explained: "It has nothing to do with him, he just wanted to invite me to drink."
"Then how did you end up like this?" Zhang Yunniang looked at him suspiciously. Was this man hiding something from her?
"I just accidentally bumped into the bookshelf. I'm really fine. Let's go back."
Jun Qingmo didn't want Zhang Yunniang to know what had just happened here. If she knew, it would only cause her to worry. So he lied.
Wei Yijun looked at the man who had just been so brave and fearless, and now suddenly lied, and probably understood his intention.
"Goodbye, brother." Jun Qingmo was afraid that this man would expose him, so he wanted to leave quickly.
"Sir, I'm sorry. I was reckless just now." Zhang Yunniang also apologized for her recklessness.
She pushed Jun Qingmo towards the checkout counter and said, "Have you chosen the books you need? The pharmacy is not far away. After we pay, we'll go buy a bottle of medicine for the wound."
"I've picked them all."
When he arrived at the counter, he told the name of the book he needed, and someone would fetch it from the shelf. The shop, which had been bustling just a moment ago, had now returned to its former tranquility.
While waiting for someone, the two chatted quietly, "Should we go back directly or go shopping somewhere else?"
"Let's go to Sister-in-law Wu's house for dinner."
"I almost forgot about the important things. I came out to eat. Bring two dishes for Lanzhi when you go back. It's not good to eat alone."
"I can't drink this wine, can you take me with you to dinner?"
Zhang Yunniang blinked. It seemed this person was interested in Jun Qingmo. Judging from his clothes, he was obviously not a typical person. If he had no ill intentions, it would not be bad to make friends with him.
She looked at Jun Qingmo, silently asking what was going on with this person.
"I've lived in the borderlands for many years, and I'm not used to the food here after returning to Beijing. The restaurants my friends recommended weren't very good either. I just heard you two were going out to eat, and I'm sure it'll be authentic local specialties. Could you take me along?"
What Wei Yijun said was true. He had been living at the border for many years, and his diet tended to be heavy and rough. He was not keen on those elaborate dishes.
"Wu's Noodle House is a shabby little noodle house on the street. I'm afraid you won't be used to it." The young master of the uncle's house would probably look down on a small noodle house like Mrs. Wu's.
Not to mention others, just himself, if it were in the past, he would certainly not have set foot in those places. It can be said that they are shallow-minded, and the phenomenon of not wanting to eat meat is too common among young men like them.
"If you can eat it, why can't I? Let's go here." Wei Yijun was even more excited after hearing this. According to his experience, if you want to eat something special and authentic, you have to find those little-known and well-known small restaurants.
He made the final decision immediately and did not give the person a chance to refuse. He just pushed the wheelchair forward.
"Don't bother me, brother. I can do it myself."
"Such a longwinded chatter. What I hate most is the hypocritical politeness of you literati."
Zhang Yunniang/Jun Qingmo: "..." Aren't you a scholar? Then why are you dressed like one?
Zhang Yunniang shrugged her shoulders. Her job had been taken away. She settled the bill first, got her things, and then the three of them went to the pharmacy to buy some ointment to apply on the people, and then went to Wu Ji Noodle House.
As Wei Yijun watched the street scenes on both sides change from luxurious to simple, his eyes became brighter and brighter. It seemed that this trip would bring him unexpected gains.
He had been in the capital for more than two months and was not used to the delicacies from land and sea that were bought with the blood and sweat of the people. The vegetable markets in the capital were mostly delicate and small, not suitable for a rough man like him.
He also loathed attending banquets, big or small. The people here were full of scheming, and if they weren't careful, they'd fall into someone else's trap. As a warrior, he found it difficult to cope. Lately, he'd been hiding whenever possible, finding a respite.
Jun Qingmo didn't know Wei Yijun, but he was aware of him. This young master of the Bo Mansion, born into a family of military commanders, had been raised in the military since childhood. It was unclear why he had returned to the capital. He had no idea what his intentions were, and hadn't yet expressed them.
Since ancient times, there has been a barrier between scholars and military men. Especially since this gentleman is not often in the capital, the two of them had no contact before, and they only knew that there was such a person in the aristocratic family.
"Yuan Jin, who is this girl?" Although Wei Yijun was a warrior, he was not stupid. Jun Qingmo deliberately concealed the conflict that had just happened, obviously because he didn't want others to worry after knowing it.
"Her last name is Zhang." A girl's maiden name is never revealed to other men. He didn't want to say much about Zhang Yunniang's identity. He didn't want anyone to be interested in her.
Seeing that the other person didn't want to say more, Wei Yijun didn't ask any further questions.
The three of them walked there and spent quite a bit of time on the road. Jun Qingmo and the other man got along better and better as they talked, and their impressions of each other changed in their minds.
One person thinks that not all literati are pedantic scholars who show off their pedantic writings, while another person thinks that warriors are generous and not as rude and impolite as others describe them to be.
Wei Yijun saw the sign of Wu Ji Noodle House not far away. This small shop was indeed simple, but at a glance, it was clean and tidy inside and out, and it was still a good place to go.
"That's it?"
Zhang Yunniang: "The decoration of this shop looks simple, but the noodles taste good. Mrs. Wu is a mysophobe, so she keeps the shop clean inside and out."
Wei Yijun was in high spirits and pushed people inside with big strides.
"Sir, please come in and take a seat." Looking at the girl who followed in, Wu Xiuniang pulled back the corners of her mouth and smiled, "Oh, Miss Zhang has brought her friends to show her support again."
Wu Xiuniang couldn't hide her excitement. Most of the people who came to her place were neighbors, and there were very few new customers. She hadn't seen this girl for a while, and she missed her.
"Please sit down, please sit down."
Wei Yijun lifted his robe and sat on the bench. Seeing how familiar the two seemed, it seemed they came here often to eat. Perhaps they would be in for a treat today. "Let me see the menu."
"Sorry, bro. Apart from noodle soup, we don't have a set menu in the store. I can make any common home-cooked dishes. Please feel free to order what you want. If you don't have the ingredients in the store, this place is close to the store."
Wu Xiuniang felt a little embarrassed. Generally, the people who came to her place were common people, and they would just eat whatever they wanted. She would give them some pickles as a gift, and they would usually just order a bowl of noodle soup.
The store doesn’t stock a lot of ingredients because her sales are low and anything that can’t be sold out will be wasted.
Wei Yijun is not a fussy person and has always been unconcerned about trivial matters. He immediately looked at Jun Qingmo.
Jun Qingmo turned to look at Zhang Yunniang. He was not picky, and she was always the one who arranged everything for him when he was outside.
"Give us three bowls of shredded pork noodles and five dishes, three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. Just cook whatever you have."
"Okay, take a seat, we'll be up soon."
"Yuan Jin, are you preparing for the next imperial examination?" He had just seen the books that Zhang Yunniang went to check out, and he also had a set at home.
"Well, I'm planning to give it a try." Jun Qingmo pulled up a smile. There was honesty in his eyes, without any distractions, and he didn't look at him strangely because of his disability.
"That's perfect. I'm planning to give it a try too, and it's great to have a companion. I know your talent, and you can help me with my studies."
"Brother Wei, your words are very sincere. We are brothers, so there is nothing we cannot say. Because of this leg, I have wasted more than two years, and now I still have a lot of lessons to learn."
Now he also understood the importance of humility. Although he was not arrogant before, he still had the arrogance of a scholar. Now thinking about it, he felt a little ashamed of himself.
"It's okay, it's okay. At least it's better than me, a latecomer." Wei Yijun waved his hand generously.
"What do you mean?" Jun Qingmo was indeed a little curious. It was indeed puzzling that people from a martial family did not choose to join the army.
"Heh," Wei Yijun gave a wry smile, "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I used to look down on those who pursued a literary career. I believed that a true man should make great achievements, fight on the battlefield, and return with honor."
Wei Yijun's hearty laughter was tinged with a hint of regret, a regret he had to face up to until now. "Later, I was injured and my internal organs were damaged. It didn't affect my survival, but it was inconvenient for me to practice martial arts and fight again."
The dream of many years died in the first battle, and the dream of galloping on the battlefield was awakened just like that.
His family members comforted him that as long as he recuperated well, he still had a chance, but that slim chance was like red rain from the sky, so he had to face it.
He was indeed depressed for a long time, and his family sought out famous doctors from all over the country, but to no avail.
Once his faith collapsed, his family members no longer dared to provoke him. They let him do whatever he wanted and no one dared to interfere with him.
He has always been unwilling to come back from the border. The foundation of the Earl's Mansion is in the border area, where he has many confidants and Earl Kangle. Although his family is worried, they let him do what he wants.
Later, he gradually let it go, or was forced to accept reality. At the beginning, he secretly prepared for the imperial examination, fearing that he would be ridiculed if he failed. After all, he had been high-profile before and looked down on literati from the bottom of his heart.
Later, he stopped caring. After his father retired, the Kangle Earl's Mansion would still need him to support the family. Although he could be recommended by his family to enter the officialdom, the prospects of recommendation were not as good as the imperial examination, and he could not get a higher position.
Only the children of aristocratic families with real talent and knowledge would choose to take the imperial examination and become officials. He started late, but he had no other choice.
The two of them "confided in each other their true feelings", and they had all come to this day by chance, and now they felt a deep sense of mutual respect. At this time, Wu Xiuniang also came over with the prepared food.
I was listening to the conversation unintentionally and learned that Wei Yijun was a soldier and from the northwest. I couldn't help but feel excited. After the food was served on the table, I didn't leave.
Wei Yijun smelled the aroma of lard mixed with noodles. The noodle soup was clear with oil spots on it. He immediately picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup.
"Not bad, not bad, this noodle is well made." The soup was rich and fragrant, and he picked up the chopsticks and started to eat it with a slurp.
"Just eat what you like. You can get more for free after you finish eating."
Zhang Yunniang asked curiously, "Sister-in-law Wu, how come this is free? Aren't you afraid of losing money?"
Looking at the shy smile on Mrs. Wu's face, I immediately knew that she wanted to ask for something.
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