Chapter 47, Year Two
Xia and Xiaozhu were startled by Pei Wu's sudden staggering and wanted to help him, but Pei Wu raised his hand to indicate that it wasn't necessary, so they stepped aside a little, still feeling a bit uneasy.
Unlike Jiang Ru, who immediately took his hand, Jiang Ru was left to support him with both hands. Even after he regained his balance, Jiang Ru was still a little hesitant to let go: "What happened to you? You even fell on flat ground."
Pei Wu's ears turned bright red. He had never imagined that Jiang Ru would say such outrageous things. He paused, then said in a low voice, "How could you say such a thing?"
Jiang Ru was puzzled: "What did I say?" But these were all unimportant things. Jiang Ru looked at Pei Wu's face with concern: "You didn't eat dinner and you have low blood sugar again, did you? You should at least eat something before you come."
Pei Wu was severely malnourished a few years ago, and now he easily faints if he doesn't eat. Jiang Ru grabbed his hand, exasperated: "Are you so hungry you don't know to eat?"
Pei Wu argued weakly, "I didn't faint because I didn't eat."
Jiang Ru was not going to believe him at this point, and half-supported him as he walked towards the carriage: "Don't explain, I don't believe you."
Pei Wu struggled weakly for a couple of seconds, but it was no use. Jiang Ru slapped his arm and said in an unfriendly tone, "Even in this state, you still want to run and won't let me help you up. I should have let you fall flat on your face."
Don't break his face. I just complimented his good looks, and he did it right away.
Pei Wu could only be helped onto the carriage by her. He tried to explain that he hadn't fallen because he hadn't eaten, but Jiang Ru just wouldn't believe him.
Once on the carriage, Jiang Ru rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small packet of icing sugar. She unwrapped it and offered it to Pei Wu's lips.
She raised her eyebrows smugly: "Luckily I was prepared. Eat up."
Frosting is expensive and difficult to store, yet Jiang Ru still carries it with her. Pei Wu looked at the hand extended to him; her fingers were like jade, slender scallions. The paper packet she was holding contained pale yellow sugar cubes, which she waved twice in front of Pei Wu's eyes.
Jiang Ru urged, "Hurry up."
Pei Wu reached out and took the icing sugar. Under Jiang Ru's watchful gaze, he put the icing sugar into his mouth.
Jiang Ru's tense shoulders finally relaxed. Now that Pei Wu had eaten the candy, she could take the opportunity to tease him: "Knowing that you're not in good health, you should remember not to let yourself go hungry in the future. Look at you, if it weren't for me today, you would have fallen to the ground, wouldn't you?"
Pei Wu had given up arguing with her that he wasn't hungry, and simply asked, "When did you buy the icing?"
Jiang Ru: "A few days ago, this icing spoiled so easily that I had to keep refilling it."
Pei Wu then asked, "What about the broken ones..."
Jiang Ru replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I ate it."
That makes sense, but Pei Wu, concerned about the high price of the icing, asked, "Why don't you buy maltose?"
Jiang Ru: "I used to buy maltose, but I switched to icing sugar a few days ago. I was planning to keep it for myself, but who would have thought you would eat it."
Pei Wu froze, the delicate sweetness of the frosting spreading on his tongue. Pei Wu assured him, "I'll buy it and return it to you."
Jiang Ru smiled and said, "I was just kidding. I ate a lot before, so you don't need to pay me back."
As she spoke, Jiang Ru lifted the curtain and said to the coachman, "Just drop us off at Zhouqiao Bridge."
Actually, let alone Pei Wu, Jiang Ru herself wasn't very full either. The dishes at their banquet were exquisite, but there wasn't much to fill their stomachs. Jiang Ru ate several pastries in the afternoon, but they didn't fill her stomach; she just drank tea to eat them.
A moment later, they entered a restaurant in Zhouqiao. Jiang Ru ordered local specialties such as pan-fried pork, rice cooked with raw and cooked ingredients, and mutton bone soup. The restaurant was crowded at this time, so the four of them occupied a small corner and ate their hot meals. The hot soup warmed their stomachs, making them feel very comfortable.
This food is much better than what was served at the banquet. Anyone who can establish themselves in Zhouqiao must have some skill; they can make even a few dishes incredibly delicious.
Jiang Ru was enjoying her meal when Pei Wu suddenly said, "Isn't it inappropriate for us to eat out without their knowledge?"
Jiang Ru brought Pei Wu here to eat because she knew he was hungry and it was still a long way from home, but Pei Wu still complained about her.
Jiang Ru made a "shh" gesture at him: "We'll eat it secretly and not tell them."
Xiaozhu hesitated: "But they said they would cook dinner and wait for us to come back in the evening."
Jiang Ru: "..."
Pei Wu: "..."
Xia: "..."
However, after returning home, Xiao Fang asked suspiciously, "You really have no appetite?"
Jiang Ru nodded repeatedly: "I ate too many pastries."
Xiao Fang sniffed: "Liar! I can smell the fragrance on you guys. You went to a restaurant without taking us!"
Xiao Chen was on the verge of tears: "My cooking is really that bad. If you prefer food from outside, there's nothing I can do. Eat it if you like."
Jiang Ru gave them both a disdainful look: "You two stop talking. I'll take you tomorrow too, okay?"
Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen succeeded, and only then did they give up.
After the flower viewing party, the most important thing was Jiang Ru's birthday. The day before, Xia and the others went to buy a lot of groceries, planning to cook a table full of Jiang Ru's favorite dishes.
Pei Wu also had a day off that day. Unlike last time, this time Pei Wu had a few companions with him, and they could openly and secretly plan Jiang Ru's birthday banquet, keeping it a secret from Jiang Ru alone.
Jiang Ru could only watch them sneak around, not exposing them, just to see what they would do that night.
Because Jiang Ru didn't want to hold a big celebration, acquaintances like Zheng Qiuhong sent gifts early on, and Song Shu and her girlfriends also sent servants to deliver gifts. Even Song Pingzhang sent a piece of calligraphy.
In the evening, Jiang Ru was led to the dinner table, where a table full of fragrant dishes, all of which looked and smelled delicious. The longevity noodles in the center were clearly made by Pei Wu. Although the dough he kneaded was no longer as uneven as before, Jiang Ru could recognize it at a glance.
The birthday banquet was a joyous occasion. Jiang Ru finished her noodles and tried to sample all the dishes on the table, as they were all expressions of goodwill from everyone.
Xia and the others pooled their money to buy her a sachet. The spices inside were carefully selected by them and were meant to calm the nerves. Jiang Ru liked it very much.
Jiang Ru put on the sachet and looked up at Pei Wu, but Pei Wu pretended not to see her.
He was probably brewing some surprise again, so Jiang Ru didn't say anything to him. After the birthday banquet, when everyone was about to go to sleep, Pei Wu called Jiang Ru back.
He brought out a box, and Jiang Ru initially thought he was going to give her money again. However, upon closer inspection, she realized that the box was not as large as before. It was exquisitely carved, meticulously detailed, and of excellent quality, radiating a faint luster in Pei Wu's hands.
Pei Wu opened the box. Inside was an indigo-blue brocade cloth, and lying inside was a smiling Maitreya Buddha.
The carving was incredibly lifelike, the jade was smooth and translucent. Jiang Ru's eyes widened in amazement: "So beautiful!"
Pei Wu said softly, "Wishing my cousin a happy birthday, may you be as beautiful as a flower and as lovely as a face in spring."
After hearing his blessing, Jiang Ru took out the jade Buddha from the box. She looked at it in the light and became more and more delighted. She couldn't wait to put it on.
However, the jade pendant's thread was too thin, and it wasn't convenient for her to wear it with her back turned. Jiang Ru tried it on, but even after sweating profusely, she still couldn't put the jade pendant on.
Jiang Ru looked down and saw Pei Wu's clothes, so she called out to him, "Can you help me?"
Pei Wu shifted his feet slightly but didn't respond. He reminded Jiang Ru, "You can wrap the thread around to the front before putting it on."
But Jiang Ru had no time to think about any of that. She wandered around aimlessly, afraid of dropping the jade pendant, and then looked up at Pei Wu with pleading eyes.
After a moment, Pei Wu sighed and walked behind Jiang Ru. Because of his height, he could easily take the red rope. However, Jiang Ru was holding it too tightly, and when Pei Wu took the red rope, he accidentally touched Jiang Ru's fingertips.
Pei Wu's fingertips felt warm, and he almost froze before he could barely grip the red string tightly.
He hesitated for a moment, the person behind him had a strong presence, was too tall, and his shadow completely enveloped her. Their auras blended, and they were too close, making Jiang Ru inexplicably uncomfortable. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why aren't you tying it?"
Pei Wu paused for a moment before starting. Because he needed to tie the jade pendant for Jiang Ru, Pei Wu could only be very close to her. In order not to touch the back of Jiang Ru's neck, Pei Wu could only tie it from a distance.
He tried to keep his gaze from falling on the back of Jiang Ru's neck, but his eyes were inevitably drawn to that patch of white, interspersed with a few stray hairs, making it extremely noticeable.
Even the brightest candlelight couldn't compare to daylight. The red line before him was so clear and distinct, yet Pei Wu's hand slipped several times, failing to tie it properly. Their shadows had already overlapped, and Pei Wu's hand cast a shadow on Jiang Ru's neck, moving with his movements.
Pei Wu finally caught the red thread. He squeezed the thread tightly, twisting it between his fingertips, focusing only on his palm. He quickly tied the red thread and let go.
The jade pendant hung firmly around Jiang Ru's neck. Jiang Ru picked up the jade pendant and said with a smile, "Thank you, cousin. I like it very much."
Her joy was undisguised; her gaze was fixed solely on Pei Wu, her eyes brimming with tears, making her the most dazzling pearl in the night.
Pei Wu moved aside, distancing himself from Jiang Ru, before saying, "If you like it, that's good."
only……
Jiang Ru looked up at Pei Wu, who was quite a distance away, and stroked the jade pendant in her hand, saying, "I was wondering why you didn't give me my salary this month. Turns out you used it to buy this."
Upon hearing this, Pei Wu stiffened and awkwardly looked away: "I understand, I'll give it to you next month."
“I didn’t say that.” Jiang Ru winked teasingly. “If you want to keep it, then keep it. You can buy whatever you want like you are now. I won’t interfere.”
Pei Wu didn't say anything else, just grunted in response, it was unclear whether he had taken it to heart.
Birthdays are in the past, after all. This is the second birthday that Jiang Ru and Pei Wu have celebrated together. Since finding Pei Wu, Jiang Ru has been very happy. She has someone to accompany her and things to do. Jiang Ru sincerely said, "I want to celebrate my birthday with you again in the future."
Pei Wu then said, "Okay."
Jiang Ru spoke this promise earnestly, and Pei Wu answered earnestly as well. They looked at each other, their eyes brimming with smiles. Jiang Ru, with her red lips and white teeth, smiled brightly: "Pei Wu, it's so good to have you."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Next update depends on the situation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com