Chapter 23 Sending my cousin to the Imperial Examination
This is a really difficult question to answer. Just reciting that string of relatives' names would make even Pei Wu feel guilty, let alone Jiang Ru herself.
Luckily, she had a good memory and remembered the tongue twister. It took her a long time to finally figure out the relationship between them.
Moreover, they were just talking about her birthday, and Pei Wu suddenly brought up her parents, which was really presumptuous of him.
Jiang Ru kept a blank face, trying to scare Pei Wu away with her cold demeanor, but Pei Wu couldn't read her expression and continued to ask, "Cousin, you still haven't answered me."
No matter how you answer Pei Wu, your answer will be full of loopholes.
Jiang Ru smiled and said, "Cousin, you ask too many questions."
The more she tried to hide it, the more suspicious Pei Wu became. Seeing her stammering and evasive answers, he became even more certain that Jiang Ru was hiding something from him.
He smiled helplessly: "If you really don't want to get married, I can help you find someone. If the other person isn't a good match, I will make other plans for you. You don't need to hide it."
Jiang Ru went berserk: "I really have no engagement!"
Because of the isolation of the times, any news from any household would quickly spread to the neighbors. Pei Wu's idea was also reasonable: since Jiang Ru wouldn't tell him, he would find out for himself.
After all, if her fiancé comes knocking but Jiang Ru isn't there, that would be a real waste of time for both of them.
Jiang Ru is young and doesn't understand things, but Pei Wu needs to.
Pei Wu took this matter excessively seriously, questioning her for a long time, so long that Jiang Ru wanted to hide back inside, but Pei Wu stopped her.
At the critical moment, Jiang Ru suddenly noticed the noodles on the table. Pei Wu had been busy delivering her birthday gift and hadn't eaten much of the noodles, which were getting cold.
Jiang Ru immediately pointed to the noodles on the table: "Your noodles are all clumped together."
Pei Wu glanced at it briefly, then quickly looked back at Jiang Ru, ignoring the bowl of noodles.
At times like this, Jiang Ru always comes up with a lot of fallacies. She immediately launched an attack: "You're not eating noodles, are you hoping my birthday will be unhappy?"
This statement was quite unreasonable and unlucky, so Pei Wu immediately frowned: "Don't talk nonsense, take it back."
He became serious, his eyes turning cold, like the chilling air emanating from a deep, icy pool. Jiang Ru was intimidated by his gaze and quickly spat out a few words before Pei Wu finally looked away.
Just as Jiang Ru had predicted, he picked up his chopsticks and finished the noodles in his bowl.
His gaze was so stern that Jiang Ru didn't dare to leave, and reluctantly sat back down in her original spot.
Pei Wu is usually gentle and harmless, and Jiang Ru is the one who bullies him in the past. But when it comes to this kind of situation, he becomes excessively domineering.
He was eating his noodles with his head down. Jiang Ru secretly glanced at him a few times, giving her a little time to think.
Even if Jiang Ru was a distant cousin, a person with such a high sense of morality as Pei Wu would still include her in his fold, let alone the fact that she was indeed a cousin, albeit a distant one.
Jiang Ru convinced herself and looked at Pei Wu with full confidence.
After Pei Wu finished eating, he looked at Jiang Ru with a questioning gaze again. Jiang Ru took a deep breath and said, "Cousin, I am the daughter of the aunt of the son of your great-great-grandfather's nephew."
She spoke very quickly, and it was unclear whether Pei Wu had heard her clearly, but she had finished speaking anyway.
She waited for Pei Wu's answer with righteous indignation. If Pei Wu dared to disown her, she would ask him why he would do such a heinous thing and drag her down with him. After all, if it weren't for their kinship, she wouldn't have died.
After reciting this list of relatives, Pei Wu's expression froze.
His pupils widened slightly, as if he had heard something unbelievable, and he couldn't hide his astonishment.
After a long silence, Pei Wu coughed lightly, put the back of his hand to his lips, and his voice floated lightly to Jiang Ru's ears, as if he was trying to suppress a laugh: "It's kind of you to be able to find me."
Jiang Ru sneered. Yes, she was also wondering how those soldiers had found her in the vast sea of people.
That's outrageous.
She doesn't even share the same surname as Pei Wu, and they live so far apart, yet they still managed to drag her out and kill her.
She glared at Pei Wu, and if he dared to deny it, she would throw the noodle soup on his face!
Fortunately, Pei Wu didn't do anything reckless. He just turned his head away and smiled. When he turned back, the smile on his face hadn't faded yet, and he said in a raised tone, "I only asked for your father's and mother's names, I didn't ask you to say these things."
He paused for a moment, "Perhaps we are a bit far, but we are still relatives, so it is only right that we look after each other."
"So, can you tell me where your family moved to later?"
Jiang Ru: "..."
Pei Wu's question and her answer were not the same thing at all, yet she foolishly answered that she had exposed herself.
She secretly glanced at Pei Wu's expression. Fortunately, Pei Wu just smiled and didn't seem to want to send her away.
Jiang Ru said indignantly, "My family is from Taihu Lake in Shuzhou. My father is Jiang Yu and my mother is Wu Qiupei. Is that enough?"
Pei Wu nodded: "Okay."
After she finished answering, Pei Wu fell into deep thought. When he was thinking, he would unconsciously tap his fingers, his slender fingers tapping on the wooden table, as smooth as jade, the curve of the tapping just right.
Jiang Ru thought the matter was temporarily over and was about to get up to go back to try on clothes when Pei Wu suddenly said, "I've done the math, and you're actually not my cousin."
Jiang Ru's alarm bells rang: "Yes, I am! How could I not be? How could I not be your cousin?"
She glared resentfully at Pei Wu, leaning forward to intimidate him: "Of course I'm your cousin! How can you turn your back on me like that? You just said we were only distant relatives, and now you say we're not?"
"How could you do this to me? I treated you like my own cousin, but in the end you don't acknowledge me." Jiang Ru became more and more agitated as she spoke, her eyes welling up with tears as if she had been abandoned by Pei Wu.
"You were just wishing me a happy birthday, and now you're saying I'm not your cousin? I've called you so many times and you've answered, so you can't just say I'm not."
Her words came like a barrage of bullets, bombarding Pei Wu. Pei Wu was nearly rendered speechless by her outburst. Recovering his composure, he finally managed to defend himself during a lull in Jiang Ru's speech: "What I meant was..."
"Stop talking." Jiang Ru reached out her hand to stop him. "Are you sure you don't want to acknowledge me as your cousin?"
Pei Wu nodded helplessly: "I admit it, but I..."
"That's good." Jiang Ru slapped the table. "Cousin, you'd better not disappoint me."
Pei Wu's words were all cut off by Jiang Ru. He looked at Jiang Ru, hesitant to speak, and finally, under Jiang Ru's pressure, he admitted that they were cousins.
Jiang Ru clapped her hands in agreement: "That's right, you can't disown me just because we're distant relatives."
Pei Wu could only nod: "Yes," but after hesitating for a long time, he finally blurted out, "Cousin."
"That's more like it," Jiang Ru said with satisfaction. "You can't go back on your word again."
Helpless, Pei Wu could only repeat Jiang Ru's words: "I won't go back on my word later."
Reassured by Pei Wu's assurance, Jiang Ru picked up the clothes from the table and was about to return to her room when she turned back to Pei Wu and asked, "Are these clothes still a gift for me? Or are you taking them back?"
Pei Wu affirmed, "Of course it's for you, cousin."
He emphasized the last two words, "cousin," and Jiang Ru was relieved to know that he didn't intend to take them back.
Fortunately, she guessed right; Pei Wu wasn't that kind of person.
Jiang Ru carried the clothes back to the house, put them on, and tried them on; they fit perfectly.
Earlier, when Aunt Zhang came to take her measurements, she didn't know what to make. It turned out that Pei Wu had already planned to make clothes for her.
As for the face cream, Jiang Ru washed her face and applied a layer to it. The face cream had a floral scent, and the smooth cream felt moisturizing on her hands. Her face, which had been dried out by the wind, became much smoother after applying it.
Jiang Ru carefully put her things away. She couldn't wear the new clothes for the next few days; she could wear them when the weather got cooler.
I had a good night's sleep.
The next morning, Jiang Ru opened the door, and Pei Wu, who was in the courtyard, turned around. His eyes were dark and swollen, as if he hadn't slept all night.
Jiang Ru was startled by his appearance and looked him up and down suspiciously before asking hesitantly, "What's wrong with you?"
Pei Wu hesitated for a long time before finally managing to utter, "You..."
When Jiang Ru read out that string of names last night, Pei Wu initially found it amusing, but upon closer reflection, he realized that the generational order was not quite right.
By all accounts, Jiang Ru is a generation older than him.
The moment Pei Wu discovered the problem, he wanted to tell Jiang Ru, but Jiang Ru insisted that he admit that she was his cousin.
Pei Wu thought about it all night and still felt it wasn't quite right. In the past two months, he had presumed to be an elder and had lectured Jiang Ru a lot. Now that their relationship had reversed, he could be said to have been extremely disrespectful.
Pei Wu really wanted to tell her the truth, but he could also imagine that if Jiang Ru knew about this, she would probably be so arrogant that she would walk around like a madwoman.
No matter what, Jiang Ru is just a fifteen-year-old girl. If she uses her seniority to pressure Pei Wu and acts willfully, Pei Wu really won't be able to discipline her.
However, Pei Wu couldn't bring himself to call Jiang Ru "cousin" without batting an eye.
Thinking too much and not sleeping all night naturally resulted in dark circles under my eyes.
He had already decided that he should make things clear with Jiang Ru, but he had to set three rules for her: she couldn't abuse her status and act recklessly.
However, when he deliberately waited for Jiang Ru to get up, determined to make things clear, Jiang Ru keenly thought he was trying to renege on his promise and immediately glared at him: "You promised me last night."
“I did promise,” Pei Wu nodded, “but…”
Jiang Ru said with dissatisfaction, "Cousin, I'm giving you one last chance. Do you acknowledge me or not? If you don't, I'm leaving right now."
After saying that, she pretended to run back to her room, slamming her bundle down with a loud thud, and even putting aside the clothes Pei Wu had given her the night before: "I'm leaving now, and I don't want the clothes you gave me anymore, take them!"
Her outburst of anger actually fooled Pei Wu, who quickly changed his tune: "I admit it, I admit it, please don't leave."
Jiang Ru paused in her packing, her almond-shaped eyes widening: "Swear it."
Just as Pei Wu seemed about to hesitate, she immediately picked up her bundle and said, "Okay, I'm going!"
Pei Wu could only raise three fingers: "I swear."
Jiang Ru Nian: "I swear I will never disown my cousin Jiang Ru. You repeat that."
Pei Wu had no choice but to repeat, "I swear I will never disown Jiang Ru as my cousin, okay?"
Jiang Ru was somewhat satisfied, but it wasn't enough. After all, Pei Wu had changed his mind after only one night, so even if he swore an oath, it wasn't very credible.
Jiang Ru glared at him angrily and waved her hand, saying, "You give me a written agreement."
"That won't be necessary," Pei Wu said, frowning.
Jiang Ruyi declared righteously, "I want it!"
Pei Wu had never encountered such a situation before, but as soon as he showed any sign of speaking, Jiang Ru would get angry. In addition, he had his own little schemes, so he reluctantly went back into the house to get paper and ink and wrote a contract under Jiang Ru's supervision.
Jiang Ru read a sentence and he wrote it down. Even though Pei Wu seemed reluctant, he wrote without hesitation, and in no time, a beautiful document was completed.
Guarantee: I swear that no matter what happens, I will never disown my cousin Jiang Ru.
At the bottom, Jiang Ru and Pei Wu each signed their names.
The agreement was ridiculously childish, but the two of them took it seriously. After writing it, Jiang Ru folded it up and was about to put it in her sachet when Pei Wu suddenly asked, "What about me?"
Jiang Ru asked, puzzled, "What?"
“You didn’t write me a guarantee.” Pei Wu became stubborn and demanded that Jiang Ru sign one for him as well.
Jiang Ru chuckled, "What would I sign? I'm not going to abandon you."
...Their eyes met.
After a moment, Jiang Ru, with a cold face, held the pen and listened to Pei Wu read aloud.
Guarantee: I swear that no matter what happens, I will never disown my cousin Pei Wu.
The two continued to sign their names.
Pei Wu examined it carefully, folded the page neatly, and put it into his pocket.
His movements were gentle and careful, as if he were afraid of damaging the paper. Jiang Ru subconsciously wanted to complain, but when she saw Pei Wu's lowered eyelashes and his earnest and cherished actions, she swallowed her words.
After the guarantee was signed, their precarious relationship was finally salvaged, and both of them were very satisfied.
A few days later, the mourning period ended, and Pei Wu came to the offering table and lit incense for the spirit tablet. Although the mourning period had ended, Pei Wu was still dressed in plain clothes and his decorations were equally simple.
With the autumn imperial examinations approaching, Pei Wu still needed to go to the county government office in advance to collect the additional tickets.
He hadn't left Muxi Village in the past few years, and Jiang Ru was even happier than him than he was about to leave for the first time.
Pei Wu hasn't been able to go with her to the market or anything like that these past few months. She's been wanting to take Pei Wu to eat the sesame seed cakes she often eats.
The county government office was not far from where they went to the market, and since it happened to be market day, Jiang Ru went along as well.
Moreover, they also needed to buy some food for Pei Wu to take the exam. The exam site was nearly ten hours away from Pei Wu's home, and the exam would last for nine days, so they had to prepare some dry rations for him.
Jiang Ru kept talking non-stop along the way, chattering away. Pei Wu listened attentively, occasionally responding. The hour-long journey passed quickly, and they arrived in no time.
They arrived at the market quite early, and naturally, they had important business to attend to, so they went to the academy first.
When Zheng Qiuhong came to see Pei Wu earlier, he mentioned his teacher and classmates several times, saying that even if it wasn't for the extra tickets, he would still come over.
Pei Wu went to see the teacher first, and Jiang Ru, not wanting to go with him, found a place to sit and wait for him.
She thought Pei Wu would probably be gone for a long time, so she watched the fish in the pond of the academy. The scenery of Yulin Academy was excellent. Walking through the long corridor, there was a bamboo forest on both sides of the corridor. The courtyard was all green and blue, with green tiles and red eaves, complementing each other perfectly.
At the end of the corridor was a pond filled with koi carp, their colors vibrant and eye-catching. Jiang Ru sat by the pond watching the fish, and before she knew it, she was completely absorbed in the sight.
The largest academy in Jinzhou was located here. Pei Wu's teacher had also served as an official in the capital. Later, he came to Jinzhou and built an academy here. Gradually, he gained considerable prestige in the local area.
Not long after, she heard very light footsteps behind her. Jiang Ru turned around and saw that Pei Wu had returned, with two other people beside him.
Jiang Ru stared in astonishment, then quickly stood up, patted her skirt, and Pei Wu introduced the two of them.
The two men then bowed to Jiang Ru, and Jiang Ru reciprocated by bowing in return.
Pei Wu walked to Jiang Ru's side and whispered, "When we were collecting the floating tickets, we needed someone to act as guarantor and sign, so we asked two fellow disciples for help."
Since he was acting as guarantor, he would naturally be a fellow student he knew well. However, Pei Wu was going to take the provincial examination, so the person he invited had to be at least a successful candidate in the provincial examination.
Many students from Yulin Academy were preparing for the provincial examinations, so it was common for them to help each other out.
The four of them headed to the county government office together. The ticket required recording names and characteristics, even height. Fortunately, the county government office had previously recorded Pei Wu's information, so the first step could be skipped; otherwise, they would have had to come back a few days ago.
Aside from his height, which needs updating, Pei Wu has grown much taller in the past three years.
After a complicated process, Pei Wu finally obtained his ticket to the autumn imperial examination.
After leaving the county government office, the two fellow students bid farewell to Pei Wu and returned to the academy on their own. Before leaving, Pei Wu gave them both gifts as a token of his gratitude. Although their relationship was decent, he felt that it was only right to give them some reward for asking them to make the trip.
The floating ticket was just a piece of paper that recorded Pei Wu's information, with his signature below it.
Pei Wu had casually given the floating ticket to Jiang Ru, who then looked at it. She recognized almost all the words on it, which described Pei Wu as being five feet seven inches tall, slender, fifteen years old, handsome, and fair-skinned, and so on.
Below that, even the names of Pei Wu's parents, grandparents, and neighbors were listed.
In ancient times, there were no portraits or ID cards like in modern times, but the examinations were still very strict. If someone was found to have impersonated another person to take the exam, the person listed on the document would also be punished.
Jiang Ru seemed to understand a little why she had died along with Pei Wu in her previous life; there was no way to escape it.
She stared blankly at the floating ticket. Pei Wu walked closer, tilted his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression for a while, then stretched out his five fingers and waved them in front of her eyes.
The next moment, Jiang Ru suddenly grabbed his hand.
Jiang Ru had been applying face cream these past few days, making her hands smooth and silky. The moment she grasped Pei Wu's hand, the fragrance wafted towards him along with her hand.
Although the county government office had few staff, it wasn't completely deserted; people would pass by at any time.
Pei Wu was surprised that Jiang Ru was so audacious as to hold his hand in broad daylight. Even if they were cousins, it was really inappropriate.
Pei Wu immediately tried to shake her hand off, but Jiang Ru's hand was already wrapped around his and she wouldn't let go no matter what.
Pei Wu blushed with fright, glancing nervously left and right, stammering, "What are you doing?"
He was filled with regret at that moment, wondering why he had reached out to test her earlier. He had ended up getting entangled with Jiang Ru, and he couldn't shake her off.
Pei Wu stammered, trying to dodge: "You... let go."
Jiang Ru gripped her hand even tighter, leaning forward slightly: "Promise me you will never do anything immoral."
Pei Wu didn't have time to listen to what she was saying, and could only hurriedly reply, "I promise."
Only then did Jiang Ru finally take pity on him and let go of his hand.
Jiang Ru squeezed him so tightly that the spot she had just touched smelled sweet. Her skin felt smooth to the touch, and Pei Wu felt as if he had been taken advantage of. His face turned red, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his phoenix eyes were filled with anger.
After being released, he quickly took several steps back before angrily saying, "Why did you pull me like that? I've already told you not to always touch me like that."
Jiang Ru was also anxious for a moment. After all, the information on the floating ticket was written clearly and plainly. She was afraid that Pei Wu would do something reckless and lose control of his emotions.
Jiang Ru sheepishly withdrew her hand, muttering, "I didn't mean to."
Unfortunately, it was too late to say it wasn't intentional at this point; Pei Wu simply didn't believe her and was even angry with her.
Jiang Ru asked cautiously, "Do you know what you just promised me?"
Pei Wu said defiantly, "I don't know."
He turned and left after saying that, clearly annoyed.
Jiang Ru hurriedly followed, only able to sense Pei Wu's anger through his back. When she caught up to him, she looked up and saw Pei Wu's tightly clenched jaw, its sharp lines conveying a strong sense of defiance.
Jiang Ru said gently, "Cousin, I didn't mean to."
Pei Wu ignored him.
Jiang Ru continued, "I promise I'll never touch your hand again."
Pei Wu glanced sideways: "You dare to do it again?"
This time, Jiang Ru was truly speechless. Sure enough, when someone wanted to find fault with her, even her breathing was wrong.
Seeing Pei Wu angrily walking ahead, almost passing by the pancake stall, Jiang Ru added fuel to the fire by grabbing Pei Wu's sleeve.
At that moment, Pei Wu's eyes seemed to say: Look! You just admitted your mistake, and now you've made it again.
Jiang Ru had no choice; she couldn't just let Pei Wu leave like that, so she had to resort to the most primitive method.
After successfully keeping Pei Wu with her, Jiang Ru immediately let go, pointed to the pancake stall next to her, and looked at Pei Wu with anticipation.
Unfortunately, Pei Wu didn't notice what she was referring to. He angrily flung his sleeve and was about to leave when Jiang Ru quickly called out to him, "Wait, don't go yet, let's buy some sesame cakes."
Pei Wu paused slightly, but did not move forward, nor did he turn around.
After Jiang Ru ordered two sesame cakes, he turned around, took out a copper coin, and paid for them.
One for each of them. Jiang Ru held the large sesame seed cake, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and winked at Pei Wu: "Try it, I thought it was so delicious the first time I ate it."
Pei Wu was still angry with her, but Jiang Ru had already put the sesame seed cake to his mouth, so he had no choice but to take a bite.
Jiang Ru immediately asked, "Is it delicious? Is it delicious?"
The sesame seed cake was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and sprinkled with pepper. It was indeed delicious. Pei Wu lowered his eyes and ate the cake, nodding slowly.
With his confirmation, Jiang Ru's smile deepened: "I knew you'd like it."
After saying that, she lowered her head and took a big bite.
She still had crispy bits of pastry at the corners of her mouth, her bright red lips curved in a smile, and every strand of her hair seemed to stand up with joy. After taking a bite, she smiled at Pei Wu.
Her happiness is simple; she's happy when she eats her favorite food. Even though Pei Wu was still angry with her, seeing her like this now, he couldn't stay angry with her anymore.
After the two finished eating the sesame cakes, Jiang Ru subtly asked Pei Wu, "Are you still angry?"
Pei Wu ignored him.
Jiang Ru had no choice but to give up.
Pei Wu will be taking the autumn imperial examination soon, and he will probably be busy preparing for it these next few days, so he won't have time to come to the market. Jiang Ru then took him for a walk around.
She's only been here a few months, but she's already very familiar with the place, and she even knows which restaurants have the best food.
Jiang Ru took Pei Wu to drink some beverages and bought her favorite sweet cakes. These sweet cakes were warm, unlike the cold ones she had brought Pei Wu before. They weren't as delicious as the warm ones.
After finishing the sugar cake, they bought another sugar cake for Zheng Qiuhong.
Zheng Qiuhong's stall was still in the same place. People would come to him to write letters from time to time. When they arrived, the previous customer had just left. When they saw him, Zheng Qiuhong smiled and said, "I was just thinking a few days ago that you should come soon. I've finally waited for you."
Since Zheng Qiuhong had set up a stall here, it was difficult for him to leave. He usually just ate a little something for lunch. The sweet cakes they brought were just right, and Zheng Qiuhong accepted them without hesitation and ate them.
They just stopped by on their way to see him. After all, Zheng Qiuhong had things to do, so they didn't stay long. They just agreed on a time to go together with Qiuwei.
Leaving Zheng Qiuhong's stall, Jiang Ru suddenly remembered something and asked Pei Wu, "By the way, I was just about to ask you something. You told me before that you used to come to the market to help people write letters, but then you stopped going. Was it because of Zheng Qiuhong?"
Pei Wu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Jiang Ru understood. There were too many letter writers in the market, which would divert customers, and the demand for writing letters from ordinary people was not high. Pei Wu's arrival was just taking away business from them.
Most of the scholars in the village knew Zheng Qiuhong. Zheng Qiuhong's family was not well-off, with elderly parents and young children to support, so he needed this job even more. Pei Wu had other options, so it was only natural to help him out.
Of course, Zheng Qiuhong wasn't the only one in the village. When he wasn't setting up his stall, the others would come too, since everyone had families to support.
Jiang Ru didn't know the reason before, but now that she thinks about it, it seems to make some sense.
Seeing that Pei Wu had finally agreed to talk to her, Jiang Ru tentatively asked, "Cousin, are you still angry?"
If he hadn't asked, it wouldn't have been a problem. But as soon as he did, Pei Wu's expression turned cold. He glanced at Jiang Ru expressionlessly, exuding extreme aloofness.
Okay, you're still angry? Jiang Ru knows.
Pei Wu is hard to appease when he gets angry; Jiang Ru tried everything to soothe him, but he ignored her.
It wasn't that he completely ignored her, but he used his cold face to intimidate Jiang Ru. When Jiang Ru spoke to him, he gave her a cold glance. When Jiang Ru told him to stop buying something, he silently stopped and paid.
They maintained this strange way of getting along and bought everything they needed to buy.
Some noodles were given to Pei Wu to make pancakes as dry food, along with some sugar, meat, and so on. Pei Wu's health wasn't very good, and even Jiang Ru herself couldn't endure the nine-day exam. It required intense thinking and was very tiring. Jiang Ru was afraid he would faint in the exam room.
So naturally, one should focus on replenishing, especially sugar. When thinking, the brain consumes sugar like crazy, and having sugar in one's mouth will help a lot.
In addition, Jiang Ru bought a few eggs and some flour to make fried dough sticks for Pei Wu.
The basket was full, and Pei Wu acted as the basket carrier. He was very responsible as the older brother, taking the initiative to carry the basket and even pay for it, except when he was having a cold war with Jiang Ru.
On the way back, Jiang Ru tried to talk to him several times, but he ignored her.
After several attempts, Jiang Ru gave up trying to coax Pei Wu; he was just too difficult to appease.
The two walked silently along the mountain path. After Jiang Ru ignored him, Pei Wu managed to calm himself down. He secretly glanced at Jiang Ru a few times and saw that she was hanging her head. He thought that his ignoring her had hurt her feelings.
Pei Wu couldn't help but reflect on whether he had been too cold-hearted, but Jiang Ru herself had made a mistake first. He had told her that as a young lady, she should keep her distance, but she had become more and more presumptuous, and this time she actually took his hand directly.
Pei Wu looked at Jiang Ru hesitantly, and said, "You..."
"Huh?" Jiang Ru looked up blankly and found Pei Wu's gaze fixed on her face. She immediately grinned and said, "You're not angry anymore."
With bright eyes and white teeth, as radiant as the rising sun at dawn, Pei Wu looked away and softly hummed in agreement.
"That's great! I'm glad you're not angry. I already said I didn't mean it. Why are you so old-fashioned?" Jiang Ru seized the opportunity and started criticizing Pei Wu.
Pei Wu laughed in exasperation: "I'm old-fashioned."
“That’s right.” Jiang Ru perked up, “You get angry every time I touch you, even though I haven’t done anything wrong…”
She originally wanted to take the opportunity to make a few more sarcastic remarks, but seeing Pei Wu's expression becoming increasingly frozen, she immediately changed her tune: "Okay, okay, actually I was wrong. You're not old-fashioned at all."
Having received her acknowledgment, Pei Wu was finally somewhat appeased. He turned his head away and said, word by word, "It's good that you know."
The arrogant young master had finally forgiven Jiang Ru, and Jiang Ru was secretly delighted. However, she noticed that Pei Wu was about to speak, as if he wanted to teach her a lesson again. She immediately ran away, unwilling to listen to Pei Wu's nagging.
Pei Wu was about to speak to her, but since he couldn't select a target, he had to give up.
Knowing that Pei Wu was going to take the autumn imperial examination, the neighbors had been sending him a lot of things these past few days, mostly food, since he needed to bring his own food and nothing else was as practical as food.
Besides the gifts from the neighbors, Jiang Ru also made a lot of pancakes for Pei Wu. Since her pancakes weren't very good, Aunt Zhang came over to help and made several different kinds. However, these pancakes were only good when they were fresh out of the pan; they would become hard and crumbly after a few days, and then they would barely fill his stomach.
The food for the nine days was a large bag, along with naan bread, clothes, and so on; carrying it all took a lot of effort.
In ancient times, exam papers did not have scores, only rankings. However, for good luck, Jiang Ru cooked two eggs and fried a dough stick for Pei Wu before he left.
Before leaving, Jiang Ru was even more anxious than Pei Wu. She checked his tickets and his luggage. Even after confirming that everything was ready, Jiang Ru was still feeling uneasy.
Before leaving, Jiang Ru offered Pei Wu some fried dough sticks with eggs. Pei Wu reluctantly ate one fried dough stick, intending to save the eggs for the journey.
Jiang Ru reminded him, "You must eat together, otherwise you'll only get one point on the test."
Pei Wu asked, puzzled, "Why can I only get one point? What does one point mean?"
Jiang Ru tried to fool him: "This is a custom in our Shuzhou. We must eat these three things so that we can get first place in the exam."
Pei Wu suddenly realized: "I see."
“Yes, so you must finish it,” Jiang Ru emphasized.
Poor Pei Wu ate two eggs in one go after hearing her words, and luckily he didn't choke to death.
After adding some more water, Pei Wu realized it was almost time to leave. He had arranged to meet Zheng Qiuhong at a certain time and wanted to go there early.
Jiang Ru saw him off all the way to the village entrance, feeling like an old mother sending her son off to an exam. She couldn't help but feel worried, and as she walked him further and further away, she didn't want to go back.
After seeing him off for a while past the village entrance, Pei Wu reluctantly stopped: "You should go back now."
Jiang Ru wanted to follow, but Pei Wu sighed, "I'm going to take an exam and won't be back for almost ten days. It's inconvenient for you to come along."
"Besides, it's too dangerous for you to go to the countryside alone. I'm worried about you."
Pei Wu tried to persuade her repeatedly, and finally managed to convince Jiang Ru to go back.
Jiang Ru watched him walk away. Pei Wu was dressed in a blue robe, with a tall and straight posture. His hair was tied up with a ribbon. He carried a bamboo basket on his back and strode forward. He looked like a typical scholar of this era.
Jiang Ru stared blankly at his back until the green light completely disappeared before she returned dejectedly.
She had spent so much time with Pei Wu during this period, and now that they were going to be separated for the first time, she felt a little strange.
It was a strange feeling, as if a piece of my heart was empty, especially when I returned to the familiar courtyard but couldn't find that figure in plain clothes. The depressed mood became even more intense.
The cabbages in the garden were already ripe, lush and green with dewdrops, and yellow flowers bloomed all over the ground. Jiang Ru broke off a cabbage heart, peeled off the skin and threw it on the ground. Two chicks flew over to peck at it.
The bok choy was sweet and tender, and Jiang Ru would often break off a piece to eat when she had nothing else to do. But today, she found it tasteless and would subconsciously look for Pei Wu or call out "Cousin".
Pei Wu was not there and could not answer her.
Jiang Ru spent the next few days numbly. During this time, Zhang Xingjun and his group would often come to ask her to go out, but Jiang Ru had no interest and refused them all.
As for Zhao Jing, she didn't like to go out and have fun. She would come to see Jiang Ru every afternoon. The two of them didn't talk much and just stayed in their own space, which was a kind of companionship for each other.
Jiang Ru had never felt that life was so hard to endure. In the past, a year would pass by in the blink of an eye, but now every day felt like an eternity. She counted how many days Pei Wu had been gone each day, and no matter how she calculated it, it felt like too long.
After a few days in a daze, Jiang Ru asked Zhao Jing one day, "How many days has your brother Pei been gone?"
Zhao Jing counted on her fingers for a moment and said, "Ten days."
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Pei Wu went a day early. Since it was the tenth day, wouldn't Pei Wu finish the exam tomorrow?
At that moment, Jiang Ru's mind went blank. She responded weakly as usual before slowly processing what Zhao Jing had said.
Brother Pei has been gone for ten days.
Ten days?
Jiang Ru, on her deathbed, sat up abruptly and slammed her hand on the table: "I'm going to find him."
After saying that, she rushed into the house, grabbed some food and warm clothes, and was about to leave with her bundle on her back.
Zhao Jing was startled and hurriedly asked, "Are you going now?"
Jiang Ru nodded: "If we don't go now, it will be too late. What if your brother Pei has finished his exams? I won't be able to pick him up."
Upon hearing the mention of picking up Pei Wu, Zhao Jing also became interested: "Sister, I want to go too."
“No way.” Jiang Ru refused decisively. She bent down and pinched Zhao Jing’s little face, handed her the house key, and instructed her, “Before I come back, remember to feed the chickens for me, pour out the wheat bran by the gate, and water the vegetable garden if the soil is dry. I’ll bring you something delicious when I come back.”
Zhao Jing was very obedient and nodded in agreement. Jiang Ru rubbed her head and ran away from the Pei family.
Jiang Ru had never felt so relaxed. She had been restless at home these past few days, constantly worried that something might happen to Pei Wu during his exams.
Although she didn't want Pei Wu to pass the exam, seeing him study so hard every day made her feel uneasy, and she also felt that with his dedication, he should pass the exam eventually.
Now she decided to stop worrying about it. All she wanted to do was go and pick up Pei Wu. She didn't care whether he passed the exam or not; his return was the best thing.
As she walked the day's journey, she became more and more enthusiastic, wishing she could get to Pei Wu's examination hall early and wait outside.
But when night fell, the mountain path became difficult to traverse, so she found a place, put on thick clothes, and slept there.
It was very cold in the mountains, so Jiang Ru built a fire. The fire burned all night, barely keeping her warm. As dawn broke, Jiang Ru got up and continued on her way.
There was no GPS navigation in those days, but fortunately there were pavilions and inns, and everyone knew the way to the Imperial Examination Hall. She asked for directions along the way and arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall early without any traffic jams.
She had walked all day and was covered in dust, so she found a well to wash her face, wiped her shoes, and bought some hot food before going to wait outside the examination hall.
Many scholars came to take the exam; there were quite a few people waiting outside the examination hall.
Jiang Ru wasn't particularly noticeable among them, but she couldn't resist the chatter of others. Someone nudged her and asked, "Young lady, who are you waiting for?"
Jiang Ru replied, "My cousin."
The man continued, "I'm waiting for my son. My son passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-two. Isn't that amazing?"
Jiang Ru: "Mmm, that's impressive."
How old is your cousin?
"fifteen."
The man fell silent.
With her ears finally at peace, Jiang Ru, taking advantage of her thin frame, darted to the front so that Pei Wu could see her immediately.
The bell rang to signal the end of the exam, and all the candidates left the examination hall. After nine days of exams, the candidates were all as if their energy had been drained, looking pale and thin, listless, and unsteady on their feet.
Some people even fainted on the ground as soon as they stepped out of the examination room.
The scene was chaotic, and the candidates were all in bad shape. The noise and commotion were deafening. Jiang Ru stood on tiptoe to look out. There were so many candidates, a dense crowd pouring out of the crowd, that her eyes were blurry. She was afraid of missing Pei Wu.
Fortunately, she remembered the clothes Pei Wu was wearing. A flash of white caught her eye in the crowd, and Jiang Ru quickly waved her arms, calling out, "Pei Wu, Pei Wu, I'm here."
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Pei Wu was initially hesitant to recognize it, thinking he was hallucinating.
The exam didn't take much effort; he had thoroughly studied everything and was confident. However, the conditions in the exam room were really poor—cramped, dark, dull, and oppressive. The small environment could easily make people feel depressed or even break down.
It wouldn't be good for anyone to stay in a closed space for several days.
During the exam, Pei Wu rarely thought about other trivial matters. Only occasionally would he miss the chaos at home and Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru is talkative but not noisy. She always manages to stir up people's emotions and make them feel less depressed.
For nine days, Pei Wu survived on the food given to him by Jiang Ru and the villagers.
Pei Wu's health had deteriorated in the past few years, making it difficult for him to get through such an exam. When he felt unwell, he would suck on the candy that Jiang Ru bought for him, relying on that little bit of candy to get through it. Jiang Ru had made thorough preparations, taking almost everything into consideration.
As the exam progressed, he became numb, his mind and body were under tremendous pressure. Even the dry rations that were initially quite palatable became as hard as rocks, difficult to chew and unpalatable.
After finishing the three exams, Pei Wu's face was pale and he was listless. He slowly followed the flow of people out of the exam hall, his eyes downcast, wanting only to go home and get a good night's sleep.
So even when he heard Jiang Ru's voice here, he thought he was hallucinating. After all, Jiang Ru was still at home; how could she have appeared out of thin air?
It wasn't until someone nudged him that he realized the examinee next to him wasn't doing well either, with dark circles under his eyes and pale lips. Even though he himself was like a walking corpse, he could still notice others. The person raised his chin and said, "Isn't that your sister? She's been watching you."
Pei Wu thought to himself, "My sister is still at home, where did this sister come from?"
Even with these thoughts in mind, he still raised his head.
Jiang Ru's gaze was so obvious that other candidates could see it, but the person in question was oblivious. He only needed to look up to see Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru, skipping and hopping in the crowd, was waving at him with a smile. When she saw him looking over, she waved back, "Pei Wu, I've come to pick you up!"
The young girl was vibrant and cheerful, wearing a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair tied up in two high buns. She was the only bright spot in the crowd, as radiant as the scorching sun and as dazzling as a peony. How could such a person not attract everyone's attention?
Pei Wu stared blankly at him, completely bewildered as to how Jiang Ru had managed to find him.
At this moment, everyone around seemed to stand still; in the world, there were only the two of them.
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Author's Note: I'm just hoping... [poor thing] I really didn't have any drafts saved up. This was an accident. I'll try to be on time from now on.
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