Chapter 95: A Date?
Pei Wu was subtly changing the subject, seemingly trying to gloss over the previous events by cleverly asking Jiang Ru this question.
If Jiang Ru agreed, Pei Wu could let bygones be bygones. Then Jiang Ru wouldn't have the nerve to give him the cold shoulder again. Typical Pei Wu, so good at beating around the bush. Jiang Ru glared at him: "Did you even understand what I meant?"
Pei Wu said, "I understand."
Pei Wu was so smart, how could he not understand? But he had his own ideas, so he said, "You can stay with me first, and I'll figure out how to apologize later, okay?"
He seemed genuinely interested in being with Jiang Ru, and the suggestion sounded very appealing. However, Jiang Ru quickly thought, "No way, you're just trying to fool me."
Pei Wu was rebuffed and couldn't think of a solution. In his opinion, since they had already expressed their feelings for each other, Jiang Ru wouldn't refuse him. However, Jiang Ru still refused him, and the reason was from three months ago.
He apologized, but it wasn't sincere enough, and he didn't show any remorse, so Jiang Ru wouldn't forgive him. Pei Wu pondered for a moment and then compromised, saying, "Alright, I'll try to get my cousin's forgiveness."
That's what they said, but how to win Jiang Ru's forgiveness is a big challenge for Pei Wu. He can't back down on that matter, so he can only try to win her back from other places and get her to reconcile with him before he arrives in Tanzhou.
Thinking this through, Pei Wu calmed himself down and said, "In that case, let's go back first."
He always looked particularly pitiful when he lowered his head. For example, right now, even though he is so tall and has a strong and upright figure, it is easy for Jiang Ru to see his grievances when he hangs his head like this.
Jiang Ru really doesn't understand. He was clearly in the wrong, yet he still had the nerve to pretend to be wronged. But there's no denying it, Jiang Ru just falls for that act.
Overwhelmed with tenderness, she hesitated for a moment before opening her arms to Pei Wu: "Although we're not officially together, you can hug me first."
Upon hearing this, Pei Wu quickly raised his head and took a step forward before he could even think, but he quickly realized what he was doing and stepped back: "That's not good."
Putting aside the fact that they haven't officially become a couple yet, the hugs they had before could be considered as brother-sister hugs. But now that they've expressed their feelings, they're not actually together, so such a hug is inappropriate and seems too hasty.
Jiang Ru was stunned for a moment when Pei Wu actually refused her hug: "Are you that principled?"
Actually, she really wanted to hug Pei Wu. Pei Wu's embrace was warm and had the scent that Jiang Ru liked, but Pei Wu actually refused.
She was slightly disappointed, but since Pei Wu wouldn't hug her, it would seem too unprincipled for her to hug him now. She regretfully withdrew her hand: "Alright then."
Anyway, I'll be able to hug him sooner or later, so there's no need to rush.
But just as she lowered her hand, Pei Wu suddenly spoke again: "I want to hug you."
He wanted to hug her, but couldn't get past his mental hurdle. He hesitated and asked Jiang Ru, "Does thinking like this make me seem like a lecher?"
That's what he was thinking. Jiang Ru thought he was being too polite, but when she met Pei Wu's questioning gaze, she still kindly answered him: "Because you like me, you naturally want to hug me. What kind of lecher is that? It's clearly consensual."
As she spoke, she stepped forward: "I'll give you one more chance, will you hug me or not?"
This time, Pei Wu opened his arms and pulled Jiang Ru into his embrace.
Jiang Ru's body was softer than he had imagined. Pei Wu had never dared to touch her before when she hugged him, but now that he was embracing her, he could finally feel her body temperature, which carried a faint fragrance. Her hair was ruffled by the wind and was eagerly running towards Pei Wu, wrapping around his neck. Pei Wu's neck was covered with Jiang Ru's hair, which tickled him.
Jiang Ru's arms were slender, and she carefully wrapped them around his waist. Pei Wu even slowed his breathing, staring blankly at Jiang Ru in his arms. She clumsily wrapped her arms around Pei Wu, as if trying to absorb his breath, and even rubbed against his chest.
Pei Wu, who was being held by him, was tense, his muscles were hard, and his waist and back were smooth and firm, with a great feel to them. Unfortunately, Jiang Ru did not dare to touch him carefully, and only dared to hug him.
Pei Wu carried the scent of books and ink, a scent that made Jiang Ru feel very at ease. Jiang Ru had to tilt her head back to lean on his shoulder. Compared to the thin and frail Pei Wu of a few years ago, he had really grown up. His shoulders and back were broad, and when she hugged him, even the sound of the wind seemed to stop.
Jiang Ru loved his embrace and snuggled closer to him, looking up at Pei Wu. Pei Wu was also looking down at her, his gaze not direct, but rather innocent, as if he were looking at her with eyes only for her.
Even with that unromantic gaze, Jiang Ru hurriedly looked away and lowered her head. She suspected that if she looked any longer, she would uncontrollably do something else.
Pei Wu's voice came from above, seemingly asking, "You said you only want to hug someone you like, so does that mean you want to hug me too?"
The question was asked in such a suggestive way, as if he wanted Jiang Ru to admit that she liked him again. Jiang Ru suddenly felt that her previous rejection was in vain. Given their current situation, if they said they weren't together, everyone would think it was a lie.
Jiang Ru struggled to get out of Pei Wu's arms, and for some reason got annoyed: "I'm not hugging you anymore."
Pei Wu's attempt to outsmart her backfired, and his words made Jiang Ru no longer want to hug him. She could only obediently let go of him, watching as Jiang Ru's ears turned red from the wind. She ran away in a panic, walking in front of Pei Wu with hurried steps, as if afraid that Pei Wu would catch up with her.
Pei Wu hadn't hugged her enough, but Jiang Ru ran away too quickly, so he was too embarrassed to bring it up again, and he didn't dare to ask Jiang Ru to hug him any more. For Pei Wu, Jiang Ru being willing to hug him was already a windfall, and he shouldn't ask for more.
When they returned, the food was already on the table. Jiang Ru and the others had arrived at just the right time, neither too early nor too late.
On the way back, the cold wind blew, and Jiang Ru's face was no longer as red as before. She seemed to be doing normally, but her eyes occasionally darted away, making it hard not to guess what had just happened between them.
Pei Wu appeared calmer and more composed than her, but he almost tripped as he entered the room, which couldn't hide his panic.
The two were standing close together, and Song Shu guessed that there might be some new progress between them. She secretly laughed and whispered in Xie Jun's ear, seemingly mocking them.
Jiang Ru was increasingly frustrated, realizing she had been bewitched and insisted on hugging Pei Wu. Now, she had lost face, and not only had more than one person noticed. Feeling ashamed and indignant, she glared at Pei Wu resentfully. Pei Wu then put some food into her bowl and said gently, "Eat."
Forget it, he won't understand even if I blame him, so why bother arguing with him?
After the meal, everyone went about their tasks, packing their things to prepare for their departure the next day. Without being explicitly stated, everyone understood that they would be going their separate ways tomorrow. Song Pingzhang would take Song Shu to Shuzhou, while Jiang Ru and Pei Wu would go to Tanzhou.
Tanzhou and Shuzhou are in opposite directions, which means they will have to part ways from Tangzhou, and who knows when they will be able to meet again.
Before the sorrow of parting could even well up in their hearts, a small change occurred. Pei Wu spoke to Song Pingzhang about something, and Song Pingzhang surprisingly decided to change course and go to Tanzhou with them.
Jiang Ru and Song Shu had just finished pouring their hearts out when they received this news. The two had just hugged and cried for a while, and were both a little embarrassed. But beyond the embarrassment, they were also pleasantly surprised that they didn't have to part ways so soon.
They've been separated ever since they met, and each separation can last for months. They'd love to spend more time together.
The next morning, the long procession prepared to depart, clearing out two carriages to store luggage. Jiang Ru and Song Shu rode together, Song Pingzhang rode in a separate carriage, and Pei Wu and Xie Jun rode horses.
With the imperial edict and official document in his hands, Pei Wu and his companions left Tangzhou and traveled without hindrance, arriving in Tanzhou within the stipulated time.
They were on the move the whole way, and Pei Wu and Jiang Ru didn't have a chance to be alone together, let alone take their relationship a step further. Just as Pei Wu had thought, they arrived in Tanzhou before they could find an opportunity to break the ice.
Tanzhou is located in the south. To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the people of Bianjing, it was a truly barbaric place. Only disgraced officials would be banished there. All the previous governors of Tanzhou had tried to change the situation, but all their efforts were in vain.
Located in a remote area with many valleys and a hot and humid climate, and not highly regarded, officials from the capital who were transferred here were inevitably demoted.
Tanzhou's location was also a strategic point in the Great Xia Dynasty, with roads leading in all directions. It was connected to the Yangtze River in the north and was frequently invaded by barbarian tribes in the south, which meant that Tanzhou could not possibly be peaceful.
Tanzhou was once a political center during the previous dynasty, but during the current dynasty, this place was temporarily abandoned and gradually became a wild and desolate land again.
Because of the frequent incursions by barbarians, Tanzhou, though underdeveloped, was always busy and prone to war, so Pei Wu had no chance of having a peaceful time there.
The prefect of Tanzhou had received the news long ago, and he brought his men to greet Pei Wu as soon as he entered the city. The entourage stopped outside the Tanzhou government office, and the servant showed Pei Wu's imperial edict to the prefect. The prefect quickly helped Pei Wu off his horse and said respectfully, "This humble official has prepared a banquet for the prefect, and is just waiting to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey, sir."
Pei Wu was on his way to take up his post and wanted to build good relationships with his colleagues, so he nodded and accepted the invitation.
The banquet was held at the Yuzhu Restaurant in Tanzhou, the most prestigious restaurant in the city. Pei Wu brought his family and officials from Tanzhou, which together filled a private room.
The table was laden with delicacies, mostly specialties of Tanzhou. Fearing that Pei Wu might not be used to the food, Tongpan Wu Changzhi specially served him a few dishes from Bianjing. He also learned that Pei Wu was from Jinzhou, so he specially invited a chef from Jinzhou to make a Jinzhou specialty, boiled mutton.
Although this dish is a specialty of Jinzhou, Pei Wu had only eaten it once before, at the banquet when he passed the imperial examination. Wu Changzhi had prepared it very well.
Pei Wu nodded to him: "Prefect Wu is very thoughtful."
Nominally, Wu Changzhi was his subordinate, but the prefect and the governor checked and balanced each other. Strictly speaking, he and Pei Wu had equal power in Tanzhou. Even though Pei Wu was a second-rank official, which was higher than him in rank, the affairs of Tanzhou still required the two of them to make decisions together.
By calculation, Wu Changzhi was more than twenty years older than him. He was already forty years old when he became a sub-prefect. Despite his superior being so much younger than him, he had no complaints and remained polite to Pei Wu.
As fate would have it, when Wu Changzhi passed the imperial examination, Song Pingzhang had just been demoted and was not in Bianjing. After that, Wu Changzhi took up positions in various places and gradually rose to the rank of Tongpan. He had never met Song Pingzhang.
This made things convenient for Song Pingzhang. After all, he held a high position and had served through several dynasties, so many officials knew him. Now that no one in Tanzhou knew him, he didn't need to hide anymore.
When asked about Song Pingzhang's identity, Pei Wu replied, "He is my godfather."
Song Pingzhang is his adoptive father, so Song Shu is his adopted sister, and Xie Jun is his adopted brother-in-law. Wu Changzhi has never seen anyone go to take up a post without his own father, but instead bring his adoptive father's family. Such a combination is quite strange.
Seeing his confusion, Pei Wu explained, "My parents passed away early. Although he is my adoptive father, he is no different from my biological father."
Wu Changzhi quickly glossed over the matter. When news of Pei Wu's impending arrival to take up his post had already reached him, he only knew that Pei Wu was from Jinzhou and was unaware of his family situation. He was afraid that these words might offend Pei Wu.
Fortunately, Pei Wu didn't seem to be angered, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Everyone present had already identified themselves, but one person was missing. Wu Changzhi glanced at Jiang Ru almost imperceptibly. Just now, Pei Wu had only introduced the other people, but had omitted Jiang Ru.
In fact, the moment he saw Jiang Ru, he felt that Jiang Ru and Pei Wu had an unusual relationship. Although they did not communicate much, they were very close. However, Jiang Ru's double bun hairstyle did not make her look married. For a moment, Jiang Ru's identity became a mystery.
Pei Wu naturally noticed Wu Changzhi's gaze and introduced Jiang Ru to him, saying, "This is my cousin..." He paused for a moment and changed his words, "This is my aunt."
Jiang Ru, who was eating the salted rice cake in her bowl, choked on her words and coughed several times. She took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth and looked at Pei Wu in shock.
Is Pei Wu crazy? She aged her age out of nowhere; people would think she's in her thirties or forties.
Not only Jiang Ru, but Song Pingzhang, Song Shu, and Xie Jun at the table also looked at Pei Wu and then at Jiang Ru in unison.
Those in the know were also puzzled by Pei Wu's words. Of all things to say, why did Pei Wu have to mention a cousin? Not to mention that Jiang Ru was younger than Pei Wu, for such a beautiful young girl to be called a cousin made her sound like she was from an older generation. It just didn't sound good.
Especially Song Shu, who is the same age as Jiang Ru, is very concerned about age. The title of "cousin" makes her look too old. Not to mention Jiang Ru, Song Shu also dislikes it a hundred times.
The other officials were fine, since it wasn't unusual for someone to be young but senior, so they didn't find it strange.
Wu Changzhi was only surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered and nodded, saying, "So you are Lord Pei's cousin."
Jiang Ru could no longer bear it, so she pinched Pei Wu's arm under the table, a rather hard pinch. Pei Wu frowned, but did not stop her.
Besides their identities, to avoid revealing their identities and arousing the emperor's suspicion, Pei Wu changed their surnames when introducing them. Song Pingzhang and Song Shu changed their surnames to Wang, Xie Jun changed his surname to Chen, and Jiang Ru changed her surname to Pei, since she was nominally Pei Wu's cousin.
As for their names, Pei Wu didn't tell Wu Changzhi, since they rarely saw each other on ordinary days, and even if they did, they wouldn't use their names when addressing each other.
Jiang Ru pinched Pei Wu for a while, but Pei Wu still didn't react, which made her so angry that she stomped on Pei Wu's foot again.
Pei Wu's boots were black, and when she stepped on them, a dusty gray footprint appeared. She wanted to step on them again, but Pei Wu turned his head and glanced at her, as if begging for mercy, so Jiang Ru stopped.
The dishes at the banquet were all carefully selected, and the taste was naturally quite good. Along the way, they had been eating dry rations and rarely had the chance to eat hot dishes like this. Now that they were eating such hot and delicious food, Jiang Ru had an extra bowl of rice.
Pei Wu couldn't resist Wu Changzhi's enthusiasm and drank two cups of wine with him. Pei Wu wasn't a good drinker, so Xie Jun, who had been on military campaigns for many years, came in handy. He was a good drinker and could drink a whole table of people under the table at his best. So Xie Jun stepped in and helped Pei Wu deal with Wu Changzhi.
When the banquet ended, Wu Changzhi was carried back by his own servants.
As soon as the person left, Jiang Ru immediately grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve and questioned him: "What do you mean? I'm clearly younger than you, how did I become your cousin?"
Pei Wu, having drunk some wine, was a little slow to react. He first glanced at Jiang Ru's hand gripping his sleeve, then at the crowd that was about to leave the private room, before slowly explaining, "I couldn't change my mind just now."
He had already said the word "cousin," so changing it would seem deliberate. The situation was urgent, and there wasn't time to think, so he could only say "cousin."
But Jiang Ru felt awkward about suddenly becoming Pei Wu's elder. She felt even more uncomfortable when Wu Changzhi, a middle-aged man in his forties, called her a young girl's cousin.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn't help but pinch Pei Wu again: "You bookworm, you can say I'm your cousin, why do you have to say I'm your aunt? Aunt really sounds awful, and it makes me look really old."
She was reborn and is only just over eighteen years old now, and she doesn't want to be someone else's aunt.
Jiang Ru didn't pinch hard, but Pei Wu frowned, his eyes quickly welling up with tears: "It hurts."
Jiang Ru subconsciously loosened her grip: "I didn't use any force."
After letting go, she noticed that the tears in Pei Wu's eyes immediately disappeared, realizing that Pei Wu had been faking it. She couldn't help but pat him again: "What's wrong with you? Who taught you that?"
She never used to lie, much less learn such manipulative behavior, but after spending some time with Xie Jun, she actually picked up these tricks.
Perhaps because of their daily horseback riding, the two had made peace with each other. Xie Jun, in particular, would often chat with Pei Wu, and sometimes the two would even practice martial arts together. Their relationship was quite good.
So whenever Pei Wu does something that doesn't suit his personality, it must be something he learned from Xie Jun. Just as Jiang Ru was about to scold him a bit more, Pei Wu lowered his eyelashes and said, "But it really hurts."
He was wearing wide sleeves. Jiang Ru rolled up his sleeves and pinched him a couple of times without much force. Pei Wu's arm only turned a little red. Luckily, she checked early. If she had checked any later, she probably wouldn't have been able to see it even with a magnifying glass.
She tried pinching herself but felt nothing. She suspected Pei Wu was lying but had no evidence. And with those wet eyes looking at her, Jiang Ru couldn't resist. She half-heartedly rubbed Pei Wu's arm and said, "Is that enough?"
This time, Pei Wu finally nodded: "It doesn't hurt anymore."
He's so precious, even a pinch like this requires Jiang Ru to coax him. Jiang Ru simply grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve: "You haven't apologized yet. You said I'm your cousin."
Pei Wu replied fluently, "I'm sorry."
What's the use of saying sorry? From now on, Jiang Ru will be called Pei Wu's cousin. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Just thinking about that title gave her goosebumps. She decided to make Pei Wu feel bad too and reminded him, "If you get together with me, everyone will know that you and your cousin are dating."
Dating your cousin sounds like something out of a romantic novel, while dating your aunt sounds like a dramatic ethical saga.
Jiang Ru didn't know how to describe it, and kicked Pei Wu again in anger: "You're so annoying."
What's done is done. She can't very well tell Wu Changzhi that she's not Pei Wu's aunt, but his cousin. That wouldn't make sense.
As Jiang Ru finished kicking and was about to walk out of the private room, her sleeve was suddenly tugged gently. Pei Wu asked softly from behind her, "Do you hate me again?"
Jiang Ru paused. Pei Wu always took many of her words, which she thought were just said in anger, seriously. He ignored her tone and only heard her say, "I hate myself."
Why bother arguing with a drunkard? It's not too late to scold him when he's sober. Jiang Ru sighed silently, turned around and told Pei Wu seriously, "I don't dislike you."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "From now on, when I say I hate you, it's just to vent, you understand? It's not that I really hate you."
Pei Wu seemed to understand, but as soon as he heard her not say she disliked him, he immediately brightened up, obediently tugged at Jiang Ru's sleeve, and nodded: "Okay."
He was still clutching his sleeve, knowing he had to meet people later, so Jiang Ru pulled Pei Wu's sleeve off her hand and whispered a reminder: "There are still people around."
The drunken Pei Wu couldn't understand anything, but instinctively grabbed Jiang Ru's sleeve again. After several times, Jiang Ru helplessly took him off her hand and quickly left Pei Wu.
Pei Wu stood there innocently, pausing pitifully for a moment. Jiang Ru ran out and refused to come and pull him away. Pei Wu stood there, feeling as if the sky had fallen.
Before long, Jiang Ru resigned herself to her fate and returned. She grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve, and Pei Wu finally moved and followed her out of the private room.
The two of them came out one after the other. Song Pingzhang and the others had already boarded the carriage. Finally, the two of them came out reluctantly. Xie Jun watched them and smirked as if watching a good show. Jiang Ru pushed Pei Wu to Xie Jun without any mercy and said succinctly, "He's drunk. Help him up."
Xie Jun caught Pei Wu, puzzled: "Didn't you just have two drinks?"
Xie Jun drank several times more than him, yet he showed no reaction; Pei Wu, on the other hand, was drunk.
Xie Jun approached Pei Wu teasingly: "You're not pretending to be drunk, are you? Trying to make your cousin soften her heart?"
Pei Wu glanced at him calmly, and Xie Jun, seeing his steady gait and clear eyes, said with certainty, "You really were faking it."
Generally speaking, people with fair skin are more likely to blush when they drink alcohol, but Pei Wu's face didn't turn red at all. What else could it be but an act?
Xie Jun looked him up and down with surprise: "You learn very quickly. You've learned to pretend so fast. If this continues, your cousin will forgive you soon."
Pei Wu glanced at him lightly, broke free from Xie Jun's grasp, and turned to run towards Jiang Ru's carriage. Just as he was about to step onto it, Xie Jun quickly caught up and grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve, pulling him down.
Pei Wu was "dragged" away by him, and said with dissatisfaction, "What are you doing?"
The drunk Pei Wu was strong and disobedient, and Xie Jun had to use a lot of effort to drag him back to their carriage: "Why are you, a grown man, going over there to join in the fun?"
Unable to get any closer to Jiang Ru, and with Jiang Ru's carriage relentlessly driving away, Pei Wu sat up sullenly, glaring at Xie Jun with a hostile look.
Xie Jun felt uneasy under his gaze: "What are you looking at? I'm doing this for your own good."
Pei Wu showed no intention of looking away, continuing to stare at him as if he were an enemy. Xie Jun muttered under his breath, "Now you're really drunk to believe me."
Tanzhou is a small place, and the mansion they lived in was the former prefect's residence. This mansion was considered large in Tanzhou, but it was much smaller than the Song Mansion in Bianjing. It was not even as big as the backyard of the Song Mansion, and it was even smaller than the mansion where Pei Wu and Jiang Ru lived in the end. It was just a two-courtyard siheyuan.
With an elder like Song Pingzhang present, he naturally had to stay in the main house. Pei Wu and Xie Jun occupied the other two rooms in the main house, while Jiang Ru and Song Shu stayed in the side rooms on either side.
Upon returning to their new home, Jiang Ru and Song Shu disembarked from the carriage first. They had just arrived and hadn't had time to unpack their luggage yet. Jiang Ru was still tidying up her new room when Pei Wu called out to her from behind.
Because he was drunk, Pei Wu walked slowly, taking a long time to reach Jiang Ru. He said to Jiang Ru, "Would you like to go out with me first thing tomorrow morning?"
Even though he was drunk, he still remembered to invite Jiang Ru. Jiang Ru inexplicably thought of something and felt slightly uneasy: "What?"
Pei Wu repeated, "Tomorrow morning, I want to go out with you, just the two of us."
Jiang Ru glanced at the people around her and thought Pei Wu was being too presumptuous, extending a date invitation to her in front of so many people. Yet, she felt quite pleased and lowered her head, saying, "Okay."
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Author's note: I changed the place name to Tanzhou; it wasn't a mistake. I will correct the previous ones as well.
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