Chapter 2 My surname is Jiang
Since he didn't know Jiang Ru would be coming and hadn't prepared anything, Pei Wu was quite flustered. He tidied up the room, intending to let Jiang Ru stay temporarily.
The room had been unoccupied for a long time, but fortunately Pei Wu cleaned it every day, so the room was still quite tidy.
Jiang Ru's bundle contained very few things, only a few changes of clothes; it was excessively simple. She put the bundle down and looked around.
Although Pei Wu cleaned it very well, the house had been uninhabited for too long and lacked any human presence. The wooden windows were worn and tattered by wind, sand, ants, and insects, and the tables and chairs were rickety and would probably collapse soon.
Pei Wu lives alone; his parents have probably passed away.
When Jiang Ru first saw Pei Wu, her attention was entirely focused on his face and his excessively thin body. Now, looking back, she suddenly remembered that Pei Wu was wearing pure white mourning clothes.
No wonder that along the way, people who mentioned Pei Wu always expressed some sympathy, probably because they felt sorry for him because he lost his parents at a young age.
As Jiang Ru was thinking, there was a light knock on the door twice.
She turned around and saw a woman standing at the doorway. She had her hair in a bun, wore a gray narrow-sleeved blouse, and a beige waistband. Her expression was kind, her smile was simple, and her eyes were full of love.
She waved to Jiang Ru, who walked over in confusion, only to find out that this was Aunt Zhang from the south of the village. Pei Wu was worried that she, a young woman, would feel uncomfortable, and given the difference between men and women, it was inconvenient for him to do it himself, so he specially invited Aunt Zhang to come.
First, they took a wooden bucket and placed it in the room, then drew some well water, boiled water on the stove, poured the water into the bucket, and gave Jiang Ru a bath.
There were soapberries on the side. Looking at Jiang Ru, who was still standing there in a daze, Aunt Zhang asked in confusion, "Take off your clothes."
Jiang Ru: "..."
Actually, Pei Wu didn't need to call Aunt Zhang; she could have done it herself.
After much persuasion, Jiang Ru finally managed to get Aunt Zhang to leave the house, and then she lowered her head to take off her clothes.
However, she had only taken off half of her jacket when a head peeked in through the window. Aunt Zhang looked worried and said, "If anything happens, be sure to call me. I'll be waiting outside the door."
Jiang Ru tugged at her clothes, barely managing to cover herself, and said helplessly, "Okay."
After Aunt Zhang left, Jiang Ru walked over with a blank face and closed the window.
The wooden window had been in disrepair for years and could not be closed, with a gap always visible in the middle. Jiang Ru searched the room for a long time but could not find any tools to close the window, so she could only continue to take off her clothes with trepidation.
Fortunately, apart from that first incident, Aunt Zhang didn't peek out the window again. She would only ask occasionally, and once she knew that Jiang Ru was alright, she stopped asking.
Jiang Ru lay in the bathtub, stretching comfortably. You see, she had never been treated so well when she was traveling.
The main problem was a lack of money. She was always short of cash and would only stop at an inn she passed by every few days to rest and take a bath.
It was hot today, and she was covered in sweat. She had been wanting to take a shower for a while.
After taking a clean bath and changing into clean clothes from her bundle, Jiang Ru breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that coming to seek refuge with Pei Wu was a very good choice.
In her past life, Jiang Ru had an amazing start when she transmigrated. Her parents were dead, and her remaining relatives were always eyeing her land and property. Every time Jiang Ru had to deal with them, she was exhausted.
Especially since she was of marriageable age, they tried every means to find Jiang Ru a husband so that she could get married as soon as possible. It wasn't because they were worried that Jiang Ru had lost her parents at a young age and couldn't support herself, but because they wanted to collect the matchmaker's fee.
Later, she was implicated by Pei Wu and her family's property was confiscated. Actually, now that I think about it, Jiang Ru doesn't resent Pei Wu as much as I thought. She was just too angry at the time, angry that they had nothing to do with each other, but she was implicated.
Looking back now, it seems more hateful that God gave her a second chance at life.
She inexplicably traveled through time, ending up in this godforsaken ancient world. She barely survived, but when she opened her eyes again, she was reborn.
In her past life, she worked diligently her whole life, but it didn't end well. In this life, since she knew in advance that she was implicated by Pei Wu, she simply packed her things and came to seek refuge with Pei Wu.
Since staying at home would mean constantly living in fear of having my home ransacked, I might as well go with Pei Wu and at least die knowing why.
Now that she has met Pei Wu, he is completely different from what she imagined. Jiang Ru is curious whether Pei Wu is pretending to be innocent and harmless, or whether he will turn evil later. Otherwise, why would he do such a treasonous thing as treason?
Before Jiang Ru could think much about it, there was a light knock on the door twice. It was Aunt Zhang.
Jiang Ru responded, walked a few steps to the door, and opened it.
Aunt Zhang knocked on the door only after she heard no sound from inside. Seeing that Jiang Ru had already tidied up, she looked Jiang Ru up and down before smiling and saying, "I knew this girl was pretty. She'll be even prettier after tidying up."
Having just bathed, her fair face was flushed slightly from the steam, her eyes sparkling with moisture, her complexion radiant and smooth. The pale yellow light of the sunset shone on her face, making her look like a dazzling pearl.
Aunt Zhang liked it more and more as she looked at it, and with a big smile, she pinched Jiang Ru's cheek. By the time everything was settled, the porridge in the pot was cooked.
Smoke curled upwards, and the aroma spread throughout the courtyard. Jiang Ru took a sniff and almost drooled from the fragrance.
To entertain her, Pei Wu cooked all the cured meat he had stored at home.
Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, Aunt Zhang finished cleaning up and was about to leave in a hurry. Just as she stepped outside the courtyard, Pei Wu chased after her.
Pei Wu slipped some copper coins to Granny Zhang. Granny Zhang refused several times, but after Pei Wu's repeated persuasion, she finally accepted them.
Pei Wu's actions were all very considerate. Aunt Zhang accepted the money with a smile and went home.
After Aunt Zhang left, Pei Wu turned around and went back into the courtyard. He cleared away the dishes and served Jiang Ru a bowl of porridge.
There was cured meat, eggs, and a few steamed buns on the table, which was probably the best food Pei Wu could find.
Jiang Ru used to only be able to eat meat during festivals. Pei Wu's family was in a similar situation to hers, so taking out these things meant he truly treated her like a cousin.
Jiang Ru felt inexplicably guilty for a moment, after all, her kinship with Pei Wu was really, really distant.
There was a pear tree in the yard, and Jiang Ru sat at the small wooden table, sipping her porridge.
She was observing Pei Wu.
Pei Wu ate very elegantly. Although the bowls he held were clearly broken and chipped, he ate as if they were delicacies. Every move he made was graceful and dignified.
Jiang Ru secretly glanced at him. He ate only half a bowl of porridge, which would have been gone in no time, no matter how slowly he ate it. But he only drank the porridge and didn't touch any of the other dishes on the table.
Despite his height, he was as thin as a sheet of paper. Jiang Ru glanced at the cured meat on the table and couldn't help but wonder if this was the last food ration for the family.
She silently withdrew her outstretched chopsticks, feeling somewhat apologetic. Her gaze fell on Pei Wu's wrist, so thin it was practically skin and bones, and she finally spoke up: "Cousin, would you like some meat too?"
She was afraid Pei Wu would be blown away by the wind.
To everyone's surprise, Pei Wu smiled faintly and said, "I am still in mourning and should not eat meat. You can eat it."
The period of mourning!
She had completely forgotten about this. Logically speaking, Jiang Ru should also observe mourning for her deceased parents, even though they weren't her parents and Jiang Ru had never spent any time with them.
Because she had taken over their daughter's body in her previous life, Jiang Ru did indeed diligently guard them for a year. However, she wasn't that strict, since she was afraid she would suffer from severe malnutrition if she really ate only thin porridge every day.
Pei Wu is in this situation now.
Jiang Ru had lived in this world for a long time and knew that most people wouldn't be so strict about mourning, especially when it came to food. At most, they would just put on a show in front of outsiders and rarely actually eat vegetarian food for several years in a row.
Could Pei Wu be faking it too?
This guess was immediately dismissed. If Pei Wu were to steal food, he wouldn't be this thin, especially his face. Even if Jiang Ru had been dead for three days, he wouldn't be this pale.
Jiang Ru stared at him in shock, and after a long while, she asked in a trembling voice, "Cousin, how long have you been observing mourning?"
Pei Wu said, "Two years and nine months."
So, he's been a vegetarian for almost three years now. At this crucial age for growth, he's being so hard on himself; he must have a grudge against himself.
Jiang Ru had never met anyone like this before. After hesitating for a moment, she still advised, "Cousin, why don't you eat just a little bit?"
There was no need to ask; Jiang Ru had almost already guessed the answer.
As expected, Pei Wu simply shook his head and told her, "One should not speak while eating."
Since they had only known each other for a short time, Jiang Ru didn't want to persuade him, so she could only silently shut her mouth and eat.
She hadn't eaten meat in a long time, but she restrained herself and deliberately saved some so that she could sneak a bite if Pei Wu changed his mind.
As the sun set, rosy clouds stretched across the sky, and the crescent moon loomed faintly in the distance, dotted with stars. A gentle evening breeze blew by, and the two people in the courtyard remained silent, neither uttering a word.
Just as Pei Wu was about to clear the dishes, Jiang Ru immediately stood up and cleared them away first.
Pei Wu frowned slightly: "I'll take care of it."
Jiang Ru looked up and said with a smile, "Let me do it."
She's had Pei Wu take care of so much today; she can't expect him to do everything.
Ignoring Pei Wu's objections, she tidied up the dishes and chopsticks by the stove. Just as she was about to bend down to wash them, Pei Wu called out to her solemnly, "Cousin."
Jiang Ru was startled. When she looked up, she only saw Pei Wu's eyes, which were darker than ink. The sky was not completely dark yet, and Pei Wu's face was clearly visible. He was obviously expressionless, but Jiang Ru still inexplicably stepped aside and gave Pei Wu the task of washing the dishes.
Jiang Ru discovered that he had his own principles; for example, in matters like this, he never gave Jiang Ru a chance to take it.
Jiang Ru had no choice but to stand aside and chat with him intermittently.
Jiang Ru started the conversation, but after only a few words, it turned into Pei Wu asking questions and Jiang Ru answering.
Pei Wu asked mostly about Jiang Ru's experiences over the past three months. Whenever this was mentioned, Jiang Ru would get excited. For the past few months, no one had spoken to her, and she couldn't even find someone to confide in. Now that she finally had the chance, she poured out all the terrifying things she had seen and heard along the way to Pei Wu.
Pei Wu listened silently. He didn't say much, but he always gave Jiang Ru timely feedback when she needed it.
The dishes had been washed, but Jiang Ru hadn't finished speaking. The two returned from the stove to the table in the yard, sitting on opposite sides, and Jiang Ru continued to complain.
Pei Wu listened quietly the whole time, never interrupting.
They also tacitly avoided mentioning other private matters, even though they both had many doubts about each other and seemed to be wary of one another.
As darkness fell completely, moonlight spilled across the courtyard, casting dappled shadows on the pear trees. The night had just quieted down, and only the chirping of insects could be heard.
Suddenly, Jiang Ru cried out in surprise, covering the back of her hand: "There's a mosquito!"
There are already many mosquitoes in summer, and Jiang Ru insisted on dragging Pei Wu to feed the mosquitoes, so it was only natural that he would be bitten.
Pei Wu stood up, took some herbs and gave them to Jiang Ru, saying, "Crush them and apply them to the bitten area."
Jiang Ru angrily crushed the herbs: "Forget it, we'll talk about it tomorrow." As she spoke, she turned to go back into the house.
She had only taken a few steps when Pei Wu called out to her.
Jiang Ru turned around. In the darkness, Pei Wu's figure was tall and slender. He stood in the courtyard and slowly spoke, "To be honest, I was still young before, and my memory is hazy. I even forgot my cousin's name. I wonder if my cousin could tell me?"
Jiang Ru couldn't see Pei Wu's expression clearly, and she wasn't sure if he had suddenly thought of something or sensed that something was wrong.
Despite feeling guilty, she calmly replied, "Cousin, you've forgotten, my surname is Jiang, and my given name is Ru."
After saying this, Pei Wu's expression froze for a moment. Even though Jiang Ru couldn't see his expression clearly, she knew that his expression must be quite interesting.
He probably frantically searched his memory for a cousin named "Jiang Ru," but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall her at all.
Jiang Ruxin thought to herself: Of course you don't know my name, we've never even met.
Even if he couldn't remember, Pei Wu's reaction was impeccable. He simply said, "I remember, and I certainly won't forget this time."
A note from the author:
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