Chapter 98 (The Marriage Proposal)
Although Pei Wu didn't say it explicitly, any normal person would assume that Pei Wu's invitation was for a date, especially for two people who are mutually interested in each other.
That's why Pei Wu's reaction surprised Xie Jun so much. He looked at Pei Wu strangely: "You're not going to tell me you didn't mean it that way, are you?"
If that's really the case, it's truly outrageous that someone would like someone as clueless as Pei Wu.
The young lady dressed up carefully, but he took Jiang Ru hiking. Song Shu said they were covered in weeds and mud. Xie Jun wanted to applaud Pei Wu when he heard that.
Pei Wu's previously calm expression cracked slightly as he explained, "I didn't make it clear last night; it wasn't a date."
Xie Jun shrugged: "But Jiang Ru misunderstood."
No matter what, Pei Wu was in the wrong. He had specifically invited Jiang Ru, but his words were vague, so how could Jiang Ru not misunderstand?
Under Xie Jun's mocking gaze, Pei Wu sincerely asked, "What should we do?"
Pei Wu was certain that their plans for the day had absolutely nothing to do with a date. Jiang Ru was dressed so exquisitely, not even a single hair was out of place, yet Pei Wu had taken her to visit a grave.
Moreover, given the circumstances at the time, Jiang Ru couldn't possibly point out her misunderstanding. She might have felt disappointed, but in the end, she chose to follow Pei Wu and do what he was supposed to do.
Jiang Ru didn't mind, but Pei Wu couldn't help but mind. Jiang Ru's hopes were dashed, and Pei Wu should make it up to her.
Pei Wu had no experience with dating, so he had to resort to asking Xie Jun for advice at the last minute.
For once, there was a hint of panic in his eyes. Xie Jun had finished teasing him and stopped teasing Pei Wu, saying, "You can ask her out again tomorrow and make up for it."
Inviting Jiang Ru was easy enough, but what should he invite her to do and where? In this matter, Pei Wu seemed to be a poor student, needing Xie Jun to teach him everything.
Xie Jun rarely found a place for himself with Pei Wu, so he took a leisurely sip of tea before saying, "Listening to operas and shopping are fine, just don't take her hiking again."
“Even if we’re going to climb, it shouldn’t be a wild mountain like this.”
It should be a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, not like the place Pei Wu took Jiang Ru to, where weeds grew everywhere and thorns were scattered all over the place.
Pei Wu has always been a studious person. Without Xie Jun saying anything more, he can do the research himself. Fortunately, he is now the prefect of Tanzhou. Everything in Tanzhou is a blueprint in his mind. He only needs to plan the route and destination and take Jiang Ru there.
After thinking it through, Pei Wu sincerely thanked him: "Thank you. I'm going to invite Jiang Ru now. You can do as you please."
"Do as you please" means that Xie Jun should go back as soon as possible. He and Xie Jun are already quite familiar with each other, so there's no need to bother with formalities.
Pei Wu put his outer robe back on, faced the howling wind of the night, pushed open the door and went out. The locust trees in the courtyard rustled, and the light and shadow in front of him were blocked by the trees. The courtyard was quiet and empty after nightfall, with only the sound of the wind in his ears and a few dim yellow lamps in the house.
The house stood quietly, with slight sounds coming from inside. Pei Wu felt a sense of warmth just by standing outside the door, and suddenly understood why Jiang Ru had said they wanted to sleep together. Perhaps it was in that instant that he understood.
Pei Wu raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.
Jiang Ru had been walking all day, and her calves were sore. She was sitting inside soaking her feet when there was a light knock on the door.
The only person who would come looking for Jiang Ru at this hour is Song Shu. Jiang Ru didn't even look up and called out, "Come in."
Jiang Ru didn't bolt the door, and the door trembled slightly in the wind. Perhaps because it was night, the shadows outside seemed exceptionally tall, their long shadows enveloping the door and blocking much of the light.
The hand pushed open the door, and with a creak, Pei Wu stepped inside.
Jiang Ru still didn't look up at him. She waited for "Song Shu" to speak first, but the figure remained motionless, let alone spoke. Jiang Ru sensed something was wrong and looked up to see Pei Wu with his eyes downcast, his gaze fixed on her feet in astonishment.
Jiang Ru froze, awkwardly shrinking her feet in the tub. Although she and Pei Wu had established a relationship, she knew that in this very feudal era, being seen barefoot was very offensive, and Pei Wu would definitely not be able to stand it.
Because of her movement, the basin scraped across the floor with a screeching sound. Pei Wu snapped back to reality and quickly said, "Sorry."
After saying that, he opened the door and hurriedly left the room.
Jiang Ru quickly called out to him, "Don't go yet, I'll be done soon."
Fortunately, after being stopped by Jiang Ru, Pei Wu did not intend to leave. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still stood outside the door.
If Jiang Ru hadn't called Pei Wu first, he probably would have hurriedly hidden back in his room and stayed away from her for three days and three nights.
The long shadow outside etched itself onto the wooden door. Jiang Ru, annoyed, quickly wiped her feet clean, put on her shoes, and then called to Pei Wu, "Come in."
The figure paused for a moment, then finally opened the door again and went inside.
Jiang Ru was still awake, wearing the clothes she had on earlier that day, and had put her shoes back on. Perhaps because the foot bath had been too hot, her cheeks were flushed, and there seemed to be glistening beads of sweat on her nose. She pursed her lips and asked, "What do you want from me?"
Pei Wu was slightly better off than him. Perhaps it was because of the cold wind outside, but his ears were only slightly red. Otherwise, he was more natural than Jiang Ru. However, his stuttering when he spoke betrayed his nervousness. His voice was dry as he said, "Just now when I went back to my room, I heard Xie Jun say a few words. You misunderstood what I said yesterday."
Realizing what he was saying, Jiang Ru's cheeks flushed even more. If she hadn't said anything, the misunderstanding would have continued. But now that he had pointed it out, it seemed as if Jiang Ru had been presumptuous. She quickly said, "It's nothing. I was very happy today anyway, so it makes no difference."
Pei Wu said, "There is a difference."
Jiang Ru was overjoyed and eagerly awaited her date with him, but he was completely unaware that it was all Pei Wu's fault. Pei Wu said with a hint of apology, "Can you give me another chance? I'd like to invite you on a date with me tomorrow."
He wouldn't pretend his mistake hadn't happened; he was the one who disappointed Jiang Ru and left her feeling disappointed, so making amends was the right thing to do.
He was really serious, so Jiang Ru nodded and said, "Okay."
Having received her permission, Pei Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye to Jiang Ru, and left her room.
Everything that had just happened caught Jiang Ru off guard. Even though Pei Wu had already left, Jiang Ru was still in a daze, staring blankly at the closed door as if Pei Wu hadn't left yet.
In the past, Pei Wu would have simply noticed, but now that Jiang Ru has become aware of the differences between men and women, she feels unusually shy.
Jiang Ru stood up dejectedly, deciding to stop thinking about these shameful things. She had a belated date with Pei Wu tomorrow, so she needed to go to bed early.
Few people would go out on a date so early, but Jiang Ru and Pei Wu were one of them. Last night, Pei Wu conducted a series of investigations in Tanzhou and decided to take Jiang Ru to Muchun Garden outside the city. That place has gardens and opera performances, and it is a popular place for gatherings and banquets.
Even though it was a make-up date, Jiang Ru still valued it. She dressed up again, just like yesterday, wearing a pale yellow dress with a light blue shawl. From a distance, she looked like a butterfly surrounded by a cluster of flowers, making the world pale in comparison.
Pei Wu also valued the date. He dressed casually yesterday for convenience, but now, with Xie Jun's advice, he changed into a more formal purple robe with wide sleeves and white boots, exuding a noble and aloof air.
Muchun Garden is less crowded in the morning, with tea and pastries served on the tables. At noon, you can also order dishes. Jiang Ru and Pei Wu sat in a private room on the second floor, watching the people singing on the stage downstairs.
Jiang Ru had little knowledge of the Great Xia culture and could only barely read and recite poems. She couldn't understand a word of the songs being sung on stage. She and Pei Wu knew each other well and Pei Wu knew how much knowledge she had. The singing on stage was pleasant to listen to, but Jiang Ru would ask questions whenever she couldn't understand something. She would ask Pei Wu a question after every line she sang.
After filming one scene, the two of them had almost drunk a whole pot of water.
Pei Wu suddenly regretted making the mistake of having Jiang Ru, who couldn't understand, listen to this.
But soon, the next event was a storytelling performance. Jiang Ru became very interested and not only listened attentively, but also grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve and enthusiastically discussed the plot with him.
Pei Wu finally relaxed a bit. He was worried that Jiang Ru wouldn't understand and would think that the date he chose was terrible. Fortunately, Jiang Ru didn't think so and seemed to like it.
Mu Chunyuan truly lived up to its reputation; the performance was excellent, and the pastries and snacks on the table were also delicious. Before she knew it, Jiang Ru was stuffed.
The two sat in the private room and listened to the opera all morning. Jiang Ru ate only a few bites for lunch and was full. Seeing that she was tired, Pei Wu said, "I heard that the garden in the backyard is very beautiful. Would you like to go and have a look?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru's eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve and headed downstairs.
Turning the corner downstairs and passing through the corridor, you'll find a garden with artificial hills and rocks, rare and exotic plants, and red maples in full bloom in autumn. Stepping out of the back gate, you'll find a stream flowing from the Xiangjiang River, with tall trees planted along its banks, creating a vast expanse of space.
If Jiang Ru was joyful in the private room just now, she was completely free now. When she saw the golden light covering the ground, her eyes lit up, and she ran quickly towards the grove of trees.
Her pale yellow dress blended seamlessly into the bright yellow surroundings, yet Pei Wu could still spot her at first glance. She was the only bright spot, her flowing skirt dancing gracefully as she ran, as if she were about to fly away at any moment, each step stirring Pei Wu's heart.
She ran far away and only when she turned around did she realize that Pei Wu hadn't followed. Through the layers of dense forest, Jiang Ru's eyes curved into a smile. Realizing that she had been too unrestrained and unconventional in front of Pei Wu, she turned around and stood in front of the shady woods, giving Pei Wu a shy smile.
When Pei Wu got closer, he saw that her cheeks were red from running earlier. The autumn wind was dry, and Jiang Ru's lips were not as moist as usual, but they were still alluring enough.
Pei Wu looked away from her. The trees in the Nan Zhu forest were very tall, and walking among them felt like being in a jungle. The leaves on the ground rustled underfoot. Jiang Ru walked half a step ahead, and Pei Wu followed half a step behind. Their steps were in sync, and Pei Wu followed closely behind her, stepping on the places Jiang Ru had stepped on.
Yesterday, Xie Jun taught him to take the initiative. Pei Wu stared at Jiang Ru's hand, which was resting on her side, for a long time, but didn't dare to reach out and hold it.
He took Jiang Ru's hand in his. It was very soft, a size smaller than his own, with fair and slender fingers, and knuckles like scallions. Pei Wu held her hand carefully, afraid of hurting her.
His gaze fell downwards, and although he should have been looking at the road, he wasn't, as if he was absent-minded.
Jiang Ru noticed that he was lagging behind, turned around and raised an eyebrow at him: "What are you thinking about..."
As she was about to finish speaking, she followed Pei Wu's gaze and moved it to her hands. It was because of Pei Wu's gaze that she realized her hands were empty, as if she should be holding something.
Jiang Ru smiled, a bright and radiant smile. She raised her hand to Pei Wu, a sly smile on her face, and saw through his pretense: "Do you want to hold my hand?"
With just one sentence, Pei Wu revealed all the thoughts in his heart. Pei Wu did not hide his eyes. He thought about it but dared not do it. Jiang Ruming could walk over and take his hand, but it was as if she was teasing him: "If you want to take my hand, come and take it. If you don't come over, you won't be able to take my hand today."
Pei Wu stared intently at her hands. She showed him her hands, her knuckles pink from the wind, and even waved them at him enticingly.
Pei Wu's gaze was always bold, and his expressionless face easily made Jiang Ru intimidated. Jiang Ru stared at his dark eyes and awkwardly withdrew her hand: "Why are you being so fierce?"
"There was no danger," Pei Wu tried to explain.
How could he be mean to Jiang Ru? He just wanted to hold Jiang Ru's hand so much that his face was expressionless, which is why Jiang Ru was scared.
Jiang Ru withdrew her hand; because Pei Wu wasn't taking the initiative, she chose not to let him hold hers anymore.
Lowering her hand, Jiang Ru looked up at the distant woods. Pei Wu approached her at that moment. Jiang Ru turned around, and Pei Wu, only a few steps away, was suddenly beside her. Startled, she took several steps back, saying fearfully, "Why are you scaring me like that…?"
However, before she could finish speaking, Pei Wu stepped forward and gently took her hand.
Jiang Ru's palms were sweaty as soon as her hands started to sweat. She turned her head away, flustered and unsure of what to do, and mumbled a few incoherent words. Pei Wu didn't respond, perhaps mocking her for being too stupid.
However, when Jiang Ru turned her head, she realized that Pei Wu was also turning his face to the side. The half of his face that Jiang Ru could see was slightly red, and his ears were also flushed.
Fortunately, it wasn't just her who panicked; Pei Wu was just as panicked as she was.
Jiang Ru's fingers touched Pei Wu's slightly rough palm. Afraid that her hand would slip away, she circled it inside Pei Wu's palm.
Thinking she was trying to run away, Pei Wu, without saying a word, quickly grabbed her hand.
It was squeezed very tightly.
Jiang Ru was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Did you think I was going to run away?"
Pei Wu looked at her and squeezed out a "hmm" from his throat.
Jiang Ru taught him: "Do you know what it means to interlock your fingers?"
Pei Wu was so smart that he could understand what she meant. Realizing that he had misunderstood, he quickly put it into practice, slipping his fingers between Jiang Ru's fingers and interlocking his with hers.
Holding hands like this felt more intimate, and Jiang Ru adapted very well. Holding Pei Wu's hand, they strolled together in the grove. This row of southern candles wasn't very long, at most fifty meters. The two quickly reached the end, where yellow earth stretched out in the distance, mixed with large patches of withered yellow grass.
After autumn, everything in sight was golden yellow, and behind them was the color of autumn. Pei Wu held Jiang Ru's hand and wanted to keep walking forward. No matter where they went, as long as he held Jiang Ru's hand, that was enough.
But then, Jiang Ru's voice pulled Pei Wu back to reality. She opened her wide eyes and looked at Pei Wu with what seemed like curiosity: "Do you know why men and women like to go on dates in the dense forest?"
Jiang Ru's question stumped Pei Wu. He racked his brains, but for some reason, he helplessly looked at Jiang Ru for help.
He dared not answer, nor dared to think too much, and felt that Jiang Ru's question must not be easy to answer.
As soon as he looked at her, Jiang Ru muttered, "So stupid."
He was indeed clumsy. Just as Pei Wu was about to apologize, Jiang Ru grabbed his hand and ran into the woods. Afraid of stepping on Jiang Ru's skirt, Pei Wu could only carefully follow her, step by step, cautiously and meticulously.
Jiang Ru easily led Pei Wu into the grove. Then, she suddenly shoved Pei Wu. Pei Wu, fearing he would fall, instinctively used the force to back away. He retreated a few steps before hitting a tree, where he had nowhere left to go.
Because of his movement, the golden leaves on the tree fell in a flurry, with a few landing on Jiang Ru's hair and shoulders.
Pei Wu raised his hand, wanting to brush the fallen leaves off Jiang Ru, but before he could touch her shoulder, Jiang Ru stood on tiptoe and hooked her arms around his neck, forcing him to lower his head.
Pei Wu abruptly stopped all his movements. He stared blankly at Jiang Ru, who was so close that he could smell her usual light fragrance and the scent of her breath.
Jiang Ru asked, "Now you know why dates are done in places like this, right?"
Pei Wu's lips moved slightly. He hesitated, lowering his head, his gaze fixed on Jiang Ru's bright red lips. He clearly guessed what was going on, but dared not say it.
Jiang Ru muttered, "Stupid."
Then, she raised her head and bit Pei Wu's lip.
The date was chosen to be in the woods, naturally because they could do this and that; everything else was secondary, and the scenery was just icing on the cake. Having kissed yesterday, Jiang Ru was much bolder and tentatively licked Pei Wu's lips.
With that one touch, Jiang Ru could feel Pei Wu's body stiffen rapidly. Thinking that Pei Wu couldn't take it anymore, she stopped going deeper. But then, Pei Wu returned the favor and gently licked her as well.
The two of them went back and forth, only daring to lick each other's lips once, and not daring to do anything more.
Unbeknownst to them, their figures had changed, and Jiang Ru was now leaning against a tree, while also tiptoeing and hooking her arm around Pei Wu's neck.
Pei Wu leaned down to respond to her, his hands unsure of what to do, so he could only loosely put his arm around Jiang Ru's waist.
While others go on dates at night or dusk, they were different; they hid in the woods and kissed in broad daylight. In broad daylight, Pei Wu was afraid of being seen, so he kissed with extreme restraint.
When they parted, they had no idea what day it was. Jiang Ru leaned against Pei Wu, panting slightly. In fact, their kiss was only at the beginner level; they hadn't even used their tongues. But this was already the limit for Jiang Ru; she couldn't do any more.
She is, after all, a girl. If she always takes the initiative, it makes her seem like a pervert. She has to restrain herself a bit, otherwise Pei Wu will think she is too presumptuous.
After the kiss, Jiang Ru took Pei Wu's hand and left the woods. The two came to the stream, and Jiang Ru bent down to look at her face. She exclaimed, "Ah!" and said helplessly, "The rouge on my lips is all gone."
She muttered to herself, "I should wipe off the rouge first next time, otherwise eating too much of it will be poisonous."
Their lips were both incredibly moist; Jiang Ru shouldn't have licked his first, but now they were both sucking on them.
Applying rouge makes her look pretty, but it also makes kissing feel awkward. Jiang Ruru thought she should apply less rouge in the future.
Pei Wuzhen said sincerely, "She looks better without rouge."
He always praised people like this, thinking in his heart that Jiang Ru was the best in the world, no matter what, no one could compare to Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru was pleased by his coaxing and asked Pei Wu to scoop up some stream water to wash her face. She had powder on her face, so she just wiped it off casually and didn't wash it carefully.
This is the second time, and they've adapted well. At least they're not competing to see who blushes more or who's more naive like they did the first time. Now they're just pretending to be calm, but it's already a big improvement.
After washing their faces, they didn't rush back. They sat in the woods and enjoyed the scenery for a while. In the afternoon, as more and more guests arrived at the park, they finally headed home and made it back before dinner.
After getting home and tidying up, it was time to eat. The people at the table were looking at them with expressions of amusement, which made Jiang Ru blush. She didn't want to talk to them.
After two good days, Pei Wu was to take up his post at the Tanzhou government office the next day. He was supposed to go after visiting Wu Pi’s house, but he postponed it by a day because he had a date with Jiang Ru.
His residence was very close to the government office, just a few steps away. Early in the morning, Pei Wu, dressed in a purple official robe and followed by several servants, went directly to the government office on foot.
During the day, Jiang Ru and Song Shu strolled around the streets and bought a few books at a bookstore. This time, the books they bought weren't so straightforward; they were all subtle teachings on love between men and women. Jiang Ru thought that Pei Wu could learn from them carefully so that he wouldn't be so dense and always need her to teach him.
Around noon, the two went to a restaurant for a meal. Not long after they finished eating, a servant came looking for them, saying that Song Pingzhang wanted them to go back.
Jiang Ru and Song Shu had no choice but to postpone their plans and head home.
Back home, Song Pingzhang and others were waiting in the main hall. Jiang Ru pulled Song Shu inside, and from a distance they could see the matchmaker standing in the house, dressed in bright red and wearing a large red artificial flower.
Jiang Ru and Song Shu exchanged a glance, both asking each other with their eyes who the matchmaker was looking for.
Song Shu and Xie Jun were indeed engaged. Although Jiang Ru and Pei Wu were not engaged, they were in love. Who else could they be betrothed to? It couldn't be Song Pingzhang, could it?
The two walked over, looking bewildered. When Song Pingzhang saw them, he smiled warmly and said, "You've come. Xiao Jiang, come here and let Aunt Feng take a look."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru abruptly stopped in her tracks, never expecting that Song Pingzhang would target her again.
Jiang Ru immediately glared angrily at Song Pingzhang: "Lord Song, how could you do this? I don't want to be betrothed to anyone else."
Even Song Shu immediately became alert, and she and Jiang Ru glared at Song Pingzhang with shared hatred.
Song Pingzhang was inexplicably targeted and sighed helplessly, "Don't be angry yet, you'll see when you get here."
Jiang Ru was indignant and thought to herself that she would tell Pei Wu tonight that his good teacher was trying to find someone to steal his girlfriend. With that thought, Jiang Ru walked over aggressively.
After the two sat down, the matchmaker looked at Jiang Ru with a kind smile and praised, "Young lady, you are truly beautiful."
Jiang Ru was currently on guard against everyone and wouldn't listen to anything anyone said, especially ignoring the matchmaker whose motives were unknown.
Song Pingzhang gave the matchmaker a wink, and the matchmaker immediately went through the motions: "Miss Jiang, I've come here today to arrange a marriage between you and Lord Pei."
"Lord Pei, you know him. He is our prefect, young and promising, and about the same age as the young lady. They are also cousins. If they could get married, it would be a double blessing."
At first, Jiang Ru didn't pay any attention, but as she listened more and more, something seemed off. She looked at Song Pingzhang with a puzzled expression, then looked at the matchmaker and asked as if she hadn't heard clearly, "Wait, who was the person you were talking about just now?"
The matchmaker repeated, "I'm talking about Lord Pei, our prefect, who is also your cousin."
Jiang Ru: "..."
Who says you can say that to a couple?
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