Chapter 87 I'm going to pursue him!
Pei Wu's answer was exactly what Jiang Ru expected, and she was finally satisfied. She added, "If you weren't my cousin, I would still treat you well."
These few words made Pei Wu feel embarrassed, so he lowered his eyes and remained silent. Jiang Ru finally gave up and left Pei Wu's room.
With someone watching over Pei Wu, she doesn't have to worry all the time and can finally get a good night's sleep.
The news of Pei Wu's injury caused quite a stir, and the next day, so many people came to visit that they practically wore down the threshold. Jiang Ru turned most of them down, and only a few of Pei Wu's close friends were allowed to come in to visit.
During their absence, several of Pei Wu's contemporaries who entered the court in the same year were promoted as expected.
For example, Zheng Qiuhong has been transferred to the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, a position of rank 7; Ji Chaoying has been promoted to the position of Reader in the Hanlin Academy, a position of rank 6; and Ning Yiheng has been appointed as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a position of rank 6.
They were afraid of disturbing Pei Wu, so they only came to check on his injuries, brought some tonics, and left after a short while.
Pei Wu had someone he wanted to see, as did Jiang Ru, and Song Shu also came to see Jiang Ru early on.
Half a year had passed, and Song Shu was even more beautiful than before. When she entered the room and saw Jiang Ru, her eyes were slightly red. Jiang Ru had just offered a few words of comfort when she complained, "If you hadn't gone to Nanzhao with me, things wouldn't have turned out like this. Look at the state you've become."
After all, he had been exposed to the wind and sun every day in Nanzhao, and he had indeed aged considerably compared to before, but Jiang Ru felt that all of that was alright. Pei Wu, on the other hand, was in a much worse state.
Song Shu gestured with her chin towards Jiang Ru's back: "How is your cousin?"
Jiang Ru told the truth that Song Pingzhang had come to see her yesterday, which put Song Shu at ease. If it weren't inconvenient, she would have come with Song Pingzhang long ago. Fortunately, Song Pingzhang said that Jiang Ru was fine, so she was able to wait until today to come.
The two chatted for a long time, catching up on old times, and before they knew it, it was noon.
Jiang Ru glanced at the time, stood up, and said, "I need to go see my cousin. Do you want to come with me?"
Song Shu hesitated: "Isn't this a bad idea?"
Jiang Ru asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with it? You know my cousin, what's wrong with it?"
Song Shu hesitated and didn't move, so Jiang Ru simply pulled her up, walked through the corridor, and came to Pei Wu's door.
So many people came to see Pei Wu this morning that his room was only briefly empty now that they were having lunch. Jiang Ru pulled Song Shu into the room.
Strangely enough, as soon as Song Shu entered Pei Wu's room, she seemed to be sealed off, unable to sit or stand properly. She was nothing like her previous charming and shrewd self. She awkwardly shrank behind Jiang Ru until Jiang Ru tugged at her, and only then did she come out from behind Jiang Ru.
Pei Wu knew that Jiang Ru and Song Shu were talking in the courtyard in the morning, but he didn't expect Jiang Ru to bring her over directly.
Pei Wu greeted her politely, "Miss Song, please forgive me for not being able to get up."
Song Shu quickly replied, "No, no, Lord Pei, please get some rest."
After saying that, he ignored Jiang Ru's attempts to stop him and insisted on leaving. He ran so fast that he said, "I'm going outside for some fresh air," once he was out of the house.
Since Song Shu refused to stay inside, Jiang Ru couldn't leave her hanging, so she planned to say a few words to Pei Wu and then leave.
Even though Jiang Ru stopped many people from coming to visit, quite a few people actually went inside. Pei Wu hadn't been able to rest properly all morning, and perhaps because he was tired, he looked quite exhausted.
Just then, Xiao Chen brought food to Pei Wu, and Jiang Ru sat down next to him and watched him eat.
Pei Wu took a moment to ask her, "Have you eaten yet?"
Jiang Ru shook her head: "Let's wait until you finish eating."
Pei Wu needed to eat and take his medicine, which would take quite a while. Jiang Ru stayed with him for a while, but Pei Wu urged her to hurry up and leave: "Song Shu is still waiting for you, don't stay with me."
Jiang Ru had only come to visit and would be leaving soon. When Song Shu was mentioned, Jiang Ru asked with a puzzled look, "Why doesn't Song Shu want to stay here?"
Pei Wu couldn't tell if she genuinely didn't understand or was pretending, so he explained, "Men and women are different."
Perhaps neither she nor Pei Wu had ever noticed this before. She hadn't even paid attention to it. Song Shu was still waiting outside. Jiang Ru didn't have time to ask any more questions, so she said, "Then I'll go keep Song Shu company first. I'll come see you later. You should get some rest."
Pei Wu nodded, and Jiang Ru ran out.
Song Shu was looking at the ginkgo tree outside the house. Their house was not as nice as the Song Mansion; there were far fewer flowers and plants. Song Shu, however, was enjoying the view.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Song Shu turned around: "So fast?" She thought that given how clingy Jiang Ru was to her cousin, she would probably be staying for a long time.
Jiang Ru nodded: "Come on, I'll take you to have a meal. Xia's cooking is absolutely superb; I've been thinking about it every day since I was in Nanzhao."
Song Shu was very supportive: "Then I'll have to try more."
Lunch was already laid out. Jiang Ru and Song Shu sat together. Unlike Pei Wu's meager meal, theirs was much more substantial, with many dishes that Pei Wu was forbidden from eating on the table.
Knowing that Song Shu was coming, Xia was ready to show off her skills, and this table was full of Xia's signature dishes.
Song Shu took a bite and immediately said, "Delicious."
Jiang Ru smiled smugly: "Of course."
Both of them enjoyed their meal. When they had almost finished eating, Song Shu suddenly brought it up: "You and your cousin..."
Jiang Ru was so shocked she almost dropped her chopsticks. She quickly looked around and, finding no one paying attention, stared wide-eyed at Song Shu in astonishment.
As expected of Song Shu, she could see through Jiang Ru's thoughts so quickly. Jiang Ru beckoned to Song Shu like a thief, and when she got closer, she lowered her voice and asked, "How did you know?"
Song Shu hesitated for a moment. She just wanted to ask Jiang Ru and Pei Wu why they were so unconcerned about appearances. After all, even if they were siblings, they should still be a little more careful. Jiang Ru's question, however, left her dumbfounded.
Although she didn't quite understand Jiang Ru's reaction, Song Shu still said, "You just went into his bedroom."
Jiang Ru's eyes widened even more, her long eyelashes curled up. She blinked, her bright, pearly eyes sparkling with light. She said mysteriously, "You guessed right, I do like him."
This time, it was Song Shu's turn to drop her chopsticks.
Surprised, she almost fell off her chair, her chopsticks falling to the ground. Jiang Ru exclaimed "Oh!" and was about to change Song Shu's pair when Song Shu pressed down on her shoulder.
Song Shu held her down, her eyes wide even more than Jiang Ru's, gasping for breath as if she couldn't catch her breath. She pinched Jiang Ru and shook her several times: "You like your cousin."
Jiang Ru felt dizzy from being shaken, and she looked completely innocent: "Don't you know? You just asked me about it."
Song Shu was furious: "That's not what I wanted to ask!"
Jiang Ru fell silent for a long while, then said with a hint of self-abandonment, "What can I do? I've already told you everything."
Besides, Song Shu isn't an outsider, so it's no big deal for her to know this.
Song Shu seemed unable to accept it, and even squeezed Jiang Ru's shoulder until it hurt. When Jiang Ru struggled for a moment, Song Shu let go of her.
Song Shu sat in the chair, her eyes vacant, her heart ashen. Jiang Ru nudged her awkwardly and with a hint of confusion, "What's wrong?"
Song Shu remained unmoved until Jiang Ru nudged her again, at which point she finally snapped out of her daze and turned to ask Jiang Ru, "So what are you going to do?"
Jiang Ru lowered her head, a little embarrassed, but said with a hint of certainty, "I'm going to pursue him."
The door to the main hall was open, and the warm summer breeze gently lifted Jiang Ru's hair. The wind carried the fragrance of flowers and wafted towards Jiang Ru. Sunlight streamed through the courtyard and into the house, casting dappled shadows. Jiang Ru's cheeks were bathed in the light, making them appear fair and rosy. She said earnestly, "I want to pursue him."
Song Shu never imagined that Jiang Ru would ever experience romantic feelings. She thought Jiang Ru was completely oblivious to such things and would probably spend her life with her cousin...
At that moment, Song Shu felt as if something had struck her head, and a flash of inspiration struck her: yes, being with Pei Wu would also be a lifetime commitment.
She should have realized it sooner. Jiang Ru had been clinging to Pei Wu for a long time. Even siblings would drift apart at this age, but she and Pei Wu remained inseparable even now.
Song Shu thought that perhaps Jiang Ru had liked Pei Wu for a long time, but she was unaware of it and only realized it during her trip to Nanzhao.
Song Shu couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did you realize you liked him?"
Jiang Ru replied matter-of-factly, "I'm not stupid, of course I know."
So Jiang Ru had been stupid all along. Song Shu almost laughed in anger. Before she could expose Jiang Ru, Jiang Ru grabbed her arm and said, "Teach me how to pursue someone. I want to pursue him."
Song Shu hadn't seen such a bold and unrestrained woman in a long time. If they liked someone, they usually knew their feelings at a glance. At the very least, there would be a banquet where they would see who they liked and then ask their parents to propose marriage. As for Jiang Ru... it was really hard to say.
She knew that Song Shu and Pei Wu's parents were no longer alive, so her great-grandfather was one of the elders, but she had to ask Pei Wu's opinion first.
Song Shu pondered for a moment and said, "If I want to marry your cousin, I need to go home and ask my great-grandfather if he knows any good matchmakers, so that we can discuss things more easily."
Jiang Ru felt that Song Shu was going off on a tangent. Although she wanted to date Pei Wu, she didn't want to rush to the point of marriage. She quickly stopped Song Shu: "I'm not asking about that. I want to ask how to pursue him."
Song Shu was stunned.
She pondered for a moment and said, "If you embroider a sachet for him, he will know what you mean."
Jiang Ru exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of confession is this? I've already embroidered several for him before."
Song Shu: "..."
She really wanted to say that no man would casually accept a woman's sachet; accepting it meant agreeing to the relationship. However, Jiang Ru and Pei Wu had both given and received sachets without either of them realizing the significance.
Jiang Ru is alright, since no one in her family told her that Pei Wu, who has read so many books, didn't even know?
Song Shu thought that Pei Wu and Jiang Ru probably didn't understand this kind of subtle expression, so she lowered her voice and said, "You can try to flirt with him."
Jiang Ru looked on with eager curiosity: "How do I flirt with him?"
Song Shu said, "Give him your handkerchief, then gently touch his hand. If you're bold enough, you can even try holding his hand."
Jiang Ru: "..."
If I remember correctly, she had given Pei Wu her handkerchief, and as for holding hands, she had already done so long ago.
Jiang Ru looked at Song Shu with a guilty conscience and suspicion: "Don't you think there's a possibility..."
Before she could finish speaking, Song Shu had already guessed: "You've done this before too?"
Jiang Ru nodded.
Song Shuzhen had never seen anyone so oblivious, and she was also exasperated. It was one thing for Jiang Ru not to understand, but why didn't Pei Wu understand either?
Song Shu was furious: "How could you do this?"
"How so?" Jiang Ru asked humbly.
Oh well, so be it if I'm a little slow. As long as I realize my own feelings, that's good enough.
But... Song Shu suddenly thought of something. She looked at Jiang Ru suspiciously, then glanced in the direction of Pei Wu's bedroom, and couldn't help but think, "Could it be that your cousin knows? You say he doesn't understand these things, but I don't believe it. I'm afraid in his heart you two have already confessed your feelings for each other, otherwise why would he still be unwilling to marry at this age?"
They're making it sound like Pei Wu is seventy or eighty years old. He's only eighteen, which would be considered puppy love in modern times. Jiang Ru even thinks he's too young.
Jiang Ru couldn't agree with Song Shu's words. It would be a miracle if Pei Wu thought like that. Pei Wu really didn't have those feelings for her; he just treated her like a younger sister. After all, Pei Wu was kind to everyone, so it was normal that he couldn't bear to refuse her.
After she finished explaining her thoughts, Song Shuzhen was speechless. She remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Then what should we do?"
"I'm asking you this, aren't I?" Jiang Ru was even more at a loss for what to do.
Now that things have come to this, Song Shu has no choice but to use her trump card: "Then hug him. It may be inappropriate, but you two blockheads, this is the only way."
Jiang Ru: "".
Song Shu: ""
After a long pause, Song Shu slammed her hand on the table in anger: "What's wrong with you? How could you even do this?"
Jiang Ru quickly pressed her down: "Wait, calm down, calm down."
"How can I be appeased?" Song Shu pointed at herself. "Look what you've all done! What does Pei Wu mean by this? Even after all this, he still won't marry you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Ru covered her mouth and anxiously explained, "Don't scold him like that. He doesn't understand these things, and besides, it was all my initiative. He couldn't refuse."
After much persuasion, Song Shu was finally convinced to stop. Jiang Ru explained that the place was too close to Pei Wu's room, and she was afraid that Pei Wu would hear something. So, Jiang Ru quickly pulled Song Shu to the pavilion in the front yard, where Pei Wu would not be able to hear anything.
After calming down the angry Song Shu, Jiang Ru sincerely explained, "He really doesn't understand these things, which is why I asked you if you had any ideas on how to make him like me."
Song Shu stared at Jiang Ru in disbelief. The woman before her had bright, clear eyes and crimson lips; with such a gentle and refined face, who wouldn't like her?
But she seemed to be genuinely asking Song Shu, who paused for a moment and said, "Wait here, I'll find you some books, and you can study from them."
Among the girlfriends she knew, the most they would give was a sachet, or at worst, some homemade food, and the other person would understand. But there were two silly girls here who didn't even know, so Song Shu had to rely on external objects.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru became interested: "What booklet? I'd like to take a look."
It was just a storybook sold in a bookstore on the street. Song Shu could only think of having Jiang Ru hug Pei Wu as a test, and she couldn't think of anything else.
Without further ado, the two went to a bookstore and bought dozens of books for Jiang Ru. Song Shu patted Jiang Ru's shoulder solemnly: "Try it first, and if it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."
Jiang Ru was eager to learn, holding these books as if they were precious treasures, nodding repeatedly.
Since they were already out, the two of them strolled around the streets for a while, had dinner, and then went home separately.
Jiang Ru, carrying her books, went to the bedroom to hide them before going to see Pei Wu.
Fewer people came to see Pei Wu in the afternoon than in the morning, and Pei Wu turned most of them away, so he got a decent rest in the afternoon.
When he learned that Jiang Ru had left home to go out with Song Shu, he tossed and turned for a while all afternoon. It was also because he was injured and couldn't get out of bed, so he couldn't go out with Jiang Ru and could only lie in bed waiting for her to come home.
When Jiang Ru entered the room, Pei Wu was leaning against the headboard, bored, and picked up a book to read.
"You're injured like this, why aren't you resting properly?" Jiang Ru thought to herself. Seeing her enter the room, Pei Wu closed his book and looked up at Jiang Ru who was approaching him.
Knowing that Pei Wu was injured and could only eat light food, Jiang Ru only bought him pastries when she went out today. She opened the paper package and handed it to Pei Wu with a smile: "Try it, these pastries are delicious."
Pei Wu had just finished dinner not long ago. He rarely eats late-night snacks, but in order not to spoil Jiang Ru's mood, he still ate a piece.
After Pei Wu finished a piece of pastry, Jiang Ru handed him some water. After Pei Wu finished drinking the water, Jiang Ru took the cup from him. While taking the cup, Jiang Ru deliberately touched Pei Wu's fingers. Touching Pei Wu's warm fingertips, Jiang Ru's heart raced, and she couldn't help but look up to see Pei Wu's reaction.
However, Pei Wu's fingers trembled slightly; he showed no shyness whatsoever as one might expect, and remained completely unresponsive.
Jiang Ru took the cup from Pei Wu's hand expressionlessly, and then, unwilling to give up, rubbed it against him. This time, Pei Wu finally reacted and asked Jiang Ru, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Ru withdrew her hand, inwardly scoffing, "It's nothing."
She turned around, put Pei Wu's cup back, and sat down next to him unhappily.
When she's unhappy, it's very obvious, and Pei Wu can easily see through it. He thought back and realized that she seemed to have started to be unhappy when she accepted the cup.
Pei Wu reflected on his actions. He shouldn't have done anything wrong to upset Jiang Ru. He glanced at Jiang Ru cautiously and asked, "Did you not enjoy your shopping today?"
Jiang Ru didn't understand what he meant: "I'm happy, why are you asking this?"
Pei Wu then said, "If you are not comfortable staying here, you should go back first."
Jiang Ru only had a slight emotional reaction, but Pei Wu imagined so much. Jiang Ru could only tell Pei Wu, "I'm not feeling unwell, I'm just a little tired."
As she spoke, she lay down beside Pei Wu's bed. Just lying next to Pei Wu was enough for her. She decided not to think too much and simply nestled quietly beside him.
Jiang Ru quickly recovered. There was plenty of time in the future; she could slowly and patiently win Pei Wu's heart.
As she was thinking, Jiang Ru reached out and found Pei Wu's hand on the quilt, and took it in her hand.
Pei Wu hesitated for a moment, then struggled very slightly. Jiang Ru grabbed him again and said, "Let me hold your hand for a bit first."
Pei Wu then stopped moving.
Jiang Ru remained in that position, looking up at Pei Wu. Pei Wu had initially been looking down at her, but after a while, he realized that Jiang Ru's gaze was too direct, so he hurriedly looked away, picked up the book beside him, and started reading again.
He hadn't thought about what was written in the book at all; all he knew was that Jiang Ru was holding his hand. Jiang Ru's hand was a size smaller than his, with slender, soft fingers nestled in his palm.
Pei Wu couldn't remain calm. After reading for a long time, he felt bored and needed to say something. Thinking about what had happened today, he casually asked, "I think I heard you talking about me in the room today."
Jiang Ru didn't understand at first: "What?"
Pei Wu continued to explain, "Today, while I was in my room, I thought I heard Song Shu call my name."
What could it be? It was just Song Shu cursing Pei Wu.
Jiang Ru immediately sat up straight, pulling her hand away from Pei Wu's. She asked nervously, "What did you hear?"
Pei Wu looked at his empty hands. Because of Jiang Ru's departure, his hands had turned cold, as if he should have been holding something but had not been able to. He could only suppress the urge to hold Jiang Ru's hand again and silently clench his fist.
Jiang Ru waited anxiously for his reply, then nudged Pei Wu with a mix of trepidation and delight. If Pei Wu heard her, she could easily express her feelings, but she was also afraid that he might reject her.
Pei Wu seemed lost in thought, and asked blankly, "What?"
Jiang Ru repeated what she had just said.
Her tense expression made Pei Wu wonder if he had done something wrong that made Jiang Ru complain to Song Shu. His heart skipped a beat, and before Jiang Ru could point it out, he asked in a very polite manner, "But what did I do wrong?"
It was quite far from the main hall, so he couldn't hear clearly. Pei Wu only vaguely heard his own name, and he wasn't even sure if Jiang Ru and the others had mentioned him.
Pei Wu didn't hear her at all. Realizing this possibility, Jiang Ru didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed. If Pei Wu didn't know, it meant that her thoughts hadn't been exposed, and she didn't have to think about the possibility that Pei Wu might reject her.
Jiang Ru forced a smile: "No, you didn't do anything wrong."
Pei Wu didn't believe it: "If I did something wrong, my cousin can just tell me directly."
Jiang Ru denied it again: "No."
"I must have misheard you."
Jiang Ru nodded this time: "You misheard."
Pei Wu initially didn't believe it, but since it was Jiang Ru who said it, he could only swallow all his doubts. He was just overthinking things. How could Jiang Ru possibly speak ill of him? She always spoke ill of Pei Wu to his face.
After the harrowing experience, Jiang Ru was exhausted, so she simply lay down next to Pei Wu without saying a word, just keeping him company.
As for pursuing Pei Wu, let's talk about it tomorrow. She can study tonight, learn a bit, and then put it into practice.
After a day of sightseeing, and with Pei Wu's room so warm and cozy, Jiang Ru's eyelids began to droop after only a short time of lying down.
As she was feeling drowsy, Pei Wu called her softly. His voice was pleasant, and he unconsciously lowered it, his deep voice lingering in Jiang Ru's ears as he told her, "Go back to your room and sleep if you're sleepy."
Jiang Ru was indeed sleepy. She got up unsteadily and floated out of Pei Wu's room like a ghost, startling Pei Wu so much that he almost sat up to help her.
Fortunately, although she walked in a mess, she didn't fall and returned to her room safely.
Even though she was so tired, Jiang Ru didn't forget her business. She took out the booklet she had carefully selected from under her pillow, and by the light of the oil lamp, she turned to the first page.
Ancient books are not straightforward; they are written in an extremely obscure way. Jiang Ru looked at them for a while, but the more she looked, the more dizzy she became, and she couldn't understand them at all.
She squinted and flipped to the middle, only to see one line: "The fragrance of powder and sweat dampens the strings of the zither, spring teases and melts the soft, moist rain."
Jiang Ru translated the sentence with her not-so-bright brain, and then suddenly put the book aside.
She buried her face in the blanket to hide her flushed redness, and couldn't help but grit her teeth. What kind of bad influence was Song Shu, that friend of hers!
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The author's note: "The fragrance of powder and sweat dampens the strings of the zither; spring's gentle teasing melts like a soft, nourishing rain." (From "Su Ru")
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