Chapter 32 The Marriage Contract
The spring breeze gently stirred the lamp oil flame, illuminating Jiang Ru's face in both light and shadow. Her eyes, lit by the flame, revealed a pure and innocent smile, the brightest starlight in the night.
Pei Wu paused slightly, his gaze falling quietly on Jiang Ru. His eyes sparkled, revealing her radiant beauty. The figure before him was bright and lively, like a dazzling rainbow, making it hard to look away from her.
Jiang Ru stood up in his gaze, already running far away, only her voice lingering: "Wait here, I'll bring you some midnight snacks."
The girl's figure was incredibly agile; she ran out of the courtyard, through the long corridor, and disappeared around the corner like a rabbit.
Pei Wu subconsciously straightened his clothes. He was wearing the imperial examination robes today, which didn't require him to straighten them. In fact, even if he were wearing other clothes, he wouldn't need to straighten them.
Pei Wu walked to the round table in the pavilion and sat down. Everyone else in the courtyard quickly stood up, but Pei Wu gently pressed his hand down and said, "No need to stand, you can all go back."
None of them dared to leave until Pei Wu said something else, at which point they listened to him and left.
Soon, Jiang Ru reappeared around the corner. Unlike her hurried demeanor earlier, she walked very cautiously this time, as if afraid of falling.
Pei Wu stood up and took the tray from her hands.
There was a bowl of soup and several dishes on the tray. Pei Wu placed the dishes on the wooden table, and Jiang Ru showed them to him by the light of the oil lamp.
She kept saying, "I guessed you were going to drink, so I made you some hangover soup. I also guessed you weren't full, so I prepared some food for you."
"Xiaozhu taught me how to make this Er Chen Tang. She's so amazing; it seems like she can cook anything." Jiang Ru ladled a bowl of soup for Pei Wu, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at him. "Drink up, your face is so red. Are you feeling dizzy?"
Pei Wu has fair skin, and when he drinks, his cheeks and even the roots of his ears turn red. In order to see his face clearly, Jiang Ru leaned forward slightly, not too close, but Pei Wu subconsciously flinched away.
Jiang Ru didn't care at all. After looking at it, she confirmed, "It really is red. Drink it quickly."
Pei Wu, however, did not pick up the spoon.
Jiang Ru looked at him as if he were stunned. After a moment of silence, she said, "You haven't lost consciousness, have you? Your eyes are all unfocused. How can these people do this? Making a minor drink alcohol. Okay, okay, don't drink anymore. Go to sleep..."
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Wu had already picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of soup.
Jiang Ru: "..."
Jiang Ru looked at Pei Wu with a probing gaze. Pei Wu's hands were very steady, and his movements as he drank the soup were also very steady, without even the slightest tremor. There was no indication that he was drunk.
Jiang Ru couldn't help but mutter, "Are you drunk or not?"
In the blink of an eye, Pei Wu had finished a bowl of soup. After finishing, he raised his head and looked at Jiang Ru quietly with his clear eyes, as if asking for praise.
It's rare to see Pei Wu so well-behaved. Jiang Ru handed the porridge and dishes on the plate to Pei Wu: "Drink up, fill your stomach. You must not have eaten enough at the banquet."
This porridge is made with tea blossoms. It's the season when tea blossoms are in full bloom, and the small white flowers blend into the porridge, creating a sweet and fragrant flavor that complements the porridge perfectly. There's also a small dish of salted dried bamboo shoots on the side, which is just right to eat with the porridge.
Jiang Ru pointed to the bowl of porridge: "Xiao Zhu taught me how to make this porridge. I didn't even know these flowers were edible. I was afraid they might poison you, so I tasted a bit first."
Pei Wu looked up and asked her, "Is it poisonous?"
"If it were poisoned, would I still be standing here?" Jiang Ru was now certain that Pei Wu was truly drunk. She waved her hand and said, "Hurry up and drink. If you don't drink now, you'll be hungry at night, and no one will make you anything to eat."
Pei Wu lowered his head, about to take a sip, then looked up and asked Jiang Ru, "What will you do with your porridge if I'm already full?"
Pei Wu talked a lot tonight and kept asking nonsensical questions. Considering he was drunk, Jiang Ru was unusually patient: "You guessed wrong. There's still a lot of porridge in the pot. We've already prepared breakfast for tomorrow. Even if you don't eat it, someone else will come to eat it tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Pei Wu slowly looked at Jiang Ru. His dark eyes stared intently at her, making her feel inexplicably guilty.
Jiang Ru immediately changed her tune: "I made this especially for you. If you don't eat it, no one else will. Okay?"
Pei Wu was very stubborn and difficult to deal with when he was drunk. Jiang Ru finally managed to calm him down and watched him finish his porridge before she breathed a sigh of relief.
Actually, missing a meal wouldn't be a big deal, but her cousin was so fragile that Jiang Ru always felt he would die if he missed a meal, so she specially prepared a late-night snack for him.
After he finished drinking, Jiang Ru was about to clear the plates when Pei Wu suddenly said, "I didn't eat enough at the banquet."
Jiang Ru paused, looking at Pei Wu with a puzzled expression.
Pei Wu stared at Jiang Ru and continued, "There's a lot of food, but it's already cold, and we're going to drink wine too."
At such banquets, the dishes are prepared well in advance, and the process is quite complicated. By the time the long opening remarks are over, even the hot dishes have long since cooled down, which is to be expected.
Drinking is even more normal; it's a joyous occasion for the newly appointed top scholars to achieve their academic success, so naturally they'd have a few drinks.
However, seeing that Pei Wu seemed quite unwilling, Jiang Ru found it amusing: "You don't like drinking?"
Pei Wu shook his head.
Jiang Ru gave him a bad idea: "Next time you drink, replace the alcohol with water. While others drink one cup, you can drink ten."
Pei Wu seemed genuinely considering the feasibility. After thinking for a long time, he asked Jiang Ru uncertainly, "Is it really possible?"
"Of course not." Jiang Ru looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Do you think everyone else is blind?"
Pei Wu finally realized he had been tricked. After a moment's hesitation, he stood up, turned away angrily, and left.
His steps were a little heavy, and Jiang Ru was afraid he would fall. After all, he was wearing new clothes and a scholar's hat. If those two long, pointed corners hit something, they might poke his head. She didn't want her smart cousin to fall and become an idiot.
Jiang Ru followed closely behind him, reaching out her hand to help him up. Fortunately, there was no serious injury; although Pei Wu was drunk, his steps were still steady, and he didn't fall.
He walked to his door, turned around and looked at Jiang Ru. He wondered why Jiang Ru was following him and even followed him to his room, so he subconsciously glared at Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru: "...Did you glare at me?"
Pei Wu gave her a haughty and aloof look, then opened the door and went inside.
Sure enough, he glared at Jiang Ru!
Jiang Ru originally wanted to open the door and beat Pei Wu up, but then she thought about it and decided not to bother with a drunkard.
She pointed at Pei Wu's room from a distance and muttered, "You couldn't find a cousin as good as me even if you searched with a lantern. And you're glaring at me? You blind fool. Go ahead and recognize someone else as your cousin and see if she'll spoil you."
Pei Wu was completely unaware of this. He was dizzy and fell asleep as soon as he entered his room, completely forgetting about this incident.
The next morning, Pei Wu keenly noticed that Jiang Ru's attitude towards him was not as good as before.
On many occasions, Jiang Ru gave him a disdainful smile.
Pei Wu, certain that he hadn't offended Jiang Ru after waking up that morning, could only sincerely ask, "Cousin, what did I do to offend you?"
Jiang Ru continued to sneer.
Pei Wu was completely bewildered. He began to recall that last night, when he returned from Qionglin Garden, Jiang Ru was waiting for him in the pavilion, but he knew nothing else.
So, it seems he must have done something to upset Jiang Ru last night.
Pei Wu was a person eager for knowledge. When he couldn't get the information from Jiang Ru, he went to ask Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen, but the answer he got was always that they didn't know.
Pei Wu had no choice but to return to Jiang Ru and, in a good-natured manner, inquire about what had happened the previous night.
Jiang Ru said sarcastically, "Go and recognize someone else as your cousin, don't call me cousin anymore."
Pei Wu: "..."
Pei Wu chuckled: "Who could I possibly recognize as my cousin? What are you saying in anger?"
Jiang Ru scoffed: "You know perfectly well what you've done."
Pei Wu really didn't know.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Xiao Fang hurriedly ran to open it, and the person who came was Wang Chong, the Minister of Works.
After all, he was Pei Wu's superior. Even if Jiang Ru had argued with him, she still had to give Pei Wu some face in front of others. She would avoid him when he came, but when Wang Chong learned that she was his cousin, he politely told her that she didn't need to avoid him.
The three of them had no choice but to sit down, each with their own thoughts. Wang Chongxian exchanged a few pleasantries with Pei Wu and asked about Pei Wu's parents. Upon learning that Pei Wu's parents had both passed away, he apologized for it.
Jiang Ru had assumed he was there to offer condolences and was listening listlessly when she suddenly heard Wang Chong ask, "I wonder if Compiler Pei is married?"
Jiang Ru immediately sat up straight.
Pei Wu was also taken aback, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "I am not yet married."
Wang Chong smiled and said, "I have a daughter who is fifteen years old. If you don't mind, you can get engaged to her and marry her in the future."
As she spoke, she brought over the matchmaker who was standing nearby. Jiang Ru didn't know who she was and thought she was her nanny. She never expected that she was actually the matchmaker.
Pei Wu also became wary, claiming that he was too young to get married.
Wang Chong, however, said, "We can get engaged first, and then get married in two years."
Pei Wu had no choice but to decline, saying he had no intention of marrying his daughter to him. After much persuasion, he managed to dissuade Wang Chong from marrying his daughter to him.
Jiang Ru suppressed her laughter. She never expected such a dramatic turn of events. Looking at Pei Wu's stiff figure, Jiang Ru could only bury her head to avoid bursting into laughter.
Unexpectedly, this dramatic turn of events immediately befell her. Seeing that he couldn't break through Pei Wu's defenses, Wang Chong turned his attention to Jiang Ru. He focused his gaze on Jiang Ru and began to make his own plans.
If it doesn't work out with Pei Wu, then since Jiang Ru is Pei Wu's cousin, although they are a little distant relatives, it doesn't really matter. If things go well with Jiang Ru, it will be easier to deal with Pei Wu in the future. Perhaps it's worth a try.
A smile appeared on Wang Chong's face as he turned to Jiang Ru: "I wonder if Miss Jiang is married?"
Jiang Ru was laughing heartily when she was surprised that this had happened to her. She hesitated, raised her head, and weakly uttered, "Huh?"
Wang Chong said kindly, "I have a son who is eighteen years old. If Miss Jiang doesn't mind, perhaps we can arrange a marriage between him and my son."
Jiang Ru could no longer laugh.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com