Chapter 5, Chapter 5: The Female Rogue
Fortunately, Pei Wu nodded and told Jiang Ru, "Yes."
Now that they had land, they wouldn't have to worry about food anymore. Jiang Ru felt a little relieved and said, "Take me to see it."
Pei Wu disagreed, and hesitantly looked up at the sky, saying, "It's getting late, otherwise..."
"Stop hesitating, take me there." Jiang Ru was impatient and even wanted to reach out and grab Pei Wu, but then she remembered what he had said about the strict separation between men and women, so she didn't.
Given Pei Wu's personality, even if she trusted him, she had to make plans early.
Pei Wu hesitated for a moment, but there was nothing he could do about Jiang Ru, so he had no choice but to stand up resignedly.
He walked ahead, with Jiang Ru following behind. Along the way, they encountered many villagers, most of whom would exchange a few words with Pei Wu. During these conversations, they would inevitably ask about Jiang Ru, and Pei Wu would always say that she was a distant cousin.
Neighborhood relations were quite harmonious in ancient times; they hadn't gone far before they were all given some grain by force.
It was almost lunchtime, and smoke was rising from every household's chimney. Jiang Ru had been studying for too long today, and she was getting a little hungry. She sniffed and regretfully thought that she should have eaten first before going out.
The stream babbled as they walked through the fields, the setting sun casting long shadows. The winding path, barely wide enough for one person to pass, led to large, thriving vegetable gardens on either side of the fences.
Jiang Ru kicked a pebble and asked Pei Wu, "How much further?"
She didn't have much hope, after all, she had farmed before, and the land she was allocated was far from home and was all low-grade land.
Pei Wu didn't turn his head: "Let's walk for another half an hour."
Jiang Ru stopped abruptly, frowning. "Isn't there anything closer?"
"Yes." Pei Wu also stopped in his tracks.
Jiang Ru felt relieved. She knew that she couldn't live all her life so far from home; at least one place would be close by.
However, Pei Wu said, "The nearby ones have all been rented out to others."
Jiang Ru: "..."
Pei Wu's nonsense made her mood plummet, and Jiang Ru almost rolled her eyes.
Pei Wu also felt a little embarrassed and said shyly, "I don't know how to grow it. I've tried before, but I can never do it well, so I have to rent it out."
“There’s only one place left,” Pei Wu added. “It’s very far. If you can’t walk any further, we’ll head back first…”
“No.” Jiang Ru stopped him from deserting. “Take me with you. I don’t believe there’s no land I can’t cultivate.”
Pei Wu hadn't expected her to still go in her condition. He sighed helplessly and gave Jiang Ru a heads-up: "The remaining land isn't very good. Are you sure you still want to go?"
Jiang Ru nodded firmly.
Pei Wu had no choice but to continue walking ahead. The path was overgrown with weeds, some of which were thorny. He would use a branch to push them aside before letting Jiang Ru pass.
The crimson clouds blazed like flames, the overlapping green mountains were tinged with a faint blue, and the vast expanse of green was as dazzling as an oil painting.
Jiang Ru followed Pei Wu, first walking along many small paths, and finally stopped at the foot of a mountain. She then began to climb the mountain with Pei Wu.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, and it was all steep slopes. It was easy to fall if one was not careful, so Jiang Ru could only step on the path with extreme caution.
By the time they reached the halfway point, the sun had completely set, and a cold wind was howling. Jiang Ru, who was wearing few clothes, shivered from the wind.
Pei Wu could see that she was having a hard time walking, and he kept comforting her that she was almost there. When Pei Wu said for the tenth time that she was almost there, he assured Jiang Ru, "It's just ahead."
Not long after, she and Pei Wu stopped on a slope. It was indeed farmland, but it had been abandoned for too long and was overgrown with weeds. The land was neither too big nor too small, enough to grow some things, but as Pei Wu said, the crops might not be very good.
Jiang Ru looked at the land and shook her head, sighing. "We can barely grow some millet."
Pei Wu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "There's still some money left at home, so you don't need to worry."
Unexpectedly, Jiang Ru raised her lips. After sunset, as the sky gradually darkened, amidst the gray mountains, Jiang Ru's eyes seemed to hold a galaxy. She looked up at Pei Wu and said, "What's so difficult about this? You said it yourself, we still have some money at home. Even if I don't grow it well, we won't starve. So why not give it a try?"
Pei Wu's breath hitched. He looked at Jiang Ru and suddenly felt that Jiang Ru might really be able to do it.
On the way back, Jiang Ru's steps were lighter. She walked ahead, humming a song that Pei Wu had never heard before. As dusk fell, the scene before her was shrouded in night, but the figure walking ahead was exceptionally clear.
When they finally returned to the courtyard, it was completely dark. Moonlight shone into the courtyard, and the two squatted by the stove, cooking porridge.
On their way to the fields, a villager gave them a vegetable that they could just cook into the porridge.
Under the hazy moonlight, those who went to bed early had already retired. They sat in the courtyard, listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind, feeling exceptionally peaceful.
Today was quite a busy day. Jiang Ru was hungry and drank two bowls of soup, while Pei Wu only drank a shallow bowl.
It's not good for a growing boy to eat so little every day. Jiang Ru looked at him and said, "Do you want to eat some more? How can you be full with just this little?"
Pei Wu shook his head: "No need."
After he refused several times, Jiang Ru didn't say anything more to him.
A gust of wind blew into the courtyard, causing the oil lamp flame to sway precariously. Having walked too much, her legs ached and sore. After washing up, Jiang Ru went straight to sleep.
The door to the next room creaked shut, and Pei Wu stepped out. He had changed into a clean white outfit, his long hair was loose, and the ends of his hair were damp and misty.
He went into the courtyard, picked up the oil lamp from the table, and returned to the side room.
The books he had taken out during the day had been put back inside. An oil lamp was placed in front of the window, its flames raging and casting reflections on the mottled wall. The shadows flickered with the movement of the flames. Pei Wu sat quietly at the table, extended his index finger, and wrote a few words on the table.
He took note of Jiang Ru's casual remark during the day; although he didn't understand what she meant, he made a point of writing it down.
之, 支, 只, 汁, 芝, 知, 肢, 枝, 织, 脂.
After writing it, Pei Wu crossed out the last few words.
Jiang Ru said that she had already learned the character "之", and among the characters Pei Wu taught her, only this character "之" was one she had already learned.
After confirming the first character, Pei Wu wrote a few more characters on the table.
Second, insignificant, insignificant, ethereal, distant, scornful.
Jiang Ru didn't say much about those words. Her change of words was so abrupt that Pei Wu didn't ask.
So, what is the connection between these words and Pei Wu?
Or, why would Jiang Ru specifically want to learn these characters? Whose name is this? And what is the relationship between this person and Jiang Ru?
Or perhaps this isn't actually a name, and Jiang Ru is hinting at something, or maybe she just let it slip...
Pei Wu didn't intend to spy on anyone, nor did he think anyone was deliberately trying to harm him; he was simply being cautious in everything he did.
He traced the words on the table with his finger, leaving no mark, yet they were firmly etched in Pei Wu's mind. If they were unrelated to him, he would not need to know; if they were related to him, the truth would become clear in the future.
He bent down, blew out the oil lamp, and lay back down on the bed.
...
Since she had made up her mind to grow something, Jiang Ru had to go to the market to buy some seeds. She had decided that she could also set aside a small area in Pei Wu's yard to grow some vegetables.
The area has a market every five days. The day Jiang Ru came to find Pei Wu happened to be market day. She would have to wait another three days before she could go to buy seeds.
During the three free days in between, you can go to the fields to clear wasteland, remove weeds, and cultivate the land.
Jiang Ru was a restless person, actually afraid of going hungry, so the next day she asked Pei Wu for a hoe to go to the fields.
Yesterday, it was a momentary impulse that made Pei Wu think she could do it. But after thinking about it carefully today, Pei Wu still doesn't quite agree with her going. Firstly, that piece of land has been abandoned for a long time, and secondly, Jiang Ru is just a young girl, younger than Pei Wu, so it's not appropriate to let her do these things.
Little did he know that Jiang Ru had been farming for over ten years and was far more skilled than him.
Pei Wu couldn't persuade her, so he simply refused to tell Jiang Ru where the farm tools were. After a brief standoff, Jiang Ru laughed and said, "Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll find them myself."
Pei Wu pursed his lips, his gaze following Jiang Ru, but he didn't stop her. He had gotten up earlier than Jiang Ru this morning and had already put the farm tools into his room. He was certain that Jiang Ru wouldn't be allowed to open the door to his bedroom.
Fortunately, Jiang Ru mentioned it last night, so he was prepared and hid the things properly.
Pei Wu stood in the courtyard and watched Jiang Ru walk into the main hall, followed by a flurry of activity as she rummaged through chests and cabinets.
Jiang Ru wasn't shy at all, nor did she seem to care about being a guest. After all, everything she was doing was for Pei Wu and her future; they were in the same boat now.
After several loud clanging sounds in the main hall, Jiang Ru confirmed that the farm tools were not inside.
She went outside again, stood in the courtyard and looked around, then walked past Pei Wu and searched by the stove.
Okay, still nothing.
After searching the courtyard again, she thought for a moment and went into her room.
She had only been there a few days and hadn't observed the house before, so she didn't know what was inside. Perhaps before she arrived, the room had been used as a storage room, so she went in to search around.
There wasn't much in the room, but Jiang Ru didn't miss a single corner. After searching thoroughly, she determined that the farm tools were in Pei Wu's room.
She stepped out of the room and met Pei Wu's gaze. Pei Wu's eyes were very dark, and his eyes, painted with thick ink, were extremely clear. He stared at Jiang Ru, stubbornly refusing to back down.
After a moment, he spoke: "I still don't agree with you going."
Jiang Ru raised an eyebrow at him.
Perhaps feeling a little embarrassed about stopping Jiang Ru, Pei Wu turned his head away, staring at the ground beneath his feet, and said, "Besides, I'll be going there soon..."
He couldn't finish his sentence because he heard footsteps.
Jiang Ru ignored him completely. She went straight to Pei Wu's room and flung open the door.
Pei Wu was able to hide the farm tools in his room because he was certain that Jiang Ru, a young woman, would not randomly enter a man's bedroom. However, he did not expect that Jiang Ru was not an ordinary person at all.
She had no awareness of that at all.
The door was flung open with a bang, and Jiang Ru turned around, giving him a defiant glare.
Pei Wu looked up in shock, staring at Jiang Ru with wide eyes. He stood there blankly for a while before snapping out of his daze and quickly walking over.
His voice almost cracked as he said, "You...how could you..."
Fortunately, Jiang Ru only opened the door; she hadn't gone inside yet. Pei Wu's heart pounded, and he took a few steps forward, blocking Jiang Ru's path.
He was resigned to his fate, as if Jiang Ru had taken liberties with him. His face flushed red, and he stammered helplessly, "You..."
He couldn't finish his sentence, staring at Jiang Ru with shame and indignation, biting his lip hard.
Unfortunately, Jiang Ru was completely oblivious, acting like a female hooligan, even peeking into the room before letting out a hiss: "Why is your bed like this?"
Pei Wu was surprised that she dared to look, and his eyes widened even more.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com