Chapter 19 Secretly Engaging
Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, but Jiang Ru's first instinct was to run away. She probably unknowingly made a big blunder.
Unfortunately, before she could run away, the person had already reached them.
He looked a bit older than Pei Wu, and they were about the same height, but compared to the excessively thin Pei Wu, he had a very healthy physique.
He and Pei Wu seemed to have a good relationship; their conversation and interactions were very natural. After exchanging greetings, he looked at Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru's lips twitched, but the boy made no attempt to hide his surprise, looking at Jiang Ru with a surprised expression: "You are..."
Jiang Ru smiled with difficulty and winked at Pei Wu as if seeking help.
Pei Wu, however, was oblivious to subtle cues. Noticing the strange expressions on their faces, he asked directly, "Do you two know each other?"
Pei Wu couldn't be persuaded, so Jiang Ru simply gave up and said, "I've met you."
The boy nodded and said, "It was just a brief encounter."
Fortunately, Pei Wu didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, "Since you know each other, I won't say anything more."
Afterwards, Pei Wu briefly introduced the two men's names and then took the bag from Zheng Qiuhong.
Zheng Qiuhong didn't stand on ceremony. After handing the things to Pei Wu, he followed him into the courtyard. It had been a month since he last visited, and Pei Wu's house had changed drastically in that month.
Zheng Qiuhong still remembered the last time she saw Pei Wu. The boy was pale and looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. Zheng Qiuhong doubted countless times that she would not be able to see Pei Wu again next time she came.
This time, Pei Wu was clearly in much better condition than before. Even the courtyard was no longer as lifeless as it had been last time, and it had a more lively atmosphere.
A small vegetable garden was enclosed in the yard, and there were two chirping chicks in a cage on the side. Everything was a lively and bustling scene.
A sense of relief welled up in Zheng Qiuhong's heart, and she sat down at the table with him.
Although he was surprised by Pei Wu's change, he didn't ask any questions, especially not in front of others.
The three of them finished their meal around the table. Pei Wu rarely spoke while eating, but he was influenced by Jiang Ru to say a few words. However, when Zheng Qiuhong arrived, Jiang Ru had something on her mind and didn't speak. The three of them tacitly ate a silent meal.
After finishing his meal, Pei Wu put away the bowls, ready to get down to business.
Zheng Qiuhong opened the bag he had brought, placed a cloth on the table, and carefully took out the books. It turned out that the bag was full of books.
He stacked the books and told Pei Wu, "These books were specially found for you by the teacher. They should all be books you haven't read before. Take a look."
When he picked up the book earlier, Pei Wu had already read it all, so he said, "I haven't read it. Please thank the sir for me."
Zheng Qiuhong smiled and said, "Of course."
Jiang Ru had initially thought that Pei Wu had been staying at home for the past few years and had probably worn out all the books in the house, but it turned out that someone had actually sent him books.
She peered curiously at the books on the table. There were about ten books on it, and she wondered how long they would last Pei Wu. He was indeed diligent and never forgot to study, no matter what.
Pei Wu picked up the book, asked Zheng Qiuhong to wait a moment, and then carried the book back into the house.
Seeing that something was wrong, Jiang Ru was about to make a quick getaway when someone behind her suddenly called out to her. Jiang Ru had no choice but to turn around. She gave a stiff laugh and asked, "What is it?"
Zheng Qiuhong is different from Pei Wu. His appearance is slightly more aggressive, but he is very mild-mannered, humble and reasonable. He is not overly proper like Pei Wu, nor is he the kind of person with a fiery temper.
He smiled at Jiang Ru: "We met hastily a few days ago, and I may have offended you in some way. I hope you will forgive me."
After listening to him say a few words, Jiang Ru secretly thought to herself that the ancients spoke so elegantly. Fortunately, Pei Wu didn't say that, otherwise she would have to do reading comprehension every day.
Zheng Qiuhong knew that his appearance wouldn't give people a good first impression. He looked fierce and not very kind. That day, Jiang Ru ran away as soon as she heard him speak, probably because she was frightened by him.
It was just too urgent at the time, and he couldn't abandon his stall to chase after her. This matter had been on his mind for a long time. Who would have thought that he and Jiang Ru would be so destined to meet here.
Now that we've met, I should naturally apologize properly.
After hearing this, Jiang Ru casually waved her hand and said, "I didn't take it to heart. It's all a small matter. Besides, it was indeed me who peeked at you first."
Zheng Qiuhong smiled and was about to say something when Pei Wu came out of the room. He glanced at Pei Wu and then continued Jiang Ru's words: "Then thank you very much, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Ru hummed in agreement, watching Pei Wu approach with the books in his arms and place them on the table.
Zheng Qiuhong put the books back one by one, but after he finished, he looked up and said, "There's still one missing."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru silently worried for Pei Wu for a moment. After all, ancient books were really precious, and if Pei Wu lost them, he would definitely have to pay compensation.
She was still immersed in worrying about Pei Wu when he suddenly looked at her. Jiang Ru was taken aback and looked back at him, puzzled.
Pei Wu lowered his voice slightly: "Cousin, could you please return the book I borrowed from you earlier?"
Jiang Ru really searched through her memories, and after recalling them, she felt slandered and thought that Pei Wu was really lying through his teeth.
In front of outsiders, Jiang Ru didn't want to say anything to him, so she retorted in a low voice, "When did you lend it to me?"
Perhaps not expecting her to have such a poor memory, Pei Wu's expression froze for a moment. He looked up at Zheng Qiuhong, but ultimately did not refuse Jiang Ru's request. Instead, he called her aside.
Jiang Ru followed angrily, and Pei Wu first explained, "It was also my fault for forgetting about it. I didn't remember that there was another copy with you, so I can only say this for now."
Jiang Ru frowned, surprised by his seemingly convincing explanation: "I didn't borrow..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly remembered something and abruptly stopped talking.
She remembered that she had taken Pei Wu's books away and hidden them in her room to prevent him from studying.
She never expected that not only would the book have to be returned, but it would be returned in this way. Jiang Ru said sullenly, "Wait, I'll return it to you right away."
Jiang Ru ran back to her room as if fleeing, and found the book in the cover. Fortunately, she had protected it well and the book was not damaged in any way.
Jiang Ru ran out with the book in her arms and handed it to Pei Wu.
With all the books gathered, Zheng Qiuhong had completed his task for the day. He hadn't come just to deliver the books; they also had other things to discuss, so they sat down in the courtyard.
Jiang Ru sensed that they had something to talk about and instinctively went back to her room, but Pei Wu said, "There's no need to avoid us, we're just having a chat."
Jiang Ru thought he was just being polite, and Zheng Qiuhong echoed his words, implying that she should stay.
Actually, she didn't really want to listen to their conversation, but since they all tried to persuade her to stay, Jiang Ru couldn't leave and had to sit back down.
Pei Wu brewed a pot of tea today. The tea was steaming and the steam was rising. They sat at the table and listened to Zheng Qiuhong ask about Pei Wu's recent situation.
Pei Wu answered them one by one, and then asked about Zheng Qiuhong.
Speaking of this, Zheng Qiuhong's face showed a bit of relief: "Everything is fine. I went back to the academy a few days ago, and they still asked about you."
Pei Wu must be very popular in the academy. Once this was mentioned, Zheng Qiuhong started talking non-stop, one sentence after another. They had many classmates who were close to each other, so naturally they had a lot to talk about.
Jiang Ru found it interesting and listened with great interest. Pei Wu, afraid that she was being neglected, turned around several times, and only looked away when he saw that she was enjoying the listening.
The three of them were talking, one speaking and the other listening, and they were quite harmonious. As they were talking, Zheng Qiuhong suddenly remembered something and said, "The other day, the bookstore owner kept contacting me, urging me to publish the second volume. I want to see what you have written in your second volume."
As he tried, he rummaged through the bag. Before long, he found a book that Jiang Ru recognized; it was the book that Pei Wu had copied.
At the time, Pei Wu was secretive and wouldn't let anyone see it, but now he's being very generous; Zheng Qiuhong said he'd just open it.
Jiang Ru also went over to take a look, but she couldn't see it all, and Pei Wu wouldn't tell her, so she asked Zheng Qiuhong.
Zheng Qiuhong was engrossed in reading, and upon hearing this, she enthusiastically answered Jiang Ru's question without hesitation: "If you want to read this, you should start from the first volume, otherwise it will be incomplete and you won't be able to read it completely."
"I haven't read the second volume yet, let me read it to you..." Before he could even utter a single word of substantial information, Pei Wu suddenly covered his mouth.
Pei Wu was usually very proper. He would never participate in his classmates' playful fights, let alone touch them. But this time, he covered Zheng Qiuhong's mouth tightly.
Zheng Qiuhong struggled for a moment, unable to speak, and Jiang Ru took the opportunity to peek over.
Suddenly, a hand snatched the book away.
Jiang Ru didn't even see the words clearly and remained in her original position. She was stunned for a moment before she reacted and looked at Pei Wu with doubt and suspicion.
Pei Wu remained extremely calm. He glanced at Zheng Qiuhong, then turned to Jiang Ru and said, "There's no time to see it today. I'll show it to you another day."
Jiang could only go along with him and pretend to be stupid: "Then I won't watch it."
Pei Wu put the book away. Zheng Qiuhong was puzzled and wanted to say something, but Pei Wu glanced at him lightly and casually raised his chin in Jiang Ru's direction.
Jiang Ru: "..." Why don't you two avoid me a little?
Jiang Ru almost laughed in anger. Pei Wu couldn't even pull a sneaky trick behind her back, yet he wanted to hide it from her. It was obviously obvious, wasn't it?
Zheng Qiuhong finally understood Pei Wu's meaning and quickly covered her mouth to keep quiet.
The topic returned to the beginning, with Zheng Qiuhong asking Pei Wu, "How long do you study each day? It takes me several days to finish reading one of these books."
When asked about this topic, Pei Wu paused subtly for a moment before replying, "About five hours."
Hearing this, Jiang Ru narrowed her eyes in confusion and interjected, "Did you include your teaching time in those five hours?"
Pei Wu shook his head.
Jiang Ru looked at him with puzzlement. After a meticulous calculation, Jiang Ru's eyes widened in shock.
Pei Wu would start at dawn every day, teaching her in the morning and everyone else in the afternoon. The most free time he could spare was two hours, and even those two hours were squeezed out by Jiang Ru.
They go to sleep at 7 PM, which is four and a half hours before 5 AM. Does that mean Pei Wu only sleeps for two and a half hours a night? Sometimes he doesn't even get that much sleep.
Jiang Ru asked in surprise, "You secretly compete every night?"
Their eyes met, and Zheng Qiuhong spoke first: "What is involution?"
A note from the author:
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