Chapter 460 Goodbye
Gu Jiayue never thought that she would meet Jiang Luli in Juzhou.
Didn’t he lead his troops to war?
No, they had won the battle and had already returned to the capital, but shouldn't he be in Kyoto at this time? Why was he here?
"you……"
In fact, if you think about it carefully, they are not very familiar with each other.
Although Jiang Luli had stayed in Taohua Village for a long time before, most of their communication was about how to educate the students in the school. Occasionally, Gu Jiayue would go to teach him painting, but at this time the two of them were in the roles of teacher and student, so naturally they talked about knowledge about painting.
Apart from that, they don't seem to have much interaction in private.
Later, Jiang Luli left Taohua Village. Except for the secret guards he arranged to be by her side, they had no contact until before the New Year.
So when we met suddenly, I didn't know what to say for a moment.
Jiang Luli clenched his hands behind his back quietly, and his fingertips turned white.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he appears to be standing straight with a faint smile on his face, looking calm and composed, his heart is already in a mess.
Should I say "long time no see"?
Would it be too polite and seem distant?
Talking about children’s exams?
I was afraid that she would think I was trying to find topics to talk about...
After thinking for a long time, the last thing that came out of his mouth was: "Have you eaten?"
Gu Jiayue subconsciously turned her head to look at the hot pot restaurant behind her which was still lit.
The air around them suddenly became quiet, even the sound of lanterns swaying on the roadside became clear. Awkwardness was like a fine net, quietly wrapping around the two of them.
"Yeah, you just saw Miss Song and I coming out of the hot pot restaurant." Jiang Luli wanted to slap himself after saying that.
What a stupid question!
He saw her coming out of the store with his own eyes, yet he still asked, "Have you eaten?" He was simply short-circuiting his brain!
His ears turned red and his eyes were evasive, not daring to look into Gu Jiayue's eyes.
Gu Jiayue noticed his nervousness, and although she felt a little puzzled, she still smiled along with the conversation, and two light wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Yes, this hot pot is really delicious. Have you eaten? If not, I'll go in with you to eat some more."
"No need, I've already eaten!" Jiang Luli waved his hand quickly.
In fact, he had rushed all the way from Kyoto and hadn't eaten all day, so his stomach was already growling with hunger. But when the words came to his lips, he still forced himself to say that he had eaten.
He was afraid that if he said he hadn't eaten, he would look embarrassed, and he was even more afraid of troubling her.
But as soon as the words were spoken, silence fell between the two again.
Jiang Luli could clearly feel an invisible membrane between them. Even though they were close, he felt like there was something between them.
"Have you found a place to live?" He looked like he had just arrived in Juzhou, and was still covered in dust.
"I just arrived and haven't found one yet." Jiang Luli continued the conversation, deliberately showing a helpless look, "The city is full of students preparing for exams these days, and all the inns are full. I asked several and they all have no rooms."
"Then come to our inn! The kids are all at the exam hall, so you can stay in Yuhe's room tonight."
This was exactly what Jiang Luli wanted. "Sorry to bother you then."
"What's the bother? Aren't you also the children's teacher?" Gu Jiayue smiled and walked forward. "It just so happens that the children will be out after their exams tomorrow. They will definitely be happy to see you."
"Well, I won't leave this time." Jiang Luli followed her, his steps slowing down a bit, his voice serious. "I plan to go back to Qiushi Academy to teach the children. I wonder if Principal Gu would welcome me?"
"Not leaving?" Gu Jiayue stopped and turned to look at him puzzledly.
He has a noble status in Kyoto, so why did he suddenly say that he wanted to stay in Taohua Village to teach?
Doesn't he want anything in Kyoto anymore?
No, he is a prince, and this innate status is not something he can give up just like that. Did something bad happen in Kyoto?
She was about to ask, but then she thought, their relationship wasn't close enough for her to pry into each other's private affairs, so she swallowed the question that was on the tip of her tongue and asked about Ye Yuntang instead. "By the way, how is Ye Yuntang doing in Kyoto? Is he not being wronged?"
"She's doing fine. The Empress loves her very much, and the Crown Prince often looks after her." Jiang Luli slowed down his tone and spoke carefully, "It's just that the Emperor, both overtly and covertly, always asks her to think more about weapons with high lethality. When I left Kyoto, I heard that she had given the Emperor a blueprint for a powerful crossbow. The Emperor was very pleased and rewarded her with a lot of gold, silver and jewelry."
After hearing this, Gu Jiayue finally felt relieved.
Ye Yuntang is smart, especially in physics, but she is simple and innocent. Others can see through what she is thinking at a glance. It is hard not to like such a person.
The two chatted as they walked towards the inn.
The streets were very quiet at night, with only the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional evening breeze, and the previous awkwardness gradually faded away.
As soon as she stepped into the inn, Gu Jiayue was about to point out Jiang Luli and Gu Yuhe's room when she suddenly heard a "gurgle".
It came from Jiang Luli's stomach. The sound was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the quiet inn.
Jiang Luli's face instantly turned red all the way to his neck. He wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into, and secretly cursed his own uncooperative stomach.
Why did he call at this time, not earlier or later?
He coughed awkwardly, his eyes drifting towards the ceiling, not daring to look at Gu Jiayue.
Gu Jiayue didn't think much of it, just thinking that he was hungry because he had eaten early in the afternoon. She smiled and said, "Are you hungry? I'll ask the shopkeeper to make you something to eat."
"Then thank you for your help." Jiang Luli no longer pretended to be reserved and simply agreed.
It's already so awkward, and trying to hold on will only make it more awkward.
Gu Jiayue called the innkeeper over and explained her purpose. The innkeeper looked embarrassed and rubbed his hands and said, "Miss, it's not that I don't want to make it. It's just that our inn's chef has been busy for several days. I thought that the candidates would be in the examination hall these two days and the kitchen would not be used, so I gave the chef two days off. Now I'm the only one in the inn. If you don't mind, I'll go make you a bowl of noodles?"
Gu Jiayue glanced at the shopkeeper's well-maintained hands and could tell at a glance that he wasn't someone who could work in the kitchen. If he were to cook something and it turned out badly, Jiang Luli probably wouldn't be able to eat it, right?
"Boss, can your kitchen be used by outsiders?"
"Of course, previous residents would occasionally cook some hometown dishes themselves." The shopkeeper nodded quickly. "We have rice, noodles, eggs, and vegetables, all fresh!"
Gu Jiayue turned to look at Jiang Luli, "It's a bit late now. How about I make you a bowl of hand-rolled noodles? Or maybe you prefer dumplings? But dumplings may take a while."
Jiang Luli hadn't expected to eat her cooking. His eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly stood up. "Hand-rolled noodles will be fine. I'll help you light the fire. It's quick for the two of us."
"Okay." Gu Jiayue didn't refuse.
She has been working here for two years and has not learned anything else, but she has practiced making hand-rolled noodles a few times.
But he could never make a fire. Every time he asked his family to help her light the fire and she would just be responsible for adding firewood.
Having Jiang Luli help with the fire really saves a lot of trouble.
When they arrived at the kitchen, the shopkeeper pointed to where the ingredients were placed, glanced at the two of them secretly, covered his mouth with his hands and chuckled twice, then tactfully retreated.
He has been running the inn for so many years, what kind of looks has he not seen?
The atmosphere between these two people doesn't require him to be a third wheel.
Soon, only Gu Jiayue and Jiang Luli were left in the kitchen.
Jiang Luli obviously knows how to make a fire.
He picked up a match, lit it, and then brought it close to the hay on the stove. He blew gently, and the flames shot up. He then added a few more sticks, and the fire soon burned brightly. The orange-red light reflected on his face, making him look particularly gentle.
Gu Jiayue took out the flour, poured it into a ceramic basin, beat an egg into it, and began to add water and knead the dough.
As she kneaded the dough, she recalled what her grandmother had said: "When making hand-rolled noodles, the dough must be made chewy, with neither too much nor too little water. If it's too soft, it won't be easy to roll out, and if it's too hard, it's hard to chew..."
But theory is theory, and it is still a mess when put into practice.
She first added some water, kneaded it twice and felt that the dough was too hard and could not be kneaded at all, so she added some more water, and the dough became soft and sticky again.
There was no choice but to grab another handful of flour and put it in. Maybe she grabbed too much, and she felt it was a little hard again.
If it's too hard, add water; if it's too thin, add flour...
After tossing and turning several times, the small lump of flour was kneaded into a dough as big as a bowl. There was even some white flour on the tip of her nose, which looked a bit funny.
Gu Jiayue looked at the dough in the basin and scratched her head awkwardly: "It seems... I didn't get the amount right."
Jiang Luli put down the firewood in his hand, walked over and held the pottery basin, and said in a natural tone, "You go watch the fire, I'll knead it. I'm strong and can make it more supple."
"Okay..." Gu Jiayue didn't act pretentiously.
She knew her own limited skills. If she really had to rely on herself to knead the dough, she might not be able to eat it by dawn.
Jiang Luli rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms. He placed his palms on the dough and kneaded it evenly.
He kneaded the dough skillfully, and the dough gradually became smooth and elastic in his hands. He didn't look like a pampered prince at all.
"Can you cook?" Gu Jiayue sat by the stove adding firewood, watching his movements, and couldn't help asking.
She always felt that a man of his status should stay away from the kitchen and would not do these housework.
Jiang Luli didn't look up, his hands didn't stop moving, and he spoke of the past in a flat tone.
"When I was young, my father sent me to live with a family in the countryside to help me become a better person. They were poor and busy working in the fields every day, so the cooking job fell on me."
He paused, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "Not only can I make noodles, I also make delicious dumplings. If I have the chance, I'll make some for you to try?"
He turned his back to Gu Jiayue, not letting her see the red tips of his ears, nor letting her notice the slightly quickened heartbeat when he spoke.
Gu Jiayue was about to nod in agreement when she suddenly saw Jiang Luli straighten up abruptly. His eyes instantly became sharp, and he quickly grabbed the kitchen knife on the stove and threw it towards the window!
"Who's there? Get out here!"
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