Chapter 83 Draw Attention: Don't Call Me That, I'm Not Your Real Brother
Shen Jiuxu stood there with his back to Jiang Yu, his hair fluttering in the wind. Jiang Yu couldn't see his face, but he could feel a bitter smell in the air.
He had a feeling something bad was about to happen!
"Jiuxu is back? I just caught some fish from the river, I'll cook them for you in a bit." Zhou Yongyin hadn't seen Shen Jiuxu when he went out to deliver clothes, but he didn't expect him to be back in the house. "The stream is right here too, and these fish are big enough for the rest of us."
"Thank you, Grandfather. I'll go help you then."
Shen Jiuxu's eyes were very dark, like a pool of freshly ground ink. When he stared at Wen Zaixi, it sent chills down one's spine.
He didn't speak to Jiang Yu again, but simply took a step and left. Shen Jiuxu picked up the fish from the basin, and with a swift stroke, began to scrape off the scales. He sat silently on a low stool in the corner, his hands moving without pause, looking somewhat gloomy, like a mushroom growing in the mountains after the rain.
"Jiuxu is almost done, I'll go cook first. Jiang Yu, Xiaoxi just arrived, why don't you keep him company and chat with him or something, don't neglect him."
Zhou Yongyin was the most enthusiastic person. According to his description, he had the characteristic of being able to make friends with people as soon as he met them. After settling Wen Zaixi, he walked over to Shen Jiuxu. The two whispered a few words to each other. Jiang Yu was too far away to hear clearly, but he saw Shen Jiuxu follow the person into the kitchen.
That small corner was now empty, with a small stool sitting there all alone, and a pile of fish scales on the ground. He felt a little sad and suddenly wanted to talk to Shen Jiu about something.
"Brother Jiang... Brother Jiang—"
"Hmm—what's wrong?"
Jiang Yu suddenly snapped out of his reverie, looked at the young man standing in front of him, and waved to him, "Brother Jiang, I saw a sword in your yard, do you practice swordsmanship there?"
"Um."
Jiang Yu resumed his usual indifferent tone, but Wen Zaixi didn't care what he thought at all. Her expression suddenly became excited, "Brother Jiang, I've wanted to learn swordsmanship for a long time. Can you teach me?"
Shen Jiuxu's ears perked up immediately, but his chopping motions didn't stop at all. The "clattering" sound became irregular, clearly attracting the attention of those outside.
Even Zhou Yongyin couldn't help but glance at him, thinking that his knife was dull and he couldn't cut vegetables properly, so he offered, "There's a whetstone outside, do you want to go and sharpen it?"
“…Okay.” Shen Jiuxu lowered his eyes, a few thin slices of potato still stuck to the broadsword in his hand. He took a clean rag from beside the stove, wiped the blade a few times, and then slowly walked out of the room.
Noticing that Jiang Yu and Wen Zaixi were looking over, Shen Jiuxu acted as if nothing had happened, continuing his slow pace. Even though the whetstone was in the corner, he insisted on walking through the middle of the yard, taking a long detour, and even walked in front of Wen Zaixi, staring at him for a while. "Excuse me, please let me through, thank you."
Wen Zaixi didn't understand his trick, but she still took a step to the side. Jiang Yu didn't move, watching the deliberate actions of some people, and finally looked away.
"I'm going out to sharpen my knife, you guys continue."
Shen Jiuxu seemed to only remember to explain his less-than-polite behavior after he had walked over. "Don't worry about me."
The silver-white blade slid through his hand until he reached the corner. Shen Jiuxu slowly sat down, turned the knife over and over to examine it several times, and finally chose one side to place on the whetstone and began to sharpen it.
The clanging of the sharpening knife was so loud it hurt people's ears, but Shen Jiuxu seemed not to hear it at all. His movements became faster and louder. Wen Zaixi wanted to say something, but since they were in someone else's house, and seeing that Jiang Yu didn't say anything, she felt embarrassed.
He coughed lightly and continued to plead, "Brother Jiang, I've wanted to learn swordsmanship since I was a child. Can you teach me? I really want to learn, but my parents always say it's too dangerous. When they come tomorrow, I'm sure I can convince them. If you come to our house and become my master, I can give you a thousand taels of silver every month."
Wen Zaixi had figured Jiang Yu out now, knowing he loved money, so she deliberately said what he liked, "I'm very smart, practicing swordsmanship will definitely be easy for me, Brother Jiang, you don't need to worry about wasting your time."
With a loud "bang," the sound of the doorbell rang out.
Wen Zaixi looked towards the corner again. Shen Jiuxu looked innocent, glanced at the kitchen knife that had fallen to the ground, and picked it up. "Sorry, my hand slipped."
"You may continue."
Does this mean they should continue or not? Wen Zaixi thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you need help?"
Shen Jiuxu's lips twitched. He glanced at Jiang Yu, who remained unmoved, and felt as if he were dancing in front of a blind man or singing in front of a deaf man, which had no effect whatsoever.
"No need... thank you."
Wen Zaixi felt that this "thank you" sounded so awkward. He felt a chill down his spine, as if a knife was hanging over the back of his neck, which made his hair stand on end.
"Young Master Jiang—"
He didn't think much of it. Seeing that Jiang Yu didn't speak, he continued to seek the Dao. The man's posture was upright, just like the green bamboo in his backyard. His black clothes made him look even more like a gentle and refined gentleman.
"no."
Jiang Yu said directly, "I can't teach you."
The sharpening sound suddenly stopped, and the courtyard fell silent. Shen Jiuxu paused for a moment, then immediately resumed his work. Jiang Yu glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.
Wen Zaixi kept pursuing him relentlessly, leaving him helpless. "I only know how to fight, not how to teach. If you want to learn, the major immortal sects might consider taking you as a new disciple."
"Those immortal sects are definitely not as powerful as Brother Jiang."
Without even listening, Wen Zaixi retorted, "They're not as good-looking as Brother Jiang. I don't want to learn from them. Brother Jiang, just teach me a few moves, okay?"
He was young and probably spoiled at home, so his speech naturally carried a coquettish tone, and he reached out to tug at Jiang Yu's sleeve.
"Crack—"
Shen Jiuxu's eyes were icy as he watched Wen Zaixi pacing back and forth beside Jiang Yu. His fingers clenched involuntarily, and he finally let out a muffled groan, attracting the attention of the two of them for the third time.
"Sorry, I accidentally cut my hand. You guys continue, it doesn't hurt anyway."
He lowered his eyes, staring at the finger that had been "accidentally" cut. Blood dripped down, soon creating a small crater in the ground.
There seems to be a bit too much blood.
"What happened? Did you get it?" Zhou Yongyin hadn't heard anything else, but he was very quick to respond to this question, leaping out like a rabbit. He glanced at it and asked, "How could you be so careless? Doesn't it hurt after losing so much blood?"
“Even if this child doesn’t want to trouble me, he shouldn’t just endure it!” Zhou Yongyin felt sorry for him. “Jiang Yu, hurry up and go inside to get those hemostatic medicines and bandage Jiu Xu up. Don’t just stand there.”
Jiang Yu stared at Shen Jiuxu for a few seconds before going inside. Zhou Yongyin pressed on Shen Jiuxu's wrist and said, "Tell me, how could you hurt yourself while sharpening a knife? I really don't know what you were thinking."
Shen Jiuxu remained silent. Zhou Yongyin tapped him on the head a few times, exasperated, "What's wrong with you today? Have you become mute?"
"Grandfather, you go ahead and cook. I can handle it myself. Don't keep the guests waiting."
He deliberately emphasized the word "guest," and Zhou Yongyin finally realized something was wrong. His gaze shifted back and forth between Shen Jiuxu and Wen Zaixi.
Having spent so much time with Shen Jiuxu, Zhou Yongyin's heart was somewhat biased. He whispered in Shen Jiuxu's ear, "Jiuxu, tell your grandfather, did Xiaoxi offend you in some way?"
"……No."
Shen Jiuxu stubbornly insisted, his face still showing no emotion. But Zhou Yongyin was a man of his word; how could he not see through him? He smiled and said, "If there's no problem, then there's no problem. Go back to your room first. I'll talk to Xiaoxi for a bit, and then I'll call you out when the food is ready."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Shen Jiuxu finally bowed to his conscience. He moved his lips a few times, then turned and went into the house, closing the door behind him in a very swift motion.
Even with his back to the door, Jiang Yu knew it was him who had come in. This was entirely within his expectations; Shen Jiuxu's series of small actions outside had already exposed his intentions.
"The medicine is here."
Jiang Yu bent his index finger and tapped the table. He had already found the medicine and clean cloth, just waiting for Shen Jiuxu to come in so he could treat the injury. Actually, this minor injury didn't require such elaborate preparations, but he guessed that Shen Jiuxu probably had something to say to him, so he softened his heart and found these things to buy time.
"Will you help me with that?"
Shen Jiuxu had already closed the door. Neither of the two people outside had any cultivation, so they couldn't sense the barrier he had set up. That's why Shen Jiuxu did it.
"Don't you have hands?"
"It hurts." Shen Jiuxu stretched out his hand in front of him, his face no longer showing the composure he had when dealing with Zhou Yongyin, but instead carrying a hint of grievance. "Brother Jiang Yu, you weren't like this before."
"Don't call me that, I'm not your real brother."
Jiang Yu said irritably that he used to like Shen Jiuxu calling him that, but ever since he found out that Shen Jiuxu had someone he liked, he felt an invisible constraint whenever he heard that name again.
It must be because Shen Jiuxu shouted like that that he had to find a way to raise money for his betrothal gifts. Jiang Yu tried his best to convince himself that he didn't have the money and wouldn't give Shen Jiuxu the betrothal gifts. If he wanted to marry someone else's daughter, he should just become a son-in-law.
Then my home will finally be quiet.
"Then what should I call him, Brother Jiang?"
Shen Jiuxu grabbed Jiang Yu's sleeve with his uninjured hand and rubbed his face against Jiang Yu's palm a few times. "I don't want to call him the same as them, Brother Jiang Yu."
"you--"
Jiang Yu couldn't shake him off or push him away. "It's impolite for Young Master Wen to be out alone. I'd better go out first. You should take care of your wound yourself. It's not serious anyway."
Don't you want me anymore?
Shen Jiuxu's voice was low, "What's the reason? You weren't like this before. Is it because he came over, or because I have someone I like?"
Jiang Yu's mind went blank. He tried to break free from Shen Jiuxu, but then saw his furrowed brows and whispered, "No."
"Really? But Brother Jiang Yu wasn't like this to me before." Shen Jiuxu pressed his shoulder to make Jiang Yu sit on the bed, his eyes sweeping over the missing pillow. "There's no pillow left, Brother Jiang Yu, are you not going to let me sleep with you?"
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Author's Note: Shen Jiuxu: Do you think I'll be able to kiss Brother Jiang Yu in the next chapter?
Jiang Yu: ...Give me five hundred taels, and I'll give you a hint.
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