64 Surprise
◎Sister, are you attracted to Mr. Ji?◎
He greedily sucked in the flavor from it for a full half-minute before stopping. Then he put it back into the water and rubbed it continuously...
The next day, Shu Yao took Ji Shijing to Ji Liang's private school.
"Sir, this is for you." Jiang He put the book in her hand on the desk and secretly glanced at Ji Liang, her eyes full of the shyness of a little girl.
Ji Liang hastily refused: "Miss Jiang, I can't do that." Although the books on the desk were not valuable, he really couldn't accept other people's favors for free. Moreover, this Miss Jiang came to give him gifts every few days. There is a difference between men and women. If this goes on, it will definitely cause gossip. He must not accept her things again.
Jiang He held her chin up and looked at him: "Sir, these books are all useful to you, just accept them, okay?"
At this time, Ji Bao came out from under the table, wiping his nose. He had a wriggling caterpillar in his hand and put it in front of Jiang He with a "hehe" smile.
Jiang He was most afraid of these insects. A giant green insect was crawling in front of her, so close that she could see the number of its legs. Wherever the insect crawled, it left a liquid like snot. She rolled her eyes, screamed "Ah", and fell straight to the ground.
"Miss Jiang." Ji Liang hurried over to support her. Seeing that she had fallen into a coma, he did not care about the difference between men and women and reached out to pinch her philtrum.
Jibao seemed to realize that he had done something wrong. He stood there blankly and didn't even notice that the caterpillar next to him had run away.
Ji Liang turned around and touched Ji Bao's head, saying earnestly, "Don't scare people with insects next time."
Jibao wiped his nose, tilted his head and scratched it.
Ji Liang frowned and looked at the person in his arms. When he was worrying about what to do, Jiang He suddenly coughed twice, slowly opened his eyelids, and seemed to be waking up.
"Miss Jiang."
Ji Liang's voice was calling in her ears. Jiang He looked at the handsome face that was enlarged in front of her and was unable to recover for a moment. She just looked at him for a long time.
"Knock knock knock." There was a gentle knock on the door outside the house.
The people in the room finally reacted. Ji Liang let go of her, and Jiang He also came out of his arms and stood aside, at a loss as to how to adjust her clothes and hair.
Ji Liang retreated to the window and said softly, "Please come in."
“Crunch—”
The door was pushed open, and Shu Yao looked inside cautiously: "Excuse me, is Mr. Ji here?" As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Jiang He standing aside, and she was a little surprised.
When Jiang He saw that the person coming was Shu Yao, she felt even more embarrassed for some reason.
Ji Liang coughed twice and said, "Miss Shu."
Shu Yao's eyes swept lightly over the two of them. Based on her years of experience in eating melons, she could tell that the atmosphere between the two of them was not right.
She walked in with Ji Shijing. It was still early and they were the only ones in the room.
"Miss Shu, please sit down." Ji Liang poured a cup of hot tea for her and Ji Shijing.
Several people sat down around the small round table, and Jiang He was the first to speak: "Sister, what do you want to see the master for?"
Shu Yao warmed her hands while holding a teacup. "I've heard of Mr. Ji's name for a long time. My son, A Jing, wants to participate in this year's Spring Examination, so I came to see you specifically to ask for your help and guidance."
Ji Liang had noticed Ji Shijing a long time ago. After all, his temperament was too outstanding. He stood there coldly, like an ice sculpture.
"Is this the young master?" Ji Liang looked at Ji Shijing and asked Shu Yao.
Shu Yao nodded and nudged Ji Shijing with her elbow: "Say hello to the gentleman."
Ji Shijing nodded slightly to Ji Liang.
Ji Liang smiled softly and then asked him, "May I ask your name, young master?"
Ji Shijing uttered his name expressionlessly, and then Ji Liang asked him what books he had read?
His answers were simple, and every time Shu Yao would be there to help him say more.
Ji Liang understood the general situation and said, "Young Master, please come to class today. I have two groups of students here. The first group is the candidates who will take part in this year's Spring Examination. They will come to class at noon in the morning and finish the get out of class at noon. The second group is the children who have just started their studies. Their class time is in the afternoon."
Shu Yao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Ji Liang was willing to accept Ji Shijing. She was really worried about Ji Shijing's personality. No matter how many questions others asked, he would always only have one or two words to answer, which was really frustrating.
A number of students came one after another. They all looked about the same age as Ji Shijing. Each of them carried a huge book basket on his back. He was a head taller than himself, and was always stuck by the door beam when crossing the threshold.
Ji Liang began to tidy up the desk and prepare to give a lecture to the students. When he saw the books on the desk, he picked them up and returned them to Jiang He.
Jiang He was a little angry and pushed the book over.
Shu Yao immediately realized that she had bought those books with Jiang He, and she also understood the tug-of-war between the two. She helped Jiang He push the books back and said with a smile, "Sir, this is a little gift from my sister. Please don't refuse it." As she spoke, she moved closer and said in a voice that only Ji Liang could hear, "Otherwise, the little girl will be sad."
Ji Shijing watched Shu Yao approaching Ji Liang, and felt inexplicably depressed. He disliked this middle-aged man even more.
Shu Yao took a step back and said, "Besides, we are very grateful to you for accepting my little brother today. These books are just a token of our appreciation. I hope you will accept them."
Seeing that the students below had already taken their seats and hearing what Shu Yao said, Ji Liang no longer refused and said "thank you" to Jiang He.
Only then did Jiang He smile.
Ji Liang was about to start his lecture, so Shu Yao and Jiang He left. When closing the door, Shu Yao looked at Ji Shijing who was sitting in the corner and made a cheering gesture to him.
Ji Shijing didn't look away until the door closed.
Shu Yao and Jiang He walked outside. The sun slowly rose. They moved small stools and sat on the lawn to bask in the sun.
Shu Yao looked at the private school in front of her. Although the house was small, the whole courtyard was clean and tidy, surrounded by flowers and plants. There was also a pair of excellent couplets written on the door frame. It was obvious that the owner of the house knew how to live. This reminded her of a poem.
"This is a humble room, but my virtue is fragrant."
"Sister, why did you think of sending him to attend the class?" Jiang He moved a stool closer to Shu Yao. She couldn't understand why her sister cared so much about the young man, wasn't that her sister's brother-in-law?
Shu Yao smiled and asked her, "Xiao He, do you think studying is a good thing or a bad thing?"
Without hesitation, she said, "Of course it's a good thing."
Shu Yao raised her eyebrows: "Since it's a good thing, why not do it?" She felt that Ji Shijing was an extraordinary person and would definitely make a name for himself in studying.
Jiang He didn't understand at first, but after thinking about it, it seemed to make sense.
Shu Yao asked her: "What is Mr. Ji's teaching ability like?" She didn't know Ji Liang very well, mainly because he was the only private school in the area.
Jiang He cleared her throat and said seriously, "Sister, Mr. Ji is the only scholar within a hundred miles of our area." After saying that, she raised her chin, very proud of Ji Liang.
Shu Yao responded twice, saying that Xiucai was fine.
Seeing that she had no reaction, Jiang He asked in confusion: "Sister, don't you think Xiucai is amazing?"
Shu Yao nodded: "Great, according to the rules, if you pass the scholar exam, you should take the juren exam. Why don't you continue to take the exam, Mr. Ji?" After all, passing the juren exam would be completely different.
Jiang He seemed to have thought of something. She shrugged her shoulders and spoke with regret, "Originally, the gentleman was going to take the imperial examination, but the day before the exam, a fire broke out in his house. Except for Ji Bao, everyone else was burned to death."
"After hearing the news, Mr. Ji lost all interest in taking the exam and stumbled back home, leaving only the terrified Ji Bao at home."
"After that day, Mr. Ji took Ji Bao away from the village. Seven years passed before they returned."
After saying this, she emphasized, "If Mr. Ji had continued to take the exam, he might have even won the top spot. What a pity."
After listening to her, Shu Yao sighed. Things in the world are unpredictable and no one can predict sudden changes.
"Sister, I want some candy." Ji Bao came out from somewhere, with a runny nose and a pair of dirty little hands stretched out in front of Shu Yao and Jiang He.
Shu Yao looked carefully at Ji Bao in front of her. Upon closer inspection, she saw that he did bear some resemblance to Ji Liang. She took out a piece of glutinous rice candy wrapped in oil paper from her bosom and handed it to him: "Eat it."
Jibao walked away with the candy, smiling, and squatted in the corner playing with sand.
"This child is ten years old, right?" Shu Yao asked.
Jiang He nodded: "I'm exactly ten years old this year."
Shu Yao had heard that people in ancient times celebrated their birthdays every ten years. She looked at Ji Bao, who was patting his butt and then his head, and asked, "Will Ji Bao celebrate his tenth birthday?"
Jiang He shook her head. She didn't know. Logically, they should have a wedding, but Jibao wasn't a normal child after all. She was afraid that even if she had a wedding banquet, no one would come to congratulate her. She smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe."
Shu Yao: "Then I'll make him a delicious cake." I guess no one here knows what a cake is.
The children in the village don’t want to play with Jibao, so when they see the cake, they will probably envy Jibao.
The two of them sat outside in the sun, feeling warm. Shu Yao suddenly thought of something and asked mysteriously, "Xiao He, this Mr. Ji looks quite old. Does he have a family?"
What if my cousin falls in love with a married man? That would be absolutely unacceptable.
Jiang He exclaimed, "Ah!" "Mr. Ji isn't old, he's only 28, and he hasn't even married yet."
Twenty-eight years old, eleven years older than Jiang He. This age difference may not be a big deal nowadays, but this was in ancient times, and the eleven-year age difference was indeed a bit far.
Besides, Mr. Ji is so old and still hasn’t gotten married. Is there something wrong with him?
Jiang He is her cousin, and she likes her sister from the bottom of her heart, so she can't help but think more about her.
Seeing her deep expression, Jiang He suddenly covered her mouth in disbelief: "Sister, you are not interested in Mr. Ji, are you?"
Shu Yao: "Ah? No, no, no, that's not true." She was so scared that she quickly denied it, "Don't say that casually."
Jiang He patted his chest and said, "That's good, that's good.
"Xiao He, tell me honestly, do you like Mr. Ji?" Shu Yao asked her.
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Jiang He was so scared that she covered her mouth with her hand, and her eyes kept looking at the closed door, and her cheeks turned red.
Shu Yao took her hand away and smiled secretly: "I know."
Jiang He stood up, covered his face with his hands, and stomped his feet lightly.
Shu Yao pulled her to sit down again: "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Jiang He held her hand tightly: "Sister, please don't tell my parents. If my mother knew, she would definitely force me to marry that Chen Er."
Shu Yao was a little confused: "Uncle and aunt don't like Mr. Ji?"
Jiang He was a little depressed and didn't seem to want to say much.
Shu Yao was tactful and didn't ask any more questions.
The sun gradually grew higher, and the door that had been closed for two hours finally opened slowly. Students came out one by one, carrying book frames on their backs. One or two students staggered and looked dizzy, as if they had fainted from listening to the lecture.
Shu Yao found it a little funny.
Ji Shijing was the last one to come out, holding two books in his hands.
Shu Yao walked towards him with a smile: "A Jing."
Ji Shijing thought she had left, but he didn't expect her to still be waiting for him at the door. He suddenly felt a warmth in his heart.
On the way back, Shu Yao asked him, "Ah Jing, how did you feel about class today?"
Ji Shijing's lips were a little dry. He moistened them with the tip of his tongue and said in a deep voice, "Not bad." In this morning's class, he actually felt that Ji Liang's lecture was quite good.
The two chatted a lot along the way. Shu Yao skipped and jumped beside him, as happy as a little sparrow. Ji Shijing's mouth corners rose slightly from time to time.
When passing a fork in the road, Shu Yao suddenly stopped, and a dense fear rose in her heart.
She saw the dung carrier in front of her again. He was standing not far away with dung on his shoulder, staring at her with his only eye.
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