Chapter 10 Your Name

Chapter 10 Your Name

The loud crash also woke up Pei Wu next door. Soon after, the door to the main hall was opened, and Pei Wu, wearing an outer robe and with his hair casually tied up, hurriedly went out.

Upon seeing the collapsed roof, even Pei Wu, who was usually calm and collected, was momentarily speechless.

After a while, Pei Wu walked over, reached out and opened the door. Jiang Ru followed behind him and peeked out.

The scene inside the room was truly appalling.

There was a large hole in the roof of the house, and rainwater poured down. The small wooden bucket could no longer hold it, and water kept overflowing.

The collapsed tiles and soil were all smashed on the ground. The threshold was too high, and the rainwater could not drain out. At this time, the rainwater inside the house had become a vast expanse of water. The murky water was swaying and it was feared that it would soon break through the obstruction and pour out.

Jiang Ru asked the question she had wanted to ask since day one: "Has it never rained this hard here before? Why didn't you repair the houses sooner?"

Pei Wu pursed his lips and told her, "It was washed away by the last rain."

Jiang Ru: "..."

She let out a dry "ah," wanting to laugh but feeling it was immoral, so she turned her back and tightened her cheeks to hold back her laughter.

The rain is really heavy. If the water isn't drained soon, it will seep into the walls and damage the main hall where Pei Wu is currently staying.

The most urgent task is to release the water.

The night was chilly, and Jiang Ru, who had only come out in her nightgown, shivered as the cold wind blew in. Pei Wu noticed this and turned his gaze to her.

In an instant, Pei Wu lowered his eyes and said, "You go back and rest first, I'll take care of it."

Jiang Ru did not answer, while Pei Wu was already staring at the threshold, seemingly thinking about how to handle the situation.

Seeing this, Jiang Ru turned around and went back into the house. She put on her coat and only went out again when she felt warmer.

Pei Wu had already found the tool: an axe.

He raised his hand and chopped heavily on the threshold, splitting a small piece of it open.

Rainwater rushed out from the gaps, and even though Pei Wu dodged quickly, his trouser legs were still soaked with some dirty water.

The collapsed roof was mixed with water, filthy and chaotic, and Pei Wu's white trouser legs were also covered in mud, making them particularly conspicuous.

Jiang Ru walked very quietly. Logically, he shouldn't have been able to hear her amidst the noisy rain, but as soon as she came out, he seemed to sense something and turned around.

In the darkness, Jiang Ru's face was not clearly visible. Pei Wu moved his lips, originally wanting to persuade Jiang Ru to go back, but in the end, he said nothing.

The threshold was made of hardwood, and Pei Wu chopped at it several times until he finally managed to chop away most of it.

When he moves, his arms are taut and his lines are smooth. He looks like a frail scholar, but he is quite capable when it comes to work.

The rain still soaked his trouser legs. Pei Wu stood by the door, watching the rain flow into the yard. Soon, the yard was also flooded.

Pei Wu lowered his head, wrung out his trouser leg, and turned to Jiang Ru, saying, "Let's go back, everything's ready."

Jiang Ru took a few steps toward Pei Wu, who, not understanding why, stepped aside.

Jiang Ru stood beside the threshold he had broken open. The water was flowing slowly, and there was still a lot of rainwater inside. Pei Wu's original bed had not been damaged; the collapsed area was just a step away from the bed.

It seems her cousin won't be killed, but being hit like this at night will probably give him quite a fright.

After reading it, Jiang Ru turned around and went back inside.

The rain didn't stop that night; the pattering raindrops on the tiles were particularly bothersome.

Jiang Ru both hates and longs for rain.

Whenever it rains, she can't dry the wheat, and the seedlings planted in the ground may be washed away by the rain. But if there are consecutive droughts, she hopes it will rain as soon as possible, otherwise the crops in the ground will be dried out.

Jiang Ru fell asleep to the sound of rain, but her dreams were filled with the fear of the fields being flooded.

When Jiang Ru got up in the early morning, the rain had lessened a bit. The yard was a mess from the rain. When she opened the gate, the fields were flooded, and only the green shoots could be vaguely seen.

When it rains, nothing is convenient. Jiang Ru stayed under the eaves, sighing from time to time.

Pei Wu had already cooked the porridge. Jiang Ru took the porridge, looked at the gloomy sky, and muttered to herself, "When will this rain stop?"

Pei Wu guessed, "Perhaps it won't clear up until tomorrow."

The rain kept falling, and in the afternoon, none of the children came; only Jiang Ru and Pei Wu remained.

They used to study in the courtyard, but now that it rains in the courtyard, they have to move inside.

However, Pei Wu's room was destroyed, so he moved into the main hall, which is now his bedroom.

Their eyes met, and Pei Wu resigned himself to his fate: "Let's go to my room."

The main hall was larger than the side rooms. It used to be filled with many things, but now that Pei Wu's bed and belongings have been added, it feels cramped.

The desk was placed by the window, creating a small open space. Pei Wu sat at one end, and Jiang Ru sat at the other end.

Behind him was Pei Wu's bed. Pei Wu glanced back at it, then hesitated, "Or, we can learn it later."

At this time, Pei Wu was still very inexperienced. At least Jiang Ru could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face. He probably felt that it was against etiquette.

Jiang Ru followed Pei Wu's gaze and saw his bed. Pei Wu's bedding was neatly folded, and the bed was very clean; there was nothing to hide.

Noticing that Jiang Ru was staring at him, Pei Wu restrained himself and turned to the side to block Jiang Ru's view.

He probably still couldn't get over his own conscience. He suddenly stood up and stood in front of his bed, saying in a muffled voice, "I still don't think it's appropriate. You should go out first."

Jiang Ru's lips twitched twice, as if incredulous: "Don't you find it strange? I've already seen your bed, why are you covering it up now?"

Pei Wu retorted, "That was an accident."

"Fine." Jiang Ru laughed in exasperation. "Then let's go somewhere else, to my room."

Upon hearing this, Pei Wu was greatly alarmed, waving his hands frantically and stammering, "How can that be?"

"Then here it is." Jiang Ru slammed her hand on the table. "I'll give you two choices: your room or mine."

Pei Wu remained silent for a long time, so Jiang Ru urged him, "Hurry up and choose!"

Pei Wu was standing, his hands gripping the book so tightly his fingers were white, his cheeks and ears were flushed red, as if he had suffered a great injustice under Jiang Ru's pressure.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Then let's stay here."

He reluctantly sat down, opened a book on the table, lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes, his profile was handsome, but his expression was not very pleasant.

From Jiang Ru's perspective, his lips were pursed, indicating he was unhappy. So Jiang Ru suggested, "Why don't you put a curtain by the bed so I can't see you, right?"

Pei Wu finally raised his head, his dark eyes staring at Jiang Ru quietly for a while. Jiang Ru felt a strange sense of guilt, as if she were teasing him, and she tugged at the corner of her mouth at him, indicating that she was innocent.

Pei Wu lowered his gaze again, pointed to a character on the book, and taught Jiang Ru how to pronounce it.

Unable to write on the floor, Jiang Ru could only trace characters on the table with her fingers. After she had been writing for a while, Pei Wu suddenly stood up.

Thinking she had upset him again, Jiang Ru looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Pei Wu walked to the bookshelf, opened the door, and after a rustling sound of rummaging through the books, he took out paper and ink.

Jiang Ru stared at him blankly, while Pei Wu took the paper and ink and placed them on the table, then began to grind the ink.

Jiang Ru looked at it for a while, then realized something and quickly said, "No need, I'll just write on the table with water."

Paper and ink are expensive. If it were Jiang Ru's own, she would be willing to use it, but it belongs to Pei Wu.

But Pei Wu was not stopped by her. Instead, he dipped his brush in ink and handed it to Jiang Ru: "Try it."

Jiang Ru didn't move, so he held the pen and waited quietly for her to answer.

A few breaths later, Pei Wu suddenly realized: "You don't know how? I'll teach you."

He held the pen and demonstrated how to hold it to Jiang Ru, then wrote a word on the paper.

Pei Wu's calligraphy is beautiful; his strokes are stunning and executed in one go.

Jiang Ru didn't pay attention to how he held the pen; she only noticed his slender hand and the words on the paper. His handwriting was as beautiful as his appearance, and he was also incredibly handsome.

A few days ago, Jiang Ru saw Mr. Shuqi on the street. At the time, she thought that his calligraphy was comparable to Pei Wu's. Now, Jiang Ru can't remember how well that person wrote. She only thinks that Pei Wu's calligraphy is the most beautiful.

Jiang Ru hesitated to answer, so Pei Wu had to demonstrate it to her again. He patiently continued to ask Jiang Ru, "Do you understand now?"

Jiang Ru snapped out of her daze and took the pen from Pei Wu.

She knew how to hold a calligraphy brush; even though she hadn't learned from Pei Wu, she couldn't find anything wrong with how to hold an egg in her palm.

Pei Wu nodded: "Write one and let me see."

Jiang Ru seemed stunned and asked, "Write what?"

When asked what to write, Pei Wu naturally wrote the characters Pei Wu had just taught her. But when Jiang Ru asked this, Pei Wu seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Then you can write your name."

Jiang Ru picked up a pen and wrote her name.

She had also learned calligraphy in modern times. Back in college, Jiang Ru even took a calligraphy class to earn credits, but she was only a novice and her skills were nothing compared to Pei Wu's.

She wrote two ordinary characters in calligraphy below Pei Wu's words. They were neither ugly nor beautiful, but Pei Wu sincerely praised them: "You are only a beginner, but you have already written very well. I just want to ask, what characters did you write? I have never seen them before."

Jiang Ru was puzzled and silently looked at the words on the table.

The characters “姜茹” are correct, but they are Chinese characters, not characters from this dynasty.

Long-held memories cannot be erased. She had written the name "Jiang Ru" tens of thousands of times in modern times, and it was already etched into her heart. Even though she had traveled to this era, she would still subconsciously write down these two familiar words when her name was mentioned.

In her panic, Jiang Ru used a brush to smear the words on the paper into a mess, explaining, "I made a mistake, I'll rewrite it."

She quickly rewrote her name according to the way Pei Wu had taught her, and this time she got it right. However, because she was in such a hurry, the ink smudged onto her palm and left a black mark on the paper.

Pei Wu didn't seem to notice anything wrong. He looked at Jiang Ru's handwriting and commented normally, "It's not as good as what you wrote before. These two characters are a bit messy, and the strokes are wrong."

He pointed to one spot, looking at Jiang Ru as if she were a clumsy student, and said slowly, "There's an extra stroke here."

Jiang Ru looked up and saw that he was focused on his own writing, seemingly unaware of the two strange characters she had written, or that she was acting strangely.

A note from the author:

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