Chapter 31 Waiting for You to Come Home

Chapter 31 Waiting for You to Come Home

Upon hearing Jiang Ru's words, Pei Wu immediately hid the "vase" in his arms, as if afraid that Jiang Ru would snatch his flowers away.

Before Jiang Ru could even reach out, he hid first. Jiang Ru looked at him speechlessly for a while, then compromised: "Go ahead and hug me, you can take it, I won't take it from you."

With her permission, Pei Wu tentatively placed the flowers on the small table.

The roads in the capital were smooth and there were no bumps, so Pei Wu's flowers were safely delivered to the residence.

Jiang Ru thought he looked silly holding the flowers and didn't want to talk to him, so she got off the carriage first.

The residence was not far from the palace. Many officials lived in this area. The residence that Pei Wu was allocated was much smaller than theirs, but it was more than enough for two people.

Jiang Ru looked around the new house. It was much better than the one they had lived in before. There were about five, six, seven or eight rooms, and even a small garden in the middle. The main house was at the very back, and it was the largest room. The side rooms on both sides were much smaller.

The number of rooms was quite good. As the two entered the courtyard, several people came out from behind and bowed to them, saying, "Lord Pei."

Jiang Ru peeked over and saw two men and two women standing in the courtyard. Upon seeing her, they bowed and said, "Young lady."

Jiang Ru was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly: "What's going on?"

Pei Wu didn't know either. He even took a bigger step back than Jiang Ru, falling behind her, and then cast an innocent glance at her: "I don't know either."

Jiang Ru was speechless: "No one said there were still people in the manor."

In an instant, Pei Wu understood what these people were doing and looked at the officials questioningly.

The official, unfazed, said, "Lord Pei, these are the servants assigned to you."

After saying this, everyone rushed forward, grabbed the two people's luggage, and quickly helped them settle in.

Jiang Ru didn't even have time to dodge before her luggage was taken away. These people worked very efficiently; no wonder the mansion was spotless as soon as she entered, it looked like it had been cleaned long ago.

Jiang Ru stood there awkwardly, casting a pleading look at Pei Wu.

Pei Wu looked at her helplessly.

"Okay, neither of them has encountered this situation before," Jiang Ru tugged at Pei Wu's sleeve and whispered, "Can you take them back?"

Pei Wu remained silent for a moment, then looked at everyone.

The group realized what Pei Wu and the others were talking about and immediately stopped what they were doing. One of the girls stepped forward and said, "Young lady, please let us stay. Otherwise, we will still be sent to another mansion."

Jiang Ru and Pei Wu looked at each other in confusion. She beckoned to Pei Wu and whispered among themselves, "If we keep them here, should we pay them wages?"

Although Pei Wu had never heard the word "salary" before, he could roughly understand its meaning, so he nodded and then added, "Paid by the imperial court."

Jiang Ru breathed a sigh of relief. If they were to pay the salaries, they would not only have to support several people, but also pay their wages, which would put Pei Wu's salary in jeopardy.

The two of them were speechless for a moment in front of the four people. In fact, they didn't need to say anything, since only she and Pei Wu lived in the house.

Jiang Ru thought for a moment, then asked, "Is there a contract of indenture? If so, return it to them, and then give them some money to go home."

At this point, the officers took out several indentures from their pockets and handed them to Pei Wu, who then returned them to them.

Jiang Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to everyone, "We have a normal employment relationship. If you want to leave, just say so. We won't force you to stay."

After saying that, Jiang Ru pointed to the door and said, "Those who want to leave can leave now."

But the group looked at each other and didn't move.

Jiang Ru was puzzled. She was about to ask why, but then she suddenly remembered something.

In ancient times, people were usually sold when they were broke, or when their family had committed some offense. Since they refused to go home, they were naturally homeless.

Jiang Ru hesitated for a moment, then, thinking that since she was already there, she asked, "What are your names?"

Everyone answered. The two boys were named Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen, and the two girls were Xia Xia and Xiao Zhu.

Jiang Ru: "How old are you?"

Everyone answered. The youngest among them was twelve years old, and the oldest was only fifteen, not even as old as Jiang Ru.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ru could only say, "There's not much work to do at home, so just do whatever you like. Don't be afraid, we're not fierce."

After saying that, she stood in the courtyard, looked at the houses, and asked the group, "Where do you live?"

The group pointed to the small houses behind the main house.

Jiang Ru glanced at the room layout and pointed to the east side of the main room: "You stay here, and I'll stay at the other end."

The main house has three bedrooms, one for each of them.

Pei Wu was fine with staying anywhere. He was about to bend down to get his luggage when he discovered that it had already been divided up by several people.

Pei Wu: "...Thank you for your trouble."

After putting away their luggage, Pei Wu arranged new accommodations for them, and temporarily shared a room with these people without any trouble.

There was a vase in the room. After entering, Pei Wu replaced the flowers he was carrying with a large vase. The white porcelain vase paired with the mottled, delicate, and vibrant flowers looked exceptionally beautiful.

The vase stands by the window, its dazzling petals resting against the wooden windowpane, offering a delightful view without even opening the window.

The luggage was all moved in. Pei Wu used the right wing room as a study, which he and Jiang Ru could both use. The two of them had very little luggage. They had nowhere to put it in the guild hall before, but now that it was in the big room, they looked extremely poor.

I initially thought the house was a bit too spacious for just the two of us, but now that there are four of us, it's just right.

The scene was so disjointed. After moving her luggage, Jiang Ru sat under the eaves, looked up at the square sky, and sighed. Life was getting better, but she wasn't used to it yet.

Not long after the things were moved, Pei Wu was about to go out to a banquet.

That evening, the imperial court would prepare a banquet for the newly appointed scholars at Qionglin Garden. All the newly appointed scholars were required to attend, and Pei Wu changed his clothes early to go to the banquet.

During the Qionglin Banquet, the emperor would not appear; only the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and civil and military officials would attend. The first to appear would naturally be the chief examiner, Song Pingzhang, who would congratulate the Jinshi. Then it would be the turn of the deputy examiners.

After the examiners finished their lengthy speeches, they finally announced the start of the banquet.

Although it was called a banquet, the real purpose was not to eat, but to build relationships. During the banquet, many of the scholars toasted each other, recited poems, and did not eat much.

Beside Pei Wu were Ji Chaoying, the second-place scholar, and Ning Yiheng, the third-place scholar. They were from Yangzhou and Xinzhou respectively, and neither of them could hold their liquor very well. Pei Wu's tolerance was even lower. The three of them exchanged glances and tacitly took only a small sip.

Several examiners sat at the table, and the successful candidates kept coming up to toast them. Ning Yiheng winked at Pei Wu, signaling him to go first.

Pei Wu raised his wine glass and shook his head at Ning Yiheng from a distance.

Ning Yiheng originally thought that since he was the top scholar, not to mention his learning, his drinking capacity should also be first-rate. But seeing his appearance now, she suddenly remembered that Pei Wu was only sixteen years old, and a sense of guilt rose in her heart. She quickly bowed to Pei Wu.

Since Pei Wu was out of the question, Ning Yiheng could only turn her attention to Ji Chaoying. Ji Chaoying was a big, burly man with a scruffy beard, so he should at least be a good drinker.

Under their gazes, Ji Chaoying, bearing a heavy responsibility, stepped forward first.

He was an outgoing person, and with just a few words, he made the examiners smile. Before long, he returned confidently, nodded to Pei Wu and Ning Yiheng, and invited them to come forward.

However, before they could stand up, Ji Chaoying swayed and collapsed onto the table.

Pei Wu was shocked and went forward to shake him, but he was already too drunk to wake up.

Ning Yiheng frowned, clearly not expecting this person to have such a poor alcohol tolerance, and could only shake her head helplessly.

Although they were complete strangers to the examiners, they were considered his students, so a toast was naturally expected.

Since Ji Chaoying had fainted, Pei Wu picked up his wine cup and stepped forward to offer her a toast.

Upon seeing him, Song Pingzhang's previously blurred vision gradually cleared. He straightened up, his gaze focusing on Pei Wu: "Pei Wu."

Pei Wu nodded in agreement, and Song Pingzhang smiled: "I remember you. You write excellent articles and are truly a talent worthy of being a prime minister."

The two talked back and forth for a long time, and Song Pingzhang even gave him a question, which Pei Wu answered one by one.

Finally, Song Pingzhang burst into laughter, patted Pei Wu's hand, and said he felt as if they had known each other for a long time, praising him repeatedly.

Their commotion had already attracted everyone's attention. Later, Song Pingzhang got so drunk that his words veered off-topic, and he started cursing the villains.

He had barely uttered a curse when Pei Wu interrupted, "Teacher, you're drunk."

Song Pingzhang was taken aback. Although he knew the occasion was inappropriate, he seemed to want to say something more under the influence of alcohol. Pei Wu glanced at the servant beside him and said, "Lord Song is drunk. Take him back to his residence first."

The servant hesitated whether to step forward, but Pei Wu had already helped Song Pingzhang up and handed him to the servant. Several servants had to work together to help Song Pingzhang away.

The chief examiner had already left, and the remaining examiners also left one after another, leaving only the newly appointed scholars.

Without their leaders around, the scholars felt more at ease. Those who wanted to get to know each other did so, and those who wanted to fill their stomachs did so, all quite content.

Those who were drunk were carried away one after another. Seeing that it was almost time, Pei Wu also got up and left.

Zheng Qiuhong kept her distance from him. He wasn't a good drinker either, and his face was already flushed. He made an appointment with Pei Wu to visit him another day and then went home first.

Pei Wu hadn't drunk much today. The early spring breeze wasn't too cold, and it made him a little more sober. When he walked out of Qionglin Garden, there were already people waiting outside—Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen.

Upon seeing Pei Wu emerge, the two men rushed forward to support him, saying, "Lord Pei, you've finally come out."

Pei Wu was surprised to see them, so the two explained, "We thought it was almost time and were worried you might be drunk, so we came early to wait for you."

Pei Wu wasn't actually drunk; he could walk back by himself without needing anyone to pick him up. So he said, "You don't need to come next time. If I don't come out, are you just going to keep waiting?"

Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen said in unison, "Of course."

Pei Wu: "...No need to wait for me."

Whether Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen listened or not, the three of them walked slowly down the long street and soon returned to their residence.

After passing through the front yard and walking along the corridor, Jiang Ru was surrounded by two people under the pavilion. The three of them sat at a table, whispering to each other in front of the oil lamp.

Hearing footsteps, Jiang Ru quickly looked up and saw Pei Wu. She smiled and said, "You're finally back! We've been waiting for you for so long."

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Author's Note: The next chapter won't be until midnight, so please read it tomorrow morning.

Oh, right, I added a birthday celebration for Pei Wu in the previous chapter, along with 1,000 words. You can check it out (those who have already read it don't need to).

I just realized I forgot to write that; it's really a waste of time.