Chapter 027
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
Seated on the kang were a youth and a man.
The youth looked frail and delicate, with his fair skin and smaller frame; while the man was tall and upright, with bronze skin and handsome features.
The youth was Xue Tingxiang, and the man was Jiang Wu.
Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao’er, making him eighteen that year, the perfect age for marriage. Hence why he could be proper a man.
“Tingxiang, When you are at the academy, study hard. Don’t let your elder sister’s efforts go to waste. If anyone bullies you, come back and tell Elder Brother Jiang Wu, and I’ll help you sort them out!”
From the moment he entered the room, Jiang Wu had been trying to make conversation with Xue Tingxiang. He could tell that the youth clearly did not like him much. Still, it did not matter whether this youth liked him or not. So long as the person he liked liked this youth, that was enough.
Zhao’er cared a lot for this youth. In the future, once he marries Zhao’er, this youth will become his little brother. Therefore, Jiang Wu did not mind sticking his hot face against this youth’s cold butt.
Moreover, in his eyes, the Xue family’s second branch’s Gouzi was still a little child. It is normal for little kids to throw random tantrums and be possessive of their mother or sister figures.
Xue Tingxiang glared at Jiang Wu. He was struggling hard to suppress the jealousy in his heart. He did not want to appear childish or naive in front of this grown man, nor did he want to appear inferior. In the end, he could not help himself as he blurted out.
“Do you like Zhao’er?”
Jiang Wu was taken aback, but he nodded easily.
Xue Tingxiang’s expression grew darker, “She is my betrothed.”
“She isn’t your betrothed. You should know that Uncle Xue and Aunt Xue took her in as their daughter back then. She is your elder sister. You were entrusted to her care due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Of course, Xue Tingxiang knew that, which was why Jiang Wu’s presence agitated him so much.
“If you feel sorry for your elder sister, you should find a man who can cherish her well. You know your family’s situation and how much your elder sister has suffered to support you. However, you can rest assured that once I marry your elder sister, we will support you together and I will treat you like my own younger brother.”
Jiang Wu spoke reasonably and persuasively, but Xue Tingxiang’s face only grew darker.
“You can stop with the delusions, I will never give her up to you.”
Jiang Wu smiled at him unconcernedly, clearly not taking him seriously at all.
Just then, Zhao’er walked in carrying a wooden tray with three bowls on it. There was one large bowl and two slightly smaller bowls.
“Quickly come and eat your noodles.”
“Such a big bowl, Zhao’er, you’re clearly feeding me like a pig,” said Jiang Wu with a laugh.
Zhao’er retorted, “Elder Brother Jiang Wu, what are you saying? I was just worried you wouldn’t be full.” She set the bowls down, pushing the one with vinegar towards Xue Tingxiang. “Eat quickly. We’ll leave after we have eaten. There’s still a little time.”
With that, she also climbed onto the kang, sitting on the edge with Xue Tingxiang on her left and Jiang Wu on her right.
Jiang Wu gave her quite the face as he enthusiastically inhaled the noodles, huffing and puffing, and not forgetting to praise how delicious Zhao’er’s noodles were.
Could this mean that he had already eaten her noodles before? How many times was it? When did it happen? Why did he not know this?
All sorts of thoughts swirled in Xue Tingxiang’s mind, to the point that although the noodles smelled delicious and were some of his favourites, he could not muster up any appetite at all.
It wasn’t until Zhao’er asked him confusedly why he had not started eating, that his face stiffened and he said, “There’s no vinegar.”
“No vinegar?”
Zhao’er picked up the bowl and sniffed it. She distinctively remembered adding vinegar just before serving the noodles. However, since the vinegar added was so little, it was not detectable by smell.
“Right, I’ll add some for you now,” with that she took the bowl and left the kang.
Xue Tingxiang glared at Jiang Wu viciously. That fellow ate so quickly. Clearly, he had no fear of choking!
Feeling Xue Tingxiang’s glare, Jiang Wu looked up and said, “Your elder sister’s noodles are delicious enough, they don’t need vinegar to be flavourful.”
Xue Tingxiang ignored him. Zhao’er happened to return with the noodles, which she set in front of him. He grabbed his chopsticks and shoved some into his mouth. They were still tasteless to him, but he said nothing and ate quietly.
“You must eat more, so you can grow as strong as your Elder Brother Jiang Wu.”
So, she thought that he was not strong enough and that Jiang Wu was much better.
The meal was eaten with everyone occupied with their own thoughts. Jiang Wu and Zhao’er chatted and laughed with each other while Xue Tingxiang maintained his silence.
After they had eaten, Zhao’er went to wash the dishes. After some final packing, it was time to leave.
Jiang Wu carried the large bag Zhao’er had prepared for Xue Tingxiang, and the three of them walked out together. Just as they reached the courtyard gates, they were suddenly stopped by Old Man Xue.
“Jiang Wu, ah, are you taking Gouzi to the town?”
Jiang Wu stopped in his tracks and nodded.
“Can you take Juncai along as well? He also needs to go to the town, but he is heading to Qinghe Academy. I heard from your Uncle Shan’zi that the school is on your way.”
“Well—”
Jiang Wu glanced at Zhao’er.
Yesterday, Zhao’er mentioned that the main branch had borrowed a cart themselves, but she and Xue Tingxiang were unwilling to hitch a ride. Jiang Wu knew Zhao’er’s concerns, so he didn’t question them further and agreed.
Xue Qingshan came out from the east wing and said, “Father, why are you telling them this? Our cart will arrive any moment.”
“Has it arrived yet? Do you not know what time it is? Even with a mule cart, it will take half an hour to get to town. It is Juncai’s first day at the school. He will be reprimanded if he is late,” Old Man Xue said with frustration.
Despite what Xue Qingshan said, he was actually also very anxious. The day before, he had specifically borrowed a cart from a friend in a neighbouring village. But who knew that after breakfast, even though everything was ready, they could not even see that fellow’s shadow?
He knew that the second branch had also borrowed a cart, and it was even the Jiang family’s cart. There were only two households in the village with mule carts. It was impossible to ask Lizheng’s family for one, and the Jiang family held a grudge against him as well. He hadn’t forgotten how Jiang Hai had scolded him when his second brother died. Whenever he saw the Jiang family’s people, he would always scowl at them.
This was why, even though he knew that the second branch had successfully borrowed a cart and that both his wife and son were very anxious, he could not lower himself to ask.
“Jiang Wu, please just give them a lift.”
Since they had even stooped to saying it like that, Jiang Wu naturally couldn’t refuse.
“Alright, Grandpa Xue, this is nothing.”
Seeing that Xue Qingshan hadn’t moved yet, Old Man Xue turned back and scolded him, “What are you still dawdling for? Yang’shi, quickly bring out Juncai’s things.”
“Ai, coming.”
After a bit of commotion, the four of them finally got on the cart.
Originally, Xue Qingshan had planned to personally escort his son all the way to his school. However, due to the limited space in the cart, had no choice but to abandon the idea.
As he watched the mule cart disappear into the distance, an uncomfortable feeling weighed down Xue Qingshan’s heart. He had intended to show off, but not only had he failed to do so, he had also lost face in front of the second branch and the Jiang family.
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With an extra Xue Juncai in the cart, no one spoke for the entire journey. The mule cart soon arrived at Huyang Town and headed east. When they reached the front of Qinghe Academy, Jiang Wu stopped the cart.
Jiang Wu had never been fond of the main Xue branch, so he didn’t offer to help with anything.
Yang’shi had prepared a lot of things for Xue Juncai, which ended up in two big packages. Xue Juncai barely managed to lift one, and he couldn’t handle the second one at all.
His face turned red, yet he did not ask for help.
Finally, it was Zhao’er who could not stand it anymore. She jumped out of the cart, grabbed a large bag in each hand and walked towards the gate.
She placed the two large bags just at the gate and said to Xue Juncai, who had followed after her, “I won’t send you in. Just call for someone to help. Ting’er needs to go to school too. We will be late if we don’t go now.”
Xue Juncai looked at her with mixed feelings in his heart, “Zhao’er, I will become a Xiu Cai.”
“Yes, yes, work hard.” She quickly turned and left, naturally missing the way Xue Juncai was staring at her back.
The mule cart stopped in front of Qingyuan Academy next.
Unlike with Xue Juncai, Jiang Wu helped to carry the large bag while Zhao’er carried the small bag as they escorted Xue Tingxiang in.
A servant led them all the way to the dormitory.
The dormitory was very simply furnished. It was a simple square room with two beds on either side of the room, making up four sections with a narrow path down the middle. Each bed had a Tian’an table [1] lined next to the kang and four simple wooden cabinets against the wall. The room was just enough to accommodate four people.
Because Xue Tingxiang was the first to arrive, the servant said he could choose the spot he liked best. He also told Zhao’er and Jiang Wu not to linger too long before leaving.
Zhao’er took it upon herself to choose a spot at the far end right by the window. That way, her little man would have good lighting and better ventilation.
She opened the large bag and made the kang bed for Xue Tingxiang.
Jiang Wu wanted to help, but Xue Tingxiang beat him to it.
The two step siblings worked hand in hand to make the bed, clearly showing they had done this plenty of times before with a high level of tacit understanding.
Jiang Wu watched enviously from the side.
Xue Tingxiang glanced at him, then went to help Zhao’er arrange other things.
Zhao’er opened the wooden cabinet. She reached in and ran her hand inside, to find it dust-free and very clean. Therefore, she quickly transferred clothes and other items into the cabinet. It was when she closed the door that she realised that there was a place for students to put locks on their cabinets should they wish to.
She said, “I will buy you a lock later. Make sure to lock the cabinet whenever you’re not in the room.”
Once everything was done, it was time for Zhao’er and Jiang Wu to leave.
At the door, Xue Tingxiang pulled Zhao’er aside and said, “Don’t forget you are someone with a man!”
“Why are you bringing this up again?”
“Just make sure to remember this. It’s fine so long as you remember this.”
Xue Tingxiang had wanted to tell Zhao’er to stay away from Jiang Wu but suddenly changed his mind. He could tell that Zhao’er was unaware of Jiang Wu’s feelings. Since she was unaware, let her remain that way. It would be best if she never found out.
“Fine, fine, fine, I understand. You just focus on your studies.”
Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and said, “I will tell the teacher that I will return home when I can. You must watch the house and don’t go out at night.”
“With Heizi around, are you afraid that someone will eat me alive?” Not only that, she also knew some martial arts which she had learned from Father Jiang and his son when she was younger. Moreover, she was stronger than most people. In short, one or two farm hands were no match for her.
“Anyway, so long as you remember what I said. Be sure to remember it.”
“Yes, yes, yes, I got it.”
Zhao’er soon left, leaving Xue Tingxiang alone in the dormitory.
He paced back and forth in the dormitory for a while. When he finally calmed down, he climbed onto his kang bed and took out a half-copied book and some fine rice paper from the cabinet. [2] He carefully spread the paper on the table at the head of the bed and resumed his transcribing work.
After copying for a while, someone pushed the door open and walked in.
“Yi, someone actually got here earlier than me!”
The newcomer was a fat little fellow of about sixteen or seventeen years old, he had a huge bag on his back that was even fatter than he was.
Although the weather was not hot, he was already dripping with sweat as he huffed and puffed towards one of the other beds, and dropped his bag down before flopping next to his huge bag.
“Hey, newbie, what’s your name?”
[Gumihou: Fat friendly fellow?]
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[1] Tiao’an table:
A Tiao’an table is an ancient Chinese furniture. It is usually placed in the lower part of the hall, behind the tables and chairs, and is used to place items such as decorations. The tabletop is a narrow strip, with a width of about one-tenth of the length.
https://www.capitoliumart.com/en/lotto/a-large-tiaoan-wooden-table-china-qing-dynasty-19th-century/xlt-94101
[2] Xuan paper AKA Rice paper, is renowned for being soft and fine-textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuan_paper
Gumihou: Replaced it with ‘fine rice paper’ since these words are more descriptive and ‘Xuan paper’ doesn’t mean anything to people who are not familiar with this specific term.
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