Yes, my lord. West Sixth Street. The carriage stopped, and the coachman said from outside.
Yu Shu raised her head and looked at Xue Rui. "I'm here. Please send me back."
Xue Rui felt a little helpless. He had already apologized, but he didn't hear her reply. Even so, he didn't have the intention to ask. It was getting late, and he should go back after dropping her off. However, when he saw her back view as she got off the car, his heart suddenly moved. He actually didn't want her to leave like this. After a slight hesitation, he got up and followed her out of the car.
It was late at night, and there were few people on the streets. The shops were all closed, and only one or two taverns still had lanterns lit in front of them. The road in the distance was too dark to see clearly. Xue Rui looked around and asked, "Where do you live?"
Yu Shu pointed in the direction of Huixing Street. "It's on the back street. Carriages can't go there."
Xue Rui raised his chin. "Let's go. I'll send you off."
Yu Shu waved her hand and said, "No need. It's very close. I can go back by myself."
"You don't want me to know where you live?" Xue Rui asked.
Yu Shu was a little embarrassed that he had hit the nail on the head. She denied, "No."
"How can a girl like you walk at night without worrying? Shall I send you to the intersection?" Xue Rui tactfully sought Yu Shu's consent.
Yu Shu was a person who could be persuaded by reason but not cowed by force. Besides, she had just talked it out with him. It was meaningless to deliberately avoid him, so she pointed in the direction and said, "Let's go."
Xue Rui smiled and turned to catch up with her. They walked side by side, maintaining a distance of about three feet. It was not abrupt, nor did it seem distant. He could even use this distance to chat with her.
"You and your brother are now living in someone else's house?"
"No, I bought a private house."
"You bought a house by yourself?" Xue Rui turned his head to look at her in surprise. During the day outside the Spring Fragrance Brothel, he saw her talking to that young man from afar. He thought that she was seeking refuge in someone's house, but he did not expect that she had already settled down in Anling City.
Yu Shu nodded. "When I left Yiyang, Aunt Huei gave me a sum of money to settle down."
Xue Rui pretended to know nothing and asked, "How did she give you money?"
Yu Shu pretended that he did not know about the series of events that happened to Zhao Hui. She briefly said, "Aunt Hui's family property was seized in her early years. After she won the lawsuit, she got her family property back, so she gave me the money.
If Xue Rui didn't know about it, he would think that Zhao Hui's lawsuit had nothing to do with her. However, now that he saw her acting as if nothing had happened, he admired her even more.
"What do you plan to do in the future?"
Yu Shu was hesitating whether to tell him about her fortune telling stall in Qiu Gui Fang. Then she heard an excited shout from the roadside, "Ah, Ashu!"
She turned her head and saw a figure stumbling towards her from the side of the road. Just as he was about to pounce on her, a force came from her elbow and Xue Rui pulled her to the side, just in time to avoid the attack.
"Ah!" Xia Mingming fell a few steps forward and fell on the ground. He cried out in pain.
Xue Rui looked at the rash person on the ground. He was a little unhappy that the person was the same as the young man in the day. He turned his head and wanted to ask Yu Shu who this person was. But she glanced at him with a strange expression. She gently broke away from his hand and squatted down to help the person.
"Where did you fall? Can you stand up?"
"Ashu, I'm sorry, I'm sorry …" Xia Mingming saw that Yu Shu was safe and sound. She couldn't help but put her arms around Yu Shu's neck and sobbed.
Yu Shu patted her back. She didn't scold her because there were people present, "Okay, okay, don't cry." When he saw them hugging each other, Xue Rui was stunned. Fortunately, he was a cautious person, and he didn't rush forward to pull the two of them apart. He lowered his head and took a few more glances at the 'young man', and he instantly came to a realization. He snickered in his heart. Why is it that it's fashionable for the young ladies in Anling City to dress up as boys recently?
Yu Shu pulled Xia Mingming and asked a few questions. Under her incoherent explanation, she finally figured out why she was waiting for her here.
It turned out that during the day, Xia Mingming saw Yu Shu being taken away by the officers outside Chunxiang House. She heard passers-by saying that they would be caught easily if they gambled privately and would suffer. Xia Mingming was afraid and worried that Yu Shu would be in trouble because of her. So she didn't go home as Yu Shu asked. Instead, she went to the yamen alone. In the end, she didn't get any information and was even kicked out.
She didn't know how to explain to Yu Xiaoxiu and Jing Chen when she went back, so she didn't dare to go home. She hid near Huixing Street until it was dark and happened to meet Yu Shu who was sent back by Xue Rui.
Xue Rui was listening to their conversation from the side and he caught the main point. Only then did he realize that Yu Shu had gone to gamble in order to help this young lady raise money. He did not know whether he should be more angry or more amused.
"You, how did you get out? I heard that you were all locked up in prison." Xia Mingming sniffled and asked.
Yu Shu pointed at Xue Rui. "I met a friend, and he helped me by saying a few words. Then, he let me out." Xia Mingming didn't recognize Xue Rui as the official who brought people to Chunxiang House during the day. Just now, she was panicking and only noticed Xue Rui now. She saw that he was a handsome young master in embroidered clothes. She didn't know who he was, but he had the ability to bring Yu Shu out of prison.
Yu Shu knew that Yu Xiaoxiu and Jing Chen would be worried if she didn't see them, so she didn't delay any longer. She helped Xia Mingming up and said goodbye to Xue Rui. She was in a hurry to go home, "My house is just ahead, no need to send me off. Thank you for today, you should go back quickly."
"Wait." Xue Rui stopped her, "Shu, if you are in urgent need of money, I can lend you some first."
He knew that Yu Shu wanted to be strong, so he didn't directly say 'give', but 'lend'.
Yu Shu hesitated. Although she didn't want to owe Xue Rui a favor, but the most important thing was to help Xia Mingming raise money to enter the exam. She couldn't let her hope fail just because of her own face, otherwise, wouldn't her efforts today be in vain?
Thinking of this, she was about to agree to Xue Rui, but Xia Mingming shook her hand first, "Ashu, no need."
Yu Shu tilted her head, "Why not?"
Xia Mingming bit her lips, hugged her arm tightly, and whispered, "I, I don't want to take the exam."
After such a fright today, she regretted it so much that her intestines turned green. She didn't have the face to ask Yu Shu to help her borrow money from a strange man.
It was easy to guess what was on Xia Mingming's mind. In fact, Yu Shu really didn't care that much about whether she would take the Dayan exam or not. Previously, she helped her think of a way because she was desperate to take the exam. Now that she was discouraged and wanted her to cheer her up, it didn't matter if she didn't take the exam.
"No, you should go back." Yu Shu shook her head at Xue Rui, and pulled Xia Mingming to the alley ahead.
This time, Xue Rui didn't call out to her again. He watched her disappear before he turned around and walked back. As he walked, he recalled the few months he spent in Yiyang City. Sometimes he laughed, sometimes he shook his head. His expression was relaxed, and his mood had never been so good since he returned to the Capital. He only restrained his expression when he arrived at the place where the carriage stopped.
"Master, where are we going now?" The carriage driver lifted the curtain.
"Hengwu Hall."
So the carriage drove to the prosperous north of the city, where the night was full of singing and dancing.
As for Jing Chen and Yu Xiaoxiu, when they didn't see Yu Shu and Xia Mingming come back in the evening, they began to feel nervous. They wanted to go out to find them, but they were afraid that they would come back halfway, so they had to wait anxiously at home. Poor Kim Bao was hungry from noon to night, but no one paid attention to it. It was so depressed that it kept scratching the wall.
When they were about to go out to find them, the door rang.
"Xiaoxiu, Xiaoxiu, open the door, we're back!"
Yu Xiaoxiu rushed to the door, and Jing Chen followed behind him. When he opened the door and saw them, Yu Xiaoxiu was relieved and couldn't help raising his voice, "Why did you come back so late?"
Although Jing Chen couldn't speak, the concern in his eyes was obvious.
"Let's go in first." Yu Shu pushed Yu Xiaoxiu into the yard and asked Jing Chen to close the door. When the four of them returned to the house, Yu Xiaoxiu sat next to Yu Shu and asked, "Did something happen?"
Yu Shu glanced at Xia Mingming. They didn't say anything on the way back, but what happened today would definitely make them worried, and Yu Xiaoxiu would inevitably blame Xia Mingming.
"It's all my fault." Xia Mingming didn't wait for Yu Shu to help her lie, but lowered her head and said. He gave a rough account of what had happened today.
Sure enough, when Yu Xiaoxiu heard that Yu Shu was put in prison, he was shocked and angry, and forgot to ask who saved her. He first glared at Xia Mingming and said, "Fortunately, my sister and brother are fine, or I won't let you go." It was rare that Xia Mingming didn't talk back to Yu Xiaoxiu. She grabbed the tablecloth, and her eyes were red. She knew that it was all because of her, and she didn't need Yu Xiaoxiu to argue with her. She was ashamed to death.
Jing Chen looked at Yu Shu thoughtfully, didn't notice Yu Xiaoxiu's slip of the tongue, and didn't join in the scolding of Xia Mingming. Instead, he quietly got up and went outside.
Yu Shu didn't want Yu Xiaoxiu to hold a grudge against Xia Mingming because of this, so she slapped Yu Xiaoxiu's back and scolded him with a smile, "Who are you going to fight with? I did it myself, and I'm useless. Don't blame her. You're a boy, and you quarrel with a girl. It's shameful."
Yu Xiaoxiu said angrily, "You're protecting her, and you don't know who is your brother."
"Nonsense again. You're my only brother."
Hearing Yu Shu's words, Yu Xiaoxiu felt comfortable, but Xia Mingming didn't feel good. Seeing the brother and sister getting along well, she felt like an outsider, and forgot that she was an outsider.
Seeing Yu Xiaoxiu calm down, Yu Shu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go make the bed, and I'll go to the kitchen to find something to eat."
After that, she left him and Xia Mingming staring at each other in the room.
When Yu Shu came to the kitchen, she found that someone was already there. There was a pot on the stove, and Jing Chen was bending over to add firewood to the stove. His movements were not very skilled. Seeing the sparks jumping to his hands, Yu Shu hurried forward and said, "Let me do it, let me do it."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
