With two more people in the small courtyard, it suddenly became lively. Zhou Fangfang was a lively and cheerful little girl …
When the girl saw Yu Shu came back, she asked her to read her horoscope, saying that she needed to make up for the last one. Yu Shu wanted to quickly send her away, so she asked Yu Xiaoxiu to go into the room to get a pen and ink. She set up a table in the courtyard, calculated her horoscope and wrote comments for her.
Zhou Fangfang didn't know many words, so she asked Yu Shu to read the comments to her and asked Jing Chen to make another copy. It was true that Yu Shu's calligraphy was not as elegant as Jing Chen's.
Zhou Fangfang happily received the note that Jing Chen had rewritten. She didn't care if she could understand it or not. After she was satisfied, she asked Yu Shu, "Do you want to accept Bo Jin?"
Yu Shu waved her hand, "We agreed last time, why do you still want to take money?"
Zhou Fangfang then pushed Aunty Xu forward and said with a smile, "Then please read my aunt's horoscope as a thank you for cooking for your brother this afternoon."
Yu Shu glanced at Yu Xiaoxiu and didn't ask much. She just asked Aunty Xu's horoscope for her birthday. Aunty Xu was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. She took the comments written by Yu Shu and put it into her sleeve. Seeing that they had stayed in the house for a long time, she pulled Zhou Fangfang to leave.
Yu Shu sent them to the door. Aunty Xu stood in front of the door and said, "Xiao Yu, we are neighbors. If there is any inconvenience in the future, you can go to the opposite door to find me.
Older women liked to visit, not to mention Yu Shu's courtyard. Every one of them was young, charming, and had a sweet tongue. How could she not like them?
"Haha, I know, Aunty Xu." Yu Shu didn't dare to say anything polite. She was afraid that they would take it seriously and come to visit frequently in the future. Then she would be tired.
After finally coaxing the two of them away, Yu Shu closed the door and called Yu Xiaoxiu and Jing Chen into the room to talk. Xia Ming returned to his room early in the morning out of boredom. He hadn't seen her come out even after sending the guests off.
"How can you let others cook for you? Do you lack salt and rice?" Yu Shu had warned Yu Xiaoxiu before that Jing Chen's identity was special. If people found out that he was a Taoist, there would be a lot of trouble. So, he was not allowed to let others enter the house.
Yu Xiaoxiu felt wronged and said, "It was Aunty Xu who forced her niece to send food over. I couldn't just push her out. The food they sent was all on the stove. Brother Jing didn't eat it, so I only tasted a few mouthfuls. The two of us cooked some noodles. Later, they came to take the bowls. How could I not let them in? "
"You're so greedy." Yu Shu turned to Jing Chen and said, "Did you take your medicine at noon?"
Jing Chen shook his head. When he was about to boil the medicine, a guest came. He went to open the door. The medicine bag was still in the kitchen.
Yu Shu looked at Jing Chen's face, which was flushed from the sun. The more she looked, the more handsome he looked. No wonder Miss Zhou didn't want to leave when she saw him. If it were her, she would also want to look at him a few more times.
Yu Shu got up and said, "I'll boil the medicine for you. Go back to your room and rest for a while. Xiaoxiu, move all the chairs in the yard."
"Oh, okay."
Yu Shu went to the kitchen. Jing Chen did not return to his room. Instead, he followed her. Standing at the door, Yu Shu squatted by the stove and started the fire. She turned her head and asked, "Why don't you go and rest?"
Jing Chen shook his head. Recently, Yu Shu's most frequent words to him was to ask him to go back to his room and rest. He knew that she cared about him, but he really didn't think that he was so weak that he needed to lie in bed all day.
"When your body gets better, I'll take you to the Taoist temple in Anling City. Let's see if you can remember anything."
Yu Shu told Jing Chen about her plan. When she saw his eyes lit up and his mood was written all over his face, she could not help but smile. "Are you bored staying at home and want to go out for a walk?"
Jing Chen shook his head and then nodded. He did not feel bored, but he wanted to remember the past as soon as possible. He did not want Xiaoyu to do everything for him anymore, while he could not help Xiaoyu share any of his burdens. He did not like this kind of helpless and helpless situation.
After pouring the medicine for Jing Chen to drink, Yu Shu washed her face and carried the quilts that were taken out to dry in the morning into the house. When she saw Yu Xiaoxiu feeding the expensive snacks that she bought from the teahouse to Kim Bao, she did not say anything.
Xia Mingming stayed in the room the whole time and only came out when it was time for dinner in the evening. Her face was gloomy the whole time. Yu Shu knew that she was in a heavy mood, so she did not talk to ease the atmosphere during dinner like usual. They ate dinner quietly. Today, Xia Mingming actually took the initiative to clean the dishes in the kitchen.
In ancient times, there was no such thing as detergent when washing dishes. They had to rely on a loofah to wash the dishes back and forth. The used dishes were all dry. Even Yu Shu hated washing dishes, let alone the spoiled Xia Mingming.
"Are you still worried about your Fourth Sister? I'll accompany you to find her tomorrow." Yu Shu leaned against the door with her arms crossed. Xia Mingming was squatting by the ditch in the yard to wash the dishes.
"It's not all because of her," Xia Mingming said sadly. "Fourth Sister must have sent a letter home. Someone will come to pick me up soon. When I return to Jiangnan, I'm afraid we won't be able to see each other again."
Yu Shu raised her eyebrows. She felt that he was too pessimistic. "Where do you live? Leave a place for me. Even if you can't come out in the future, I can still visit you."
Xia Mingming just shook her head without saying anything.
"What's wrong? Your Xia Jiang family doesn't welcome visitors?" Yu Shu teased.
"Eldest Sister and Second Sister are both married. My Third Brother passed away a long time ago. Fourth Sister is studying in Taishi Shuyuan. Sixth Sister is still young. My father, as the head of the family, can't be biased. This time, I ran away from home. When I return, I will definitely be sent to Mount Longhu to seek Taoism.
Yu Shu's expression changed. She didn't realize it when Xia Mingming mentioned "Wenchen and Xia Jiang" during the day. Now that she heard her confession, she suddenly understood. No wonder she was so desperate to take the Dayan exam. It was because she wanted to avoid this matter.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Yu Shu complained that she hid it for too long. If she had known earlier, she would have asked Xue Shu to lend her fifty taels to register for the exam.
Xia Mingming looked gloomy, "It's my bad luck. Think about it. On my way to the capital, I went through several hardships. None of them were smooth. Even if my name is recorded, the exam won't be smooth … It's a waste of the six-line divination you taught me."
Seeing that she was disheartened, Yu Shu didn't comfort her or help her. She just patted her on the shoulder and turned back to the house.
As a daughter of a big family, she didn't have to worry about food and clothing, but she also had a considerable responsibility to bear. This was understandable. Whether she wanted to escape or comply, it was up to her.
Xia Mingming went to Taishi Shuyuan again the next day. Her Fourth Sister, Xia Jiangying, simply refused to see her. Xia Mingming had no choice but to break into Taishi Shuyuan to find her. She waited for the whole morning and was so anxious that her mouth was blistered.
"The gatekeeper said that my Fourth Sister went out. What should I do? I don't know where she went. Accompany me to wait." Xia Mingming ran to the teahouse and found Yu Shu who was reading.
Yu Shu immediately packed up her things, put down the tea money, and said calmly, "Go back and come back tomorrow." "Wait a little longer. Maybe she will come back later."
"Idiot, she is deliberately avoiding you." Yu Shu pulled Xia Mingming downstairs, "Come back tomorrow. I will find a way to get her out."
She originally didn't care about this matter, but after hearing Xia Mingming's confession last night, she changed her mind. Xia Mingming was already unlucky enough to miss the Dayan Examination. If Xia Jiangying really died for no reason, this girl would not be able to rest in peace for the rest of her life. She would also be unhappy.
Xia Mingming followed Yu Shu home doubtfully. The next day, Yu Shu asked Xia Mingming to hide in the teahouse and look for Xia Jiangying at the door of the Taishi Shuyuan.
The entrance of Taishi Library was shabby, and the guards inside were fully equipped. They carried knives and swords and wore official uniforms. Yu Shu waited until there were no more people coming in and out of the door before putting on a nervous expression. She rubbed her hands and went forward to talk to the guard, "Brother guard, please do me a favor. I have an urgent matter to discuss with Miss Xia Jiang. Could you please go in and help me pass a message to Miss Xia Jiang that something has happened to her Fifth Sister and ask her to come out and see me?"
There was probably only one Miss Xia Jiang in the entire Taishi Shuyuan. Although the guard at the door wasn't the same as yesterday, he knew who Yu Shu was asking about. Seeing her anxious expression, he asked her to wait at the door and quickly went inside to look for Miss Xia Jiang.
Yu Shu waited in front of the door for more than a quarter of an hour. She poked her head out and saw a few people hurrying over from behind the row of flower ponds. The guard at the front pointed in the direction of Yu Shu and spoke to the people behind. Yu Shu saw Xia Mingming's Fourth Sister at a glance, but her eyes jumped to the woman with a veil covering her face behind Xia Jiangying. At first, she only felt that she looked familiar, but when she got closer, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. Wasn't this the precious Fourth Miss of the Ji family, Ji Xingxuan?
When she was still in Yiyang City, the Xue family and the Ji family were discussing marriage. She had seen Ji Xingxuan once at the Ji family. Although half of Ji Xingxuan's face was covered at that time, her facial features could be seen through the veil. Moreover, this woman's eyes were extremely intelligent and moving. It was hard to forget them after seeing them once. Coupled with her temperament, it was hard to mistake her.
It was really a narrow road for enemies. In such a big city like Anling, she met an 'old friend' every two to three days.
Yu Shu wasn't sure if Ji Xingxuan recognized her. Seeing that the two were getting closer, she couldn't retreat. She could only comfort herself that she had a common face. If they met in the capital, Ji Xingxuan might not remember her.
It wasn't that she was afraid of the Ji family, but it was better to avoid trouble. It would be troublesome if she was recognized.
"Are you the one looking for me?" Xia Jiangying looked slightly worried. "Where is Xia Jiangmin? What happened to her?" Ji Xingxuan and Xia Jiangying were both interested in astrology. The two of them were very close. Coincidentally, they were discussing academics together today. When they heard the guard's report, they came over together. When they saw Yu Shu waiting outside the door, they didn't recognize her at first glance. However, just like when Yu Shu saw her for the first time, she felt that this person looked familiar.
Yu Shu inadvertently glanced at Ji Xingxuan. Seeing that there was no expression on her face, she thought that Ji Xingxuan did not recognize her. She lowered her voice and said to Xia Jiangying, "It's not convenient to talk here. How about we go to the teahouse opposite to talk?"
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