With bewilderment in her heart, Yu Shu followed Xue Rui into a deserted tavern on the neighboring street, and she found an empty corner on the first floor that had very few customers before she sat down and ordered a pot of wine.
Yu Shu thought that Xue Rui had something to say to her, but when the wine was served, he drank one cup after another. Yu Shu stared at him for a long time, but he didn't say anything. After two pots of wine, he continued to drink without any expression. He didn't seem to care about her at all. She finally realized that this person called her here to drink with him.
Yu Shu was happy. It was rare to see this person being troubled. She rolled her eyes and took a pair of chopsticks from the bamboo basket. She knocked on the chopsticks in front of Xue Rui, trying to get his attention. "You're in a bad mood? Do you want me to guess why? "
Today, Xue Rui didn't show up in court. She was puzzled at that time. He was the one investigating the case, so he shouldn't be sitting here drinking in casual clothes.
Xue Rui's expression didn't change as he continued to pour wine. "What about you? What were you so strange about outside the yamen?"
Yu Shu twirled the chopsticks in her hand and said with a double meaning, "Isn't my strange matter the reason why you're in a bad mood?"
The wine cup stopped by his mouth. Xue Rui looked at her deeply and said, "No matter what, Xia Jiangying's case has been closed. It has nothing to do with you. Don't be too curious about it."
Xia Jiangying's case was closed in a hurry. Sure enough, there must be something hidden. Yu Shu thought.
"Do I look like the kind of person who would look for trouble?" Yu Shu answered with a question. She took an upside-down wine cup from the table and took the wine jug by Xue Rui's hand to pour it. She was just about to raise it up and take a sip to quench her thirst when a hand grabbed it away.
"I'm trying to drown my sorrows in alcohol. What are you trying to do?" Xue Rui raised his eyebrows as he held a small, round porcelain cup in his hand.
"You're the only one who has worries, but I can't? Give it to me." Yu Shu scoffed. She would do whatever she wanted to do, and she did not need others to make decisions for her. She pressed one hand on the table and stood up. Then, she extended her arm to snatch the wine glass from Xue Rui's hand.
Xue Rui retracted his hand and dodged the attack. He raised his head and poured the wine into his mouth.
Yu Shu pounced on empty air. In for a penny, in for a pound, in for a pound, in for a pound. However, Xue Rui was one step ahead of her. With a sweep of his arm on the table, the wine pot fell into his hand.
He put down the wine glass and raised the wine pot. He tilted his head back and poured half of the wine into his mouth. At the same time, he deliberately looked sideways at Yu Shu with a smile. As the wine flowed down his throat, his heart suddenly felt carefree.
Yu Shu's eyes narrowed when she saw Xue Rui's teasing gaze, and the corners of her mouth curled into a wisp of a naughty smile. She suddenly leaned forward and held onto Xue Rui's wrist before fiercely pouring the remaining half jug of wine into his mouth.
Xue Rui was caught off guard and choked. Quite a lot of wine spilled out. He hurriedly pressed her hand down to stop her. He coughed and laughed, "Ahem, hahaha. Alright, alright. Stop messing around. I have something serious to talk to you about."
Yu Shu rolled her eyes. Who was messing with him? He was clearly the one who started it. "You still have something serious to talk about? I thought you called me over to show off how good your alcohol tolerance is. "
"Of course I have something serious to talk about." Xue Rui grabbed Yu Shu's skinny wrist. He pinched it lightly without leaving a trace. Wiping the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, he cleared his throat and said, "Didn't I say that I have a business to introduce to you? Do you still want to do it?"
Yu Shu's eyes lit up. "Of course I want to do it. What business is it? Tell me first."
Xue Rui said, "It's something you're good at."
Yu Shu did not boast at all. "I'm good at many things. Which one are you talking about?"
Xue Rui's eyes flickered. Unhurriedly, he spat out two words. "Gambling."
The smile on Yu Shu's face froze. Vigilance rose in her heart. Sitting back on the stool, she pretended to be ignorant to Xue Rui. "How come I don't know that I'm good at gambling? Is it because you caught me gambling at Spring Fragrance Brothel?"
Cao Zixin's understanding of her mathematical ability was limited to the level of an accountant. Even the Ji family was confused about her sweeping the Baoren Casino in Yiyang City. How could he know that she was good at this?
Xue Rui played with the empty wine cup on the table. "Since you remember being caught by me, don't you know that I was the one who investigated that matter? I know exactly what happened during that period. You probably don't know who came up with the two problems that you solved that were worth a hundred taels of silver. "
So it was here that she gave herself away. Yu Shu still felt depressed when she recalled what happened that day. That time, she stood up for Xia Mingming and wanted to earn money from him. In the end, she was tricked by him instead. She watched as the two hundred taels of silver flew away. She had been excited for nothing.
"Didn't you say that the problems were set by the banker? It should be someone hired by the Evergreen Gang."
"If the Evergreen Gang could hire such a helper, they wouldn't just be able to occupy Autumn Osmanthus Lane in the south of the city." Xue Rui said. "Those problems were leaked from Taishi Library. The person who came up with them was Sir Han Wenguang from the mathematics department. They were supposed to be students' homework."
Yu Shu rubbed her chin. "It's a teacher from Taishi Library. No wonder those problems were so difficult and took me so long."
Xue Rui asked with a strange expression, "You've actually never heard of Old Sir Han from Taishi Library?"
"Why? Is he famous?"
"In the ten years of the Grand Yan Examination, three generations of the Great Mathematicians were all his direct disciples. Do you think he's famous?" Xue Rui asked calmly.
Yu Shu's mouth fell open in shock. Monopolizing the first place in the Grand Yan Examination for ten years in a row, this old man was really amazing. Fortunately, she did not pretend to solve all four problems that day. Otherwise, it would have been too suspicious.
"Even the students under his tutelage would often have a headache for a few days before they would be able to come up with an answer for the questions he set. You were able to solve two questions within an hour, so is it wrong for me to say that you're skilled in this Dao?" Xue Rui looked at Yu Shu with a gaze of bewilderment, and he said doubtfully, "Truthfully speaking, I'm truly curious sometimes. Where did you learn your ability from? The Ji Clan's Study of Changes is a strange sect, so why are you so outstanding in the study of mathematics? If it's just self-study, then you're too talented. "
Yu Shu sneered, "Just think of it as me being exceptionally talented."
She couldn't tell him that she came from five hundred years in the future and that her mathematical skills were centuries ahead of the ancients.
Fortunately, Xue Rui did not take it seriously and did not continue to probe. Instead, he returned to the previous topic. "What do you think of my suggestion? Do you want to accept my business?"
Yu Shu sat up straight. "What do you mean by that? Is it your business again?"
Xue Rui explained, "There are many rich and idle people in the north of the city. Naturally, there are many ways to have fun. Every month, there will be one or two people who will set up a place to gamble. It's funny to say that most of these people don't know anything about Yi Xue. It's just that they have customers in their residences. I've only been back in the capital for two months and I've already received four or five invitations. I can't avoid them and let them talk behind my back. There's a bet at the end of this month. Are you willing to go with me to see the world and broaden your horizons? Not to mention other things, there are at least seven or eight Da Yi Masters here. I'll introduce one or two of them to you so that you can visit them in the future. "
These words made Yu Shu quite excited. The level of Yi Xue in the south and the north of the city was completely different. It was indeed a good thing for her to have the opportunity to mix into the circle of Yi Xue in the north. She couldn't always set up a stall in Autumn Osmanthus Lane. Sooner or later, she had to climb up.
She understood Xue Rui's good intention. Although he said it as if he was asking her for help, how could the Xue family not be able to find a customer to act as a facade? She had to make up the number.
What made her hesitate was whether she should accept his kindness, or should she accept it in person?
The more she owed, the harder it was to return it. When the favor accumulated to a certain extent, it was also a kind of burden.
Xue Rui saw that Yu Shu couldn't make up her mind at this moment. He more or less guessed what she was worried about. He tapped his neatly trimmed fingers on the table and asked a completely irrelevant question, "How is Xiaoxiu now?"
Yu Shu didn't understand why he asked this question, but she still answered, "He's staying at home. He's alive and kicking."
"I remember that when he was in Yiyang City, he learned Yi in the study room of the Kong, Ji, and Liu Family, right?"
Yu Shu nodded.
"If I'm not wrong, you usually teach him some things and let him continue to learn."
"… I do teach him some arithmetic."
Xue Rui said, "Have you ever thought about finding another place for him to enter the school?"
Yu Shu was stunned. She really didn't think about this.
"After the New Year, Xiaoxiu will be 12 years old. A boy at this age should be in contact with others. You can teach him, but isn't it better to let him experience the outside world?"
Yu Shu's expression changed, and she quickly took this matter seriously. She had to admit that after coming to the capital, she had neglected Yu Xiaoxiu because of the many trivial matters. But this didn't mean that she didn't care about his growth. It was just that the child was too worry-free, and unconsciously, she didn't worry about him anymore.
Xue Rui observed Yu Shu's expression, and when he felt that the time was right, he said, "There are a few schools in the north of the city that specialize in accepting children of his age. They have a good reputation, and the teachers are all famous Yi Shishi who used to be on the Dayan Examination. With my help, it won't be difficult for you to enter the school. Why don't you consider changing the environment for Xiaoxiu? After all, you only have one younger brother, and he is probably the only branch left of the Yu family."
There was almost no need to consider this matter. Yu Shu was a modern person who had received nine years of compulsory education and seven years of higher education. Of course, she knew the importance of school for a growing child.
"It seems that I will owe you another favor." Yu Shu pinched her forehead and said, indirectly accepting his suggestion.
Xue Rui laughed, "It's not a favor. I'm just helping to say a few words. As for the tuition fees, you will have to pay them yourself."
"Tuition fees?"
Xue Rui nodded.
Yu Shu carefully asked, "How much can it cost?"
Xue Rui's smile became more and more amiable, "A miscellaneous amount. After one month, fifty taels of silver will not be able to escape."
"Cough, cough, fifty, fifty taels a month?"
Oh my, he might as well take her life!
At this time, if Yu Shu still didn't understand why Xue Rui suddenly mentioned Yu Xiaoxiu, then she really was several years older than him for nothing. This guy was obviously younger than her, but how could he be several times more cunning than her?
"I'll do the business you said before. But let's make it clear first, I don't have the capital to gamble, so you have to pay for me first. Also, if I win, I want to split the money, at least thirty to seventy. I'll take thirty and you take seventy. "At this point, she might as well be thick-skinned to the end. Yu Shu fearlessly raised her request.
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