"It's so late. Why are you here?" Yu Shu looked at the approaching figure and spoke. Jing Chen turned around as well, and he was slightly surprised to see that the person who came was Xue Rui.
Xue Rui met Jing Chen's gaze and nodded. The two of them were considered to have greeted each other. Then, he said to Yu Shu, "I have to go out on a business trip for a few days. I came to find you to calculate my schedule. Is it convenient for you now?"
Yu Shu felt strange that the Xue family didn't even have a guest fortune teller. Why did he need to come to her for such a daily thing? However, she still answered, "Why not? Have you had dinner?"
Xue Rui nodded. Then he looked at the food in their hands and asked, "You haven't eaten yet?"
Yu Shu raised the sugar cake in her hand. "It's too cold to cook. Let's go and buy some. Let's go back to my home first."
Xue Rui glanced at Jing Chen and nodded. "Okay."
Yu Shu didn't think much about Xue Rui's sudden visit. She took him home. Yu Xiaoxiu was very happy to see Xue Rui. He called him Brother Xue and ran to the kitchen to boil water and make tea without Yu Shu's order.
Jing Chen walked behind Yu Shu and Xue Rui and placed the food in his hands on the table. Initially, he wanted to return to his room, but when he reached the door, he thought about it again. Xiaoyu had become a woman now, so it was not convenient for her to be in the same room as a man. Thus, he stood at the door and did not walk out. He turned around and watched the two of them talk.
Yu Shu led Xue Rui to sit down at the table and asked, "When will you go out? What do you want me to do?"
Xue Rui said, "Tomorrow morning, help me calculate the weather for the next few days. You've kept my Eight Characters of the Eight Trigrams of Fortune from last time. Also, check if there's anything to avoid during this trip and if it's going smoothly."
"Tomorrow morning? I'll do it for you now. Have a seat first. "Yu Shu stood up and walked into the room.
Xue Rui stopped her. "You haven't eaten yet. You eat first. I'm not in a hurry."
Yu Shu waved her hand. "It's okay. I just ate …" She turned around and saw Jing Chen still standing at the door. "Jing Chen, eat first. Don't wait for me."
After that, she went into the inner room … lit the lamp and spread the paper. She took out the horoscope that Xue Rui left for her last time. It was rare for Xue Rui to ask her for help. She must do a thorough calculation. Moreover, Jing Chen was also here. She didn't know if it would affect him.
Now, only Xue Rui and Jing Chen were left in the central room. For a moment, it was quiet … Xue Rui stood up and walked one round in the living room that wasn't very big. He looked at Yu Shu who was engrossed in her calculations and did not pay attention to what was happening outside the window. He turned around and looked at Jing Chen who had been standing at the door and quietly watching him since just now. He asked, "Young Swordsman Jing, why are you looking at me like that?"
Jing Chen thought for a moment and said honestly, "I think you look familiar. I seem to have seen you before."
Xue Rui smiled and walked back to the table. He shook his head and said, "Young Hero Jing, if I had seen you before … I would never forget you. What a pity."
What he meant was that they had never met before.
Xue Rui then pointed to the empty seat across the table. "Sit down."
Jing Chen walked over and sat down. His line of sight was still on Xue Rui's face. If it was someone else being stared at like this by Jing Chen, they would have long felt uncomfortable. However, Xue Rui acted as though nothing happened and asked, "You have been staying in Anling City for a period of time, right? I heard from Ah Shu that you came to the capital city to handle some matters. May I ask … how is the matter going?"
Although Yu Shu didn't explain Jing Chen's background, Xue Rui got a lot of information from the case of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce. So he knew that Jing Chen was fished out of the river on the way. He was seriously injured and was taken care of by Yu Shu. Then, he escaped from the boat with her.
Xue Rui saw that Yu Shu was very close to Jing Chen. It was obvious that she was in distress … However, he was worried that Jing Chen, a man in the Jianghu, had a grudge against him and would harm Yu Shu sooner or later.
Xue Rui knew as well that Yu Shu was a person that extremely valued friendship. When she encountered an assassin that night, she'd blocked Jing Chen's attack and rescued him. Because of this friendship, if he were to warn her to stay away from this person, it would surely cause her to be displeased, so he'd never asked her about the matter with Jing Chen.
However, Xue Rui didn't want to see them spending so much time together, whether it was out of concern or selfishness.
When Jing Chen heard Xue Rui's question, he thought in his heart that Yu Shu was lying again. In order to avoid exposing her lie, he carefully thought about how to answer before he finally said, "There's no progress. Perhaps we'll have to wait for a while longer."
Xue Rui asked, "Is there any difficulty? If I may be so bold as to ask why you have come to An Ling, if there is anything I can help with, I will definitely lend a hand. "
"…" Jing Chen did not know how to lie in the first place. Faced with Xue Rui's questioning, he could not answer, so he became silent.
Xue Rui continued to ask unhurriedly, "Is there something inconvenient to say?"
"I want to find a person." Jing Chen said slowly. Although he was hiding something, it was the truth. He lost his memory and got a hint in his dream. He went down the mountain to find a "Fate Breaker", but he didn't know who that person was and where he was.
"Oh?" Xue Rui's eyes flashed. He clasped his fingers on the table and looked at Jing Chen. He said seriously, "Is it a relative or a friend? If you are looking for someone, why don't you tell me the physical characteristics of that person? I have some connections in the capital and can help you find out. "
When he finished, Jing Chen shook his head and didn't say anything else.
Just as Xue Rui was pondering over the meaning behind his shake of the head, Yu Xiaoxiu pushed open the door and walked in with a teapot in hand. As a result, Xue Rui changed the topic and said, "Since it's not convenient to talk about it, you can tell me when Young Hero needs help."
Jing Chen nodded, "Thank you."
Yu Xiaoxiu poured a cup of hot tea for Xue Rui and Jing Chen respectively. Then he sat beside Xue Rui and asked shyly, "Brother Xue, how long will you be away?"
He was worried that Xue Rui promised to take him on horseback riding. He was worried that once he went out, he wouldn't be able to come back, and then the promise would not be valid.
Yu Shu came to the capital and became financially independent. Yu Xiaoxiu didn't have the pressure of living in the Ji family. He played with people of the same age and soon showed his childishness. He was not playful, but he was not the same as before. He only knew how to study and do housework by himself and didn't care about anything else.
Yu Shu hoped that he could be more cheerful and less restrained. Fortunately, Yu Xiaoxiu was very obedient, which made people feel at ease.
Xue Rui reached out to touch his head and said with a smile, "I will be back in six or seven days at most. Don't you have a holiday on the fifth and sixth of next month? When I come back, I will take you on horseback riding."
"Okay." Yu Xiaoxiu was both shy and a little happy that his thoughts were pointed out. His stomach growled … He opened the cooked food on the table and handed a roasted meat to Xue Rui first.
Xue Rui said, "I have had dinner."
Yu Xiaoxiu rummaged in the oiled paper again and picked up a tea egg. He turned to Jing Chen who couldn't use his right hand and said, "Brother Jing … Let me peel an egg for you."
"Okay.
About an hour later, Yu Shu came out of the room with various kinds of comments in her hand. She handed it to Xue Rui and said, "It's nothing serious. Just that you might encounter the first snow when you go out for a few days. Be careful of the slippery road and don't rush back and forth … Be careful of being trapped on the road."
In ancient times, roads were not accessible in all directions. Not far from the city was the suburbs. The roads in the suburbs were not easy to travel on. Once there was heavy rain and snow, the roads would be muddy and slippery, and it was common for the horses to fall and overturn.
The deeper they went into the winter, the colder the weather became … Yu Shu was an expert in the prediction of sunny and rainy days, but she had yet to conduct in-depth research on the more complicated weather changes. She could not tell if there was a sign of snow during the twelfth month of the lunar calendar … However, she still intentionally reminded Xue Rui.
Xue Rui remembered Yu Shu's instructions and folded the note before putting it into his sleeve. When he saw that it was getting late, he stood up and bid farewell, "I still have to wake up early tomorrow, so I won't be staying any longer."
Seeing that he was about to leave, Yu Shu hesitated for a moment. She took the lantern behind the door and said to Xue Rui, "It's dark outside. I'll see you off."
She wasn't a person who liked to drag her feet. Since she wanted to make it clear to Xue Rui … Since she saw him today, there was no time like the present. If she delayed it until the start of the Grand Yan Examination, it would be a burden on her mind and distract her. Before Xue Rui could say anything, Jing Chen said, "I'll see you off."
Hearing this … Xue Rui, who had already walked to the door, turned his head and looked at him. Then he looked at Yu Shu and said with a smile, "Don't bother. The sedan is waiting on the street outside. I won't get lost in the dark."
Jing Chen's thinking was very simple. In the past, he treated Yu Shu as a man. He didn't think there was anything wrong with her occasionally walking at night. But after knowing that she was a woman, he couldn't help but think more.
Yu Shu probably guessed Jing Chen's thinking. She was amused that she suddenly became delicate in his eyes. Because she had something to say to Xue Rui, she said to Jing Chen, "I'll see him off at the entrance of the alley."
Jing Chen thought that it wasn't far from the alley, so he didn't say anything else.
Seeing that Yu Shu insisted on seeing him off, Xue Rui thought that she had something else to say. He said goodbye to Jing Chen and Yu Xiaoxiu and followed her out with the lantern.
At this time, half of the neighbors had closed their doors and turned off their lights. They washed up and went to bed. The stray cats also found a corner of their houses to avoid the cold. The alley was quiet. There was only a lantern illuminating the road five feet ahead. Two figures were an arm's length away from each other as they walked on the potholed path.
"How was your preparation? I heard from Zhaomiao that you only went to Taishi Library twice and didn't go anymore."
"I've read the files over the years and I know what I'm doing. I'm afraid that I'll cause trouble for Young Master Feng if I go again. The other subjects are easy to deal with, but I'm not good at choosing words and constructing sentences for Yi Li. I'm afraid that I'll go astray from the topic and do badly. "As Yu Shu answered, she pondered over how to broach the subject to Xue Rui.
"En, don't worry. When the time comes, you just have to write clearly. Remember to take good care of your exam notice and don't lose it." Xue Rui reminded her and changed the topic, "Oh right, you won't go out tomorrow. This month, the Supreme Court of Justice will give out offerings and there will be an extra 30 catties of coal. I'll send someone to send it to you."
The last time Xue Rui came, he found that Yu Shu's house did not have a charcoal fire. It was fine a while ago, but today there was a winter rain and it was going to freeze. If there was no charcoal fire, the winter would be hard to endure. She also had to take an exam. If she studied at night without a charcoal fire, it would be easy to freeze her hands and feet. If it snowed, she might catch a cold and fall sick.
Yu Shu's expression changed. She turned around to look at Xue Rui, and she happened to meet his gaze that was filled with warmth. She suddenly felt slightly agitated, so she pursed her lips and suddenly stopped walking. Xue Rui also stopped following her.
"What's wrong?" Xue Rui finally found that something was wrong with her.
"Brother Xue," Yu Shu looked away and looked at the hazy light and shadow on the road. She lowered her voice, "Don't waste any more time on me. We can only be friends."
Xue Rui was slightly stunned as he went over Yu Shu's words that came out of nowhere in his mind. Only then did he come back to his senses, and when he saw the indifferent expression on Yu Shu's face, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up to reveal a wisp of a mysterious smile.
He thought that this girl was born with a lack of a brain. He didn't think that she was clear in her heart.
Xue Rui was not impatient at this time. Instead, he lowered his head and quietly asked her, "Since we are friends, I should be more concerned about you. What's wrong with that?"
Sensing his approach and smelling a wisp of the light fragrance of books, Yu Shu switched the lantern in her hand to another hand and took half a step back without anyone noticing. She sighed softly and said in a low voice, "It's not appropriate. I already have someone I like. I can't accept your kindness for no reason."
Yu Shu's head was lowered so she couldn't see Xue Rui's expression. She was so nervous that her palms were sweating, waiting for his reaction.
Actually, this matter was a little unethical of her. As early as when Xue Rui took over the case of Tai Heng Commerce, she had already been aware of his intentions. Later on, it was clear that on the day when he came to look for her for the Great Yan Examination, she asked him why he was taking care of her so much. At that time, he asked her a rhetorical question. She knew clearly in her heart, but she pretended to be confused.
She didn't know what he saw in her. Otherwise, she really wanted to change. With the difference in status between the two of them, it was her bad luck that he took a liking to her.
Now that she was being honest with him, it would be a lie to say that she wasn't worried about angering him. It was true that Xue Rui treated her with a good temper, but that day at the Ding Bo Hall, she personally saw his sarcastic words with a prince. She knew that he was a person who would turn hostile. This was one of the top debauchees in the capital. How could it be easy to provoke him? Just as Yu Shu was feeling uneasy, a hand gently fell on her shoulder. Xue Rui's overly calm voice entered her ears, "It's getting late. I'll send you here. You can go back."
Finishing his words, the hand on her shoulder left, not lingering for a moment. Yu Shu slowly raised her head. She could only see a gradually blurring figure in front of her. She tightly gripped the flickering lantern in her hand and dryly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Logically speaking, with Xue Rui's lukewarm reaction, she should be relieved. However, for some reason, she felt that this matter wasn't over yet.
After Xue Rui left, Yu Shu stood alone in the dark alley for a long time until Jing Chen came out to look for her.
"Xiaoyu, what are you doing standing there?"
Yu Shu snapped back to reality. She felt the cold wind blowing on her face. Shrinking her neck, she turned around and jogged towards Jing Chen. She handed the lantern to him and raised her hand in front of her face to breathe. "I'm freezing. Go home quickly."
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