TATSD Chapter 78

“What do you mean by that, Young Master Ji? This is our first meeting, so why are you being so aggressive?” Liu Chengyin did not intend to clash with Ji Wei, and even though he felt dissatisfied, he did not show it. Instead, he chose to appear submissive.

But Ji Wei was not one to appreciate such gestures.

“Though this is our first encounter, Young Master Liu is quite well-known. Even sitting at home, I often hear your name, like thunder in my ears,” Ji Wei replied sarcastically. Liu Chengyin and Chen Peizhi were both clever men, so they were not easily fooled.

Chen Peizhi was not someone who could tolerate this.

Before Liu Chengyin could respond, Chen Peizhi spoke up first, “Aren’t you the one who hired that poor fellow Wenxuan, that petty trader in the academy? Now you bring your younger brother here; is he going to help you sell things too?”

“My younger brother has always been keen on studying, so he must have come to the academy to study diligently for exams,” Liu Chengyin defended him with a glance at Liu Yimian.

“You want to be a good brother, but he doesn’t appreciate it. I think you should stop trying to please him,” Chen Peizhi scoffed, flicking his sleeves as if to leave. Liu Chengyin hurried after him, whispering a few words before returning to speak with Liu Yimian.

“Brother, I know you’re still angry at our elder brother. But with your current status in the academy, it’s already difficult enough. It’s a rare opportunity to have me as your brother to support you. Our elder brother has some matters to attend to and will come to find you afterward. I hope you think it over and don’t let anger cloud your judgment,” Liu Chengyin sighed. Before leaving, he glanced at Ji Wei, who met his gaze with an invisible pressure.

He performed a bow and said, “Young Master Ji, my younger brother is fortunate to have your care. Farewell.”

Once Liu Chengyin left, the tension Liu Yimian had been holding back dissipated. He stood there, holding a cloth and looking dispirited.

“Brother Ji, am I useless?”

“Not at all! You’ve improved a lot compared to last time.”

Ji Wei walked over, took the cloth from Liu Yimian’s hand, and smiled, “The table is almost worn out from your scrubbing; I think you should stop.”

Being teased by Ji Wei, Liu Yimian felt much of his sorrow lift. Ji Wei led him back to sit on the bed and said, “I really didn’t expect that our elder brother would come to the county school. Didn’t they say the family was struggling financially? How could they afford to send him here?”

“It costs a tael of silver every six months. That’s no small sum. An ordinary family of three can barely manage that in a month. It seems that your relatives don’t consider you family; they don’t tell you the truth,” Ji Wei’s words struck Liu Yimian like a hammer, even though he already knew their true nature. Seeing their true colors time and again still made his heart ache.

“Big brother… If he’s come to see me, it’s probably not for the reasons he claimed,” Liu Yimian sighed deeply, recalling Liu Chengyin’s previous warm attitude. “Brother Ji, you were right. He didn’t speak the truth.”

“Now that you know, that’s good. From now on, let’s not concern ourselves with him. Instead, let’s spend more time with Lin Tai, Ji Baoshan, and others. They are decent people and worth befriending.” After saying this, Ji Wei suddenly remembered the pastries he had brought, “Look at me, I was so caught up in conversation that I forgot to share the pastries.”

“Even though not everyone treats you sincerely, you still need to maintain appearances. Besides, it was thanks to them just now; otherwise, with just the two of us, who knows when we would have moved in.” Ji Wei took the bag of pastries and started distributing them to Liu Yimian.

“What’s with your good little brother? He just got kicked out the door,” Chen Peizhi mocked as they walked away. “You just said you’d take me for mooncakes. Even if it’s not a big deal, I didn’t eat anything and was sent out. How can I face people now?”

“Peizhi, I didn’t think this through; you—”

“Didn’t think it through? With your eyes, you should have seen how many people were watching outside. Those who envy the teacher for appreciating me are just waiting for me to make a fool of myself. Who would have thought I would lose face over such trivial matters? This is all you’re doing!” Chen Peizhi waved his sleeves and left quickly, preparing to climb the ladder upstairs. He turned around without noticing Lu Yushu coming down from the second floor.

Lu Yushu, standing on the wooden ladder, was bumped backward by Chen Peizhi.

He took a step back to steady himself but forgot he was on the stairs. As he stepped back, he tripped on the step above and fell backward. Luckily, a student rushing over from behind managed to catch him just in time, preventing a fall.

“Are you blind while walking? What if you hurt my master?”

“Zhu Sheng, don’t be rude,” Lu Yushu said, holding onto Zhu Sheng’s hand to regain his balance. He then looked at the equally fallen Chen Peizhi with a hint of apology. “Brother Chen, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Chen Peizhi said, brushing off the dust from his pants as he got up. He bowed to Lu Yushu, “Young Master Lu, please forgive me. I was preoccupied with my thoughts and didn’t notice someone coming down the stairs. If you’re fine, that’s all that matters.”

No matter how much Chen Peizhi disliked Lu Yushu, as long as Lu Zhanhong was the county magistrate, Chen Peizhi couldn’t afford to be disrespectful in front of him. Besides, Lu Yushu was well-regarded in the academy for his gentle and refined demeanor, so offending him would invite unwanted gossip from many others.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Peizhi sidestepped and walked past Lu Yushu.

Liu Chengyin followed closely behind and paused to bow as well. With admiration, he said, “I’ve heard so much about Young Master Lu’s elegance; seeing you today, it truly lives up to the reputation.”

“This young master looks familiar; may I ask your name?” Lu Yushu returned the greeting.

No student in the county school wouldn’t recognize him. However, Lu Yushu himself couldn’t remember everyone. Aside from listening to lectures, he mostly spent time with close friends, studying alone, or taking afternoon naps in the dormitory, rarely interacting with others. For Liu Chengyin, who had only arrived at the county school for half a month, he had no impression at all.

“My surname is Liu, given name is Chengyin. I arrived at the county school half a month ago. You can call me Chengyin, Young Master Lu.” Liu Chengyin had long wanted to speak with Lu Yushu, but he never found the opportunity. He didn’t expect to have a conversation with him under such circumstances, and in his moment of joy, he completely forgot about Chen Peizhi who was walking ahead.

“That won’t do. Since you’re a few years older than I am, Yu Shu should still call you ‘brother,’” Lu Yushu said, glancing up at the visibly agitated Chen Peizhi. He understood the situation but merely smiled lightly. “Brother Liu, Chen is waiting for you upstairs; you should hurry.”

Liu Chengyin felt a sense of dread and quickly excused himself from Lu Yushu, rushing over to Chen Peizhi.

“Peizhi, let’s go see—”

Before Liu Chengyin could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Chen Peizhi’s angry outburst. “Didn’t you want to talk to Lu Yushu? Why are you suddenly thinking of my political opinions? If you want to borrow from Lu Yushu, go ahead; I haven’t finished writing yet, and I need to go back and revise. Don’t follow me and disturb me!”

“Peizhi!” Liu Chengyin took a few quick steps to keep up, watching helplessly as the door closed in front of him. His fists clenched in frustration, but he took a few deep breaths and managed to control his emotions.

“Since you’re in a bad mood, I won’t bother you today. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Liu Chengyin’s expression changed several times before he finally calmed down and walked quickly downstairs.

He had intended to wait until Ji Wei left before seeking out Liu Yimian to resolve their misunderstandings.

However, he didn’t expect to run into Ji Wei and the others, who were just finishing up distributing pastries as he stepped off the stairs.

Alongside Ji Wei and Liu Yimian were Lu Yushu and his attendant, all chatting and laughing as they approached him.

Upon seeing Liu Chengyin, Lu Yushu paused to bow. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon, Brother Liu.”

Ji Wei didn’t even glance at Liu Chengyin, pulling Liu Yimian along. He wasn’t someone who lacked manners, which puzzled Lu Yushu. He turned to Liu Chengyin and said, “My apologies,” before following Ji Wei and Liu Yimian.

“Ji Gongzi, do you know Brother Liu?” Lu Yushu asked, glancing back at Liu Chengyin, who was still standing at the staircase, watching them.

“Do you still remember my younger brother’s name?” Ji Wei asked, stopping outside a closed door.

“Of course, his surname is Liu, and his given name is…” Lu Yushu looked at Liu Yimian, who stood half a step behind Ji Wei, surprised. “Could it be that Liu Xiaoge is related to that Brother Liu? Now that I look closely, they do have some resemblance.”

Ji Wei snorted. “Does he deserve that connection?”

Lu Yushu was confused. “What do you mean by that?”

“Lu Gongzi, he is my elder brother. However… I was sold to Ji Ge a year ago, so I no longer count as a member of the Liu family,” Liu Yimian explained, his voice growing softer.

Lu Yushu sensed there was an underlying issue and did not want to reopen Liu Yimian’s wounds, so he swiftly changed the subject.

However, his impression of Liu Chengyin diminished considerably at that moment, far from how it had been earlier.

After visiting both buildings, Lu Yushu led the two of them to deliver Zhang Mingyuan’s letter to the principal. Afterward, he wandered around the academy but did not want to intrude any further. After dropping Ji Wei off at the academy gate, he left.

“It’s already past the hour of Shen, and it’s getting late. I think we should stop here for today,” Ji Wei said, grabbing Liu Yimian’s hand and playfully pinching his nose. “You’re too grown up to be crying when you leave home.”

“I didn’t cry; it was just the wind. Sand got in my eyes, but I’m fine now.” Liu Yimian lifted his arm to shield his eyes, wiping away the moisture before looking back at Ji Wei. “Ji Ge, be careful on your way. Make sure to rest more at home; there’s no need to come see me often.”

“You’re quite young but already learned to lie,” Ji Wei teased, poking Liu Yimian’s chest with a playful smile. “I can see that your heart doesn’t agree with that.”

“Ji Ge!”

“Alright, I’ll head back now. I’ll come to see you again in a couple of days.” Ji Wei climbed onto the ox cart, glancing back at the academy with lingering concern. He added, “If you encounter any problems, don’t try to handle everything by yourself. Reach out to others for help. Study hard, and if you’re short on money, let me know. Make sure you have enough to eat and wear; otherwise—”

“What?” Liu Yimian didn’t catch that last part and couldn’t help but tiptoe a little.

Ji Wei leaned down, getting close to Liu Yimian’s ear with a slight smile. “I’d be worried.”

Liu Yimian’s face turned crimson, but Ji Wei sat up straight, grabbed the ox rope, and gave it a strong tug, making the cart move.

“Ji Ge, be careful on the road—”

Liu Yimian waved his hand as he chased after the cart for a few steps until it gradually disappeared from view.

Sitting cross-legged in the cart, Ji Wei’s smile vanished entirely.

Being a boy studying among men was already challenging.

He hadn’t expected that Liu Chengyin, with whom he had severed ties and didn’t plan to see again, would also come to the county school. They would inevitably encounter each other again in the future…

Without Liu Chengyin by his side, how would Liu Yimian, with his innocent nature, manage?

“Ji Wei, what are you doing? You’re only making things harder for yourself,” he sighed, laughing at his predicament.

He had just left Liu Yimian’s sight and was already starting to worry. How would he get through the coming days?