When Jiang Miao arrived at the Wen family, he saw a woman in her 40s or 50s carrying a large bucket of clothes. Although she looked a little tired and haggard, her hair was combed meticulously. Although her clothes were patched up, the blue and white fabric looked particularly clean. The clothes she was carrying were of different styles and fabrics, and they didn't look like they were from the same family. Combining the information he had inquired about before, Jiang Miao guessed that this should be a job she took from somewhere else.
"Excuse me, does Aunt Wen live here?" Jiang Miao asked politely. Although he thought it was Aunt Wen, he couldn't be sure after all.
The woman looked up in surprise and said, "Young man, what do you want to see me for?"
"So you are Aunt Wen. I am the owner of the Jiang family shop on Mingfeng Street. I sell breakfast and I was thinking of looking for a cleaner who is quick and nimble to help out. I heard that you are quick and nimble, so I found you."
Aunt Wen was stunned for a moment, took the clothes into the yard, then wiped her hands and came out again.
"It's not very convenient inside, so I won't invite you in. Young man, do you mean that you want me to work as a cleaner in your shop?" Aunt Wen confirmed again.
"Yes, my shop is in need of a cleaner. We open the shop around the time the morning bell rings and close it around 9:00 p.m. every morning. After closing, I'll help with the washing and cutting. Two meals are provided in the morning and at noon. The temporary salary is 800 wen."
Jiang Miao understood her concerns. There were always many gossips around a widow, not to mention that there were young wives and older girls in her yard. It was not convenient for outsiders to enter casually, so he just stood at the door and talked with her.
Eight hundred coins is a bit tasteless for a young man in his prime. But for this aging woman, it is enough. She helps people wash clothes and do odd jobs every day, and is so tired that her back can't straighten up. She can only earn five or six hundred coins a month. This shop has eight hundred coins and includes two meals, which sounds really good.
"Manager Jiang, I can do this job, but there is one thing I need to make clear first." Aunt Wen did not agree immediately.
Jiang Miao said: "Go ahead."
"I am a widow. A few years after I got married, my father-in-law and husband passed away one after another. Over the years, everyone has said that I am unlucky and will bring bad luck. I used to find a job in the shop, but was eventually driven away by the owner." Some even refused to pay her wages.
Jiang Miao noticed that when Aunt Wen said this, her eyes showed no sadness or joy, as if it was insignificant that people took advantage of her pain to hurt her again. She quietly waited for Jiang Miao's decision without a trace of resentment.
"Birth, aging, sickness and death are all predetermined. How can you blame it on others? As for whether you are unlucky or not, just look at your children, all of them are healthy, and you will know it is a lie." Jiang Miao said.
Aunt Wen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Since the shopkeeper doesn't mind, I will go to work tomorrow."
"Okay, my shop is on the east end of Mingfeng Street. There's an open space in front of the door with a shed." Jiang Miao told her the location in great detail, for he was afraid that Aunt Wen would not be able to find his shop.
Aunt Wen asked, "Is the sign Jiang's Shop? I can recognize a few words, so I'll be able to find it when the time comes."
Jiang Miao smiled: "That's best." He was a little surprised. In ancient times, families with girls who could read should have been well off. No wonder Aunt Wen's conversation sounded a little different from that of ordinary women.
Because of his curiosity, Jiang Miao was a little absent-minded until he took the two children home. Therefore, he did not notice that there was a person standing by the side door.
"Brother Pei Che is here!" One didn't notice, one didn't know how to call people, and among the three, only Little Stone spoke happily.
Jiang Miao was startled and looked up. Sure enough, Pei Che, whom he hadn't seen for dozens of days, was standing by the door and looking over here. The moment his eyes met, Jiang Miao looked away uncomfortably.
"Little Wood, your brother is here." Jiang Miao pushed Pei Mu and asked him to come forward.
Pei Mu looked up at him, then walked to Pei Che and pulled his hand. Pei Che touched his head, held his hand, and waited for Jiang Miao to open the side door.
Jiang Miao walked over stiffly, and Pei Che made way for him slightly, but they were so close that it seemed that if he moved a little, they would bump into each other. He took out his key, but couldn't find the keyhole several times. Pei Che sighed, took his key, opened the door, and then took out the key like the owner, opened the door and walked in.
Jiang Miao and Xiao Shitou followed them inside. As soon as they entered the house, Jiang Miao pretended to be calm and said, "I'm going to cook. Xiao Shitou, Xiao Mu, do you want to come with me?"
Before Little Stone could say anything, Pei Che spoke first: "Little Stone, take Mu'er to the study to do some writing."
"Oh." Xiao Shitou agreed obediently, then took Pei Mu's hand and walked towards the study. When he was about to enter the room, he couldn't help but look back at them with a worried look on his face. It seemed that he felt something was wrong between them.
Jiang Miao watched the two people who could have broken the awkward situation leave, feeling heartbroken.
"Uh, Pei Che, I'm going to cook, please do as you please." After quickly saying this, he hurried into the kitchen. Unexpectedly, Pei Che also lifted the curtain and followed him in.
Normally this gentleman seldom went into the kitchen, but this time he followed in, and without offering to help with the work, he just stared at Jiang Miao's back without saying a word.
Jiang Miao tried to ignore the sight behind him, but he couldn't do it. He sighed, turned around and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Why don't you come to the Imperial College?" Pei Che looked at him, his voice a little lonely, and there was something inexplicable in his eyes. Since that day, Jiang Miao never went to the Imperial College again. Although the things were still delivered on time, Pei Che always felt empty in his heart.
"You don't have time to reply to the letter?" Pei Che had taken too long a leave before, so it was not easy to take another one. Since Jiang Miao was not coming, he could only write a letter.
"Didn't I reply? I sent it up together with the vegetable jar." Jiang Miao refused to admit it. How could he say that he didn't reply
"You call this a reply?" Pei Che took out a piece of paper from his chest expressionlessly, opened it and found four big characters "Be well, don't worry" written on it. On the night when he received the reply, he stared at the paper for a whole hour.
"If this isn't a reply, then what is it..." Seeing Pei Che's face getting darker and darker, Jiang Miao's voice became smaller and smaller, "How many words can I recognize? I haven't even been to school properly."
He quickly found a good excuse. Although this was a bit unfair to Guo Jia's father who had worked so hard to implement nine years of compulsory education, he really had never been to school in ancient times!
Pei Che sneered: "In that case, then pack up your things and go to the Imperial College with me to study." Pei Che didn't know where he learned the characters, but this guy definitely didn't know as few characters as he said.
Seeing that he didn't look fake, Jiang Miao was stunned: "You... you are kidding!"
"How can this be a joke? How can the future wife of the Crown Prince never have read a book? If others knew about this, wouldn't it bring shame to the Duke's Mansion?" Pei Che said in a cold voice.
Jiang Miao was stunned, then he slammed the knife into the chopping board and said fiercely: "Say what you just said again!"
Pei Che sighed, and all the energy in his body suddenly dissipated: "A Miao, this is you. What I said just now was not my intention, but I just want to know, in your heart, am I the kind of person who would say such things? I don't understand why you have been so polite to me during this period of time. If it is because of those two things, I sincerely apologize to you again, and I hope you won't be angry anymore." Pei Che was a little disappointed. It was obvious that Jiang Miao had never had a good face towards him since they first met.
Jiang Miao was stunned. He looked at Pei Che, who was filled with sadness, and didn't know what to say. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"I know you're not that kind of person, and I'm not angry, I just feel a little embarrassed. I was being hypocritical about the shop last time, and you probably felt it was very strange. I had already accepted the house, so why did you pretend to be noble and refuse to accept the shop when it came to my turn? I actually don't know what I was thinking, but I just didn't want it at the time!"
Jiang Miao scratched his head in annoyance, speaking incoherently, "Then you said a few words and I stopped talking, and I felt so helpless. I'm a grown man, but I need help from others to do everything... Maybe it's because of my low self-esteem. You have everything and you think of everything for me, but I can't do anything."
Pei Che looked at Jiang Miao tenderly. He thought Jiang Miao was angry because he lied and bought the shop on his own initiative. He didn't have many friends, and only a few of them were close to him. Jiang Miao's arrival gradually exposed him to areas he had never set foot in before, and made him feel that his life was no longer stagnant. He had thought a lot these days, and every thought told him that he didn't want to lose Jiang Miao as a friend.
Before coming, he had prepared himself to be treated coldly and had also thought about how to make up for the unhappiness his lies had brought to Jiang Miao, but he did not expect that Jiang Miao would actually say such words.
"If you can't do anything, I wouldn't be standing here now. You helped me out of trouble, helped me educate Mu'er, and helped me prepare delicious meals. In my heart, I'm the one who can't do anything." Pei Che said.
"I have nothing but money. But money is something that is dispensable to you. You can live happily in a rented house without ornaments and decorations. Even without delicious food, you can turn ordinary food into delicious dishes. You support your brother by yourself, pay for his education, and teach him how to behave. All these can be achieved without money."
The more Jiang Miao listened, the more confused he felt. He couldn't help but look at Pei Che suspiciously, wanting to ask him if he was blinded by greed. Otherwise, who was the person he was talking about who thought money was dispensable
Pei Che was still analyzing his own psychology: "I have no way to repay you for your help to me. I can only give you what I have. I didn't expect that you would misunderstand that I am not a person who has everything."
"Okay, let's forget about you and me. Let's forget about what happened before and never mention it again, okay?" Jiang Miao felt that he was a fool for being so entangled for so long. The two of them had completely different ideas, and this was caused by lack of communication. He wanted to slap his former self in the face. If he didn't say it properly next time, and was sarcastic or kept it in his heart, he would be a fool.
"Then you have to promise that you won't ignore me like before." Pei Che immediately took advantage of the situation, as if the person who was secretly sad just now was not him.
"Then you have to promise to discuss it with me before you do anything next time, and you can't lie to me."
The two happily exchanged assurances, and the atmosphere returned to the past. Jiang Miao turned around and cut vegetables while casually asking, "By the way, how come you have time to come here today? Is the Imperial College closed for the holiday?"
"Yes, it's a holiday." Pei Che replied casually, and then suddenly realized and changed his words, "No, it's not a holiday."
"Is it the holiday?" Jiang Miao felt very strange. He turned his head and looked at him. "You are not skipping school, are you?"
Pei Che's eyes wandered, and he didn't say anything.
Really skipping school?!
In the Imperial College, facing Li Siye who was frowning and examining him, Han Qin bravely handed over the note for leave: "This is what A Che prepared and asked me to pass it to you. He didn't ask for leave in person because of something unexpected at the Duke's Mansion. I hope you can forgive him."
"This word?"
"The matter was urgent, so he wrote faster." Han Qin spoke without hesitation, having already thought of an explanation for the cursive-like font.
Li Siye stared at him for a long time and could only say "this won't happen again".
(End of this chapter)