CHAPTER 1305: CHAPTER 1305: TEASING

Once Jinhoo left, the men in the courtyard couldn’t help but grumble a bit: "They say scholars are wise, but as far as this rough guy sees, I didn’t see any wisdom, just a lot of airs, bah—"

Yao Da and Shitou, standing nearby, noticed the conversation was getting inappropriate and quickly changed the subject.

Among the personal soldiers, there were some quick-witted ones who also chimed in, pointing to other matters, laughing it off to brush over the situation.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Lord Du, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, wanted to go out and explain a bit but felt it would lower his status somewhat.

The saying goes, when a scholar meets a soldier, reason makes no sense; he decided not to stoop to the level of those rough men.

Soon, Jinhoo brought over a tray with a big bowl of noodles, topped with two poached eggs and sprinkled with fragrant scallions, along with a large chicken leg.

Lord Du smelled the aroma and couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

He coughed to cover it up.

When Jinhoo placed the tray on the table and motioned him to eat, he slowly moved over, picked up the chopsticks, and after taking one bite, couldn’t hold back, slurping and gobbling it all up. Not only did he devour the chicken leg and the poached eggs, but he also finished the noodles and even drank all the noodle soup.

After eating, he couldn’t help but burp.

Lord Du had never been so impolite before. Earlier, he had scorned the coarse manners of the men outside, yet now found himself behaving the same, even burping after the meal, which made him wish the ground would open up and swallow him in embarrassment.

Jinhoo, however, didn’t think much of it, just collected the dishes and reminded him: "Since you’ve eaten, go fetch a bucket of water later to soak your feet and take a bath before bed. It will help you sleep well."

Lord Du hesitated for a moment, seeing how serious his little mentor was about doing things for oneself without being waited on by others.

He felt embarrassed to let Jinhoo wait on him any longer.

After all, he was someone who cared about face; the words of those outside still echoed in his ears.

So he got up and asked, "Then, where should I go to fetch water?"

Jinhoo tidied up the dishes, carrying them out while saying, "Follow me, there’s still hot water in the kitchen. Just let them know you’re getting some."

Lord Du followed behind Jinhoo, seeing him heading towards the courtyard’s exit, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace to catch up and ask, "Where is this? Is it an inn?"

After asking, they walked out of the courtyard gate, and he found himself in an alley, suddenly taken aback.

Jinhoo turned back, saying, "This way—"

As he explained: "In our Shiqiao Town, there aren’t such big inns, but every autumn, lots of traders from different places come to collect mountain goods, and they stay until the first snow. So, many townspeople rent out their unused courtyards to outsiders to earn some rent to support their households."

"With so many of us, one courtyard wasn’t enough, so we rented two courtyards to stay for a day, and it’s quite cheap. Although the place we’re living has a kitchen, all those uncles said that since they’re all men and with this weather, fetching water from the well for a cold shower is enough without heating water, so the kitchen there hasn’t been used."

"The food and hot water are only available at the courtyard where my old aunt stays."

Saying this, he led Lord Du into the opposite courtyard.

At the courtyard entrance stood a few personal soldiers, who, upon seeing Jinhoo bringing Lord Du in, just nodded and let them through.

The courtyard where Wang Yongzhu lived was the one Song Chongjin had set up back then. It was always cleaned and could accommodate people with just a little arrangement.

After dinner, the family of three was sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air.

Seeing Jinhoo and Lord Du come over, they stopped talking and looked over.

Lord Du quickly stepped up to greet them.

Wang Yongzhu waved his hand: "We’re now in the countryside, so there’s no need for formalities. Just don’t hold it against me, your little mentor, for making you suffer on this journey."

Lord Du quickly replied that he wouldn’t dare.

Wang Yongzhu didn’t take it seriously: "Actually, I don’t care whether you dare or not; I was just being polite. You don’t have to take it seriously or hold any unrealistic fantasies. Since you don’t dare, that’s great. Keep it up and try to stick with it until the day we leave. I’m watching you, young man!"

Lord Du...

Seeing Lord Du’s face reddening with suppressed frustration, Wang Yongzhu stopped teasing: "Alright, go do whatever you need to do! It’s our first day out and I had Jinhoo take care of you, and starting tomorrow, if you faint again, you’ll wake up to find no food."

"In our countryside, there’s nothing to eat after mealtime. If you want to eat, you have to go up the mountain to find it yourself, be it grass roots or fruits. If you’re capable, you can manage to fill your belly, and if you’re not, you’ll go hungry. So, don’t faint tomorrow, young man~~" she said, even winking at Lord Du.

Lord Du couldn’t hold it anymore; the stubbornness of a young man flared up, and even nine oxen couldn’t pull him back. He wanted to argue properly with Wang Yongzhu about the matter of dignity.

Before he could speak, Jinhoo desperately dragged him to the kitchen, tightly shutting the door behind them, and leaned against it to persuade him earnestly: "I say, young master Du, you absolutely must hold it in! Hold it in! There’s nothing in this world you can’t get through, it just depends on whether you can endure it, really!"

"Brother Jinhoo, get out of the way. I want to go and have a debate with the little mentor. A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! She can make me suffer, but her attitude, she’s outright mocking me!" Lord Du wanted to pull Jinhoo away to argue with Wang Yongzhu about a scholar’s dignity.

Jinhoo truly felt his heart was breaking from the stress, "Young Master Du, let me tell you, today I really grabbed food from the tiger’s mouth, no, no, I mean, I saved a life from the tiger’s mouth, saved your life, do you know that?"

"For the sake of us sharing the same roof for so long, I absolutely cannot move aside, can’t let you go get killed! Wake up a little! That’s my old aunt! You probably don’t know how fierce she is, do you?"

"Let me put it this way, in this courtyard, including my little uncle, no one is a match for her. If you really provoke her, it’s not just a matter of skipping a meal, going hungry, or working on your own; it’s about whether you can keep your life safe!"

"Let me tell you, that thick of a log, my old aunt can break two with one foot. That thick of a plank, my old aunt can smash with one fist. Just you, with that small frame, wouldn’t even stand a chance against one of her little fingers."

"What kill but not humiliate? Better live shamelessly than die well! Let’s just survive first. Once you’re back in the Capital City, no, back in Jing County, everything will be fine!" Jinhoo earnestly persuaded.

In the courtyard, Wang Yongzhu was almost dying of laughter.

Just now, seeing young Lord Du’s lifeless expression, what was he being so down about at such a young age?

Sure enough, just a little teasing brought him back to life, full of vigor.

Song Chongjin and Old Granny Zhang, both with hearts so biased, watched Wang Yongzhu teasing Lord Du until his face was distorted with anger, but they just shook their heads and moved on from the matter.