"Alright, then I'll call you Brother Lu from now on." To be honest, Tang Wanwan felt a bit awkward calling him Young Master Lu so formally; calling him Brother felt more comfortable. Seeing that he wasn't leaving, Tang Wanwan waved her hand at him, indicating for him to hurry up and leave. It was strange for them to converse through a window like that, taking turns to speak.
"Are you okay now? Then hurry up and go back because I need to sleep." Tang Wanwan was really exhausted today, and she was in pain all over. There was no effective medicine at home, so she could only muster her strength to chat with him for a while.
"Hey, I want to give you a boiled egg to press against your swollen face so it heals faster." Looking at the two crossed wooden beams before him, Lu Yujin really wanted to chop them apart. But he was afraid Tang Wanwan would turn away and ignore him again.
"No need, my face is almost healed." Tang Wanwan declined briskly. She wasn't a pampered young lady; she could endure this level of pain. The key issue was that she knew the egg rolling wouldn't help her much, and if she accepted Lu's egg, she'd owe him a favor.
"Oh, I almost forgot, this is for you." Unexpectedly, Tang Wanwan didn't take the egg he handed over. Instead, she stuffed something into his hand.
Tang Wanwan threw a money pouch through the window slot to Lu Yujin. Her aim was pretty accurate; he caught it right away. He felt the jingling sound and the weight of silver coins in his hand. Lu Yujin furrowed his brows and asked, "A Wan, what are you doing? Are you complaining that I gave too little?"
"Take it back. I don't need your silver, I have my own."
"Where would you have any? When you divided the family, you didn't get a thing. Can't you consider this as me lending it to you?" The usually impatient Lu Yujin was genuinely worried now. How could they live without silver? And this girl was still stubbornly holding her ground.
"Really, I don't need it. Brother Lu, it's late. Please go back quickly. Don't wake my mother." Tang Wanwan was really a jinx; her good words didn't work, but the bad ones did. As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Lady Chen turning over. Immediately, she also heard her mother's voice. "A Wan, aren't you asleep yet? Who are you talking to?"
Lady Chen's voice startled Tang Wanwan, and she froze, quickly gesturing to Lu Yujin outside the window. Lu Yujin, not knowing what was happening, felt guilty as soon as he heard Aunt Chen's voice and hurriedly tried to hide. Rushing, his foot got stuck in the mud beside him, and he barely managed to pull it out. Even worse, his other foot got trapped in the mud.
The location of the back window of the Tang Family was in a shady northern spot, which had been wet from recent rains. When Lu Yujin came, he had carefully chosen a dry path. Lady Chen's sudden voice caught him off guard, making him appear quite disheveled.
Seeing his awkward state, Tang Wanwan couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand, her upper body shaking with laughter.
She laughed and said, "Mom, I was asleep. Maybe I was sleep-talking just now."
Sleep-talking? This girl really knew how to lie with her eyes wide open.
She didn't even dare to admit she talked to him. Lu Yujin felt quite hurt inside; was he just being overly self-indulgent?
The new boots he had just bought were dirty, and he was supposed to wear them out tomorrow, but now he'd have to face getting scolded again. With a dark face, Lu Yujin hurriedly pulled out his feet and almost hopped away. However, before leaving, he didn't forget to tuck the egg under her window.
When he returned, Aunt Qing nagged him for quite a while, saying that the boots had cost quite a bit of silver and were hard to acquire. How did they end up like this after just going out for a while? Tomorrow, they had planned to meet the academy's teacher. Lu Yujin's essay had caught the teacher's eye, inviting him to join the advanced class at the academy. It was said that many talented people from foreign lands were drawn to this class. Being able to join this class meant one had a good chance of becoming a distinguished scholar or top scorer in the imperial exams the following year. Who wouldn't want to make a good impression on the teacher? But there he was, messing up at a crucial moment.
"Aunt Qing, can you stop talking? The teacher is there to teach me academics, not to look at my shoes. Please stop nagging." Lu Yujin was annoyed, realizing it was a mistake to have her come to the countryside. If it weren't for her cooking being tasty, he wouldn't have relented. If he had a choice, he'd rather choose Old Man Ning. At least, besides loving to drink and picking fights, he didn't fuss over such trivial matters.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything. But you haven't told me, where did you just go, and who messed with you? I'll go reason with them." Seeing Lu Yujin walking barefoot on the ground after taking off his shoes and socks, Aunt Qing hurriedly caught up with him again.
"Was it that little girl from the Tang Family? Let me tell you, the old lady in the Tang Family has a sharp tongue. If you associate with their granddaughter, you're asking for trouble." Not long ago, Aunt Qing had seen with her very own eyes Lu Yujin take two eggs from the bowl. She was puzzled, wondering why this kid suddenly developed a taste for eggs. Before, even when coaxed, he wouldn't eat them. Tonight, he even requested her to boil two eggs. He didn't eat them and went out for a while, returned without the eggs, and ended up in this state. Something must have happened.
Aunt Qing knew that this kid was tight-lipped. If he didn't want to talk, there was no way to pry his mouth open.
It was her first time seeing her usually cold-faced nephew act differently toward that woman. But if it was that girl from the Tang Family, she thought it best to forget about it. She'd had enough of dealing with those fierce women.
Aunt Qing hadn't been in Tang Family Village for long, but because she was taking care of Lu Yujin's daily needs, she had some interactions with the villagers. Unexpectedly, her first encounter with Granny Zhang resulted in being scolded harshly, saying that her nephew was leading her granddaughter astray, calling him a jinx or something.
If it weren't for Lu Yujin's face and his warnings, she'd really want to argue with her.
"They just divided their family today. Aunt, when I'm not around tomorrow, can you quietly send some things to their house?" Lu Yujin was worried that Tang Wanwan's family had nothing to eat and couldn't hold on much longer.
"What? They really split the family? I thought it was just a rumor." Since they divided, doesn't that mean they no longer have to worry about the old crone? Aunt Qing's interest was piqued, already scheming to turn the tables at some point.
"Yes, but they didn't get anything, it's really tough for them." It was rare for Lu Yujin to say a couple more words about this.
"I understand! You just want to help them, right? It's not for any other reason. You want to repay them." Aunt Qing took the words that Lu Yujin wanted to say, giving him some face.
For once, Lu Yujin nodded without further arguing. Then he turned and went back to his room, leaving Aunt Qing standing at the doorway.
Realizing she was left outside the door, Aunt Qing came to her senses. Had this brat finished talking? Not even a word of praise?
But he hadn't even mentioned what exactly to send over!