731 Old Friend
Chu Jin really despised the physique of scholars.
Sun Baoshan nodded seriously. “I will.”
Chu Jin left quickly. He was depressed and needed to find someone to drink.
After Chu Jin left, Sun Baoshan also left the Chu Residence. He couldn’t help but smile. He quickly mounted his horse and walked home.
The coldness from last night had already subsided. Now, he was neither hungry nor cold. He had also begged for a chance. He could not contain the smile on his face. Now that he was in high spirits, nothing could make him feel cold.
The curious residents discussed animatedly and said that the Chu family’s daughter was getting married.
The dozens of betrothal gifts that Sun Baoshan had brought were all accepted.
No one noticed that a sad person had left sadly.
Sun Baoshan waited all night. The Chu family waited all night. Hu Changshou also waited all night.
Now that it was settled, Hu Changshou sighed and left quietly.
He felt that he had overestimated his magnanimity. Yesterday’s magnanimity was only on the surface. In fact, he had not gone far outside the Chu Residence. He was also waiting for the outcome.
He didn’t like Chu Li that much, but they were almost going to get married. Hu Changshou felt indescribably uncomfortable.
He understood the taste of power too well. Chu Li was a shortcut in his life. Unfortunately, someone else beat him to it.
If there were no feelings, they could nurture them. If Sun Baoshan could work hard, so could he. Sun Baoshan did not take concubines, so did he.
Chu Li was really good. She would definitely be a very good wife. She was virtuous. He would never meet such a good girl in his life again. She was impeccable in every aspect.
Hu Changshou was disappointed.
He didn’t notice what was in front of him. After bumping into someone, he apologized numbly. “I’m sorry.”
After apologizing, he continued walking forward.
“Hu Changshou.”
The woman called out to him.
Hu Changshou was stunned when he heard a familiar voice.
He looked over. The young girl was beautiful, but her clothes were a little tattered. He did not know if there was dirt on her face or something else, but she looked dirty and cold. He did not know what she was thinking, but he frowned slightly. It was none other than Bai Xu.
“Miss Bai Xu.”
Hu Changshou smiled faintly. He did not expect to see Bai Xu again. Thinking of Bai Xu, Hu Changshou recalled that Bai Xu did not leave him behind. Even though she did not appear again, he felt that she did not leave.
“Why are you in the capital?”
Bai Xu looked at Hu Changshou suspiciously. She did not know many people and did not have any friends. Apart from Grandma, Hu Changshou was the longest stranger she had ever interacted with.
She had indescribable feelings for him. When they met again, he seemed to be in a daze. Bai Xu walked to Hu Changshou’s side and waited for him to answer.
“I… it’s a long story—”
Hu Changshou sighed and realized that he didn’t know where to start.
“Then do you have money?”
Bai Xu looked at Hu Changshou and asked.
Hu Changshou nodded. He followed Chu Jin. Chu Jin never mistreated him. He arranged a place for him to stay. As Chu Jin’s deputy envoy, he received a monthly salary every month.
Bai Xu did not seem to be doing well. Hu Changshou’s eyes darkened and he said, “Miss Bai Xu, let me treat you to a meal.”
It had been a few months since they last met. He did not know what Bai Xu had experienced. She looked very down and out. He did not know if the cloth bag wrapped around her hand was black or gray. It looked like it had not been washed clean.
Her majestic whip was also gray and looked lifeless.
“Okay, then treat me to a meal. We’ll talk while we eat.”
Bai Xu nodded in agreement and touched the whip at her waist.
Hu Changshou brought Bai Xu to a restaurant and asked for a private room to order.
A smile appeared in Bai Xu’s eyes. She seemed to be extremely hungry and grabbed some tea and snacks to eat.
When Hu Changshou saw Bai Xu, he would always think of Su Xiaolu. Su Xiaolu did not need him to take care of her, but Bai Xu had no one.
Hu Changshou said, “Miss Bai Xu, why are you in the capital too? After our farewell and the earthquake, were you alright?”
“Are we friends?”
Bai Xu’s mouth was stuffed. She looked at Hu Changshou and asked.
Hu Changshou thought for a moment and replied, “I guess so.”
“I came to the capital because it’s bustling here. I’ve always wanted to come and take a look. When the earthquake happened, I was quite far away. I wasn’t injured, but I was unlucky. I was pushed down by two big trees. Later, I met a good person and was saved. What about you? Why do you look unhappy today?”
Bai Xu swallowed the snacks and lowered her gaze. In the past, she followed Grandma and walked around. She had been to many places, but she had never been to the capital. Grandma said that the capital was especially prosperous. After coming out of the foreign land to recuperate, she was confused and did not know where to go. Suddenly, she thought of the capital and walked towards it.
She had almost never interacted with outsiders in her life, so along the way, she almost died several times.
However, she didn’t tell Hu Changshou any of this. She couldn’t believe it when she met Hu Changshou in the capital. She was overjoyed, but when she saw that Hu Changshou had something on his mind, the excitement in her heart gradually disappeared.
“I… forget it. The food is here. Let’s eat first.”
Hu Changshou found it difficult to talk about it. Coincidentally, the waiter came to serve the dishes. He stopped the topic and asked Bai Xu to eat.
Bai Xu looked like she was starving.
She didn’t ask any more questions and focused on eating.
She ate quickly, her eyes on the food, her hand picking up food and putting it into her mouth. The bowl was always full.
After eating two bowls of rice, Bai Xu slowed down. She did not ask about Hu Changshou anymore and talked about herself. She said casually, “After leaving, I decided to come to the capital, but I didn’t have money or anything valuable on me. On the way, I walked through the mountains and forests. When I reached Chengzhou, I really couldn’t take it anymore. I entered the city and looked around. The buns and noodles made by the vendors were all so fragrant, but when they saw me, they asked me to leave. They said that they wouldn’t give alms to beggars. I’m not a beggar. I just didn’t have money. At that time, a woman said that she wanted to treat me to a meal and could let me eat my fill. She smiled so gently and I followed her. She ordered a lot of food for me. I ate very happily, but after I finished eating, a few men came to force me to leave and said that the woman had sold me…”
“I fought with them. That place was quite big. There were some experts. I couldn’t defeat them and used some hidden weapons to escape.”
“Later on, when I went into the city again, I exchanged game for money. I got to know some beggars who were not old. They also said that they wanted to go to the capital. They said that the capital was prosperous and that they would be able to eat their fill wherever they went. We decided that we might as well leave together. After walking for many days, they actually wanted to sell me too…”
Bai Xu’s eyes darkened. This world was really dangerous. It was as if she had encountered all the evils. Along the way, as long as she believed people, nothing good would come of it. Many times, she thought that the Hu Changshou she met was fake and did not exist at all. It was probably a dream. She arrived at the capital in a daze and met Hu Changshou again.