At noon, the whole family gathered for lunch.
Lu Shuo had been worried that the matter of him studying with the Fourth Miss would become a topic of conversation during the meal, but perhaps because Jiang Siji was reliable enough to put everyone at ease, the master and madam only casually asked him a couple of questions. He answered with lowered eyes and a compliant demeanor, and they didn't press further.
He hadn't slept well the night before, and had been on edge all morning. After eating, he felt utterly exhausted. Returning to his own courtyard, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
He slept for nearly an hour. When he woke up groggily, his mind was blank, and for some reason, he blurted out, "Mom, is there any water..."
As soon as he said it, he became fully awake.
Lu Shuo lay in bed, silently staring at the sunlight streaming into the room, and rubbed his face vigorously.
He got dressed, got out of bed, walked to the table, and poured himself a cup of cold tea.
The coolness slid down his throat, dissipating some of the restlessness in his body.
Holding the teacup, he walked to the window, sat down, and flipped open the morning's book. He began to memorize the enlightenment poem that Jiang Siji had asked him to learn.
After a nap, he had forgotten a few lines, but picking them up again, he gradually became more familiar.
After a while, he finished reciting. Remembering something, he pushed open the window and called out, "Tianqing!"
No one answered.
He called again, "Tianqing!"
Laishou hurried out from the side room.
"Young Master, Tianqing isn't here," Laishou blinked. "Is there something you need? This servant can do it."
Lu Shuo asked, "Where did he go?"
"He went to buy books for you, the ones Jiang Siji mentioned."
Lu Shuo was surprised. "He didn't come to me for money."
He was now the adopted son of Duke Xuan, with all his living expenses covered by the mansion, plus a monthly allowance of two taels of silver for personal expenses. That amount would have taken his family nearly half a year of hard work to save up before, but now he got it without lifting a finger.
As a newcomer, he couldn't just spend money freely, but surely the cost of buying books had to come out of his own pocket? How could Tianqing leave without taking any money? Did the servants of the Duke Mansion all pay out of pocket first?
Laishou laughed. "The cost of buying books and other educational expenses are lumped together. You don't have to pay for them yourself; they're covered by the mansion. It's the same for the other young masters."
Lu Shuo paused for a moment, then said, "Oh."
As they were talking, two heads appeared, peeking around the entrance of the courtyard.
Seeing that Lu Shuo was there, they immediately ran in.
"Lu Shuo!" Helan Rong called out. "Helan Chang and I are going out to play. Do you want to come?"
Lu Shuo was taken aback. "Me?"
"Yeah, you haven't been around the Capital City yet, have you?" Helan Rong said. "Come with us. We happen to need to buy some things on the street!"
Helan Chang added, "Don't worry, no adults are coming along. We'll just bring a few servants and be back before dinner."
Lu Shuo's heart stirred for a moment, but he shook his head. "I'd better not. You two go ahead."
Helan Rong asked, "Why not? The streets are so lively!"
Helan Chang, who was a bit more thoughtful than Helan Rong, paused, his gaze lingering on Lu Shuo's plain clothes. "If you don't want to go, it's fine. We can make plans another day."
Lu Shuo smiled. "Thank you for the kind offer, but Jiang Siji left me with a task—to memorize the poem. I haven't finished yet."
Helan Rong pouted. "Fine, then keep studying. We're off, okay?"
Lu Shuo nodded. "Mm."
Helan Chang and Helan Rong left. Seeing that there was nothing for him to do, Laishou also returned to his room. The area by the window grew quiet again.
With nothing else to do, Lu Shuo flipped through the other content in the book, but unfortunately, he still couldn't understand much. After a while, he began to grow restless.
He did want to go out for a walk.
But since class started tomorrow, it wouldn't be appropriate to go out with the two young masters this afternoon. However, Tianqing hadn't returned with the new books yet, and he couldn't concentrate on studying. What should he do?
Lu Shuo paced back and forth by the window for a while, then remembered that he hadn't yet seen the back garden of the Duke Mansion.
When he had entered the mansion yesterday, it was raining, so the eldest young master and the others had only let him glance at the garden from outside without going in. Today, the weather was clear, so perhaps he could go there to clear his mind.
He walked to the corridor and told Laishou that he wanted to take a stroll in the garden, just to let him know, no need to follow.
Laishou, who had just stood up, had no choice but to sit back down.
Lu Shuo still wasn't used to having someone follow him everywhere.
The garden was quiet, showing signs of having been cleaned that morning. The fallen petals from yesterday's rain had been swept to the side of the path, now curled up from the sun.
The scenery was beautiful. Every plant and tree was meticulously trimmed. The winding path seemed to be paved with stones of various sizes, but in reality, some were embedded deep and others shallow, with the exposed heights kept level for easy walking, forming a neat and orderly road.
Lu Shuo thought of his hometown again. It wasn't as elegant or clean; wild grass and flowers grew freely, clustering here and there, trembling wildly in the wind. Dust flew up from the dirt paths where stray dogs ran, mingling with the faint smell of chicken manure, carried by the wind toward the distant mountains and fields.
He walked slowly along the path, his thoughts growing more chaotic.
From somewhere, he heard a faint sound like splashing water. Lu Shuo looked around, feeling that it came from the other end of the path. After a moment's hesitation, he carefully continued forward.
Rounding a bend, he indeed saw a small pond.
The pond was full of clear, rippling water. A large group of koi was crowded together, their mouths wide open, their fins and tails striking against each other. White, red, gold, and patterned fish sparkled in the sunlight, splashing up layers of spray.