The beauty was gone, leaving only a faint lingering fragrance in the room.
Ji Jin removed his mask and pressed his hands to his cheeks in frustration. How could he have suddenly uttered such presumptuous words? Was it because he had been around Ouyang for too long, that he was influenced by the bad company?
It seemed it was time to consider kicking Ouyang Wen out.
Ouyang Wen, lying in bed to recover from his injuries, sneezed several times. He rubbed his nose, feeling quite pleased.
His grandmother must be missing him.
Ji Jin's room didn't even have a single servant. He hadn't felt it when he occasionally stayed here, but now he was injured. How could he manage without a few servants to attend to him?
Speaking of which, where had this fellow gone again in the middle of the night?
That night, Ouyang Wen fell asleep before Ji Jin returned home.
He awoke to find it was already broad daylight, and Ji Jin had long since gone to the palace for duty.
He could only drag his injured body up with difficulty, shuffle to the door, and prepare to find a small beggar to buy him food. His grandmother was truly furious this time, not only withholding his allowance but also detaining all the attendants who served him.
And he had to seek refuge with Ji Jin, a pauper. Apart from medicine, he had to rely on himself for everything else.
If it weren't for the fact that the palace servants dared not hit him with all their might, he would hardly be alive now. The more he thought about it, the more despondent he felt. He wrapped himself tighter in Ji Jin's large coat to ward off the biting wind, propped himself up against the door with difficulty, and was scanning for a beggar when a pair of delicate, small deerskin boots appeared before his eyes.
Cheng Jiao Jiao, holding gifts, looked at him with a face full of surprise. "Young Master, what are you doing?"
Ouyang Wen felt a little awkward. "It's nothing, I just wanted to find someone to help me buy some food."
"Where are your attendants?"
"Don't mention it. My grandmother is very angry and won't allow them to care for me."
The old matriarch is formidable.
Cheng Jiao Jiao exclaimed in her heart, but with a hint of concern on her face, she asked, "Young Master, what would you like to eat? I'll have Qing'er go buy it for you."
"Wontons, piping hot ones."
"Only those?"
"And two large meat buns." Such was the unpretentious life of living under someone else's roof.
Qing'er was dispatched, while Cheng Jiao Jiao supported him by one arm. "It's cold outside, Young Master. You should go back inside quickly. I'll send some servants over shortly. You're still injured, how can you manage alone?"
Ouyang Wen, who had been suffering for days, was on the verge of tears. What a considerate young lady, so much better than that scoundrel Ji Jin.
This thought became even more solidified after he was fed wontons by Cheng Jiao Jiao herself.
The girls from Jiangnan were indeed as gentle as water and as meticulous as a fine thread.
How could they compare to the coarse Ji Jin?
Half an hour later, Cheng Jiao Jiao rose to take her leave. Once in the carriage, Qing'er couldn't help but ask, "Miss, do you really plan to marry the Young Master?"
Otherwise, feeding him wontons could have been her task.
Cheng Jiao Jiao remained silent for a moment. "It still depends on the Young Master's intentions. Keep your mouth shut tight, or if your third brother finds out, I'll sell you to a brothel."
Qing'er immediately pursed her lips.
Soon, two nimble servants were added to Ji Jin's household. After many days, Ouyang Wen finally returned to a life of being attended to. Ji Jin, however, was quite displeased. "Ouyang, it's already more than enough that I'm taking you in. You're buying people now?"
Most importantly, "Where did you get the money to buy people?"
The few dozen copper coins he had left could at most be used to send him to buy food.
It wasn't that he was stingy, but as a clean-loving doctor, he truly disliked the presence of extra people in his house.
Ouyang Wen grumbled, "Miss Cheng sent them."
"Which Miss Cheng? Are you seducing women at my place?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Miss Cheng is from a respectable family. Saying such things will damage her reputation."
"A respectable Miss Cheng, Cheng Bei Zheng's sister?"
Yes.
Ji Jin had met this young lady a few times at Prince Rui's mansion. At most, their interactions were limited to a polite greeting. He looked at his friend suspiciously. "When did you get involved with her? Cheng Bei Zheng protects her so fiercely, would he agree to her interacting with you?"
"I told you not to use such words," Ouyang Wen glared at him angrily. "Besides, what's wrong with me? Why shouldn't Cheng Bei Zheng be willing?"
And he's protecting her?
Ji Jin chuckled twice. "Think about how you got those injuries. Do you think a normal family would be willing to marry their daughter to a playboy who likes to frequent dissolute places?"
Ouyang Wen: ...