The next day.
Bai Chuan Academy.
Song Rui Pavilion.
This was a pavilion with double eaves, the highest point in Bai Chuan Academy apart from the Dean's courtyard.
Looking down from the pavilion, ancient and elegant residences stretched endlessly, enclosed by high walls and shaded by lush green trees.
The houses were densely packed, arranged with a scattered yet orderly beauty, abundant but not chaotic, gathered but not messy.
It was the midday break, and Nian Jiaojiao and Li Jing were drinking wine in the pavilion.
Gazing into the distance, free from the day's clamor, Nian Jiaojiao was in high spirits.
"Jiaojiao, ah, no, I should respectfully address you as Nian Anshou now."
Li Jing held a wine bottle in one hand, leaning lazily against the pavilion's edge as she chuckled.
Nian Jiaojiao shook her head, watching the other woman drink without restraint, and cautioned,
"We have classes this afternoon; drink a little less."
Li Jing tilted her head back and took another hearty gulp. Wiping her mouth, she said,
"What's there to fear? I'm drinking fruit wine that men drink, it's like drinking water. Can I get drunk from this?"
As she spoke, Li Jing looked on with distaste.
Then, she turned to Nian Jiaojiao and said,
"Since I saw you today, the smile on your face hasn't disappeared. Is there any good news?"
Although Li Jing was on the honored list, due to the rankings, she was not assigned to Nian Jiaojiao's class. However, their classes were adjacent, so their interactions had not diminished.
Nian Jiaojiao glanced at her, curling her lips, and said,
"That's right, something interesting happened yesterday."
"Oh? Tell me about it," Li Jing pressed.
Nian Jiaojiao tapped the stone table lightly with her fingers before saying,
"I've mentioned something twice before; do you still remember it?"
Li Jing sat up a little straighter,
"Something mentioned twice... You don't want to go to the brothel?"
Nian Jiaojiao's smile faltered, and she slowly said,
"Guess again..."
Li Jing scratched her ear, thinking for a moment, then impatiently said,
"Don't be coy; just tell me quickly."
Nian Jiaojiao looked directly at Li Jing and said earnestly,
"I've said before that my family has no power or influence, and that I come from a small place. Do you remember that?"
Hearing Nian Jiaojiao bring this up again after so long, Li Jing sensed something was off.
If it were just a joke, why would she have mentioned it so many times?
She put down the wine bottle and looked at Nian Jiaojiao with a serious expression, saying,
"Is that true?"
Nian Jiaojiao nodded without hesitation,
"It's true!"
They stared at each other for a while, so long that Nian Jiaojiao thought the other person was about to lose her temper. However, Li Jing suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! This is hilarious!"
Nian Jiaojiao watched silently as the other woman sometimes clutched her stomach and sometimes clapped her hands in admiration.
She inwardly sighed,
This person has finally gone mad...
After laughing for a long time, until her stomach ached, Li Jing said,
"Jiaojiao, you truly are the Anshou! You're amazing! Being among us from the powerful faction, you're even more like one of us than we are!"
Nian Jiaojiao asked curiously,
"You're not angry with me?"
"No, why would I be angry?"
Li Jing tidied her slightly disheveled collar and continued,
"You told me the truth a long time ago; I just didn't believe it. It's no one else's fault.
Besides, ever since you joined our powerful faction, you haven't sought any benefit from us. Instead, our faction has gained a lot of prestige because of you."
Whether it was the debate competition or the subsequent bet, the victories were all thanks to Nian Jiaojiao.
On this point, Li Jing could understand.
Then, she widened her eyes and leaned closer to Nian Jiaojiao, saying,
"However, by revealing this today, you don't mean you don't want to stay with our powerful faction, do you?"
Due to her sudden approach, Nian Jiaojiao could smell a strong scent of alcohol.
She held up her index finger to stop her from getting any closer and said,
"Sit properly and let's talk."
"Okay!"
Li Jing actually sat back in her seat obediently after hearing this.
Nian Jiaojiao had anticipated the other person's reaction.
Indeed, Li Jing had not disappointed her.
So she continued,
"You don't mind, but what about the other people in the powerful faction? What if they..."
"There are no 'what ifs'!"
Li Jing immediately interrupted.
Her voice rose considerably,
"I can make decisions for the scholars in this year's powerful faction. Besides, we're not stupid. If an Anshou joins us, we'd be welcoming it with open arms!"
Nian Jiaojiao raised her wine cup and said,
"In that case, I am also the poorest person in the powerful faction."
Li Jing chuckled, picked up her wine pot, and gently clinked it against Nian Jiaojiao's cup.
The clinking of the cup and the pot produced a crisp and pleasant sound.
This matter was considered settled.
After drinking, Li Jing suddenly remembered something and asked,
"Right, then why were you able to enter the academy at that time? And how do you explain the attitude of the Master and Mistress towards you?"
Nian Jiaojiao hesitated.
She couldn't just reveal matters concerning the eclectic studies faction.
Unexpectedly, before she could answer, Li Jing had already explained for her,
"That's right, with your talent, it's normal for the academy to make an exception and admit you midway."
"Uh... Your explanation is also correct."
Just as Nian Jiaojiao was relieved.
Li Jing called out again,
"And!"
Nian Jiaojiao, who had just picked up her wine cup, was startled and spilled most of the wine.
She put down the cup heavily and said impatiently,
"What else? What else? Just say it all at once."
Li Jing said,
"And you've been talking for so long, but you haven't told me what interesting thing happened yesterday!"
Nian Jiaojiao: ...
...
Autumn arrived, and the weather began to turn unpredictable.
Just after school, the sky suddenly turned gloomy.
At this moment, dark clouds churned, and scattering rain began to fall from the sky, landing on the bluestone-paved road, making the ground slippery.
Nian Jiaojiao walked to the academy's main gate, watching pedestrians hurrying past with umbrellas on the street. Feeling that the rain wasn't heavy, she prepared to dash into the rain for a leisurely stroll.
But as soon as she rushed out of the gate, she collided head-on with Nan Qing, who was walking towards her.
"Nan Qing, why are you here?!"
Nian Jiaojiao ran under Nan Qing's umbrella, asking curiously.
Nan Qing didn't answer directly but naturally took the books from her hand and asked,
"Just passing by, are you heading home?"
Nian Jiaojiao was taken aback and nodded,
"Oh, oh, home, home!"
The two walked side by side in the rain.
"Zhenzhen, Zhenzhen, what are you looking at?"
Chen Jie's call brought Nian Zhenzhen's gaze back.
The person she had just seen was Nian Anshou, but why did the man beside her look so much like Nian Dabao's third husband?
Immediately, Nian Zhenzhen shook her head.
How could that be? Nian Dabao's third husband was blind!
Perhaps they just resembled each other, and with the rain, she had seen wrong.
"Zhenzhen, we were just about to have a meal together when it started raining. Heh, this luck is really..."
Fang Fang said from behind Nian Zhenzhen, holding up an umbrella.
The four of them walked towards the nearest restaurant together.
Qingzhou had high prices, and for convenience, all four of them lived at the academy.
The accommodation at the academy was quite good. Nian Zhenzhen, Chen Jie, and Qi Qinghe had adapted well.
But Fang Fang was not having a good time.
Because she was only a page, she could only live in the servants' quarters.