eurekapd Chapter 108: Life and Death
Chapter 108: Life and Death
Jin Chu looked up at the unshaven young man and said with concern, "Haven't seen you for half a year, it seems you've recovered. Congratulations!"
"I haven't seen you for half a year. You've grown quite a bit. It seems you're doing well. Congratulations!"
Their eyes met and they both laughed.
The gap between us after not seeing each other for half a year seemed to have shortened a lot in an instant.
"Why not,"
"today,"
They both spoke at the same time and stopped talking at the same time.
Su Chengan was quite gentlemanly, "You speak first!"
Jin Chu continued without hesitation, "It's better to meet by chance than to meet by chance. Today, you are not only my little brother's savior, but also my God of Wealth. If you don't mind, how about going to my current residence for a simple meal?"
Su Chengan smiled: "Young lady, how dare I refuse a meal!"
"What did you want to say just now?" Jin Chu asked.
"I have the same idea as you. I just want to find a quiet place to chat about recent events." Su Cheng'an smiled calmly, "I will be leaving this place tomorrow. It is really a pleasant surprise to see an old friend today."
"It's almost lunchtime. Why don't we have a cheeky lunch at Uncle Zhao's place first, then come to my place in the afternoon. I'll prepare some extra dishes and we can have hot pot in the evening, right?"
"Anything is fine, but will it be too much of a bother?"
"No, but I'm not a good cook. My aunt who can cook isn't home today, so I can only use hot pot to deal with you!"
Jin Chu laughed heartily and spoke in a playful and open manner. Su Cheng'an couldn't help but relax and laughed along with her.
Having made the decision, Jin Chu did not hesitate. He went out, called a waiter, and talked to him for a few words.
Not long after, the waiter came up with a tray with four dishes, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, as well as a pot of winter melon and pork ribs soup.
Manager Zhao personally carried two large bowls of overflowing white rice and followed the waiter. Jin Chu hurried forward to take one bowl of rice, and Su Chengan silently took the other bowl and placed it on the table.
"Uncle Zhao, I'm going to treat you to another delicious meal at noon today!"
"What you said is nonsense, girl Jin. Not to mention the friendship between your Ayuan and my Apu, just today your friend has helped your uncle so much, it's enough for us to eat every day!" Shopkeeper Zhao said with a loving smile.
When Su Cheng'an heard the old man mention your Ayuan, his eyes flashed slightly when he looked at Jin Chu.
Jin Chu didn't pay attention to the "your Ayuan" mentioned by Shopkeeper Zhao. She just smiled and asked, "Where's Zhao'er?"
"Zhao'er is eating downstairs! Today you two are reuniting as old friends, so I didn't let him come up to see you. You can eat and chat at the same time."
Jin Chu thanked Manager Zhao for his kindness and sat down to have lunch with Su Chengan.
After leaving home early in the morning and a busy and tense half day, Jin Chu was already starving. Furthermore, she and the man across from her had seen each other at their most embarrassing moments, so she didn't have the burden of a ladylike image.
She handed a pair of chopsticks to Su Cheng'an, then picked up the chopsticks herself and started eating.
Su Cheng'an took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of food and started eating slowly.
Unlike Jin Chu who ate when he was hungry, he had a full breakfast and slept soundly for an hour or so. He spent the past half day very leisurely, so he didn't feel hungry.
Su Cheng'an calmly observed Jin Chu, who was eating across from him with big mouthfuls of food. Compared to the pale, skinny and ragged little girl half a year ago, she was now much taller and fairer.
Against the backdrop of the emerald green cross-collared skirt she was wearing today, the girl looked even more radiant and beautiful.
Jin Chu felt Su Cheng'an's subtle scrutiny of her, but she didn't take it seriously. After all, she had changed a lot in the past six months, so it was no wonder that the person opposite her was curious.
When they had almost finished eating, Jin Chu looked at Su Cheng'an and said, "I thought our last farewell was forever, but I never thought we would meet again. How should I address you, sir?"
"I am Su Cheng'an, the prince of Dingbei, with the courtesy name Yizhi. The former Minister of Revenue, Du Zheng, is my maternal grandfather, so when I am out and about, I often refer to myself as Du An."
Su Cheng'an didn't want to continue hiding the secret from the girl in front of him. This girl had once saved his life and was very smart.
He had never felt any malice from her before, and this time, by chance, he saved her younger brother, so he thought it would not be disadvantageous to him. Therefore, he directly told her his identity and alias.
Jin Chu was greatly surprised by Su Cheng'an's frankness.
Although she was not familiar with the affairs of state, she knew from the conversations of people on the streets that the foreign king in the north was feared by the current emperor.
Especially since the defeat of the Northwestern Frontier Army by the Western Rong five years ago and the incident of Wu'an Marquis Ye Shengpei collaborating with the enemy was exposed, the Northern Border and the Imperial Capital have long been harmonious on the surface but wary inwardly, ready to sharpen their swords and kill each other at any time!
Not to mention anything else, just from the fact that Su Cheng'an was seriously injured and fled to the mountains last year, the fact that Prefect Zhao still led troops to search for him shows how dangerous the situation of the Dingbei Palace in the northern border is.
In such a precarious situation, Su Cheng'an dared to speak so frankly. Jin Chu didn't know whether to be grateful for his absolute trust in her or to reprimand him for ignoring her own safety.
It is said that a gentleman will die for his confidant. Although she is a woman, she can gain the full trust of the man in front of her, as if entrusting his life to him. She can't help but feel a bit heroic in her heart.
Isn’t the best trust to be sincere to each other?
Thinking of this, Jinchu put on a serious expression and spoke the truth to others for the first time: "My family's surname was originally Ye, but because of the misfortune of my parents, I can only change my name and surname to my mother's surname Sheng. My name is Jinchu, and when I go out, I often call myself Shengjin."
"Surname Ye?"
Isn't that the surname of the former Marquis of Wu'an? Could it be that this girl is the heirloom of the Ye family?
wrong!
That day, informants in the capital reported that the entire Wu'an Marquis family had been executed, with no survivors left. Furthermore, all members of the Wu'an Marquis family were skilled in martial arts, and while this girl had considerable strength and some basic kung fu skills, she was still far from a master.
It seems that this girl just happened to have the same surname as Wu'an Hou! Perhaps an elder in her family got into trouble and was forced to change her name.
Thinking of this, Su Cheng'an slowly calmed himself down, nodded, and said, "Then I'll follow everyone else and call you Miss Jin, right?"
Jin Chu smiled and said, "Okay, then how about I follow the local customs and call you Master Du?"
The two smiled at each other, agreeing to each other's titles.
Thinking of the five hundred taels of silver notes today, Jin Chu looked at Su Cheng'an again and said, "Mr. Du, thanks to the five hundred taels of silver notes you left behind when you left last year, my sister and I were able to survive the cold winter safely, move to the provincial capital smoothly, and make a living on our own. We also saved a few taels of silver."
She pulled out the banknote and thrust it forward. "I will never forget the kindness you showed me back then. I will shamelessly accept the compensation you helped me collect today, but I have always kept in my heart the banknote you left behind when you left last year, waiting to return it to its original owner when we meet again. Therefore, please accept this five hundred taels of silver note you gave me last year!"
The girl had a smile on her face and a clear gaze, appearing quite easygoing. However, the Prince of Dingbei, who had spent a few days with her, knew very well how tough and stubborn she was.
She must have made the decision long ago to return the five hundred taels of silver today. If she didn't accept it, she might not even have the chance to visit her house.
Having made up his mind, Su Cheng'an readily reached out and took the banknote: "Okay, I'll take it. Now we're even. Can I come to your house as a guest?"
Jin Chu nodded and said with a smile, "It's an honor to have such a distinguished guest here!"