Chapter 124

Before noon, the kang bed in the room was almost set up.

Before Shen Cui could invite the workers to eat, the servants from the Cui family had already prepared their meals and quickly set up a small shed outside the house for them to eat in, so as not to disturb the tranquility of the academy with the noise of many people eating.

Finally, during lunchtime, Cui Wuniang found some time and hurriedly came to Cuiwei Academy.

Upon seeing Shen Cui, she immediately apologized, “I should have come over in person for such a big event as Fei’s enrollment in the morning, but…”

Shen Cui nodded understandingly, “We’ve known each other for so long, there’s no need for such formalities.”

Seeing the fine beads of sweat on Cui Wuniang’s forehead, Shen Cui invited her inside to sit down and have some tea to rest her feet.

Cui Wuniang didn’t take a rest; instead, she went to see the kang bed first.

In fact, neither Cui Fei nor Cui Wuniang had ever seen such a thing before—there were kang beds in the servants’ quarters of the Cui family, but as masters of the house, they couldn’t possibly go to see where the servants slept.

Cui Wuniang had selected skilled craftsmen familiar with the Cui family, but she still wanted to see it with her own eyes to make sure they hadn’t botched the job before feeling at ease.

After seeing it, Cui Wuniang said to Shen Cui, “You too, if you encounter any inconvenience, just tell me directly. Thanks to Fei being so perceptive, otherwise I wouldn’t have known about the inconvenience you’ve been facing.”

“It’s really just a small matter, and I had thought about selling or renting out this house in the future, so I didn’t want to go through the hassle.”

Cui Wuniang waved her hand nonchalantly—what did a single house matter when Shen Cui had accepted her younger brother? If it weren’t for knowing that families like the Mu family didn’t care much about money, she would have already given this house to Shen Cui.

“As long as Cuiwei Academy is open in Qingzhou Prefecture, you can stay here as long as you want. If there are any inconveniences in the future, don’t hide them. Just let Yao pass the message to me. Although I may not have time myself, the people in my house are not idle, and they will be able to help you.”

She was straightforward, and Shen Cui liked her straightforwardness, so she no longer refused her kindness.

The maid who had come to find her came again. Cui Wuniang didn’t even drink her tea; she followed the maid out.

After taking a few steps, she turned back apologetically, “I’m really busy and confused. I haven’t even greeted the Teacher of the academy, let alone given you the money for the school fees.”

Seeing that she was indeed in a hurry, probably having come specifically without eating lunch, Shen Cui said, “Master Lao Buyu is generous and doesn’t like formalities. He won’t mind. Besides, he doesn’t rest at noon; he’s still teaching Er Pang calligraphy.”

After saying that, Cui Wuniang took out a stack of silver bills and said she would let Shen Cui hold onto them for now, and if they weren’t enough, Yao would bring more later.

The Cui family was wealthier than the Wei family, and they had deeper roots. What was a house to them?

“In the academy, everyone is treated equally. Wei Shu and Wei Xi each pays ten taels of silver for living expenses per month, and another ten taels are given to Teacher Lao Buyu for school fees. That’s twenty taels per month. Also, you didn’t let me pay Ayao’s salary, so I have to deduct her salary from it.”

Cui Wuniang said, “Why don’t you mention that my brother eats as much as two or three people?”

Another maid came to urge them, and Cui Wuniang was indeed pressed for time.

She said, “Anyway, Ayao’s salary will offset the extra food expenses for Fei at my house. You said it yourself, everyone is treated equally, twenty taels a month. I’ll pay one year’s worth in advance, which is 480 taels. Half of it needs to be handed over to Master Lao Buyu. Today is really not a good time to meet him in such a rush. I’ll apologize to him in person next time.”

Cui Wuniang had been dealing with account books and silver bills since she was young, and Shen Cui didn’t even see how she counted, but soon she handed over several silver bills to Shen Cui.

Cui Wuniang had not only sent laborers but also sent craftsmen to build the kang bed, so Shen Cui wanted to send her off as well.

As a result, Cui Wuniang swiftly departed like a gust of wind, leaving Shen Cui only catching a glimpse of her back as she disappeared through the gate.

In the evening, when the young men returned from the perfectural school, its already afternoon, and the kang bed had been built.

The craftsmen had also finished their work and left.

Cui Wuniang was indeed meticulous in her work. Like modern workers, the craftsmen were responsible only for their work and not for cleaning up.

Therefore, the servants from the Cui family who had been responsible for setting up the tent outside in the afternoon also brought water and snacks to the craftsmen.

When they saw that the craftsmen were almost done, they first dismantled the tent outside and then came to tidy up the room.

As a result, apart from the addition of a large kang bed, there were no other changes in the room where the students lived.

Even the bedding on their wooden beds had been neatly moved to the kang bed without any mess.

Mu Er Pang had known that the house was being renovated—although the craftsmen had deliberately kept their noise to a minimum during the day, it was still a big project, and there had been some noise. He was the one among them who loved sleeping on kang beds the most.

Shen Cui had thought he would be the first to go and see after class, but he had held back, waiting for Wei Shu and the others to return from the school before going in together to take a look.

After seeing it, Mu Er Pang praised it as the strongest, widest, and best kang bed he had ever seen.

He said that not only could the five of them sleep on it, but even if Lao Buyu slept with them, there would still be plenty of room.

The house had two rooms: one served as a classroom and the other as a student dormitory.

Although the back room was now vacant, Lao Buyu couldn’t possibly stay next to Shen Cui, so he had been resting in the front tilt-room.

The tilt-room was the general term for a row of houses near the gate, with several rooms, one of which Lao Buyu occupied alone, while the others were occupied by servants of the Wei family.

Lao Buyu always said he was comfortable living there, but Mu Er Pang still felt that it wasn’t quiet enough.

In places like the nearby academies or government schools, students usually respected and feared their teachers. After class, they wouldn’t willingly stay with their teachers, feeling as if they were mice meeting a cat.

It wasn’t because the teachers were naturally stern and strict, but rather because many students were unruly, and if the teacher wasn’t firm enough, they couldn’t control them.

However, the students at Cuiwei were more self-disciplined than most, and Lao Buyu wasn’t the kind of teacher who adhered strictly to rules.

His way of interacting with them was more like that of a friend and mentor.

Even Cui Fei, who had just formally enrolled and had only served tea to Lao Buyu today, had already noticed that he was different from other teachers.

He didn’t feel nervous around him like he did with other teachers.

Lao Buyu laughed and said, “Spare me, will you? Sleeping with you guys means dealing with snorers, teeth-grinders, and sleep-boxers… I’m quite happy living in the front. After class and before curfew, I can still go out for a walk!”

Since he said so, it was clear that he had no complaints about his current living situation, so Mu Er Pang didn’t bring it up again.

That evening’s dinner was prepared by Yao, and Shen Cui only made the standard dish required for everyone at the academy to share.

A Yao had previously mentioned that she was just an assistant in the kitchen at the Cui household and her cooking skills were average.

However, today she showcased her talent, leaving Shen Cui and the others in awe.

Since she was new and didn’t know everyone’s preferences, A Yao prepared the ingredients based on the meal that Cui Fei had eaten before.

Despite being simple dishes, A Yao’s steamed fish was meticulously carved and marinated, resulting in a fish that was tender and devoid of any fishy smell.

Her stewed chicken soup was clear and light, yet the chicken was tender and flavorful.

Additionally, her cucumber salad and stir-fried vegetables were all colorful and aromatic, matching the skill level of a master chef in a high-end restaurant!

Shen Cui, Mu Er Pang, Lao Buyu, and Mei Ruochu were all from humble backgrounds and might not have seen much of the world, but the Wei brothers had.

Even they praised A Yao’s home-cooked dishes, showcasing her exceptional culinary skills.

The boys initially ate Shen Cui’s dishes in an orderly manner, but soon they couldn’t resist and started to compete for the food.

Cui Fei was delighted to see everyone enjoying A Yao’s cooking. He smiled as he noticed Shen Cui handing him a chicken leg, but he remained polite, eating Shen Cui’s dishes first—the portion she gave him was larger than usual, so he hadn’t finished it yet.

However, when a chicken wing suddenly appeared in his bowl, Cui Fei looked up and met Shen Cui’s smiling face.

“You’re too kind, but if you keep eating like this, you won’t get any of the sauce later.”

Cui Fei chuckled, “I often eat A Yao’s dishes at home, so it’s rare that everyone likes them. Let them have more.”

Then Cui Fei heard Mu Er Pang’s voice, full of resentment. “Chicken wings, my wings… it’s so sad. Without eating chicken wings, I won’t grow taller, and if I don’t grow taller, I won’t be able to grab chicken wings… Without eating chicken wings…”

Hearing this, Cui Fei refused to take the chicken leg and quickly said, “Give it to Hanshan instead; I haven’t touched it yet.”

As he spoke, Shen Cui had already removed the chicken skin from the chicken leg with a public chopstick.

“Ignore them; let’s eat. You’ll see, they’ll eat it themselves later.”

Wei Shu, relying on his strong arm, had already taken a pair of wings, leaving Mu Er Pang with a pitiful look.

He pretended to complain and recite Buddhist scriptures, but Wei Shu surrendered and said, “Hurry up and take them!”

Mu Er Pang immediately turned his complaints into laughter and returned the wings to Wei Shu.

Wei Shu then placed all the chicken wings back into Shen Cui’s bowl. “Headmaster, eat quickly. It’s my filial piety to you.”

Wei Shu’s actions amused everyone, and even a small piece of chicken heart took him dozens of chews before he finally swallowed it.

After their little ‘feud’ was over, they found that Mei Ruochu and Wei Xi, who had been quiet all along, had already taken all the other good pieces of meat…

With laughter and banter, Cui Fei finished his first meal at Cuiwei after enrolling.

He realized for the first time that even a simple meal could be so lively and enjoyable.