The gentleman stood by the window frame, with sunlight casting over half of his face, making it somewhat unclear, until he took a step forward, allowing Wufu to see him in full.
His eyebrows slanted up towards his temples, his lips were neither too thick nor too thin, his eyes deep and dark, his garments not overly ostentatious, but his overall demeanor was such that one couldn’t help but notice him, even though he simply stood there motionless.
Wufu’s gaze met his, and she was slightly surprised, stepping forward to scrutinize his face closely.
The gentleman was taken aback and for some reason, stiffened, unsure if it was due to her approach or her boldness.
This girl really doesn’t shy away from anything.
Wufu wanted to reach out and touch, but then thought her action inappropriate and awkwardly withdrew her hand, saying, "Why are you still here?"
The gentleman was stunned again, looked at her, subconsciously touched his face, and coughed once.
"Are your injuries all healed?" Wufu asked again.
Up to this point, to pretend that he didn’t recognize her from their first encounter would have been a stretch.
"How did you recognize me?" the gentleman touched his face and asked with a frown.
Wufu smiled, pointed to his eyes, and said, "A person’s eyes never change, Ninth Master."
Indeed, the refined gentleman before her was none other than Wufu’s previous employer, Ah Jiu.
"So this is your true face, right?" Wufu pointed to his face again, such good skin.
Ah Jiu saw that she had not a trace of shyness and instead seemed eager to touch his face, leaving him speechless. This girl was truly bold.
"What brings you here?" Ah Jiu asked, also surprised to see her here.
He was just looking for books on this second floor. When someone came up, he moved aside, but hearing the person flip through books while talking to themselves, he felt it sounded familiar. One look, and he saw Wufu.
He hadn’t planned to acknowledge their acquaintance, but she had recognized him first.
"I came with my mother, looking for some books to pass the time," Wufu lifted the books in her hand.
Ah Jiu, with his sharp eyes, spotted that she was holding a book of supernatural tales and said, "You, a girl, are reading this kind of book?"
Wufu shrugged. What’s wrong with reading books to pass time?
Ah Jiu noticed her indifferent expression and, remembering how she had saved him and unhesitatingly carried him down the mountain despite their genders, realized she was open-minded and not confined to the typical boudoir-bound woman.
Moreover, having grown up in the mountains, she probably lacked the understanding of the rigid norms found in distinguished families.
Ah Jiu was not one to be pedantic. Since she was, after all, the one who had saved his life, he said, "Guo Fanzi’s ’Tales of the Supernatural’ is good, but compared to Yan Er, he still falls short."
As he spoke, he walked towards the bookcase, reaching into one of the sections and pulling out a thick book to hand to her: "Yan Er is very knowledgeable and has traveled far and wide; his experiences are profound. Over the years, he’s compiled the places he’s seen, heard, and traveled into a book, and it’s very engaging."
"Oh, you know him?" Wufu took the book and casually asked.
Ah Jiu’s eyes flickered, and he said, "Yan Er is unrestrained and hates being confined. He won the top imperial examination but refused the Emperor’s offer of an official post, causing quite a stir that everyone knows about. Although he doesn’t hold office, his observations are highly sought after by scholars, and even some old scholars praise him as having the talent of a high-ranking official—a pity indeed."
Such talent, yet unwilling to serve the country, was a great loss.
Wufu, catching the sense of regret in his tone, said, "There’s nothing to pity, everyone has their own aspirations."
"The Emperor certainly doesn’t think so," said Ah Jiu. "There’s a saying ’learn literature and martial arts, sell it to the imperial family,’ but still... " he shook his head.
Wufu looked up and said, "If that’s the case, then just strip him of his top scholar title. If he doesn’t want to serve the imperial family, why give him the title? It’s like occupying the privy without relieving oneself!"