Chapter 11: You Still Remember to Visit Me. Then You Can Stay Tonight…

Meng Huan remembered that Wen Zhaoyin seemed to have promised to let him go out. So, taking advantage of the break, he went out, thinking that when that woman saw his miserable state, how could she still be so cruel as to let these people force him to study.

“Stop right there. Where is the young gentleman going?” Liu Shu stood in front of him with the ‘Male Virtues’ book in her hands. When he turned around, he was startled to see a fierce-looking man blocking his way behind him.

After being forced to study for so long, now seeing these few people made his bones ache. He originally wanted to shout at them but was afraid they would say he had no bearing. So he could only say in a flat voice, “I’m just going out for a walk. You can’t make me study this stuff day and night, right?”

Liu Shu took a few steps. “The young gentleman can naturally rest. But Madam Wen has instructed that you are not allowed to leave the Bamboo Courtyard until you have learned the Male Virtues.”

The words “not allowed to leave the Bamboo Courtyard” echoed in Meng Huan’s mind. He was burning with anger, feeling that woman was simply the biggest liar. She coaxed and tricked him in bed, but once her skirt was on, she didn’t acknowledge him!

“You! You! If I don’t go out, can I sleep?!”

He didn’t dare to confront these people head-on for the time being. Stamping his feet in anger, he returned to the room. Liu Shu reminded him at the door, “The young gentleman can only nap for half an hour in the afternoon. Remember to wake up on time in the afternoon to study. I will be waiting for you in the west wing.”

“Wen Xi! Please tell Teacher Liu to rest!”

Liu Shu took out a small notebook and recorded his mistakes one by one. Then, with light steps, she went back to the west wing to rest, planning to reprimand him altogether in the afternoon.

Just like that, Meng Huan spent five days in a highly regulated study life. During these days, the heartless Wen Zhaoyin didn’t visit even once.

He finally understood that this woman had no heart.

She only occasionally came to see him, only staying when needed, leaving as soon as she was done, never spending the night. She didn’t even give him the so-called status that Wen Xi had mentioned before.

Wen Zhaoyin was simply using him for free!

With this clear realization, Meng Huan couldn’t tell if he was angry or furious, or if there might be a little bit of sadness that he hadn’t discovered.

He didn’t know, but he was just very upset, feeling like he had been played. He didn’t want to leave the Wen Residence so quickly now.

He was not the kind of person who would eat a loss and then slink away with his tail between his legs.

On the evening of the sixth day.

Liu Shu and those few men packed up and left. They didn’t stay in the Bamboo Courtyard at night but in the Plum Courtyard, which was specially used to receive guests.

Not long after these men left, Wen Zhaoyin came, even bringing people to carry a copper pot.

“I saw that you like to eat meat, so I found some novelties.”

She raised her hand to signal, and the copper pot was placed on the table with a charcoal basin underneath. Meng Huan immediately knew what it was.

“It’s said to be a method passed from the grasslands, called ‘Instant-boiled Mutton’. Unlike other dishes that need to be cooked before being served, this dish is cooked and eaten on the spot.”

Meng Huan didn’t say anything and sat down at the table, staring at the mushrooms, onion segments, and ginger slices floating in the boiling soup, feeling a bit nostalgic for the modern butter hot pot base.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t as good as those transmigrators and didn’t know anything. Let alone revolutionizing ancient technology, it was already difficult for him just to survive.

Picking up the chopsticks on the table, he took half of the mutton and said with his head down, “You still remember to visit me.”

Wen Zhaoyin raised her eyebrows. It seemed that the past few days of teaching had been quite effective. Meng Huan’s way of talking was no longer as sharp as before.

“Madam Liu said not to disturb you easily. I happened to have something to do the past few days, so I didn’t come. Are you angry?”

She stirred the sesame paste in the plate and had someone pour some fermented bean curd juice and peanut crumbs, along with coriander and chopped green onions. Finally, she pushed it in front of him.

Meng Huan looked up at her, his eyes blinking incessantly. In the end, he turned his face to look at the copper pot again, secretly brewing his emotions. “I don’t dare to be angry. If I get angry, you will definitely leave, and then Teacher Liu will come to punish me again.”

Plop, plop, two teardrops fell on the table. He felt aggrieved and didn’t turn back, picking up a piece of mutton without dipping it in the sauce and putting it into his mouth.

Ugh, he didn’t want to eat sesame paste. He wanted an oil dip!

It was the first time Wen Zhaoyin had seen him like this. Her heartbeat couldn’t help but become a bit erratic. She immediately raised her hand to take the chopsticks from his hand and put them down on the table. Then, she gently took his hand and made him face her.

With the other hand, she took the handkerchief Wen Xi handed over and helped wipe away the tears on his face. “Don’t cry. I won’t leave. What did Madam Liu punish you for?”

This was a good opportunity for revenge. Meng Huan naturally wouldn’t let it pass. “He made people press me to kowtow, press me to kneel. If I couldn’t recite the Male Virtues, he would beat me with that kind of bamboo stick that doesn’t leave marks. It hurts so much.”

Wen Zhaoyin frowned and patted the back of his hand. “He actually treated you like this? Pei Lan, let Madam Liu leave tomorrow. There’s no need for her to come and teach Huan Huan anymore.”

“Just let him leave?” Meng Huan’s expression stiffened.

“He’s not a person of the Wen Residence, so it’s not good to deal with him. Let’s just forget it this time.”

Meng Huan heard it. Wen Zhaoyin was aware that Liu Shu had beaten him. That’s why she didn’t plan to punish Liu Shu and even explicitly said it in front of him. She was warning him.

Last time, when Wang Fu was intercepted by Zu Jun, she dealt with people behind the scenes. But this time, no one stopped her, yet she didn’t deal with Liu Shu. Didn’t this clearly show her true thoughts?

He took his hand away and ate the mutton by himself, instructing Pei Lan, “Tell the kitchen to send some rice noodles, rapeseed, and other things, as well as sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and aged vinegar.”

After Wen Zhaoyin’s approval, Pei Lan went out to arrange the things he wanted. It didn’t take long for them to be sent over. The Sichuan peppercorn oil was freshly made and still hot.

“Huan Huan, have you also eaten instant-boiled mutton before?” As far as she knew, ordinary households couldn’t afford mutton. Even if they ate it, it was mainly stewed because eating it instant-boiled required specialized cookware, so very few households would eat it this way.

Meng Huan’s chopsticks paused. He pretended to be angry and didn’t speak, afraid of saying something wrong that would expose himself. He quickly thought about how to gloss over it if she asked further.

Fortunately, Wen Zhaoyin’s purpose wasn’t this, and she didn’t probe further. She asked again, “Is there anything you want? As long as I can do it, I will find it for you.”

Hearing this, Meng Huan became angry. He threw the chopsticks on the table, neither too lightly nor too heavily, and simply stood up from his seat.

“You’re just deceiving me. You previously promised that I could leave the courtyard, but in the end, you still had people stop me. Can you really give me what I want?”

“Just sweet words to coax people. Pathetically, I believed you at that time.”

His words made Wen Zhaoyin feel a bit guilty because she indeed promised but didn’t let people out. She hurriedly got up and pressed him back into the chair. “I didn’t deceive you. Tomorrow, I will personally take you out of the courtyard.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely true.”

Meng Huan stared at her for a while before asking again, “Then can you stay tonight?”