USWHC -Chapter 179 Flirting Lessons (Part 9)

Delicate shadows slant across the shallow water, a faint fragrance drifts in the yellow dusk.

Unlike the flower-filled front courtyard, the Sun family’s backyard had a plum grove. It was the season when the plum blossoms were in full bloom, and the entire yard was filled with their ethereal fragrance, instantly refreshing anyone who set eyes on it.

In the plum grove, there was a small pavilion. Sun Shaohui had arranged tea there ahead of time. This time, she had learned to be more sensible: the tea was just ordinary tea, nothing that would make you choke or foam at the mouth, and the pastries were simple steamed cakes, topped with a few plum petals for a seasonal touch.

Unexpectedly, before anyone could finish even two sips, Sun Shaohui suddenly sighed—loudly enough that it was impossible to ignore.

“Little sister, what’s troubling you?” Zhu Jie asked, trying to be considerate. But could she admit it was purely out of being forced?

Sun Shaohui spoke in an exaggeratedly sentimental tone: “Every year at this season, when the plum blossoms bloom, I’d gather a few of my close sisters to form a little poetry club, composing verses together and indulging in a bit of refinement. But this year… this year, I am alone. There’s no one to share the fun with, and it leaves my heart rather gloomy.”

How was Zhu Jie supposed to respond? Suggest playing a game to cheer her up? Haha, she wasn’t that naive—she had no intention of picking up that bait.

After waiting a while and seeing Zhu Jie remain silent, Sun Shaohui turned to Ji Yi and said, “I’ve heard that Brother Ji studied for a few years in his youth. Surely you can recite a few poems, right?”

Zhu Jie, who had been on alert, suddenly shifted her expression to a fawning one: “Of course! My brother knows plenty of poems!” She quickly poked Ji Yi and added, “Right, brother?”

Ji Yi was startled by the poke and looked flustered, hesitating as if he couldn’t refuse. He simply nodded in confusion.

Sun Shaohui’s eyes lit up: “Then let’s make the plum blossom our theme! Each of us will compose a poem!”

She turned to look at Zhu Jie, seemingly about to say something, but upon meeting Zhu Jie’s expression, she changed her mind and continued speaking to Ji Yi: “Brother Ji, you go first!”

A poem about plum blossoms? What to do? There wasn’t one on last night’s list! What if Ji Yi hadn’t memorized it?

While Zhu Jie was anxiously thinking, Ji Yi suddenly spoke—in a thick rural accent:

“I’m uneducated, my IQ is low. If you ask me who I am, I am a donkey—a big stupid donkey. I am a donkey, I am a donkey, I am a dumb donkey.”

Pfft! Sun Shaohui couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. “Brother Ji, you’re really amusing!”

Who says the truth like that? Even if you’re uneducated and as dumb as a donkey, you don’t need to announce it! Sun Shaohui giggled secretly to herself.

But in the next moment, Zhu Jie’s face turned furious. “Do you think you’re some master storyteller? With so many poems to choose from, you pick that one? Even if you must recite, you could do it in Beijing accent, Henan accent, even Shanxi accent—why insist on butchered Shandong accent? Are you trying to make a joke?”

Ji Yi looked innocent and pitiful. “Our teacher taught us like this back then!”

“Wait… is that really a poem?” Sun Shaohui was surprised. “There’s such a poem? Whose is it?”

Zhu Jie quickly explained: “Forgive my brother, little sister. His pronunciation is off—he misread Lu You’s poem.”

“Lu You? Impossible! Lu You has such a poem?” Sun Shaohui was astonished. “How have I never heard of it?”

“He didn’t read it correctly. It’s Lu You’s Sleeping in Spring,” Zhu Jie said, deliberately pronouncing the title clearly, syllable by syllable.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yi added stupidly: “Yes, all dumb, all dumb!”

“You’re the dumb one!” Zhu Jie immediately shot back. Then realizing something, she turned to Sun Shaohui: “Perhaps my pronunciation isn’t perfect either. Shall I write it down for you?”

At this, Sun Shaohui’s eyes inexplicably lit up. She immediately called out: “Someone, bring ink, brush, paper, and inkstone!”