Brother Liang is a fool

The thatched pavilion is not large, similar to the thatched bridge pavilion where Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai first met.

There are several willow trees beside the pavilion, their branches hanging down, like a green canopy surrounding the pavilion.

There was also a meadow nearby, with wildflowers blooming among the grass—red, white, purple, and yellow—like flowers embroidered on a green carpet.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai sat facing each other on the crossbeam in the pavilion.

A cool breeze blew in from outside the pavilion.

"Brother Liang," Zhu Yingtai said softly.

"Hmm?" Liang Shanbo looked at her.

She looked into his eyes. His eyes were calm, yet seemed unfathomable.

"Thank you so much for what you did earlier," she said gratefully.

Liang Shanbo smiled gently: "No need for thanks. Jia Boyang's expression was improper, and his words were frivolous, offending you. We are sworn brothers, and as the elder brother, it is only natural to stand up for my worthy brother who has been wronged. Besides, Jia Boyang seems to regard me as a fool; how could I stand idly by?"

In fact, scholars in the Eastern Jin Dynasty admired physical appearance, and men with fair skin and delicate features, resembling women, were praised. For example, Wei Jie was called "Jade Man." This aesthetic was closely related to the consumption of Five-Stone Powder (which caused sensitive and fair skin) and the pursuit of a transcendent "divine appearance" through metaphysical discussions.

When a student is publicly described as "fair-skinned, handsome, and like a woman," it is actually a compliment.

However, today Jia Boyang clearly did not mean to praise Zhu Yingtai. Instead, he had an improper expression and publicly declared that Zhu Yingtai's behavior was suspicious and that she might not be a man. This was a serious offense.

At this moment, Zhu Yingtai was both moved and amused by Liang Shanbo's words.

She thought to herself, "You're such a fool!"

fool.

Using this word to describe Brother Liang seems somewhat unbelievable.

Brother Liang is recognized by everyone at the academy as a prodigy who excels in both literature and martial arts! How could such a prodigy be a fool?

But she just couldn't help thinking that Brother Liang was a fool.

Instead of staying in academic pursuits, they stay somewhere else...

She and Brother Liang had made a "three-point agreement" back then. An ordinary man would feel uncomfortable and suspicious if his roommate was so wary of him, but Brother Liang was not like that.

She shared a room with Brother Liang and spent every day with him for a month. She also inadvertently revealed her girlish side to Brother Liang several times, but Brother Liang never suspected anything or thought much about it.

Brother Liang, in that natural, matter-of-fact, and almost naive way, regarded her as a frail, caring, and somewhat eccentric sworn brother.

Isn't this just stupid?

At that moment, she stared blankly at Brother Liang, suddenly feeling an urge to tell him everything.

Tell Brother Liang that she is not Zhu Jiuling, she is Zhu Yingtai.

Tell Brother Liang that she is a woman, a woman who disguised herself as a man to study.

Tell Brother Liang that she worries about being discovered every day, but he makes her feel at ease.

But she still held back.

Not now. It can't be now.

If Brother Liang knew the truth about her disguised as a man, he might look at her differently, and the current casualness and intimacy would be gone. It might even cause her to leave Wansong Academy early.

The life she is living now is a kind of wonderful experience she has never had before.

She attended classes with Brother Liang, ate together in the canteen, studied together in the library, slept in the same dormitory room separated by a bowl of water, went shopping together in the county town on every day off, and took baths in the house rented by the Zhu family.

Brother Liang's knowledge is like an inexhaustible treasure trove; no matter what she asks, he can give her a satisfactory answer.

She didn't want to lose these days.

Thinking of this, she simply smiled at Liang Shanbo and said, "Brother Liang, you are exceptionally intelligent, not at all dull!"

Liang Shanbo smiled, then suddenly stopped, his voice becoming more serious: "Brother, Jia Boyang is a man of questionable character. It is not advisable to associate with him. From now on, we should try to avoid him."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yingtai suddenly had a thought: "Could it be that Brother Liang is afraid Jia Boyang will see through my disguise as a man? Is Brother Liang trying to protect me?"

The moment the thought crossed her mind, her heart skipped a beat.

Then, upon further reflection, he secretly shook his head in his heart.

No way! Brother Liang, that fool, doesn't even know I'm a woman disguised as a man! He just thinks Jia Boyang is of questionable character and doesn't like him.

She nodded and said softly, "Okay. I'll listen to Brother Liang."

……

……

Since Zhu Yingtai made a "three-point agreement" with Liang Shanbo on her first night at Wansong Academy, that bowl of water has been placed on the floor between two wooden beds in the academy every night without fail.

Every morning, the first thing Zhu Yingtai did after waking up was to check if Liang Shanbo was on the opposite bed, and the second thing was to check the bowl of water.

That night.

Inside the schoolhouse, a single lamp cast a dim light, illuminating the faces of the two students.

Liang Shanbo said to Zhu Yingtai, "My dear brother."

Zhu Yingtai responded with a "Hmm?"

Liang Shanbo said, "It's time to set out the water bowls."

Zhu Yingtai did not move, but sat by the couch looking at him, and said solemnly, "Brother Liang, from now on, we will no longer need that bowl of water."

Liang Shanbo was slightly taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Zhu Yingtai countered, "Brother Liang, we've been sharing a room for a month. In this past month, have you ever stepped over that bowl of water at night?"

Liang Shanbo shook his head: "No."

Zhu Yingtai smiled slightly: "That's it then. That bowl of water is placed here every day to remind me to be wary of Brother Liang, but Brother Liang has never crossed it. Placing it here makes me look like the bad guy."

She paused, then continued, "A month ago, I had only known Brother Liang for a day, and we didn't know each other well enough. I felt uneasy, so I made a rule to set out a bowl of water for him every night. Over the past month, I've seen and remembered how Brother Liang has treated me. Just as Brother Liang said, 'A gentleman doesn't deceive even in the dark,' and now I trust Brother Liang completely. Therefore, from now on, I don't need that bowl of water at night anymore."

After she finished speaking, the dormitory suddenly became very quiet.

The wick made a soft "crackling" sound, scattering a spark or two.

Liang Shanbo looked at her silently. The lamplight reflected on her face, and her expression was earnest, without flinching or hesitation.

He smiled and said, "Thank you, my dear brother."

Zhu Yingtai also smiled and said, "I should be thanking Brother Liang."

She added, "However, when we are undressing, we still need to inform each other first, and the other person needs to turn around."

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded: "Okay."

Immediately, Zhu Yingtai got up and blew out the sesame oil lamp on the small table.

In the darkness, the two turned around, took off their clothes, and lay down on their respective wooden beds.

The water bowl was no longer between the two of them.

It was only five or six feet away.

That bowl of water was originally a symbolic warning, a way for Zhu Yingtai to protect herself.

Now, she has taken it away on her own initiative.

She felt no unease, because she trusted Brother Liang, and also because Brother Liang was a fool...

She smiled slightly and closed her eyes.

The wind was blowing at night, and the sound of the pine trees outside the window came in waves, both far and near, as if it were on the horizon, as if it were right next to my ear.

The night grew deeper.

This is the thirtieth night that Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai have shared a room.

That same bowl of water, for the first time, was not there that night.