The lamp flickers dimly at night, a man listens to the pines outside the door.

After a moment's thought, Liang Shanbo said to Zhu Yingtai, "I appreciate your kindness, my dear brother. However, I would feel uneasy if you were to spend all the money."

How about this: every morning I'll eat in the vegetarian kitchen and pay my own bill. For my daily meals, I'll share with you in the fine food kitchen, as I'm grateful for your kindness. This way, I won't disappoint you, and I'll feel more at ease."

He wasn't aloof. Having spent many years navigating the business world in his past life, he knew to accept help when it was due and to appreciate kindness when it was due. And eating better would benefit his health and his studies. However, he couldn't bear to have Zhu Yingtai treat him to both meals every day, so he proposed this compromise.

I'll accept this freeloading, but not entirely...

Zhu Yingtai paused for a moment, then smiled.

She found this Brother Liang to be quite interesting. He was neither arrogant nor humble, accepting her kindness but not entirely accepting it; he appreciated her affection but was unwilling to rely on her completely.

She thought for a moment and said, "Let's do it this way. Every morning at breakfast, Brother Liang and I will eat together in the vegetarian kitchen, and we'll each keep our own accounts. Every day at lunch, I'll invite Brother Liang to eat with us in the fine cuisine kitchen."

Liang Shanbo felt a warmth in his heart.

She not only had to treat him to good food, but also had to accommodate him in his breakfast.

Liang Shanbo didn't try to dissuade her, and said with a smile, "Alright. As you wish, my brother."

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Zhu Yingtai smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for? It's feeding time now, we should go to the kitchen."

The two walked to the stone well in the center of the courtyard. Yin Xin scooped water from the wooden bucket and washed Zhu Yingtai's hands. Zhu Yingtai stretched out her hand, and Yin Xin gently poured the water into her palm, then handed her a linen handkerchief. Liang Shanbo scooped water and washed his own hands beside her.

Then, the three of them walked towards the central kitchen.

A wooden sign with the words "Servants Do Not Enter" was pasted on the kitchen door, its paint peeling and faded.

Yin Xin stopped and whispered to Zhu Yingtai, "My lord, I'm going to have my meal in the west corridor. I'll come back and wait for you after I'm done."

Zhu Yingtai nodded.

Yin Xin bowed and stepped back, walking towards the corridor on the west side of the courtyard. That was where the pageboys ate their meals.

Actually, Yin Xin was not Zhu Yingtai's personal maid; Zhu Yingtai's personal maid was named Yu Xian.

Because Yu Xian's disguise as a pageboy was not convincing, while Yin Xin was rather sturdy and had dark skin, making her a very convincing pageboy, and was also strong, capable of heavy work and hard work, Zhu Yingtai specially arranged for Yin Xin to disguise herself as the pageboy "Si Jiu" to follow her.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai entered the fine kitchen, where they found a rectangular hall with clean straw mats on the floor.

There were now about ten students in the hall, including Sun Yuangui, who had just arrived. Some were already eating, while others had just sat down.

During meals, everyone kneels before the food table, one table per person.

This custom of separate eating continues from ancient traditions. In ancient times, people did not eat together or sit around a table; instead, each person had their own table and ate separately.

Inside the fine kitchen stood a woman nearing forty, dressed in a slightly worn blue cloth dress with a coarse cloth apron tied around her waist. Behind her were several earthenware steamers and pots, steaming and emitting a fragrant aroma.

This woman was Zhang, the cook in charge of serving meals in the kitchen.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai each took a food tray and walked to Zhang Shi.

Zhang glanced at Liang Shanbo, her gaze lingering on his beige short jacket, then at Zhu Yingtai's moon-white wide-sleeved robe, and she understood what was going on.

"What would you two gentlemen like to eat?" she asked.

After Zhu Yingtai asked what was served, she replied, "Two servings of wild rice, two servings of mutton stew, and two servings of vegetable soup."

Zhang responded, turned around and scooped out two bowls of wild rice from the earthenware pot, two bowls of mutton stew from one earthenware pot, and two bowls of vegetable soup from another earthenware pot, placing them on the dining table for the two of them.

Zhu Yingtai took out a food token and handed it to Zhang: "Write it all on my token."

Today, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai have paid their food expenses in one lump sum and received their food tokens.

The two of them, carrying food trays, knelt down side by side on a straw mat.

Zhu Yingtai turned her head and glanced at Liang Shanbo beside her.

The two were less than two feet apart.

This was the first time in her life that she had ever sat down and dined alongside a man from another country.

At home, although she sometimes ate with her father and other male relatives, it was in her own living room, surrounded by blood relatives, so she didn't feel anything was amiss.

But sitting next to her was a man she had only known for half a day, a man with whom she had sworn brotherhood.

This feeling was somewhat awkward, yet also somewhat novel.

She bit her lip secretly, reminding herself: "Zhu Yingtai, you are now Zhu Jiuling, his sworn brother, not a woman. You must show the demeanor of a man and not reveal any flaws."

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and began to eat.

Liang Shanbo also began to eat.

The texture of wild rice is indeed better than millet rice or wheat rice, and the mutton stew is also stewed to perfection, with tender meat and rich broth.

It's been three months since he transmigrated, and this is the first time he's eaten such good food.

Back home in Shanyin, my mother, Madam Lu, managed the household affairs meticulously, and life was always a struggle. Where could we have such delicious wild rice and mutton stew?

The dozen or so students eating in the hall remained silent, including Sun Yuangui.

This is the rule of "not talking while eating".

In ancient times, people observed the principle of "not speaking while eating, nor talking while sleeping." Talking while eating was considered both dangerous and disrespectful, as it could easily cause choking. Wansong Academy followed this etiquette, and students consciously kept quiet in the dining hall. If they did talk, they would lower their voices and only exchange a few words.

Zhu Yingtai was not usually so reserved when eating at home, but at the academy, she had to abide by the school's rules.

She couldn't help but turn her head and glance at Liang Shanbo again.

Brother Liang remained silent, and so did she.

The two ate their first meal together in silence.

……

……

As night fell, Wansong Academy disappeared into the vast darkness.

The sound of the pine trees grows clearer at night, surging in from afar in waves and receding in waves, like the mountains breathing.

In the study of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the oil lamp in the inner room was already lit.

A simple pottery lamp, with a flat, round oil pool, a hemp wick immersed in the oil in the pool, the wick tip protruding from a small opening on the edge of the pool, burning with an orange-yellow flame.

The flame, about the size of a soybean, flickered slightly, casting a hazy glow over the entire inner room.

The wick occasionally crackled softly, releasing a spark or two that flashed in the air for a moment before going out.

Liang Shanbo was sitting on his wooden couch, holding a copy of the Records of the Grand Historian that he had brought from home.

At this moment, Zhu Yingtai and Yin Xin entered one after the other. Yin Xin was carrying a wooden basin filled with hot water, from which steam rose gently.

Zhu Yingtai looked somewhat awkward and said, "Brother Liang."

Liang Shanbo looked up at her and asked, "What is it, my dear brother?"

Zhu Yingtai's voice was somewhat low: "Brother Liang, when I was at home, I had a habit of taking baths often. Today, I've traveled a long way here and been caught in the rain, so I feel very sticky and uncomfortable."

Seeing that Liang Shanbo's expression hadn't changed, she continued, "It's not convenient to bathe in this school. I asked Sijiu to bring a basin of hot water, thinking it would be more refreshing to wipe myself down. But I don't like anyone being around when I'm wiping myself down."

Her eyes held a hint of pleading, yet also a touch of embarrassment: "So, please, Brother Liang, wait outside for a moment. Just a moment. Just a moment."

There are no bathrooms at Wansong Academy, nor are there large basins or wooden tubs for students to bathe in. The academy follows a "five-day rest day" system, giving students a day off every five days so they can go home to bathe.

Zhu Yingtai came from another prefecture, which meant that bathing was inconvenient for her, as she had always loved bathing and cleanliness. Even when washing herself, she had to be careful to cover herself up, for fear of giving herself away.

At this moment, Liang Shanbo looked at Zhu Yingtai's appearance and felt a mixture of amusement and pity. She was a young lady from a wealthy family, yet she had to suffer like this in order to pursue her studies.

He went along with her act.

He closed the Records of the Grand Historian in his hand, stood up, and smiled slightly: "What a coincidence, I was just thinking of drying myself off. I've been walking all day, and I feel sticky all over. Since you've spoken first, I'll let you go first. I'll wait for you under the eaves outside. Take your time, there's no need to rush."

After saying that, he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Stepping outside, he looked up at the night sky.

The night was deep, with a few scattered stars hanging in the sky, their light pale, like someone had poked a few tiny holes in the dark satin with a needle, letting in a little bit of light.

The sound of the pine trees rustling in the wind came from afar, in waves.

The lamplight is dim at night, and a man listens to the pines outside the door.

The door creaked open.

Yin Xin carried out the wooden basin, glanced at Liang Shanbo, and said with a smile, "Young Master Liang, my lord has finished washing up, you can go in now."

After saying this, she saw Liang Shanbo nod, so she picked up the wooden basin and went to pour water.

Liang Shanbo went back into the inner room of the schoolhouse.

Zhu Yingtai sat on her wooden couch, still wearing the same moon-white, cross-collared, wide-sleeved robe she had worn during the day, her hair still tied up with a bamboo hairpin. However, her skin, still damp from washing, held a faint blush on her cheeks.

Seeing Liang Shanbo enter, her eyes flickered, and she forced a smile: "Brother Liang, it's your turn."

The voice was much more relaxed than before, and even carried a hint of cheerfulness.

"There's still hot water in the cafeteria. I'll have Si Jiu go and get a basin for Brother Liang." She said, standing up and calling out towards the outer room, "Si Jiu!"

Yin Xin had just returned to the outer room with the empty basin when she heard the sound and hurried to the inner room.

Zhu Yingtai instructed, "Go and fetch another basin of hot water for Brother Liang to use."

Getting hot water costs money, but she won't mention money to Liang Shanbo.

Yin Xin responded and turned to walk towards the cafeteria.

"Thank you, my brother," Liang Shanbo said.

Zhu Yingtai waved her hand: "Brother Liang, why are you being so polite with me? We're brothers."

She emphasized the word "brothers," as if reminding Liang Shanbo, or perhaps reminding herself.