Chapter 1164: Hidden Troubles

Chen Xi and Jia Xu, at this moment, were lying on the second floor of Lu Su's house, watching Lu Xun and Lu Yu in a brawl. At this time, there was no such concept as "gentlemen only use words, not fists."

Ever since the time of Confucius, it was established that both literary and martial arts were important. In this era, if you were a civil official and didn’t know how to fight, you wouldn’t be expected to be an unparalleled warrior, but you still needed to meet certain standards in skills like archery and riding. Naturally, this meant that most officials were quite physically strong.

Lu Xun and Lu Yu were both very young. Although Chen Xi was himself only of average martial prowess, when educating Lu Xun, he made sure that Lu Xun didn't neglect his martial training—at the very least, keeping fit was important.

As for Lu Yu, there was no need to mention him. His father was a great scholar, and he was also a general. He embodied the classic type who excelled in both scholarship and martial arts. In fact, Lu Yu could easily defeat people like Guo Jia and other physically weaker individuals like Chen Xi.

The two of them, hailing from the south and the north, had gone to a tofu pudding shop. One ordered sweet tofu pudding, while the other ordered salty. As they mocked each other’s choice of food, they began discussing the questions posed by their respective masters yesterday.

"Did you say you got them all right?" Lu Xun asked, his face darkening. He stopped eating his sweet tofu pudding altogether. In an era where both white sugar and honey were rare commodities, eating sweet tofu pudding was already quite a luxury for Lu Xun.

"Not all correct, but could it all be wrong?" Lu Yu instantly felt a sense of foreboding. Could it be that this troublemaker, Lu Xun, had said something he shouldn’t have? Considering Lu Xun’s personality, Lu Yu’s expression immediately darkened.

Lu Yu gulped down the rest of his salty tofu pudding, placed the bowl beside him, and tossed a coin to the shopkeeper. Meanwhile, Lu Xun also finished his sweet tofu pudding, marking the beginning of their long-standing debate about which was better—sweet or salty.

"That tofu pudding shop is quite good," Chen Xi mused, as he couldn’t hear what Lu Xun and Lu Yu were discussing from such a distance.

But that didn’t matter much. Soon, the dispute escalated to physical gestures, because debating over books and history wasn’t as satisfying as using fists. So, Chen Xi enjoyed watching Lu Xun and Lu Yu attempt to “conquer” each other through other means.

What kind of youth settles disagreements without escalating to blows? Both Lu Xun and Lu Yu were well-versed in the classics, but once the fight broke out, it became inevitable.

"That tofu pudding shop is probably run by your household’s kitchen staff," Jia Xu commented, glancing at the shop.

"First comes food, then comes commerce—this has been true since ancient times," Chen Xi, who had spent a lot of time hanging out with these scholars, replied with a well-versed quote.

"You don’t need to say it like that. I already know what you mean," Jia Xu said calmly, giving Chen Xi a sidelong glance.

Chen Xi felt a little embarrassed, realizing that his well-known appetite was not exactly a secret. However, there was nothing to be ashamed of—after all, eating is one of life's most important matters. Few things are more significant than that.

"Hey, look! Your disciple just knocked mine down!" Chen Xi suddenly exclaimed with a grin as he turned to see Lu Xun pinning Lu Yu to the ground. This was a time when politeness and gentlemanly restraint were not as highly valued—if something could be solved with fists, then fists it would be. This was an era that valued martial prowess.

"Nothing interesting," Jia Xu said indifferently as he gave a brief glance at the scene and began to leave. Chen Xi quickly followed Jia Xu down the stairs, while Lu Su, who was standing in the courtyard, sighed deeply.

"Zijing, it’s rare not to see you attending to the old madam. What brings you outside?" Chen Xi asked as he spotted Lu Su sighing in the large courtyard. Surprisingly, Lu Su had come out on his own.

Unlike Chen Xi's more intricate household layout, Lu Su's home was simple, with just a courtyard a little over a hundred meters long, leading into a large house with a rear courtyard. It wasn’t as complex as Chen Xi's residence.

"My grandmother plans to arrange another concubine for me," Lu Su said helplessly. "I already have four concubines, but..."

"Then just go along with it. It’s just a matter of filial piety," Jia Xu remarked nonchalantly.

"Just hurry and give the old madam a great-grandchild. Once you do that, she’ll stop pushing you," Chen Xi said, patting Lu Su on the shoulder.

"..." Lu Su opened his mouth but stopped short of speaking. He seemed to be struggling with a personal issue regarding his own health.

"Forget it, let’s go have a drink," Lu Su said after squatting outside for a while, evidently feeling a bit chilled. Seeing that Chen Xi and Jia Xu had come down, he decided to distract himself by drinking with them.

"Let’s go drink at Wenhe’s place," Chen Xi said casually, noticing Lu Su’s low spirits. After all, concubine arrangements were no longer something that fazed him.

Jia Xu didn’t object, and since Chen Xi often took his silence as consent, they made their way to Jia Xu's residence.

In fact, the homes of Chen Xi, Lu Su, and Jia Xu were only a few houses apart. However, due to each house occupying considerable space, it was actually quite a walk if they traveled by foot. As a result, they didn’t visit each other often. If they ever gathered, it was usually either at the administrative office or at Liu Bei’s house.

"Uh, this is Wenhe’s house?" Lu Su looked at the large black gate of Jia Xu's residence, somewhat embarrassed. If memory served him correctly, this hadn’t been the situation the last time he came here.

Jia Xu glanced at the house, not paying much attention to Lu Su’s awkwardness. Before Jia Xu could even open the door, the servant Jia Fu stepped forward, opened the door, and ushered the three of them inside. He then looked around before closing the door behind them.

"Come to think of it, we’ve never been to Wenhe’s house before..." Chen Xi remarked thoughtfully.

"Wenhe, perhaps you should move to a different place. This place doesn’t seem to have the best feng shui," Lu Su commented, feeling a bit uneasy after stepping inside. The environment and atmosphere didn’t seem suitable for a normal person to live in for long.

"I’ve gotten used to it; there’s no need to change," Jia Xu replied with a rare smile.

As soon as they entered the main hall, they felt a wave of warmth. A variety of drinks and food had already been prepared in the short time it took them to walk a hundred or so steps. It was clear that Jia Xu's household, like Chen Xi’s, was always well-stocked with refreshments.

"I didn’t expect you to be the same kind of person as me, Wenhe," Chen Xi joked with a smile, impressed by how quickly everything had been set up.

Chen Xi looked around at the maids and singers serving them. Though they weren’t particularly beautiful, he understood that given Jia Xu’s personality, arranging such a line-up of servants was already quite generous. Normally, Jia Xu preferred to keep a very low profile.

"Food and pleasure are human nature," Jia Xu said casually.

"That’s refreshingly straightforward..." Chen Xi muttered, picking up his chopsticks to sample the dishes before him. To be honest, they were quite good. Ever since Chen Xi first elevated the standard for food quality in the household, the overall culinary standards had risen dramatically in Liu Bei’s camp.

Lu Su, however, only ate a couple of bites before setting his chopsticks down, clearly distracted.

"Zijing, why aren’t you eating? Have I been a poor host?" Jia Xu asked, somewhat puzzled. He rarely invited people for meals or gatherings and didn’t engage in factions. As a result, the rare occasion of inviting Lu Su, only to see him not enjoying himself, left Jia Xu a bit confused.

"Sigh..." Lu Su sighed heavily, looking depressed. "It’s not that you’ve been a poor host, Wenhe. My mind is simply not on food and drink right now."

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