Chapter 487: Damn It! There’s a Pig Trying to Take Advantage and Steal Our Cabbage!

Chapter 487: Damn it! Some swine is trying to sneak in and steal their treasure!

The invitation for an intimate gathering at the Jiping Commandery Prince's residence was hosted by the Princess Consort of Jiping Commandery. According to Ju Geer, he was also invited.

The gathering was scheduled two days before the spring imperial examinations.

During these days, students from the Imperial College were on break, studying at home to prepare for the exams, and Yu Yongliu was no exception.

When Xingxing and Ju Geer were about to leave, Yu Yongliu came out as well: "I happen to need to buy a couple of books from a bookstore near the Jiping Commandery Prince's residence. I'll see you there."

Xingxing naturally agreed.

Yu Yongliu escorted Xingxing and Ju Geer to the gates of the Jiping Commandery Prince's residence, and even in the carriage, he didn’t forget to instruct Ju Geer: "Take good care of Xingxing."

Ju Geer brushed it off: "Third Brother, you don’t need to tell me! This is my best friend's place! I’ll definitely take good care of Xingxing!"

Xingxing smiled sweetly beside them.

Upon entering the Jiping Commandery Prince's residence, they were welcomed inside by a maid who had been waiting. They hadn’t walked far when Ju Geer’s good friend Wei Zihang came running up, excited.

He looked extremely happy, his jade hairband even slightly askew from running.

As soon as he stopped in front of them, he called out: "Hello, Sister Yu."

Ju Geer narrowed his eyes dangerously and let out a sharp "Hey."

Wei Zihang then laughed it off and slung an arm around Ju Geer’s shoulder in a brotherly manner: "A-Ju, A-Ju, I’m just so happy to see you."

Ju Geer coldly brushed off Wei Zihang’s hand from his shoulder and sneered: "Weren’t we just together yesterday after class?"

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder!" Wei Zihang chuckled, then eagerly turned to Xingxing, "Sister Yu, is this your first time visiting our commandery prince’s residence? Let me show you around?"

Wei Zihang’s enthusiastic offer was accompanied by a sidelong glance at Ju Geer’s narrowed, suspicious glare, prompting him to hastily add: "—I mean, show both of you around."

Ju Geer was still displeased, glaring at Wei Zihang.

Seeing that he couldn’t brush it off, Wei Zihang quickly pulled Ju Geer aside and lowered his voice: "Bro! My good brother! My dear brother! Don’t look at me like that, it’s making me nervous! I swear, I do like our little sister, but I don’t mean anything else by it. With our relationship, your sister is my sister, and she’s so young—how could I be such a beast? I just think she’s cute and pretty and want to spend more time with her~~"

Ju Geer pushed Wei Zihang’s head away with a single finger, frowning in disgust: "Sister, sister, sister—listen, don’t call her that so casually. Is my sister that close to you?"

Wei Zihang, ever good-natured, wasn’t offended at all: "No problem, we'll get to know each other. Bro, don’t worry, I promise I won’t be inappropriate with our sister. We’ll just be friends, alright? Don’t you trust my character?"

Ju Geer thought this sounded somewhat reasonable and was about to reluctantly nod when he heard Wei Zihang mutter under his breath: "First friends, then siblings, and finally sweethearts. Got it, I get it—just following the steps!"

Ju Geer’s face darkened: "Wei! Zi! Hang!"

Xingxing watched in confusion as Ju Geer let out a roar and started chasing Wei Zihang around the garden, the two of them darting all over the place.

After watching for a while without understanding what they were doing, Xingxing could only conclude that this must be the kind of fun boys their age enjoyed!

It took quite some time before the chase ended, with Ju Geer locking Wei Zihang in a headlock. Wei Zihang laughed and begged for mercy, and the two quickly made up.

Both Ju Geer and Wei Zihang were sweating from the run. Xingxing took out a handkerchief and handed it to Ju Geer: "Wipe your sweat."

Wei Zihang looked on enviously: "Ah, why don’t I have such a sweet sister to hand me a handkerchief?"

Ju Geer rolled his eyes: "Before asking that, ask yourself—do you deserve it?"

Wei Zihang countered: "Why wouldn’t I? You deserve to be Xingxing’s brother, and I deserve to be your brother. By that logic, obviously I deserve it too!"

Ju Geer sneered, "At best, you're only good enough to be a snack with drinks!"

The two bantered back and forth all the way to the pavilion where the Commandery Princess was hosting guests.

Xingxing followed behind them, leisurely enjoying the scenery.

The maid ushered them into the warm pavilion: "Lady of Blessed Peace and young master, please wait a moment. Our Commandery Princess will be here shortly."

Wei Zihang eagerly replied, "Alright, tell Mother not to rush. I’ll keep the guests company for her!"

The maid smiled and complied before leaving.

The pavilion was warmed by underfloor heating, making it toasty. The three of them removed their cloaks and handed them to their respective maids to put away.

Wei Zihang enthusiastically brought over a plate of pastries from the small table beside him and offered it to Xingxing: "Yu-mei, try this. These almond-pumpkin pastries were made by our Suyang chef. They’re delicious. My mother’s been to Suyang and says they’re the real deal."

Xingxing took a small piece, placed a handkerchief under it to catch the crumbs, and took a delicate bite.

Wei Zihang watched expectantly: "Tasty, huh?"

Xingxing nodded. "Yummy. My sister-in-law’s folks are from Suyang too. Her cousin once invited me to a restaurant in the capital specializing in Suyang cuisine. The taste of these almond-pumpkin pastries is even better than that restaurant’s."

Wei Zihang beamed with pride, looking utterly pleased!

Ju Geer, however, caught a concerning detail and let out a puzzled "Huh?" "That kid from the Song family took you out to eat?"

Xingxing blinked, confused. "Yes. What’s wrong?"

Ju Geer: "..."

Darn it! He was always off at school, leaving gaps for pigs to sneak in and try to steal their prized cabbage!

Wei Zihang immediately chimed in, "Yu-mei, I know a bunch of great places to eat. Next time, I’ll take you to try them!"

Ju Geer turned his head and glared furiously!

Ugh! Another pig after their cabbage!

Ju Geer’s mental alarm bells went off!

"Little brother, are Mother’s guests here?"

A cheerful voice came from outside. The maid lifted the curtain, and the owner of the voice stepped in.

Wei Zihang stood up and greeted her first, "Second Sis," he said eagerly, introducing Ju Geer and Xingxing: "...You’ve met Ju Geer before—he’s visited our residence a few times. This is the Lady of Blessed Peace—her first visit today."

He then enthusiastically introduced his second sister to Xingxing: "Yu-mei, this is my second sister."

Xingxing politely nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Second Miss Wei."

Wei Shuangyan, Wei Zihang’s second sister, discreetly sized up Xingxing.

So this was the girl Chong’en had talked about—the one who, relying on her title as Township Lady, acted recklessly and bullied Mingzhu?

Wei Shuangyan smiled. "Shuangyan greets the Lady of Blessed Peace. The Township Lady is just as sweet and charming as they say."

After this brief exchange, she turned to Wei Zihang with a smile. "Today, you talked Mother into inviting Fourth Young Master Yu and the Lady of Blessed Peace over. As luck would have it, the Second Young Master of Duke of Xinguo’s household stopped by to drop something off for Eldest Brother. To thank him, I invited him to stay for lunch. He ought to be here any minute."

Wei Zihang, knowing his second sister had a thing for the Second Young Master, assumed she just wanted to see him more and didn’t think much of it. He grinned and nodded eagerly.