Chapter 304: AA System, EE System

In a foreign land he met an old friend, and Gu Xixi naturally invited Jiang Mingyuan to share a table for a meal.

During the meal, chatting idly, Jiang Mingyuan said he was traveling alone to the capital for the spring provincial examination.

He also guessed that Gu Xixi had come for the tea, and so he said, "Since we're both heading to the capital, let's travel together and look out for each other."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I agree."

Both of them turned their gaze to An Qinghe.

An Qinghe had kept a stern face since seeing Jiang Mingyuan earlier, and he said, "I have no objection either."

"When traveling through wild roads and barren lands, having one more person always brings extra peace of mind."

Although he had heard that in this region of Daye many cousins marry each other, so upon first meeting he was extra wary of Jiang Mingyuan.

But considering rationally, especially for Gu Xixi's safety, it was still better to travel with Jiang Mingyuan.

They quickly reached an agreement, finished their meal, and set the departure time for the next morning.

The next morning, as Gu Xixi and An Qinghe came downstairs, Jiang Mingyuan had already taken a window-side table and was sitting there waiting.

The table was filled with local specialty breakfast foods.

Gu Xixi walked over, smiling, and said, "Brother Zi Chu, you got up so early?"

An Qinghe looked at the food on the table, concluded that Jiang Mingyuan was deliberately showing off, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Did you get up this early on purpose to block us here, afraid we'd go back on our word and leave you behind?"

Jiang Mingyuan smiled, gave Gu Xixi a seat, ignored An Qinghe's remarks, and said, "Phoenix City is large; leaving the city from here takes at least two to three hours. To save time, I ordered the food in advance."

"The fried wheat cakes are sweet, unlike what we have back home. These pan-fried leek dumplings have filling mixed with eastern seafood shrimp skins, giving them a salty-fresh flavor."

"Also, the porridge in front of you can only be found in Phoenix City. The glutinous rice porridge is cooked until extremely thick, served in half a bowl, and topped with boiling soy milk."

"There are sweet and non-sweet varieties; which bowl would you like, Miss Xixi?"

Gu Xixi looked and said, "I'll have the sweet one."

Jiang Mingyuan selected one of those bowls, placed it beside her, and carefully turned the porcelain spoon to a convenient direction.

"Be careful, it's hot."

Such thoughtful gestures, if performed by someone else, might seem overly slick or suggest ulterior motives, revealing a bit of ingratiating behavior.

But Jiang Mingyuan's actions were utterly natural, as if it were simply proper for him, with no other thoughts.

Watching him, one feels affection, thinking that a modest gentleman is nothing more than this.

Gu Xixi laughed, thanked him, picked up the spoon, stirred it, lowered her head, and took a small taste.

"Mmm, delicious."

Jiang Mingyuan also lifted his porridge bowl, smiled slightly, and said, "As long as it suits your taste."

"Try some other dishes; the local staples tend to be greasy, so I've picked some refreshing side dishes."

An Qinghe sat beside them, growing increasingly annoyed as he listened, but finding no cause to lose his temper, he could only vent by shoveling down mouthfuls of dry rice.

Jiang Mingyuan looked at An Qinghe and said, "I decided on these dishes; I wonder if Boss An can get used to them."

An Qinghe swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "When a man travels abroad, most of the time it's enough just to fill his stomach."

"So I don't understand food as well as you do, and when I talk about it I sound like I'm reciting a set of rules."

Gu Xixi gave An Qinghe a covert glare, then smoothed things over, saying, "Brother An left home young, has traveled everywhere doing business; when he's out and about, his demands for food aren't high."

An Qinghe's words carried a barb, which Jiang Mingyuan naturally heard.

He nonetheless smiled indifferently and said, "To enjoy wealth and endure hardship, Boss An has such a mindset; it's no wonder that at his young age his business is so successful."

An Qinghe froze, not expecting Jiang Mingyuan to praise him, and felt a bit embarrassed.

"You're not bad either, being able to enter the capital at such a young age to compete for the top scholar title."

Jiang Mingyuan smiled and said, "All scholars under heaven hope to see their names on the golden list; I am no exception."

"But merely wishing to become top scholar also depends on fate."

An Qinghe waved his hand, saying, "I don't understand your esoteric ways; anyway, that's the gist of it."

Afterward, everything proceeded peacefully; after the meal An Qinghe called the waiter to settle the bill, only to be told that the gentleman at their table had already paid in advance.

The waiter finished speaking and walked away, but An Qinghe still disagreed, speaking sternly to Jiang Mingyuan: "It's not like you're hosting a banquet; we merely happened to meet and decided to travel together—how can we let you pay for the meal?"

Jiang Mingyuan replied, "It's just a breakfast; Boss An, why be so formal?"

"No way," An Qinghe said, already counting out the copper coins and pushing them across the table to Jiang Mingyuan.

"Three people eating a meal, split three ways—this is my share."

Jiang Mingyuan blinked in surprise.

He had thought An Qinghe wanted to show off in front of the woman, insisting on paying the bill.

He hadn't expected An Qinghe to pay only for his own portion.

Jiang Mingyuan had never seen this split‑payment method before; he worried Gu Xixi might feel embarrassed or displeased, so he hastily glanced over.

Instead, he saw Gu Xixi calmly place a stack of copper coins on the table, equal in number to An Qinghe's.

"This is mine."

Jiang Mingyuan puzzled, "What are you doing…"

Seeing Jiang Mingyuan, a clever man, completely baffled by the commotion, An Qinghe felt pleased and explained with a smile:

"This is the EE system; Gu Xixi taught it to me. She said that when we're out on official business, unlike friends casually hanging out and treating each other, we should calculate every expense clearly."

"Whatever should be split per person ought to be split; when we live together long‑term, this prevents grudges from forming and removes the need to guess others' thoughts, thereby increasing mutual trust and closeness."

"The EE system?" Jiang Mingyuan murmured to himself.

He suddenly understood, saying, "I've learned something."

Gu Xixi felt amused inwardly; the day before departure she had already agreed with An Qinghe to adopt the AA system for the entire journey.

At first An Qinghe didn't understand, but now he is educating others about it.

The three left the inn and continued their journey.

Jiang Mingyuan rode only one horse, carrying a bundle of personal belongings and a bundle of books and writing implements needed for the exam; he was traveling light.

Gu Xixi let him put his things in the carriage for temporary storage.

Jiang Mingyuan, however, was not polite.

Gu Xixi looked at the spacious carriage, then invited, saying, "The carriage is spacious; Brother Zi Chu, why not come up and ride together with me?"

Even An Qinghe said, "You, a scholar, riding horse day after day will surely be exhausted; better to take the carriage."

Jiang Mingyuan, however, firmly declined, saying, "Having set down my bundles, I feel much lighter; there's really no need to take the carriage."

"Moreover, Boss An is personally driving the carriage, and Miss Xixi is a young lady; it's appropriate for her to ride."

"If I also sat in the carriage, that would be too rude toward Boss An."

"Rather, I'll ride my horse alongside the carriage; it will be convenient to chat casually with Boss An along the way."

An Qinghe glanced at Jiang Mingyuan and took a greater liking to this scholar.

"You're indeed a particular person; then let's go."

Actually, Jiang Mingyuan had another reason.

Men and women should not sit together after the age of three; for him to share the carriage with Miss Xixi would indeed be improper.

If people along the way saw them, it would be nothing for a grown man like him, but it could greatly harm a young lady's reputation.

They left Feng City before noon, and the countryside outside grew increasingly desolate.