Chapter 930 The Genius Who Plays Dumb

Chen Jiaxin snorted coldly.

The taciturn man lowered his head slightly.

Chen Jiaxin glanced at him, seemingly preparing to turn away.

Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:

"And you, fairy, why are you here in the middle of the night? This is the warehouse of the purchasing department. Don't you remember that you are a disciple of the Five Goddesses? Why are you here in the middle of the night?"

Chen Jiaxin paused.

She straightened up, relit the tinder, and walked to Ouyang Rong.

He shone the tinderbox on his face without any expression.

He still had that dull and honest look on his face.

Chen Jiaxin nodded gently and said:

"Liu Aliang, I've noticed you're quite bold in your speech. Just like with the chicken soup incident last time, you're much bolder than Song Zhian and Yu Mili. I hope you're not pretending to be ignorant, which doesn't match your honest appearance."

"Do you have any other questions? You can ask them all at once, don't leave things unfinished."

Ouyang Rong feigned ignorance and asked in confusion:

"From what I heard, the fairy was talking to Madam Chen. They seemed to know each other very well. Why did she call you 'Miss'?"

Chen Jiaxin moved slightly closer, squinting as she examined his blank face, and asked encouragingly:

Is there anything else?

Ouyang Rong shook his head:

"This is it. I just woke up and really didn't expect to meet you, Fairy. I was just curious. Also, I didn't mean to offend you. I just told you to speak, and I didn't really understand the politeness of you civilized mortals."

"As for playing dumb... well, my friends and family often lament that my biggest flaw is that I can't play dumb. I also think that being too straightforward isn't a good thing, but it's just hard to change..."

Chen Jiaxin suddenly interrupted:

"No, being straightforward is good, provided you're genuinely straightforward."

She gazed at him, shaking the tinderbox in her hand as if it were her fingers.

The two men's shadows stretched long on the wall behind them, swaying as if a gust of wind had entered the warehouse and was whistling between them.

Chen Jiaxin nodded and said:

"Since you're curious, I'll tell you. My surname is Chen, and Madam Chen's surname is also Chen. We can't write two characters with the same stroke. Do you understand now?"

Ouyang Rong pretended to think for a moment, then nodded honestly:

"I understand, it's someone we know."

Chen Jiaxin's expression turned slightly cold as she glanced at him and said:

"Just in case you think I'm like you, stealing things in the warehouse..."

Ouyang Rong immediately retorted, "I didn't steal anything."

She ignored him, flicked her sleeve, and a box slid out and landed in her hand.

Chen Jiaxin waved the pill box in front of Ouyang Rong, her expression unchanged and her heart pounding, and said:

“My master likes a certain dish that requires special ingredients, so I came here specifically to get it. That’s why I came with Madam Chen to get the things. Here it is. Surely I don’t have to open it myself for you to see, right? Next time my master wants to eat something, I’ll have to come and report it to you on her behalf?”

Before Ouyang Rong could speak, and before he could even see the box in his hand, she had already put the pill box into her sleeve.

"Any other questions, Liu Aliang?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head:

"I would never dare. There is no need for you to ask me, Fairy. I was just asking out of curiosity. Please do not take it too seriously."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiaxin chuckled softly.

"Oh."

She turned gracefully and walked towards the warehouse door, waving her hand and tossing out a sentence:

"You'd better be straightforward. If you're going to be confused, then stay confused. My grandfather once said that the most precious thing about people is to stay confused."

He paused for a moment:

"I'll remember you, Liu Aliang..."

Ouyang Rong stood still, watching the suspicious young woman's figure disappear into the distance.

After Chen Jiaxin completely left.

He let out a long sigh, looked down and touched the bamboo tube, which had some sweat from his palms on it.

Ouyang Rong exchanged another glance with the little ink spirit who had poked its head out.

Her little face lit up with anticipation, and she muttered something to stir things up:

"Little Rongzi, why don't you two fight? All this testing and probing is driving this fairy crazy! I love watching you fight with women..."

"Shut up."

Miao Si urged:

“You even beat up the Great Queen of Yunmeng and didn’t tolerate it, and now you’re still putting up with this little wench? If the two of us join forces, we can hang her up and whip her.”

"Say less, you're just stirring up trouble. Besides, I can hang her up and whip her even without you. This isn't the place to talk, let's go back."

Ouyang Rong flicked Miao Si's little head back with his finger, covered his sleeve tightly, and quickly left the storeroom.

In the distance, the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

...

Early the next morning.

Ouyang Rong went out, dressed in the clothes of a purchasing agent, ready to go to purchase a house.

His eyelids were drooping, and he didn't look well. He hadn't rested much since returning last night, spending most of his time reviewing what he had done on his trip down the mountain, as well as the secret of Chen Jiaxin that he had accidentally stumbled upon last night.

After eavesdropping in the warehouse, he discovered that it wasn't what he expected; it was all trivial "little things." He even awkwardly got involved and bumped into Chen Jiaxin face-to-face, forced to catch her red-handed...

I should have known better than to pry into Madam Chen's secret last night out of curiosity.

Ouyang Rong was most afraid that after Chen Jiaxin returned, she would become increasingly resentful and would retaliate against him endlessly.

I don't know if my handling of the situation last night counts as passing the test.

Ouyang Rong walked out of the courtyard gate, his expression somewhat lost in thought.

"Brother Liang!"

The sound of a woman's joy came from next door.

Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw Li Wan holding a basin of water, standing on the clothesline to hang clothes. When she saw him, she looked pleasantly surprised.

He greeted him politely:

Good morning, Madam Li.

Li Wan asked with a smile:

"When did you return? I didn't see you."

Ouyang Rong calmly said:

"I returned late last night, I hope I didn't disturb you, Madam."

Li Wan nodded and looked at him with a smile:

"It's good that you're back safely. I'll just say a few words when I turn around. Now that you're all back, let's have a meal together and get together. You young people should chat more."

"Mmm...okay."

Ouyang Rong was originally prepared to give it a perfunctory answer, but for some reason, he agreed without thinking.

He glanced at Li Wan's smiling face.

Although he knew that the noblewoman was so kind and friendly to him because her sister was Aqing.

But when he thought about the things he had taken from Lu's ancestral graves, or the things he was about to take from them, he felt a little embarrassed.

Before leaving, Ouyang Rong asked again:

"By the way, Madam Li, while I was away, did anyone come looking for me? Did Aqing come back?"

Li Wan seemed to recall for a moment, then shook her head:

"No, no one has come looking for you. Oh, that waitress named Wu Cui, she did ask about you a few days ago when I was washing clothes by the river. I answered truthfully and said that you were still working as a handyman in the purchasing department and had recently gone down the mountain."

She paused, blinked, and teased Ou Rongrong, who seemed lost in thought.

"What, you two are dating? She's so concerned about you."

Ouyang Rong didn't find it funny. After a moment of silence, he said softly:

"Perhaps it's because we share the same plight, and we feel a sense of sympathy for each other, so we naturally exchange a few words of concern."

Li Wan also suppressed her smile, shook her head, and changed the subject:

"Brother Liang asked if Miss Qing had returned, was he actually worried that we might let something slip and let her know about your affairs, and then she would get involved?"

Ouyang Rong glanced at the understanding and perceptive noblewoman, but did not respond.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"I'll take my leave now; I need to go and purchase a house."

"good."

Ouyang Rong left under Li Wan's watchful gaze.

When they arrived at the purchasing room, everything seemed normal, and Madam Chen showed no unusual reaction.

Aside from the hard labor of going down the mountain, purchasing was a relatively easy job. It mainly involved guarding the warehouse or helping Madam Chen check the goods.

Ouyang Rong spent the entire day working normally.

What happened with Chen Jiaxin last night is as if it never happened...

And so, another day passed.

The next day, Ouyang Rong went on duty as usual.

After yesterday's busy work, he has become somewhat familiar with the job of purchasing houses.

The ingredients for lunch and dinner at the various canteens in Jianze all need to be delivered by the purchasing staff. Every morning, the canteen staff will compile a list and send someone over. They just need to go to the warehouse to pick up the goods according to the list.

I was busy until the afternoon, when I finally had a little more free time. Since there weren't many ingredients to prepare for dinner, I could relax and take it easy in the afternoon.

After a midday break, Ouyang Rong and several other servants went to the storeroom in small groups to take inventory of the ingredients.

Ouyang Rong spoke very little along the way, and his other colleagues, used to his taciturn nature, did not try to strike up a conversation.

As he approached the warehouse, Ouyang Rong looked up.

I recalled the scene from the night before last when Chen Jiaxin and he bumped into each other.

"Mmm mmm mmm."

While I was lost in thought, a familiar nasal sound suddenly came from beside me, each "uh" a different tone.

Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw a short-legged little girl standing by a tree by the roadside, her hands behind her back, looking at him expectantly.

It's Li Shu.

He paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.

Li Shu jumped up and waved at him: "Hmm!"

It seemed as if she was holding a thin thread in her hand.

While Ouyang Rong hesitated, the other servants exchanged glances and quickened their pace in unison, heading to the storeroom before Ouyang Rong could arrive.

The space was left.

Seeing this, Ouyang Rong didn't hide anymore and stepped forward.

"What is it, little fairy?"

Li Shu didn't say anything nice. She ran around him once, seemingly sizing him up.

At the same time, she was dragging something behind her.

Only then did Ouyang Rong realize that it was a camellia chicken, being led by the neck with a thin thread by Li Shu.

I must be the unluckiest person today, running into this abstract little girl.

Ouyang Rong silently prayed for the camellia chicken.

He suddenly turned to Li Shu and asked:

"How did the little fairy know I was back?"

Li Shu giggled, revealing a tooth that was missing a front tooth:

"Yes, someone told me that."

Ouyang Rong said in surprise:

"The little fairy even has eyeliner?"

The little girl waved her hand, looking quite modest.

"There's nothing I can do, I'm popular. Liu Aliang, don't be envious. This whole area is my territory. Everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the water knows me..."

Ouyang Rong glanced at the half-bald, molting chicken that she had been dragging all the way, but offered no comment.

Li Shu tilted her head and asked:

"Liu Aliang, do you remember what I said last time?"

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, nodded, and tried to learn the Dao:

"Mmm?"

Li Shu waved her hand: "No, no, not that sentence, it's the one about loyalty."

Ouyang Rong nodded, his reaction indifferent:

"oh."

Looking around, he prepared to slip away.

Li Shu followed behind him, shaking her head and speaking like a little scholar:

"Your chance has come, and I also deserve credit for it."

Ouyang Rong was puzzled:

"What opportunity?"

Li Shu generously raised her hand and stuffed the thin thread of the camellia chicken into his hand, somewhat impatiently:

"Here, go make a pot of chicken soup. Don't say I'm disloyal; whenever there's something good, you're always the first person I think of."

Ouyang Rong: ...

Without saying a word, he turned and left.

"Hey hey."

Li Shu, leading the camellia chicken, caught up with him: "Why are you walking so fast?"

Ouyang Rong nodded expressionlessly.

"The little fairy is really craving food. You can go to the dining hall first and wait for dinner."

Li Shu bit her thumb and smacked her lips, saying:

"We can talk about dinner later, your business is more important."

Ouyang Rong nodded.

Yeah, you're probably hoping I'm dead.

"Please step aside, little fairy. I have work to do and I'm not as free as you."

Having said that, he strode toward the warehouse.

Li Shu, holding the camellia chicken by the hand, followed him closely, never leaving his side.

Ouyang Rong shook his head and walked ahead, ignoring him.

You can't fall into the same hole twice.

This little brat is ridiculous. Does she think he's a fish with only a seven-second memory?

The two arrived at the warehouse, one after the other.

Ouyang Rong didn't give the tagalong Li Shu another chance to speak. He walked straight through the gate and started helping his colleagues count the ingredients.

By the time these tasks were finished, most of the afternoon had passed, and it was almost time to prepare dinner for each of the dining halls.

At the entrance of the warehouse, a cook was pulling a cart, having come to collect ingredients.

Ouyang Rong had almost finished his work, and finally lent a hand, moving the ingredients to the doorway and piling them up...

After he finished doing all that, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Li Shu hadn't left.

A little girl and a chicken were circling in the grass not far ahead.

Upon closer inspection, she appeared to be walking a camellia chicken, leading it around like a dog, catching insects in the grass.

Whether it was patiently waiting for his "good friend" to finish his shift and make soup, it blocked his only way.

At this time in the past, Li Shu would usually be at each of the dining halls, inspecting the food one by one.

Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly.

As if sensing Ouyang Rong's gaze, the little girl, who had almost spun around until she was dizzy, turned her head and gave him a bright smile. Her white teeth were missing a front tooth, and with a chicken in her hand, the scene was a little comical.

Ouyang Rong pretended not to see it and prepared to leave, taking a longer route home.

Just then, Madam Chen arrived, her eyes scanning her subordinates' work, while saying to Ouyang Rong:

"Liu Aliang, someone is looking for you."

"who?"

Without Chen Da Niangzi's reply, a group of familiar figures walked towards him.

"Brother Liu!"

It was Sha Ergou's enthusiastic, loud voice.

Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw Song Zhian, Sha Ergou, Yu Mili and their group.

Li Wan and Lu Jinghong followed behind.

It's quite a rare sight to see so many people in one frame.

Since the last time Li Wan led them to deliver food and caught Lu Jinghong "lying about his master," Lu Jinghong has rarely appeared in the same frame as Sha Ergou.

Where Sha Ergou is, he is nowhere to be found.

I would avoid it whenever I saw it, as if I had encountered my nemesis...

(End of this chapter)