Chapter 3 The Amazing Lychee Garden (Part 3) When did she grow up to be this big...?

Not far from the edge of the woods was the residence of Master Lin. This Master Lin, whose real name was Lin Mo, was originally the son of a wealthy family. He was living alone here due to illness. He had been bedridden for several days due to his serious illness and was feeling restless. As soon as he felt better, he couldn't stay in bed anymore and kept pacing back and forth in front of the door, thinking about the medicine boy he had just seen in the kitchen.

Hehe, she's not some medicine boy at all. He's used to frequenting brothels and can recognize her even if she's hiding her face. She's clearly a young woman!

Judging from her features, she must be quite beautiful. Perfect, he's been cooped up in this lychee garden for days, and he's been feeling lonely and restless. He doesn't know whose woman she is, wandering in here. Why bother with her? Anyway, the Lin family is rich. He can just have some fun with her, and afterwards he'll only have to pay her family a few extra taels of silver.

Just as he was making his plans, he saw the two of them enter through the cave entrance. He hurriedly greeted them with a smile, but upon seeing Du Zhong, his expression immediately turned cold. "What are you doing here? Meddling."

Du Zhong chuckled and said, "He's new here and doesn't know the way, so I'll lead him here."

Lin Mo casually gave him some money, which Du Zhong accepted. Seeing Jiu Li secretly wink at him, he had no choice but to leave, glancing back several times. Not daring to go far, he found a stick inside the fence outside the cave entrance, then turned back and hid in the corner of the corridor, planning that if he heard Jiu Li cry for help, he would rush in without hesitation and beat that Lin fellow to a pulp!

Just as Jiuli put down her basket, Lin Mo closed the door and walked behind her, his eyes scanning her from top to bottom up to her waist and hips. Looking at those exquisite curves, it would be strange if she weren't a woman!

He chuckled and tilted his head to rest on her shoulder. "Whose are you? Whose pharmacy is hiring a clerk, and they're hiring a woman?"

Jiuli turned around and blinked. "You can tell I'm a woman?"

Lin Mo smiled a little wider, "You can fool others, but you can't fool me. I've been through countless women in my life, and I've probably seen more women than you've walked roads. If you still can't see through me, you might as well just gouge out my eyes."

Jiuli glanced at him while opening the basket to take out the medicine. "What flower garden? Is it the brothel people talk about?"

"Oh, it seems you're still an inexperienced young lady." Lin Mo's smile grew even more wicked. "Since you're a young lady, why aren't you sitting comfortably in your boudoir? What are you doing doing odd jobs here? How much do I pay you? Why don't you come work as a maid in my house? I guarantee you'll earn more than doing odd jobs and running errands in the pharmacy." As he spoke, he reached out to pull off the white cloth covering her face. "Let me see your face. Maybe I can even guarantee you a life of plenty for the next generation."

Jiuli quickly stepped back and placed the medicine bowl in front of him, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Just take your medicine first."

Lin Mo took the bowl, even more pleased, "It seems you've seen some of the world, you're not afraid at all, you've got guts."

"What should I be afraid of? Afraid of you? What is there to be afraid of about you?"

"Little girl, you've got quite the nerve. Didn't your parents teach you that a young lady should keep her distance from men?"

She had no parents, and the old lady never taught her these things. Yu Qi and she certainly wouldn't discuss these matters. Her foster mother, Feng, had mentioned it before, but in the countryside, there weren't so many formalities. In fact, she had grown up with Du Zhong, so while she knew about the differences between men and women, she didn't really understand them.

She pouted, "If you should avoid me, and you know I'm a girl, why did you still ask me to bring you medicine?"

"Don't you understand?" Lin Mo leaned close to her neck and sniffed, pouting, almost touching her skin.

"Aren't you afraid my family will cause you trouble?"

Lin Mo said smugly, "You don't even know what kind of family the Lin family is. To tell you the truth, even if we cause a huge disaster, I'm not afraid. There's nothing in this world that money can't solve."

Jiuli stepped aside and slowly walked towards the window. She thought to herself, "That damned bastard isn't ignorant of reason; he knowingly violates the law. Judging from his tone, he's probably done plenty of things like using money to intimidate others!"

She disliked him even more, thinking to herself that he was being treated leniently by having diarrhea. She turned around and smiled slightly at him, "I understand, I understand."

"Good! You're on the right track!" He chuckled and chased after her, thinking that this girl was not like other girls, who were not easily surprised, so he was not in a hurry. Judging from her appearance, she probably wouldn't run away. Good things take time, so he might as well let her wait a little longer; it would be a different kind of fun.

Time was running out, and suddenly his stomach growled, and his intestines began to churn painfully. He was in a hurry to go out to relieve himself, but before leaving, he didn't forget to tell him, "I'll be right back. You wait for me inside. You'll get your reward."

Watching him run out, Jiuli quickly packed up her basket and went out as well. When she met Du Zhong, he asked if she had suffered any loss inside. She calmly shook her head, glancing back at the cave entrance. "I see there's another large room on the east side inside, also occupied by this Master Lin?"

Du Zhong chuckled dismissively. "The man living in the east room is surnamed Guan. He's a wealthy man. Luckily, he's somewhere out right now, otherwise, running into him would be really troublesome."

Jiuli also said with disgust, "Is there anyone more hateful than this Lin fellow?"

"That man surnamed Guan recovered from his illness a few days ago, but he's still refusing to move back home. Why do you think that is?"

"Why? Is it better here than at home? I don't see even a maidservant here."

Du Zhong laughed twice, “If we’re talking about seeking pleasure, where at home can you find such a good deal as here? The rooms on the west side of the garden are all occupied by female patients, some old and some young, some respectable and some prostitutes. They say they’re looked after by the yamen runners, but even after they take their money, they still secretly let them take advantage of the situation.”

Jiuli was somewhat skeptical when he heard him speak so maliciously. How could such a small lychee orchard, established and managed by the government, have such messy affairs? It was probably just a rumor. Anyway, when people gather together, they'll make up something to say even if they have nothing to say.

After returning to the kitchen and eating a few bites with Du Zhong, Jiu Li still lingered and refused to leave. Fortunately, before leaving, she left a note for the housekeeper, saying that she was going with Du Zhong to Liyuan to visit Yu Qi. She figured they wouldn't be in a hurry to look for her, so she thought she would wait a little longer, but she didn't know exactly what she was waiting for.

Before she knew it, the rain had intensified, and she had even more excuse to stay. The sky was dark but not completely black. A woman was left on night duty in the kitchen, and the servants extinguished their stoves and went back to their respective rooms to rest.

There are three rooms in this courtyard, where four or five people sleep together. Since Yu Qi has a separate room, Du Zhong doesn't have to squeeze in with these people and sleeps in Yu Qi's room.

But he couldn't go there, and he couldn't rest here either. So he could only pull Jiuli along and complain quietly under the eaves, "Look, I told you not to come back earlier. Now we're in trouble. It's not easy to hire a carriage. I wonder where we can find an umbrella. It's okay if you get a little wet. Let me take you home first."

Jiuli leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back, watching the rain outside the eaves. She wasn't in a hurry. She thought of many years ago when she and Yuqi had just returned to their two thatched cottages in the countryside of Suzhou. It was a similarly cold, rainy night, the roof was leaking, and a dim oil lamp was lit. Yuqi was sitting cross-legged on the hard bed, calculating with an abacus. Although he was silent, the wooden beads tapped and clattered, each sound crisp and clear, like the tinkling of raindrops, making the rain outside sound melodious.

At that time, they had just finished a year of wandering. Yu Qi put the abacus aside, looked up and looked around at the thatched cottage, and said, "This is my hometown. I was originally from Suzhou."

His voice held a bitter laugh; he was clearly reluctant to return to his hometown. He had a young daughter with him and couldn't continue wandering. He was forced to settle down. She was probably three years old and couldn't understand much. She felt his tone was still as cold as ever, but at that moment she understood that once she settled down, she would no longer be in danger of being abandoned by him.

That night, when Grandma Yu came to hug her, she refused to go with her and stayed on his lap, feeling exceptionally at ease.

Suddenly, a white silk lantern appeared at the courtyard gate, followed by a person carrying an umbrella who stepped across the threshold and stood there, looking towards Jiu Li from afar. Jiu Li smiled ambiguously and nudged Du Zhong with his elbow.

Du Zhong looked over and immediately turned pale. He hesitated and went to the courtyard gate, his voice getting softer and softer as he spoke, "Master, it's raining, so... so we couldn't leave for a while."

Yu Qi didn't blame him. He glanced at him, handed him an umbrella, and then looked towards the eaves. Du Zhong understood and quickly opened the umbrella to fetch Jiu Li, then followed him back to his house.

In the northwest corner of the lychee garden, several rooms were specially prepared for the doctors who had treated the patients to stay temporarily. Yu Qi was the most respected, and he was personally invited by Zhao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel of Southern Zhili, so he was given some preferential treatment and lived in a superior room by himself.

The main room was divided into two rooms, east and west, which were the previous decorations of the Li family. However, the rooms were simple. Apart from a bed in the gauze-covered cabinet on the east side, there was a set of desk and chair in the main room, and no other furniture.

It looked like the rain was going to continue, so the bed was naturally given to Jiuli. Du Zhong originally wanted to sleep on the floor under the bed, but as soon as the mattress was laid out, Yu Qi instructed from under the gauze curtain, "Zhong'er, go to sleep in the west inner room."

Jiuli followed Du Zhong into the west room to look around. The walls were bare, it was rarely inhabited, and it was freezing cold. She then stepped back into the main room, pouting, "This room has no human presence at all. Aren't you afraid he'll get sick from sleeping in it?"

Yu Qi sat in the chair, pondering the prescription, without even looking at her. "Stop worrying about others and mind your own business." He paused, then said coldly, "You're seventeen this year, and you're still fooling around with Du Zhong."

A seventeen-year-old girl should know the difference between men and women. It was fine for her and Du Zhong to tease each other in the Suzhou countryside; their family and neighbors had all watched them grow up. But now that they're in Nanjing, surrounded by strangers, she should change her behavior.

At this time, Jiuli was sensitive about people mentioning her age, because it was often followed by the comment, "It's time to find a good family."

She carefully considered her words, trying to prove she was still young, hoping to delay as long as possible. She wasn't afraid of getting married, only of leaving the Yu family. Strangely, although she wasn't related to the Yu family by blood, it seemed there was a connection deeper than blood ties.

Hearing Du Zhong chuckle in the west room, and even argue with her, "I'm strong and healthy, unlike you!"

Jiuli turned around and glared at him. She walked to the table and saw that Yu Qi was still writing with his head down and not looking at her. So she picked up the inkstone next to her and smiled in a deliberately ingratiating way, "I'll grind the ink for you."

She was writing in a hurry, and the table wasn't very stable, so she accidentally knocked Yu Qi's handwriting askew. He looked up at her, pen in hand, his gaze imposing and intimidating. "Why aren't you at home? What are you doing here causing trouble?"

She was somewhat afraid of him, yet not entirely afraid. Although he had never hit her, she vaguely remembered that when she was a child, he had abandoned her once on the road, probably because he thought she was a burden. It never happened again, but a shadow always hung over her heart, so she was afraid of making him angry.

Strangely enough, sometimes she likes to provoke him and enjoys hearing people say, "Second Master just can't do anything with you."

"I can't sit still at home." She put down the inkstone and trimmed the lamp wick again. "Uncle, you said this afternoon you would find someone to watch over me. Are you serious?"

Yu Qi put down his pen, looked at her with a half-smile, and said, "It's about finding someone to serve you."

Jiuli walked to the chair and sat down in a huff, muttering, "I don't want anyone to serve me. Aunt Qing is enough to cook and do laundry in that house. I don't need anyone to serve me tea or water."

Although there were some servants in the countryside, it was because the house was too big to accommodate them. Jiu Li wasn't a delicate young lady, and the maid beside her was merely a playmate. Yu Qi looked at her for a while, then picked up his pen again, "We'll discuss this later."

Seeing that his attitude had softened, she quickly and sweetly presented him with a teacup, saying, "Uncle, please have some tea."

His gaze was about to sweep across her smiling face, but it involuntarily lingered there. He frowned slightly, unable to recall when she had grown so tall. Back in the countryside, she was cared for by her grandmother, and he was busy going out to see doctors every few days, so he hadn't paid much attention to her.

It was as if she had grown into such a beautiful young woman overnight. Standing before him, a flame ignited in her once innocent and fearful eyes, making the dampness on his body feel warm.

He felt a little uncomfortable and glanced indifferently at the table. "Leave it there. I know how to drink it."

A note from the author:

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Thank you for reading.