Chapter 15: Days Passing Like Years

The phoenix chick returned to the Governor's Mansion three months later. Although only three months had passed, Jiaoran had already fully experienced the feeling of living every day like a year.

At the hour of Mao, I dressed the young master and served him washing, brushing his teeth and eating.

At noon, he accompanied the young master to Qingbi Garden to paint, and sent him out of the garden before leaving.

I waited until Si time to pick up the young master for lunch, and the young master studied from Wei time until You time.

When everyone is asleep in the evening, send the young master to his bedroom to sleep.

If there are no other arrangements, every day will pass like this.

In this mansion, everything was like an instrument born from the Mohist mechanical techniques, with precise coordination and gears turning. Jiaoran even felt that if the woman named Ranhong had not withdrawn, she would have been completely unable to insert herself into this instrument.

So what do they look like?

One year, a group of puppeteers arrived in Mianyuan to control puppets. Those puppets were clearly made of bamboo, wood, and leather, but their movements were no different from those of ordinary people under the manipulation of the puppeteers. By the end, Jiaoran even felt that the puppeteers were part of the puppets. Weren't the people in this mansion also puppets?

But the only person holding the reins is the governor.

That day, the young master had just returned from Qingbi Garden. It was still a little chilly when he went out in the morning. Jiaoran put a coat on him. As soon as he came back, he threw the coat to Jiaoran and said, "It's so hot. I told you not to wear it when I went out."

Jiaoran was making tea for him. There was no one else in the room. Xiaoju and others were busy in the kitchen. She always kept an eye on what the young master was eating.

After the spring, there were more flowers, and the old woman who often cooked in the small kitchen of Siyu Garden fell ill. She could not smell the fragrance of flowers too often, but there were many flowering trees in Siyu Garden. She often fell ill at this time of year in previous years and hid in her room and did not come out.

Jiaoran took off the clothes on his head and said, "I almost spilled the tea. Can't you just put it aside?"

He walked over and sat in front of Jiaoran, "I'm thirsty."

Jiaoran was speechless. Wasn't he just making tea?

Seeing Jiaoran didn't say anything, he carefully took the clothes and said, "I'm sorry, I meant to throw it next to you, not on your head."

"Yeah." She responded absentmindedly.

Jiao Ran stood up and said, "Sir, drink up. I'll go see if the food is ready."

"Hey, wait."

"What's wrong?"

"How's your writing going on with the words I asked you to write yesterday?"

Jiaoran ran away before he finished listening, "Let's talk about it later."

There was a woodshed behind the small kitchen. As soon as Jiaoran arrived at the door, Susu pushed him to go with Changchuan and several other servants to fetch firewood.

"How could a girl be kicked out to carry firewood with us? Madam Jiaoran, are you being ostracized by the girls?" a servant asked with concern.

"Really?" She didn't think so herself.

"Why can't a girl carry firewood? I have plenty of strength." Jiaoran said.

Jiaoran would rather carry him a few more times than go back as soon as possible. The young master had been teaching her calligraphy repeatedly during this time, teaching her twenty characters and a short poem every day. She would check the next day and hand in the poem she had memorized. This was her biggest headache.

From childhood to adulthood, her mother had never watched her write like this. She said that books are the golden house, but she never saw a single ounce of gold after flipping through the books.

It’s best to wait until he finishes eating before going back. By then he will need to take a nap, which is a good opportunity to avoid it.

"Madam Jiaoran, just one more hug will do. Go back and serve the young master. The food is ready."

Jiao Ran quickly grabbed the servants and said, "No, no, let me hold them. I'll hold a few more and then go back."

"Damn it! I've never seen a maid who likes to do rough work like this." Several people whispered and left.

Jiaoran picked up firewood slowly, picked it up and put it down, put it down and picked it up again.

After waiting for half an hour, she finally came out of the woodshed.

A small cart carrying vegetables to and from the mansion was coming towards them. A man wearing a bamboo hat was standing behind the cart and said, "Make way, my lady."

Jiaoran said okay and stood back on the threshold of the woodshed.

But the man pushed the cart to the side of the alley, and a cabbage rolled out from the back of the cart. He looked around and turned around, "You can't even recognize your brother?"

Jiaoran was startled and quickly looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, he pulled him into the woodshed and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I'm fine in the capital, so I came to see you. How are you doing?"

Jiao Ran shook his head. "The Phoenix chick hasn't reunited with me yet. Anyway, I've been here day after day, and haven't done anything serious."

"Is there anything wrong with the young master you serve?"

"Mu Jin? What could be wrong with him? He's just a sickly young man from a noble family who has never left his house. He only knows how to read books and recite poems. A gust of wind could blow him down."

Jiaoran thought of something, "Oh, that's right, it's a bit strange."

"Let me hear you."

"Once, his hand was clearly bruised from a bump, but he insisted it was frostbite. I saw it was getting better, but within a few days, it was injured again. I think he fell and injured his palm and phalanges, or maybe he was hit by something. But I can't figure it out. If he was hit by a piece of wood or bamboo, how could he, with such delicate skin, not have a single scratch on his palm?"

"Such a small matter is not worth mentioning. I mean, is he hiding something from you, such as his extraordinary powers, but deliberately hiding them?"

Jiaoran burst out laughing, "He... he's a weak patient, haha ​​..."

"In short, don't show your true colors when you interact with others."

"My fists and feet are not good enough, how can I show my true colors?"

"That's true," he said.

Jiao Ran asked him, "What about you? How did you get in?"

"It wasn't easy. I gave some money to a clerk who often went to the palace to buy food. When he went to gamble, I always accompanied him and helped him. After a while, I became a porter."

"No one doubts you?" Jiaoran was worried.

Bu Yue was unhappy. "Why can't you trust me, your senior brother, a little more? After all, I've been out there for a few years. I tell you, there's no one who doesn't like me."

"You're so smooth-talking, anyone with ears would probably be fooled by you."

Jiao Ran said as he was about to leave, "Don't stay any longer, be careful of anything going wrong."

Bu Yue stepped forward to stop her, "I have something to discuss."

"What's wrong?" Jiaoran asked him.

Bu Yue fumbled around her waist and said, "Give me some money, Senior Brother."

"When we left, didn't mother give each of us fifty taels?"

"That little bit of silver is nothing." He touched Jiaoran's purse.

"I'll borrow your help, Senior Brother."

"No, I just got paid, you give it back to me, I won't lend it to you."

"Hey, we're all family, why are you being so formal?"

Jiaoran was so angry that his stomach hurt, and he tried to snatch it back.

Bu Yue walked straight to the side and poured out all the silver in her purse.

Jiaoran kicked out from under her skirt and kicked Bu Yue in the waist.

Bu Yue was not panicked either. He knew clearly how capable his junior sister was. He threw the purse with his right hand, calmly received her kick with his left hand, and threw himself forward. He expected that Jiaoran would fall on her back like before, with her arms and legs spread out.

But after he caught Jiaoran's flying foot, his foot on the ground flew up at the same time. He had not expected Jiaoran to have such a trick, so he let down his guard and was pecked in the eye by the eagle.

When did this useless little sister learn the continuous kicking technique? The second kick flew up and kicked him hard, and she also pulled back the leg that was pulled and landed steadily on the ground.

"Who taught you that?" he asked.

Jiao Ran was puzzled. "Teach me what?"

"Your leg skills are much more agile than before, haven't you noticed?"