Chapter 30 A mouthful of chatter

Two days later in the afternoon, a young eunuch from Qiluan Palace came to tell him that Li Dingning wanted to see him.

The meeting place was still the same old place. Chu Ran arrived early. He waited there for a while, and then Li Dingning came.

However, this time was different from the past. Li Dingning did not come alone, but brought other palace maids with him. After arriving at the place, Li Dingning sent the palace maids behind him aside and then walked towards Chu Ran.

"Cough." Li Dingning clenched his right fist, put it to his lips and coughed, saying, "I already know what you are thinking."

Chu Ran was still a little confused. What did he know?

Li Dingning saw Chu Ran's confused look, so he explained: "Fourth brother told me that you really want to serve me, right? Oh, why didn't you say it earlier? Don't you just want to go back at night? What's the big deal? If you want to go back, go back. I'm not refusing to agree. Anyway, as long as you follow me during the day and tell me stories when I want to hear them, it will be fine."

"Ah? Is that so?"

Li Dingning pouted and frowned, "What else?"

Chu Ran said, "I thought you disagreed. Because when I asked His Highness before, His Highness didn't say that."

"Then this prince naturally hopes that you can accompany me from morning to night, but if you are particularly unwilling, this prince will not force you."

"So that's how it is." Chu Ran laughed, feeling a little embarrassed, "I misunderstood. This is all a misunderstanding."

Li Dingning said, "Since it's all a misunderstanding, just clear it up. I've already told my mother, and she agrees to let you come and serve me. Tomorrow, you can come to Qiluan Palace to accompany me."

Since Li Dingning said so, Chu Ran was naturally willing.

After returning, Chu Ran told Li Fu the good news. Although Li Fu seemed as calm as ever, Chu Ran knew that Li Fu was also very happy for him.

From that day on, Chu Ran went to Qiluan Palace to take up his duty smoothly.

Being on duty in Qiluan Palace was indeed much easier than before. Li Dingning took great care of Chu Ran, and only let other palace maids do the rough and hard work in the palace, and never let Chu Ran get involved. Li Dingning's "favor" and Chu Ran's good popularity made him feel at home in the new place. In a few days, all the palace maids in Qiluan Palace became friends with Chu Ran.

The only thing that was difficult was that Li Dingning was overbearing, willful, and sometimes would get angry without reason. When Li Dingning was angry, Chu Ran had to coax him all the time until he was happy. But compared to the hard labor he had done before, this little bit of hardship was nothing to Chu Ran.

Chu Ran told himself in his heart that he was just working. The jobs he did before were all hard work that required selling labor. But now it was different. He worked in an office and could earn money with his brainpower.

As for his current job, Chu Ran feels very satisfied. It would be best if he could continue doing this.

Because of his status as a prince, Li Dingning had everything he wanted since he was a child, and basically he could get whatever he wanted, so he developed the habit of liking new things and disliking old things. He would often throw away some old things that he didn't like, but even the things that Li Dingning threw away were good things that Chu Ran couldn't get, so basically these things that Li Dingning considered "broken" would be picked up by Chu Ran.

Sometimes it was a cup, sometimes a sachet, sometimes a Shu brocade handkerchief, and sometimes some snacks made by the kitchen but that Li Dingning didn't like to eat. When Chu Ran was luckiest, he even got a jade pendant that Li Dingning carried with him.

Chu Ran put the usable things he picked up in the house for use with Li Fu, and put away the unusable ones, fantasizing that they might be useful someday in the future.

That day, Chu Ran came back earlier than usual, holding a roast duck in his hand, which was the leftover of Li Dingning's lunch. However, Li Dingning only took a bite and felt disgusted and didn't want to eat it anymore. Chu Ran thought it would be a pity to throw it away, so he brought it back.

When he came back, he saw Li Fu sitting at the desk, dipping a brush in ink and writing something on a piece of paper.

Chu Ran entered the room, and before he could put the roast duck on the table and invite Li Fu to eat with him, Li Fu had already stood up, folded the paper in his hand, and put it into his sleeve.

This was the first time Chu Ran saw Li Fu writing. "Can you write?"

After asking Chu Ran, he realized belatedly that he had asked another stupid question. Li Fu must be able to read, otherwise who would have read the box of books next to the closet?

After all, even he, who had received nine years of compulsory education, couldn't understand those books.

"What's it written? Show it to me."

"Nothing." Li Fu said, "I was bored, just practicing calligraphy. What did you bring? It smells so good."

The topic was successfully changed, and Chu Ran said with a smile: "It's roast duck, try it?"

Li Fu stretched out his hand to break the roast duck's leg, but Chu Ran immediately frowned and said disapprovingly: "Go wash your hands. You can't eat it without washing your hands."

Li Fu had no choice but to obediently walk to the basin to wash his hands.

Only after washing his hands was Li Fu allowed to sit down and eat.

Chu Ran also sat down next to him. He was not in a hurry to wash his hands, but picked up a piece of wood carving next to him and looked at it carefully.

The wood carving was of a person, a woman, wearing a skirt and with her hair tied up in a bun, but a spot on the hem of her skirt was burnt. Moreover, the carving had everything except a face.

This piece of wood carving was the one that was previously burned by Li Gaoyou with a torch.

"Who is this? Why doesn't he have a face?" Chu Ran raised the wooden sculpture in his hand and looked at Li Fu curiously.

Li Fu was concentrating on eating roast duck. His lips were covered with oil, making them look shiny. He chewed the meat in his mouth and looked at Chu Ran in silence.

Chu Ran followed with a puzzled "hmm".

Gulp, and swallow the chewed duck meat in your mouth.

"This is my mother," Li Fu said, "but I don't remember what she looks like."

Chu Ran remembered that Li Fu's mother died when Li Fu was very young, and children have the least memory. Besides, without any portrait or other things to remember her, it was normal for them to forget.

However, since he carved a wood carving of his mother, this should mean that he still missed his mother very much.

Chu Ran didn’t know how to comfort him, or maybe he didn’t need Chu Ran’s comfort at all.

Chu Ran was lost in thought when he looked down, his eyes instantly widened. Li Fu was eating too fast. He had almost eaten until only the bones were left.

"Hey, you, you, please leave some for me! I haven't eaten yet!"

Chu Ran reached out to grab the duck, but Li Fu stopped him. He said to Chu Ran in the same tone as Chu Ran had just spoken to him: "You are not allowed to eat it without washing your hands."

Chu Ran was so anxious that he quickly stood up and pointed at Li Fu and said, "Then don't finish it! Wait for me! Leave some for me! Don't finish it!"

Chu Ran shouted at Li Fu as he walked.

Li Fu kept saying "oh" on his lips, which made Chu Ran even more anxious.

At night, the only candle in the room went out. In the quiet night, Chu Ran's little mouth kept talking.

Ever since Chu Ran went to Qiluan Palace, he always had a lot to say to Li Fu when he came back.

However, Chu Ran was not originally a cool and quiet person. He didn't talk much originally simply because his life was boring. All he did every day was cleaning. His life was dull and there was nothing much to say.

But things are different now. Chu Ran has changed to a new environment, his work has become easier, and he has made many new friends. In addition, following Li Dingning, different things happen every day. Chu Ran's heavy mentality has also undergone positive changes, and his true nature has been revealed.

"The servants in Qiluan Palace are very friendly and treat me very well. Of course, the Fifth Prince treats me even better and takes very good care of me. It seems that Concubine Li doesn't like me very much. I guess Concubine Li thinks that I tell the Fifth Prince those stories all day long, which is not my job. But it's not my fault. Even if I don't tell the Fifth Prince those stories, the Fifth Prince will find a way to read books himself."

"Recently, Concubine Li is in a bad mood because the emperor has gone to Concubine Xi's place, so I have to stay away from her as much as possible to avoid her getting angry with me because of this matter."

As Chu Ran was talking, Li Fu, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked, "Why does the emperor always go to Concubine Xi's place?"

If he remembered correctly, the emperor's favorite person in the harem was Concubine Li.

"It seems that it's because Concubine Xi has learned a few songs from somewhere recently, and the emperor likes to listen to music, so he always goes to her place. But I heard that in the past, the emperor liked to come to our Qiluan Palace the most. Oh, if you think about it carefully, the women in the harem are really pitiful. They have nothing to do all day long, so they just care about competing for favor. What's the point of trying so hard to compete for favor? It's better to lie down like me, which is the most comfortable."

Suddenly, in the darkness, a sneer from Li Fu was heard.

"What? What I said was wrong?"

Chu Ran couldn't see Li Fu's expression in the darkness, but he could hear his deep voice, "If you don't fight, you might die."

After a pause, Li Fu said, "But even if you fight, you may not be able to avoid death."

Chu Ran was silent for a while.

But he was silent for only a moment, and then he started chirping again, like a sparrow standing on a branch in the morning, full of energy, and soon forgot all the words Li Fu had just said to him.

The old lady had something to do yesterday and didn't come to Chu Ran's place, but today she is free and came early with some new tea.

Because she knew that Chu Ran was on duty at Qiluan Palace, the old eunuch usually came over when Chu Ran was off duty. She came so early today, and the only person in the yard was Li Fu, who was washing clothes.

When Li Fu lived alone, his clothes were always dirty and torn, which was why Xing Ji couldn't stand it. Whenever he had time, he would clean Li Fu's dirty clothes. But Xing Ji didn't always have time, so Li Fu always wore old dirty clothes day after day, and sometimes he looked like a beggar on the street.

However, after living with Chu Ran, Chu Ran not only helped Li Fu to braid his hair and make the bed, but also occasionally did his laundry. In addition, even in such an environment, Chu Ran was still a very clean person, always keeping him and Li Fu clean. Since then, Li Fu has also slowly learned small things like washing clothes and tidying up the room. He would also help Chu Ran share some work when Chu Ran was not free.

Therefore, when the old eunuch saw Li Fu washing clothes in the yard, she was no longer surprised. She sat on his "special recliner" and began to rock comfortably.

Li Fu stopped washing clothes, turned his head and looked at the old female supervisor not far away.

Before going to bed last night, Chu Ran talked a lot with Li Fu.

To be precise, Chu Ran would talk a lot with Li Fu every night before going to bed.

But what Chu Ran said last night did let Li Fu know something. Some things Chu Ran didn't care about, but Li Fu heard something in his heart.

Chu Ran said that the emperor gave Concubine Xi a lot of pearl powder from the South China Sea yesterday. He did not give it to other concubines in the harem, but only to her. Concubine Xi was so happy and proud that she sent one box to Qiluan Palace to show off to Concubine Li. Concubine Li was really excited and didn't even eat dinner.

"Eunuch Zhao." Li Fu called him.

Zhao Zhongyi, who was drinking tea, turned his head and looked at Li Fu.

Li Fu said calmly: "Eunuch, you once served the late emperor. Do you still remember the late emperor's kindness?"

Zhao Zhongyi was silent for a moment, then he asked, "What does Your Highness want me to do?"

Li Fu said: "Father-in-law, just do me a favor, and also do Xiao Linzi a favor. Don't worry, I won't make it difficult for you."

Zhao Zhongyi looked at him for a long while and said, "Your Highness, please speak."