Chapter 46 Fire
Su Jingwen immediately picked up Qiuqiu and, along with the other two, rushed out with Dong Xiao.
When they arrived at an open space, they found their mother and the others already waiting there.
"Mom, where's the fire?"
Yun Jinglan helped the flustered Su Jingwen up, opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
How could such a large area only have one corner of the bamboo grove catch fire?
They rushed out in great haste, only to be surprised to find that the haystack was on fire.
"The weather is dry, so be careful with fire."
Su Jingwen and Qiuqiu exchanged a glance, and the little guy guiltily looked away.
What are you looking at? Little Chick doesn't know!
What did Chiu Chiu just say? Burn it all? There's a haystack in the bamboo grove?
This is a big deal!
Su Jingwen handed Qiuqiu to his mother and ran away.
"Mom, hold Qiuqiu for now. I'll be right back!"
Yun Jinglan, holding Qiuqiu, tried to grab the flustered Su Jingwen, but her other hand grasped only empty air: "Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back!"
【Our brother doesn't want us anymore!】
Yun Jinglan withdrew her concerned gaze and tapped Qiuqiu's forehead with her hand. This little guy is just talking nonsense.
"Chuchu, my dear brother must have something important to do."
Chiu Chiu gave her mother a strange look: "How important is it? Are you going to stuff your homework into the fire?"
Oh, wait a minute. My brother didn't do his homework today!
Hehe, Mom and Dad don't know, so let's just burn it.
Su Xiucheng: Family members, you're all drenched in sweat!
Yun Jinglan: Now I understand!
The fire in the bamboo grove was actually limited to a small area, and the servants discovered it in time and extinguished it before it could cause a major disaster.
The original site was burned beyond recognition, and only a patch of charred, withered grass could be discerned.
"Strange, what was originally placed here? Why are there so many weeds?"
"I don't remember either. It seems like Granny Qin put it here a while ago. Then she died, and I forgot about it."
"Oh, do you think it's Granny Qin who's back?"
"Pah! What nonsense are you spouting during the New Year!"
"I am..."
"Who are you?"
"Young Master!"
Su Jingwen hid behind him again, avoiding the sudden appearance of Qiao Muyang.
What is this person doing here?
With his back to Su Jingwen, Qiao Muyang glanced at the burnt haystack and frowned: "How did it suddenly catch fire?"
The two servants smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
How could they know why there was a fire? Nobody comes here usually, who would have noticed? Besides, the key was still with Granny Zhang, how could they have known?
Qiao Muyang's face was cold, and he raised his head slightly, seemingly disdainful of dealing with these two servants: "You servants are not concerned about your master's affairs, you should be punished!"
One of them protested, "Young Master, we really don't know what happened. When we found it, there was already thick smoke rising from here. And the fire wasn't big, it didn't burn anything."
"Nothing was burned? Ha, every single tree and blade of grass in this Marquis's mansion is precious. Does it need a servant like you to judge whether something is expensive or not?"
"Young Master..."
He was about to say something when someone next to him tugged at him, signaling him to shut up.
“Young Master is right. It is our servants who have not done their job properly. We will go to the steward to receive our punishment later. Please forgive us, Young Master.”
Qiao Muyang pretended to straighten his cuffs, then instructed the two men, "Get rid of these things as soon as possible. Be careful, or the old lady will scold you and you'll be in big trouble!"
"Since they are just withered grass, let's bury them to provide nutrients for the trees in the garden."
"Yes, young master."
For some reason, even though Qiao Muyang had his back to Su Jingwen, he could still sense how much importance Qiao Muyang placed on that pile of ashes.
However, this person only talked about it and didn't actually do anything. After confirming that the two were indeed cleaning up the waste, he left.
"Brother Zhang, this has nothing to do with us, so why is Young Master punishing us?"
The man called Brother Zhang scoffed, "Calling him 'Young Master' really makes him think he's some kind of master. That's just how he is, don't pay him any mind. Let's just do our thing, the butler knows what kind of person he is, he won't punish us."
"Really?" This person must have only been at the manor for a short time, and is still a bit timid. "But I think the old lady really likes the young master, even more than she likes the other young masters in our manor!"
Brother Zhang: "What good is the old lady's liking? This mansion belongs to our Marquis, and the surname is Su, and for generations to come, it will be the surname Su. Can the old lady change the surname of our mansion to Qiao, no matter how much she likes it?"
"Hahaha, you actually believed that young master was making a big deal out of nothing. Alright, hurry up and clean this up, or he'll cause trouble again."
It was clear that Brother Zhang had long harbored resentment towards Qiao Muyang, as he was grumbling and cursing.
Su Jingwen came out when he saw that they had packed up the pile of waste and were preparing to bury it as Qiao Muyang had instructed.
"Is this the pile of dry hay that just caught fire?"
"Third...Third Young Master?" Brother Zhang, "What brings you here?"
Su Jingwen appeared much more composed, and chuckled softly: "My study is close by, so I came over to check as soon as I saw the thick smoke, fearing something might happen."
"Just now there was thick smoke, and only these things caught fire?"
Brother Zhang slapped his thigh, also amazed: "That's right! Third Young Master, I brought such a big bucket of water just now, but who knew that with just a small flame, two buckets of water would be enough. You've made a wasted trip."
Su Jingwen: "The fire wasn't big, so it's good that no one was hurt. Are you going to throw these away now?"
Brother Zhang: "Young Master instructed us to bury it in the garden."
"The garden is buried?" Su Jingwen frowned, seemingly struggling with something.
Brother Zhang, being observant, immediately pressed, "Third Young Master, is there something amiss?"
Su Jingwen deliberately tried to scare them: "The green plum blossoms in the garden were cultivated by someone hired by my grandfather, and several precious peonies were transplanted in the summer. They are usually taken care of by someone. If you bury waste materials carelessly and something happens... I'm afraid my grandfather will blame you!"
The two looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Qiao Muyang was so vindictive; if he found out they hadn't obeyed, he would definitely try to make things difficult for them in front of the old lady, and they would be punished again.
You're pleasing neither side!
Su Jingwen, aware of their current predicament, considerately suggested, "I've just learned how to grow flowers, why don't you send them to me? If Cousin Qiao asks, it'll all come back the same way, and you'll have an explanation to give. What do you say?"
"Young Master is clever!" Brother Zhang readily agreed. When the old lady asked, he would say that it was the Third Young Master who took it. Anyway, it was the master's business, so the servants couldn't be blamed!
“Then send it to me. But Cousin Qiao has been in a bad mood lately, so you'd better not tell anyone. Otherwise, they might use this as a pretext to make trouble, and you’ll lose your monthly pay.”
"Yes, yes, yes, the Third Young Master is so thoughtful!"
Watching the two walk away, Su Jingwen curled his lip.
However, anything that Qiao Muyang would personally inquire about must be extraordinary!
It might be a mind-altering herb!
But why would bewitching plants appear in Grandmother's yard?
(End of this chapter)
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