Chapter 4 A Burning Heart "You specifically went to find out what I like to eat?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Yu paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what she had said, and her face flushed crimson. She quickly pulled away from Lu Xiuyi's embrace, retreating half a meter away before lowering her head and shaking her head.
Lu Xiuyi's eyes were filled with frost: "What do you mean by shaking your head? I don't understand. Don't you know how to write? Take out your notebook and write something for me to see."
Meng Yu lowered her head and bit her lower lip, suppressing her anger.
He was asking a question he already knew the answer to. Her notebook was clearly with him, so how could she possibly produce it?
After pondering for a moment, Meng Yu was truly indignant. She turned around, picked up the brush and ink on the desk, and quickly wrote a line on the paper as light as a cicada's wing: "Why must you do this, sir? Although I am willing to become your servant and serve you, it does not mean that I will be controlled by you in everything. What I say to others is my private matter, and it is none of your business!"
After finishing writing, Meng Yu picked up the Xuan paper and held it up in front of him, staring straight at him with clear and sharp eyes. The fear and timidity he had felt earlier had vanished completely, and he seemed to be covered with a layer of hook-like barbs, not allowing anyone to get any closer.
Lu Xiuyi glanced at it, and a surge of overwhelming anger suddenly welled up inside him, leaving him speechless with rage.
Okay, okay.
She was an unmarried girl who, after just seeing his naked body, could calmly and composedly wipe his body without changing her expression. I originally thought she was only doing this because of his oppression, but now it seems that she can say such shameless things so openly. She really is a fickle woman.
He was afraid that if such a woman got close to him, she would soil his bed.
Fortunately, he was quite pleased when he overheard her asking Chuze where he was going next.
Lu Xiuyi grew angrier the more he thought about it, feeling as if he had truly gone blind. He gave her a cold glare, tore off his outer robe, and stormed off.
As soon as she finished writing, Meng Yu regretted it. Going head-on with Lu Xiuyi was not the best strategy. But once the words were written, they were like water spilled and could not be taken back.
She was prepared for Lu Xiuyi to fly into a rage after seeing this, and she waited in fear, but to her surprise, he only glared at her fiercely before turning away.
Although he escaped a disaster, Meng Yu still couldn't relax. He was holding his breath, and he didn't know when he would suddenly explode, at which point the wildfire would only become more intense.
But after thinking it over, she realized that overthinking was pointless and she could only take it one step at a time.
Lu Xiuyi happened to be out, so Meng Yu hurriedly went into the inner room to retrieve the notebook, tore out the two pages with the offensive words written on them, and threw them into the river.
After waiting for a long time, Meng Yu still hadn't seen Lu Xiuyi return. Bored, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't gone back for so long, and her aunt and Huaiyin must be very anxious. She decided to go back to her room first and explain the reason to them.
***
“I’ve heard that the young Marquis Lu has been arrogant, extravagant, and domineering since childhood, and even his father despises him. Yu’er, even if you are to become a slave or maid, there must be a time limit. And will he really agree to what you say?” Aunt Shen said worriedly after hearing her words.
Time has left its mark on her face, but one can still faintly see the beauty of her youth. Although Aunt Shen came from a farming family, she had experienced the love and care of her parents, and in her youth, she was a renowned beauty.
If her father hadn't suddenly passed away and her mother hadn't died from a serious illness, and if her money-grubbing brother hadn't sold her to Meng Yanqing as a concubine, she would now be a respectable woman, living a simple and peaceful life with her husband, instead of spending her life as a lowly concubine.
She didn't want Meng Yu to follow the same path as her in the future.
Meng Yu smiled and comforted her, "Auntie, don't worry, I have my own way. Besides, from my observation, he seems to dislike me quite a bit. I suppose he's just short of a maidservant on the ship. Once we get to the capital, he'll surely let me leave."
“Even so, if word gets out that you are serving him as a maid, your father will be in deep trouble…” Aunt Shen stopped abruptly, looking anxious.
Meng Yu gently patted her back, smiling softly as she gestured, "Don't worry, Aunt. Who do you think Young Master Lu is? He's someone everyone fears. Who would dare to gossip about him? Would they be courting death?"
That being said, Meng Yu knew Meng Yanqing's character well. He was hypocritical, selfish, and extremely concerned with his reputation. If this matter were to get out, she and her aunt would be lucky if they weren't beaten to death.
Since the tongue is in someone else's mouth, Meng Yu naturally couldn't guarantee that this matter wouldn't get out. But there are countless people in the world with the surname Meng, and besides, she was using an alias. Who said that the one serving Lu Xiuyi was necessarily her?
If word gets out, as long as she denies it to the death, Meng Yanqing can't do anything about it.
Meng Yu wasn't afraid of leaving the Meng family, but she was using the original body, and Aunt Shen treated her like a mother; she couldn't let her be implicated.
Moreover, since her soul transmigrated here, she has been carefully surviving for more than ten years. She has finally reached marriageable age and can finally take this opportunity to leave the Meng family openly and legitimately. She does not want to give up this opportunity easily.
Aunt Shen frowned and nodded thoughtfully.
"squeak……"
Huaiyin pushed open the door and came in hurriedly, saying, "Miss, the gentleman who delivered the jewelry the other day is here. He said his young master is looking for you, and he also said..."
When the conversation turned to what followed, Huaiyin lowered her head and awkwardly stopped talking.
Needless to say, Meng Yu knew what Lu Xiuyi had said. She calmly gestured, "Did he say that as a servant, I cannot abandon my post?"
Huaiyin's eyes widened in surprise; her daughter had guessed exactly what she was looking for.
After saying that, Meng Yu gently patted the back of Chen Xiaoniang's hand to indicate that she didn't need to worry, then opened the door and left with Chu Ze.
Back on the second floor, Lu Xiuyi had already changed his clothes and was sitting by the window reading a book. Hearing her return, he said coldly without looking up, "Since you are my personal maid, you should always be by my side. From now on, you are not allowed to go anywhere without my orders."
After a long pause without any response, Lu Xiuyi looked up impatiently, about to reprimand her, but saw her standing meekly to the side, holding a notebook upright in front of her, on which was written: "Yes, Master is right to teach me a lesson. This servant will not make such a low-level mistake again in the future."
The person before me had willow-leaf eyebrows and bright eyes, which were now slightly lowered, giving her a humble and gentle appearance. It was as if the barbs that had previously covered her had completely disappeared, and even that indifference and aloofness had faded away.
Lu Xiuyi stared blankly for a moment, then realized what was happening. His anger inexplicably disappeared. He coughed lightly and continued reading.
The air was eerily quiet, with only the sound of flowing water and a gentle breeze blowing in from outside the window.
However, his thoughts were completely out of control. Although his eyes were fixed on this spot, he couldn't focus on the words. His mind was filled with her gentle and serene appearance.
As he pondered, Lu Xiuyi suddenly felt extremely hot. Frustrated, he threw the book onto the desk and looked up to see Meng Yu still motionless in the same position. Feeling somewhat agitated, he calmly instructed her, "Refill my tea."
Meng Yu didn't dare to delay and immediately went forward to pour a cup of tea and hand it over.
Lu Xiuyi reached out to take it, his rough fingertips touching her slightly warm fingertips. Although it was only for a moment, his heart burned even brighter, as if it were about to ignite a wildfire.
Lu Xiuyi forced himself to take a sip of tea, which had already gone cold. However, drinking it did slightly calm his anger, so he didn't lose his temper. He only frowned slightly and said, "Your hands seem skillful, but the tea you brewed is bland and tasteless."
Meng Yu's eyebrows twitched slightly as she silently complained.
This guy has so many demands; the tea wasn't good when it got cold. He didn't ask her to change it, so she was too lazy to do it.
As his anger subsided, Lu Xiuyi's mood improved, and he instructed, "Alright, I suppose you were born into a humble family, so you can't be compared to the maids in my mansion. I'm hungry, go to the kitchen and get some snacks."
He spoke with an air of superiority, exuding the unique sense of superiority of a scion of a prominent family. Meng Yu did not want to look at him any longer, so she gave a slight bow and withdrew, then went to the kitchen to fetch two plates of pastries.
A plate of peach blossom pastries, a plate of milk cake.
Lu Xiuyi glanced at them and saw that they were all his favorite foods. He picked up a piece of milk cake and tasted it. The taste was not bad.
He continued flipping through the book, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked casually without looking up, "Did you specifically ask what I like to eat?"
Meng Yu was taken aback, but then realized what he meant. It seemed that the two dishes of snacks were very much to his liking.
She had no interest in finding out what he liked to eat. She went to the kitchen to get some snacks, and when the cooks heard that they were for Lu Xiuyi, they quickly handed her two plates of snacks, which she took without hesitation.
Although that was the case, Meng Yu did not want to spoil his good mood and cause him trouble, so she wrote: "It is my duty to find out what Master likes to eat."
She had made such progress in just half a day, which pleased Lu Xiuyi. He stopped making things difficult for her and continued reading.
***
The rustling sound of paper rubbing together reached Meng Yu's ears, and she lowered her head in sleepiness.
As evening approached, the spring breeze, carrying a hint of moisture, wafted through the window and touched Meng Yu's face, instantly dispelling the drowsiness that had gripped her heart.
Seeing that Lu Xiuyi's teacup was empty, she hurriedly stepped forward to refill it, and after finishing, she lowered her head and retreated to the side.
Seeing this, Lu Xiuyi glanced at her and nodded in satisfaction.
Dinner time.
The waiter was about to take the dishes upstairs as usual, but Chu Ze stopped him. A moment later, Meng Yu appeared in the kitchen, and Chu Ze told her about Lu Xiuyi's favorite and unfavorable foods.
“Young Master likes to eat fish, but he doesn’t like fried fish. You can put scallions in the fish soup, but you absolutely cannot have ginger shreds. If there are ginger shreds in the fish soup, the whole pot of fish soup is not good…” Chu Ze was carefully inspecting the fish soup when he suddenly picked out the ginger shreds, and his face instantly turned black.
Upon seeing this, the cook turned as white as a sheet of paper with fright, knelt down with a thud, and pleaded in a panic, "Please spare my life, sir! Please spare my life! I absolutely did not put any ginger in the soup!"
"Then where did this ginger come from?" Chu Zehan glared at the cook, his face cold, and flung the soup ladle away, splashing soup all over the table.
"This humble woman, this humble woman..." The cook's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she stammered for a long time without being able to explain the reason.
"Guards!" Chu Ze immediately summoned two Black Iron Cavalrymen and ordered sternly, "Drag her out and give her forty lashes."
The cook looked robust, but her lips were pale and her eyes were dark, suggesting she hadn't recovered properly after childbirth and was still somewhat bloated. If she really received forty lashes, she probably wouldn't be able to endure it.
Meng Yu felt that Lu Xiuyi was being too picky. She couldn't stand it, so she stopped the Black Iron Cavalry and quickly wrote: "It's just a little too much ginger. I don't like it. I'll pay attention next time. Why is your attitude so harsh, sir?"
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Ze's face turned as black as ink: "This matter concerns the young master..."
"Chuze, have you forgotten the rules of the Marquis's mansion?" A sharp shout suddenly rang out from the right side above, carrying a heavy sense of oppression as it swept over everyone.
Meng Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lu Xiuyi, dressed in a black robe, standing with his hands behind his back at the top of the wooden stairs, facing the rosy clouds that were leaking in through the window.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
