Chapter Thirty-Four: The Observer Forgets to Speak
The lady's plane landed in the northern central city. After a similar airport reception as in Nanhang Airport, the lady had Yun Yao ride with her in a private car and secretly returned to the Jingshan Compound, which was off-limits to ordinary people.
This time, the lady specifically instructed that the four younger relatives and other members of the clan should not come to pick her up at the airport, and that the matter should be handled discreetly. Only Steward Xing, who remained at the main family in the north, and Steward Cheng, who had returned earlier, and their entourage were allowed to come to the compound first.
After listening to Steward Xing's meticulous report on all the important matters that had occurred while Madam was away from home, Madam nodded slightly. Steward Xing was a long-time associate of hers, and she always trusted him with his work.
She hesitated for a moment, glanced at Yun Yao who was standing discreetly at the far side of the crowd beside her, and instructed Butler Xing: "Jingze, from now on you will bring one person with you."
The lady looked at Yun Yao, her gaze softening instantly. "Yun'er, come here." Yun Yao was somewhat surprised, but still obediently walked to the lady's side.
Now, Yun Yao, who was already being secretly watched by everyone in the room, became the focus of everyone's attention even more.
Many people were amazed when they saw this legendary new favorite, who was shrouded in controversy. They thought to themselves that such beauty and charm could only be cultivated in the soil and water of Jiangnan, no wonder the lady doted on her so much.
At this moment, in front of everyone in the room, the lady unabashedly grasped Yun Yao's hand, then turned to Butler Xing and said, "Jingze, this is a little boy I brought back from Nanhang. His name is Yun Yao. He studied nursing assistant with your cousin for a while before. Today, I'm entrusting him to you for training." The lady's voice became slightly more serious as she said, "You must take good care of him."
Butler Xing glanced at Yun Yao, whose features were exquisitely beautiful yet whose demeanor was dignified, and respectfully bowed his head in response to the lady's request.
Steward Xing's status and prestige within the family are well-known; he can be considered one of the most trusted confidants of the Madam. Today, in front of all the stewards and attendants, the Madam entrusted Steward Xing with the responsibility of taking care of Yun Yao, and emphasized that Steward Xing should be diligent. Now, everyone has a clearer understanding of the great favor the Madam bestows upon this young man named Yun Yao.
Everyone understood that this was someone they couldn't afford to offend.
Butler Cheng, standing in the crowd, was even more certain of what was going on. Although he had agreed to the second young master's request, he knew very well that he had witnessed firsthand the madam's doting affection and special treatment of Yun Yao in Nanhang. He was not about to be foolish enough to actually provoke this tough opponent.
But he didn't dare offend the eldest and second young masters. Now that Yun Yao was with Steward Xing, that was perfect. If Steward Xing was brought out, even the young masters and young ladies would give him some face.
Time passed in an orderly and busy manner. After everything was settled and the lady moved into the main courtyard of Muxiyuan, Yunyao began to learn relevant knowledge and skills from Butler Xing in the assistant's office.
Just like Xing Yu had done before, the serious-looking housekeeper Xing quickly realized that Yun Yao was a good student who was really hard to fault.
Despite such great favor, he didn't become arrogant. On the contrary, he was very humble and serious about his studies, and worked extremely hard. Besides this, which made Butler Xing look at him differently, Yun Yao could basically memorize information after just one glance, and he understood questions very quickly. This made Butler Xing genuinely like him.
However, Butler Xing also realized that Yun Yao didn't genuinely like this job. He was just reliable and intelligent, and he took everything he learned very seriously.
Butler Xing understood perfectly well that someone with Yun Yao's qualities and appearance was hardly deserving of being a mere assistant; it would be a waste of her talent. The Madam's arrangement was simply a pretext to give him a legitimate reason to protect and care for his beloved mistress, and also to make Yun Yao's status at Muxi Garden more believable.
Butler Xing thought with some worry that the previous rumors were not exaggerated; the Madam's devotion to her young lover this time was extraordinary. It seemed there might be more to come at Muxi Garden…
Yun Yao, who was new to the place, was unaware of Steward Xing's thoughts. He simply didn't want people to see him as a parasitic vine that only knew how to use his looks to please others, or as some kind of wicked and dissolute person.
Although he lacked freedom and couldn't choose his own life, he still wanted to be a decent, normal, and useful person. Maintaining his integrity even in awkward and dark circumstances was his bottom line.
Yun Yao spent most of the day working at his assistant's office, and by the time he was reminded, it was already getting late. Manager Xing and several assistants and attendants were waiting at the door to take him to Madam's place.
Feeling embarrassed to walk empty-handed, Yun Yao also helped carry a batch of documents and materials over.
Yun Yao wore the same clothes as the other assistants, did the same work, and was gentle and friendly. After spending the day together, the assistants, like Butler Xing, had also changed their opinion of him. Therefore, the atmosphere of the group together did not seem abrupt or strange.
Besides, if Yun Yao weren't of a special status, who wouldn't be attracted to such a top beauty like her? After all, people are visual creatures.
As the group passed the artificial rockery, another group of people suddenly appeared at the corner.
Butler Xing stopped in his tracks and nodded steadily, addressing the guests: "Young Master, Second Young Master, Third Miss, Fourth Young Master."
It turned out that the people who came were several young masters and ladies who had just returned from the madam's place, each followed by some attendants.
"Oh, Steward Xing, are you also going to see Madam?" The second young master asked casually from a distance.
They went to see the lady early this morning, hoping to spend more time with her and also to see who this vixen's new favorite was. Unexpectedly, they didn't see the vixen, and the lady said she was tired and asked the younger generation to go home first. So, they arranged to have lunch with the lady tomorrow before leaving.
At this moment, the two groups were closer. The second young master was about to exchange a few more polite words with Steward Xing, but a glance out of the corner of his eye made him suddenly stop talking. He stared blankly at a certain spot, while the fourth young master, who had been chattering just moments before, fell silent.
Suddenly, everyone stared blankly at a young, unfamiliar assistant behind Butler Xing.
In the second young master's eyes, although this person was dressed in a low-key and simple assistant's uniform, he stood out from the crowd and was extremely otherworldly.
The few steps he took were light and elegant, as if he were walking on clouds, each step carrying a unique rhythm. His figure was slender and tall, as if a gust of wind could flutter his clothes, but he was by no means weak; rather, he had a jade-like translucency. His neck was as long as a swan's, and his shoulders were thin yet upright. When he stood, he resembled a green bamboo by the water, with distinct branches and joints, carrying a cleanliness that "washed away the dust of the world."
Her entire demeanor evokes the sigh of "pure and refined, beyond compare, leaving the observer speechless."
As the distance closed, everyone present was involuntarily drawn to this person; even ordinary clothes seemed to glow on him. The second young master thought it was perhaps because the beauty's skin was like the finest Jiangnan Xuan paper, with a slightly cool white hue, yet radiating a jade-like, lustrous sheen, as if glistening with morning dew. "Pearls and emeralds are insufficient to describe her beauty," even in a crowd, she was like a jade disc enveloped in moonlight, possessing her own cool, serene aura.
When this man looked over with everyone's gaze, his pupils were like obsidian soaked in a clear spring, so clear that they could reflect the viewer's image. When he whispered to his assistant beside him, his bright eyes seemed to hold moisture, carrying a hint of aloofness when he wasn't smiling, and a gentle smile like half a handful of spring snow melting, so tender that it made one's heart tremble.
Perhaps because the gazes of the second young master and the others were too intense, the man lowered his head again and quietly hid behind Steward Xing.
The second young master was stunned. He took a step forward and asked, "Butler Xing, who is he? When did such a person come to your side?"
At this moment, Butler Xing moved his body slightly, standing right between the Second Young Master and Yun Yao. He said calmly, "Second Young Master, he is my newly accepted apprentice."
The second young master didn't believe it. He scoffed, "Apprentice? Butler Xing, you're saying he's also an assistant? Don't try to fool me!"
At this moment, an assistant who had just spoken to Yun Yao whispered, "He really is our new assistant. We just finished organizing the documents together and came over." The other people in the group echoed this, and everyone subtly led the group, protecting Yun Yao in the middle.
The second young master is a troublemaker; he'll always find fault even when he's in the wrong. Seeing how these people are acting now, he's even more aggressive than before.
His charming eyes darted around, and he suddenly snatched a thick stack of documents from an assistant's hands, saying flippantly, "Really? If he's an assistant, you just organized these documents, so he should still remember some of them, right? How about I randomly pick a few pages and have him recite them from memory?"
"You're making things too difficult for us..." The other assistants didn't dare to clash with the second young master, but they still couldn't help but mutter when they heard this.
The second young master, however, grinned arrogantly and said, "What, you're backing down now? If he can't recite it, then you're all conspiring to lie to me. I'm taking this guy away for interrogation!"
Butler Xing opened his mouth, about to speak, when a hand slowly pulled him back. Butler Xing turned around and saw that Yun Yao had already walked out from behind him.
Facing the second young master who was staring intently at him, Yun Yao spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Second young master, please give me your question."
His voice was clear and melodious, like the clinking of jade stones, but to the second young master and others who grew up in the north, it always sounded gentle and slow, with a soft Jiangnan accent. Even in this tense situation, it was as if he were talking about everyday things. This quiet and reserved demeanor made his stunning good looks less aggressive and more distant, giving him a sense of "beautiful from afar, but not to be trifled with."
The second young master smiled triumphantly, his gaze lingering on Yun Yao's face as he said arrogantly, "That's settled then, if you can't answer, you'll be coming with me today."
After speaking, the second young master casually flipped through the thick book in his hand, pointed to a random page, read two sentences, and asked Yun Yao to finish the sentence. He had prepared himself to see the beauty blush with embarrassment, but to his surprise, Yun Yao lowered her head and thought for a moment before reciting it word for word.
Now, not only the second young master, but also the eldest young master, the third young lady and others who had been silently watching from the side were all surprised. They unconsciously took a step forward to confirm that what Yun Yao recited was exactly the same as the book.
"Wow, amazing..." The fourth young master was at the age when he needed to memorize things by rote, and he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
The second young master was somewhat annoyed. He said coldly, "This doesn't count. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Let's try again!"
But three times in a row, no matter which page he turned to or what kind of question he asked, Yun Yao was able to answer it with ease. Now everyone was truly convinced, and even the usually taciturn and dignified young master whispered, "As expected of someone trained by Steward Xing, not bad."
The second young master was now somewhat convinced that Yun Yao was indeed Steward Xing's new apprentice; without such ability, he wouldn't have caught Steward Xing's eye. Somewhat disheartened, he approached Yun Yao and shoved the book into his arms. "Alright, you pass."
Yun Yao took the book and gently smoothed out the creases caused by the second young master's rough handling.
This time, the second young master's gaze was fixed on Yun Yao. Yun Yao's fingers were long and slender like jade bamboo shoots, with distinct joints that were not abrupt. Every move he made was like painting. Even the stray hairs falling across his forehead when he lowered his head in thought had just the right amount of poetic charm.
The second young master, who would not normally let the matter rest so easily, was now speechless and unable to utter a word.
His elegant and refined appearance made people willing to forget words. The third young lady silently admired him, thinking to herself that this new young man truly made "all worldly dust shed upon seeing him."
At this moment, seeing that the second young master had stopped speaking, Butler Xing stepped forward and said to the eldest young master and the others, "Eldest young master, third young lady, we still need to rush to Madam's place. If we stay any longer, we might delay Madam's business. We'll be leaving now."
The young master glanced at Yun Yao with his cold, deep eyes before nodding to Butler Xing, "Go."
Yun Yao followed Butler Xing and his group away, still able to feel several burning gazes behind her. Only after turning a corner and disappearing from sight of the young masters and ladies did everyone breathe a sigh of relief; they had successfully kept Yun Yao's identity a secret this time.
The assistant who spoke up for Yun Yao patted Yun Yao on the shoulder excitedly and praised loudly, "Yun Yao, you're amazing! You actually memorized it all! You're incredible, that's such a thick reference book!"
The others also praised him, and even Butler Xing looked at him with newfound respect. He had previously discovered that Yun Yao had a photographic memory, but he hadn't expected him to be able to recite things backwards so fluently.
Amidst the praise, Yun Yao quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, "No, it was just a coincidence. I had read this book before in Nanhang and even took some notes. Seeing it again today made it even more memorable. It just so happened that they had this book with them, so I came out to give it a try."
"That's still amazing!" "Yeah, yeah!" Everyone chimed in, saying he was too modest. Butler Xing patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Yun Yao, you did very well this time, keep up the good work."
Yun Yao was somewhat amused and exasperated, but a warm feeling welled up inside her. This Muxi Garden wasn't all treacherous traps and wolves; there were also kind people who reciprocated genuine kindness.
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