Xin He glanced at a small box placed next to her hand. It neatly contained ten servitude contracts, the very contracts of those ten girls.
Her lips twitched as she said, "That fool Sun Yaowen probably doesn’t realize that those ten girls he’s buying are already my people, and that the servitude contracts he’s obtained are fake."
In other words, the girls that Ji Xinhe had selected with great care were still her people, merely guests at the Yihong Courtyard for a short period, and would be returned to her sooner or later.
Xin He handed a bag of silver to Xiaochaihuo, "Take this to Wang Ya Po tomorrow as a thank-you gift. However, once the truth is revealed, Sun Yaowen will likely cause her trouble. She should lay low for a while. Consider this money as funds for her escape."
Xiaochaihuo frowned, "Wang Ya Po has made a lot of profit this time. Why bother giving her more money?"
Xin He laughed, "Her making a profit is due to her being smart. My giving of money is out of gratitude. The money Wang Ya Po earned isn’t from me, so why should I feel sorry for it? It’s appropriate to give some benefits to others. After all, Wang Ya Po did help me out."
Xiaochaihuo nodded, seeming to understand something: "I see."
"Go back to sleep," Xin He laughed.
Xiaochaihuo looked at Ji Xinhe expectantly but did not move.
Xin He asked in surprise, "What’s the matter?"
With a long face, Xiaochaihυo mumbled, "Did I not handle things well this time?"
"How could that be? You were the one who smoothed things over with Wang Ya Po, and your involvement led to our success. What could you have done better?" Xin He asked, amused.
She wondered what had sparked his sensitivity this time.
Xiaochaihuo looked up slightly, his clear eyes carrying a hint of feeling wronged, "Then why didn’t I receive a reward?"
Xin He was taken aback before laughing, "Oh, I did forget about that. Then, what reward would you like?"
Shulan and Xiaoyu also laughed, shaking their heads helplessly. They were amused: He was still a child at heart. No matter how cunning and able, he couldn’t escape from being a child.
Xiaochaihυo thought for a while before raising his head to say, "Last time the madam rewarded me with an osmanthus cake, this time I want a green bean cake."
Xin He chuckled, raising her hand to ruffle Xiaochaihuo’s hair: "Well, alright, I got it. Tomorrow I’ll have Xiaoyu buy it for you, she’ll get you two. Are you satisfied now?"
Xiaochaihuo’s eyes lit up, and he responded cheerfully, "Yes!"
"You should go back to your room and sleep," Xin He said, laughing.
"Yes." Xiaochaihuo happily ran out of the room.
Watching his retreating figure, Xin He couldn’t help but laugh: "This child may seem mature for his age, but it’s clear he can’t hide his childishness."
Xiaoyu laughed: "He’s not even eleven yet, and spends his time studying with Young Master Xiaobei and socializing with kids his age. It’s only natural that his childishness would reveal itself." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
–––
At this point, the delighted Xiaochaihuo had run out to the courtyard before gradually slowing down. He raised his hand to touch his head, right where Xin He had touched it.
Xiaochaihuo lowered his head and smirked. The reward of an osmanthus cake and two green bean cakes was nothing compared to her ruffling his hair.
That was the only reward he desired.
Suddenly he heard a maid’s respectful greeting from up ahead, "Sir has returned?"
Xiaochaihuo immediately retracted his smile and stood to one side, quietly waiting for the approaching person to walk past.
As Marquis Mu passed him, he paused momentarily, looking at Xiaochaihuo for a moment before moving on.
He was generally uninterested in the staff and happenings within the household. Although he knew who the child was, for some reason he found the boy rather irritating.
Unexplainably irritating.
Marquis Mu briskly entered the house.
Left standing, Xiaochaihuo exhaled slowly before continuing on to his own small yard.
Xin He, having heard the announcement outside, had already poured a cup of hot tea for Marquis Mu, "You’re back? Have you eaten dinner?"
"I have," Marquis Mu said, pulling her to sit next to him.
Shulan and Xiaoyu smartly left the room silently.
"Why are your hands sweaty?" Marquis Mu frowned.
"I was writing earlier, and the pen is held for too long. You, my hand sweats a little it’s not okay, it’s a bit cold it’s also not okay. How can you be so hard to please?" Xin He grumbled, trying to pull her hand back.
But Marquis Mu held her hand tightly and didn’t let go, laughing softly.
That ungrateful girl, he was just worried about her health. Now she was accusing him of being hard to please, as if he was being picky about her.
"Anything good happened today?"
The longer Marquis Mu lived with Ji Xinhe, the more easily he could see through her. Just one glance was enough to ascertain her mood for the day.
Xin He raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Mm, I’ve laid a trap. Now I just need to wait for the fish to bite. Naturally, I’m happy."
Marquis Mu knew exactly what she was referring to and said,"As long as you’re happy."
Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "That child just now... Xiaochaihuo? What was he doing here?"
He couldn’t quite remember the boy’s name. Apart from the other people in the manor, he basically didn’t give them much thought.
There were so many maids and women, he only remembered Xiaoyu and Shulan, who were always by Ji Xinhe’s side.
Xin He chuckled, "The mission this time was given to Xiaochaihuo. Despite his young age, he’s dependable and clever. I also plan on grooming him."
"Did he handle that matter quite efficiently?"
Xin He smiled, "Yes, he actually remembered to ask for a reward once the task was complete. Just like a child. I asked him what kind of reward he wanted, and he said a green bean cake."
As she spoke, she shook her head in amusement, "In the end, he is still just a child. I promised him that Xiaoyu will buy two green bean cakes for him tomorrow as his reward. He was delighted."
Marquis Mu replied casually, not giving it much thought. He squeezed Xin He’s hand gently and said, "Don’t overwork yourself. We can take one task at a time. There is no rush. Just don’t exhaust yourself."
"I know, you remind me every day. I’m developing calluses in my ear from hearing it," Xin He said, slightly annoyed.
Marquis Mu raised an eyebrow, "You dare to develop calluses from it? How dare you, will you even want to get out of bed tomorrow?"
Caught off guard by Marquis Mu’s lewd comment, Xin He blushed, "Shameless!"
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