Chapter 39
On the shore, Yueming hugged her chest uncomfortably. Yunkai, seeing this, picked up the clothes on the ground and put them on her. Yueming didn't care that they had made a new grudge, and let him put his coat on her. Holding the collar and lowering her head, she smelled a faint smell of sweat. Realizing it was Yunkai's scent, she blushed, whispered a thank you, and then walked towards the path without saying a word.
Yun Kai chattered behind her, "What I just said is true. I will take you to Lishengmeng to see your uncle. I won't let those people gossip about you."
Recalling that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood in his face because of his previous words, Yueming quickened his pace with a wooden face.
Yun Kai followed closely behind him and asked, "Then you won't leave?"
Yueming didn't refuse outright like she did before. She pursed her lips and said, "I have to go home eventually. It doesn't matter whether I come back early or late."
Yun Kaixin thought, how could there be no difference? You were happily picked up by your father, and everyone was happy, so I didn't do anything good; but if you went home first in anger, my father would break my legs first.
He had said all the nice things and made all the threats, but Lan Yueming wouldn't budge. He decided to change his strategy and use bribery instead.
"You don't even have a playmate at home, what fun is that? Come with me, I'll show you around Yunxiang. You've never been to the back streets of the archway, right? I'll take you there someday."
Yueming was not fooled: "I will ask Ai Ye and the others to accompany me."
She walked faster and faster, like a frightened muntjac. Yun Kai quickened his pace to catch up with her and grabbed her arm. "They've only been in Yunxiang for a few days. How could they possibly find any fun places to go? You women are wandering around everywhere, aren't you afraid of being bullied?"
Yueming looked at her own miserable appearance and couldn't help feeling sad. Is there anyone in Yunxiang who is more capable of bullying others than you?
Seeing Yueming's face full of sorrow and silence, Yunkai scolded him in a low voice: "I have begged you to this extent."
Hearing Yunkai's coquettish tone, Yueming felt a chill run down her spine, and the goose bumps that had previously subsided returned. She quickly begged for mercy, "Okay, okay, okay, I won't go back. Please don't speak to me in such a disgusting tone."
She thought to herself, "Forget it, let's just leave!" Putting aside the previous prank, the fact that a young master from a chieftain's mansion could be so humble was a sign of sincerity. If we really had to settle all the points head-on, it would be difficult for my father when he returned.
Yun Kai grinned and helped her walk forward: "Good brother, you are so magnanimous."
Yueming shook off his hand in annoyance. This was a roundabout way of asking her if she could eat it. Don't think she couldn't hear it.
Speaking of food, she thought of Mrs. Du and said to Yun Kai, "Madam Du will be back soon. Mrs. Du should let her go! It's really not good to hire a cook just for me. The previous cook served me well."
Yunka plucked a piece of wild grass from the roadside and put it in his mouth, walking slowly with his hands behind his head. When he heard that she wanted Mrs. Du to go back to Shengweixuan, he asked curiously, "You're eating well, aren't you? Why ask her to go back? Madam Du won't care about such a small matter. Besides, I beat up the cook who served us before and kicked him out."
Yueming was worried about something else, but she couldn't say it directly, so she could only advise: "Your mansion has never used Han family servants. It is against the rules for Madam Du to stay in the mansion all day."
Yun Kai spat out the grass in his mouth and glanced at her with a half-smile. "She's not Han Chinese. She's just a remnant of Du Wenxiu's uprising. She's also a renegade. What kind of trouble can she cause in the government? Besides, that's a matter between you Han Chinese and those Hui Muslims. What does it have to do with us? We're not carrying guns and cannons to wipe out their entire clan."
Yueming's face dropped when he heard him expose Mrs. Du's identity. The Du Wenxiu uprising took place during the Xianfeng Emperor's reign. Although it was now the Republic of China, two million people died in that uprising, a vengeance that would remain unresolved no matter the dynasty. Du Wenxiu ultimately committed suicide by poisoning, and while the Du family had remained in hiding for decades, the shattered aristocratic families of Dali and Baoshan were unwilling to let them go, exhausting their resources to track them down and hunt them down.
Seeing Yueming's face change color, Yunkai lowered his hands behind his head and said with a smile: "Do you think that we in the Yunxiang Mansion are just sitting there doing nothing? Although his family relied on your father's connections, we still have to investigate what needs to be investigated. His family's eight generations of ancestors have long been investigated thoroughly, but..." Yunkai changed the subject and said with a smile: "But I'm curious how you knew. Did your father tell you? Or did Mrs. Du tell you herself?"
Yueming exhaled and said, "I guessed it."
Yun Kai nodded and praised: "You can guess that, you are quite smart."
Yueming didn't want to pay attention to his praise which was in fact sarcastic. She was very curious why Yun Xiang took in the Du family. The wealthy families in Baoshan and Dali were not easy to mess with, and Lan Yingde didn't dare to help them openly.
She asked, "You knew their family was so powerful, but you still let them settle down in Yunxiang? Aren't you afraid that they will cause trouble for Yunxiang?"
Yun Kai sneered, "What kind of trouble could there be? Not to mention that this is a matter of a long time, let's just say that these remnants, who have been hunted like stray dogs, can't cause any big trouble. As long as they honestly sell their food here and don't get involved in those messy and head-losing things, your father should still give them face."
Yueming curled her lips almost imperceptibly. "My father is so proud! I want to thank you and your family on my father's behalf!"
After thinking it over, she felt that Mrs. Du was not suitable to stay in the mansion. She used the Third Madam as an excuse: "I'm not entirely worried about the Du family's status. You know how gossipy the Third Madam is. She used the fact that I was cooking alone in the mansion to stir up trouble in front of Madam, and then she cried a few words in front of Master. If others hear it too much and don't know the cause and effect, they will think I'm ignorant. I'm so young and I've learned to act arrogantly. Even if I'm right, I'm wrong. Rather than getting into trouble later, it's better to deal with it early."
Her words were not without reason. The Third Wife was quite good at being unreasonable. Now that his father was away, she was already ready to make trouble. When his father, who was a big supporter, returned, she would definitely stir up trouble. It didn't matter if Mrs. Du went back. At worst, she could take her to Shengweixuan when she felt hungry. Besides, Shengweixuan was not the only restaurant that served good Yunxiang cuisine.
He nodded: "Okay, I'll tell her not to come tomorrow."
The sun was shining brightly today, and after walking a bit, Yueming's clothes were already half dry. Yunkai seemed comfortable walking bare-chested and bare-backed, but it was really irritating to Yueming to look at him. She handed him her coat while it was no longer sticking to her, saying, "I'm almost done, I'll give it back to you."
Yun Kai didn't understand what he meant and tried to stop him, saying, "You'd better wear them. Last time I asked you to go home with wet clothes to air out, my wife almost scolded me to death."
It was you who caused my downfall last time. You deserve to be scolded!
Yueming angrily threw the clothes at him and said, "Aren't you ashamed to walk around bare-chested in broad daylight? You've studied abroad, do you know what's offensive to public morals?"
Yunkai was puzzled. What was there to be ashamed of? Yunxiang was hot year-round, and which man hadn't walked around shirtless? There were even men walking around shirtless, with their pants pulled up to their thighs! And this little girl was even bringing up moral issues with him. This is folk custom, you know?
He deliberately raised his arms to show off his biceps to Yueming: "Haven't you ever seen a man shirtless? Besides, it would be a shame not to let the girls on the street admire my great figure."
Yueming had previously been carried on his shoulders, her stomach pounding and twitching without vomiting. Now, seeing his pretentious behavior, she felt a sour taste in her mouth. She looked him up and down, and Yunkai met her gaze, puffing out his chest and straightening his back, and even raised an eyebrow at her.
Yueming said slowly, "It wasn't until I saw you like this today that I finally understood what people call a skinny monkey! You really broadened my horizons!"
Who said she hadn't seen it before? Senior Brother also often worked shirtless, but that was Senior Brother, and they were family, not just any other man. Besides, Senior Brother often worked, and his muscles were clearly defined. Compared to Senior Brother, this pampered young master, what else could he be but a skinny monkey?
Yun Kai almost laughed out loud. She had the nerve to lie with her eyes open. Was he called a skinny monkey? He was lean and strong, not a single piece of excess flesh. Disliked him for being skinny? He hadn't yet complained about her being flat! He had seen it clearly when she'd just emerged from the water; the wet clothes clung to her body without a single ripple.
Unconvinced, he pulled Yueming's hand and touched him, saying, "Touch me, touch me hard. Where on my body is not a piece of lean flesh? How can I be a skinny monkey? You've probably never seen a man as strong as me."
What a shameless thing! Yueming screamed in fear, and used all her strength to break free from his hand. After kicking him, she covered her face and ran forward for her life. Yunkai did not let her go, and chased after her and shouted: "Lan Yueming, you must figure it out for me today, how am I like a skinny monkey, how am I like a skinny monkey?"
After Feng Xiaosai emerged from the pond, he didn't dare go back. He waited on the path back to the mansion, waiting for the clouds to clear. He was craning his neck to watch when he suddenly saw Miss Yueming approaching. He waved and was about to greet her, but Miss Yueming ran past him like a gust of wind, not even stopping for a moment. Before he could react, he saw the second young master chasing after her, shouting for Miss Yueming to touch him.
What kind of rules are these? He sighed and chased after them. One of them was in love without realizing it, and the other was ignorant and unenlightened. As the young master's loyal lackey, he had a long way to go. A long way to go!
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