Chapter 54

◎I got teased again [Second update]◎

Given the current social standing of the Jiang family, the servants they employ should naturally be purchased from legitimate slave traders. Uncle Ying has many connections, but since he's involved with Qingqiu Tower's business, it's unclear where the servants he employs come from. Few masters who know the inside story are willing to buy such servants.

Uncle Ying brought five people in total, all of whom claimed to come from respectable families and even lowered the price by half. Manager Qiao thought it was profitable and bought them in. Later, he discovered that their backgrounds were not clean, but he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger to save face.

If the master finds out about this now, he'll be in deep trouble.

Before Jiang He could press him further, Manager Qiao was so frightened that he stammered out everything, hoping for a lighter punishment.

This also involves a human trafficker named Uncle Ying. Jiang He lowered her eyes and pondered. She was determined to find out how Xue Lingyu entered the Jiang family.

Xin Yan planned to talk to Steward Qiao, but Steward Qiao was suddenly called away by Miss. He had to go back to the main courtyard to serve her later, and there wasn't much time left, so she had to go back.

With something to warm his hands, Xue Lingyu's hands were no longer as cold as before, but the blanket was still so thin. He seemed to be very resistant to the cold and didn't say a word. Xin Yan felt even more sorry for him and went back to give him her own blanket.

He was fat, and his clothes didn't fit Xue Lingyu, but he couldn't just stand by and watch her go out and freeze.

"You don't need to go out to work today. Wait until I've finished talking to Manager Qiao and you have warm clothes to wear before you go, understand?"

Xue Lingyu nodded.

Seeing how well-behaved he was, Xin Yan smiled with satisfaction, stuffed the food she had brought into his arms, and watched him finish eating before returning to the main courtyard to serve him.

Manager Qiao did not return until the afternoon. His subordinates speculated that he might have received a reward from the young lady and been transferred to manage the inner courtyard. Otherwise, what could be so important that it would take so long?

Manager Qiao returned limping, having been beaten several times and forced to kneel on the ground for a long time before being released by the young lady.

When everyone saw his disheveled appearance, they were too frightened to look him in the eye. They had no idea what Manager Qiao had done to offend Miss Qiao, which led to this misfortune.

The four people who came with Xue Lingyu discussed it privately and finally agreed that it was because Xue Lingyu had not done her job well yesterday that she had offended Manager Qiao and was punished. They believed that once Manager Qiao recovered, he would definitely punish Xue Lingyu as well.

The four of them had long disliked Xue Lingyu. It was already a blessing that a fool could enter the Jiang family as a servant. Now she had even found a backer and was doing all sorts of easy work, while they had to work hard in the kitchen and never even got a glimpse of their master.

Not long after Steward Qiao returned, the four of them ran up to Xue Lingyu and gossiped: "Steward Qiao was punished because of you, and he will definitely expel you from the manor. Your good friend Xinyan won't escape either. Just wait and see."

Xue Lingyu hadn't left the house all day and was unaware of Manager Qiao's punishment; her eyes were filled with great confusion.

Seeing that he didn't react, one of them mocked, "We forgot you're a fool. It's all your fault for not doing your job well yesterday. You must have been lazy and slacking off. In the end, you angered Miss, and Manager Qiao is taking the blame for you."

This person speaks without thinking. He finally found something to mock Xue Lingyu, so he said the most offensive things possible. Since Xue Lingyu is an idiot, he might as well vent his anger.

After giving Xue Lingyu a piece of their mind, the four of them left satisfied.

Jiang He's men were very quick. While Steward Qiao was being punished by kneeling, they had already found out exactly how the little servant named Chunxiao was abducted to Uncle Ying and how she entered the Jiang residence.

After listening, Jiang He became even more certain that this person was Xue Lingyu.

He lost his memory for some reason and was thought to be a fool. If it weren't for the ten taels of silver she gave him, he probably wouldn't have lasted three days in the capital. After that, he was sold to a slave trader and entered the Jiang family as a lowly servant.

If any step goes wrong, and Xue Lingyu is sold to another household, Jiang He doesn't even dare to imagine what might happen.

Xue Lingyu was pampered since childhood and was not capable of doing rough work. The weather has been cold lately, and if he didn't have a heater, he would probably be cold at night.

It took Jiang He a long time to calm herself down. She instructed Yuan Ge to secretly send someone to look after Xue Lingyu and make sure he didn't get cold.

"Don't worry, Miss, I will take care of the arrangements."

Jiang He reminded him, "Don't let anyone else know about this, including your mother and father."

Her mother had never liked the Xue family, and her father was determined to find her a suitable husband. Xue Lingyu's return was not good news for them, and they might even use Xue Lingyu's amnesia as an excuse to obstruct her in every way. Jiang He felt that at the very least, they should wait until Xue Lingyu regained her memory before bringing her to them.

Yuan Ge bowed and agreed.

Just as she was about to go downstairs, she heard a rustling sound outside, like someone sweeping the floor. She looked at Jiang He and saw that Jiang He's expression remained unchanged, so she pretended not to have heard anything.

Hearing the noise, Jiang He leaned out the window and looked down, and saw a figure under the plum tree.

She stared intently for a while and discovered that it was a man holding a broom, laboriously sweeping up the plum blossoms scattered all over the ground. His clumsy movements were like those of a pampered young master who had never lifted a finger before, extremely awkward.

Jiang He suddenly burst out laughing.

The person who was cleaning diligently heard the noise by the window, looked up, and saw a pair of slightly smiling, dark eyes.

The owner of those eyes seemed to be the drunkard he had encountered yesterday... This thought flashed through Xue Lingyu's mind, and he was so frightened that he couldn't even lift the broom. He was as if he had been nailed to the spot and couldn't move.

The courtyard was so quiet and there wasn't a soul in sight; he had assumed no one was there.

Jiang He leaned against the window, watching Xue Lingyu's dilemma. Her eyes were wide open, and when she saw her, she was like a little white rabbit seeing a big bad wolf, not knowing where to put her hands and feet. To put it more accurately, she didn't know which foot to step with when she ran away.

Jiang He also noticed that, perhaps because he was sweeping so intently, a few plum blossoms had fallen onto his head.

Her smile quickly froze on her face. Last night it was dark and she hadn't seen what Xue Lingyu was wearing. Today he was dressed so thinly. He had only recently recovered from the poisoning. Wouldn't he freeze himself like this?

Jiang He just wanted to hold him in her arms, put a thick cotton coat on him, and tuck him into the quilt so that he wouldn't stick his head out.

However, Xue Lingyu looked at her as if she were a stranger, with a hint of fear and wariness.

She had just reached out her hand, but had no choice but to withdraw it and begin to think about how to say her first words.

Xue Lingyu spoke first, her voice still clear and unchanging, with a soft and sweet tone. Jiang He could even hear a slight tremor in her voice.

"Who are you?"

Xue Lingyu originally didn't want to talk to a drunkard, fearing he would be recognized and then dragged back to be harassed again. However, when the drunkard wasn't drunk, he was exceptionally calm, and his smile was extremely handsome, with a flawless curve at the corners of his lips. Although he didn't know what he was laughing at, the sound of his laughter was exceptionally pleasant.

He likes to listen.

Moreover, this person didn't seem to recognize her, which emboldened Xue Lingyu.

"Are you the manager of this courtyard? Or a young lady from the manor?" Seeing that the woman in front of him did not answer, he gripped the broom to bolster his courage and asked again. This time, his voice was more confident. Anyway, he was outside, and if anything went wrong, he could run away. He had long legs and could definitely run as fast as the wind.

Jiang He, intending to tease him, countered with, "Do you think there are ladies like me?"

"Then you will be the manager of Miss's courtyard."

Xue Lingyu thought about it and realized it made sense. He had heard that his young mistress was as beautiful as a demon and would sell out servants at the drop of a hat. She must not have a good temper. He had also heard from people around him that his young mistress had not been staying in the mansion often lately. This person in front of him must be the steward by his young mistress's side.

According to Xin Yan, the head stewards all lived in large houses and wore better clothes than the ordinary servants.

Jiang He had no idea what Xue Lingyu was thinking. Looking at his thin body, she couldn't help but ask with heartache, "We didn't call anyone from the outer courtyard to clean today. Why did you come on your own? It's so cold...why didn't you wear something warmer?"

"Just because I didn't sweep properly yesterday, Miss punished Steward Qiao. Those people said that if I can't make amends, Steward Qiao will kick me out, and he'll also kick Xinyan out."

Seeing that this person was not as barbaric and violent as he had been the night before, Xue Lingyu found herself becoming more talkative.

As for the last question from the person in front of him, he couldn't help but draw circles on the broom handle with his finger, and his voice became softer, "I don't have any thick clothes."

He added, "Everyone else has it, but I don't."

Jiang He could no longer maintain her smile, fearing it would frighten Xue Lingyu, but she forced herself to keep smiling.

Xue Lingyu's hands were exposed to the cold air and turned red from the cold. His nose was also slightly red. She had initially planted plum trees in the yard because he liked plum blossoms, so that he could see them nearby. Now, seeing him braving the cold to sweep away the fallen plum blossoms, Jiang He felt a pang of sadness.

After a long while, she finally found her voice.

"You won't be kicked out."

Xue Lingyu found it strange that this person's words made her feel so convinced, which made her feel much more at ease.

Jiang He's nose started to sting, whether from the cold or something else, she didn't know. After she calmed down, she asked Xue Lingyu, "Did you lose something?"

"No." Xue Lingyu shook his head. Seeing Jiang He's confident look, he couldn't help but step forward, wanting to see what he had lost.

Jiang He held a veil in her hand, and after he regained his footing, she covered his face again, whispering something in his ear with restraint and forbearance:

"Don't forget to wear your veil next time."

Xue Lingyu's eyes widened, her face beneath the veil turned bright red, and she couldn't help but tighten her grip on the broom.

This drunkard actually recognized me!

His heart began to pound.

At the same time, a new thought arose in his mind: had he been teased by this woman again when they were so close?

◎Latest Comments:

[Hurry up and update! I'm so sleepy! (≧ω≦)]

Why hasn't it been updated yet?

[I'm so embarrassed by all this refreshing! [crying]]

[I'm so embarrassed by all this refreshing! [crying]]

[Update, update! I've been waiting for today's sweet attack from the author!]

[Please update, DaDa!]

[They've started dating again, haha]

【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

I love it so much, I love it so much, waaaaaah!

[Two chapters have been completed, is 10,000 chapters enough for a day? Is there going to be a third chapter? (Raises an eyebrow)]

[Go, heroine, in your pursuit of love!]

It should be the tone or style.

【claw】

Ahhhh, the second update is finally here!

[Waaaaah, extra chapter!!]

-over-