Snow falls and the wind blows

Chapter 23

The boy looked at Xiao Duan somewhat helplessly: "Duan, Duan, Brother Duan..." Before he could finish speaking, he was given a sharp rap on the head by the newcomer. The woman in the light orange dress narrowed her round eyes and roared fiercely: "What Brother Duan! Call me Uncle-Master, do you hear me? I've been teaching you all this way for nothing!"

The boy pursed his lips stubbornly, lowered his eyes, and muttered softly, quite unwillingly, "Uncle Duan."

Xiao Duan didn't answer, but instead glanced at the woman standing to the side, who was laughing arrogantly, and asked in a cold voice, "What's going on?"

The woman blinked innocently, her crimson lips parting into a cherry shape: "What? What happened?" Seeing Xiao Duan's gaze grow colder, the woman quickly raised her delicate hand, patted the boy's head with a loving expression, and then, ignoring his struggles, put her arm around his shoulder, chuckling, "Don't you understand? This is my disciple! From now on, serving tea and water, massaging his back and shoulders, fanning him in the summer, and holding a heater in the winter—in short, all the trivial matters will be taken care of by Xiao Huizi! I guarantee I'll serve you, senior brother, very comfortably!"

Xiao Duan reached out and grabbed the woman's wrist, pulling her arm down from the boy's back, and asked in a cold voice, "Did Master agree?"

The woman choked, her large eyes darting around. Before she could speak, she flicked her hand and glanced at the boy: "Don't pay any attention to her. Go home in a few days and do whatever you need to do."

"Oh, no! He's my..." The woman reached out and grabbed Xiao Duan's sleeve, but fell silent under his cold glare. Xiao Duan started walking into the yamen, the woman clinging to him, rubbing against him incessantly: "Xiao Chen, I know I was wrong, don't be angry! Xiao Chen, I came all this way to find you... Don't ignore me! Xiao Chen, Brother Chen, Senior Brother, Duan Duan..." The woman kept apologizing, calling Xiao Duan in various ways, until Jiang Cheng's shoulders trembled, Zhan Yun's handsome face grew increasingly somber, and Zhao Ting's dark eyes almost spit fire. The handsome young man, who had been silent all along, clenched his fists and followed at the back of the crowd, entering the yamen with his head half-lowered.

Tao Hanzhi was engrossed in a book when he heard a commotion in the courtyard. Opening the door, he saw a constable rushing over excitedly, gossiping animatedly. He said that Duan was really capable; his fiancée was beautiful and had a fiery temper, and she had even come knocking on his door. Old Tao immediately grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits. He went to the next room, grabbed Li Qinglan, and pulled her outside, saying there was going to be some fun.

As soon as the two entered the house, they saw a woman in a light orange dress pulling Xiao Duan around in circles. She followed him left when he went left and right when he went right, repeatedly calling out "Brother Chen." Looking at the others nearby, Jiang Cheng had a bitter expression, Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting both looked unfriendly, and a strange young man stood beside them, also with a somber face; he appeared quite handsome.

Tao Hanzhi leaned close to Li Qinglan's ear and whispered teasingly, "I have to say, Duan's wife is even more formidable than his sister-in-law back then! Tsk tsk, she's so clingy..."

Li Qinglan raised an eyebrow, glared, and his mustache twitched: "Nonsense! Your sister-in-law was so gentle and charming back then, how could she be as crazy as this girl!"

Tao Hanzhi raised an eyebrow, clearly giving him a "you're just bragging" look. Li Qinglan blushed and explained in a low voice, "Well... well, it's just that as I got older, my temper grew... Back when I first came in, I was as gentle as a lamb..."

The two old men were whispering to each other at the door when a pale blue figure suddenly appeared before them, startling them. "Hmph! That kid Duan walks so quietly!" Duan's face was cold as he bowed to the two men, saying, "Lord Li, Mr. Tao, I'm truly sorry. My junior sister didn't give me any prior notice and came directly to the government office. I'll take them to the inn immediately. Let Zhan Yun and Brother Jiang discuss the case with you two first; I'll be back soon." With that, he turned and walked to the table, picking up a huge, somewhat intimidating bundle in each hand. He glanced at Qingzi and coldly hissed, "Aren't you leaving!"

Qingzi pouted, her big eyes glistening with tears, and walked to Xiao Duan's side with a wronged expression. She said softly, "I'll take one, it's very heavy. Xiao Chen, don't be angry, I won't do it again."

Xiao Duan wouldn't let her take it, and picked up the two bundles to leave. He had only taken two steps when Li Qinglan stopped him: "Xiao Duan, it's alright. There are still empty rooms in the manor. If your junior sister doesn't mind, let her stay here for now. You're worried about her staying at an inn all by herself, aren't you?"

“I appreciate Lord Li’s kindness on behalf of my junior sister. However, I cannot trouble you any further…” Xiao Duan was interrupted halfway through his sentence by Tao Hanzhi: “Xiao Duan, you’re being too polite! Your junior sister has come all this way to see you, carrying so many things. It’s not easy for her! Look at you, you start scolding her as soon as you arrive. A man shouldn’t act like that. You should know how to be considerate!” As he spoke, he winked at Xiao Duan.

Upon hearing this, Qingzi, whose eyes had been glistening with tears, burst into laughter. She took the bundle from Xiao Duan and placed it back on the table, while winking at Xiao Hui, who was standing not far away, signaling her to quickly take the bundle from Xiao Duan's left hand. Then, she took Xiao Duan's arm and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Lord Li, thank you, Mr. Tao. We'll be bothering you at the government office for a few days. Xiao Hui, come over here and thank the two gentlemen!" As Qingzi spoke, she waved to Xiao Hui, who was standing behind the two with her head slightly bowed.

Xiao Hui stepped forward and bowed, thanking Li Qinglan and Tao Hanzhi in a low voice. Xiao Duan gently brushed Qingzi's arm away and said in a low voice, "Don't call him Xiao Huizi. The child has a proper name; don't ruin the name his parents gave him."

Qingzi was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Okay, whatever you say."

As noon approached, everyone sat around a table. Two maids from the manor ran in and out carrying dishes, while a young servant boy busied himself serving rice. Li Qinglan stroked his beard and looked at Xiao Duan, smiling slightly, "So Xiao Duan's full name is Duan Chen. Haha, we've known Xiao Duan for so long, and we didn't even know his name. If it weren't for Miss Qingzi's arrival today, we'd probably still be calling him Xiao Duan, Xiao Duan."

"Just call me Xiao Duan," Xiao Duan said softly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Yes, you can call him Xiao Duan! Xiao Chen isn’t used to people calling him by his name…” Qing Zi smiled sweetly, her big, cat-like eyes sparkling. “Xiao Chen, we have your favorite vinegar fish! Here, the belly meat is the most tender…”

Xiao Duan frowned slightly, a little embarrassed, and leaned close to Qing Zi's ear, whispering, "Don't do that. This is the government office, not home. It's very impolite."

Upon hearing this, Qingzi smiled and said, "Okay. I'll listen to Xiaochen." Then, she picked up a piece of cold bamboo shoot salad with her chopsticks and put it in Xiaoduan's bowl, saying, "Xiaochen, eat this."

Xiao Duan sighed and looked up at everyone, "I'm sorry. My junior sister has always lived on the mountain and hasn't had much contact with outsiders. Please forgive any rudeness."

Li Qinglan waved her hands repeatedly, indicating it was alright. Tao Hanzhi watched with a smile as Xiao Duan and Qingzi interacted sweetly, thinking to herself, "Finally, I've seen Xiao Duan get his comeuppance! Qingzi, with Xiao Duan's cold personality, you have to keep pestering him like this to win him over. I'm rooting for you!"

Zhan Yun swallowed the food in his mouth and asked gently, "Miss Qingzi, why do you call him Senior Brother Duan one minute, Brother the next, and Little...Chen the next?" When Zhan Yun said "Little Chen," he paused for a long time, and his handsome face gradually turned pink. After all, such an intimate name was not something an ordinary person could use, and even though he was imitating human speech, he still felt a little embarrassed to say it.

"Oh, it's like this. In terms of seniority, Xiao Chen entered the sect before me, so naturally I have to call him Senior Brother. But in terms of age, I'm half a year older than Xiao Chen, so usually I call him Xiao Chen." Qing Zi explained with a sweet smile, unsurprisingly seeing Zhan Yun's brow furrow slightly, seemingly still a little puzzled. Qing Zi's big eyes darted around, and her smile became even sweeter. As for calling him "Brother Chen," it was naturally to show off the close relationship between me and my Xiao Chen, so that you would all back off. Who told you all to stare at my Xiao Chen so lustfully! I'll make you all furious! Especially the one wearing all black! What are you glaring at me for! I'm talking to you!

While Qingzi was clinging to Xiao Duan, serving him this and that, she didn't forget to glare at Zhao Ting with her eyes, occasionally glancing at Zhan Yun. Xiao Duan, however, didn't care about the sparks flying between the three of them. After thinking for a while, Xiao Duan looked up at the group and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to go to the Zhu residence later."

"What's wrong, Duan? Have you come up with any new clues?" Just before dinner, the group had already explained the general situation to Li Qinglan and Tao Hanzhi. This matter is truly baffling.

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Duan finally spoke: "I just... there are some things I don't understand."

Li Qinglan nodded: "In that case, let the constables in the yamen take the list given by Steward Zhang of the Zhu family and go to various rouge shops to see if there are any clues. The two young masters can go with Xiao Duan to the Zhu residence to find out more. Is this arrangement acceptable to you?"

Zhao Ting nodded, and Zhan Yun smiled slightly, "Let's do as Lord Li said, and go to the Zhu residence again later."

“Xiao Chen…” Qing Zi looked at Xiao Duan with bright eyes, while Xiao Duan continued to eat with his eyes down, and said softly, “No.”

"No, Xiao Chen. I don't know anything about investigating cases, I won't cause you any trouble." Qing Zi reached out and stroked Xiao Duan's arm, pouting her bright red lips: "I was talking about Xiao Hui Zi, uh, Xiao Hui!"

Xiao Duan paused, his chopsticks still, and turned to look at Chu Hui sitting on his other side. The boy put down his chopsticks, his eyes clear as mountain streams, and quietly met Xiao Duan's gaze. Xiao Duan stared coldly at the boy with his phoenix eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Want to follow in your footsteps?"

Chu Hui moved her lips slightly, stubbornly pursing them, and after a long while replied, "I want to follow Brother Duan to roam the world and help the government solve cases."

Xiao Duan sneered, "So, do you want to be a江湖 (jianghu, a martial arts world) figure, or a government official?" The young man frowned, unsure of Xiao Duan's meaning. Xiao Duan put down his chopsticks and said softly, "Working for the government, like your father did. Wandering the江湖, like I am now. Choose carefully, or you'll regret it later."

The boy rubbed his clothes, hesitating slightly: "Yes, is there anything different?"

Xiao Duan curled his lips and turned to look at Jiang Cheng, who was silently picking at his food: "Brother Jiang, can this kid stay with you for a couple of days?" Then, he turned to look at Li Qinglan: "Let him help out and broaden his horizons."

Li Qinglan hesitated slightly: "Is it okay for him to follow Jiang Cheng? Or should we let him follow Xiao Tao, or someone else in the yamen..." Old Master Li paused, "After all, it takes time for most people to accept what Jiang Cheng has done, and I'm afraid it will frighten the child."

Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement, and Xiao Duan smiled slightly: "Brother Jiang, the child's father is in the same profession as you."

Author's Note: Ahem, actually, Qingzi is a very deep person. The above is all an illusion, an illusion.

Then there's the matter of Xiao Duan not letting Qing Zi call Chu Hui "Little Hui Zi." The reason is simple: just look at Xiao Duan and Qing Zi's names, and you'll find the truth!

25

Chapter Six: Flower Buds • Trial...

As usual, Xiao Duan walked in the middle, Zhao Ting on the left and Zhan Yun on the right, the three of them walking towards the Zhu residence, chatting occasionally. "I never imagined that Miss Qingzi was so remarkable! So young, yet she takes care of such a large group of children and teaches them to read and write," Zhan Yun said with a slight smile, gently waving his folding fan.

Xiao Duan curled her lips slightly but remained silent. That girl had always loved being the leader of the pack. Even though she was only half a year older than him, she was always eager to do this and that, insisting on taking good care of his junior sister. The first time she cooked noodles for him, he ended up with an upset stomach that lasted all night, followed by a high fever that wouldn't break for three days. Unfortunately, their master wasn't around those days, and since they were both young and didn't know how to prepare medicine, Xiao Duan was terrified and clung to him, crying and saying she was going to kill him.

Zhao Ting glanced sideways and saw that Xiao Duan seemed lost in thought, her pink lips slightly pursed, her phoenix eyes gazing ahead, as if harboring a faint smile. Zhao Ting's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "You're this happy just because someone praised you? That Qingzi girl, plain-looking but with a fiery temper, speaks with such exaggerated gestures, and shamelessly clings to people, refusing to let go. She has absolutely no sense of propriety as a woman. I really don't see what's so good about her!"