Jiangnan Gaiden - Chapitre 8
Xiao Xun's face immediately fell: "Boss, the internal energy is powerful, but it's not mine..."
"Third brother, you're so humble... I never noticed all these virtues before..." Ye Xiao patted his shoulder with a smile.
Xiao Xun did not explain further.
She glanced at Luo Qingcheng and saw the sarcasm in his eyes.
Suddenly, a chilling voice rang out, ringing out firmly: "Ah Gou, remember what you just said..."
Xiao Xun suddenly remembered that he seemed to have made a foolish promise just now, and immediately regretted it...
They made a fortune.
The three of them happily found a place to stay.
Staying in a guesthouse was too expensive, so we found a run-down house that no one was staying in.
The host only charges a small amount of money as lodging fee.
Food is the most important thing for people, so they planned to have a hearty meal.
Eating at restaurants was expensive, so Ye Xiao volunteered to cook.
The other two exchanged surprised glances and sat down to wait for their food to be served.
After a while, a smoked panda brought over two bowls of food.
A pot of braised fish, the fish meat seemed to be shredded; a pot of stir-fried chives, slightly burnt.
Both dishes were colorless and odorless; I wonder how they taste.
Xiao Xun rushed forward shouting and brandishing his chopsticks, only to hear Luo Qingcheng across from him give a cold snort.
Remembering his foolish promise, he reluctantly stopped.
Luo Qingcheng elegantly picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, hissed and gasped, then immediately put on a pleasant face and pushed the braised fish in front of Xiao Xun.
She picked up another piece of chives with her chopsticks, groaned, and pushed the chives towards Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun tasted it suspiciously, then suddenly stood up and covered his lower abdomen.
"Suddenly need to pee... Boss, I'm going to the outhouse to take care of this..." He turned and ran off.
Luo Qingcheng stood up expressionlessly, picked up a basin of water, and prepared to wash his face.
"You need to pee too?" Ye Xiao clearly didn't believe it.
Luo Qingcheng was stunned for a while before finally coming up with an excuse: "Agou didn't bring any toilet paper."
"Then why aren't you using toilet paper to get water?" Ye Xiao asked, even more suspicious.
After a long pause, Luo Qingcheng said softly, "Knowing his habits as I do, he needs to wash his hands even more..."
Ye Xiao was stunned for a moment, startled by Luo Qingcheng's implied meaning. He felt his stomach churning, let out a groan, and ran out.
Luo Qingcheng put down the basin of water and sat down.
A moment later, a person burst through the door, beaming with joy.
It was Xiao Xun, holding several paper packages.
"Lao Bao Chicken's spiced roast chicken is on sale today, so I bought one. I also had a vegetarian dish stir-fried and some rice prepared..."
He excitedly opened the paper package and placed it on the table.
Ye Xiao entered with a pale face and saw the food on the table.
He glared fiercely at Xiao Xun: "Did you... wash your hands?"
Xiao Xun paused for a moment, then honestly replied, "No."
Luo Qingcheng remained calm, tore off a roast chicken leg, took a bite, and frowned: "This roast chicken seems to have a peculiar taste..."
Ye Xiao stared in horror at Luo Qingcheng's chewing mouth, then at Xiao Xun's hand. Her stomach began to churn again. She let out a groan and ran out.
"What does it taste like? Is it because it's been discounted and isn't fresh?" Xiao Xun asked hurriedly.
"Star anise? Fennel? Anyway, it smells really good..."
"Please! This is spiced roast chicken! How can it be called spiced roast chicken if it's not fragrant! Oh, what's wrong, boss? Are you feeling unwell?" Xiao Xun was thirsty from running and picked up a bowl of water and gulped it down.
"I don't know. Could she be pregnant?" Luo Qingcheng remained calm and composed.
"Cough cough cough!" Xiao Xun choked on the water and coughed violently, almost fainting. He painfully leaned against the wall and left.
Only Luo Qingcheng remained, enjoying the roast chicken to the fullest.
Finally, he muttered to himself, "Working diligently without slacking off, tightening his belt without eating. What an ideal servant..."
The true face of the master
Continuing north, summer arrives and the weather gradually gets warmer.
Ever since he uttered that foolish sentence, gripped by fear, poor Xiao Xun's situation has been miserable.
Although Luo Qingcheng didn't actually stop him from eating, he only fed him leftovers from the two of them.
He'll definitely be able to fill his stomach, because he's the main character who breaks the stone on his chest. In Luo Qingcheng's words, no matter how poor you are, you can't kill the ox that plows the field or the donkey that pulls the millstone.
However, he definitely wouldn't get to eat the good stuff.
That day, Ye Xiao was ordered to buy a roast chicken.
Luo Qingcheng leaned lazily against the table, glancing sideways at the roast chicken wrapped in lotus leaves.
Why does this chicken only have one leg?
"Oh? Does it have anything to do with it? Could it be... that the master wants to use it for cockfighting?"
"..." Luo Qingcheng was speechless with anger. After a long while, he said coldly, "Could it be a crippled chicken?"
"You discriminate against disabled chickens? We'll kill them for meat anyway, so what does it matter if they're disabled or not?"
"..." Luo Qingcheng was furious again and began to study the crippled chicken in frustration.
One leg was severed at the root.
"Perhaps... he was accidentally injured by some martial arts master?" Ye Xiao pondered seriously.
“If you accidentally hurt a chicken, you can’t be called a master.” Luo Qingcheng quickly pointed out her grammatical error.
Ye Xiao nodded deeply: "Profound! Sharp! Master, you are truly as talented as Cao Zhi!"
"..." Luo Qingcheng felt a tightness in his chest from anger, but he couldn't say anything.
Xiao Xun drooled as he waited for the two to finish eating.
There was only a chicken skeleton left, along with some white rice.
He picked up the bowl dejectedly and saw Ye Xiao give him a meaningful smile.
I quickly shoveled down half a bowl of rice when I suddenly noticed a large chicken leg lying quietly at the bottom of the bowl.
A surge of emotion welled up inside him, and he looked at Ye Xiao with gratitude: "Boss! Thank you!"
Ye Xiao patted his shoulder: "Who told you to be our brother! I'll protect you, boss!"
That day, Xiao Xun experienced the happiness of recognizing a leader for the first time.
"Master, where are we going?" After traveling slowly for more than two months while performing for a living, Ye Xiao finally asked about their destination.
"Langjing Manor." Luo Qingcheng's voice, like his expression, revealed neither joy nor anger.
"Langjing Manor! Master...you are not...going to find a son-in-law?" Ye Xiao exclaimed.
"So what if it is? Why are you making such a fuss?" Luo Qingcheng remained calm.
"You...you...just based on your...looks...wealth..." Ye Xiao stammered, trying to figure out how to say it in a way that would avoid provoking Luo Qingcheng too much.
"What? They said they don't care about age or wealth, they only care about character and ability." Luo Qingcheng said with some dissatisfaction.
"But... how could the great beauty Yuan have taken a liking to your face..." Ye Xiao whispered.
"What do you think of my face? You've never seen my face! I'm far more handsome than your brother! Countless women have followed me around crying and begging for my attention!"
"Please blind them, so they won't have nightmares at night?" Ye Xiao asked earnestly.
"Hmph. Begging me to take them in! Even if it means being treated like cattle or horses... as slaves!" Luo Qingcheng roared in anger.
"Oh? Then you already have a multitude of servants by now, why bother waiting for us to take the bait and sign the contract of servitude?"
"..." Luo Qingcheng was speechless with anger.
"Where is Langjing Manor? Is it related to Shen Rujun?" Xiao Xun quietly asked Ye Xiao.
"There are two sayings in the martial arts world: 'The armor shines in the sun at Lonely Cloud Fortress,' and 'The water reflects the moon at Bright Mirror Manor,'" Ye Xiao said.
"What's the meaning?"
"Simply put, it's Jin Guyun and Yin Langjing. The two wealthiest martial arts families in the world are the Long family of Guyun Fortress and the Yuan family of Langjing Manor. Among them, Yuan Peixin, the only daughter of the Langjing Manor lord, and Shen Wan of the Shen family of Jiangnan are known as the two beauties of the martial arts world, known as the Southern Shen and Northern Yuan. With both wealth and beauty, the daughter of the Yuan family naturally attracts everyone's attention and becomes the object of countless suitors from martial arts families. Not long ago, the Langjing Manor lord announced that he planned to find a son-in-law for Yuan Peixin... People in the martial arts world immediately flocked to her, and it is said that the road to Langjing Manor was blocked by all kinds of luxurious carriages..."
"Could it be... that our master is also going to join in the fun? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? And it would make us lose face too?" Xiao Xun said with a bitter expression.
Ye Xiao nodded seriously and sighed.
"Who said that? I am as handsome as Pan An and as talented as Cao Zhi..." Luo Qingcheng said, glancing meaningfully at Ye Xiao. "When the time comes, I will be invincible... and I will be successful in everything I do!"
"Would he really be as handsome as Pan An?" Ye Xiao muttered to himself, lost in thought.
As night fell, Luo Qingcheng finished washing up and went back to his room to sleep.
He climbed into bed, lay down for a moment, and then got up again.
He brought a basin of hot water from the kitchen and poured it directly under the bed!
With a scream, Ye Xiao covered his head and fled from under the bed in a disheveled state, his whole body soaked and burning hot.
"Why would you do such a petty and despicable thing?" Luo Qingcheng asked calmly, his expression unchanged.
"I just wanted to see your face... how handsome you are... why do this..." Ye Xiao was about to cry, feeling wronged.
"My face... I'll show it to you when it's time... I'll still wear a mask to sleep at night, so you won't be able to see it."
He stormed out the door, muttering maliciously, "Sleeping with a mask on? I want to see your true face!"