The young master stroked his sleeve: "How much did Xiaolin give him?"
Liu Bai answered truthfully: "One hundred taels."
"Look, these are our people. They can be bought off with a hundred taels of silver," the young master said, turning his gaze to look at him. "Do they all think the money our Yi family is offering is too little?"
Liu Bai dared not speak.
The young master laughed instead, feigning sudden realization: "That's right. As long as the future Third Madam of the Yi family is willing to favor you, the benefits will be far greater than what you can see now. You should learn from them and pay more attention."
Liu Bai smiled wryly. Fortunately, he knew that the young master was just saying it and wasn't really targeting him, so there was no need to worry. Those brainless fools should open their eyes. The young master has always acted arbitrarily. Even if he marries a wife, he might not let her interfere in affairs. They're hoping for some favor. Sticking to the master is the best course of action.
The young master stopped looking at him and slowly walked back.
Liu Bai silently followed.
"Leave him with one hand, then send him back to Zhengzhou." He said this casually.
"Yes," Liu Bai agreed, then hesitated for a long time before cautiously adding, "In my opinion, it would be best to find a fault with him in a couple of days, so as not to send him away rashly and arouse Miss Cheng's suspicion, which would make her look bad."
The young master remained noncommittal: "Send two people to protect that girl."
Knowing who he was referring to, Liu Bai quickly agreed.
The young master remained silent.
How can the Jade Rabbit be exclusively favored?
Jin returned three days later, and as usual, he was greeted by the little girl's hug. All his fatigue vanished in that burst of clear laughter.
I wasn't really thinking about Jin Yuan, but Jin Yuan glared at me. This discovery made him depressed again. He wanted to act indifferent and nonchalant, but that was extremely difficult and painful. His facial muscles had become conditioned reflexes and didn't really obey his brain.
Forget it, having her by my side makes me happy. As for the future, I don't have time to worry about that.
Thinking about it that way, he felt much more relaxed and smiled: "Have you been running around these past few days?"
“No,” Qiu Lingling hugged him and buried her face in his chest. “Huh, the scent is gone.” Mainly, she felt that the scent last time was very familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before.
The little girl still remembers. Jin felt a little cold, but then turned smug. Of course not, this time the sect leader is going to take care of important business.
He put on a stern face: "You haven't been running around! I've heard you've been going down the mountain on your own all the time."
Qiu Lingling smiled and said, "I'm just going to visit Yi Qinghan."
Yi Qinghan? Jin Huanlai immediately remembered this person. After all, it was he who saved the little girl, and he should indeed be grateful. However, the little girl's life was hanging by a thread at the time, and he didn't have time to think about it. Afterwards, he was so happy that he forgot about it.
"He saved you, you should thank him."
"Thanks."
Jin nodded. "That's good. I don't like that kid and I don't want to see him."
Qiu Lingling bit her lip and pulled him: "Jin Huanlai, Yi Qinghan has a parrot that can talk."
Jin was stunned for a moment, then finally realized something was wrong: "You called him Yi Qinghan?"
Qiu Lingling nodded: "Yes."
"Nonsense! How can you call a man by his name like that? It's disrespectful!"
“I’ll call you Jin Huanlai too.”
"Tch, comparing me, the leader of this sect, to that kid?" Jin lectured, "I am me, and he is him. From now on, you have to call him Young Master Yi. Don't go provoking him unless necessary, understand?"
Qiu Lingling felt rather wronged, and said "Oh," then her face lit up with joy: "Do you know what a parrot is?"
Jin waved his hand irritably, saying, "What good thing? It's just a parrot, always squawking and jumping around, so noisy!"
Qiu Lingling pouted and remained silent.
.
In the elegantly furnished room, Liu Bai entered and inquired, "Young Master, what about the other nine parrots..."
The young master was in a good mood and waved his hand: "Throw it out."
Liu Bai hesitated: "This..."
The young master glanced at him and sighed, "Do you want me to put them all in the garden so people can see how stingy I am, keeping so many but not giving away a single one?"
"So you knew?" Liu Bai probed. "What I mean is, these are all rare and top-quality parrots. It would be a pity to throw them away. Since Miss Lingling likes them, why don't you keep one?"
The young master glanced sideways, a half-smile playing on his lips: "No need, one is enough."
Liu Bai remained silent, but the expression on his face betrayed his thoughts. Even a blind man could tell that the young lady adored parrots. Since he wanted to please her and had bought so many, why not just give one to her? Instead, he pretended not to see them. The young master is usually quite clever; doesn't he understand the art of winning a smile from a beautiful woman?
The young master shook his head. While a beautiful woman's smile is certainly pleasing to the eye, it would be most worthwhile to have her smile in front of me every day. I am a businessman.
"Send someone to deliver a note to Prefect Zhao, saying that our Yi family is preparing to do some business, and it would be best if there were no parrots for sale on the market this month." The tone was light.
Liu Bai was utterly speechless and withdrew.
Keeping it by your side to make you laugh every day? That's a good idea, I might consider it. However, thinking of those slightly childish eyes and innocent expression, the young master couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps, it's still a bit too young?
.
After a while, the young master turned to look out the window and suddenly threw the jade cup in his hand.
With a cry of surprise, a person fell from a tree not far away, clutching the jade cup in their right hand and glaring at him angrily: "You did that on purpose!"
The young master laughed: "Who told you to peek at me?"
Qiu Lingling stared at him for a moment, then laughed. She lightly touched the ground with her toes, and floated up gracefully. She quickly stood in front of him, looking somewhat shy: "Young Master Yi... Young Master Yi."
The young master asked in surprise, "Why have you changed your form of address?"
Qiu Lingling glanced at him: "Jin Huan said that I can't call you by your name."
His brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed instantly. The young master smiled and said, "It's alright, we'll just call him quietly. He won't know."
Qiu Lingling thought it made sense, and smiled from the side like a pretty little fox: "That's right."
Just then, Liu Bai walked in again: "Young master, Yu Laoqi, the manager of Qiufeng Hall, has just arrived."
The young master asked, "Has something happened at Qiufeng Hall?"
Liu Bai laughed: "It's nothing serious, it's just that useless Jiang Xiaohu, he owed someone dozens of taels of gambling debts the other day, and he can't pay it back, so everyone is clamoring to beat him up."
Qiu Lingling exclaimed in surprise, "What should we do then?"
Liu Bai was taken aback: "Don't worry, Miss. Qiufeng Hall is a business of the Yi family. Although the rules are strict, they won't lead to anyone's death. It'll just be a beating."
Qiu Lingling immediately looked at the young master, anxiously asking, "Do we really have to fight?"
The young master smiled and looked at Liu Bai: "Let's let it go this time, but don't let it happen again."
Qiu Lingling was relieved: "You're so kind!"
Liu Bai, however, was puzzled: "Does the young lady know that useless boy?"
Qiu Lingling exclaimed "Ah!" and hurriedly shook her head, her face remaining calm and composed, though her gaze was unfocused, revealing a hint of guilt.
The young master smiled but said nothing.
.
Playing dice is a simple game that many girls enjoy. This was the first time the little girl had ever tried it, and after learning how, she happily left.
There was a small pavilion on the west side of the garden, with its windows wide open on the street side. The young master sat smiling in a chair.
She's alright, just a little slow, but that's okay. I don't need her to be too smart. She just needs to stay obediently behind me. If she's too smart, I'll get bored.
If a man possesses sufficient ability, he would prefer to be someone who is cared for rather than someone equally strong. Otherwise, these abilities would lose some of their meaning. It's like possessing wealth and power, but having no one around you who needs your protection or shares your admiration—that feels like a failure. Or perhaps most men have a protective instinct deep down. Yi Qinghan is such a man. He likes intelligent women, but that doesn't mean he would marry them. Resources shouldn't be wasted, right? They can better utilize their talents as assistants than as wives.
The only problem is, isn't she a little too young?
Sixteen isn't exactly young, but that behavior...
A confused girl? For the first time in his life, the young master was unsure of his own judgment. He didn't seem to have a fondness for little girls before, so now, did he see her as a little girl or a woman?
The young master was always decisive and wouldn't hesitate for long. He quickly beckoned Liu Bai over and said, "Go find a young lady."
Liu Bai understood immediately: "Tonight..."
The young master interrupted him: "No need for tonight, let's go now."
"So urgent?" Liu Bai hurriedly replied, "Which one does the young master wish to see? I will send someone to fetch them immediately."
The young master said, "Anything is fine, the smaller the better."
The smaller the better? Liu Bai was dumbfounded: "Young Master wants..."
The young master didn't explain further, and casually pointed to a corner of the street downstairs: "It's about the same as that one."
At the alley entrance next to the stall, there used to be a pretty girl of sixteen or seventeen. Unfortunately, people often forget the old saying, "Things are constantly changing." This change can be fast or slow. It may take several years to see the change, or it may only take less than a second. For example, right now, Liu Bai was only stunned for a moment. When he turned around again, the scene there had already changed.
"What would the young master want such a young girl for?" he asked in surprise.
The young master remained enigmatic: "Perhaps, I just like little girls."
"You like it?" Liu Bai almost fainted. Did he hear that right? When did the young master's taste change like this?
"What's wrong?" the young master glanced at him. "Isn't... a little inappropriate?"
Hearing this question, Liu Bai automatically interpreted it as dissatisfaction with his efficiency, so he hurriedly turned around and left, wiping his sweat as he went: "No, no, I'll go right away."
That's really inappropriate!
.
Not long after Liu Bai left, a woman's scolding voice suddenly came from outside.
The young master frowned, lifted the bamboo curtain, and saw Cheng Xiaolin carrying a box of pastries, about to come in. She was stopped by two guards at the door. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her face turned red with anger.
The young master was as amiable as ever: "Xiaolin?"
Seeing him come out, Cheng Xiaolin immediately suppressed her anger and put on a dissatisfied look: "Cousin, look at them..."
“It must be because Liu Bai is too lenient with people, causing them to be ignorant of the rules and offend my sister,” the young master interrupted her with a smile, then turned to the two guards and reprimanded them in a deep voice, “Go down first, and when Steward Liu returns, tell him to wait to be punished.”
The two guards lowered their heads and withdrew.
Cheng Xiaolin knew when to stop, so she smiled and followed him inside: "It has nothing to do with Steward Liu. It must be because they didn't pay attention. Why take it so seriously, cousin?" As she spoke, she placed the box on the table: "I was thinking that you like to eat crispy cheese when you're at home, but it's rarely sold in the south, so I specially asked them to make some. I don't know if it suits your taste."
The box was opened, and a milky aroma wafted out.