Chapter 96 Little fox
"Eldest Brother Xiao, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival in ten days or so. When are you going to leave for the capital?" Although You Jin didn't intend to drive him away, the letter from Xiao Family in the capital had already been delivered to her. The woman who was the mistress of Xiao Family was nearly pointing her finger at her, saying that she was a vixen who seduced her precious son to happily stay in this poor and remote area of Luohe Prefecture. Although she was very grateful to Xiao Lin Yu for helping her with money and business in the past few months, she had no intention of being a vixen and robbing others of their son.
Xiao Lin Yu put down the ledger book in his hand. He had nothing to do in the past few months and was ignoring Xiao Family's affairs. So he had a lot of free time and he volunteered to help Su Family with checking the ledgers. You Jin was also big-hearted. She didn't guard against him. As proven, Xiao Lin Yu was indeed a person who had been in the business industry for several years and had a few skills.
Xiao Lin Yu smiled and called You Jin by her boudoir name: "You Jin feels that I eat more and work less? Or do you think that I am eating and drinking at your house for nothing is a loss of money?"
In a blink of an eye, Xiao Lin Yu lived in Su's house for more than a month. He became very familiar with Su Family. The more he stayed, the less he wanted to leave. The warm and lively family atmosphere of Su Family was something that Xiao Lin Yu had never experienced before. Everything was so strange, but it still attracted him to stay. Day after day, letters from the capital urging him to go back came one after another, but he didn't want to go back to the capital at all.
You Jin helplessly shook her head: "Eldest Brother Xiao, you and I both know that nothing in this world can be avoided. The responsibility that one should shoulder, one should always bear it."
She never asked why Xiao Lin Yu silently came to Luohe Prefecture. But she did know that Xiao Lin Yu was the next head of Xiao Family. What he had to bear was the future of Xiao Family. Although it had nothing to do with her, she never wanted to bear the label of a vixen.
Sighing, Xiao Lin Yu realized for the first time that the little girl in front of him was on the same road as him. Each shouldered the future of a family. However, You Jin could always see things more clearly than himself. Truly a fine minded odd person. With a wry smile, he responded: "You always have a bunch of preposterous reasoning that I can't rebuke. Fine. I have stolen a life of idleness for a while. I should go back."
Standing up, he stared deeply at You Jin: "If... nevermind..."
Seeing Xiao Lin Yu's hesitant expression, You Jin felt like a cat scratching her heart and asked, "What if?"
With a small smile, he shook his head: "It's nothing. I'm afraid I won't come back to Luohe Prefecture for a long time after I leave. You are a girl, you have to take care of yourself. From what I see you’re still short of guards despite having a lot of people. I will send you a few people from Xiao’s villa tomorrow. They are good at watching the house.”
You Jin frowned, and felt that Xiao Lin Yu was changing the subject. But since he didn’t want to say anything, she couldn’t ask any further questions. So she accepted his thoughts: "I was thinking of finding some guards for the house. If Eldest Brother Xiao is willing to part with them, I'll respectfully comply."
Seeing her smiling sweetly, Xiao Lin Yu stretched out his hand as if urged by ghosts and gods.
The slightly cool left cheek was completely covered by the man's warm and wide palm. You Jin was stunned for a moment and stared blankly at Xiao Lin Yu who was less than half a meter away from her. This scene felt familiar.
From the palm of his hand was the touch of the girl's cheek that was as delicate as a peeled egg. Xiao Lin Yu felt that he was in the sky full of fireworks during the Lantern Festival; bright and soul-stirring.
The two were speechless for a while. Their hearts were like stormy waves. The inexplicable emotion exploded in their minds like a fire tree and silver flowers regardless of night and day.
An unknown amount of time passed before You Jin recovered her voice first: "It's getting late, I'll go back first."
After saying that, she turned and fled back to the backyard in a hurry.
Looking at the figure of the girl who fled, Xiao Lin Yu felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart. He had never understood love, but at this moment he knew that he was attracted to the girl whom he had always regarded as a junior.
The empty hand that was raised in the air looked as if wanted to grab the faint fragrance emanating from the girl's body. But in the end he had no choice but to put it down.
Back to You Jin, who self-consciously returned to the backyard, felt her heart beating for a long time. Sitting in front of the bronze mirror and looking at the dim reflection, she had her hands on her face. She sighed: "In the end, you aren’t from the same road. Why get your heart moved?”
You Jin's soul wasn’t an ignorant girl. She naturally knew why her heart felt so chaotic just now. Putting aside the fact that Xiao Lin Yu had a fiancée from a noble literati family, this was an age of well-matched position pair together. She was just a rural girl, how can she climb up to the lintel of Xiao Family?
Weakly slumped on the bed covered with soft cotton cushions, she stared blankly at the ceiling. Muttering to herself: "If it isn't for..."
Under the crescent moon in early autumn, men and women who have just discovered love tossed and turned and were sleepless all night. Both were ruefully about this love that was doomed to die before it even began.
***
The two’s out-of-sort emotion disappeared along with the early autumn night’s falling stars that night. When they woke up the next day, they looked calm and polite again and seemed normal to outsiders. Only the involved parties saw the difference in each other’s eyes.
"These eight people are all guards selected from my Xiao's villa. I will leave them all to you." Xiao Lin Yu was a man of action. He said he would choose people for her and soon brought them here.
Su Family wasn’t a family that can't afford guards now. But the profession of guards was different from others. If they don't clearly judge people and choose the bad ones, then they will lure wolves into the house. It was for this reason, You Jin hadn’t found suitable candidates for a long time.
The eight guards that Xiao Lin Yu gave her were all young people in their early twenties. There was only one guard leader who was about 30 years old. They all entered Xiao Family since childhood. Naturally, there was no objection toward the order from the next Patriarch. You Jin can feel at ease with such people and kept all eight of them.
"I have troubled Eldest Brother Xiao to worry about everything for me. So I'll respectfully go along." After ordering Uncle Song to take them down and settle them down, You Jin bowed to Xiao Lin Yu to express her gratitude.
Xiao Lin Yu nodded slightly and responded: "There was no need to be so polite between you and me." As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere between the two of them immediately became a little awkward. Xiao Lin Yu coughed twice and dryly changed the subject.
“I'm going to leave early in the morning. Once I leave here, I'm afraid we won't see each other again for a long time in the future. Once your tea is made, you must remember to give me a share to sample."
"Of course. I'm afraid I'll have to rely on Eldest Brother Xiao for help then! I can’t waste you, a rich man right?" Chuckling, You Jin stood beside Xiao Lin Yu. Half a meter was between them as they walked slowly along the Luo River where the boats come and go. Four-five guards followed from a distance and didn't dare to disturb the two of them.
Xiao Lin Yu didn't say anything, just watched the blood-red setting sun reflected in the gurgling river in the distance. Though the two of them were silent, he felt at ease. He softly asked: "If there is a chance in the future, You Jin, would you go to the capital?"
"The capital city is the most prosperous place in Dafeng. I naturally want to go. Not only the capital city, but also the great rivers and mountains in Dafeng. I have never seen it. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely have a detailed trip. Although I can’t become someone great, life is so short that I have to make something out of it!" You Jin took a deep breath and raised her voice and said, "Although I am a female and can’t make career achievements like a man, I don't want to rush living this life. Although I can't leave a name in history, I still have to leave a mark!"
Looking sideways at the young girl in the setting sun talking about the long-term ambition in her heart, Xiao Lin Yu couldn't help lowering his head and chuckled: "You always have your preposterous reasoning."
You Jin looked at the man with gentle glint in his eyes who was only one step away from her, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly covered up her oddness with a smile and looked at the endless rice fields in the distance. She smilingly remarked: "Life in this world, one won’t be able to do what they want nine out of ten cases. For one in ten, it’s appropriate to indulge.”
The man was tall and handsome, and the woman was tall and pretty. They walked side by side on the embankment of the Luozhou River as the setting sun dragged their shadows long. The shadows clinging to each other were like the most well-matched couple in the world; making others envious.
The two of them stayed by the river bank until the setting sun disappeared into the sky, and the Milky Way appeared bit by bit in the east. At dusk, when the coolness of early autumn hit, thinly dressed You Jin couldn't help shivering.
Xiao Lin Yu was naturally aware of her movement, and spoke up: "It's a bit cold after dusk, shall we go back?"
Initially, You Jin was dragged out by him to have a stroll. When she heard what he said, she eagerly nodded. The two turned around and went back in the direction of Su’s house.
The night wind was rustling. The oncoming cool wind was blowing in the direction of the girl, but was ruthlessly intercepted by the tall man and had no choice but to divert.
The two walked side by side. Xiao Lin Yu turned sideways to block the night wind’s attack. The two walked in the direction of Su’s house one after the other. The guards still followed from a distance and not one dared to go forward to disturb their master. Occasionally, a man's chuckle was carried along the autumn night’s wind.
Walking along the river, they can see a pair of lanterns already lit in front of Su’s house from a distance. The farmers on the other side of the river were returning until the cover of the night and the moonlight. The crickets in the early autumn were tirelessly chattering in the fields. There were fishes jumping out of the water in the canal from time to time. It sparkled under the moonlight, which was a beautiful sight.
The young servant who was sent out to look for You Jin held a lantern and saw Miss and Gentleman Xiao from a distance. So he stood in front of Su Family's gate, asked Uncle Wang to open the door, and waited quietly for Eldest Missl to come back. Uncle Wang worked in Su’s house and now still lives in the same room with Han Li brothers. The relationship between the old and the young was tight. Now board and meals were taken care of by Su's house, countless villagers in Wuliqiao envied him.
"The night breeze is still a little cold. Miss is young. Ask the cook in the kitchen to cook some cold dispelling soup for Miss." Uncle Wang, who was standing at the door, squinted at a pair not far away. He couldn't help sighing in his heart. Eldest Miss was almost fifteen now. This interaction between men and women should always be avoided to prevent suspicion!
Although Uncle Wang was just a gatekeeper, he was with Su Family when they started building up. Su Family’s subsequent servants, including Housekeeper Uncle Song, respected him very much. Needlessly to say these little ones. The little servant respectfully acknowledged and didn’t dare to forget about it.
"Uncle Wang, it's a cold night. Why are you still standing here?" You Jin asked with concern when she saw one old and one young waiting at the door as soon as she got home.
When Uncle Wang saw Miss return, he hurriedly instructed the little servant to lead the way with a lantern: "Miss knows that the night was cool, so why are you still standing outside? Come inside."
On the side, Xiao Lin Yu noticed despite having rules between the masters and servants of Su Family, they were sincerely close like family members when they got along with each other. When he thought that he would leave tomorrow, he felt a little bit more reluctant.
"Eldest Brother Xiao, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival in ten days or so. When are you going to leave for the capital?" Although You Jin didn't intend to drive him away, the letter from Xiao Family in the capital had already been delivered to her. The woman who was the mistress of Xiao Family was nearly pointing her finger at her, saying that she was a vixen who seduced her precious son to happily stay in this poor and remote area of Luohe Prefecture. Although she was very grateful to Xiao Lin Yu for helping her with money and business in the past few months, she had no intention of being a vixen and robbing others of their son.
Xiao Lin Yu put down the ledger book in his hand. He had nothing to do in the past few months and was ignoring Xiao Family's affairs. So he had a lot of free time and he volunteered to help Su Family with checking the ledgers. You Jin was also big-hearted. She didn't guard against him. As proven, Xiao Lin Yu was indeed a person who had been in the business industry for several years and had a few skills.
Xiao Lin Yu smiled and called You Jin by her boudoir name: "You Jin feels that I eat more and work less? Or do you think that I am eating and drinking at your house for nothing is a loss of money?"
In a blink of an eye, Xiao Lin Yu lived in Su's house for more than a month. He became very familiar with Su Family. The more he stayed, the less he wanted to leave. The warm and lively family atmosphere of Su Family was something that Xiao Lin Yu had never experienced before. Everything was so strange, but it still attracted him to stay. Day after day, letters from the capital urging him to go back came one after another, but he didn't want to go back to the capital at all.
You Jin helplessly shook her head: "Eldest Brother Xiao, you and I both know that nothing in this world can be avoided. The responsibility that one should shoulder, one should always bear it."
She never asked why Xiao Lin Yu silently came to Luohe Prefecture. But she did know that Xiao Lin Yu was the next head of Xiao Family. What he had to bear was the future of Xiao Family. Although it had nothing to do with her, she never wanted to bear the label of a vixen.
Sighing, Xiao Lin Yu realized for the first time that the little girl in front of him was on the same road as him. Each shouldered the future of a family. However, You Jin could always see things more clearly than himself. Truly a fine minded odd person. With a wry smile, he responded: "You always have a bunch of preposterous reasoning that I can't rebuke. Fine. I have stolen a life of idleness for a while. I should go back."
Standing up, he stared deeply at You Jin: "If... nevermind..."
Seeing Xiao Lin Yu's hesitant expression, You Jin felt like a cat scratching her heart and asked, "What if?"
With a small smile, he shook his head: "It's nothing. I'm afraid I won't come back to Luohe Prefecture for a long time after I leave. You are a girl, you have to take care of yourself. From what I see you’re still short of guards despite having a lot of people. I will send you a few people from Xiao’s villa tomorrow. They are good at watching the house.”
You Jin frowned, and felt that Xiao Lin Yu was changing the subject. But since he didn’t want to say anything, she couldn’t ask any further questions. So she accepted his thoughts: "I was thinking of finding some guards for the house. If Eldest Brother Xiao is willing to part with them, I'll respectfully comply."
Seeing her smiling sweetly, Xiao Lin Yu stretched out his hand as if urged by ghosts and gods.
The slightly cool left cheek was completely covered by the man's warm and wide palm. You Jin was stunned for a moment and stared blankly at Xiao Lin Yu who was less than half a meter away from her. This scene felt familiar.
From the palm of his hand was the touch of the girl's cheek that was as delicate as a peeled egg. Xiao Lin Yu felt that he was in the sky full of fireworks during the Lantern Festival; bright and soul-stirring.
The two were speechless for a while. Their hearts were like stormy waves. The inexplicable emotion exploded in their minds like a fire tree and silver flowers regardless of night and day.
An unknown amount of time passed before You Jin recovered her voice first: "It's getting late, I'll go back first."
After saying that, she turned and fled back to the backyard in a hurry.
Looking at the figure of the girl who fled, Xiao Lin Yu felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart. He had never understood love, but at this moment he knew that he was attracted to the girl whom he had always regarded as a junior.
The empty hand that was raised in the air looked as if wanted to grab the faint fragrance emanating from the girl's body. But in the end he had no choice but to put it down.
Back to You Jin, who self-consciously returned to the backyard, felt her heart beating for a long time. Sitting in front of the bronze mirror and looking at the dim reflection, she had her hands on her face. She sighed: "In the end, you aren’t from the same road. Why get your heart moved?”
You Jin's soul wasn’t an ignorant girl. She naturally knew why her heart felt so chaotic just now. Putting aside the fact that Xiao Lin Yu had a fiancée from a noble literati family, this was an age of well-matched position pair together. She was just a rural girl, how can she climb up to the lintel of Xiao Family?
Weakly slumped on the bed covered with soft cotton cushions, she stared blankly at the ceiling. Muttering to herself: "If it isn't for..."
Under the crescent moon in early autumn, men and women who have just discovered love tossed and turned and were sleepless all night. Both were ruefully about this love that was doomed to die before it even began.
***
The two’s out-of-sort emotion disappeared along with the early autumn night’s falling stars that night. When they woke up the next day, they looked calm and polite again and seemed normal to outsiders. Only the involved parties saw the difference in each other’s eyes.
"These eight people are all guards selected from my Xiao's villa. I will leave them all to you." Xiao Lin Yu was a man of action. He said he would choose people for her and soon brought them here.
Su Family wasn’t a family that can't afford guards now. But the profession of guards was different from others. If they don't clearly judge people and choose the bad ones, then they will lure wolves into the house. It was for this reason, You Jin hadn’t found suitable candidates for a long time.
The eight guards that Xiao Lin Yu gave her were all young people in their early twenties. There was only one guard leader who was about 30 years old. They all entered Xiao Family since childhood. Naturally, there was no objection toward the order from the next Patriarch. You Jin can feel at ease with such people and kept all eight of them.
"I have troubled Eldest Brother Xiao to worry about everything for me. So I'll respectfully go along." After ordering Uncle Song to take them down and settle them down, You Jin bowed to Xiao Lin Yu to express her gratitude.
Xiao Lin Yu nodded slightly and responded: "There was no need to be so polite between you and me." As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere between the two of them immediately became a little awkward. Xiao Lin Yu coughed twice and dryly changed the subject.
“I'm going to leave early in the morning. Once I leave here, I'm afraid we won't see each other again for a long time in the future. Once your tea is made, you must remember to give me a share to sample."
"Of course. I'm afraid I'll have to rely on Eldest Brother Xiao for help then! I can’t waste you, a rich man right?" Chuckling, You Jin stood beside Xiao Lin Yu. Half a meter was between them as they walked slowly along the Luo River where the boats come and go. Four-five guards followed from a distance and didn't dare to disturb the two of them.
Xiao Lin Yu didn't say anything, just watched the blood-red setting sun reflected in the gurgling river in the distance. Though the two of them were silent, he felt at ease. He softly asked: "If there is a chance in the future, You Jin, would you go to the capital?"
"The capital city is the most prosperous place in Dafeng. I naturally want to go. Not only the capital city, but also the great rivers and mountains in Dafeng. I have never seen it. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely have a detailed trip. Although I can’t become someone great, life is so short that I have to make something out of it!" You Jin took a deep breath and raised her voice and said, "Although I am a female and can’t make career achievements like a man, I don't want to rush living this life. Although I can't leave a name in history, I still have to leave a mark!"
Looking sideways at the young girl in the setting sun talking about the long-term ambition in her heart, Xiao Lin Yu couldn't help lowering his head and chuckled: "You always have your preposterous reasoning."
You Jin looked at the man with gentle glint in his eyes who was only one step away from her, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly covered up her oddness with a smile and looked at the endless rice fields in the distance. She smilingly remarked: "Life in this world, one won’t be able to do what they want nine out of ten cases. For one in ten, it’s appropriate to indulge.”
The man was tall and handsome, and the woman was tall and pretty. They walked side by side on the embankment of the Luozhou River as the setting sun dragged their shadows long. The shadows clinging to each other were like the most well-matched couple in the world; making others envious.
The two of them stayed by the river bank until the setting sun disappeared into the sky, and the Milky Way appeared bit by bit in the east. At dusk, when the coolness of early autumn hit, thinly dressed You Jin couldn't help shivering.
Xiao Lin Yu was naturally aware of her movement, and spoke up: "It's a bit cold after dusk, shall we go back?"
Initially, You Jin was dragged out by him to have a stroll. When she heard what he said, she eagerly nodded. The two turned around and went back in the direction of Su’s house.
The night wind was rustling. The oncoming cool wind was blowing in the direction of the girl, but was ruthlessly intercepted by the tall man and had no choice but to divert.
The two walked side by side. Xiao Lin Yu turned sideways to block the night wind’s attack. The two walked in the direction of Su’s house one after the other. The guards still followed from a distance and not one dared to go forward to disturb their master. Occasionally, a man's chuckle was carried along the autumn night’s wind.
Walking along the river, they can see a pair of lanterns already lit in front of Su’s house from a distance. The farmers on the other side of the river were returning until the cover of the night and the moonlight. The crickets in the early autumn were tirelessly chattering in the fields. There were fishes jumping out of the water in the canal from time to time. It sparkled under the moonlight, which was a beautiful sight.
The young servant who was sent out to look for You Jin held a lantern and saw Miss and Gentleman Xiao from a distance. So he stood in front of Su Family's gate, asked Uncle Wang to open the door, and waited quietly for Eldest Missl to come back. Uncle Wang worked in Su’s house and now still lives in the same room with Han Li brothers. The relationship between the old and the young was tight. Now board and meals were taken care of by Su's house, countless villagers in Wuliqiao envied him.
"The night breeze is still a little cold. Miss is young. Ask the cook in the kitchen to cook some cold dispelling soup for Miss." Uncle Wang, who was standing at the door, squinted at a pair not far away. He couldn't help sighing in his heart. Eldest Miss was almost fifteen now. This interaction between men and women should always be avoided to prevent suspicion!
Although Uncle Wang was just a gatekeeper, he was with Su Family when they started building up. Su Family’s subsequent servants, including Housekeeper Uncle Song, respected him very much. Needlessly to say these little ones. The little servant respectfully acknowledged and didn’t dare to forget about it.
"Uncle Wang, it's a cold night. Why are you still standing here?" You Jin asked with concern when she saw one old and one young waiting at the door as soon as she got home.
When Uncle Wang saw Miss return, he hurriedly instructed the little servant to lead the way with a lantern: "Miss knows that the night was cool, so why are you still standing outside? Come inside."
On the side, Xiao Lin Yu noticed despite having rules between the masters and servants of Su Family, they were sincerely close like family members when they got along with each other. When he thought that he would leave tomorrow, he felt a little bit more reluctant.
Aaaaaaaa oh my god. They're both acknowledging their feelings to themselves at least! I wonder what he's going to do about Bai Ya'er!
ReplyDeleteman, even though i know how this ends, i still feel sad for them
ReplyDelete"In a blink of an eye, Xiao Lin Yu lived in Su's house for more than a month. He became very familiar with Su Family. The more he stayed, the less he wanted to leave. The warm and lively family atmosphere of Su Family was something that Xiao Lin Yu had never experienced before."
ReplyDeleteAhhahaa sounds like brother yu should marry into the family. Were he from any other family and younger brother lin feng more competent, he might do it. I love that they both realized their feelings cant wait for the journey of their joining
Just the knowledge that his mother dislikes me as a vixen would put me off. His behaviour that puts me in such an awkward predicament would put me off. Girl boundaries.
ReplyDelete