Chapter 7
With ginseng whiskers as the medicinal guide, Madam Shen’s illness indeed improved greatly.
The frail woman gratefully held my hand and said, “Good child, you and I are fated. From now on, why don’t you stay by my side and become my adopted daughter?”
I shook my head. “Madam, I want to stay by the Young Master’s side.”
Inside the room, not only was Shen Yutang present, but also the other aunts and ladies of the Shen Family.
Everyone laughed at my words, teasing, “This girl is truly loyal to Qilang.”
Madam Shen also smiled. “It’s not as if you won’t see Qilang in the future. If you become a daughter of the Shen Family, Qilang will have to call you ‘sister.'”
“That won’t do, Madam. I belong to the Young Master. I can’t leave him. I must be with him at all times,” I said earnestly.
This time, no one laughed. Madam Shen also stopped smiling.
She dismissed everyone else, leaving only Shen Yutang and me in the room, then said angrily, “Qilang, kneel!”
I was startled, but Shen Yutang remained calm and knelt as his mother commanded.
Madam Shen said, “Observing mourning for your father is a matter of the heart. A year of mourning is also proper etiquette. I do not object if you have someone you are close to, but you must remember, you are already betrothed. Once the mourning period is over, Miss Zhao will enter our household. This is the marriage agreement your father set while he was alive. There can be no going back.”
After speaking, she turned to me. “You, girl, don’t lose your head. Qilang cannot give you a proper status.”
I hurriedly replied, “Madam, I don’t want any status. I only wish to stay by the Young Master’s side.”
He will die sooner or later-what use is status to me?
Shen Yutang, kneeling on the ground, only let out a soft sigh and said nothing.
Madam Shen’s expression softened a little. She said to me, “Miss Zhao is the daughter of the Jianggan Futai. The Master and her father are old friends. When she enters the household, even if you are willing to be a concubine for Qilang, you will still need her consent… Oh, you poor girl, why bring such sorrow upon yourself.”
“I am willing, I am willing!”
Afraid she would ruin my plans, I simply knelt beside Shen Yutang and grabbed his hand, declaring firmly, “Madam, please grant my wish. As long as I can stay by the Young Master’s side, I am willing to be a servant or a maid!”
Madam Shen was somewhat moved. “You are truly devoted to my son.”
I nodded repeatedly, while Shen Yutang beside me let out another soft sigh, tinged with a faint sense of grievance.
In the end, Madam Shen let me leave first.
I walked out of the room, seemingly without looking back, but in fact, I pricked up my ears to eavesdrop on her conversation with Shen Yutang-
“I’ve long heard that you spoil this maid by your side, taking her wherever you go. It’s clear you truly like her, afraid someone else might take her away.”
“My son, you are now in mourning at home. You must not give others any reason to gossip, lest it affect your future career. Before Miss Zhao enters the household, no matter how much you like her, you must not have any children with her…”
See, I told you Shen Yutang likes me-even his mother says so, though Fox Sister never believed it.
That night, I waited happily in the Study Room and, as I wished, saw Shen Yutang.
The lamplight in the room was as small as a bean. The moment he pushed the door open and entered, I rushed forward and hugged his waist tightly.
“Young Master likes me,” I said smugly.
He looked down at me, a faint smile in his eyes. “And what makes you say that?”
I replied seriously, “Young Master taught me to read, taught me to paint, took me to eat butter cakes, bought me little sugar figurines, and even gave me a Taogu and beautiful clothes. Sister Qiushi and the others are all envious of me. They say Young Master has never treated them so well.”
Shen Yutang smiled at my words. “So, you’ve found me out.”
“Yes, I’m very clever. I knew long ago that you liked me.”
I couldn’t help but feel proud. He patted my head, looked at me, and his voice grew low and deep. “And you, Niannian, even without a name or status, you still want to stay with me. Do you truly love me?”
“Of course. I have always been this way with Young Master. I can’t leave you.”
Staring straight into his eyes, I rose on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. “Young Master, it’s getting late. Let’s rest.”
We can’t waste any more time. No matter what, tonight I must have him.
This time, I deftly untied his belt.
I said, “Young Master, Niannian wants nothing else, only you. Please grant me this.”
Shen Yutang, the Flower Picking Scholar of the Capital, is rumored to be as handsome as a celestial being, a romantic and passionate young man.
Every time Sister Qiushi heard such rumors, she would angrily scold, “All those noble ladies in the Capital are interested in our Young Master. But he is upright and refuses to respond to them, so they spread such rumors…”
When I told this to Fox Sister, she sneered, “What man isn’t romantic? No matter how upright a young lord is, he’s romantic at heart.”
I never knew whom to believe, until I pushed him down onto the bed and realized he was truly proper.
He looked as if he had been wronged, his ears flushed red, his eyes moist with a hint of tears. He grasped my mischievous hand and pleaded, “Niannian, I am still in mourning. Please wait a little longer.”
“I can’t wait any longer. Don’t worry, Young Master, no one will know.”
“No, Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know.”
“Yes, Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know.”
I chuckled, repeating his words, and casually tossed my undergarment off the bed.
His face turned red in an instant. He lowered his long lashes, refusing to look at me-
“A son mourns his parents for three years, which is actually twenty-seven months. Just wait one more year for me, Niannian. Let me fulfill this filial duty, I beg you.”
Wait a year?
I’ve already taken off my clothes! And you’re telling me this? What a joke!
Outside, the cold wind blew, and the sparse shadows of plum blossoms flickered on the wall in the wavering candlelight.
Inside, the spring light was enchanting; the charcoal fire burned bright, casting a rosy glow on Shen Yutang’s jade-like cheeks, making him look even more handsome in the warmth.
No matter what he does, I will never let him go.
My sharp little fangs pressed against his neck again, rubbing and biting.
It’s been a year. I’ve been more than kind to him, my patience worn thin.
If he dares to resist again, I wouldn’t mind biting him to death.
Fortunately, Shen Yutang is sensible.
He pursed his thin lips, closed his eyes, lifted his head, and obediently exposed his neck for me to bite.
Even when I rubbed him raw, he said nothing, just placed his hand on my waist and held me a little tighter.
“Niannian…”
The upright gentleman, bullied by me, parted his red lips and subconsciously murmured my name.
His voice was incredibly pleasant, tinged with grievance, and he whispered it again by my ear: “Niannian…”
My rough movements paused.
Suddenly, I remembered half a year ago, when he went to visit his teacher in the mountains outside the city and took me along.
On the way down, I had a sudden idea-I wanted to stage a damsel-in-distress scene to win Shen Yutang’s favor.
So, with a secret flick of my finger, I made a rock tumble down from the mountain.
I pushed him aside and got my leg injured by the falling stone.
My intention was only to make him feel guilty and moved.
Who knew he’d be more anxious than I imagined-his face went pale, and he picked me up and rushed down the mountain to the clinic.
He walked several miles; the attendants worried he’d tire himself out and offered to carry me down.
Shen Yutang refused, never letting go.
I lay in his arms, pretending to be in pain, groaning nonstop.
He broke out in a sweat, and when we reached the clinic at the foot of the mountain, he asked the doctor to relieve my pain first.
The doctor was straightforward, immediately taking out nine needles to perform acupuncture.
My face turned white on the spot; terrified, I hopped on one leg onto Shen Yutang, clinging to his neck, crying miserably: “No!!!”
Heaven knows, I died years ago from a needle piercing my skull-needles are what I fear most.
Perhaps my reaction was too intense; trembling all over, Shen Yutang hugged me tightly, placed his hand on my head, and pressed me close to his chest-
“Don’t be afraid, Niannian, don’t be afraid. We’ll go home.”
His voice lingered in my ear, so gentle it was almost cautious, with a hint of tenderness.
……
Thinking of this, I suddenly felt that forcing things was pointless.
So I gave up, let go of Shen Yutang, and said gloomily, “Fine, I’ll wait for you for a year.”
Shen Yutang opened his eyes, his clothes disheveled, mist veiling his gaze, unbelievably beautiful.
Then he pulled the quilt over and wrapped me up tightly again.
Through the quilt, he held me in his arms, buried his head in my neck and shoulder, and whispered, “Niannian, thank you.”
Fox Sister said I was crazy.
She was angry, saying I’d fallen in love with Shen Yutang.
I denied it, insisting he was just a good person, so I’d let him live another year.
Fox Sister sneered, “Do you know how many changes a year can bring? Men can coax you with a few words. You’ll grow weaker and weaker until you vanish into dust.”
“No, it’s just a year. I can handle it.”
“Niannian, you think people are too simple. Now I think maybe the Night Patrolling Deity was right-you’re no match for Shen Yutang. He’s too clever, too cunning. I’m starting to feel something’s off.”
“What’s off?”
“Hard to say. Just stay at the Shen Family, be careful, and wait for my news.”
Fox Sister narrowed her eyes, her tone meaningful: “I’ll prepare a backup plan for you.”
That’s her usual look, meaning she already has another idea.
Fox Sister left, and half a year passed.
Since that night, Shen Yutang has treated me even better.
During the day, when I dozed off in the Study Room, he brought a rabbit and used its paw to pat my face.
When I woke up, he smiled and said, “Niannian, this little rabbit is for you. Do you like it?”
I grinned and took it, saying I liked it, but after playing for a while, I carried it to the kitchen to ask the chef to make roasted rabbit.
Once the rabbit was roasted, I happily brought it back to the Study Room to share with Shen Yutang.
“Young Master, don’t be fooled by its size-it’s quite plump.”
Shen Yutang: “……”
Shen Yutang was observing mourning for his father, so he rarely ate meat, but I was always interested in fish and meat, never refusing anything.
It was just for the taste; for a Spirit Monster, food in the belly is like a gust of wind, having no real effect.
Even so, seeing my gluttony, Shen Yutang later built a “restaurant” in the mansion.
In his spare time, he began to study ingredients and recipes.
He personally made salt-and-pepper pork knuckle, stewed chicken soup, and all kinds of noodles and pastries.
Not only did he cook himself, but sometimes he’d have me help out.
I didn’t know how to do anything, ended up covered in flour, even getting it on my face.
Shen Yutang teased me once; I licked my lips, grabbed a handful of flour, and stuffed it right into his nostrils.
Qiushi and Shuanger were dumbfounded.
Good news: he never dared tease me again.
Bad news: he got angry and ignored me for days.
I hung my head and went to find him, feeling indignant: “Young Master can’t take a joke, so petty.”
He held back his expression and said I was getting bolder and more unruly.
He also said that when I stuffed flour into his nose, I used too much force-his eyes watered, and it was really uncomfortable.
I felt guilty, burrowed into his arms, and kept pinching his nose: “I’m sorry, let me rub it for you, don’t be mad.”
Shen Yutang snorted, then took my hand and kissed it by his lips.