Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lan Guan and I were captured by the Yao Family.

It all started like this:

That day, Lan Guan had gone to the tavern to deliver meat as usual. When we met up at the entrance of the alley, we were jumped by a group of street thugs.

Not only did they snatch our coin pouches, but they also rifled through our clothes and stole the silver collar I always kept tucked in my tunic.

That collar belonged to the Yao Family’s Chiyu White Cat.

A few days later, Lan Guan and I were hauled off to the Yao Mansion.

That was the first time I met Yao Jingnian.

She was the second young miss of the Yao Family and the younger sister of the Imperial Noble Consort.

She should have been in the capital, but since she had been raised by her grandmother, she had followed the old lady back to their ancestral home in Yongzhou a few years ago to live out their days in retirement.

She was two years older than me and had a pair of phoenix eyes that slanted slightly upward, giving her a daunting presence.

At the age of twelve, she was the picture of a dignified young lady from a prestigious family-noble and dazzlingly bright.

It was the height of summer. Yao Jingnian leaned lazily against a grand armchair, flanked by two maidservants; one fanned her while the other peeled grapes.

She lifted her gaze to look at me, her interest piqued.

“Where is my cat?”

Lan Guan and I were forced to kneel before her, unable to break free.

I spoke bluntly. “Dead. It was already dead when I found it. I was even kind enough to dig a hole and bury it.”

“Oh? And where did you bury it?”

“Under a willow tree in the woods on the outskirts of town. But later, a wild dog dug it up and chewed on it. I slaughtered that dog to avenge your cat.”

I lied through my teeth without blinking. Yao Jingnian looked at me with a smile, neither angry nor annoyed. “You killed my cat and still dare to lie to me? You’re a cunning little thing, and your mind works fast. What’s your name?”

“Li Hua.”

“One of the Li family?”

“Yes. My grandfather was Li Lu, but he’s been dead a long time. My two uncles are still alive, though. The eldest is Li Zhigao and the younger is Li Baiyuan. You should go settle the score with them. It’s all their fault for failing to discipline me. If you want someone to kill or skin, go after them.”

“Haha, interesting. You certainly know how to shift the blame.”

When Yao Jingnian laughed, her mouth widened and her eyes narrowed, making her look exactly like a fox.

She watched me with great interest before glancing at Lan Guan. “What’s this child to you?”

“Just someone I met on the road. We’re not close,” I replied, my expression unchanging.

“Yinyin, close…” Lan Guan looked at me, his eyes rimmed with red, looking quite aggrieved.

I glared at him. “Shut up!”

He pouted and fell silent.

Yao Jingnian continued to smile at me. “My cat is dead, and someone must pay the price. How about this: only one of you gets to walk out of this courtyard. Choose for yourselves.”

“Me. Let me go.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I volunteered. I didn’t even look at Lan Guan. “He’s a fool. He wouldn’t even understand why he was dying. It’s better to let me scrape by and live.”

“Yinyin, not a fool…” Lan Guan looked at me pitifully, his eyes brimming with tears.

Yao Jingnian burst out laughing. Then, as expected, she turned serious. “I think you’re taking me for a fool! You’re sharp-tongued, treacherous, and cunning-and you think you can just walk away unscathed?”

I stayed at the Yao Mansion for ten days.

For those ten days, I served as Yao Jingnian’s cat.

She ordered her men to throw Lan Guan out. Then, she went to a jewelry shop in the city and had a new silver collar made, engraved with the character for ‘Yao,’ and fastened it around my neck.

She called me Little White.

She said that from then on, that was the only name I was allowed to use in her presence.

Noble ladies certainly knew how to entertain themselves. When she sunbathed in the courtyard, I had to crouch beside her like a cat, ready for her to reach out and pat my head at any moment.

She fed me dried fish, and occasionally, grilled sea fish.

Every day, I was plunged into a bath-tub to be scrubbed clean and made to smell fragrant before being sent to her bed.

However, she only allowed me to curl up at the foot of the bed to keep her feet warm.

When she spoke to me, I wasn’t allowed to use human speech. I had to answer with “Meow, meow, meow.”

To be honest, life was quite comfortable. If I hadn’t been worried about my mother, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave.

So, ten days later, I ran up to her grandmother, licked the back of the old lady’s hand, and let out a “Meow.”

That peaceful-looking old woman’s face changed instantly. She immediately scolded her granddaughter, “What would people think if word of this got out? Kick her out at once!”

By then, the novelty had worn off for Yao Jingnian, and she was gradually losing interest in me. She curled her lip and said to a nearby maid, “Throw her out.”

I clung to her leg, “meowing” and refusing to go.

She barked a command and gave me a kick.

“Get lost!”

When I was finally kicked out of the Yao Mansion, I made sure to look incredibly reluctant.

As it turned out, Lan Guan had been keeping watch outside the gates for all ten days. Every day, he had tried to rush inside, only to be beaten and thrown back out.

When he saw me, his face was black and blue. He cried again, looking utterly miserable. “Yinyin, close…”

“Meow!”

For ten whole days, I hadn’t spoken a word of human language. The moment I opened my mouth, a cat’s cry came out. Realizing what I’d done, I spat and snapped at him, “Close your mother!”

Never mind his mother-my own mother was surely worried sick.

In the past, I had been away for three days at most.

She must have been so desperate she’d gone to the yamen, or even to the Li family.

She probably tried to beg my eldest uncle for help in finding me. One could only imagine the result; she likely hadn’t even seen his face before being driven away.

If I didn’t go back now, she might actually lose her mind.