Chapter 24
Chapter 24
After changing her clothes, Jiang Yunsui struggled to carry a wooden basin outside to catch the rainwater.
She needed to do some laundry.
Then she went back for a wooden bucket.
Heiwa followed behind her, wagging his tail to help. He was much stronger than Jiang Yunsui.
However, a dog has no hands. He tried to use his mouth to pull it, but he couldn’t get enough leverage because the bucket was too heavy and awkward to grip.
By the time they reached the threshold, Jiang Yunsui’s face was flushed red from the exertion.
In the end, Ji Si couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He appeared and lifted the wooden bucket with ease.
Jiang Yunsui looked at him with pure envy.
When would she ever have that kind of strength?
“Outside, catch rain, wash clothes,” the Little Mushroom said, pointing toward the eaves in a soft, milky voice.
Ji Si placed the bucket outside under the eaves.
“Thank you!”
The kind Little Mushroom had already forgotten that she was supposed to be angry with him.
She sat down under the eaves and stretched her little feet out.
She stole a glance at Ji Si and said, “I’m just washing my feet, okay?”
Ji Si glanced at her once before looking away. Jiang Yunsui was pleased and began swinging her little feet back and forth.
The rainwater washed away the mud on her feet, revealing pale skin.
Actually, it was a bit pinkish-a fresh, delicate pink like peach blossoms, very pretty.
They were plump and white, so cute that one might want to hold them and give them a squeeze.
Since there was no one else around, Ji Si simply leaned against a pillar with his sword in his arms.
Though no one spoke, the scene was strangely harmonious.
The rain gradually slowed, though Jiang Yunsui hadn’t quite had her fill of fun yet.
Her feet were clean now, but her clothes were damp.
She carefully wiped the rainwater off her feet and checked her injured right foot.
It wasn’t swollen, and while there was still some bruising, it didn’t hurt as much anymore.
She poked it, then pulled on her white socks and stepped into a pair of clean embroidered shoes.
“I’m going to change my clothes!”
After announcing this, she ran into the house to grab the clothes Aunt Chen had made for her.
They were a somewhat dull shade of blue.
She still preferred pink; it was very similar to her true form as a Little Mushroom.
By the time she stepped back outside with her clothes, Ji Si was gone.
Instead, the sound of footsteps approached from outside.
It turned out that Cook Chen had returned.
She was startled when she saw the large black dog crouching under the eaves of the house.
“This… how did the Young Master’s dog end up here?”
With the dog looming under the eaves, she was almost afraid to go inside.
She was worried about Jiang Yunsui.
“Auntie~”
Jiang Yunsui greeted her. “Heiwa came to play with me. Don’t be scared, he’s very good.”
She looked at the clothes she was holding, feeling a bit guilty.
“Auntie, I accidentally got my clothes dirty. I’ll wash them myself.”
Cook Chen said, “Just leave them. I have to do laundry tonight anyway, so I’ll wash them for you while I’m at it. You’re small and don’t have much strength; you won’t be able to get them clean.”
Jiang Yunsui let out a dejected “oh.”
She felt so useless, like she couldn’t do anything right.
Suddenly, Heiwa barked twice, stood up, and began walking outside.
As he passed Cook Chen, she quickly stepped to the side.
“Bye-bye, Heiwa! Come play again next time!”
“Woof!”
Cook Chen patted her chest. “That Heiwa has grown so big, bigger than any dog I’ve ever seen.”
“But the Ji Family’s hounds are very impressive. They can lead people to the tracks of those barbarians.”
A flash of hatred flickered in Aunt Chen’s eyes when she mentioned the barbarians.
Jiang Yunsui nodded. “Heiwa is very impressive.”
Cook Chen held up a food box. “Come and eat. Are you hungry?”
Jiang Yunsui put her clothes in the basin to soak and clapped her small hands together.
“I’m not hungry. Heiwa brought me pastries!”
“I saved some for you, Auntie.”
The young girl had an adorable expression on her face, clearly hoping to be praised.
Cook Chen stroked her hair. “Suisui is such a good girl.”
Jiang Yunsui beamed with happiness and brought out the remaining pastries.
Cook Chen could tell at a glance that this had come from the main kitchen.
“Heiwa is quite the clever one, isn’t he?”
“Mhm!”
Jiang Yunsui agreed as she climbed onto a stool, unable to wait a moment longer to open the food box.
There were only three dishes.
Two of them were their standard portions-one meat and one vegetable.
Cook Chen worked in the kitchen, and even though it was only the small kitchen that prepared meals for the servants, she was still able to skim a bit of the ‘grease’ for themselves. For instance, the meat dish contained significantly more meat than usual; other servants were lucky if they found two thin slices in their bowls.
Jiang Yunsui’s nose twitched slightly. “Auntie, the meat… it smells a bit stinky.”
Cook Chen nodded. “This is pork. Pork naturally has a bit of a rank, gamey odor.”
She looked regretful. “Wine could mask some of the smell, but wine is precious. It’s not something people like us can afford to use.”
After all, that stuff was made from grain.
“Suisui, you eat the Delicious Mushrooms. I found that stir-frying the meat with them makes it taste much better; that smell is almost entirely gone.”
“The Delicious Mushrooms grown in our little courtyard are even more fresh and tasty than the Nanaxi’o I’ve eaten before.”
“This plate was made with one Delicious Mushroom. I sold two others to another cook in the small kitchen, and a few maidservants pooled their money to buy the last one.”
“It’s not as much as the main kitchen makes, but at least it’s some income.”
She wouldn’t be receiving her monthly stipend for the next three months, so any extra money made her happy.
“Once I’ve saved up enough, I’ll buy you a bolt of bright-colored fabric. Little girls look better in vibrant colors.”
Jiang Yunsui replied in a crisp, clear voice, “I want pink!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll buy it for you.”
Though the two of them weren’t related by blood, they lived together more like a family than many actual families did.
Jiang Yunsui ate plenty of the stir-fried Delicious Mushrooms and even had three pieces of meat.
The Little Mushroom was eating mushrooms-delicious! (˵¯͒〰¯͒˵)
After finishing, she followed close behind Cook Chen, insisting on helping with the dishes.
Cook Chen still had to go back to work in the afternoon.
Jiang Yunsui stayed at home, waiting patiently.
Meanwhile, Ji Yan’an, who hadn’t eaten for an entire day, was in a foul mood.
He was trying his best to suppress his temper.
He only felt slightly better after Shen Qingzhu performed an acupuncture session on him.
“Young Master, you should still try to eat something. Your body won’t be able to hold out like this.”
Ji Yan’an remained expressionless. Was it that he didn’t want to eat?
He simply couldn’t stomach anything!
Nanny Zhou and Uncle Li were also anxious, wishing they could bring Jiang Yunsui over immediately.
But Ji Yan’an would not allow it.
He didn’t eat much for dinner either. He managed to force down some porridge with great difficulty, only to feel a wave of nausea.
“Take it away!”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression growing colder and more somber.
Nanny Zhou let out a sigh.
Uncle Li walked in. “Young Master, Nanshu has returned.”
Ji Yan’an said tonelessly, “Send him in.”
A youth of about seventeen, looking travel-worn and weary, hurried inside.
“Young Master, you… how have you gotten even thinner?”
As soon as he entered and saw Ji Yan’an’s state, his eyes reddened, looking as if he were about to burst into tears.
Ji Yan’an interrupted him. “How are the arrangements proceeding?”
Nanshu sniffled. “Don’t worry, Young Master. The Old Madam and the others are safe for now.”
Ji Yan’an lowered his gaze. “Being safe ‘for now’ isn’t enough.”
He had to find a more reliable way to get them all out.
“What about the matter I asked you to investigate?”
“Oh, this is all the information regarding that child you asked me to look into.”
He handed over the documents.
“Jiang Yunsui is the only daughter of the Jiang Clan from Gusu. The Jiang Clan were famous local tea merchants. They originally came to the capital hoping to use a new type of tea to compete for the position of Imperial Merchant, but the title was taken by another tea merchant.
On their way back, the entire family was slaughtered by mountain bandits. The local government closed the case hastily, but according to our investigators, those people weren’t mountain bandits at all.”