Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Seventeen people died last night, half of whom perished from the venom of poisonous snakes.

Furthermore, it was still uncertain whether all the snakes in the residence had been caught.

Nanshu looked puzzled. “Those snakes are so lethal; how did they dare carry them on their persons?”

Shen Qingzhu replied, “They coated themselves in a snake-repellent powder. The snakes were likely kept in bags and only released when they neared the General’s Mansion.”

Ji Yan’an took a deep breath. “Settle the affairs for the families of the deceased. Take the funds from my private account.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Young Master, it is time for your meal.”

Nanny Zhou came over to give a reminder.

Ji Yan’an nodded. “Understood.”

When he went to eat, he happened to see Jiang Yunsui walking toward the main hall in a daze, her feet bare and her eyes not yet fully open.

Ji Yan’an’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

As expected, the only thing that could wake this greedy little pig was food.

Nanshu covered his mouth to hide a laugh. “This little girl isn’t even fully awake yet.”

They had never seen anything like this before.

Young ladies from great families were always extremely meticulous about etiquette and rules.

“Jiang Yunsui!”

Ji Yan’an called out. Jiang Yunsui, who had already reached a stool and was wiggling her little bottom to climb up, rubbed her ears.

“Big chicken leg!”

That certainly woke her up.

Pfft…

The people in the room couldn’t help but let their shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.

Ji Yan’an thought, *Eat, eat, eat. All she knows is eating!*

He walked over irritably, coughing as he went.

Jiang Yunsui was wide awake now, looking up at him with an expectant little face.

Ji Yan’an spoke expressionlessly. “Go put on your shoes.”

Jiang Yunsui looked down. Oh, right, she had taken her shoes off.

“I’m sitting on the stool; my feet aren’t touching the ground.”

She swung her short little legs, her fleshy toes pointing downward. The stool was a bit high; even when she sat on it and pointed her toes, she couldn’t reach the floor.

Otherwise, why would she have needed to climb onto the stool in the first place?

Ji Yan’an gave her a look. “Go put on your shoes.”

Jiang Yunsui gave a reluctant “Oh.”

“And have Nanny Zhou fix your hair again.”

He didn’t know how she had slept, but her hair was a complete mess.

“Oh!”

She was even more reluctant now, her response coming out extra loud. She hopped down from the stool and shuffled away with tiny, unwilling steps, her eyes still glued to the dishes on the table.

“No eating until you’re properly dressed.”

He said this calmly, and Jiang Yunsui immediately grew anxious. Her little head whipped around as she searched for Nanny Zhou.

“Nanny Zhou, let’s go! Hurry!”

Being barefoot didn’t stop her short legs from moving fast. She was no longer the Little Mushroom who didn’t even know how to use her legs when she first arrived!

Once Jiang Yunsui had left, Shen Qingzhu had a trace of a smile in his eyes.

“With this little girl around, your Young Master’s Mansion has become quite a bit livelier.”

Ji Yan’an remarked, “It’s noisy.”

Though he said that, his tone held no blame. Instead, it carried a hint of indulgent helplessness.

After Jiang Yunsui had quickly put on her shoes and urged Nanny Zhou to give her hair a simple styling, she came rushing back like a whirlwind.

Finally getting to eat, Jiang Yunsui stuffed her mouth full, her face radiating satisfaction. She placed the bones on a side plate to serve as extra treats for the puppies.

Once she had eaten and drunk her fill, she went back to being a well-behaved (not really) little maidservant.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

After being paced around and stared at intently for ten seconds, Ji Yan’an reached the limit of his patience.

“I want to go find Aunt Chen.”

Seeing that he had finally acknowledged her, Jiang Yunsui immediately perked up and stated her request.
Ji Yan’an nodded slightly. “Go on then. Come back early.”

Jiang Yunsui immediately hopped with joy, her delicate little face beaming with excitement.

Ji Yan’an couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at her. Even with her features all scrunched up in excitement, she was still quite adorable.

But before long, Jiang Yunsui’s expression shifted to one of bashfulness. She fidgeted, twisting her hands together as she shuffled back to his side.

Ji Yan’an’s eyelid twitched. “Act normal!”

Jiang Yunsui immediately straightened her small frame.

“I’m injured.”

She held up her small, chubby, injured paw and stared at Ji Yan’an expectantly.

Ji Yan’an glanced at it. “And?”

Jiang Yunsui’s eyes sparkled. “So, can I ask for something?”

Yesterday’s success was largely thanks to this little girl. Ji Yan’an had already intended to go to the storehouse later to find something to reward her with, but he hadn’t expected the little thing to bring it up herself.

He wanted to see what she would ask for.

“Fine. Tell me what you want.”

Jiang Yunsui counted on her fingers, trying her best to calculate, and then made her ‘modest’ request.

“I want ten fingers’ worth of silver melon seeds.”

After she finished, she gave Ji Yan’an a guilty look. Seeing his expressionless face, she timidly tucked away two fingers.

“Then… this many? It can’t be any less than that.”

Surely this much could buy quite a lot of things, right?

Ji Yan’an: “…”

“You really are… stupid.”

She didn’t even know how to ask for things properly. If someone this dim-witted went out into the world, she’d probably help her swindler count the money after being cheated. It was a good thing he was kind enough to take her in.

He called out to Nanshu, “Bring that bag of gold ones.”

Then, Jiang Yunsui received a little embroidered pouch. Inside were twenty gold peanuts.

That’s right-gold, and shaped like peanuts. The peanuts were larger than melon seeds and exquisitely crafted. Each one weighed about a tael.

They felt quite heavy in her hand.

Jiang Yunsui opened the little embroidered pouch, peeked inside, and then happily threw herself into Ji Yan’an’s arms, giving him a tight hug.

“Waaaah… You’re so nice! I’ll work like a horse or an ox for you for the rest of my life!”

That was how you were supposed to repay a debt of gratitude, right?

Ji Yan’an, who had been stunned by the sudden hug, was left completely speechless by her words.

“Fine, fine. I’d even find you a nuisance if you were a horse or an ox.”

Jiang Yunsui clutched her little embroidered pouch happily, pretending she hadn’t heard him.

“I’m going to find Aunt Chen!”

With that, she skipped away. Anyone could see how happy she was.

Ji Yan’an remarked, “I didn’t realize she was such a little money-grubber.”

Nanshu replied, “She’s still young, after all.”

Besides, who didn’t like shiny things like gold and silver?

“Go to the storehouse and get that pale pink jade gourd.”

Even though he had given her the gold, he still intended to reward her with the item he had originally planned.

“Yes, sir.”

On the other side, Jiang Yunsui walked home with her head held high, followed by her two ‘ferocious’ guard dogs.

As they walked, the brown guard dog tripped over its own feet and tumbled over.

Jiang Yunsui squatted down and poked its nose. “Stupid! You don’t even know how to walk. You have four legs and you still can’t stay steady!”

The puppy wagged its tail and whimpered, not understanding that she was scolding it.

The white one also ran over, pushing its brother’s head aside to nuzzle into Jiang Yunsui’s hand.

The two puppies had been washed; their fur was now clean, fluffy, and soft to the touch. It felt wonderful.

Jiang Yunsui petted them for a while longer. Just as she was about to stand up, she suddenly noticed a flash of an unusual color in the bushes nearby.