Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the blink of an eye, it was payday.

I sent half of my wages to my sister and used the other half to buy a freshly butchered sheep tail.

There was an old saying: like cures like. Eat what you lack, and maybe the Second Master would take my devotion into account and forgive me for the matter of stripping off his trousers.

Because Eldest Madam was devoted to health preservation, the daily meals in the entire residence were either soup or broth-so bland they were practically tasteless. I simmered the sheep tail over low heat on the stove. But after tasting it, I still thought something was off, so I sneaked into the kitchen in the dark and stole a little pepper salt. I let it stew in the pot for most of the day.

The meat fragrance was so rich it would not dissipate no matter how hard I fanned it away.

I endured the greedy little worm in my stomach and carried the jar of meat into the side room.

Wang Long was wearing a thick brocade robe that day, reclining against a pile of ink-dyed, flower-patterned cushions. The bright color of the brocade only made his face look even less alive, pale and sickly under the daylight.

When he saw me come in, he swirled the health tea in his cup, his expression faint and cool.

“What is it?”

Just having that silent gaze sweep over me made me tense up without meaning to.

“This servant heard that you suffer from a sheep-tail ailment…”

His expression changed at once.

Before he could ask further, I eagerly said, “Like cures like! Eat what you lack! So this servant made you a pot of sheep tail…”

Before I could go on, Wang Long slammed his teacup down hard, startling me so badly I jumped.

Eat sheep tail to nourish sheep tail-had I said something wrong again?

Before I could explain, he lifted his eyelids and let out a cold laugh.

“Get out.”

As I had expected, Wang Long threw me out of the room again.

The difference from last time was that this time, I was still holding a pot of sheep tail in my arms.

But this time the commotion was too big, and I immediately became the joke of the household. From then on, I had nightmares again and again, waking up with constant urges to pee, and every dream was of Second Master’s beautiful yet vicious face.

I never dared go near his side room again.

I had botched the matter, but there was still a pot of sheep tail left. I couldn’t bear to throw it away for the moment, so I hung the meat under the window and planned to eat it slowly later.

That night, I had only just been woken by a full bladder when I heard faint rustling beside my ear. At some point, a black shadow had appeared by the window.

The figure had stretched out a hand and was using the narrow gap left for ventilation to steal my sheep tail!

I was so frightened I jerked, and couldn’t help shouting, “Who’s there!”

Who would have thought that person, leaning on a crutch, could still swing their legs so quickly.

In an instant, they slipped into the shadows and vanished.

It was almost early autumn, and dawn was coming later and later.

The bright red and gold lanterns hanging along the corridors of the Marquis’s Residence burned through the night without going out, but at that moment they seemed to have lost all their luster, drifting lazily back and forth in the autumn wind.

The New Year was drawing near, yet I still hadn’t managed to win Wang Long’s favor.

After urging me several times and seeing no progress, Eldest Madam sent me to work alongside the rough-serving old women as punishment.

I had been used to hardship since I was young, so I didn’t mind much.

Only, with less oil and meat in my belly, it was a little hard to bear.

That day, I went to clean up the dishes removed from the Second Branch, only to find that every dish had barely been touched.

Especially the Four-Happiness Meatballs that had been taken away-almost none of it had been eaten. The lard on top had already solidified, and little white beads of fat were embedded in the meatballs, making my mouth water just to look at them.

I hadn’t seen any meat for days. Seeing that no one was around, I immediately hid in a corner and stuffed the remaining meatballs into my mouth. My tongue curved like a bow, my saliva flew like arrows, and I wolfed them down in a whirlwind…

I had no idea that, at some point behind me, a pair of dark eyes had already appeared.

That person watched me for a long time, then suddenly coughed.

I was chewing meat in my mouth and froze instantly.

Unable to think of any way to escape, I could only stick my butt out and stand there, not daring to move a single inch.

Seeing this, the other person said in a strange, mocking tone, “Huh?”

“Why is there a butt here?”