Chapter 467: Chapter 436, Caiju at Dongli_1
Gu Jian, although happy that Daohua had found a gold mine, still had some reservations about her spending the night outside: “Even though you had a reason, it’s still not right for a young lady to stay out overnight on her own.”
Unable to help herself, Daohua retorted, “I wasn’t out alone; I had Third Brother and Fourth Brother with me.”
Gu Jian glared at her: “Those two brothers of yours are still children, not yet capable of handling things on their own. How could they possibly take care of you?”
Daohua: “… Well, I didn’t go anywhere else, I went to find Xiao Yeyang. He would protect me. If it were someone else, naturally, I wouldn’t have gone.”
Seeing his disciple’s utter trust in her cousin, Gu Jian suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Xiao Yeyang watched Daohua with a smile, secretly pleased. Did her words mean that in her heart, he was different from others, someone she could completely trust?
Old Lady Gu saw that Gu Jian was about to scold the two children and gave him a stern look, laughing as she said, “Let’s just forget about this time, but you can’t do this again in the future.”
Daohua quickly nodded: “I promise there won’t be a next time.”
Gu Jian huffed, but in the end, said no more.
Daohua glanced at the sky and smiled, “Grandma, Master, it’s almost noon, I’ll go cook for you.”
Xiao Yeyang immediately said, “I’ll start the fire.”
As they came out of the house, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang both heaved a sigh of relief.
Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang with surprise: “It’s normal for me to be afraid of Master, but what are you afraid of?”
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Xiao Yeyang shook his head: “I don’t know, but seeing Master Gu with a stern face, I feel quite nervous too.”
As they walked towards the kitchen, they hadn’t even stepped inside when they saw a strange maid and a young male servant walking out.
“This servant Caiju greets the young master and the young lady.”
“This servant Dongli greets the young master and the young lady.”
Daohua and Xiao Yeyang exchanged glances, then stepped forward to ask, “Who are you?”
“They are new maids and young servants that your master has purchased.”
Gu Jian walked out from the main hall.
Daohua: “Master, when did you buy these people?” As she spoke, she scrutinized Caiju and Dongli, noting that both were neatly dressed, with meticulous hairdos and proper manners, prompting a flicker in her eyes.
Gu Jian rolled his eyes at her: “Does your master need to consult you whenever I do something?”
Daohua: “Master, that’s not what I meant. I’m saying, if you are short of maids or servants, just tell me, and I can send some over. Isn’t that better than finding some from outside?”
At that moment, Old Lady Gu walked out with a smile: “Silly girl, your master is just teasing you. I think Caiju and Dongli look quite good, so you don’t need to send anyone over.”
Daohua smiled and nodded, then approached Gu Jian and whispered, “Master, can these two be trusted? It looks like they have received specialized training.”
Gu Jian glanced at his disciple: “You have a sharp eye. If they weren’t trained, your master wouldn’t have bought them. Do you think I would carelessly find anyone subpar to take care of my sister?”
“These two previously served in a large household. They are quite handy and well-mannered. Your master found them suitable, so I bought them.”
Seeing that Daohua wanted to say more, Gu Jian cut her off directly, “All right, stop worrying needlessly. Your master has eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice; can’t I judge people better than you?”
“Your master and granny here, we’re practically buried neck-deep in soil already—who would target us? Moreover, if they were indeed bad eggs, they would just be a dose of medicine away.”
Daohua said no more, almost forgetting that her master was an expert in using poison and had formidable martial arts skills. Despite his age, an ordinary person would indeed have a hard time harming him.
Xiao Yeyang stood by, not speaking, but his eyes occasionally swept over Caiju and Dongli.
Every time his gaze swept over them, Caiju and Dongli would bow their heads a bit lower.
Old Lady Gu watched Daohua with a smile: “Weren’t you going to cook? Go on then, I’m really craving the honey-glazed yams you make.”
Daohua: “Then I’ll get right on it.”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Caiju and Dongli, then followed them into the kitchen.
Seeing Caiju and Dongli standing at the kitchen entrance, looking like they didn’t know what to do, Gu Jian said, “Go about your business.”
“Yes,” Caiju and Dongli said together, bowing their heads.
After Gu Jian helped Granny Gu back to her room, the two sighed in relief. However, when they turned around and saw Xiao Yeyang actually sitting behind the stove, personally tending the fire, the sigh they had just exhaled was swiftly taken back in.
A noble prince’s direct descendant in the kitchen was one thing, but to personally stoke the fire was quite another. Not only that, he was diligently passing bowls and spoons to Miss Yan, looking as if he was enjoying himself. An unknowing observer might think he was doing something rather intriguing.
During their amazement, Xiao Yeyang’s gaze swept over them, and they immediately looked down and moved away from the kitchen.
“The aura of a dragon’s descendant is indeed frightening.”
Walking into the courtyard, Dongli couldn’t help but mutter. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, his expression turned vigilant, and he swiftly glanced toward the rooftops.
Caiju immediately tugged at his sleeve: “The flower beds need fertilizing. Let’s go and take care of that.” They were just ordinary maids and lacked martial arts skills.
Dongli nodded and followed Caiju toward the back of the courtyard.
Once in the backyard, Caiju spoke: “Those must be the Little Prince’s Hidden Guards.”
Dongli: “Not just the Little Prince’s. Miss Yan also has Hidden Guards. I glanced once, and the two people on the rooftop were split into two groups.”
Caiju: “We’d better be careful. Eunuch An said that both the Little Prince and Miss Yan are very shrewd. We mustn’t let them discover our true identities.”
A worried look crossed Dongli’s face: “But I feel like the Little Prince is beginning to suspect us.”
Caiju also had a headache. She and Dongli were the best among the Imperial Guards, yet they nearly exposed themselves shortly after meeting the Little Prince and Miss Yan.
“Thankfully, the two of them won’t stay at Taohua Temple indefinitely.”
Indeed, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang didn’t stay long. The very next day, they left.
Daohua left because she had been away for some time and had to return; Xiao Yeyang left because he was concerned about the gold mine. Although he didn’t need to tend to everything personally, he still preferred to keep a close watch over things.
At the dock, Xiao Yeyang and Daohua stood facing each other.
Daohua: “It’s getting late. I should board the ship. You should head out on your horse as well.”
Xiao Yeyang: “Uh… You’ve seen the military camp’s food. I’ll have to join your brothers and sponge off your family’s meals in the future. You wouldn’t mind that, would you?”
Daohua: “…It’s my parents who provide the food and drink, what does it matter if I mind or not?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled: “Of course it matters. You are the eldest daughter of the Yan Family, and if I come to your home, I’d have to gauge your mood. If you’re not in good spirits, I naturally wouldn’t be brazen enough to impose.”
Daohua huffed: “You didn’t seem embarrassed before. Now you’ve suddenly become polite. Go or don’t go, I don’t care.”
Xiao Yeyang chuckled noiselessly: “Then I’ll take that as you welcoming me.”
Daohua gave him a sidelong glance, said nothing more, and boarded the ship.
Soon after, the ship started to move, slowly drifting away from the dock.
Watching Xiao Yeyang, who stood on the shore growing increasingly distant from her, Daohua felt for the first time a sense of reluctance stirring within her heart.
During those ten days at Ningmen Pass, living day by day with this man—his care, his consideration, his concern—made her want it to last forever.
But could his feelings continue forever? Could they always belong only to her?
On Taohua Mountain, Granny Gu and Gu Jian stood in the pavilion, watching the two young ones look at each other from afar, each evidently struggling with their reluctance to part, a sentiment so palpable that even from a great distance, they could feel it.