"What else could he be doing? He's taken a fancy to some beauty!" Yu Xiaocao lazily replied. Her right hand assistant that she had trained was stolen. It was the same as having all the vegetables she worked hard to grow stolen just when she could harvest them. That feeling of loss…
"Miss!" Wutong twisted her body with shyness, and her face flushed red. Hou Xiaoliang recently came to her side whether something was happening or not. Yesterday in the plum-tree grove, he acted very courteously. She was aware of his fondness for her.
However, due to Hou Xiaoliang's lively temperament and playful grin, it made him seem unreliable. Furthermore, the people around Royal Prince Yang would have a good future as long as they had the ability.
She was just a little maid and her appearance was only slightly above average. Maybe right now he was just looking for something new, but who knew if he would end up regretting today's decision in the future. Wutong was a person who thought twice before she acted, and the more a person thinks, the more they'll have to worry about. At least for the moment, she hadn’t accepted the guy.
From Wutong's perspective, there was nothing better than to be allocated as a competent subordinate under her master and remain at the young miss's side to serve her and the future little master. That was the greatest blessing to her. As for being an official wife of an official, she dared not have such greedy thoughts. After all, not all men were as unchanging as Prince Yang.
"Miss, please allow me to stay and serve by your side. Please don't give me to someone else, okay?" Wutong held back the ache in her heart, pleading with a pitiful tone as if worried that she would be abandoned in the next second.
Yu Xiaocao looked at her in surprise and said, "Have you thought it over? Hou Xiaoliang's character isn't bad. Don't think that his temperament is just energetic. Every time he has a task, he does a very good job. In the future, even if he doesn't join the army, he will still have a bright future in the yamen! I was just thinking about letting him hang around for a couple of years. When you're old enough, I will return your citizenship and let you go be an official's wife!"
Lady Fang glanced at Hou Xiaoliang's figure, which was moving towards the side of the carriage from time to time, through the gap between the curtains from the carriage. She smiled and said, "Your young miss is correct. When the opportunity comes, you have to catch it yourself. Imperial Bodyguard Hou seems to be a good person. As the sayings go, the type of master will determine the type of servant. He doesn't look like a man with a lot of ulterior motives!"
Wutong lowered her head and unsurely whispered, "But…my status as a servant is too far from his. He can clearly choose someone from a suitable family or someone who can help in his future developments. I'm afraid he'll regret the decision he made today."
Yu Xiaocao gently patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "You usually hide everything in your heart, so it's easy to complicate things. Take me and Royal Prince Yang for example! In the beginning, I was just an ordinary little peasant girl, and he was a high-ranking royal prince, holding an important position. According to what you said, he could have just found a young lady from a high ranking official's family, or a girl from a neutral family of an official, who would’ve been helpful to his future, couldn't he? "
"I will fight for my future myself. What ability do I have if I rely on my in-law's? Am I a coward that relies on others to help so I can climb up?" Zhu Junyang's hearing was quite good and he heard the lass, who was in the carriage, talking about Wutong and Hou Xiaoliang's matter. Hearing that he was being brought up, he quickly refuted. He didn't forget to glare at his bodyguard, 'You can't even get a woman, useless!'
"It's none of your business! Don't butt in!" Yu Xiaocao opened the curtains and made a face at him, but choked on the cold wind outside and coughed.
“Quickly put down the curtains and put on the fox fur cloak. Be careful about catching a cold!" Zhu Junyang saw this and wished he could get into the carriage to wrap the little lass into a cocoon. This lass couldn't stop making him worry, opening the carriage curtains while wearing a thin jacket. How cold it was outside, did she want to freeze?
Xiaocao coughed a few times and drank the hot tea that Wutong handed over. She made a sound at the person outside and half-heartedly said, "I know, I know! Caretaker!" In actuality, her heart said, 'It's so warm in the carriage, why would I wear a cloak, and be overheated?'
"See? A man with the ability will have his own pride! We won't be satisfied by those good-looking young men who depend on their in-law's families!" Yu Xiaocao didn't forget to continue to straighten out her servant girl's anxiety.
Wutong thought about and shook her head gently, "Miss has great potential. The emperor values your ability to cultivate high yield seeds and your ability to make a profit. You're like a golden doll, but this servant is an ordinary girl. I don't have any skills in literature or martial arts, what good am I?"
A chilly voice came from outside, "Maid, your words are unreasonable. It's as if I liked your young lady only because of her ability to earn money and farm?"
"That wasn't what this servant meant!" Wutong hurriedly explained. "What this servant meant is that the Miss is outstanding and thus is naturally loved by others. I'm too ordinary and common…"
"Silly girl! Why belittle yourself? Every girl is a beautiful angel. When she is willing to break her wings for a man, for love, and stay in the mortal world, and that man doesn't treasure it, then we should take care of our wings and resolutely fly away from him and soar into our own world. Don't avoid giving your heart because you’re afraid of meeting a sc.u.mbag! No matter what the results may be, I will always be your strong support." Yu Xiaocao gently embraced Wutong and let her lean on her shoulder.
At this moment, Wutong's uneasy heart settled down in the thin and weak arms of her master. What the young miss said was right. She should go for a bold attempt and she might be able to harvest her own happiness. Even if the result left her in pain, at least there was a warm hug that was always open to her, unconditionally accepting her.
"Thank you, Miss.." Wutong's nose tingled and her eyes were warm. She was afraid of getting her master's clothes wet, so she hurriedly brought out a small handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.
"Silly girl! It's only those of you who are closest to me that feel I’m so good. In fact, I know that in the eyes of those old fogeys, my words and deeds are different, and can even be called ‘a woman usurping man's power’. When I chose to control my own life, I was fully prepared. If I didn't meet a person who understood, tolerated me, and supported me, I'd rather be single my entire life. I will try my best to earn a lot of money. In the future, whoever among my brother's and my younger brother's children is willing to support me then I will give all the wealth I have acc.u.mulated in a lifetime to him or her in a hundred years! "
When Yu Xiaocao first transmigrated over, she really had this idea. After all, men in ancient times were male chauvinists and regarded women as vassals. How could she accept this as a modern person who had lived for thirty years in the 21st century?
"Talking about Wutong, you're the silly girl!" Lady Fang poked her forehead and scolded her while laughing. In heart, she was thankful, 'Fortunately Royal Prince Yang appeared in my goddaughter's life’. Otherwise, she would really worry that her goddaughter would be alone for life as she had said.
"Older Sister! Linlin is willing to support you when you are old. Don't worry!" Fang Haolin, who was napping in his mother's arms, came out to alert them he was still there.
"Little Lin'er, go to the sidelines. Do you think I, your brother-in-law, is dead, ah? Supporting the lass when she's old; it’s not your turn yet!" Zhu Junyang's voice came in from outside the window. The cold that seeped in through the gaps of the carriage seemed to have deepened suddenly, which made people feel chillier.
Fang Haolin was unconvinced and said, "You're older than my older sister. When that time comes, you're gonna be so old that you can't walk, so how can you support my sister?
Zhu Junyang almost choked half to death by his reply and had to remind himself not to get on the same level as a kid under four years old. To a certain someone on the carriage, he said, "You, don't think about it! Keep your wealth for my children. Not only yours but my shops too will be taken care of by you when you marry over. At that time, when you get busy, you won't have time to think about such things!"
Lady Fang couldn't continue listening. Wasn't this man too good at beating the snake with a stick? Where the wedding will be held hadn’t even been decided yet, and he wanted to leave the property for the children already. Then, she looked at her goddaughter, who didn't have a hint of shyness on her; the lass was still foolishly laughing. As her godmother, she needed to teach more, so Royal Prince Yang wouldn’t lead her astray.
"Madam, we've arrived at the Wisdom Jade Pavilion!" The carriage came to a stop. The two servant girls inside quickly put on their thick clothes and hopped out of the carriage first to help their masters get off the carriage.
Zhu Junyang got off his horse and went straight to the carriage, squeezing Wutong aside. When Yu Xiaocao came out, she saw a handsome face that was as stunning as the spring blossoms waiting for her outside of the carriage. She hid a smile and turned around and picked up Little Linlin and put him into his hands. She then went to take Wutong's hands and leisurely got off the carriage.
Zhu Junyang reluctantly took the chubby child given to him by force and wrapped him up in his little cloak. He adjusted his position so he could sit on his left arm and his right hand went to support the lass when she got off the carriage.
"Brother-in-law, why can your son support Older Sister when she's old but I can't?" Fang Haolin was still thinking about the problem in the carriage.
Zhu Junyang pinched his chubby cheeks and said with a smile, "You only need to take care of your parents when they are old. Your older sister will naturally be taken care of by her children! It's a natural thing for children to take care of their parents when they are old. Only those elderly people who have no children are taken care of by their younger brother. You don't want your sister to be like that, right?"
"It's pitiful to not have any children! Will my sister be provided for by her children? Mother, when Linlin grows up, I will support you!" The little guy nodded his head and grinned sweetly at the lady who got out of the carriage. That little figure was as good as can be.
Yu Xiaocao looked over and stood on her tippy toes with a greedy look. She held the little guy's face and mercilessly kissed it, "Our Little Linlin is so precious!"
