Chapter 4.1

Xiao Youning was staying in a room that probably didn’t see the sun all year round as she even had to open a window to ventilate the room and chase away the slightly moldy smell. Not far from here was the kitchen, and when the wind blew, the smell of grease and smoke infiltrated the room.

Those two smells mixed up together, becoming more and more pungent. Those uncouth people inside the kitchen also loved to speak obscene words, their unbridled laughter slipping straight into the ears.

Yuan Guo at first couldn’t stand it, closing the window with a bang while muttering a few curses. She returned to Xiao Youning’s side and said, “Miss, please endure for now. At night, the kitchen won’t have any workers, it’ll be quiet.”

“After leaving home, don’t have that much to pay attention to.” Xiao Youning sat on a chair, looking exhausted, her voice as light as a feather.

Yuan Guo reached out her hand to grab the teapot and cup on top of the table wanting to pour her a cup of water to quench her thirst but found it empty.

The round-faced servant girl’s eyes opened wide. Restraining herself with a sigh, she lifted the teapot to go out, saying, “Miss, you rest for a moment first, I’ll go and find them to ask for water.”

Xiao Youning nodded. Yuan Guo opened the door just in time to meet their neighbor, a tall youth clad in black clothes from head to toe, also holding a teapot in hand.

The two people met in the doorway and looked at each other. Yuan Guo stared at his tall figure and was just about to frown when she saw his line of sight unexpectedly go toward the inside of their room.

Yuan Guo reacted extremely fast by closing the door with a bang, startling Xiao Youning inside. The black-clothed youth stopped with a similar expression and then, at her fierce glare like a tiger watching its prey, left.

“What kind of people are they, looking into people’s rooms as they like?! Don’t they know etiquette?!” Yuan Guo waited for him to walk further before spitting in his direction.

The relay station deputy that led them over had received the money and was even hospitable and diligent. By lucky coincidence, he was coming over to deliver hot tea, also holding a tray with two kinds of appetizers.

Yuan Guo’s expression became slightly better, opening the door to allow him to go in and deliver the things he held.

Xiao Youning, who had been startled just now, eyed her servant girl up and down a few times and saw that her face held an indignant look, but she didn’t utter a sound because the deputy was there. Raising her head, she accidentally met with the relay station deputy’s hesitating appearance.

She swept her eyes over the table and did not see meat and fish on the two small dishes. Her eyebrows raised and the cinnabar mole underneath her right eye jumped slightly.

“The relay station’s dishes, contrary to expectation, are light in taste.”

Seemingly shocked by her intentionally lowered voice, the relay station worker wanted to place down the chopsticks but lacked a steady grip, sending them tumbling over the desk. He hurried to pick them up and place them properly, forcing out a laugh. “Young Gentleman, your accompanying retinue retainer said you don’t like meat and fish, therefore this lowly one allowed the kitchen to make light food for you. Take your time—”

The worker abandoned the conversation and retreated two steps, walking very fast.

One moment Yuan Guo was astonished. On the next, she reacted, face turning very red.

“Miss, what did they mean?!”

Did this mean they were embezzling their Miss’s meals?!

Yuan Guo’s was an effervescent temper. Saying she was going outside, she wanted to go and find someone to get some answers from.

Xiao Youning hurried to grab the person, calling for them to stop. “Close the door, come eat.”

“Miss!” Yuan Guo huffed, extremely angry, the corners of her eyes entirely red.

“Go, close the door.” Xiao Youning slowly picked up the chopsticks to hold the steamed bread. “The meat outside may not be as well handled as at home. There are some who fall ill just by eating it. Since my second uncle has instructed them to carefully take care of something, and they’re frequently going out, there must definitely be an inside reason for their way of handling matters.”

This was obviously neglect, no? Yuan Guo firmly clenched her fist, then angrily grabbed the door and closed it, standing taut in front of her miss.

Xiao Youning took a bite of the steamed bun made of coarse noodles, but it wasn’t that bad except for being a little hard. She gestured to the angry maid to sit down to eat with her, asking in passing about the commotion from just a moment ago.

“What happened when you went out? I saw someone passing by the door.”

Yuan Guo seemingly vented her feelings by viciously biting the steamed bun. “Miss, that Daoist priest next door and his companion are definitely no good. That man wearing black clothes is a practicing scholar, and he even went as far as looking into our room!”

“Looking over at us?” Xiao Youning was somewhat surprised.

“Exactly!” Yuan Guo said, both eyes opening wide. “Miss, you say, could they be criminals on the run who are impersonating someone? Before, didn’t you say there was someone who impersonated a Daoist priest to break into a house for robbery?”

Xiao Youning was amused by her exaggerated expression and said slowly, “How could that be? An official’s name card can’t be falsified. Officials in the capital, no matter how, can’t be swindled by fugitives. They will definitely first investigate to understand thoroughly who they’re dealing with. Perhaps the one in black clothes is someone assigned to escort that Daoist priest to go somewhere far away?”