Chapter 413 - Ethereal (2/2)
“Village Head is exaggerating! I’m only a farmer, how could I be capable of looking after the village?” Yu Hai felt calmer now that he had heard what the village head had said.
The village head smiled, his bearing now even warmer, “I’m guessing that your family did a great deal last time when we fought off the Wokou pirates. Regardless, if it weren’t for Xiaocao, our village would be faced with the threat of destruction like the neighboring village. If your Xiaosha hadn’t risked his life to relay the news to the garrison, they wouldn’t be able to arrive in time and the harbor would’ve been awash with the blood of merchants, and their goods would be plundered, causing a huge loss! Considering your family’s contribution, the emperor will surely reward you with a lot of good things when you arrive at the capital, maybe even a noble title or something…”
“I’ll borrow your auspicious words!” Surrounded by fellow villagers who looked at him with gratitude and envy, Yu Hai cupped his hands together and made a deep obeisance before he went back to the Zhao Residence to prepare the luggage he was to bring to the capital. Madam Liu also followed him up the mountain as the dried meat and preserved ducks and chickens in the icehouse had not been ransacked by the Wokou pirates. She could still pack some for them to bring to Xiaocao’s godmother.
When Xiaocao’s godmother heard of the Wokou pirates’ invasion, she had hurriedly delivered an entire cart of supplies from the capital. The supplies included food, clothes and all of their necessities. She even sent a thousand taels over for fear that they would be short of money because the village was completely ransacked. Her daughter was fortunate to have gotten such a sincere godmother. They did not have anything valuable to give her, and she did not lack anything in the capital. Thus, Madam Liu prepared some of their local products for Xiaocao’s godmother to enjoy.
Su Ran, Zhu Junyang and Xiaocao casually walked on the path in the forest. In the early summer, the hot sun blazed in the sky, but a cool and slightly humid breeze could be felt along the shady path, giving them a comfortable feeling. Green was all that filled their sights, and when they turned around for a look, the blue surface of the ocean seemed like a badly-polished mirror. The blues of the sky and the sea blended together until no one could tell where the line was in which they met.
“This seems like a good place to retire!” A light breeze carried the edge of Su Ran’s pristine robes, making it seem as though he could fly away with the wind at any moment. Xiaocao could not help but stare!
Zhu Junyang felt sour in his heart. His little lass used to only stare at him, but now she was ‘cheating’ on him right in front of his eyes? This was too outrageous! He coughed heavily, reminding that little lass who watched other men until she forgot herself—be reserved!
His cough did not pull the little lass back from her daze, but instead attracted the attention of Su Ran, who had been appreciating the view. He followed the jealous gaze of Royal Prince Yang, only to see that little lass lost in a daze as she stared at him. He outstretched his long hand that could be compared to that of a pianist’s and waved it in front of Xiaocao’s face, smiling, “Miss Xiaocao, what are you thinking about?”
“Sir Su...is like a god from the heavens who is above the common folk…” Xiaocao mumbled her thoughts as though she was hypnotized. She quickly realized what she had said and her face immediately reddened. She lowered her head and pretended to be a quail.
Bright laughter erupted from Su Ran. Since he was young, his appearance had only attracted vulgar, greedy and lustful desires. He had become the emperor’s most trusted chief steward and even first-rank officials had to be courteous with him, but he could still feel a lot of jealous and contemptuous gazes behind his back. It was actually his first time receiving such unadulterated appreciation and compliments. He was touched, but he also felt rueful.
Yu Xiaocao was not aware, but Zhu Junyang knew very well that Chief Steward Su Ran’s biggest taboo was comments about his appearance. Many of those high-ranking officials who desired him as their male bed-servant because of his looks had eventually lost their position and died very horribly. The little lass was so blatant she was only one step away from saying he was beautiful. If he continued to let her speak, he did not know what kind of shocking words would come out of her mouth.
Zhu Junyang quickly took a step forward and blocked Chief Steward Su Ran’s line of sight. He wanted to say something to help the little lass justify herself, but he heard Chief Steward Su say with a smile, “Miss Xiaocao’s culinary skills are so extraordinary that even the imperial cooks hold you in high esteem. If Su Ran doesn’t eat cooked food, wouldn’t that mean I wouldn’t be able to taste Miss Xiaocao’s craft? Wouldn’t I be missing out on a lot of delicacies?”
‘Eh? Eh? Chief Steward Su Ran wasn’t smiling out of anger, right? He even has the mood to joke around, he probably isn’t mad at the little lass, right?’
Zhu Junyang hurriedly spoke before Xiaocao could respond, “Let Xiaocao make some signature dishes for Chief Steward Su this afternoon as an apology…”
“Apology? Royal Prince Yang has exaggerated!” Su Ran’s gaze lightly brushed over Zhu Junyang, seemingly slightly colder than before. He turned around and continued to stare at the place where the sky met the sea, feeling as though his mind had broadened just by watching the vast ocean.
Yu Xiaocao was left confused. She glared at him and crinkled her nose as she whispered, “Why should I apologize to Sir Su? I didn’t do anything wrong! Don’t blindly cut into our conversation. Can’t you see that Sir Su’s mood was quite good before, but now he’s displeased because you decided to cut in?”
Zhu Junyang also felt that Su Ran was not as happy as he was just now. He tried to focus his attention to sense Chief Steward Su’s thoughts, but she had a sudden realization. Eunuchs were always placed lower than the common folk. Even if he was a trusted and favored eunuch, many people still disdained him behind his back even though they treated him courteously. Chief Steward Su had experienced so much of this that it was natural that he had a deep understanding of the complexity and viciousness of the human heart.