Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 26 The Man-Eating Tiger
Qingmei led Yang Can out of the flower hall, her little wooden clogs clicking on the cobblestone floor like a carefree little hen.

Suddenly, a scene flashed into her mind: that day, in the rain, Yang Can stood by the window, staring at her back.

Xiao Qingmei suddenly felt like she was being stared at by an eagle circling overhead. She felt itchy on her back and buttocks, and she didn't know how to take a step.

"Uh, well... you go ahead." Finally, Xiao Qingmei darted to the side of the road.

Yang Can raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Xiao Qingmei said with a straight face, "I... I said that I would give you face when we get to the outer residence."

Yang Can was a little skeptical of her statement because a blush of peach blossoms rose on her cheeks, a color unique to shy young girls.

Yang Can didn't know what the little girl was thinking, but he readily agreed.

So, it was Xiao Qingmei's turn to peek at him from behind.

Hmm, he's quite tall. If someone were to lie in his arms, their mouth would probably only reach his chest.
He looks like he has broad shoulders, but his waist is so thin. Isn't that what the old ladies call a "dog waist"?

They say men with V-shaped waists are very strong, maybe it's true? After all, when the other security guards' legs were aching, he was still working hard inside...

Thinking of this, Xiao Qingmei's pretty face turned red again.

"Ouch!"

As Xiao Qingmei walked along, lost in thought, Yang Can suddenly stopped. Before she could stop, she bumped into his back.

Yang Can quickly turned around and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Well, it's all your fault. You suddenly stopped without saying a word."

Little Qingmei rubbed her nose and glared at Yang Can. Her almond-shaped eyes were misty and quite alluring.

As Xiao Qingmei spoke, she looked behind Yang Can and asked, "Where is this?"

Before me was a small courtyard, nestled among lush greenery, with blue bricks and gray tiles. Though the entrance was small, it revealed a hidden paradise inside.

Yang Can said, "This is where Steward Li lives."

Xiao Qingmei had only been at the Yu family for a short time, so she wasn't very familiar with the outer quarters. Yang Can, who had served as Yu Chengye's secretary for over half a year, had been to Li Youcai's residence before.

Yang Can led Xiao Qingmei into Li Youcai's courtyard. As the head steward of the eldest branch, Li Youcai had a small courtyard, not large, with three main rooms and two side rooms.

As soon as the two entered, they saw two boys, about eleven or twelve years old, squatting under the eaves, excitedly playing "grabbing sheep's knuckles".

Sheep knuckles are toys made from the joint bones of a sheep's hind leg, similar to a game of jacks.

Yang Can called out loudly, "Lai Xi, Wang Cai, is Steward Li home?"

Lai Xi and Wang Cai were two servants in Steward Li's office.

Their names might sound a bit vulgar, but in those days, most slaves and servants used lowly names.

In the world Yang Can originally lived in, the names of servants in wealthy families were initially all vulgar and offensive.

Until the Ming and Qing dynasties, those who could afford servants began to cultivate an air of refinement, with names like "Inkstone Servant," "Wine Servant," "Xiren," and "Dequan" appearing...

Lai Xi looked up and exclaimed happily, "Mr. Yang!"

He recognized the young master's advisor and quickly stood up, saying, "Mr. Yang, my master is here. Master, Mr. Yang has arrived."

Lai Xi stretched his neck and shouted into the house. As soon as he heard the voice, Li Youcai, who was tall and had a hooked beard, came out of the house.

This person was probably in his early fifties, with a plump face and bright eyes, giving people a gentle and kind impression at first glance.

Yang Can naturally recognized the girl standing next to him. She was petite, with a pretty face, big eyes, and a small mouth. Even when she wasn't smiling, she had a sweet charm...

He recognized her too; wasn't this Qingmei, the young mistress's personal maid?

Suo Chanzhi moved into the main house, and Li Youcai paid his respects to the mistress of the house, and of course, he also recognized Qingmei.

Li Youcai was slightly surprised. He quickly lifted his robe and hurriedly walked down the stone steps. He cupped his hands and smiled, "Miss Qingmei, Mr. Yang, what brings you two here? Please come in."

Li Youcai ushered the two into the guest room, where Laixi and Wangcai brought in a tea tray to serve tea.

The two servants were quick and efficient, but Qingmei glanced at their hands and saw that the two boys hadn't washed their hands before making tea. They had just been squatting on the ground playing "sheep's knuckles".

Qingmei was somewhat disgusted, and naturally she wouldn't drink the tea.

Qingmei coughed once and got straight to the point: "Elder Li, I was sent by the young mistress to bring Mr. Yang to see you."

"Oh?" Li Youcai was obviously unaware that Yang Can would be appointed as the second steward of the eldest branch of the family, and looked at Yang Can with a hint of doubt.

Qingmei said, "I am here on the orders of the clan head. Mr. Yang will be the second steward of the eldest branch from now on. The young mistress has also agreed, so I was asked to send him here."

"Ah? Is that so?"

Li Youcai stood up abruptly and said with delight, "When Mr. Yang was your advisor, we got along very well. It would be wonderful if we could manage the eldest son's business together in the future."

Yang Can stood up and said with a smile, "I am young and inexperienced. I am grateful for the trust of the clan leader, who entrusted me with this important task. I will need your guidance in the future."

Li Youcai stroked his hooked beard and said with a smile, "Mr. Yang, you're too kind. As for matters concerning the eldest branch, we brothers can discuss and decide on our own from now on. In short, we just need to make sure the clan leader isn't disappointed in us." Xiao Qingmei stood up and said, "You can discuss things, but don't forget that you still need to consult my young mistress before you can do anything."

"If you don't manage things properly within the eldest branch of the family, even if the clan head agrees, our young mistress will not."

Li Youcai smiled broadly: "Of course, it's our duty, Miss Qingmei, please rest assured."

Qingmei said with a forced smile, "Whether I'm at ease or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you make the young mistress feel at ease."

The little green plum looked like she was serving her master faithfully.

The two stewards before us, Li Youcai is an elder of the eldest branch, and Yang Can is deeply hated by the Suo family, so it's not surprising that Xiao Qingmei is carrying a gun and stick.

Little Green Plum said, "Alright, I still have things to do in the inner quarters. I've delivered the person, so I'll head back now."

Li Youcai and Yang Can hurriedly saw her out of the main room. The two stood on the steps and watched their little Qingmei walk out of the courtyard with a "tap tap tap".

Li Youcai stroked his curled mustache and clicked his tongue in admiration: "Tsk, that waist twist is really something."

Yang Can felt uneasy upon hearing this, as if someone was eyeing the food that was already on his plate.

Yang Can cleared his throat and said, "Just take a look and that's enough. You're praising it. Be careful your wife hears you and gets angry with you."

Although the two had no personal relationship before, one was originally the young master's advisor and the other was the young master's chief steward, so they were quite familiar with each other.

Li Youcai chuckled and said, "Only when I, Li, am too lazy to even look at a beautiful woman will your sister-in-law get angry with me. Hahaha, let's go back."

The two walked back to the main room, and Li Youcai called out, "Xiao Wan, Xiao Wan, Mr. Yang is here."

Madam Li already knew about the guests as soon as they entered the room.

After all, the house has three rooms, and Madam Li is in the left wing; how could she not know?

At this moment, Li Youcai gave a call, the curtain was lifted, and a mature and beautiful woman with red lips, phoenix eyes, and long eyebrows walked out.

The young woman wore a lotus-colored spring shirt and a crimson silk skirt. Her hair was half-undone, her cheeks were lightly flushed, and her phoenix eyes had slightly upturned corners, giving her a somewhat "spicy" look.

The woman's surname was Pan, and her given name was Xiaowan. She looked to be only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, but she was half the age younger than Li Youcai. She was too young to be his daughter.

"So it's Mr. Yang."

When Pan Xiaowan saw that it was Yang Can, she slightly curled her red lips, seemingly with disdain.

"It has been quite some time since I last saw you, sir."

As Pan Xiaowan spoke, she gave a perfunctory curtsy, and Li Youcai quickly turned his back to Yang Can and glared at her.

Li Youcai knew that his young wife didn't think much of Yang Can, but he had to maintain appearances and couldn't be so blunt, since they would be working together in the future.

Yang Can cupped his hands and said, "Yang Can greets Sister-in-law. It's only been a short time since I went to Jincheng with you after the New Year."

Pan Xiaowan chuckled and was about to speak when Li Youcai, fearing she might say something unpleasant again, quickly pretended to be impatient and said, "Alright, alright, I still have something to say to Mr. Yang. Go and make two cups of good tea."

Li Youcai glanced outside and cursed irritably, "Those two clumsy brats, Lai Xi and Wang Cai, can't even brew tea properly. How can they entertain guests?"

Pan Xiaowan glanced at Li Youcai and said indifferently, "Two half-grown boys are bound to be careless in their work. They are not as attentive as young girls."

Li Youcai immediately beamed with joy: "That makes sense. Then I'll go find a slave trader tomorrow and pick out two maids I like."

Pan Xiaowan chuckled softly and said to Yang Can, "Mr. Yang, look at our master, he's such a considerate person. He makes sure his tea gets cold three times over, but he's always worried that no one will serve our distinguished guests."

With a glance from her phoenix eyes, as if she were throwing a pair of willow-leaf daggers, she looked at Li Youcai and said with a half-smile, "Master, if you want to add a few more servants, it is only proper for the family to maintain its dignity, and there is nothing wrong with that."

But I, the wife, am also worried. Our money box is almost lighter than my dressing case.

"If you, sir, buy two more maids, I'm afraid our rice jar will be empty in no time, and it would be unfair to the new girl."

How could the head steward of the Yu family's eldest branch be so poor that he couldn't even afford a few maids and servants?

Li Youcai immediately understood that his wife was mocking him for not being able to feed himself yet still thinking about "adding a son to the family," and his face flushed red.

Pan Xiaowan wasn't finished yet, and said sarcastically, "By the way, Master, remember to have the poultry farm send some fertilizer back home. That little vegetable patch in the corner of our yard is so barren. Oh dear, even the chives that grow here are all withered and dry. If we sow more seeds, won't all the old seedlings and new shoots wither and die?"

Li Youcai blushed deeply, fearing that Yang Can would pick up on her veiled criticism.

Li Youcai hurriedly said, "I know, I know. Look at you, Mr. Yang has come to visit, and instead of serving tea, you're just talking about all this nonsense. Never mind, I'll make the tea myself."

After saying this, Li Youcai hurriedly walked out of the main room and headed towards the tea room in the side room.

Pan Xiaowan snorted coldly, watching Li Youcai leave with a stern face. When she turned to look at Yang Can's handsome face, the disdain and anger on his face suddenly transformed into a gentle and charming spring light that filled the room.

Yang Can lowered his eyes and saw a crimson dress float in front of him, revealing a pair of exquisite embroidered shoes underneath.

As Pan Xiaowan approached, Yang Can caught a whiff of the pleasant scent of Lingling incense.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle reached her ears, and Madam Pan said affectionately, "Mr. Yang, why don't you dare look at me? I'm not a man-eating tiger."

(End of this chapter)