Miss and farmhand

If the man dared to pretend he didn't understand something at this point, Huang Chu was prepared to kick him.

Perhaps it was this hint of aggression in her eyes, for the man stared at her for a moment, licked his teeth, released his hands from her sides, and stood up straight.

Huang Chu said, "You can see the garden from here, just like from the flower hall." She turned her head to look at the view from the window behind her. The dull pain at the back of her head had already gone numb. She reached out and hooked her hand on the window railing. "You don't stay in the room reading all day. You only stay indoors to avoid people. After Zhao Dong's incident, the servants wentssiping, saying that you were the one who ruined the young lady in the family. You didn't want to explain, so you could only avoid people. There's no one in the garden at noon. If you want to rest, you can only go into the garden for a walk at that time. That's how you met your aunt who sneaked in that day."

"The young lady knows so much. Could it be that she was hiding somewhere and spying on us?"

Huang Chu shook her head. If she had really seen it, she would have stopped Luo Shutao. She was only regretting it because she hadn't seen it, and now she was taking it out on a man.

"What did you say to your aunt?"

She wanted to determine exactly what role the man played in this matter.

Unexpectedly, the man actually laughed.

"The eldest daughter is even more remarkable than the younger cousin. What did I say?" He leaned back slightly, a mocking expression on his face. "When the younger cousin saw me in the garden and learned that I was Zhao Dong's apprentice, her first words were to tell me not to come over, and her second words were to ask me what I wanted to do."

He was implying something, saying, "The eldest daughter doesn't understand the difference between words and deeds, but the younger sister understands it very well."

Huang Chu frowned, disliking the obscene implications.

The man's tone didn't take her questioning seriously, nor did he seem worried that she would find out he had met Luo Shutao.

"...Why didn't you stop her?"

"Who do I think I am to meddle in such matters? If I'm not careful, I'll be in trouble myself. As for Miss Cousin's reputation, I'm still living under someone else's roof, how could I dare to get involved with her?"

"You don't have to talk like that," Huang Chu said. "Your aunt hasn't made things difficult for you, and I didn't mean it that way either. Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of her?"

The man looked bored. "Young lady, you should learn from me. There are some things you'd better avoid. You've seen what happens when you get involved, Miss."

"What is it?"

The man remained silent, staring intently at Huang Chu. Huang Chu knew what he meant: a warning to stay away from him and avoid getting involved.

"If you were truly as indifferent as you claim, you shouldn't have covered for your aunt that day, because there was no guarantee she wouldn't expose you afterward. Wouldn't it have been better if you had informed Dad beforehand to absolve yourself of responsibility?"

Huang Chu looked at him. "You did this on purpose. You want your aunt to cause trouble. Didn't your aunt tell you she went to see your uncle, not your senior brother Zhu?"

"And before that, there was that time with Master Zhao," Huang Chu continued. "It was wrong of Master Zhao to steal the wine, but he didn't hide it. He never did any work anyway; you were the one doing the work. The servants who lived close to you all knew this. It was better for him to sleep in the room when he was drunk; if he was sober, he would beat you. A bottle of wine isn't worth anything. If you really didn't want him to drink it, you could have returned it or poured it out. Master Zhao wouldn't have any evidence that you tampered with it. But you took the bottle and deliberately ran out, even choosing a time when others could see you, so you could tell Master Zhao and make him come looking for you, and then you caused a scene in public."

Huang Chu stared intently at the man's expression as she spoke, trying to discern any clues or hints at his emotions.

but.

The man's disdainful expression sent a chill down her spine. In his eyes, Master Zhao and Luo Shutao were no different—an abusive old master and an innocent, harmless young girl, like…like the brushes he used to paint, the diagrams he consulted, or the books he held while studying. Just tools.

She opened her mouth tremblingly, her thoughts drifting back to the earliest point in time.

"...Was it me who stopped him from hitting you, who stopped Master Zhao, that made you realize there was an opportunity?"

Huang Chu was unaware of what Master Zhao had said to the man. He had implied that since she liked him, he could easily flatter her and make her happy, while also suggesting that since there were no men in the household, the family business would eventually be divided up. He was fearless and could gain the upper hand, taking things one step at a time. He would first win her over, arrange a leisurely and comfortable long-term job for her, and then slowly plot his scheme.

The man agreed with Master Zhao's statement; Huang Chu's initial kindness towards him was an opportunity he could seize.

However, Master Zhao's statement was too naive and wishful thinking. He couldn't even see what opportunities a young lady from a wealthy family represented. He only thought about a stable job and then about matters between men and women.

Master Zhao didn't see Huang Xingtong behind Huang Chu, but the man did, and his mind was completely different.

He wanted to change his fate and climb the social ladder, but he couldn't do it by relying on women, nor could he succeed by resorting to underhanded tactics.

But Master Zhao's idea wasn't wasted; in the end, he sent the man on his way, allowing the man to completely sever his master-disciple relationship with him.

There was also an unexpected bonus: it gave the man the opportunity to learn to read and write.

Up to this point, nothing had gone beyond the man's plan.

But it's unlikely that the man deliberately planned to get to this point.

He was simply good at waiting, like a stray dog ​​crouching in the shadows of a back alley at night. He could wait silently all day and all night, no matter how long, until the prey walked past him. Then he would leap out and, without making a sound, the prey would be in his mouth.

He was usually silent; silence was his best form of protection. Huang Xingtong commented that he was cautious in his speech and patient; painting, reading, and writing all require long-term patience.

He hadn't expected Huang Chu to see through his silence.

Rationally, the man knew this was a huge hidden danger. In fact, the danger was already out in the open; Huang Chu's initiative to see him and bring everything to light was tantamount to pointing a knife at his throat.

But emotionally, more than shame and anger, the man felt a restlessness.

Huang Chu remained calm and composed from the moment she entered. She wasn't afraid of him; even after he had used those thuggish, street-smart tactics to tease her, she still dared to speak to him like this.

She stood against the window, the light from outside shining behind her, making every strand of her hair clear and her figure appear even smaller.

But her expression remained calm and undisturbed, like a still well. Men disliked that kind of self-assured air. Her eyes were lowered, her eyelashes like transparent spider silk, and even her eyelids were transparent, revealing her sculpted eyes beneath.

Men have seen such eyes: on the altar of a rural earthen temple, where yellow earth and mud swirl in the air, the people kneeling on the ground are all ragged, yet they would rather starve themselves than not make offerings to the radiant and compassionate bodhisattva on the altar.

The Bodhisattvas behind the incense and candles all have such eyes: pale and downcast.

Huang Chu's radiance made the sunlight seem like a part of her body, spreading out after retreating, like the aura of a Bodhisattva that inspired awe.

The man's body was aroused and trembling by this fear, and he wanted to destroy something.

Destroy this woman?

No. No. He's not like Zhao Dong.

He wanted to destroy the light around her, to destroy her calm demeanor, and to destroy the words she had said to him.

Her caring and compassionate demeanor revealed her to be a kind and good person who cared for all those in distress, including herself in the past.

The man found it hypocritical and disgusting. The village temple was eventually destroyed by bandits during a bandit raid, and no one bothered to repair it anymore. As a result, the man left his hometown and wandered around looking for a living.

Huang Chu should have met the same fate.