255, On Guard (1 more)
What they needed to do now was to make Xiaoyue feel that they had never doubted her; they wouldn’t be especially nice to her, but also not particularly bad.
There should be a bit of pity and a bit of trust.
In that way, in order to get more information and become closer to them, she would take action and start making arrangements.
As long as she made a move, she would reveal her tail.
Xie Zhinuan pondered.
Of course, he was also wary of the mute servant, which is why he had Yuanbao come to help.
She needed to focus on cooking, while Yuanbao made jokes on the side, yet his eyes kept watch on the mute servant.
He and Xie Zhinuan actually had a very good understanding of each other; many things didn’t need to be explicitly stated by Xie Zhinuan for him to grasp the deeper meanings and act swiftly.
Just like keeping an eye on the mute servant and Xiaoyue, Yuanbao had already taken care of it well in advance.
“Miss Xie, could you make some more cold cucumber salad? Sour and spicy, it’s the best accompaniment for rice!”
Thinking that in a few days they wouldn’t have cucumbers anymore, Xie Zhinuan nodded.
Yuanbao then started chatting about what Li Hengyi liked to eat, rattling on and on, but Xie Zhinuan wasn’t listening carefully.
After all, while she was grateful to Li Hengyi, the idea of catering to his every whim was out of the question. When it came to cooking, if she was in good spirits and feeling well, she might make a few extra dishes and try some new things, but if she felt unwell or was in a bad mood, she would just cook something simple. She certainly wouldn’t exhaust herself just to satisfy his palate.
“You understand your master so well?” Xie Zhinuan asked.
“Of course, I’ve been with the master for over a decade now!”
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhinuan turned to the mute servant, “Uncle Mute, how many years have you been with your master?”
The mute servant paused slightly, first extending four fingers, then five.
“Forty-five years?”
The mute servant nodded.
He had come to Lian Huai’s side at the age of five. Because he was mute and got bullied, it was Lian Huai who stepped in to help him, training him in martial arts.
His feelings for Lian Huai were not simply those of a servant to his master, there were also unspoken loyalties and secrets not meant for outsiders to know or the world to understand.
As for whether Lian Huai was aware of this, he didn’t care. All he wanted was to be by Lian Huai’s side, do the laundry, cook the meals, and protect him.
“So many years!” Xie Zhinuan exclaimed.
In this life, she wondered if she would meet someone to accompany her for decades.
In another world, to stay and know each other.
With a smile, Xie Zhinuan thought she was overthinking it.
She quickly added the food to the pan, stirred it briskly, plated it and asked Yuanbao to serve it.
Her face carried a smile, but her thoughts were well concealed.
From the very beginning, she had never considered Li Hengyi.
Perhaps from the start, she had excluded Li Hengyi from potential lovers.
Once the meals were ready, only three people sat down at the table.
Yuanbao and the mute servant had taken their seats outside, Xiaoyue sitting next to Yuanbao, which was just right to see inside the room.
She thought by calling Xie Zhinuan ‘Sister Zhinuan’ and establishing her identity as a sister, she could make a difference, not realizing that they never took her seriously at all.
“Xiaoyue, eat up!” Yuanbao said softly.
A dark gleam flickered in his eyes.
“Thank you, Brother Yuanbao!” Xiaoyue hurriedly replied with a demure voice.
Yuanbao smiled, “No need for formalities, just call me Yuanbao in the future, everyone does!”
Yuanbao, with a bowl in hand, picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks, and then said to Xiaoyue, “Oh, and by the way, you should probably just call her Miss Xie from now on, not Sister Zhinuan!”
“…”
Xiaoyue’s face turned pale.
Was this meant to draw a boundary?
Looking at Yuanbao, he seemed to be eating nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t intended to make such a comment.
Xiaoyue was puzzled.
But she had a way to handle it, to continue calling her Sister Zhinuan.
Chapter 256