Hoo Die, with a dirty face, was dragged outside by Su Luo, feeling resentful in his heart.
"Today, it’s the master treating the guests. It would be okay if you just quibbled, but you dared to speak arrogantly. Doesn’t that make the master lose face? Others will see and think that the master can’t control his subordinates. And what’s this about a ’vixen’? She’s just a young lady, how can she bear your cursing?" Su Luo chided in a low voice.
Hoo Die muttered, "I wasn’t cursing her. I was just saying she’s crafty."
Su Luo snorted, "So what if she’s crafty? Haven’t you heard that all is fair in war? The master is right; you were simply outplayed. I heard it took only five days for that girl to find the person. And you?"
Hoo Die was not convinced and said, "I was just delayed halfway through."
"Anyway, you were slower; she found the person before you and naturally deserves the reward." Su Luo patted his shoulder and said, "I know you don’t care about those five hundred taels. You’re just annoyed because she outwitted you. Men shouldn’t be so petty."
"Who said I don’t care? That’s my hard-earned money. Just you watch, the master will definitely dock half a year’s monthly salary from me."
Su Luo said with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, "Do you still live off that monthly salary?"
"This time, although you were played, which is frustrating, Hoo Die, one should learn from their mistakes. This is just an external affair; we didn’t suffer any loss. But if it were our own task, and you were deceived , it wouldn’t be just five hundred taels you’d lose, but possibly many brothers’ lives," Su Luo patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Great carelessness can lead to the loss of Jingzhou; we cannot afford any negligence."
Hoo Die’s face turned solemn, and then his shoulders slumped, "I understand."
Su Luo said, "This time, our combat abilities disappointed the master. When we return, we’ll face the consequences."
Hoo Die suddenly felt a toothache.
Through the crack in the door, he glanced at Wufu, who was laughing and chatting inside, and said, "How can that girl be so crafty at such a young age?"
Su Luo also looked over, but what he saw was the master’s smiling face. He said, "Some people are indeed as cunning as a demon," not specifying whether he was referring to their own master or someone else.
Hoo Die let out a soft snort.
Ah Jiu, chatting about all sorts of things with Wufu, blended in well with the conversation. He said with a smile, "You don’t seem like a typical farmer’s daughter."
With such broad knowledge, not something a girl confined to her household would possess, and now able to solve cases as well, the more he interacted with her, the more secrets he found – truly intriguing.
Wufu’s heart skipped a beat, but she laughed, "I’m smart, you see!"
"Indeed. So how exactly did you manage to find the Flower-Picking Thief? Hoo Die spent almost ten days on this task and just when he was close to the end, you cut him off. I’m curious."
Wufu looked at him, their gazes meeting.
Ah Jiu, losing his composure, laughed, "You needn’t worry; I’m not one to hold a grudge over five hundred taels. I can afford to lose that much."
Wufu raised her eyebrows and said, "Even if you were taking sides, it wouldn’t be justified. In a battle between two armies, it’s all about who gains the advantage first. Ever heard of ’the early bird catches the worm’?"
He acknowledged it; she was the sly fox.
Ah Jiu laughed and replied, "That’s why I said he was outplayed, nothing to argue about." Wufu sipped her tea, which was indeed a tribute-quality tea, rich and fragrant, lingering in the mouth. She couldn’t help but smile, "What fine tea!"
Ah Jiu poured her another cup and then said, "In the spirit of this tea, you might as well give me a few pointers to save him from getting too arrogant."
Wufu looked at him, a profound light in the depths of her eyes.