Chapter 32: Chapter 18 Fattening Up the Bean Sprouts_2
“Why did your family give you such a, um, unique name?” A little girl named Thunder, isn’t that shocking!
“Dad said when I was born, there was thunder in winter, so he named me after it. It’s the thunder from a thunderstorm,” Dong Lei said, tears welling up in her eyes again as she mentioned her father.
Gu Changsheng pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped her tears, only to see the once white fabric turn pitch black. As he continued, another patch darkened. Gu Changsheng was stunned. How dirty could this scrawny child’s face be? Yet his hands didn’t stop, wiping even more meticulously.
Dong Lei didn’t dodge; she just cried earnestly, hiccupping as she spoke, “You’re really…hic…nice, just like my…hic…mom, very gentle…sob sob…”
Gu Changsheng looked at the handkerchief, now filthy, then at her complexion, now visible like fine porcelain although not completely clean, still with specks of dirt. But now it was clear, Dong Lei indeed had a beautiful face, her small face with big eyes brimming with tears, a dainty nose above cherry lips, naturally red lips and naturally black eyebrows. Coupled with her fair skin, she was truly a beauty, surpassing Xiao Cui by far.
Such a Dong Lei, if nurtured well, would surely become a devastating beauty in three to four years.
“Dong Lei, I was kind-hearted enough to bury your father, but I hadn’t planned to add another person to serve me. However, with a face like yours, wandering the streets could lead to a bad end. What if I hire someone to send you back to Liuzhou City?” Since they were townsfolk, she felt she had done enough.
“You buried my dad, so now I’m your servant,” Dong Lei said, tears streaming down her face again.
Before when her face was still filthy, it didn’t show much, but now with a beauty shedding tears, Gu Changsheng found it hard to ignore. She always had an appreciation for beauty. Look, both Xiao Cui and Han Qiu were quite attractive, both could turn heads. If Dong Lei was added, her household would have its own collection of three beauties.
A woman’s ultimate weapons are tears, havoc, and threats of despair; indeed, Gu Changsheng felt overwhelmed by just the tears, sensing a looming defeat.
“Wait, don’t cry. There are just a few of us at home. First, tell me what you can do, and I’ll think about whether to keep you.” Well, might as well be thorough with the good deeds, given her penchant for meddling.
“I can cook. My dad was a chef, and I loved learning to cook with him.” Dong Lei saw a glimmer of hope, her big eyes sparkling, her tears disappearing in an instant.
“Cooking, that’s actually good.” Gu Changsheng supported her chin and thought. Xiao Cui’s cooking skills were really nothing to boast about, barely palatable, and definitely not enjoyable; Han Qiu was even worse, having been a privileged young lady before, she might be better at wielding a sword than a kitchen knife.
“Xiao Cui, can we afford another maid with our money?” Gu Changsheng finished contemplating and turned to ask the housekeeper, Xiao Cui.
Xiao Cui had been with her long enough to understand what she meant and nodded with a smile.
“Alright then.” Gu Changsheng brushed off her sleeves, stood up, and grabbed Dong Lei’s hand with a smile, “From today onward, you are my maid Xiao Leizi. The Three Beauties are complete; we’re not far from being like Tang Bohu with his Four Beauties.”
“Who is Tang Bohu?” Dong Lei asked, steadying her shaky body from kneeling too long.
The crowd was curious too; even Zhou Mu looked at her with his stern eyes.
“Tang Bohu was a painter, best known for his portraits of beautiful women,” Gu Changsheng explained. In her previous life, her grandfather had a collection of Tang Bohu’s beauty paintings. Remembering her grandfather in another time and space, Gu Changsheng’s heart ached; that old man who had cherished her so, he must be heartbroken without her.
Zhou Mu saw her suddenly sad, the emotions in her eyes were of nostalgia, affection, admiration, concern, reluctance, and a deeper, unresolved melancholy…
What kind of person could evoke such intense feelings from the usually wild and fearless her?
Turning to look at Gu Ze next to him, his own son perhaps?
Thinking this, he quickly felt bored, lifting his sleeve and turning back to the inn.
Gu Changsheng came back to her senses to see his retreating figure. Who had upset this master now, she wondered with a snort, “Hmph, so melodramatic!”
“Quickly, Xiao Cui, hurry and have the shopkeeper prepare a feast to welcome Xiao Leizi.” She waved her hand grandly.
Why did they feel the word ‘join’ had a bit of a bandit vibe?
“Cough cough, just order some good dishes. Look how thin Xiao Leizi is, a gust could blow her away,” Gu Changsheng quickly changed the subject to avoid Xiao Cui’s constant nagging.
“How can you say ‘join’ though; only bandits talk that way!” The newly joined Dong Lei objected, obviously not as easy to fool as Xiao Cui.
“It’s no big deal, it’s just a word. Why fuss over it?” Gu Changsheng dismissed it with a wave of her hand and walked towards the inn.
Everyone followed, with Dong Lei closely behind Gu Changsheng, not letting it go, “How can you just say that? People say it reflects your status, my mom said it would make us a laughingstock.”
“Servant.” Xiao Cui tugged at Dong Lei’s sleeve, quietly hinting.
“Oh, the servant made a mistake. I forgot for a moment; it won’t happen again,” Dong Lei gave Xiao Cui a sweet smile and continued following Gu Changsheng, “Please don’t talk like that in the future, my mom said it makes us look bad.”
Gu Changsheng nodded her head in a perfunctory agreement.
The dinner that evening was arranged swiftly. Dong Lei took a bath, ate some food, then ran to the inn’s kitchen, claiming since her cooking skills caught the eye of her mistress, she wanted to serve some decent dishes in return.