Chapter 10: The Xiao Family's Daughter Has Just Come of Age

  Yang Wenxuan's mansion is located in the eastern city of Qingzhou, and although it is quite large, it cannot be considered luxurious or grand. This is because the Yang family has not been wealthy for a long time, and even though they are now among the top ten richest families in Qingzhou, their foundation is still not as strong as those families who have inherited wealth over several generations. Additionally, during the mourning period, it was not suitable to undertake large construction projects, and since the mourning period ended just one year ago, there has been no time to renovate or expand the mansion.

  Of course, this is only the superficial reason. Although Yang Wenxuan's business has been very successful in the past two years, it is impossible for him to accumulate wealth at such a rapid pace that he can become one of the top ten richest men in Qingzhou within just two years. In fact, many of the industries under his name belong to the Qi Wangfu. Nevertheless, the grandeur of the Yang Mansion far surpasses that of many wealthy families. The vermilion gate with copper hinges, the stone steps, the horse-tying stone on the left side of the gate, the lantern-hanging pole on the right side, the black-tiled white walls, the high walls and deep courtyards, the flying eaves and corners, all exude an aura of grandeur.

  The carriage stopped in front of the gate, and Xia Xun's heart was already racing uncontrollably. The outcome would be decided in this one move - if he succeeded, from today on, he would become the master of this household; if he failed...

  Calm down, I must calm down. This is the first hurdle and also the most difficult one. No matter what, I have to get through it! As long as I pass this hurdle, even if someone has doubts about me later on, they won't dare to make a rash judgment."

  The gatekeeper of the Yang mansion saw the young master's carriage and had already opened the main gate to welcome him with a big smile. Four guards and the coachman entered through the side door, and Xia Xun walked in under Zhang Shisan's escort. As soon as he entered the gate, two green-clad and small-hatted houseboys happened to pass by, and when they saw the young master return, they hastily stood still to pay their respects, then someone rushed in to report the news.

  The Yang family's servants and maids were not many, far fewer than those of the same social status, because ordinary people were not allowed to keep slaves, so the Yang family's former servants were hired under the name of helpers and nannies. This way, it was impossible to hire too many hands. Last year, after Yang Xu passed the imperial examination and gained a reputation, the Yang family began to openly employ slaves. However, Yang Xu often stayed outside and didn't care much about household affairs. Xiao Guan Shi, who managed the household, was also very frugal and thought that hiring a large number of slaves would be a huge expense, so there were still not many servants in the house.

  Xia Fu's heart was racing, but he forced himself to remain calm as he entered his own mansion. Although Zhang Shi San had shown him the layout of the buildings before, it was just a flat drawing, and now that he was actually in this environment, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unfamiliarity. Fortunately, with Zhang Shi San by his side, Xia Fu, the fake master, wouldn't get lost in Yang's mansion like a blind man riding a blind horse.

  The Yang mansion had pavilions and towers that were steep and majestic, with lush trees and rocks that were luxuriant and moist. The scenery was very beautiful, but Xia Xian didn't have the heart to appreciate it at this moment. After passing through the front yard and middle yard, he turned into the back yard, circled around the winding corridor, and saw a corner of the red building exposed in the sparse flowers and trees, with flying eaves and hidden corners. Xia Xian knew that this was his own residence.

  "Calm down, remember, you are Yang Wenxuan! You, are Yang Wenxuan!"

  A slightly tense and severe reminder came from behind, Xia Yu used self-hypnosis, constantly giving himself psychological suggestions in his heart, and as soon as his breathing became stable, he heard a joyful voice calling out: "Is the young master back?"

  As soon as Xia Yu stopped, he saw a man in a green robe walking quickly towards him. The man was just over forty years old, of medium build, with clear and distinct facial features. His hair under his hat and the three strands of whiskers on his chin were all neatly combed. He wore a pale purple cross-collared long gown that had been washed and ironed to perfection. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing crisp white linings that were spotless. From head to toe, he exuded an air of precision and energy.

  Xia Liu only took one glance and recognized his identity as Yang Jia's manager, Xiao Jing Tang, a person whose portrait he had seen countless times.

  "Uncle Xiao, I'm back."

  Xia Liu smiled peacefully at him and suddenly unfolded a bamboo bone folding fan made of mulberry bark paper.

  Yang Xu left Jiangnan with his father at a young age, and his mother had already passed away. Since Yang's father did not have any official rank and had already had children, he was not eligible to take a concubine according to the Ming dynasty law. He also refused to remarry, so in Qingzhou, Yang Xu had no relatives except for his father. When he was young, his father was always busy with business outside and did not have time to take care of him, so Yang Xu was raised by Xiao Guanshi. Therefore, he was very close to Xiao and addressed him as "Xiao Shu", treating him like a family member rather than a servant.

  Xiao Guan's face was filled with joy, and he was about to bow his head in respect. Suddenly, he slightly hesitated, and Xia Liu's heart tightened, but her face remained calm. She looked herself up and down, smiled and said: "What? Is there anything wrong?"

  Xiao Guan shook his head and chuckled: "Young master has been away for a few days, but he's gotten much darker. Old Xiao only caught a glimpse of young master just now, and he felt somewhat unfamiliar. How ridiculous, how ridiculous... Hehe..."

  When Xiao Guanshi saw Xia Liu, he indeed had a feeling of facing a stranger. In fact, he hadn't discovered any flaws; it was just a mysterious feeling. However, Xia Liu's attire, appearance, demeanor, expression, and even tone were all identical to those of the original Xia Liu, with only extremely minor differences. Given the circumstances, it was difficult to discern any problems, especially with Young Master Zhang's trusted attendant, Zhang Thirteen, standing beside him. No matter how rich Xiao Guanshi's imagination was, he couldn't have thought that the young master had gone out, changed into someone else, and returned. Therefore, the feeling of unease only flashed in his mind before being cast aside.

  Zhang Shisan's already tense face relaxed, but Xia Liu let out a melancholy sigh and said in a hoarse voice: "Only after experiencing life and death separations can one understand the impermanence of life. Xiang Ben was a woman I deeply loved, but she fell into the water and... Her death made me depressed for many days, and even now it's hard to let go."

  The news of Tingxiang's accidental drowning in the Gusui River has already been reported back to the government, and Xiao Guanshi knew that his young master was a sentimental person. As soon as he mentioned it, he brought up his painful past, and couldn't help but regret his words. He hastily said: "The dead cannot be revived, so Master shouldn't be sad anymore. Master has only been away for a few days, and your skin is already darkened and your appearance is thinner. Don't blame old Xiao for speaking too much, this wealth is ultimately an external thing, it's endless to earn."

  Young master, look at this, in just two or three years, you've earned such a large fortune, enough to comfort the old master's spirit in heaven. Now young master should consider his lifelong important matters, as they say, there are three unfilial acts, and having no descendants is the greatest, young master should hurry up and return home in glory, welcome the young madam, our family line is too sparse, young master should have many sons and grandsons, and our ancestral temple will flourish, old Xiao can one day see the old master and have something to report...

  Xiao Guanshi spoke with emotion, and couldn't help but wipe away tears. Xia Xun hurriedly comforted him, saying: "Look at you, I was going to talk about my own sad story, but instead I've made Uncle Xiao sad and tearful. Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore, neither of us will mention it again."

  Xiao Guanshi smiled and said, "It's not what you said, it's all Old Xiao's fault. Young Master has just returned, dusty and tired, and I've been nagging again. Come, please go take a bath, change your clothes, and rest for a while. Later, Old Xiao will go to the kitchen to instruct them to prepare a more sumptuous dinner. After eating dinner, Old Xiao will tell Young Master about the recent situation with the family business and shops."

  Xia Liu smiled and said, "Our family's business has always been handled by Uncle Xiao, what do I have to worry about? These things can be discussed again tomorrow." Then he turned to Zhang Thirteen and said, "After dinner, come to the study, there are some things that need you to take care of."

  "Master, I'm leaving." Zhang Thirteen responded with a single word and exchanged a fleeting glance with him before swiftly retreating.

  Xiao Guan Shi accompanied Xia Yu to the Red Chamber, walking and shouting loudly: "Xiao Di, Xiao Di, hurry up and serve the young master with bathing and changing clothes."

  He pushed open a door, which should be his daughter's residence. However, there was no one inside, only emptiness. Xiao Guan Shi couldn't help but mutter: "This dead girl, where has she run off to again?"

  He found his daughter and said, "Every time the young master leaves, the one who misses him the most is our Xiaodi. This little girl has been attached to the young master since she was a child. When the young master is away for half a month, Xiaodi can't eat or sleep, and she's become thin..."

  Xiao Guan's words trailed off as he pushed open a door and took a peek inside, his jaw suddenly dropping as he was left speechless. Before him stood a square table with a large fruit platter on it, behind which sat a young girl with her hair tied back in a knot, holding a large honey peach in both hands, her cheeks smeared with juice, the tabletop littered with several partially eaten peach pits, pear pits, and apricot pits...

  The door suddenly opened, and the little girl inside was also startled. She held a peach in her hands, with her mouth full of fruit pulp, making her small face round and puffy. The three people stared at each other, the little girl's big, curious eyes looking first at Xia Jiu, then at Xiao Guan Shi, before turning around in confusion, like a squirrel holding an acorn.

  Xia Liu was amused by her lovely appearance and couldn't help but chuckle, while Xiao Guan Shi immediately put away his awkward expression and said in a deep, thick male voice, like the narrator of "Animal World": "Young master, look, this little girl is so hungry that she's hiding here eating fruit."

  The girl swallowed the pulp in her mouth and bluntly pierced his lie: "Dad, who's not thinking about food? Now I'm so hungry that I could swallow a whole cow, but I'm on a diet to lose weight and slim down, I dare not eat even if I want to..."

  Xiao Guan's face turned red with anger, and he shouted: "You stupid girl, you really don't understand what's going on. The young master has returned, but you didn't even know to come forward and pay your respects. Look at how spoiled you are! Quickly go and help the young master bathe and change his clothes!"

  The little girl jumped up, holding her red skirt like a happy swallow flying to Xia Chuan's side, squatting down and sweetly calling out: "Xiao Di has seen the young master!"

  Xia Liu finally got to take a good look at Xiao Di's appearance, she was a bean-sized girl, wearing a white silk jacket with a red skirt, and a small green waistband around her waist, looking neat and lovely. Her beautiful and lovely face, arched eyebrows and small mouth, suitable for smiling or frowning, a pair of big eyes black as coal, white as snow, lively and spirited, with a hint of shallow and playful smile.

  She's a bit chubby, but a young girl's body is like a willow branch that has just been pruned - as she gets older, her figure will naturally fill out and the baby fat will disappear on its own, no need to diet or lose weight. But she's so concerned about it, looks like this little girl has already started caring about her appearance and figure. It's understandable, after all, girls at this age are already getting married at 14 or 15 years old, they're maturing early.

  The little girl had already affectionately taken his arm and said happily: "Young master, why did you just come back? Originally, it was said that you would only stay in the other villa for two days. Why did you go to Xiashi Village again? You've been gone for so many days! Young master, let me tell you, on the third day after you left, our family's Xiaohua gave birth to puppies! Our Xiaohua had five puppies, one more than Lao Wang's Xiaohei from the east end of the street. Do you want to go see?"

  "I..."

  "Ah! Speaking of Old Wang's family, Old Wang's relative, Guo Yuanwai, bought two maidservants the other day. One was ten years old and cost four taels of silver, while the other was seventeen and quite pretty, skilled in needlework, costing eighteen taels of silver. Guess what? Within two days, that older girl stole the gold hairpins and silver ornaments from Madame Guo's room and ran away! The Guo family went to settle accounts with the matchmaker, only to find out that he didn't know anything about the girl's background either - it turned out he was a swindler!"

  "Oh, she..."

  "I told my dad, our family should be careful when hiring servants in the future, can't be as careless as Old Guo. Look at Sister Cuiyun, Liu Dama and Big Cow Brother, they are all local people, we know their roots and feel at ease using them. But we must not hire those outsiders with unknown backgrounds. Big Cow Brother had a fight with Second Fool a few days ago, it seemed to be because both of them liked Sister Cuiyun, can you imagine what kind of energy they were fighting for? Sister Cuiyun doesn't like either of them, and in the end, they got punished by my dad..."

  Xiao Guan Shi cried and laughed as he said, "Alright, alright, you talk too much. The young master has just returned and still needs to endure your chatter, hurry up and attend to the young master's bath."

  "Oh!" Xiao Ding responded with a sound, turned around and wanted to leave, but suddenly looked at Xia Xun again. This time it seemed like she had suddenly discovered something. She let out a surprised cry, tilted her head and stared at Xia Xun with a bird-like gaze, her face gradually revealing a hesitant expression. Xia Xun pretended to be calm and smiled: "What are you looking at? Have I become more handsome?" As he spoke, he pinched his own chin and deliberately struck a pose.

  Xiao Di looked left and right, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, then suddenly leaned in close to him like a small dog, sniffing him. Xiao Guan's face turned black with anger, and he bellowed: "You unruly little brat! Hurry up and attend to Young Master's bath and change of clothes!"

  Xiao Guanshi's voice was indeed not small, the roar echoed in the house, scaring Xia Jiu, and the little girl was clearly afraid of her father's "lion's roar". She was so scared that she immediately hid her head and ran away. Xiao Guanshi somewhat embarrassingly said to Xia Jiu: "Young master, this child... actually, it's just because she saw you come back and got too excited... normally, she is very mindful of a girl's demeanor, everyone who has seen her praises her for being a lady, smiling without showing her teeth, walking without swaying her skirt, steady in her movements, speaking softly..."

  Lao Xiao's words had barely fallen when a piercing voice came from the courtyard: "Where are you all going? Hurry up and prepare hot water, Young Master is going to take a bath!!"

  Xiaojun is really unlucky, it turns out that the Xiao family's loud roar can be inherited.

  Xiao Guan's face stiffened slightly, and he weakly said to Xia Liu: "I... Old Xiao will go prepare dinner for the young master." After finishing speaking, he ran away in embarrassment.