Ji Yan’an watched as one happily served dish after another, while the other ate with equal delight. For a moment, he almost wondered if this entire residence belonged to the little girl instead.
“Would you like some more, Young Master?”
Under Uncle Li’s hopeful gaze, Ji Yan’an’s already gaunt face grew even more solemn.
“No need.”
Uncle Li’s expression fell with disappointment.
Jiang Yun Sui’s ears twitched slightly. “You’re not going to eat anymore?”
There was such a great spread of delicious food on the table, yet he intended to stop now.
As she spoke, she popped another spoonful of meat into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out and moving rhythmically as she chewed.
Ji Yan’an gave a cold snort. “No.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Yun Sui beamed and asked eagerly, “Then can I take the rest with me?”
Ji Yan’an nearly choked. He ground his teeth together. “You mean to eat your fill and take the leftovers too?!”
“But if you don’t eat it, it’ll just go to waste, won’t it?”
She turned to address Uncle Li in the same manner she had heard Ji Yan’an use. “Uncle Li, do you want any?”
Uncle Li chuckled. “No, thank you. The kitchen has already prepared my own portion.”
Jiang Yun Sui turned her gaze back to Ji Yan’an, her soft voice brimming with expectation. “So… can I take them then?”
Ji Yan’an fell silent: ……………
Ever since he had taken charge of the Ji household and grown stern and ruthless, he had never felt so utterly speechless.
“Are you sure you can finish all that?”
If he had not been curious about the strange ability this child possessed, he would have already sent her straight out the door.
Jiang Yun Sui looked down and patted her own stomach. She was just about full.
“I’ll give the rest to Auntie Chen.”
Ji Yan’an had an excellent memory; he knew every person in the household, even those hired after they had moved north to the border region. However, there were several servants with the surname Chen, and since the child had been placed under care by his men after being rescued, he did not know exactly which Auntie Chen she meant.
Still, he gave no sign of this uncertainty.
“Uncle Li, see her out.”
“Right away, Young Master.”
Jiang Yun Sui’s thoughts were still fixed on the food; there were several dishes she had not even gotten to taste yet.
Uncle Li leaned in and whispered, “Don’t worry, the maids will pack everything up nicely for you.”
Satisfied at last, a wide, bright smile spread across Jiang Yun Sui’s small face.
Both Uncle Li and Ji Yan’an found themselves staring at her a moment longer than usual.
Ji Yan’an even felt a brief sense of disorientation.
It had been so long since he had seen anyone smile so openly and genuinely.
Even his own smiles these days were nothing but cold, practiced masks the very thing he despised most, yet had been forced to become.
To smile so brightly just for a little food… truly foolish.
Even as he thought this, however, his gaze lingered on her face, as if looking through her at something far away.
Jiang Yun Sui tilted her head slightly.
What was wrong?
She scratched her cheek. Hmm… it was time to go.
As she turned to leave, she still remained polite.
“Goodbye, Young Master. May I come visit again?”
Ji Yan’an did not reply. He simply turned and walked into his study.
Jiang Yun Sui thought that was a little rude, but since it was his house, she supposed it was his right.
She would just remain her own polite little self, like a soft little mushroom.
Uncle Li personally escorted her all the way to the gate. Not out of excessive kindness, but because this child was just too strange; he could not rest easy until he had seen her leave with his own eyes.
Once she was gone, his smile vanished. He turned immediately and hurried to Ji Yan’an’s study.
Inside, a man dressed in black was already standing and waiting.
“Ji Yi, go personally and keep watch over that child. Confirm whether she truly can make others overlook her presence. Record everyone she comes into contact with, and send Ji Jiu to investigate her background thoroughly.”
“Understood.”
After Ji Yi had departed, Uncle Li spoke up. “Young Master, are you sure we should let her stay? Isn’t that too risky?”
Though he had been friendly toward Jiang Yun Sui earlier, when it came to Ji Yan’an’s safety, no one was more cautious. Anything that might pose a threat to his master was something he wished to eliminate at once.
But these were difficult times for the Ji family; Ji Yan’an was now the only remaining male heir, and they could not afford the slightest misstep.
“Let her remain for now,” Ji Yan’an decided.
“As you command.”
Meanwhile, on her way back, Jiang Yun Sui kept getting distracted by everything around her.
She carried her bundle of packed food, and whenever she grew tired, she sat down to rest. She even took out a steamed bun and chewed on it slowly.
Spotting a long line of ants marching by, she glanced at the bun in her hand, tore off a tiny crumb, and set it beside their path.
She then crouched down to watch. Soon, the first ant found the crumb and used its antennae to send word to the others. Before long, a whole swarm gathered around the morsel and began working together to carry it back to their nest.
Jiang Yun Sui silently cheered them on.
When she lifted her head again, her eyes landed on the man in black who had already walked past her three times in a row.
“Strange… where did he go?”
Ji Yi stood staring at the food container, deep in thought.
This was bad could he have run into a ghost?
“Are you looking for me?”
Seeing him reach out as if to touch her box, Jiang Yun Sui quickly spoke up, moved forward, and wrapped her small hands firmly around it.
This was hers. The Young Master had let her have it, so it belonged to her now.
“You!”
Ji Yi’s eyes went wide in shock.
Jiang Yun Sui clutched her belongings tighter and took a step back. This man was so tall and large what if he really tried to take her food away?
She felt she stood no chance in a fight QAQ.
“If you’re hungry, go find your own food. You can’t take mine.”
Jiang Yun Sui mustered her courage and spoke firmly.
Ji Yi fell silent: ……………
Did he really look like some vicious brute who would steal food from a child?
But there was no denying how strange this little girl truly was. She was standing right there in plain sight, yet he had walked past the same spot three times without noticing her at all. Even the food box only caught his eye on the third pass, after he had looked closely.
A sharp breath escaped him.
Ji Yi grew instantly wary.
This child really did possess some uncanny ability.
Jiang Yun Sui glanced at him. Seeing him standing frozen, lost in thought, she tightened her grip on the box and scurried away on her short legs as fast as she could.
Better to get back quickly.
In just the blink of an eye, Ji Yi shook off his thoughts and looked up only to find she had vanished again: ……………
Young Master, this assignment is far more difficult than it sounds!
This time, Jiang Yun Sui did not stop to wander around outside. She headed straight for the quarters.
But on the way, she ran straight into Cook Chen.
And right beside her were the same two women she had overheard before, speaking ill of Young Master Ji.
“Cook Chen, was this our meal prepared by you? What kind of slop is this? Not even pigs would eat it!”
Cook Chen struggled to keep her temper in check. “Ladies, you know as well as I do that ingredients here in the northern borderlands are scarce. I truly cannot make the Longjing bamboo shoots or eight-treasure duck you demand I don’t even know how to prepare those dishes.”
“If you can’t cook them, what use are you as a chef? If supplies are lacking, why not go out and find them? We did not follow the Young Master all this way just to suffer hardship. Do you think we’ll settle for these wilted, rotten scraps?”
“If you haven’t the skill, you have no right to hold the position of head cook. I say we go speak to the Young Master and ask him to replace you!”
The two women tag-teamed their complaints, and Cook Chen’s face grew darker and more strained with every word.
Suddenly, she felt a small tug on her sleeve.
Looking down, she saw Jiang Yun Sui.
“Yun Sui, what are you doing here?”
The two women also turned to look at the child. Though they wondered when she had appeared, they paid her no real attention.
Jiang Yun Sui took hold of Cook Chen’s hand. “Come away.”
“Little brat, don’t be rude we haven’t finished speaking yet!”
“This must be the stray child the Young Master took in, isn’t it? She’s already awake, yet she still hangs around the residence. Could it be she’s trying to climb her way up the social ladder?”
One of them, wearing a green silk dress, stared at Jiang Yun Sui’s face for a long moment, a flash of envy crossing her eyes.
The little wretch does have quite a pretty face.
She smiled sweetly and crouched down, reaching out a hand with long, pointed fingernails, intending to pinch Jiang Yun Sui’s chin.
Jiang Yun Sui dodged swiftly she could smell the foul, malicious intent radiating from this woman.
“You little imp! Do you dare run away? I could have you thrown out of the estate this very instant!” The woman named Green Vine’s expression turned sharp and ugly.
Jiang Yun Sui met her gaze with clear, bright eyes eyes that seemed to see straight through to the dirtiest thoughts hidden in anyone’s heart.
“I have seen you before.”
She pointed at Green Vine. “You said it was bad luck to have followed Young Master Ji here.”
Then she turned and pointed at the other woman. “And you said you would keep watch over him.”
“You also said that once the Young Master passes away, someone will come, and you hope to become a concubine for Prince Cheng.”
“And both of you accepted silver stones from another woman, promising to help her take the position of head cook.”
These were all things Jiang Yun Sui had accidentally overheard during the days she had wandered the grounds looking for Young Master Ji’s quarters.
Though she did not fully understand what the words meant, she had listened closely and remembered every phrase.
“You !”
Their faces drained of color. They glanced around quickly, and seeing no one else nearby, breathed a small sigh of relief.
But toward Jiang Yun Sui, their feelings shifted instantly to murderous intent.
This child could not be allowed to live!
“Nonsense! Such wicked words from one so young I’ll teach you a lesson right now!”
Cook Chen immediately rolled up her sleeves and pushed both women aside. Sturdier and stronger than those delicate, pampered ladies, she stepped firmly in front of Jiang Yun Sui to shield her.
“Ah, so this is why you’ve suddenly come looking for trouble! You’ve been eyeing my post all along! Where did you two vile creatures come from, daring to speak curses against the Young Master? Bah! Even if you drop dead, he will live long and well!”
The two women stumbled and nearly fell. Regaining their balance, they snapped back angrily.
“We are first-rank maidservants who attend directly to the Young Master! Let’s see whether he believes you, a lowly cook, or us!”
White Lotus tried to reason with her. “Cook Chen, this child is nothing but a stray picked up from the road. You’ve only been asked to look after her for a few days. Think carefully is she worth ruining your own standing over?”
Green Vine snapped, “Why waste words on her?”
Her gaze turned venomous as it fixed on Jiang Yun Sui.
“I’ll make sure neither of you survives in this estate.”
She was already resolved to silence both of them. Before they could reach the Young Master, her own people would have to dispose of them.
Jiang Yun Sui hid behind Cook Chen, glancing repeatedly toward a certain spot. Why hadn’t that man come out yet?
Wasn’t he one of the Young Master’s men? Could he not hear these two villains speaking ill of him and do something to stop them?
Whizz! Whizz!
Two small stones flew through the air. They struck the two maids right on the back of their heads, and their bodies went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Cook Chen jumped in fright.
“W-what just happened…?”
Ji Yi stepped out from the shadows. He lifted one woman under each arm, glanced briefly at Jiang Yun Sui, and then quickly vanished from sight.