Ji Yan’an raised a hand to stop him from speaking. Squinting slightly, he bent down and pinched the cheek of the little girl sprawled out asleep right beside the bed.
Uncle Li followed his gaze and started in surprise.
“This… this is…”
He slapped his forehead. “Now I remember what I forgot yesterday! The little rascal didn’t follow us out when we left.”
He turned anxiously to Ji Yan’an. “Young Master, are you unharmed?”
They still had no confirmation whether she was a spy planted by someone else, and she possessed those strange, mysterious abilities. If she truly intended to do harm, she might well have succeeded while he slept.
“I am fine,” Ji Yan’an replied.
After a few more persistent pokes and prods, Jiang Yun Sui finally stirred awake.
She opened her eyes to find herself staring up at a handsome but gaunt face, and her nose being pinched firmly between his fingers.
For a moment, she was utterly disoriented.
Who am I? Where am I? What is this place?
Ji Yan’an’s cool voice cut through her fog. “You certainly don’t pick and choose where you sleep, do you?”
Jiang Yun Sui sat up and scratched her head, still blank and lost.
Her brain was still booting up.
“I told you last night you could leave once I fell asleep,” Ji Yan’an reminded her.
Jiang Yun Sui’s small brows furrowed tightly. “Wait, don’t talk yet let me think properly.”
Ji Yan’an could not help but laugh, half-amused and half-exasperated.
“Is that how you speak to your master?”
Jiang Yun Sui’s eyes suddenly cleared. Ah, right, I remember now.
She scrambled to her feet and bowed deeply, looking earnest and apologetic. “I’m sorry! I must have fallen asleep somewhere along the way last night.”
Still, she felt the need to defend herself. She glanced up at him cautiously. “Probably because I didn’t get enough sleep earlier, you know?”
Ji Yan’an let out a sharp laugh one born of frustration. She was clearly hinting that he had dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night.
“Very well. Now that you’ve slept enough, have you?”
Jiang Yun Sui hesitated, then nodded slowly. “I think so, yes.”
“Then it is time to help me dress. Go fetch my clothes.”
Uncle Li looked at her with a flicker of sympathy.
This little girl was so simple and innocent, constantly managing to annoy the Young Master without even realizing it. And their master, though calm on the surface, had a very long memory for slights.
He stepped out to direct the servants to bring water for washing and rinsing.
Then he called over Granny Zhou, who usually attended to the Young Master’s daily needs. “You’d better keep an eye on that little one inside. She knows nothing about how things are done here, and I’m afraid she’ll only make a mess of serving the Young Master.”
Granny Zhou went in, looking puzzled only to find Ji Yan’an already ordering the tiny, short-legged child to hunt through the wardrobe and bring him his garments.
“There are… so many,” Jiang Yun Sui murmured, her voice muffled.
She was small, with short arms and legs, and when she gathered up all the clothes he had asked for, the pile was so high she could not see where she was stepping.
Worse luck, the sash of one robe slipped to the floor. She did not notice and stepped right on it, causing herself and the entire bundle to tumble backward. Her little legs kicked up into the air as she landed in a heap.
Granny Zhou stood frozen: ……………
Jiang Yun Sui simply pushed herself up from the pile of fabric, not complaining at all.
A bright idea struck her. She picked out just two garments instead, held them to her chest, and trotted over.
“Here you go. Put these on first, and I’ll go get the rest.”
Ji Yan’an’s face darkened. “You dropped them on the floor, used them as a cushion, and now you expect me to wear them?”
Jiang Yun Sui looked genuinely confused. “But they’re still clean! They didn’t get dirty.”
Granny Zhou hurried forward. “Nan Mo, go fetch a fresh set of robes for the Young Master at once!”
Their master had been raised in luxury in the capital since childhood. Even after he had been forced to take charge of the Ji household and found himself surrounded by plots and schemes, he had never lacked for comfort or proper care.
Even now, far north in the borderlands, Ji Yan’an remained somewhat fastidious and particular about his food and clothing.
A servant bowed and rushed off to bring new clothes.
“Let me take over from here, Young Master,” Granny Zhou offered.
Ji Yan’an let out a cold huff. “Granny Zhou, starting today, you will take her aside and teach her properly how things are done. She is clumsy and useless as she is.”
Granny Zhou’s mouth twitched slightly, and she sighed inwardly.
What could a child so young possibly learn?
Still, the Young Master was all bark and no bite he spoke harshly, yet he had not ordered any punishment for the girl.
But where had this little one come from, anyway?
Granny Zhou glanced at Jiang Yun Sui discreetly.
Being called clumsy did not upset Jiang Yun Sui in the least. Now that she was no longer needed, she simply stood there openly daydreaming.
Granny Zhou thought to herself: …She certainly has a carefree nature.
Though she could not fathom why the Young Master would keep such a small child at his side, she led Jiang Yun Sui away as instructed.
“I don’t know why the Young Master has taken you on, but now that you are to serve him, you must do your duties properly. Listen closely and remember everything I tell you.”
Jiang Yun Sui nodded obediently. “Yes, I will. Thank you, Matron.”
The child was so pretty, soft and gentle as a little white rabbit, that Granny Zhou’s heart softened.
She patted the girl’s small head. “As long as you don’t cross his boundaries, he is actually quite easy to serve. He dislikes people standing too close, and he is rather particular about cleanliness so make sure his clothes are always spotless. And there is one rule you must never forget.”
Granny Zhou’s expression grew serious. Jiang Yun Sui immediately stood up straight and pricked up her ears, listening intently.
“Never, ever speak of anything related to the Ji family in his presence.”
Jiang Yun Sui nodded earnestly, her voice sweet and clear. “I understand. I’ll remember.”
Granny Zhou had intended to teach her all the proper manners and rules, but looking down at the tiny figure before her barely reaching her waist she could not bring herself to be strict.
She truly could not understand what the Young Master was thinking, to take a girl of only four years old into his personal service.
After giving her just a few simple reminders, she sent Jiang Yun Sui back to her quarters.
The moment she was free to go, Jiang Yun Sui headed straight for Cook Chen’s small courtyard.
As soon as she stepped out of the front compound, she spotted Cook Chen waiting anxiously at the crossroads.
“Yun Sui!”
“Auntie Chen!”
Jiang Yun Sui ran over, and Cook Chen quickly took her small hand in hers.
“Are you all right?”
She had not returned all night, and the worry had been eating at her.
Jiang Yun Sui shook her head. “I’m fine, really.”
She stood on tiptoe and gently touched the dark circles under Cook Chen’s eyes, her voice soft and confused. “Auntie Chen, you didn’t sleep well your eyes look all dark here.”
Cook Chen forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I just couldn’t rest last night.”
“Come along. I’ve made you some lean meat porridge. Let’s go inside and eat.”
Jiang Yun Sui’s eyes lit up, and she nodded happily. “Yes!”
After finishing the warm, delicious porridge, she patted her tummy and felt completely content.
When Cook Chen heard that she had been appointed as the Young Master’s personal maid, she could hardly believe it.
But Yun Sui was still so little how could she possibly look after him?
Filled with concern, she instructed the girl carefully. “Yun Sui, you are still too young to know how to do many things. From now on, just listen to whatever the Young Master tells you and do exactly as he says.”
The child was so simple and innocent; now that she was a servant, and her master was none other than the Young Master himself, there was really no other way but to obey.
Jiang Yun Sui nodded obediently. “All right. Yun Sui will listen.”
Since Auntie Chen was kind to her, she would listen to her. And if Auntie Chen told her to listen to Young Master Ji, then she would do that too.
Her stomach full, she began to feel drowsy. Time for a nap.
“Auntie Chen, let’s sleep.”
She could see that Cook Chen looked tired as well.
“Very well, very well our Yun Sui is such a good girl.”
She had not slept a wink the night before, and had been up early again to attend to her duties. She was indeed exhausted.