“Thank you for your hard work, A-Yu.”
The moment Jiang Yu stepped down from the ox cart, Xiao Lingzhou naturally took the basket from her hands. His cool, slender fingers brushed lightly across her jade-white cheek, his gaze gentle and captivating.
Meeting his affectionate phoenix eyes, Jiang Yu paused for a beat.
She thought that most men probably wore two different faces in public and in private.
When they were alone—or in bed—Xiao Lingzhou would call her Qingqing, his emotions intense, tinged with an unmistakable sense of possession.
But outside, or in front of others, he called her A-Yu. His tone and expression were still impossibly gentle, yet restrained, carrying a hint of distance.
It often gave her the illusion that the Xiao Lingzhou in public and the one in private were two entirely different people.
Her gaze drifted unconsciously to his long, elegant hands.
In her mind flashed the scene from last night—those same hands snapping an assassin’s neck without hesitation. A chill ran through her, and she hurriedly shook her head.
Putting on a faint smile, she said, “It wasn’t hard at all. It’s getting dark—let’s hurry home.”
Under the cover of dusk, Xiao Lingzhou failed to notice her subtle change in mood. He nodded. “Alright.”
Out of habit, he enclosed her slender, soft hand in his and, as they walked, asked about how her rouge had sold that day.
Jiang Yu forced herself to relax, answering him in a light, crisp voice.
Only after they reached home and he released her hand to head into the kitchen did she suddenly realize her palm was slick with a fine layer of sweat.
She fetched water and washed her hands, then slipped into the room and locked the door.
Quickly, she took out the money she had earned from selling rouge that day, along with all the savings she had accumulated over the past two years and hidden in a compartment of her dressing table.
After counting everything, she deflated and collapsed onto the bed.
Including silver notes and scattered bits of silver, she had about four hundred taels in total.
And that was after two years of scrimping and saving.
Moreover, after marrying Xiao Lingzhou, she had barely spent any money at all.
In the countryside, barring accidents, four hundred taels would be enough to support a farming family of six for twenty years.
Yet just arranging a fake travel permit would cost her nearly twenty-five taels.
She absolutely couldn’t stay at inns, and food could be managed with simple flatbreads.
But carriage fees, the expenses of settling down in a new place, head taxes…
Added together, it would be no small sum.
Just as she was ruffling her hair in worry, a thought struck her. Propping herself up on her elbow, she sat up.
“Didn’t the owner of Rouge Pavilion want my rouge formula? Since I’m running away anyway, why not sell it to her?”
Even if she made rouge again in the future, she wouldn’t be competing with that shop.
After thinking it through, she felt the idea was feasible.
Still, she would have to handle it a few days before running away, to avoid arousing Xiao Lingzhou’s suspicion.
Having made up her mind, she jumped up, packed all the silver and banknotes into her little yellow-duck pouch, and carefully hid it back in the dressing table compartment as if it were a priceless treasure.
Just as she finished, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Xiao Lingzhou’s clear voice.
“A-Yu, dinner’s ready.”
She smoothed her skirts and answered, “Coming, coming.”
Seeing that she was still wearing the same purple embroidered silk dress she had worn out that morning, Xiao Lingzhou’s eyes filled with doubt.
“Why did you lock the door just now?”
Jiang Yu’s chopsticks paused mid-motion. She let out an “ah” and hastily made something up.
“…I got sweaty and wiped myself down.”
Perhaps out of guilt, her porcelain-white face flushed slightly. To Xiao Lingzhou, it looked like shyness.
He smiled gently, reaching out to wipe a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth.
“Look at you—eating like a child. If I weren’t around, I’m afraid you wouldn’t even be able to take care of yourself.”
The moment he said that, Jiang Yu suddenly choked. Her already flushed face grew even redder. She hurriedly put on an indignant front to hide her panic.
“I’m already twenty-one! I’m not a child. Before I met you, I lived just fine. Who says I can’t take care of myself?”
A smile curved Xiao Lingzhou’s lips as he placed a piece of meat into her bowl.
“My mistake. A-Yu has always been strong and never needs to rely on anyone. You must be starving after such a long day—eat quickly.”
His temperament was impeccable.
Even after being contradicted, he showed not the slightest trace of anger.
Looking at the food in her bowl, Jiang Yu felt inexplicably embarrassed.
After that small episode, she finished dinner without much appetite and then lay back in the rocking chair in the courtyard, boredly watching Xiao Lingzhou wash dishes in the kitchen.
“Woof, woof…”
Lost in thought, she suddenly felt something lick her hand.
Lowering her head, she saw a big, chubby yellow dog happily nudging against her.
Jiang Mo.
“Jiang Mo, where did you run off to?” She squatted down and rubbed the dog’s head, scolding him. “Sneaking out again to mess around with other dogs—keep it up and next time you won’t get any food!”
“Woof woof!” The big dog rubbed against her, aggrieved, trying to say that it hadn’t been messing around at all.
Jiang Yu couldn’t understand him. Seeing that he was filthy all over and had even dirtied her dress, she pushed him away in disgust.
“Jiang Mo, you’re so dirty. Don’t come near me.”
“Woof!” Jiang Mo stuck out his tongue, sniffing around as if searching for something.
Before long, he trotted back from the grass with something root-like, complete with fibrous tendrils, in his mouth.
Jiang Yu’s sharp eyes caught it immediately. Curious, she took it from his mouth and examined it closely.
“What’s this?”
She brushed off the dirt, leaned in for a closer look, and her eyes lit up instantly.
It was ginseng!
Overjoyed, she hugged Jiang Mo tightly, no longer caring that he was dirty, and stroked his head as she whispered,
“Good Jiang Mo, tell your mistress where you dug this up. Tomorrow I’ll reward you with a big bone.”
At the words “big bone,” Jiang Mo became wildly excited, running in circles. He barked twice toward the outside, then pawed at the ground a few times before digging hard at one spot.
Jiang Yu understood immediately. She hurried to cover his mouth to stop him from barking and held up the ginseng.
“You mean this was something you found while sneaking out to play today? There are lots of them, and you only dug up this one to bring back?”
With his mouth covered, Jiang Mo whimpered and nodded vigorously: That’s right, that’s right—mistress, you’re so smart!
Jiang Yu put the ginseng away safely.
Her eyes rolled thoughtfully.
She thought to herself that this was truly a case of a pillow being delivered right when she felt sleepy.
Now she had a new way to make money.
Selling rouge only brought in small change—selling ginseng was a completely different matter.
If she were lucky enough to dig up one or two fine specimens, she could earn at least ten or more taels.
That would add another sum to support her comfortable, well-funded life after running away.
Smiling happily to herself, she rubbed Jiang Mo’s head and lowered her voice as she praised him.
“Jiang Mo, Jiang Mo, you really are a good dog. My mistress’s bright future depends on you. Tomorrow we’ll secretly go up the mountain. Once we make money, I’ll even buy you a big bowl.”
Jiang Mo happily bounced around her twice, rubbing against her with all his might.
Wonderful, wonderful!
He could finally gnaw bones from a big bowl!
Xiao Lingzhou came out of the kitchen and, seeing one person and one dog crouched together in the darkness, asked curiously,
“What are you two doing there?”