13
Yun Li had nothing better to do, so she set her sights on the koi in the pond.
Though the small pond looked modest, it was quite deep. Those clever little fish, upon seeing someone approach, all scattered to hide at the bottom.
The koi swam in schools, swishing their tails and weaving through the water. Yun Li had already figured out how she was going to eat them.
She fetched a kitchen knife and asked a servant for a lighter.
She hadn’t expected that humans had such a compact and portable way to start a fire—just a gentle press and a small flame appeared.
Gathering her supplies, she made her way to the pond.
Catching fish was a piece of cake for her.
She had caught big fish in flowing streams before, let alone in such a tiny pond.
These fish could run all they wanted—they’d only end up in her stomach.
It was early autumn, so the water wasn’t too cold yet.
Yun Li took off her shoes and socks, hiked up her skirt, and stepped directly into the pond.
These fish were a bit dim-witted. She caught them effortlessly with a single grab.
After catching four or five, she tossed them onto the shore and climbed back out, satisfied.
She gathered some dead leaves from the large tree nearby, lighting them while simultaneously cleaning the fish.
Each fish weighed at least three or four jin (1.5–2 kg). She could eat three by herself. Of the remaining two, one could go to her poop scooper and one to Uncle Yang—perfect.
She skewered all the fish on branches and placed them over the fire. The skin turned golden and crispy, sizzling audibly as the aroma of roasted fish filled the air. Yun Li was so tempted she wanted to swallow one whole immediately.
No, she had to hold back!
The first fish was for her poop scooper.
Crouching beside the fire, Yun Li focused intently on roasting the fish, humming a little tune to herself in pure delight.
Suddenly, she heard Fu Qingheng’s voice behind her, calling her name.
She nearly jumped out of her skin, almost dropping the fish onto the ground. Fortunately, her reflexes were sharp enough to avert the tragedy—otherwise, she would have been one fish short.
Yun Li turned her head and saw Fu Qingheng standing on the balcony, about ten meters away. She didn’t immediately notice the anger on his face and happily waved at him. “Brother Fu, come quick! My fish are almost done!”
Her poop scooper was so in sync with her—just as the fish was almost ready, he appeared.
Fu Qingheng was absolutely furious. He stormed downstairs and happened to run into Yang Qing.
“Sir, what’s the rush? Did something happen?”
“You’re asking me? Do you have any idea what she’s done?”
Fuming, Fu Qingheng strode quickly toward the backyard.
Yang Qing was utterly confused. Who had done what?
Hurrying after Fu Qingheng, Yang Qing caught sight of Yun Li roasting fish and stood there dumbfounded.
What on earth had she just cooked?
Yun Li had only finished roasting one fish. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—the smell alone suggested it would be delicious.
She hadn’t expected her fish-roasting skills to attract not just the poop scooper but Uncle Yang as well.
But there was only one fish ready. Who to give it to first?
Holding the roasted fish in one hand, Yun Li’s gaze darted back and forth between Fu Qingheng and Yang Qing.
Her poop scooper’s complexion was really dark. She didn’t know why he was so angry.
Instinctively, Yun Li handed the roasted fish to him, hoping to appease him. “Brother Fu, this fish I roasted is especially delicious!”
Once you eat it, you won’t be angry anymore.
Fu Qingheng’s face remained dark as he looked at the fish in Yun Li’s hand, then at the few dead fish on the ground. He wanted to explode, but seeing Yun Li’s obedient, eager-to-please face, his rising anger was doused like a small fire hit with a bucket of water.
Yun Li’s white dress was stained with mud from catching the fish, and beneath it, her bare feet were pale and tender.
A wave of helplessness washed over him. His scolding voice softened considerably. “Who told you to catch the fish? Do you have any idea how much these fish cost?”
Yun Li blinked in confusion. “I thought of it myself…” She lowered her gaze, her tone utterly innocent. “I just wanted to catch some fish and roast them for you, Brother Fu. Don’t you like eating fish?”
No wonder he looked so angry. Holding the roasted fish in her hand, she didn’t know what to do.
If he threw it away, she would be heartbroken.
The problem wasn’t whether he liked eating fish or not—it was the value of these fish.
These fish had been raised back when Old Master Fu was still alive. Every single koi was outrageously expensive, especially the larger ones. Some of them had lived for far longer than she had.
Seeing the situation, Yang Qing quickly stepped forward. It was true that Yun Li had made a mistake.
But Yun Li had that pitiful look on her face again, making it impossible for anyone to be harsh with her.
“Sir, Miss Yun really meant well. She didn’t do it on purpose.” Yang Qing put in a good word for Yun Li.
Yun Li nodded repeatedly, echoing him. “I really just wanted to roast fish for you to eat.”
She had no idea these fish couldn’t be roasted, or that they were so expensive.
Fu Qingheng: “…”
Fu Qingheng looked at Yun Li, then at the dead fish on the ground. His headache grew worse.
If he didn’t discipline her for one day, she’d be climbing onto the roof and tearing off the tiles in three.
His face tense, Fu Qingheng said, “Come inside with me.”
Was he going to punish her?
Thinking back to how her mother used to slap her palms and make her do copying exercises whenever she was naughty, Yun Li grew frightened.
She really didn’t want to go with Fu Qingheng.
“Uncle Yang!”
Yun Li looked at Yang Qing pleadingly, hoping he would say a few more words on her behalf.
Yang Qing truly couldn’t help her this time. He took the fish from her hands and said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, the young master won’t be harsh with you.”
Yun Li: … He wasn’t harsh? Anyone with eyes could see that her poop scooper was extremely angry.
“I don’t want to go,” Yun Li said hesitantly.
Fu Qingheng, walking ahead, noticed Yun Li hadn’t followed. He turned around to see her still rooted in place. “Aren’t you coming? Do I need to come over and drag you?”
Hearing this, Yun Li looked desperately at Yang Qing. “Uncle Yang…”
Yang Qing indicated that there was nothing he could do. However, worried that Fu Qingheng really might be harsh with her, he offered a suggestion. “If the young master gets angry with you, just act cute and coquettish, understand?”
With that, he took the roasted fish from her, patted the young girl’s shoulder, and said, “Go on now.”
Reluctantly, Yun Li started walking forward. Yang Qing added from behind, “If you don’t keep up, be careful—he might get angry and kick you out!”
The girl walking ahead heard this, and her sluggish snail-like pace instantly turned into a brisk walk.
After a few steps, she ran back. “Uncle Yang, please watch my roasted fish for me. I’ll be back to eat it soon.”
Yang Qing: … This girl was great in every way, but why was she so obsessed with food?
Yun Li followed behind Fu Qingheng, wishing the path would never end so that her poop scooper wouldn’t have the chance to scold her.
Hanging her head, she followed him all the way to the study. Standing there obediently, she looked like a schoolchild being punished.
Fu Qingheng cleared his throat, about to speak, when Yun Li blinked her eyes. Her dark pupils glistened with a moist luster. “Brother Fu, I know I was wrong. I won’t catch fish anymore.”
She had taken the initiative to admit her mistake, which saved him the effort.
But knowing she was wrong wasn’t enough—she needed to remember this lesson so she wouldn’t do something else outrageous next time.
He glanced at Yun Li. She looked a mess, with a bit of mud still stuck to her calves—evidence that she had been in the pond. With the water this cold, she hadn’t even minded the chill.
“Go take a shower first, then come back to me.”
He was a clean freak, not only unable to tolerate dirt on himself but also uncomfortable seeing others untidy.
Yun Li said “Oh” and walked back barefoot.
After cleaning herself up, afraid that her poop scooper might have gotten impatient waiting, she ran back without even drying her hair.
Being a human was so annoying—wet hair was so uncomfortable.
“Brother Fu, I’m here!”
After doing something wrong, Yun Li was exceptionally well-behaved. She knocked on the door and only entered after receiving permission.
The man raised his gaze from the dense text and looked at Yun Li’s face. “Who told you to come over wrapped in just a bath towel?”
This woman was utterly shameless!
Yun Li glanced at her own attire and saw nothing wrong with it.
Last time when she bathed, hadn’t her poop scooper wrapped her in a white towel like this?
She was too lazy to put on human clothes—they were a bit complicated.
Yun Li looked at him blankly. “Brother Fu, is there something wrong with how I’m dressed?”
Fu Qingheng: “…”
Sometimes he really wondered if Yun Li was deliberately pretending to be naive, tempting him every few days.
His face cold, he said, “Go put on some clothes.”
“Your clothes are so complicated. I don’t know how to put them on.”
“…”
What was so complicated about putting on clothes?
Fu Qingheng followed her into the bedroom and picked out a loose-fitting long dress from the wardrobe at random. “Wear this.”
Yun Li said “Oh,” then turned around and picked up a red undergarment. “But Brother Fu, how do I wear this?”
The red bra suddenly came into view. Fu Qingheng instinctively took a step back, his gaze quickly sweeping over Yun Li’s chest area. A flush of red appeared on his handsome face.
Yun Li might look young, but certain parts of her were not small at all—she was very well-developed.
The white bath towel couldn’t conceal that fullness—it was a sight of lush springtime.
This woman…
He searched his mind, but aside from “shameless,” he couldn’t find another word to describe her at the moment.
Wasn’t this something every girl learned to wear from the beginning?
However, Yun Li was no ordinary girl.
In the demon realm, she had never seen such a thing before and had no idea how to put it on.
Curious, Yun Li held it in her hand and examined it. How was she supposed to wear something so small?
Truly not understanding, she tilted her head and looked at Fu Qingheng. “Brother Fu, what are these two circles for?”
Fu Qingheng: “…”
This was something that even if he, as a man, knew perfectly well, how could he possibly explain it to her?
Fu Qingheng suddenly turned and walked away, leaving Yun Li utterly bewildered. She scratched her head in confusion.
Fu Qingheng went downstairs. First, he drank a glass of cold water. Then he found a female servant in the house and told her to go upstairs and teach Yun Li how to dress properly.
**