chsdbacks Chapter 10 Minglan
Chapter 10 Minglan
Sheng Changbai didn't think much of it upon hearing this and continued chatting with the young men.
The maid Xiahe was holding Shanjun and standing behind Wang You when suddenly, the lazy Shanjun jumped off Xiahe's arms and ran out of the pavilion.
Xia He didn't expect Shan Jun to suddenly jump down. By the time she reacted, Shan Jun had already left the pavilion.
"Young master, the mountain lord has escaped."
"It's alright."
After seeing the mountain tiger run out of the pavilion and chase butterflies near the flowerbed, Wang You smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Go and watch it, let it play for a while."
The mountain tiger usually has a lazy demeanor. When it sees a mouse in the yard, it doesn't bother with it as long as the mouse doesn't enter the house.
But it has a hobby: it likes to catch butterflies. It never catches them, but it never gets tired of it.
The reason I jumped down was because I saw the butterfly.
Beside the flowerbed, the tiger seemed about to pounce, its sharp eyes giving a piercing look to a fluttering butterfly.
A butterfly gently landed on a flower and remained motionless.
Just then, the mountain tiger suddenly exerted force with its hind legs and pounced on the butterfly.
With this pounce, the tiger plunged into the flowerbed, while the butterfly flapped its wings and took flight.
Its leisurely pace seemed to mock the mountain lord for overestimating his abilities.
The tiger emerged from the flowerbed, a leaf still clinging to its head. It shook its head, undeterred, and continued to stare at the butterfly.
Several girls playing nearby found it interesting and gathered around to watch. Seeing that the mountain tiger had failed to reach it several times, they even clapped to encourage it.
Although the mountain lord stared sharply at the butterfly, it did not appear fierce; instead, it looked even more silly and cute.
The young girls watching were so enamored with the mountain that they tried to hug it, but the mountain nimbly dodged them.
The mountain tiger even turned its head and grinned at the approaching girls, making "woo-woo" sounds.
Xia He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Ladies, this is my young master's pet cat. It recognizes people, so please don't try to hug it, or it might catch you ladies, which would be quite embarrassing."
She wasn't trying to scare the girls; the mountain king really recognized people.
Normally, these maids wouldn't let him hold the mountain king; only when Wang You held the mountain king and handed him over would the mountain king allow them to hold him.
The girls were indeed frightened by the appearance of the mountain lord. After hearing Xia He's words, they quickly took a few steps back and watched from a distance.
Perhaps because there were too many people here, or perhaps because it was frightened by the tiger's several pounces, the butterfly flapped its wings and flew a little higher before flying away into the distance.
But the mountain lord refused to give up and chased after it all the way.
Seeing this, Xia He quickly followed.
However, there were many people playing in the garden, and Xia He had to avoid them, so she lost sight of them in no time.
"Mountain King~ Mountain King~"
Xiahe frantically searched and called out in the direction the mountain lord had just run off to.
"What an adorable raccoon dog."
"Girl, where did you get this cat from?"
"Today is my eldest sister's coming-of-age ceremony. I suppose it was brought by a lady or young lady from some family."
Xia He heard voices coming from the other side of the artificial hill. Overjoyed to hear the conversation between the two people, she quickened her pace.
But when she went around the artificial hill, she was dumbfounded.
There was a girl who looked about five or six years old, with a round face, holding the mountain king and reaching out to touch its head.
The mountain lord lay lazily in the little girl's arms, his eyes narrowed, looking quite content.
There was also a young girl of similar age dressed as a maid next to her.
Xia He's sudden appearance startled the master and servant.
"Sister, are you perhaps here to see this raccoon dog?"
When the little girl saw Xia He staring at the cat in her arms, she asked a question.
"Yes, this is raised by my young master," Xia He said, coming back to her senses.
Although she didn't understand why the mountain king, who usually wouldn't even let the maids who served him hold him, would let a stranger hold him.
Hearing this, the little girl glanced reluctantly at the tabby cat in her arms, but still took two steps forward and handed the mountain cat over.
"Waaah~"
Xia He thanked him and was about to reach out to take it when Shan Jun let out a howling roar, and the hair on his neck stood on end.
"This…"
Xiahe had been taking care of Shanjun for so long, so she naturally knew that this was a sign that Shanjun was angry.
The little girl looked at Xia He suspiciously, somewhat doubting what she had just said.
If this cat really belongs to her master, why is it unwilling to go with her?
Thinking of this, the little girl withdrew her hand.
Xia He: "..."
Seeing that she seemed to be being treated as a fraud, Xia He was speechless for a moment.
"My young master is in the pavilion not far away. Could you please help me send Shan Jun back?" Xia He said.
"This…"
Upon hearing this, the little girl realized she had misunderstood the other person. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, "Okay."
"Thank you, young lady." Xia He quickly bowed and expressed her gratitude.
"Sister, is 'Mountain Lord' its name?" the little girl asked.
"Yes, this was named by my young master."
Xia He smiled and said, "My young master said that Shan Jun looks a lot like a tiger cub, so he named him Shan Jun."
"Does a tiger cub look like this?" The little girl looked at the tiger cub in her arms with some curiosity.
Although she had never seen a tiger in person, she had seen paintings of it, and it was difficult for her to connect the two.
"What you said, young master, this servant does not know either." Xia He shook her head slightly.
As they spoke, they saw the pavilion. Xia He pointed and said, "My young master is over there."
"oh."
Hearing this, the little girl gently patted the head of the mountain spirit in her arms and whispered, "You can't run around like that anymore. It would be troublesome if you couldn't find your master."
The mountain lord couldn't understand any of this; he squinted his eyes and enjoyed the little girl's caresses.
Xia He smiled. Why did this young lady, just like her young master, like to talk to a raccoon dog?
The young master is the same way; he occasionally speaks to the cat in ways that some people can't understand.
Although Mu Jie'er was the same, she was completely childlike. Let alone a mountain king, she could even squat down and mutter to herself when she saw an ant.
Before long, they arrived at the pavilion, and Xia He led the little girl inside.
Wang You was somewhat surprised to see Xia He leading two little girls over, with Shan Jun still in one of the girls' arms.
"Sixth Sister, what brings you here?"
Before Wang You could speak, Sheng Changbai spoke first.
Upon hearing Sheng Changbai's address, Wang You's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the round-faced, somewhat adorable girl in front of him.
Although he had been at the Sheng family for several days, he had only seen Rulan and Molan, but had not seen Minglan.
"Big brother!"
Minglan curtsied and said, "I just picked up a cat. This lady said it belongs to her young master. I wanted to return it to her, but it's clinging to me."
This lady then asked me to deliver it for her.
"This was raised by my cousin Jiayou, my uncle."
Sheng Changbai looked at Wang You and introduced, "Cousin, this is my sixth sister."
"Greetings, cousin. I hope you are well." Wang You stood up and bowed.
Minglan returned the greeting and called out, "Cousin."
After Wang You received the mountain king, she bowed and left.
…………
In the evening, Mrs. Feng returned home, exhausted.
Wang You and his mother lived in the guest room of the Sheng family's house, which had a small hall and two side rooms, with each of them having their own room.
Upon learning that his mother had returned, Wang You came out of the house. Seeing that his mother looked exhausted, he asked with concern, "Mother, you must be very tired?"
"I'm exhausted."
Madam Feng accepted the tea offered by the maid, took a couple of sips, and put down the teacup, saying, "These officials' wives in Yangzhou are really laughable. They wanted to marry your cousin Hua Lan, but when your aunt refused, someone actually set their sights on you?"
"I?"
Wang You exclaimed in astonishment, "My child is only nine years old!"
"It's not like I'm asking you to get married right now."
Madam Feng smiled and said, "However, the families of the officials in Yangzhou are rather poor. My son is a child prodigy. Even if he doesn't marry a princess, he will at least marry a noblewoman from a prestigious family."