Three

Chapter Three

Young Lady turns her pretty face away upon hearing this voice, casually tossing Xiao Hei onto the bedding and walks to the doors: “[Older] Brother, how come you’re back so early today?”

Having obtained its freedom, Great Pig Master Xiao Hei appears to have a premonition as it quickly picks up its pig legs and runs, it cannot be helped that I was much quicker.

With one accurate grab onto its hind legs, I strongly pull it back, Pig Master’s round ball of a body immediately overturns on the bed, crying out. I then nimbly plop the snack into its mouth, and within an instant, its stomach full of grief fades into an awakened appetite.

This set of movements can truly be said to be of passing clouds and flowing water, a smooth process. I let out a deep sigh inside, a pig really is a pig ah.

“Had nothing much going on today, hence coming back earlier. Oh right, where’s Xiao Hei?” That pleasant sounding male’s voice lazily says.

Young Lady brightens up: “Brother, are you not busy these few days? Then……”

“Look at this lass, are you that eager to see Little Uncle?” The sound of footsteps is heard, and the man heads over towards me.

My back faces them as I stay in position without moving, fiercely looking at Great Pig Master Xiao Hei: should you not eat, watch out I don’t slaughter you. I truly don’t believe, princess — I, cannot tame you — this little pig.

“Ying Lu, who is this person?” The man’s voice slightly deepens as he asks this.

Young Lady, that is to say, Ying Lu, answers: “Someone I just requested from Aunt Fu, preparing to give Xiao Hei a companion.”

“Nonsense!” The male reprimands: “It’s not like you aren’t aware of Xiao Hei’s condition, yet you still have someone attend to it! Are you really set on harming this lass?!”

I slightly narrow my eyes upon hearing this, directly looking into the soulless eyes of Xiao Hei: What’s this? Do you have OCD or is it swine flu?

However, Ying Lu was not frightened in the slightest, pettishly saying: “Brother Brother, don’t you worry for nothing, Xiao Hei really likes this lass this time, it didn’t even try to bite her when she went to feed it just now.”

I twitch my brows, not caring for Xiao Hei’s trembling body in front of me, oh-ho, so you have the mad pig disease ah, little thing, you best not try anything on me.

Hearing this, the male suspiciously asks: “Really?”

“Really, I’m not lying to you.” Ying Lu is very excited: “Why not take a look if you don’t believe me, the lass is feeding Xiao Hei right now?”

Following that, I was lightly nudged by someone, nudged to the side. And the one who had nudged me aside stretches out a pair of fair and slender hands, picking up Pig Master Hei.

Great Pig Master Xiao Hei is currently chewing up down left and right on its snack, occasionally moving its soulless eyes to glance at me, it truly has few points of silly cuteness. Following Xiao Hei’s gaze, that man dressed in moon-white silk robes also looks over at me, softly saying: “You?”

The man has brows like distant mountains, eyes like stars, skin like snow, lips red and teeth pearl white……fine, I admit I’m not very good at describing people, all in all, this young master sure has delicate features, and an exceptionally exquisite appearance.

He slightly knits his brows, looking down at Xiao Hei and then me again, suddenly sounding a soft chuckle as he says: “Xiao Hei, is this a relative of yours? Hence why why you’re unable to bite her?”

He nods to himself after saying that, an expression of ‘that must be it’.

I see Xiao Hei’s pedalling little legs taking a few steps back, feeling a little down. Xiao Hei, what are you afraid of? I am not such a petty person ah.

I look into Young Master’s beautiful eyes and quietly reply: “Ah?”

Hear that, how dazed, how clueless of a voice that is.

Young Master slightly pauses upon hearing this, a look of awareness and disgust flashes past his eyes: “A fool?”

I really wanted to rat on him, wanting to call out a word of “Master” (master as in a teacher). Just like in Journey to the West, whenever Su Wu Kong brainlessly calls out: “Fool!” Fellow comrade Zhu Ba Jie would run over to Tang Seng feeling greatly wronged, and say: “Master! Look, Senior Brother is bullying me again!”

You may wonder why I would be so sure of his response? One must know that having been brought up in the imperial palace, a place that eat humans and spits out their bones (ruthless and greedy), I have long practiced the ability to carefully weigh out a person’s words and closely observe their expression.

“Brother.” Ying Lu quickly runs up to the bedside, “This is someone under me, I don’t allow you to drive her away.”

Young Master furrows his brows in disgust: “Why should I leave a fool in my estate? Having one Xiao Hei is enough, moreover, other than looking a little dull, Xiao Hei is not dull in other areas (mentally).”

He takes a few steps back after saying this, as though saying he would catch some sort of fool’s disease if he stays any closer to me. I must say that I have a great mentality, I’m actually not be mad at all. Just that I inwardly remember his exquisite appearance and luxurious silk robe fashion.

Ah, it’s been so long since I’ve made a voodoo doll to play with, don’t know if my sewing skills has gone rusty.

“It’s not often we see a fool in the estate, what harm is there in leaving her here for me to play with for a few days?” Ying Lu pouts her lips in a pettish manner. Only now does she look like a girl in her teen years, showing her winsome nature.

Young Master once again sweeps a glance at me with his attractive, long and narrow eyes, pursing his thin lips and says: “Just this once, never again.”

Ying Lu bats her eyes at him: “Xiao Hei finally has a rare companion, we too, cannot always leave the fellow on his own now can we?”

I am bothered by Ying Lu’s wrong choice of words, this line should be: ‘Xiao Hei finally has a rare companion, we too, cannot always leave the pig on its own now can we?’

Young Master reluctantly nods, saying to the Great Pig Master Xiao Hei in his arms: “Since it’s rare that you take a liking in someone, one that you wouldn’t bite, then, *cough cough*, leave her be.”

How deeply grateful I am, Young Master, when inserting the needles, I’ll definitely make sure not to target the areas that wouldn’t hurt.

Upon hearing this, Great Pig Master Xiao Hei’s body trembles.

En, I am certain I am not seeing things, it indeed trembled, and had even looked at me as it trembled. What’s this, is it deliberately trembling for me to see?

En-heng, were you too satisfied with how pleasantly you lived before, want to see why the camellia flower is so red now?

I look at Xiao Hei with extreme kindness: very well, I shall teach you everything from now on.

Xiao Hei’s body trembles again, this time it doesn’t go unnoticed by Young Master. He gently asks: “Xiao Hei, what’s wrong? Hungry?”

Seeing the situation, Ying Lu calls out: “Fool! What’re you stalling for, quickly go feed it!”

Inwardly, I even take the time to think about how the call out of ‘fool’ from Ying Lu’s lips, sure rolls off her tongue much more naturally than Young Master’s calling……

I should stop thinking, should I think about it more, I’ll start to miss television even more.

Young Master hands Xiao Hei over to Ying Lu, dusting off the non-existent dust from his clothes and says: “I shall head back now.”

“Brother, when will Little Uncle be returning?” Ying Lu looks at Young Master with great hopes as she asks this.

The corners of Young Master’s lips tugs up into a smile: “Don’t know.”

Ying Lu stomps on the ground: “Brother, you liar.”

Young Master reaches up to stroke his perfect curve of a chin: “Then why are you asking me?”

Listening on from the side, I completely lose interest, taking the snack again and shake it in front of Great Pig Master Xiao Hei. Seeing his shaking little body really makes me feel pleased.

“Erm, Fool, should Xiao Hei lose even one strand of hair, watch out you don’t lose the hand that caused his loss.” Young Master warns me before leaving.

I quietly bow my head.

Heck, how capable of you Young Master, to actually threaten me. I have decided that tonight I shall spend all night making that voodoo doll, and then scratch your handsome little face like ice-skates on the smooth skating rink.

After Young Master leaves, Ying Lu rests her chin in her hand and falls into a daze, I continue to keep to my golden code of maintaining silence, sitting at the side of bed without a sound, happily thinking about the days of attending to Xiao Hei’s need. Of course I am still paying attention to Ying Lu from the corner of my eyes.

Right now, Ying Lu sure has quite the appearance of a well brought up young lady, a face of radiance hanging low, eyelashes curled up, delicate lips slightly hooked up.

I understand, looks like her heart of spring is rippling, I believe love is a great thing, an originally domineering lady can also become like Xue Bao Chai. (A character from the famous literature piece Dream of the Red Chamber: ‘Baochai is sensible, tactful and a favorite of the Jia household, a model Chinese feudal maiden. The author describes her as an exceedingly beautiful and intelligent girl, but also very reserved.’ Credits and more details: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber)

After along time, Ying Lu finally snaps out of her daydream, sweetly saying to me: “Fool, from now on you are in charge of taking care of Xiao Hei, should it lose a single hair, then you shall not be permitted to eat for one day.”

……turns out these two brother and sister are a genetic problem.

After Ying Lu had left, only Xiao Hei and I are left with big eyes staring at small eyes, I remove myself from the troubles of a fool, lazily leaning back on the bed……

“Come here.” I say to Xiao Hei who had already shrunk back into the corner of bed.

Piggy Hei plays dumb and acts deaf, not responding to me.

I raise my brows: “Come here.”

Piggy Hei’s eyes flickers with uncertainty, observing the air surrounding me.

I pat at the vacant spot next to me, ever so tenderly smiling: “Not coming?”

Piggy Hei’s pig steps practically comes flying toward me, as though its life depended on it.

I stroke its trembling body, tuning my tone as I say: “Why are you not learning to be good ey?”

……the little body in my arms immediately quivers as though it’s spiralling into pig madness.

After that, my maid career had officially started, just that princess — I — am attending to a pig, only attending to people as a side occupation.

Regarding the matter of maids having to wake up early, I am feeling little troubled by it, the housekeeper has specified that maids must get up at five in the morning, when I hear this, I intuitively think it’s better if you just simply end me right here. But fortunately, the one I’m attending to is not a person, but a pig that’s known to love sleep.

I very thoughtfully and intelligently tell Xiao Hei to nest in my arms to sleep, should anyone touch me, it can fiercely bare its pig teeth at them, how could anyone possibly dare to offend this little ancestor (slang – refers to someone that is to be respected like one would to their ancestors), and so I comfortably sleep until it’s time for Ying Lu to get up.

Sometimes, I feel that my heartless actions of recklessness is caused by the words that Grandmaster (a monk) said to Father Emperor when I was young.

Grandmaster looked at me with profound insights, then says to Father Emperor: “Fifth Princess’ face shows a blessed life of happiness, despite being born dull, she is able to live a life of glamour and luxury, is a blessing within a curse.”

Father Emperor automatically believed he was referring to the statement ‘fortune favours fools’, the fool being me, yet what I took note of was the word of ‘despite’.

Forget it, I guess it’s considered good that he said it like that, I have never believed in the saying that all sufferings has its reward, and only know that one must enjoy the present.

These past few days have been quite peaceful, but my body of nerves are telling me this is the calm before the storm.

Suggesting, everything is about to begin.

Today during breakfast, Ying Lu’s mood appeared as though she had just released her comrades from prison, how bubbly of an excitement that was ah, a body of peach blossom pink highlighting that peach-blossom-like face. Truthfully speaking, this lady sure is pretty.

She brightly smiles at Xiao Hei, saying: “Xiao Hei, I’m heading out, you need to be good now.”

Then raising her head to look at me, still maintaining her smile, she says: “Ah-Lan, you need to take good care of Xiao Hei, if you take good care of it, I’ll reward you.”

I am sure, certain, definite even, that this girl really is in an extremely great mood.

Afternoon comes and Ying Lu has yet to return, but Great Pig Master Hei is hungry, I can only go ask the maids in Young Lady’s room for snacks.

That maid is presumably bullying me for being the newcomer, not to mention my face appears dull, hence casually waving her hand to send me away: “You go get it from the kitchen yourself, oh right, bring Young Lady’s bowl of bird’s nest back whilst you’re at it.”

The nerves in my body suddenly twitches, kitchen, kitchen, wait for me, I’m on my way.