Chapter 44: My lovely girl! Lead the way!

Move.

The Wang Family Compound, located slightly west of Xiang’an Town, was bustling with activity today as well.

The hurried footsteps of servants crisscrossed, the chatter and laughter of maids rose and fell, occasionally punctuated by the crisp sound of stones being kicked.

And amidst this bustling atmosphere, a sneeze suddenly came from somewhere, startling everyone into looking back.

Achoo!

“Who cursed me!?”

On the stone path in the courtyard, Liu Yao shook her head and glared around, trying to find the person secretly cursing her.

But after shaking her head for a while, it was all in vain.

“Hmm… this is really strange…”

The girl muttered, touching her chin with a strange tone.

“Forget it… but speaking of which, this Wang family compound is way too big! Where exactly am I now!?”

The white-clad ‘young man’ looked around in despair at the paths that seemed to have been walked many times.

Come to think of it, Liu Yao’s appearance in the Wang Family Compound in her current guise actually started a few days ago.

***

Just a few days ago, Liu Yao, disguised as a man, coincidentally saved Wang Chengle, who was at death’s door.

In order to fulfill her promise to her apprentice, she steeled herself and reluctantly accepted the high-paying job offer from this Second Master of the Wang Family.

Although Liu Yao initially refused, unexpectedly, the bodyguard job turned out to be much easier than she imagined.

In the past two days, besides hiding by his side and accompanying this second-generation rich kid to brothels and such, at most she just squatted outside the door waiting for this guy and his cronies to finish drinking and carousing.

Although it somewhat tarnished the reputation of Great Hero Liu Yao, he paid really too much.

Wang Chengle was really courteous to her as his ‘life saver.’ He covered all food and lodging and gave money generously. In just two days, Liu Yao felt her little money pouch bulging.

But if there was one drawback to being Wang Chengle’s bodyguard, it was actually…

‘If only that old lecher would stop glancing at me with his lecherous eyes…’

‘It always gives me the creeps…’

‘Sometimes I really have to wonder if this guy has some kind of weird fetish or something.’

The white-clad ‘young man’ walked on the flagstone path, frowning in thought.

‘And this old lecher, though it doesn’t show on the surface, is generous with spending. In just a few days, he’s blown through all his money again…’

‘If it weren’t for the investigation, only a ghost would agree to come to the Wang family to ask for money.’

It turned out that just yesterday, with Wang Chengle’s extravagant spending, the ‘play funds’ he had previously begged from Wang Huaiyu were completely squandered.

This guy wanted to go back to the Wang family to get more money, but he couldn’t save face, so he asked Liu Yao, as his bodyguard, to go back and ask his niece for money under the pretext of collecting her wages.

As a professional with integrity, Liu Yao initially refused, but on second thought—she had approached Wang Chengle precisely for the investigation. Wouldn’t agreeing to his request make things more convenient?

She readily agreed.

And this was the reason Liu Yao appeared in the Wang family compound.

But upon arriving at the Wang family, the girl encountered a big problem—she didn’t know the way.

Normally, she wouldn’t get lost, but the problem was that the courtyards of the Wang family were all decorated identically, making it impossible to distinguish where she was. Over time, it felt like walking in a maze, dizzying.

‘My god, this family is crazy!’

‘What family would decorate every single courtyard exactly the same!?’

‘Great, now I can’t even tell north from south, let alone investigate—even going to ask Miss Wang for money is a problem.’

Just as Liu Yao was walking and worrying, a figure suddenly flashed out from around the corner, nearly bumping into her.

“Ouch!”

The person yelped, jumped back, and the things in their hands clattered to the ground.

“Ah, are you okay?”

Liu Yao looked closely—it was a young girl around thirteen or fourteen, with her hair in double buns, clearly a little maid of the Wang family.

“Sorry, sorry!” The little maid didn’t dare lift her head, frantically crouching down to pick up the scattered items, apologizing repeatedly, “Young master, I’m sorry! This servant didn’t mean it!”

Seeing this girl’s panicked appearance, the white-clad ‘young man’ couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Liu Yao waved her hand and also crouched down to help pick up.

“After all, this place all looks the same, so it’s understandable not to notice people.”

Patting the dust off the items she picked up, Liu Yao smiled and handed them over.

Seeing the ‘young man’ so gentle, smiling even at a servant like her, the maid’s originally tense heart gradually relaxed. She bowed and thanked him with a hint of reverence:

“Y-young master, I’m a servant of the Wang family, everyone calls me Xiao Hua! If there’s anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask!”

Xiao Hua’s words delighted Liu Yao, just as she was worrying about finding a guide.

Liu Yao didn’t stand on ceremony. She cupped her hands and smiled:

“Then I’ll trouble Miss Xiao Hua. To be honest, I’m new here, and I’ve been wandering around this courtyard for ages, but unfortunately all the courtyards look the same, so I haven’t been able to find my way at all.”

“If possible, I hope you can show me the way.”

After saying this, she awkwardly touched the tip of her nose.

Seeing the young man behave so frankly and directly, Xiao Hua pursed her lips and smiled, her earlier tension completely dissipating.

‘What, so he’s a visiting guest?’

‘You scared me. I thought it was another one of those young masters coming to take advantage.’

‘But come to think of it… this young master is really handsome…’

‘Those eyebrows, eyes, and lips… I’ve never seen such handsome features on a man before…’

As she thought, Xiao Hua’s face blushed slightly as she looked at Liu Yao’s pretty face.

“Miss Xiao Hua?”

“Ah! Ahem… uh, young master, it’s normal not to know the way on your first visit. After all, the servants in the mansion have been trained and accumulated experience over time to become familiar with the paths.”

“How about this? Who are you looking for, young master? The elder master or the young lady? Xiao Hua will guide you.”

Liu Yao thought about it.

‘Since I’m here under the pretense of collecting wages, it should be fine to go directly to the young lady, right?’

‘And having this girl guide me will allow me to probe the servants’ attitudes along the way.’

‘Hiss—I’m a genius!’

‘Wait for me, Yi An, your master will get things done soon!’

With that, Liu Yao shook her head and put on an expression of ‘finally someone can guide me.’

“Hmm… I’ve been entrusted by your Second Master to discuss a matter with Miss Wang.” She said frankly. “Please, miss, lead the way.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hua’s smile stiffened slightly, and a hint of barely noticeable tension flashed in her eyes.

“Ah, this… uh, okay.”

She only stiffly agreed and turned to lead the way.

Liu Yao looked doubtfully at Xiao Hua’s slightly hurried back, then shook her head, simply assuming she was still a bit shy.

“Slow down! Miss Xiao Hua!”