As they wandered around, Lu Yunze realized something was off.
“Jiang Sui, is there anything here we actually need to buy?”
“Ah, there is.”
“But we came out to buy groceries, so why are we at a milk tea shop?”
At some point, a new milk tea shop had opened nearby. After passing by it, Jiang Sui just couldn’t move on, and simply stood there staring at the long line.
“Does Young Master want some milk tea?” Jiang Sui asked sweetly.
“No.” Lu Yunze wasn’t about to fall into her trap. “Do you even have money for milk tea?”
“Can’t I just take a look?” Since he didn’t take the bait, the little maid seemed a bit unhappy.
Lu Yunze stopped talking. Actually, there was something he’d wanted to ask Jiang Sui for a while.
He’d only agreed to help carry a few things, so why was everything dumped on him now?
They’d been shopping for some time, yet Jiang Sui’s hands were still empty, while Lu Yunze’s were getting fuller and heavier.
As the weight kept increasing, Jiang Sui also liked dragging him around to all sorts of unnecessary shops, which only added to his stress.
The March weather was unpredictable. Even though Lancheng was a southern city, the temperature difference between day and night was ridiculous.
At night, it was freezing—you could only sleep well under a thick quilt. During the day, the sun blazed down, and even a T-shirt felt too hot.
Even with Lu Yunze’s strength, running around with so many heavy bags was starting to get to him, and he’d broken out in quite a sweat.
By comparison, Jiang Sui strolled ahead, looking like she was just out for fun, not working at all.
Even if she was just repaying a favor, did that mean she didn’t have to do anything?
Lu Yunze and Jiang Sui weren’t close enough for that. He licked his dry lips, then stepped forward and said,
“Jiang Sui, why don’t you help me carry some of this?”
Jiang Sui turned her head at his words, teasing,
“You can’t hold on already, Young Master?”
“My stamina isn’t unlimited. We’ll take a taxi back later, so you won’t have to do much.”
But Jiang Sui didn’t agree. She just shook her head.
“Just hang in there a bit longer, Young Master. We only have one last stop. Once we get there, you can relax.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Jiang Sui acted as if she hadn’t heard him at all, and didn’t even look at his expression. After she’d stared at the milk tea shop enough, she just walked on ahead.
Lu Yunze could only sigh and keep following her.
At first, he’d had enough energy to keep up with her pace. Now he’d given up—so long as he didn’t get left behind, it was fine.
And they’d almost finished buying everything on the list. One more supermarket and they’d have everything.
The moment he stepped inside the supermarket, the cool air-conditioning washed over him, reviving him.
Jiang Sui even brought over a shopping cart and let him put all the things inside, finally freeing up his hands.
“See? I told you I wasn’t lying.” Jiang Sui looked quite proud, puffing up her impressive “Big White Rabbits.”
Lu Yunze just rotated his arms, too lazy to respond.
“The list—let me see what’s left.”
Taking the list from the maid, Lu Yunze was relieved they really were at the last stop. The butler had written everything in detail, down to which place to buy what, all carefully planned out.
You really had to hand it to the old hand—even if it meant running all over town and getting exhausted, everything was arranged for the best service at tomorrow’s dinner party.
But it was tough on Lu Yunze, who’d been roped in. How was he supposed to play games or the piano with his hands all numb and sore?
Better finish up and head home.
“Broccoli. Where’s the broccoli?”
Lu Yunze looked around, searching for the broccoli, when Jiang Sui tugged at his sleeve again.
“You missed something important, Young Master.”
“Did I?”
Lu Yunze looked down at the floor, patted his pockets—his keys and phone were still there.
Following the maid’s fair finger, Lu Yunze’s gaze landed on the silver shopping cart. His face fell.
“You wouldn’t want your poor little maid to wear herself out before repaying her debt, would you, Young Master~?”
Jiang Sui pouted, swaying coquettishly.
You haven’t done anything at all.
Lu Yunze’s mouth twitched, but he obediently went to push the shopping cart.
If Luo Yao was a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse, then Jiang Sui was a wild rose—thorny, the kind that left you stung every time you got close.
“Heehee, just kidding. Let me do it. You take a break, Young Master.” Jiang Sui’s laughter was clear and melodious, like an oriole singing.
Lu Yunze had no strength left to argue.
A rose with thorns wasn’t scary. What was scary was a thorny rose that kept coming at you, so you couldn’t even dodge.
Jiang Sui pushed the cart as she deftly found the rest of the ingredients on the list and tossed them in. With his hands free, Lu Yunze trailed behind, picking out a few things he liked.
With a pen he always carried, Jiang Sui crossed off the last item on the list and nodded in satisfaction.
Once they checked out and left the supermarket, they could go home and end this two-hour outing.
This supermarket was always busy. When the two of them reached the checkout, there was already a long line.
Jiang Sui lined up at the end with the cart and couldn’t help muttering,
“Looks like we’ll be waiting a while.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t even have this much patience?” Lu Yunze teased.
“Are you really one to talk, Young Master? You couldn’t even hold out before we finished shopping.”
“How is that the same?”
The little maid tilted her head, looking so innocent that Lu Yunze couldn’t get another word out.
Jiang Sui just liked seeing him anxious but helpless against her. Only then would Lu Yunze’s attention be completely on her.
It made him love and hate her—he couldn’t bear to push her away, but she always found ways to slip out of his grasp.
The line moved slowly. Jiang Sui’s gaze wandered around, a bit annoyed, when she noticed a few drops of sweat still clinging to Lu Yunze’s face.
She reached for some wet wipes, but found her pockets empty, making her mood even worse.
Noticing Lu Yunze licking his dry lips several times, inspiration struck Jiang Sui.
“You wait here in line, Young Master. I have something important to do.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Hehe, it’s a secret.”
Pressing her index finger to her lips, Jiang Sui gave him a mysterious smile and dashed out of the supermarket.
Leaving Lu Yunze behind in a mess of confusion and helplessness.
If you wanted to train Lu Yunze, you had to give him a stick, then a sweet. Since she was going to give him a taste of something nice, why not go all the way?
Wiping his sweat with wet wipes was no longer enough for Jiang Sui. She decided to get him something even better.
For example, a cup of ice-cold milk tea.
Jiang Sui quickly made her way to the nearby milk tea shop. By now, the line was gone, and she got a large milk tea—freshly launched, too—almost without waiting.
She paid with her own money, but as long as she counted it as part of the grocery expenses, she could get reimbursed by the butler. She could please Lu Yunze without spending a cent of her own—why not?
“Meow~”
Just then, a faint meow made Jiang Sui stop in her tracks.
She froze for a moment, then turned into a narrow alley.
Plop!
Not far into the alley, Jiang Sui saw a small figure.
It was a little black cat that had darted out from the depths of the alley. It leaped nimbly over a puddle, then stopped as soon as it saw Jiang Sui, its golden eyes fixed on her.
The black cat moved a bit stiffly. One of its legs had a clear wound, and there were a few bloodstains on its body.
Jiang Sui tried to approach it, but instead of running away, the black cat meowed at her twice.
“You’re…”
She’d barely reached the cat when another figure appeared deeper in the alley.
The person didn’t seem to notice Jiang Sui and ran right into her. Jiang Sui steadied herself, but the other person fell hard onto the ground.
Almost at the same time, the black cat slipped away at her feet and disappeared somewhere.
“Sorry, uncle, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.”
The man was dressed all in black, covering himself tightly—a middle-aged man. Even though he’d landed on the ground, he wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he showed a strange smile.
“You’re the Luo Family’s little maid, aren’t you? Are you in urgent need of money?”
Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow.
“Uncle, you know me?”
“Of course. I even know you’re in need of a lot of money.” The man chuckled. “You’re so young and pretty. You must be about twenty?”
“Close enough.”
Actually, even younger—Jiang Sui was only eighteen this year.
“Young people really are lucky—so healthy and strong.”
The man sighed.
“So, are you interested in being a surrogate?”
“……”
“You can earn at least 150,000 for one child. I know a lot of wealthy clients. I could talk to them for you, and I’m confident the price could go up to 300,000.” The man’s smile grew wider. “You’re so young, you don’t have to worry about your health. And during the pregnancy, we’ll cover all your living and healthcare expenses. What do you think?”
One job for 250,000, six jobs at most and you could clear 1.8 million in debt.
A debt that would take thirty years to pay off could be settled in six—five times faster!
It sounded so much easier than trying to please Lu Yunze. Once the debt was paid, she could just slip away and never deal with the Luo Family again.
“It’s all real, of course. We even have a special Secret Arts Practitioner to help take care of you. In less than two months, you’d be back in perfect health. As the Luo Family’s maid, you should know what Secret Arts mean.”
They even had a Secret Arts Practitioner looking after her—these terms were too good to be true.
Just one child and you could earn 300,000, plus free room and board, and a Secret Arts Practitioner as a nurse.
“That does sound pretty tempting.”
“Of course! We’re a legitimate agency.” The man’s grin nearly reached his ears. “Little miss, since you’re interested, then we—”
“But, uncle.”
Jiang Sui suddenly changed her tone, her gaze sharp.
“You’re actually lying to me, aren’t you? The greed in your eyes is impossible to hide.”