Su Jiu wasn't worried that the woman would escape — she wouldn't dare anyway! — so while the woman fetched a basin of water, Su Jiu sat in the carriage and looked around.
The carriage was so spacious that a person could lie down and sleep in it. There was a tapestry made of brocade on the floor. When the wind blew, the gauze curtains billowed and there was a fragrant scent.
Su Jiu rubbed the nose in disdain. Tsk! This rouge's scent was too damn strong!
There was a small mahogany table next to Su Jiu, who then opened the drawer and saw a variety of candied fruit inside. Su Jiu's eyes lit up.
As Su Jiu was grabbing some treats and threw a handful casually to Chang Huan, who was coming close. "Huan'er, here's something good for you!" Su Jiu said.
Chang Huang leaped, stretched out his hand in mid-air, and caught all the candied fruits in his hands.
"There's food!" Ah Shu shouted and he ran over to snatch the candied fruit from Chang Huan.
"Don't steal, Chief gave it to me!" Chang Huan leaped onto a tree, chucking the piece of shiny fruit into his mouth. Nodding, he exclaimed, "Delicious!"
Upon hearing there was food, Hu Dapao charged over and attempted to climb the tree with Ah Shu.
"Monkeys!" Su Jiu said with a smile, took out all the sweets in the drawer and threw them out as well.
Suddenly, just like teasing monkeys in the mountains, everyone scurried around, snatching the food Su Jiu threw out.
"Don't eat them all, leave some for Master An!" Su Jiu yelled as the nanny returned, carrying a basin of water as she entered the carriage.
There were streams nearby, and in the September weather, the mountain spring water was clear and cool. Su Jiu looked at the water and suddenly could not remember how long it had been since the last face-washing.
Su Jiu had paid attention to personal hygiene right after joining the Dragon Conqueror Gang, but back then everyone said Su Jiu looked like a sissy. In order to look more intimidating, Su Jiu stopped trying to stay clean.
The mud on Su Jiu's face had been there for years, and suddenly Su Jiu felt reluctant to wash it off. What a huge sacrifice made for the Dragon Conqueror Gang!
The nanny wet a handkerchief, and said, trembling, "It may be a little cold, my lord. Please bear with it!"
Su Jiu snorted. If I couldn't even bear the cold, how could I have survived in the Dragon Conqueror Gang these last ten years? he thought.
With both eyes closed, Su Jiu sat straight.
The nanny leaned forward and pushed all the hair off of Su Jiu's forehead to behind his ears. She then began to wipe Su Jiu's face, little by little from the forehead, down. The dirty water ran down. The handkerchief had already turned black before she was done wiping Su Jiu's forehead.
Su Jiu had spent ten years in Dragon Conqueror Gang. Even with the eyes closed, there was a murderous aura surrounding this chief of the gang. The nanny did not dare to show any disgust. She hurriedly washed the handkerchief, and continued wiping.
Su Jiu's forehead was slowly wiped clean, and then the nose, the cheeks... The more the woman rubbed, the more astonished she was.
This — this is clearly a lady! The nanny realized. Her facial features are exquisite, her skin as fair as jade... she is an absolute beauty!
After cleaning Su Jiu's chin and neck, the nanny stared at her in astonishment. After a moment, the nanny stuttered, "It-it's done!"
Su Jiu opened her eyes, a pair of beautiful eyes, sharp but clear as if she could see right through her.
The nanny was shocked. She fell backward and sat in the carriage, staring at Su Jiu dumbfounded.
Su Jiu had not looked at her own reflection for many years. She had long forgotten what she looked like. Seeing the nanny being so frightened, Su Jiu thought she must look vicious and terrible. "Why are you in a daze?" she asked coldly. "What do you want to do next?"
The nanny, whose face was pale, stared at her. "May, may I ask where you're from, Master?"
Su Jiu narrowed her eyes. "What's that got to do with you?"
Su Jiu herself had no idea where she was from!
She could not remember what had happened to her before she was five years old. She only remembered that she had moved around a lot of places, and the people around her had been constantly changing. After that, she arrived outside Shengjing City, and the man who had brought her there died. She then became a beggar and joined the Dragon Conqueror Gang.
In a trance, the nanny shook her head but did not know whether to shake her head at herself or at Su Jiu. She quickly regained her senses and got up. Taking out a set of garnet-red robes from the box behind her, she said carefully, "I'll help you change into your clothes and then comb your hair."
The big pit in the woods was almost done, and the four men heard Su Jiu's roars from time to time from the carriage.
"Can you do it lighter!
"Ow! Ouch! It hurts!
"Just cut all my hair off!"
-----
Of course it hurt. It seemed that Su Jiu's hair hadn't been washed for 800 years. It was so tangled that a bird's egg could be hatched in it. It was hard work for the nanny.
After burying all the bodies, Hu Dapao and the other three sat on the ground, fanning themselves with their sleeves. Although it was September, after digging holes and burying the corpses, they were sweating all over.
Suddenly the carriage door opened, and the nanny came out first. The four sitting on the ground looked up at the same time. They first saw a foot in embroidered shoes emerge as a red skirt billowed, and then an absolute beauty walked out.
The four men's jaws dropped, looking as if they had been struck by lightning.
This gorgeous creature is our unkempt Chief? they thought together. Impossible!
Chang Huan jumped up, grabbed the nanny by her collar and demanded, "Where's our Chief?"
"Huh?" The woman jolted as she pointed at Su Jiu. "There-there she is?"
Chang Huan stared at Su Jiu in shock. "Ch..Ch..Chief?"
"Straighten out your tongue before you speak!" Su Jiu glanced at him and jumped from the carriage. After she had just taken a step, she stepped on her dress and fell forward.
Ah Shu caught her, then with a glance, he hurriedly retreated in fear.
Su Jiu was enraged. "How dare you! You suggested that I dress up as a woman, and now you are disgusted with me, is that it?" As soon as she spoke, all the men confirmed that this young lady was their chief!
"No, no!" Ah Shu waved his hands frantically, as he smiled goofily. "We didn't expect that after Chief you dress as a woman, you look so… so… beautiful!" After stuttering for a long time, he finally thought of a word to describe her.
Outsiders did not know that they actually all knew Su Jiu was a female. However, Su Jiu's behaviors and brutal style had long made them to ignore the matter.
For so many years they had treated Su Jiu as a man just like themselves!
When Qiao An suggested that Su Jiu dress up as Miss Su, in their minds, they had perceived it like a man dressing up as a woman. It was only now after Su Jiu cleaned up nicely, they realized that it was like someone else had stood before them.