"The most hilarious thing ever?" Mudan retracted her eyes from Jiafeng's dangerous face and glanced over the room one more time. Nothing was out of the ordinary; in fact, everything was nicer than when she had left it. The only thing odd was Zhaoli's hostile behavior and the ridiculous rate in which the thousand plates of meat dishes were disappearing from the table.
"I've got to hand it to you, sweetheart," Jiafeng began enthusiastically, "You chose such an interesting candidate! She even had the guts to-"
"Young Master!" Zhaoli spoke out from his corner; he almost sounded panicked.
"Bahaha! Are you getting shy now?" Jiafeng grinned like a child. "Don't worry! Big Brother's got your back! There's nothing to be ashamed of."
The severity in Zhaoli's eyes softened, but a frown was still plastered on his lips.
"Nothing to be ashamed of? What's that got to do Xinyu?" Mudan turned to look at Xinyu, peering for an explanation, but the girl did not pay her or the discussion any heed as she stuffed away at her face.
"Xinyu?" She tried again.
It was only when Xinyu finished her bowl of rice that she finally turned her attention to Mudan. "I was admiring the little boy's muscles," she answered simply, pointing a finger in Zhaoli's general direction.
Zhaoli's expression darkened by multitudes at the gesture. "Admiring?" He felt his fury rise to the Heavens. "You call that an act of admiration?!"
"Bahaha! Don't be so angry, Zhaoli. The little miss here was just praising your hard work," Jiafeng defended with a laugh and handed over his bowl of rice to Xinyu when he saw her eyeing it greedily.
"Young Master!" Zhaoli was feeling indignant. Had his master been bewitched by this little girl? Why was he defending her so earnestly?
He studied Xinyu beneath a scowl. There was nothing outstanding about her. Her hair was akin to a bird's nest; her face was dark and speckled with impurities—even her clothes were plain and made of poor quality. Black orbs traced down from her ordinary face to her slender frame.
Suddenly, Zhaoli recalled the battle between Jiafeng and Xinyu.
He pursed his lips and abruptly fell into a perpendicular bow. "If Young Master doesn't have any more requests, this servant would like to be dismissed for the night."
"Servant? You're my little brother, Zhaoli. I keep telling you to call me Big Brother. Stop it with the Young Master thing," Jiafeng frowned and put a steamed chicken leg before Xinyu. She grabbed it fervently and took a large bite out of its savory flesh.
"I wouldn't dare," Zhaoli kept his head lowered.
Jiafeng let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, I will get you to call me Big Brother one day. Now quickly, get up. You needn't ask my permission to do anything." He waved his hand carelessly in the air.
"Thank you, Young Master." Zhaoli rose from his bow. "I will take my leave now. Just call for me if you need anything." He sent Xinyu a death glare before turning on his heels.
Mudan slipped to the side as Zhaoli made his way out. She was still confused as to what had made him so upset. She looked at Xinyu but knew that she wouldn't be getting an answer from her, so she had no choice but to turn to Jiafeng.
Jiafeng gave her a knowing look. "Don't worry. It wasn't anything big. Zhaoli will calm down soon."
His answer only made her annoyed. "It wasn't anything big? I heard the commotion from the ground floor!"
"People are just overreacting. You know how kids are," Jiafeng shrugged and slid the last bowl of beef stew towards Xinyu. She gulped it down in one scoop before placing the bowl down.
"Jiafeng is right," Xinyu said, licking the broth from her lips.
Jiafeng's eyes slightly widened in surprise before it crinkled into a smile. It seemed this little girl was willing to acknowledge him now. "See? What did I say?"
Mudan was still skeptical, but she decided to ask no further and took a seat at the table. She looked at Xinyu. What an odd one she was. Wasn't she the one angry at Jiafeng just barely an hour ago? And now that he has brought her food, that grudge was so quickly washed away?
She sighed.
"So when are you planning to leave?" Mudan asked the pretty boy. "Don't tell me you're planning to stay the night."
"Oh?" An impish glint flashed in Jiafeng's vibrant eyes. "Does my sweetheart want me to stay?"
"You wish!" Mudan sent him a glare. "Hurry up and leave. It's not proper for a man to stay in two ladies' room so late at night."
Jiafeng chuckled. "Of course, sweetheart. I will let you two rest now." He got up from the seat and headed toward the doorless entrance with casual steps.
"Oh." As if remembering something, he turned back to the girls. "Be sure to do your best at the exams next week... Little Xinyu, was it? I'm looking forward to seeing what other surprises you have in store."
Although she didn't know what he meant by surprises, Xinyu nodded. "I won't disappoint you."
A mischievous smile spread on his lips. "Don't worry. Even if you don't make it into White Cloud Sect, I'll be sure to invite you to our wedding." He sent Mudan a wink that made her want to gag before he finally left.
When he was finally gone, Xinyu turned to Mudan. She stared at her for a long second.
"So why don't you want to marry him? He doesn't seem too bad," she finally said.
The question almost made Mudan spit out blood; she coughed in a severe bout.
Mudan had to clear her throat before speaking, "A kid like you wouldn't understand."
Xinyu wanted to say something, but she decided against it. Being seen as a child was a good cover for her. However, she was confused about one thing: why didn't Mudan want to marry Jiafeng? If a marriage with him meant getting to eat so much meat dishes every day, she wouldn't mind getting married to him.
Had Mudan heard her thoughts then, she would have fainted on the spot. But to her fortune, it was nothing but a fleeting thought.
Xinyu looked toward the entrance. "So what are we going to do about the door?"
"Don't mind it. I'll get someone to come over and fix it soon. You can go ahead and get ready for bed," Mudan said. "It's a bit late, but did you want to take a bath first?"
Xinyu thought about it before nodding. "Today has been a long day. A bath would be nice."
Mudan smiled. "A personal bath would take too long to prepare. If you want, there's a natural hot spring provided by Nine Gates of Heaven Inn. It's located just behind the main building. Since it's getting late, the bath area should mostly be empty now."
"Thank you," Xinyu lowered her head gratefully.
"Now, now. No need with the formalities. You should hurry." Mudan gestured for her to rise. "The bathing area is going to close soon. There are some towels in that cabinet. I believe you brought some change of clothes with you?"
Xinyu nodded.
"Good. The hot spring isn't too far from here, but if you get lost, just ask around. There are plenty of workers still attending the halls."
Xinyu nodded again.
Mudan wanted to sigh. Even now, this Xinyu was still so stingy with her words.
"Alright. You go ahead and get ready. I will go ask for some people to clean up these plates and fix the door," Mudan announced before leaving.
When her voluptuous figure disappeared from the entrance, Xinyu rose from her seat to grab a towel from the cabinet. She threw the cloth into the satchel that was still strung across her torso; it looked more like a bulky bag of rice than a satchel.
She turned to leave but came to a stop at the table. She stared at the mess of empty plates and bowls.
Xinyu could almost hear Aunt Yanfei scolding her. "Clean up after yourself, you little rascal!"
The thought brought a smile to her face.
She slung the body of the satchel behind her and began cleaning up the table. Plate after plate stacked up into two large piles nearly half the size of her height. No one would have believed the food that was once on those plates were finished by only one person.
Xinyu stepped back to look at her hard work. She wanted to give herself a pat on the back; if Aunt Yanfei were there, she would be so proud!
With a satisfied puff, she finally left.
The room that had incurred so much commotion now laid empty with a gaping entrance.