Village Belle is Trying to Cause Trouble Again Chapter 72
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Edited by thatvadapav
Chapter 72: No One Could Bully Her Milksop
Su Tao wasn’t naive, she could see that these fish weren’t your ordinary produce. She asked tentatively, "Can I have one?"
Xie Yuntang nodded without hesitation, and then instructed softly to the servant not far away. "Catch one, we’ll eat it later."
He paused for a moment and smiled towards Su Tao, "Sister Taozi, how do you want it to be cooked?"
"Chopped pepper fish head." Su Tao grinned, her eyes crinkled up like crescent moons.
The servant froze, clearly startled. These fish were precious and collected by Senior Mr. Xie from across the country. The last time a fish died, the maid was punished.
Trying to cover his shock, the servant said respectfully, "Young Master, please allow me to ask Senior Mr. Xie."
When Xie Gongyou heard the request from the servant that Xie Yuntang wanted to eat the fish in the lake, "..."
After a moment of inner struggle, he finally waved his hand. "Go ahead. Catch as many as Young Master wants. Don't ask me about this kind of nonsense in the future."
His grandson seldom asked him for anything, but this time after he came home, he had obviously made requests more often.
After receiving the reply, the servant immediately returned to the lake and asked, "Young Master, which one do you want me to catch?"
"Sister Taozi, which one do you want to eat?"
Xie Yuntang looked at Su Tao.
Su Tao looked at the lake.
After surveying the grounds,she randomly pointed at a fish while rubbing her hands in anticipation.
The Xie family was really convenient. She could eat whatever she wanted whenever. In the Su family, she couldn't act as carefree. All she got was beatings.
The servant was quick and efficient, promptly delivering the fresh fish to the kitchen. The kitchen staff was also fast and delivered the fish to the pavilion in about thirty minutes.
Su Tao's eyes sparkled when she smelt a whiff of the aroma. After handing Xie Yuntang the chopsticks, she started eagerly digging on her own. After a single bite, she couldn't help but shake her head in amazement. "This fish is so tender. Milksop, try it."
Xie Yuntang picked up a piece with his chopsticks and tasted it. The corners of his mouth curled up to a satisfied smile and he agreed obediently, "It really is tender."
"Sister Taozi, if you like it, I'll ask the kitchen staff to make it for you every day."
"I’ll hold you to it." Su Tao was a person who loved to enjoy life by nature. If there was something delicious, she wasn’t one to pass up good food.
Xie Yuntang nodded. "Of course."
As long as Sister Taozi liked it, he would give it to her.
Fortunately, Xie Gongyou wasn’t here, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to breathe.
……
During her stay at the Xie family’s mansion, Su Tao was treated with exceptional care. She could be said to have everything she wanted. Her treatment was even better than that of her young master, Xie Yuntang.
Over seven or eight days, her cheeks became rounder and her already big eyes became brighter resembling glistening black grapes.
Her hair styled in twin buns looked irresistibly cute and adorable.
On the eighth day, the Xie family’s patriarch, Xie Yuntang's great-grandfather, came back.
To mark the occasion, every branch of the Xie family in the mansion gathered to have dinner together. Mrs. Xie-Qin came early to bring clothes for the two children. The clothes had a hint of red in them, elegant without being overly plain.
The more she looked at the two children, the more she felt they were a perfect match. Finally, she couldn't help but smile. If Yuntang married Taozi, she’d be delighted because Yuntang seemed happy.
However, neither Xie Yuntang nor Su Tao had ever thought about it that way. The boy was too young and ignorant to understand, while the girl, the ever practical one, only cared to eat well, dress well, and eventually return home.
On the way to the garden, Mrs. Xie-Qin gave the two children gentle instructions, "Yuntang, Taozi, sit next to each other during dinner. Don’t hesitate to tell the servants what you’d like to eat."
They both nodded obediently.
Although Su Tao knew the mansion housed many people, it was the first time she saw them all gathered in one place, leaving her momentarily overwhelmed.
She leaned close to Xie Yuntang's ear and whispered, "Milksop, can you recognize everyone here?"
Xie Yuntang looked around and shook his head.
He really couldn't. There were many concubines and the extended family rarely interacted with him, the legitimate great-grandson.
Just then, a man's voice interrupted them, "Yuntang, come here! Let your uncle take a good look at you. You’ve surely grown taller."
The plump man in a dark blue robe walked over, raised his hand, and ruffled Xie Yuntang's head. He looked very kind.
However, Su Tao saw that Milksop’s hair was all messed up. The man must have used a lot of strength.
"Is Yuntang feeling better?" the man asked, his seemingly innocent words earning a frown from Mrs. Xie-Qin
Asking someone if he had recovered from his illness in front of so many people clearly showed that he had bad intentions.
Su Tao, her curiosity piqued, leaned over and asked innocently, "Uncle, was Brother Yuntang sick? I'm with him every day, and I didn’t notice anything."
She paused and counted on her fingers. "Brother Yuntang can eat, sleep and play. He isn’t sick."
She then glanced at Xie Yuntang, adding earnestly, "But compared to me, Brother Yuntang is a little thin. Brother Yuntang, you need to eat more. But don't eat too much, otherwise you won't look good."
Xie Yuntang took a small step back and responded, "Okay."
Xie Yuntang's plump uncle, Xie Ming, scowled. He scolded, "Where did this little girl come from? Why are you interrupting when the master is talking? Someone, come and slap her for her insolence."
He continued with his tone still sharp, "Yuntang is young and too soft-hearted to discipline her. As his uncle, I’ll handle it for him."
Before anyone could react, Xie Yuntang's stood protectively in front of Su Tao, saying forcefully, "Don't hit Sister Taozi. She isn’t a servant. Besides, she is from my courtyard, so I have the final say."
Although he was young, he had seen a lot and understood how the rules worked. He just didn't like to talk about them before.
Su Tao stared at Milksop in a daze, then she tsked in her heart. Who knew Milksop could be so manly?
Mrs. Xie-Qin, her expression icy, intervened, "Brother, you came back late, so you may not know that this girl is the daughter my husband and I have formally acknowledged."
Her tone was firm but polite, "She’s a country girl and still learning proper ettiquette. I’ll go back and teach her so you don't have to worry about it, brother."
The implication was that he didn’t have to interfere.
Xie Ming's expression darkened for a moment before he forced a smile. "I’ve been meddlesome. Had I known that you wanted to adopt a girl, I’d have offered my Ningxue instead. She is much better than this country girl. How about this? Send this country girl away. I'll let her go to your courtyard later."
It was obvious that he wanted to send someone to Mrs. Xie-Qin's side.
Mrs. Xie-Qin, unimpressed, naturally did not agree. "It doesn't matter whether she’s a country girl, as long as Yuntang likes her."
Xie Ming asked the boy, "Yuntang, don't you like your sister, Ningxue?"
Xie Ming wanted to touch Xie Yuntang again, but Xie Yuntang dodged and shook his head without hesitation. "I don't like Sister Ningxue. I only like Sister Taozi."
Seeing the plump man's sour expression, Su Tao gave a thumbs up to Milksop in her heart.
"Yuntang, Taozi, go sit over there." Mrs. Xie-Qin ignored Xie Ming and led the two children to sit at the second table in the front.
Xie Ming and the others could only sit at the tables in the back.
The seating arrangement clearly reflected their status.
Su Tao approached Xie Yuntang and reminded him, "Your uncle is a bad guy so stay away from him. Don't just stand there like an idiot—run away when you see him."
Xie Yuntang, though young, could still distinguish between good and evil. For example, although Sister Taozi bullied him, she wasn’t a bad person and would save him. His uncle, on the other hand, never bullied him but always made him feel uncomfortable.
He nodded. Then, he quickly thought of something, and said seriously, "Don't worry, Sister Taozi. I’ll protect you."
Su Tao flicked his forehead and said in a light tone to reduce the fear in his heart, "I'm not afraid of him. If he dares to bully me, I’ll scare him to death."
No one could bully her Milksop!
