Chapter 211: Magpie’s Questions

Sorry about the long wait, guys! I was planning on posting this bunch on the 10th, but time gets the best of us all, haha. Thanks for waiting!

“I just wanted to come and see you! It’s the winter solstice tomorrow, I—”

Xi Que chattered on but where would Ah Jian want to listen? Impatiently, he interrupted: “What do you want?”

Xi Que was startled and met his cold eyes in vain. Her whimsical and fanciful words were abruptly swallowed as she tried a new approach. Chucking, she said: “Well, I’ve heard a lot about your work the last few weeks and how you’ve sorted out the nursery fields for growing cotton! Is it possible this cotton is like rice and must be specially cultivated?”

So it was for this!

Ah Jian’s eyes flickered and he said faintly: “How would I know? If you want to know, you might as well ask— who you should ask, I’m not sure!”

Originally, he wanted to tell Xi Que to ask Lian Fang Zhou, but then he thought that maybe someone wanted him to say so, so he refused to say it.

“So you don’t know!” Xi Que smiled, not giving up: “But, weren’t you preparing the soil a few days ago?”

“Yes.” Ah Jian replied concisely.

Xi Que lifted her spirits and said hurriedly: “I heard that it was the nursery area being cleared. Brother Ah Jian, how did you prepare it?”

Ah Jian gave her a cold look. “Don’t you already know everything? Why come and ask me what I’m doing? Besides, what does this have to do with you?”

“I’m just curious and wanted to ask!” Xi Que said, smiling. “Zhao Manor also has a lot of cotton seeds, so I just wanted to talk about it.”

Ah Jian snorted and ignored her.

Xi Que tried to say something else, but he pretended not to hear her.

Seeing that she couldn’t ask anything else, Xi Que giggled and said: “Brother Ah Jian, you are busy so I will leave first! I will come and visit again in the first month…”

She hesitated a moment but still didn’t have the courage to speak to Lian Fang Zhou. Besides, she knew that Lian Fang Zhou would not tell her anything.

At the front, Zhao San was cursing in his heart as he angrily moved the carriage to the side. When he looked back, there was no one in the yard.

They had actually left him there!

As a servant of the wealthiest family in Shanglian, Zhao San had come to the house to try his best to get revenge and had been confident that he could vent his breath.

Who knew that he would be frustrated again and again and would only add a few more breaths, how could he not be annoyed?

While no one was watching, he strutted into the Lian family yard. Deliberately looking around, he openly started kicking a few household items stacked to the side.

“This person is really worthless!” Lian Ze said with contempt, his mouth twitching.

“I’ll drive him away!” Lian Fang Qing said, stomping her feet.

Lian Fang Zhou gently pulled her back, smiling faintly: “He was originally nothing good, what did you expect? Don’t worry, he will be unlucky even if we don’t go!”

Lian Fang Qing opened her eyes wide, looking a little confused. After thinking about it, Lian Che’s eyes lit up: “Sister is talking about Third Aunt..?”

“Yes!” Lian Fang Zhou nodded.

Third Aunt was someone who cared very much about her own things. With Zhao San walking around the yard like this, Third Aunt would no doubt think that he was trying to take advantage of her family and steal something.

He even dared to kick things; it would be strange if Third Aunt spared him!

Third Aunt was an elder and there were things that Lian Fang Zhou and her siblings could not do as well as her.

Sure enough, while Lian Fang Zhou was talking about this, Third Aunt suddenly ran out of the kitchen with a basin of cold water in her hand and splashed it towards Zhao San with a bang.

A little out of reach, Zhao San had sensed something and subconsciously evaded. The thrown water did not hit its target, but it did wet his clothes.

“Ah, it’s a pity!” The people in the room couldn’t help but sigh. But seeing Zhao San’s embarrassment, they started to laugh.

“What are you doing!?” Zhao San turned his head anxiously, glaring at her.

Third Aunt had already felt distressed seeing him destroy her things and was disappointed when the water had not splashed him. She shrieked: “Ah! What are you doing here? I didn’t see that there was someone in the yard. Sorry! I’m going to sweep the floor now, you should go out and wait, so the dust doesn’t get on you!”

Third Aunt stared at Zhao San with a smile on her face, but she was gritting her teeth. Seeing Zhao San not speaking, she stared at him as she put down the basin and picked up the bamboo broom.

“Crazy woman!” Zhao San cursed in a low voice, retiring unwillingly.

 She wanted to sweep her floor, could he stop her? This rundown yard was a messy place, if he didn’t leave, he would definitely be covered in dust! That was the reason, why would he care about some country woman?

When Third Aunt saw him run, she chuckled and put away her broom, saying: “Just wait at the door! You’re a slave and no one in our house invited you to come in? Why are you wandering inside? The Zhao family is really unruly!”

Zhao San choked on his breath and his mouth was dry.

Lian Fang Zhou and the others found this very funny.

After a while, Xi Que came out with an ugly face and got into the carriage, ordering Zhao San to drive: “Let’s go!”

Zhao San was stunned: Leaving already? He had been counting on Xi Que to avenge him!

“Did you not hear? Go!” Seeing that the carriage was not moving, Xi Que lifted the curtain and stared at him impatiently.

“Oh, yes, yes!” Zhao San woke from his daze and drive the carriage away, feeling shocked.

A moment later, Ah Jian angrily entered the house. He glanced at Lian Fang Zhou and was silent.

Lian Fang Zhou saw that he had a rather aggressive posture and felt a little annoyed in her heart. Her face sank two points and she said in a stiff, unnatural tone: “Your Xi Que has left?”

‘Your Xi Que’? Ah Jian was stunned when he heard this, feeling so angry he couldn’t retaliate!

Didn’t she know how much he hated that magpie, how could she say, ‘your Xi Que’!?

Ah Jian said gruffly: “She’s not my Xi Que! When she comes back next time, you can send her away fro me, I don’t want to see that girl ever again!”

Lian Fang Zhou was stunned. How unexpected that Ah Jian would say something like this. She felt a little embarrassed. “Oh.” She said in a low voice. “Well, you came in with a bad face, so I thought you were not happy that Xi Que felt so quickly…”

Seeing Ah Jian’s frustration, she hurriedly raised her head and smiled: “Okay, next time I will help you drive her away! But if she’s insistent, I can’t control her!”

Ah Jian paused and then sighed softly: “Do you know what she asked me? She asked me about the cotton nursery.”

Not only Lian Fang Zhou, but Lian Ze was also alert.

“She asked about this? What did you tell her?”

“Naturally, I did not say anything!” Ah Jian shook his head and said, “Young Lady Zhao must have ordered her to ask. When did Young Lady Zhao notice our activity?”

TN: Vinegar pot, vinegar pot!

Also, I have decided to change ZRJ’s title from Miss to Young Lady to show her rank. Zhao family servants will still refer to her as Miss though.