Chapter Ten  

A long time ago, I had already learnt that speaking is a skill, within that, satire is even more so a skill within a skill.

Some people spit out mouthfuls of aggressive swearing, in the end, the listener would only see it as though they’re speaking into thin air, inwardly thinking: vulgar, oh so vulgar.

Some people quietly smiles, but within their words is a hidden needle, within their phrases is a buried sword. Causing the listener’s face to transition from colours of white, orange, yellow, green and purple, but in face of the opponent’s gentle and friendly smile, they are unable to do anything, and in the end, can only swallow their crushed teeth down into their stomach (crushed from gnashing their teeth). The saying ‘a mute is unable to voice out the bitterness of eating coptis chinensis’ (to have no choice but to suffer in silence), refers to such people.

All in all, time will always remind us, that we must be one who is very skilled in speaking, and I personally feel that, speaking is not a form of art, but is even more so intelligence. *Cough cough*, for example, when you have in fact, absolutely, thoroughly, suffered a huge loss from someone, but in the very next second, make her feel that, it was but only an illusion?

Alright, I admit that sometimes, I am in fact a tiny little bit of a bad person.

I watch San-er’s face stiffen, her lips making a move, but does not let out any sound, she looks at Liu Ru Xu at a loss, but Liu Ru Xu only looks at me coldly, surprise and doubt sweeping past her eyes.

“Ah-, Ah-Lan.” Ying Lu stutters, eyes filled with shock, “You, you,”

“Young Lady!” I knit my brows together, very seriously and solemnly saying, “Don’t be afraid, my mother has told me, whoever’s meat you eat, whoever’s person you are, I will protect you!”

……instant silence.

“Pu!” Ying Lu covers her mouth, eyes filled with laughter, unable to hold back anymore, she once again laughs out loud, “Hahaha, so what you mean is, you’ve eaten my meat, and now you are mine?”

I answer in a matter of fact manner, “Of course.”

I continue to look at San-er and Liu Ru Xu with hostility, my entire body letting out an air of ‘you are not my kind’. And then, later, I unsurprisingly see San-er’s expression slowly change from embarrassment and helplessness to disdain and contempt, and Liu Ru Xu also restores her own bearings of an icy beauty, delicate and cold. (the original text used for delicate and cold is 楚楚凍人 / chǔ chǔ dòng rén which is play on words with the phrase 楚楚動人 / chǔ chǔ dòng rén which is fancy way of calling some beautiful, the literal translation is something along the lines of delicate and heart fluttering)

“San-er,” Liu Ru Xu actually speaks up, her voice clear and cold, unconventionally pleasant to the ears, “Let’s go.”

Having said that, she turns around, her skirt drawing a beautiful curve. San-er naturally ignores us, responding with a sound of “yes” and prepares to leave. At this time, Ying Lu slowly says: “Hold up.”

Her deliberately toned-down voice carrying a few points of oppression and dignified pressure that cannot be neglected, San-er had just come to a pause, when Ying Lu slowly walks up to her side, tugging up a smile on her originally emotionless face, but in reality, this smile is much more shiver-inducing than not smiling at all. She speaks to San-er with unusual friendliness: “What’s your surname?”

San-er’s eyes quickly blinks once, “Meng.”

Regarding the servants of the Meng family, the very moment they enter the estate, they all take on the surname — Meng.

Ying Lu praises: “San-er, not bad ey, so you still remember your surname is Meng and not Liu. There’s nothing now, you go ahead.”

I see Liu Ru Xu’s back instantly straighten, distant and tough.

San-er’s face had already paled, upon hearing this, she nods, “Young Lady’s words are correct.” This time, she sure hurries her steps, following behind her young lady as they slowly walk away.

I draw back my line of sight, speaking to Ying Lu in amazement: “Wah, Young Lady, you’re so magnificent ah.”

Ying Lu walks back to my side, lightly holding my shoulders, looking directly at me as she says: “Ah-Lan, I’m a Meng, right?”

I faintly smile, “Yes, Young Lady is a Meng.”

Meng Ying Lu is a Meng, is the Meng family’s young lady, the one and only precious maiden of the Meng family.

Ying Lu lightly curls her lips into a full smile, the face that had always been full of charm and wilfulness, has only the faint look of firmness in this very moment.

“I am Meng Ying Lu, I am the true young lady of the estate.” She says, word by word.

I hand the ‘weed’ in my arms to her, calmly saying: “Young Lady, from now on, you must take good care of it, remember that it mustn’t be lacking, nor mustn’t be overfed.”

Ying Lu strokes the yellowing leaves after taking it and falls silent for a moment, before lifting her head to brightly smile at me, “I understand.”

I believe Ying Lu will eventually understand for real, to not take the favouring of others for granted, to not look down on others with her higher status.

When Ying Lu sends me to head back, it was already almost lunchtime, the greedy little bugs in my stomach are currently protesting, they didn’t eat breakfast, they are feeling very unhappy right now, they want to eat Kung Pao chicken, shredded pork, mapo tofu, steamed fish, hot and sour potato silk……

En, it’d be best if there’s fruit salad for dessert too.

I am happily, yet sadly, absorbed in my own imaginations, leisurely walking towards Young Master’s Ling Yun Courtyard, as I was passing by the little path by the fake rockeries, I just happen to hear some sort of sound……

“Mm……Young Master……no……” So erotic, so explosive.

“Young Master……wait……” So erotic, so explosive……

To rarely feel so excited, I shift onto my tiptoes and sneak towards the source of sound, prodding myself against the rockery, carefully sticking my head out to peek.

Only seeing that approximately ten meters in front, that young and handsome gentleman in a body of ink-green brocade robes currently has a charming and pretty young woman pushed up against the rockery, thin lips pasted onto red lips, passionately entangling and ravaging, both his hands are also unceasingly pressing onto the young woman’s chest, gently and desperately……

I pinch my nose, dear lord, times are changing, public morals are declining ah! Young Master is actually, actually, actually enthusiastically and boldly exercising the ‘unspoken rule’ on the little beauty — Ke Ren, this truly is, truly is, truly is, tooooooooo! Too!

Too refreshing. [Face expressionless]

My eyes remain fixed on the spot as I watch the war situation over there, only seeing Young Master skilfully set fire to Ke Ren’s body, my eyes only able to see the side of his handsome face, vaguely revealing a dark charm, and Ke Ren whose face is charming like the sunset, is half squinting her beautifully water-like eyes, little hands deliberately pretending to resist the pressure of Young Master’s chest, bashfully saying: “Young Master, no……”

Young Master’s response was to singlehandedly tear open one half of her clothing, revealing her snow-white, porcelain shoulder. He sticks out his tongue, devillihsly licking her skin, lowly, temptingly asking: “No? Do you really not want this?”

Ke Ren’s soft voice delicately calls out: “Young Master~ no~”

I involuntarily shiver, pinching my nose even tighter. Today, I have surely expanded my views, it turns out a person really needs only one moment to turn into a beast, it also turns out the words ‘to refuse in shame’ has the true meaning of clearly saying ‘no’, but sends out hints of ‘I want it’ everywhere……

“En~ Young Master……gentler……”

“Young Master, don’t bite……it hurts……”

“Ah……”

In face of such an erotic scene, my feelings can be said to be extremely extremely troubled. Deep inside, there is a voice speaking meaningful words:to watch or not, it’s all or nothing, not to mention, it’s such a seductive image of a handsome man and beautiful woman ooxx, after this passes, there will be no more available in future!

But there is another voice crying out with reason: as an outstanding youth coming from a good family background in the twenty first century’s River Crab Society (a pun that is officially used to refer to internet censorship that promotes a harmonious society in China), I deeply love my country and the society that had brought me up, and right now, my fellow countrymen are perhaps deeply trapped in a helpless situation of ‘one river crab crawls over……crawls away……two river crabs crawls over……crawls away……three river crabs crawls over……crawls away……’ (everything is being censored and passing by the Chinese people) , I am deeply aware that sneakily eating H crabs (watching porn) behind the backs of hundred millions of fellow countrymen, is an extremely wrong behaviour, I am sorry to the party that has raised me and loved me! I, I, I am sorry to the broad masses of people!

……hand on forehead, I decisively turn and leave, because I have sadly come to the awareness that I have already been driven insane by the question of whether I should ‘watch’ or ‘not watch’……

I feel very depressed when I walk out from the rockeries, I am very reluctant to let go, I am very unwilling to let go, what I am wanting to express is that, I am extremely unhappy to let go……

I feel that I cannot be like this, and so I deeply inhale, very flatly comforting myself as I say: “My character is indeed as bright as my brain……”

Having said that, I unexpectedly feel much more relaxed. Patting my legs which keeps wanting to go back, I happily find that they no longer wish to return there. I am elated, River Crab Society sure is lovely!

It was in this very moment, a woman in green comes charging over to me, “Stupid lass! I’ve finally caught you, heng heng.”

“Ah?” I blankly look at the fierce Lu Ping, “Sister Lu Ping, I didn’t, I really didn’t.”

Lu Ping freezes, “Ah? Didn’t?”

“I really didn’t?” I seriously stress this.

Lu Ping raises her brows, speaking with certainty: “Fool, you did, right?”

I pretend to stutter, speaking with difficulty: “Si-, Sister Lu Ping, I, I really didn’t see Young Master and, and Ke Ren there.”

“What?” Lu Ping blurts out: “Young Master and Ke Ren?”

I sound an “ah”, expressing shock that I actually let it slip out. Deep down, I shrug my shoulders thinking: little one, I doubt you’ll still remember you’ve come finding me to settle past accounts.

Indeed, Lu Ping was shaken by my words. Her wide range of expressions finally ends with a single sigh, “Ai~.”

I blink, “Ah?”

Lu Ping looks at me with sorrowful eyes, saying: “Young Master really is……too pitiful.”

……eh, are my ears hearing things, she said Young Master is very pitiful? If these words were said out loud in the streets, the vast majority of bachelors will be ready to flip tables!

Speaking up to here, Lu Ping has already completely sunken into her own thoughts, “All these maids truly aren’t at a peace of mind, just how many of them holds sincere feelings for Young Master? One lot goes and another group comes, all setting eyes on Young Master in hopes of ascending to higher positions, but is it easy to be the lord of the Meng family? Young Master has had to face all these greedy wolves full of wild ambitions since a young age, you think he’s easy? Had Master not slapped Young Master back then, Young Master presumably wouldn’t have forgotten about……”

I quietly listen to her spill the details without disruption, but abruptly hear her say: “Little fool, seeing as you’re a fool, let me tell you, you must never hold such desires like those people, Young Master is not someone within our reach.”

I nod, I understand, is she not just saying ‘don’t be infatuated with Young Master, Young Master is a legend’? In fact, I really wanted to deter from this with a sentence of: it’s not that they’re infatuated with Young Master, it’s loneliness……

“Ah, it’s noon.” I look at the highly raised sun hanging in the middle of the sky, “Sister Lu Ping, I need go back and prepare Young Master’s lunch.”

Lu Ping has clearly not snapped out of it yet, waving her hands as she says: “Go then, go, act more swiftly.”

With her words, I get moving. Upon returning, I keep thinking about what Lu Ping said just now, attentively picking out the message revealed in her words, she said Young Master couldn’t forget, forget who? In context, my intuition tells me it should be a maid, and so, my brain is flooded with countless classic Taiwanese plots with young masters and maids, even when someone pats my shoulder from behind, I reflexively throw my hand back.

Then, eh, Young Master’s handsome face darkens, right hand seizing the wrist of my offending hand, lowly asking: “Where did you go to come back so late? You want to starve me to death?!”