Chapter 42: Bungling Invention

  Bungling makes things worse

  Yan Xue's panic made Yun Xiang Tian feel extremely surprised, he wanted to ask but didn't know how to start. Madame Wang saw through Yun Xiang Tian's thoughts, she elegantly picked up her tea cup, took a light sip, and slowly put it down. As if teasing Yun Xiang Tian, intentionally making him anxious. After a long while, she hummed and said: "Yan Xue, you have such a big nerve, have you forgotten my words? You dare to be deceitful."

  Terror-stricken Yan Xue, upon hearing Madame Wang's words, was so frightened that her whole body trembled and she broke out in a cold sweat, saying: "Xue Er dare not, Yan Xue truly has not forgotten your teachings. Never had even half a thought of disobedience, please, Madame, take into account Xue Er's serving tea and meals, and spare Xue Er."

  Madam Wang's eyes, cold as frost, stared at Yan Xue and said: "Is that so? I think you seem to care about Yu'er quite a bit."

  Yun Xiang Tian suppressed the discontent in his heart, originally not wanting to intervene in their affairs. But seeing Yan Xue's flustered appearance and Wang Fu Ren's unyielding attitude, he coldly smiled and said: "Wang Fu Ren has such a strict family rule? Just for one sentence, can't bear to let her off even if she's killed? This matter originated from me, it's better to kill Yun Xiang Tian than to show off in front of Yan Xue." As he spoke, he pulled Yan Xue up and said: "You were originally blameless, why apologize to her? Unfortunately, Wang Shu Shu was a hero for a lifetime, yet married such a virtuous wife."

  Ke Yanxue didn't take it kindly. She pushed away Yun Xiangtian's hand and said, "Madam has been kind to me like a mountain, she scolds me for my own good. You don't need to worry about it."

  Madam Wang looked at Yun Xiang Tian and said: "Do you really want to intervene in this matter?"

  Yun Xiang Tian said coldly, "As the saying goes: 'When the road is not flat, someone will level it; when things are not fair, someone will take care of it.' Since I've encountered this, I'll have to take care of it."

  Madam Wang picked up her teacup and took a sip of water, saying: "Do you dare take responsibility for what you just said?"

  Yun Xiang looked at Wang Furen with a slanted gaze and said solemnly, "As a man of five feet tall, I can say what I do. What is there to dare or not dare?"

  Madam Wang looked at Yun Xiang Tian, a faintly discernible smile on her face. She said: "Alright then, from today onwards, Yan Xue will be your maid. You can beat or scold her as you wish, but don't treat her poorly. She lost both parents at the age of five and is a pitiful child."

  Yun Xiang Tian was shocked, he never thought that things would turn out this way. He had a feeling of being set up by someone, and his mouth was wide open as he didn't know what to say.

  "Ha! What's this? Our great hero wants to go back on his word? Too late, a real man's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. How can one speak without keeping their word?"

  "Madam, madam, don't abandon Snowy anymore, okay? Snowy knows her mistake, please take back your order."

  Madam Wang pulled up Yan Xue, fondly stroking her hair and saying: "I finally managed to get Yu'er to agree, but you silly girl kept pushing three and blocking four. Do you want to die with me on this isolated mountain? Who knows, if you follow Yu'er outside, you might even find a suitable husband!"

  Yan Xue's cheeks flushed with heat, and she said awkwardly: "Madam is teasing me again, I won't go anywhere, I'll just stay here to accompany Madam."

  Madam Wang said with a smile, "Silly girl, I still don't understand your thoughts, but unfortunately the master of Shangu has decided to match Xiu Zhu and Yu Er together. Otherwise, I would have married you off to Yu Er, my Snow is a good girl after all." She then whispered in Yan Xue's ear, "As long as you wholeheartedly treat Yu Er well, even if you can't be the official wife, you can still be a concubine. What do you think?"

  Yan Xue's face seemed to fly up to the clouds, and she said with a twisted expression: "Madam, how can this be? I, I'm just a maid, afraid that... afraid that..." She thought to herself: "I'm just a maid by birth, not matching in social status, even if I were to become a concubine, someone like Yun Xiang Tian would still be out of my league."

  Madam Wang didn't let Yan Xue continue, she took over and said: "Xue'er says it can't be done this way, I think it can, what do you say, Yu'er?"

  Yun Xiang Tian didn't know what Yan Xue meant by "can" or "cannot", but he wanted to help Yan Xue, so without thinking twice, he said: "It's possible, as long as it's something Snow wants to do, then it must be possible."

  Madam Wang laughed and said: "How about it, Xue Er? Yu Er has agreed. He said as long as you agree, he can take you in as a concubine."

  Yan Xue's face turned bright red, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She never thought that Wang Furen would say something like this, and Yan Xue was referring to this matter.

  "Nothing, nothing, madam! I meant that Young Master Yun is wise and brave, he looks down on me, a silly mountain girl, I'm clumsy and afraid of not serving him well. How could I have any improper thoughts?" She was so anxious that tears almost flowed out.

  Yun Xiang Tian didn't want to make Yan Xue too embarrassed, and also wanted to find an excuse for himself, so he said: "Xue Er, you are intelligent and talented, how can you be a maid? If you are willing, let's become sworn siblings today, what do you think?"

  Madam Wang smiled and said, "You little scamp, my Snow is clever and understanding, if it weren't for the fact that you have a favor to ask of me, I wouldn't be willing to give her to you. Now that I've given her to you, whether you want to make her your sister or your maid, I won't interfere. Tomorrow morning I'll call Snow over, and the rest is up to you. It's getting late, you should go back. Snow, see him off."

  Yun Xiangtian wanted to shirk, but Yan Xue had already said: "Young Master, please." One sentence of Young Master made Yun Xiangtian speechless. He didn't dare believe that Yan Xue had changed her tone and called him Young Master, he didn't dare imagine how he would face all this in the future days.

  After returning to Anmin Village, Yun Xiang Tian calmed his mind and focused on understanding the purpose of Wang Zhuang Shan's adventure. He opened the door to find Wang Zhuang Shan pacing anxiously in the room. Seeing Yun Xiang Tian, he asked: "Young Master Yun, do you know where I can buy a Qilin painting?"

  Yun Xiang Tian said: "The second aunt's husband's house on the mountain is for sale, how many rooms do you want?"

  Wang Zhuangshan said: "One is enough, one is enough." After finishing speaking, he excitedly grasped Yun Xiangtian's hand tightly.

  He told Yunxiangtian that he came from Linping, with an important piece of intelligence on his body, which was about to be reported to the leader of the Qilin Mountain Anti-Japanese Brigade. This intelligence was related to the safety of the Qilin Mountain Anti-Japanese Brigade and Lingfeng City, and must be sent out immediately. At the same time, he asked Yunxiangtian to absolutely not reveal his identity, including Madame Wang.

  Yun Xiang Tian didn't dare to slack off and immediately arranged for Hu San Cai and Wang Qi to disguise themselves as escorts to send Wang Zhuang Shan to Qilin Mountain. After secretly arranging with Feng Tian Xiong, he felt that everything was seamless and lay on the bed, lost in thought. He thought about his various experiences since coming down from the mountain, several times hovering between life and death at the gates of hell. This time, someone had sent him a concubine, but as an Eighth Route Army soldier, how could he solve this problem? He was at a loss. Unknowingly, he fell asleep after a long while.

  When the sky was slightly bright, a sudden knock on the door woke him up from his sleep. A brother in the village came to him with a flustered expression and said: "Young Master Yun, the leader has summoned you."

  Outside the gathering hall of Anmin Village, a group of people were gathered, mysteriously discussing something. When they saw Yun Xiang Tian, they quickly made way for him and stopped talking. Yun Xiang Tian had a premonition that something big was happening, so he hastily walked into the main hall. Hong Shan Gu and Chi Tuan He Shang were both there, chatting with Wang Fu Ren's other maid, Xue Ping. When Xue Ping saw Yun Xiang Tian arrive, she quickly paid her respects and said: "Young Master Yun, please follow me, something has happened to Yan Xue! She encountered a ghost while accompanying the mistress on patrol last night."