The young woman said, “If you ever stop causing trouble, the sun might rise in the west. Be honest now, you little troublemaker—what exactly did you do to him this time?”
The boy put his hands behind his back, his face full of pride, though he feigned nonchalance as he said, “It’s really nothing. After I retrieved the bundle from the inn, I just stopped by the bald fat man’s Hero’s Pavilion, went around to the back kitchen, and added a little ba dou [croton seeds, a strong laxative] to his lunch.”
His voice, deliberately lowered, came out scratchy and strange, as though the effort pained him. Even Huo Xiao Di, listening from the side, found the sound both irritating and amusing. He thought to himself, “This kid and Zhao Zhi’er from Little Zhao’s group would make a perfect pair.”
The young woman let out another helpless sigh. “You call this nothing? If you’d been careless and seriously hurt someone, wouldn’t you be creating even more trouble for the Third Young Master?”
The boy dismissed her concerns with a laugh. “That fat man is all blubber. A little ba dou will just clear out his stomach and cleanse his system. He won’t die from it. Since he doesn’t know what it’s like to go hungry, I figured I’d make sure his meal doesn’t stay in his belly for long.”
The young woman said, “Knowing your temperament, I doubt you let him off that easily, did you?”
Though Huo Xiao Di sat far away in a corner by the window, with his back to the sibling pair, his attention and curiosity had already been unknowingly piqued.
– Did this boy have a trick even more cunning than slipping croton seeds into someone’s meal?
– If he did, how did the young woman know about it?
Now it was the boy’s turn to sigh. Despite his attempt to appear nonchalant, his face still showed a trace of smugness. “Sister, what are you implying? Just slipping some croton seeds into his food already earned me a scolding from you. How would I dare go any further?”
The young woman let out a soft “hmph” and said, “We grew up together—do you think I don’t know you? You didn’t have much silver with you when we left, so you wouldn’t spend your own money to buy croton seeds. Since when have you ever done something that doesn’t profit you? There’s more to this story, isn’t there?”
The boy couldn’t help but grin and said, “Sister, you’re too clever—I can’t hide anything from you. Truthfully, when I saw that bald fat man bullying people so ruthlessly, I couldn’t help but despise him. So, after visiting his little kitchen, I cooked up a scheme. I conspired with someone else to put on a show and sold him that ‘Rotten Bone and Decayed Flesh Paste’ I tricked from Fourth Uncle last year, claiming it was ‘Hundred-Spirit Hair Growth Powder.’ All said and done, the money I squeezed out of that fat man not only helped those two beggars but also paid for the medicine. I even had some leftover.”
At this point, Huo Xiao Di couldn’t help but smile. The boy, despite his small size, had a sharp and cunning mind. His methods were so devious that they left people speechless and unable to complain, like eating bitter herbs in silence.
The young woman sighed softly and said, “Bringing you along this time was clearly a mistake.”
The boy grinned cheekily and said, “Uncle Zhong was worried about the Third Young Master being short on reliable servants in Xiang Yang. I volunteered to come along—it’s only right! How could I let you travel all this way to Xiang Yang alone? With me by your side, keeping you company and protecting you, it’s only natural.”
Saying this, he puffed out his small chest as if to demonstrate his strength.
The young woman replied with a faint melancholy, “During the Yellow River floods back then, the dangers we faced were a hundred times worse than this. We endured countless hardships. Compared to that, the difficulties of this journey pale in comparison.”
At the mention of the Yellow River floods, even the boy’s expression darkened. His eyes darted around as he tried to change the subject. “I just wonder what kind of dreadful place Xiang Yang is. It can’t possibly be as convenient as Tokyo. Sister, you might not be able to handle everything there alone. With me helping you, managing things for the Third Young Master will be much easier, won’t it?”
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