Union

Chapter 77 Something is wrong with her
This is Zhuyeqing, Zhuyeqing!
She couldn't even dodge in time, yet she still took the initiative to offer the food forward.

That's suicidal.

Yunying cried out in alarm and closed her eyes. Before she died, she thought to herself, "If I had known, I would have preferred to go and find the Second Master."

Going to see the Second Master would embarrass and humiliate her, but she wouldn't risk her life.

Looking at her now... she probably will never have the chance to see the Second Master again.

As Yunying thought this, she did not feel the expected pain. Instead, she fell into a familiar embrace that smelled of sandalwood.

"Thank goodness, young lady, you're alright now."

When Sui'er uttered those words, Yun Ying opened her eyes and saw the Second Master's overly deep and calm eyes.

Yun Ying's heart skipped a beat, and her mind went completely blank for a moment.

The second master placed her on the ground, his voice deep and magnetic. He asked her, "What's wrong? Were you scared out of your wits by the snake?"

Oh, right, snakes.

Yunying quickly lowered her head to look, and then heard the Second Master say again, "Don't look, she's already dead." As he spoke, the Second Master even reached out to cover her eyes.

Yunying naturally didn't see the gruesome death of the bamboo viper, but she had sharp eyes and spotted the tip of its drooping tail.

With a quick glance, she turned her body to the side and saw Sui Yu holding a sword, picking up the dead bamboo viper and walking out.

Noticing Yunying's gaze, Suiyu said, "Don't look at me so emotionally. This snake was killed by Master She."

By the way, Second Master.

Thinking of Second Master, the heat on her face grew even hotter.

Yunying quickly reached out and removed the Second Master's hand from her eyes.

She touched his large hands with both of hers.

The Second Master's hands, like him, were refined and handsome. His ten fingers were fair and long, with well-proportioned knuckles, and prominent blue veins on his hands, making them look particularly sexy. Especially when he was writing at his desk or practicing martial arts with his sword, his fingers exuded an infinite sense of power, which was captivating to behold.

Yunying grasped the finger, and her heart began to beat faster.

She stumbled backward, then belatedly realized the force gripping her waist.

It was very large, very powerful, and exuded intense heat.

Yunying struggled a bit, and the Second Master released her and took a step back.

Yunying asked awkwardly, "Second Master, what brings you here?"

"I almost forgot about this if you hadn't mentioned it." The Second Master's face darkened slightly as he looked down at her. "I sent someone to invite you, but they couldn't get you to come, so naturally I had to come to find you myself. And you, instead of having time to attend to important matters, have time to hang lanterns here. Are you just going to leave so many maids in this mansion unused, to let them do nothing?"

The second master's tone was grave, which frightened Sui'er so much that she knelt down. Sui'er trembled and said, "Second master, spare my life..."

Yunying quickly said, "Don't scare her. Sui'er wouldn't let me hang them up. I just thought it would be fun, so I wanted to try hanging two up. Who would have thought..."

Who would have thought that by sheer coincidence, they alerted the active bamboo viper and almost lost their lives.

Yunying didn't want to continue talking about this unpleasant matter, so she tried to change the subject. "Second Master said he had something important to discuss with me. What is it?"

Second Master: "..."

The second master was stumped by the question.

He didn't really have anything to ask her for; he just suddenly thought of her and really wanted to see her.

But if he can't give a reasonable reason at this time, where will his second master put his face?
The second master said, "My mentor is about to celebrate his seventieth birthday. You should prepare some birthday gifts to send over. Just prepare some clothes, shoes, socks, and a small amount of local cloth. I will take care of the rest of the more valuable items."

Upon hearing that it was a serious matter, Yunying quickly nodded in agreement, while a trace of guilt rose in her heart.

She deliberately avoided him, but unexpectedly, it led to the Second Master coming to find her in person. She almost neglected her official duties because of her personal matters, but it was the Second Master who saved her life.

Yunying quickly nodded, "Second Master, don't worry, I'll go prepare shortly. But I have no idea how tall Lord Tong is, or whether he's fat or thin..."

"I'll have Suiyu send you your size later."

Yunying nodded repeatedly and readily agreed.

After discussing this matter, both of them fell silent. Yunying was intentionally avoiding suspicion and didn't want to communicate with the Second Master any further. Whether the Second Master noticed her unusual attitude or because it was broad daylight and there were other maids and servants busy nearby, he didn't say much either.

The scene was quiet, and Sui'er tried her best to pretend to be invisible.

A moment later, Sui Yu returned and immediately said, "Second Master, I've taken that snake..."

Sui Yu wanted to say that he had given the snake to the gatekeeper. The old gatekeeper wanted to use it to make medicinal wine, saying that the wine could dispel rheumatism and cure numbness in the limbs. He also said he would give him some to try once the wine was ready.

But before he could open his mouth, the Second Master stopped him, saying, "It's done. After that, find a professional snake catcher to patrol around the county government office and see if there are any more snake holes."

Second Master then looked at Yunying, "Buy some more realgar powder later and sprinkle it around the house and along the roads you often walk on."

"Don't worry, Second Master, I've got this in mind and I'll get on it right away."

Second Master wanted to say there was no need to rush, but Yunying seemed to be terrified of the snake. She couldn't wait to do it, so she asked Second Master, "Does Second Master have any other instructions? If not, I'll go and get busy."

Second Master opened his mouth, but in the end he only said, "Go ahead and get busy."

Yunying bowed to him, then called to Sui'er, and the two of them turned and walked back.

After taking only two steps, Yunying turned back and said, "By the way, Second Master."

The second master looked over, his deep, cool eyes softening with a gentle warmth. Yunying felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze, so she turned her head slightly away and said somewhat awkwardly, "The Lantern Festival is coming soon, and I've had many lanterns made. We can't hang them all in the backyard, so should we hang some in the front yard as well?"

Second Master asked, "Is this the matter?"

"Yes, what does Second Master think?"

"It's a small matter, you can decide for yourself."

After Yunying finished speaking, she took her leave. After her figure disappeared around the corner, the Second Master also turned around and went to the front yard.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, making it difficult for anyone to see his loss of composure.

However, Sui Yu and the others who served him closely had all grown up with the Second Master since childhood, and they could easily tell that the Second Master was unhappy and had something on his mind.

Sui Yu scratched his head and asked, "So, we've seen the person, Second Master, what else is there to be dissatisfied with?"

The second master suddenly stopped and stopped walking.

Sui Yu was really curious, so she risked her life to lean closer and ask, "Second Master, what are you thinking about?"

The second master frowned and looked at him when he heard his voice.

His gaze was so heavy and dark that it sent a shiver down Sui Yu's spine, almost giving her goosebumps.

Sui Yu jumped back a few times, putting more distance between herself and the Second Master, before asking again, "Second Master, have you remembered something important?"

Second Master frowned and said, "No."

The second master was silent for a moment, then murmured softly, "Something's wrong with her."

"Who? Who's acting strangely? Oh, Second Master, are you talking about Miss Yunying?" Sui Yu stroked his chin. "What's wrong with Miss Yunying? She seems perfectly fine to me."

"You don't understand." The Second Master wanted to be more specific, but there were some things he was unwilling to say.

Yunying's behavior was indeed proper and commendable, and no one could find fault with her.

But she had avoided his gaze the entire time.

Even if she glances at him, it's fleeting; she'll quickly lower her head or turn her gaze elsewhere.

Moreover, her gaze towards him was noticeably more restrained and polite, completely treating him as a master to be looked up to.

He didn't like Yunying like that.

He doesn't want a nightingale like that.

Second Master eventually returned to the front courtyard.

However, he seemed preoccupied and his complexion was not quite right, which made the servants very cautious, and none of them dared to disturb their master unless there was a reason.

Suiyun and the other two quickly finished their work and were about to report some things to the Second Master. However, as soon as they entered the front yard, they sensed that something was wrong. Then, Suiyu, who was guarding the gate, winked at them, as if to tell them to "be careful."

The familiar atmosphere, the familiar scent, and the familiar, cautious expression on Sui Yu's face...

Everyone soon realized that the Second Master was in a bad mood.

The three of them naturally wanted to know the reason, but no matter how hard they thought about it, they couldn't figure it out.

However, to avoid being caught in the typhoon's tail end, the group decided not to report back to Second Master yet. After all, it wasn't anything life-threatening, so they decided to wait and see.

I thought Second Master would recover quickly this time, but to my surprise, on the Lantern Festival, his face was still gloomy. No, to be precise, it was even gloomier than before.

Suiyun and the other two also learned from Suiyu the reason why the Second Master was acting strangely.

It is somewhat related to Miss Yunying.

This reason was both expected and unexpected.

As for how Miss Yunying displeased the Second Master, Suiyu couldn't explain it... So the other three couldn't explain what exactly happened either.

However, since this matter concerns Miss Yunying, it would be best not to mention her in front of the Second Master for the next few days.

The four of them strictly adhered to this tacit understanding and were prepared to carry it out rigorously.

But actually, they didn't need to be on guard against anything, because Yunying didn't show up in front of them for the next two days.

Until the Lantern Festival.

As is customary, on such a major holiday, Yunying would always personally come to find the Second Master to arrange a banquet, and ask for his opinion on hosting some of his advisors.

Yunying didn't show herself at all; she only sent her little maid, Sui'er, to make the trip.

Sui'er trembled with fear, and the expressions of Suiyun and the other three were also somewhat strange.

They finally realized that something really seemed wrong.

It's one thing for Second Master to be angry with Yunying, but Yunying is even avoiding him... Does she not want to stay in this county government office anymore?

In the end, Sui'er naturally didn't get anything out of him, and she didn't even get to see the Second Master before being dismissed by Suiyun.

When Sui'er returned to the backyard and told Yunying what had happened, Yunying's face was filled with sorrow.

Sui'er sobbed softly, "Miss, please don't make me do such things again. I'm terrified of the Second Master, and I'm also afraid of the guards around him. With you here, I have a pillar of support, so I'm not trembling with fear. But when you're not around, my mind goes blank when I see them, and I forget everything you asked me to ask."

(End of this chapter)