Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 10 The raccoon slave The raccoon slave
Zhao Yifu sat silently at the desk.

At this moment, there was no paper, pen or book on his desk. There was only a plate of cakes and a black kitten humming while eating the cakes.

He clenched and opened his hands repeatedly under the table, his fingers intertwined and stretched softly, and then, seeing the right opportunity, he suddenly struck...

The timing was just when the cat was eating intently, and he suddenly covered the kitten's head with his hand and stroked it gently.

The kitten was a little wary at first, but was so tempted by the delicious food that he didn't want to give in.

Then Zhao Yifu's hands began to act 'naughty'.

It started with a gentle stroking of the head and then turned into a scratching of the chin...

The kitten seemed to be still a little wary, or perhaps Zhao Yifu's technique made it quickly let down its guard.

So it was time for the next step. Zhao Yifu grinned and used both hands.

He held the kitten's body in his hands and kneaded it like dough...

Rub from the back to the belly, and from the belly to the tail.

Soon Zhao Yifu rubbed the kitten's body all over, which made him feel refreshed.

Finally, I have another chance to use this technique.

At this time, there was a noise outside the door. It turned out that the loyal servant had returned with Uncle San after looking at the house.

Zhao Yehe's loud voice started yelling as soon as he entered the room: "Xin'er, Third Uncle bought you a large courtyard house. I'm sure you like it."

Zhao Yifu frowned. How could it be so fast to look at a house? Is it reliable?

He turned to look at Zhongpu... Wu Zhong started looking for houses ten days ago, so he must have more say.

Unexpectedly, Wu Zhong had a sad face at this time, looking angry but unable to speak...

Good, now he was sure that there was something wrong with the house.

He asked, "Uncle San, where did you buy it?"

Zhao Yehe said nonchalantly, "There's a large courtyard not far from here at the west end of the city. Although it's a bit deserted, it's large and impressive. If we buy it and renovate it, it'll become a fine house."

Zhao Yifu didn't say anything. He turned to look at his loyal servant and said, "Uncle Wu, is there anything wrong with that house?"

Wu Zhong immediately said seriously when he heard this: "Second Young Master, that is a haunted house!"

"That was originally the home of a wealthy merchant family in Moyang City, but ten years ago, a catastrophe occurred and hundreds of people in the family were slaughtered."

"From then on, the house was considered unlucky. There were even rumors that evil things were lurking inside. As a result, the house was kept by the government and could not be sold."

Zhao Yifu understood why Wu Zhong had that expression. He had bought a haunted house.

Zhao Yehe said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? People like us who practice martial arts have strong blood and abundant yang energy, so we are not afraid of those evil spirits."

"Besides, as far as this house is concerned, there is no better one."

Wu Zhong said helplessly, "But that's unlucky."

Zhao Yehe said, "What are you afraid of? I'll stay with you guys for a while. Even if you had anything there, it's gone now."

Wu Zhong seemed even more helpless and looked at his young master for help.

As a result, when he turned around, he found that there was a small thing on Zhao Yifu's desk with its head raised up, looking at him lazily and yawning.

He was surprised and asked, "Huh? Where did this black cat come from?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I don't know. It probably came here on its own because it smelled the snacks. It might be raised by someone nearby."

Many people in the Great Xu Kingdom love to keep cats. There are many families who keep cats in Moyang City, and there are also many abandoned wild cats.

However, Zhao Yifu had no doubt that the black kitten was also a wild cat. This kitten was completely black and naturally beautiful. In this era, it was a symbol of good fortune and avoiding misfortune. It was considered an "auspicious animal" and no one would abandon such an "auspicious animal." Zhao Yehe's eyes lit up when he saw this. He said, "No matter where it comes from, it's ours once it enters our yard."

This is undoubtedly a cat lover.

Zhao Yifu also meant this. He said simply, "Let's move."

Zhao Yehe laughed and said, "That's right, let's move now! I'll lead the way for you."

As he said this, he happily reached out to catch the little black cat.

Unexpectedly, this little thing was very alert, at least very wary of Zhao Yehe. It straightened up and avoided Zhao Yehe's hand.

Zhao Yehe was stunned for a moment. He was now a second-rate master in the martial arts world. This movement was so swift that even if he was not serious, a kitten should not be able to dodge it easily.

Zhao Yifu had already reached out and picked up the kitten, putting it in his sleeve and said, "Let's go and look at houses together."

He looked at Zhao Yehe with caution, thinking that this guy was trying to steal his pet.

Wu Zhong: “…”

He felt powerless. He originally thought that his second young master was a modest gentleman, a scholar and a sensible person, but he didn't expect that Zhao Yi Fu also had such a bad temper.

The uncle and nephew obviously didn't care about the haunted house. Their minds were now all on the kitten.

The custom of keeping cats was popular in the Southern Dynasties. After all, the Southern Dynasties was a grain-producing area, and every household needed someone who was good at catching mice to prevent them from damaging the warehouses.

In fact, a cat and a dog are standard household items for many farmers.

Wu Zhong watched the uncle and nephew walk out excitedly, looking like they didn't want to stay in the yard any longer. He knew that they wanted to keep the black cat for themselves and were afraid that the original owner would come looking for them.

He shook his head helplessly and could only console himself with this: "Black cats are auspicious. I hope they can dispel the evil spirits from that haunted house."

Then he rushed out and caught up with the uncle and nephew and said, "Second Young Master, Third Master, what are we going to do for dinner? It's getting late, why don't you clean up one or two rooms and move in tomorrow?"

Zhao Yehe said without turning his head, "Just go to Zui Xiang Lou and pack some food. You don't have to worry about accommodation. We are all martial artists. Staying up for a few nights is nothing. It's a good opportunity to see what's so dirty about this house."

Wu Zhong's eyes widened. He didn't expect that the third master's idea was so unreliable.

Zhao Yifu was also stunned. He just thought he was going to check the house while it was still daylight, but he didn't know that his uncle wanted to come and "explore the haunted house at night"?
"Uncle San, that house has been vacant for ten years. I'm afraid it's covered in dust and can't be used as a place for people to live."

Zhao Yehe, on the other hand, became more excited. The more others opposed him, the more he insisted. He said, "What are you afraid of? It's common for your Third Uncle to sleep in the wild mountains when he was traveling around the world."

"Xin'er, although you came out to study alone, you haven't suffered much hardship since childhood. Today, it's just right that Third Uncle will teach you a lesson."

Zhao Yehe sneered, "How can you believe this, brother? Can you bear this kind of hardship?"

Zhao Yifu was speechless. Why should he suffer when he could enjoy himself?

But he also completely understood his Third Uncle. He was a very self-centered and reckless man. If he couldn't convince him like Zhao Yunhe did, then there was no way he could change his mind.

He was dragged out of the door helplessly, and carefully gathered up his sleeves, in which the kitten was hidden.

Since there is no way to change it, just choose to accept it.

By the time he was dragged out of the alley, his thoughts had already adjusted.

"Uncle Wu, go to the restaurant and buy some good wine. It would be best if we could also get some dried meat, dried fish, or other snacks to go with the wine."

"By the way, I'll trouble you to run a few more times and bring the beds over. We can lie down for a while if we get tired."

"Also, get some brooms and rags and stuff. We can't really lie down in the ashes..."

Zhao Yehe walked slower and slower in front, and he looked back at Zhao Yifu with a look of growing disdain. It was obvious that Zhao Yifu was too slow in his eyes, making him feel a little unbearable.

(End of this chapter)