I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 130 4K Oops

The Countess's gaze swept around the courtyard before finally settling on Xia Lin.

Xia Lin stood behind Bourne, head slightly bowed, adopting the posture befitting a servant.

But that gaze lingered on him for a moment.

"Bourne," the woman spoke, her voice languid and nonchalant, "Who is this?"

Byrne bowed slightly, his tone respectful and calm: "Madam, this is the new groom. Old Gene is too old to work anymore, this is the groom who will take over his duties of caring for the horses."

The Baroness's gaze swept over Xia Lin once more.

His gaze was indifferent.

Xia Lin's expression remained unchanged; he kept his head down, looking honest and obedient.

"Hmm." The Baroness withdrew her gaze, seemingly having lost interest in him. "I understand."

She lowered the curtain, and a lazy command came from inside the carriage: "Let's go."

The coachman lightly flicked the reins, and the two white horses began to move, pulling the magnificent carriage slowly out of the courtyard and disappearing at the end of the street.

Bourne stood there, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.

Then he gave a soft "humph".

"Let's go, Mr. Charlin." Bourne's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I'll take you to the stables. Your quarters are next to the stables; they're a bit simple, but they're quiet, which is convenient for you to carry out your mission."

Xia Lin nodded and followed him into the courtyard.

The morning sunlight shone through the tiny window into Xia Lin's "new home".

It was described as a single room, but it was actually just a small hut next to the stable where miscellaneous items were stored, which had been cleaned up.

The room was small, only about ten steps square.

A narrow wooden bed, so narrow that you have to be careful when you turn over, covered with a thin straw mat and a thin, faded quilt.

A small wooden table leaned to one side beside the bed, its legs propped up with tiles, and a chipped earthenware jar sat on top, serving as a kettle.

Several bags of hay and bean cakes for feeding the horses were piled up in the corner, and the air was filled with a smell of hay and horse manure that was not pleasant to smell.

Xia Lin sat up in bed and stretched her neck.

Although this bed wasn't comfortable, it was still better than sleeping on the ground in the wilderness—it was like heaven.

He got up and dragged a wooden box out from under the bed.

He opened it, and inside lay his previous clothes, all of which were kept there.

These things are useless now, but they need to be hidden away.

He was now wearing the groom's attire prepared by the old steward: a coarse linen shirt and trousers, grayish in color, with patches in several places.

He wore a canvas apron tied around his waist, which was stained with indelible grass and horsehair.

I wore a pair of thick-soled, rough leather shoes, which were durable but also so hard they hurt my feet.

Xia Lin looked at her reflection in the sink and almost didn't recognize herself.

He was exactly like an old stable boy who had spent several years in the stable.

Okay then. He comforted himself, the more inconspicuous the better.

everything is normal.

Xia Lin pushed open the door and took a deep breath of the morning air, which smelled of horse manure.

Let's get to work.

Over the past few days, Xia Lin has figured out her "job responsibilities".

Feeding horses is a basic skill.

Twice a day, morning and evening, mix the chopped hay with soybean cake and pour it into the manger.

This job is simple. The only thing to be careful about is not letting the horse bite your hand; those beasts don't recognize people.

Repairing horseshoes is also a skilled job.

Xia Lin stumbled on this very first day.

The chestnut horse looked docile, but when he lifted his hoof, it kicked him so hard he almost flew away.

After finally managing to hold it down, one shovelful of it destroyed the horse hoof.

The old horse immediately went berserk, neighing and running wildly in the stable, almost tearing it apart.

Fortunately, Xia Lin later had a flash of inspiration and used the term "ruthless operation".

Overwhelmed by five perception attributes, the beast finally gave in.

Relying on his past life's experience of repairing horseshoes from short videos, Xia Lin tried several times and finally managed to repair the remaining 3/4 of the horse's hoof.

This trick worked every time we repaired other horses.

I never imagined this term could be used in this way.

As Xia Lin arranged the hay in the manger, he silently sighed to himself.

If I can't continue as an adventurer later on, I can still survive by using the horse hoof repair skill.

Besides feeding the horses and trimming their hooves, he sometimes also has to act as their "driver."

Driving a horse-drawn carriage to take people out, etc.

As a groom, it's part of his job.

There were no special plans for this morning.

Xia Lin picked up the gleaming pitchfork and walked to the haystack next to the stable, preparing breakfast for the horses.

A pitchfork is inserted into the haystack.

With a forceful lift—

"Awooo—!!"

A bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, rang out!

Xia Lin was so startled that his hand trembled and he almost dropped the pitchfork.

Suddenly, the pile of hay was overturned, and two white-clad figures rolled out.

A fat man jumped out of the haystack, clutching his backside, his face flushed red, and cried out, "Ouch, ouch!"

He was wearing a white undergarment, which was now disheveled, with his belt askew below his navel.

Another woman dressed as a cook followed closely behind, hurriedly covering herself with an outer robe, her face flushed, her eyes darting around, as if she wanted to bury her head in the hay.

Xia Lin stared at the few drops of bright red blood on the tip of the pitchfork, somewhat speechless.

Wow, there was an unexpected bonus.

"Brother Xia, Xia Lin! It's me! One of our own!" The fat man, clutching his backside, limped over and pleaded in a low voice, "Don't shout! Please don't shout!"

Charlene then recognized him—it was Tom, the baron's cook.

He recognized the plump cook; she was the baroness's personal maid.

"Brother Tom," Xia Lin put down his pitchfork, his expression complicated, "you two—couldn't you go to a hotel and get a room? Why do you have to come here looking for trouble?"

Tom grimaced, rubbing his backside as he explained, "Brother, you don't understand. During work hours, neither of us can leave our posts, right? Public and private matters are separate; I can tell the difference."

Xia Lin: "You're quite responsible."

You're out playing games during work hours, and you're even talking about it like it's a perfectly reasonable thing to do?

Tom seemed to see through his thoughts and added, "Besides, doesn't it cost money to rent a room? I have to send my meager monthly salary back to my wife and kids in the countryside every month."

Every little bit helps, you know I'm a responsible man.

Xia Lin looked at him, her gaze becoming even more complicated.

"To be honest, I love my wife from the countryside very much! This time—this time it was just an accident."

Family is family, and life is life; they are two different things. That doesn't stop me from being a responsible and good husband, does it?

Xia Lin really didn't know what to say this time.

A good husband.

Adultery.

Send money to his wife.

How can these words, when applied to one person, still be logically consistent?

Tom forced a grateful smile at Xia Lin: "Thanks, brother! Keep this a secret this time, and you'll definitely get your share of the good stuff later! Let's keep in touch!"

Xia Lin thought for a moment and nodded.

This is Tom's personal privacy, and he has no right to interfere.

And he really needs to build some connections here.

Tom is a cook, and he deals with those servants every day, so he must be well-informed.

The plump cook serving the Baroness was even more advantageous.

"Okay," Xia Lin said. "Brother Tom, go get your wound bandaged up first. If you want to come again in the future, let me know in advance and I'll save you a good spot."

Tom's eyes lit up: "How kind of you! I'll be going now!"

After saying that, he clutched his still bleeding buttocks, and, limping, helped the plump cook disappear behind the stable.

This first day was certainly lively.

Xia Lin watched them leave, then looked down at the bloodstain on the tip of the pitchfork and then at the pile of messy hay.

Tom was indeed very "kind" at lunchtime.

Xia Lin's plate had an extra large piece of stewed meat, two sausages, and a spoonful of thick gravy, which was more than usual.

The servants nearby watched with envy, wondering how the new groom had managed to win the chef's favor and receive special treatment.

Xia Lin finished the "secrecy fee" with a clear conscience; it wasn't a bad deal after all.

in the afternoon.

The old butler, Byrne, found Xia Lin and handed him a set of cleaner clothes.

Although it was a groom's outfit, it was much better than the patched-up clothes he wore this morning.

"Young Master is going out," Bourne said in a low voice. "You'll be driving. The other one—"

He paused, then said seriously, "You know what you're doing. I'm entrusting the young master's safety to you."

Xia Lin nodded.

He finally met the young master of the baron's family.

Dean.

He was in his early twenties, slender but upright, with regular facial features.

He wore a blue robe with exquisite embroidery on the collar and cuffs, understated yet clearly of excellent quality.

Her dark brown hair was neatly combed, making her face appear even whiter.

Dean looked at Xia Lin, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, before nodding slightly.

"Thanks for your hard work."

His voice was gentle, with the unhurried tone characteristic of aristocrats, but without any condescending arrogance. "I know your background. Bourne told me."

After saying that, he got into the carriage.

Xia Lin jumped into the driver's seat, gently shook the reins, and the carriage slowly drove out of the Baron's mansion.

The carriage moved smoothly along the city streets.

As Xia Lin drove, he kept an eye on the surrounding street scene.

Dean was heading to a merchant guild in the east of the city, a place lined with shops and bustling with people.

After turning two streets, Xia Lin's gaze sharpened slightly.

He caught a glimpse of two figures at the street corner behind him, following him at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Something's up!

The two people were dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, but their gait was too deliberate, and their eyes kept glancing towards the carriage.

I'm being followed.

Xia Lin continued driving calmly, turning into a relatively quiet alley at the next intersection.

The two figures followed them in.

Xia Lin slowed down the car and turned to the side of the carriage, saying, "There's a tail behind us. I'll get out and deal with it first. You can continue forward."

Dean pulled back the curtains, glanced behind him, and frowned slightly.

"careful."

Xia Lin nodded, and after the carriage turned a corner, he quietly jumped off and disappeared into the shadows by the alley.

The two figures quickly caught up.

They had just turned the corner.

Xia Lin emerged from the shadows and blocked their path.

"You two, you've been following me for a while now, aren't you tired?"

The two men exchanged a glance, and the taller one said coldly, "This is none of your business, mind your own business."

Xia Lin was too lazy to waste words.

He stepped forward and punched the tall man in the stomach with his right fist—not hard, but enough to make the man curl up into a shrimp instantly.

Before the shorter man next to him could react, he slashed the other man's neck with his left hand.

The tall man groaned and collapsed to the ground.

The other accomplice, the shorter one, changed his expression and turned to run away!

Xia Lin did not pursue.

He watched the hastily fleeing figure disappear at the end of the alley, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Cast a long line to catch a big fish.

He silently followed after them.

The short man ran wildly, twisting and turning, and finally disappeared into a quiet street.

At the end of the street stood an inconspicuous gray carriage.

At that moment, a young woman stood beside the carriage.

The woman was in her early twenties, wearing a light purple long dress with delicate lace trim on the neckline and cuffs.

With her golden curly hair cascading over her shoulders, she stood there, frowning, as if waiting for some news.

The short man stumbled up to her, panting, "Miss Catherine! Oh no! We've been found! I've lost them!"

The woman named Catherine's expression changed: "Did you come back alone? Where's the other one?"

"I was stopped by that coachman!" the short man cried, his face contorted with misery. "That guy looks unassuming, but he's incredibly ruthless! I barely managed to escape!"

Catherine bit her lip, about to say something.

"I've found you."

A calm voice came from the street corner.

Xia Lin stepped out of the shadows and looked at the woman.

The short man was so frightened he almost sat down on the ground.

Catherine took a step back, a flicker of panic crossing her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

"You...you're Dean's man, aren't you?" She looked at Xia Lin, her tone tinged with nervousness, but more so with a kind of probing.

Xia Lin didn't speak, she just looked at her.

Catherine took a deep breath, suddenly stepped forward, and tilted her head back: "How much did he pay you? I'll pay double!"

Xia Lin was slightly taken aback.

He hadn't expected this turn of events.

"You bribed me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Catherine said matter-of-factly, "I am Catherine of the Magic Lake Merchant Guild! You should have heard of me, right? At least half of the shops on that street in the East District of Deepwater City belong to my family!"

Clothing stores, jewelry stores, spice shops—and several manors outside the city! I can afford it!

Xia Lin had indeed heard of this chamber of commerce.

Magic Lake—the name is a bit strange, but it's quite famous in Waterdeep.

It is said that they started by doing business with elves, and later their business grew bigger and bigger, and now they are one of the most important trading companies in Waterdeep.

The owner of the chamber of commerce is a capable person; over the years, he has expanded his business to all over the place.

"So," Xia Lin looked at her, "what are you trying to do by hiring people to follow us?"

"Catherine".

A helpless voice came from behind Xia Lin.

Xia Lin turned around and saw that Dean had gotten off the carriage at some point and was walking towards them.

His face wore an expression that was both funny and exasperating.

When Catherine saw Dean, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Xia Lin was stunned. What was going on?

"You...you finally agreed to see me!" She bit her lip, her voice filled with grievance. "You've ignored me for months, and you've avoided me when you go out. I...I thought you had another woman."

Dean sighed, walked up to her, and said gently, "I wasn't avoiding you. It's just that there's been a lot going on at home these past few months, I—"

"Liar!" Catherine interrupted him. "I've had someone follow you for half a month, and you always take a detour when you go out! You just don't want to see me!"

Dean fell silent.

Xia Lin stood to the side, looking at this and then at that, when a rather ominous guess suddenly popped into her mind.

"etc.

""

"You two... know each other?"