Wedding ceremony tomorrow

Chapter 73

Walk through a garden.

Behind them are several small courtyards not far apart, all surrounded by green trees and bamboo groves, quite elegant.

Luo Qingfeng is not picky.

After observing for a while, I randomly chose a small courtyard at the very back.

The gate to the courtyard had four large characters written on it: "Qingzhu Xiaoyuan" (Green Bamboo Garden).

The door was ajar and not locked.

Xiao Tao noted down his name and led him inside.

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by the fragrance of flowers filling the courtyard.

In the corners on both sides of the courtyard, many flowers are planted, while in the center of the courtyard, some flowering trees are planted.

Right next to the corridor, there are two winter plum trees.

At this point, the branches have already sprouted.

Xiao Tao introduced in a cheerful voice, "This courtyard that the young master chose has never been lived in by a schoolteacher. It used to be the residence of Sister Ting'er and the others. They were appreciated by the madam and moved to the inner courtyard, so it has been left empty."

Luo Qingfeng nodded, continuing to look around.

Xiao Tao looked at him with some confusion.

Throughout the journey, this young master Luo only said one sentence to her, which seemed somewhat different from his previous eloquent manner in front of the head steward.

Luo Qingfeng sensed her gaze and seemed to have discovered his weakness, so he quickly smiled and said, "The courtyard is quite nice, quiet and elegant, very suitable for studying."

Xiao Tao smiled and asked, "Does the young master intend to take the imperial examination to become the top scholar?"

Luo Qingfeng looked at her and said, "Of course, we scholars study hard for years, who doesn't want to become the top scholar and return home in glory?"

This little girl has big, bright, and adorable eyes; she looks innocent and naive.

However, he will never let his guard down.

From the moment he entered the mansion, he assumed that everyone inside might be a demon, so he had to be extremely careful.

He plays a eloquent scholar, no longer the taciturn man he once was.

Newcomers to the mansion are generally safer the more bold, casual, and reckless they appear. Conversely, those who are taciturn, reserved, and deliberately inconspicuous are more likely to be suspected.

He had no doubt about the wisdom of any demon.

A demon who can manipulate people's desires and devise all sorts of terrible schemes and tricks, how could it not be intelligent?

Therefore, he must be wary of anyone in the mansion.

They went inside.

The living room inside isn't big, but there are three bedrooms: one large and two small.

The large room is divided into an outer room and an inner room, separated by only half a wall.

The inner room was where the master rested. It was divided into two spaces by a beaded curtain. One room contained a bed, wardrobe, dressing table, and other items, and was the place at night. The other room contained a soft couch, desk, and other items, and was the place for reading, drinking tea, and taking a nap during the day. The outer room was only big enough to fit a small bed and was the place for the maids to rest, so that they could enter the inner room to serve them at any time.

As for the other two smaller rooms, they are usually where guests rest.

Xiao Tao led him into the main room, smiling as she said, "Young master, look, this place was just cleaned and is very tidy. I'll get you blankets, pillows, and other items later. If you need anything else, please just tell me."

Luo Qingfeng looked at her and asked, "Can't I go out yet?"

Xiao Tao looked troubled: "The head steward said that we can only leave tomorrow after the young master receives his identity token."

Luo Qingfeng didn't say anything more, and said, "Alright, go get your things."

Xiao Tao nodded and said, "Mhm."

She then blinked her big, dark eyes and asked in a clear voice, "What color blankets, towels, and other items does the young master like?"

Luo Qingfeng thought for a moment and said, "Anything that isn't green is fine."

Xiao Tao was a little puzzled, but she didn't ask any more questions. She nodded, turned around, and left with light steps.

Luo Qingfeng walked to the window and watched her petite figure leave the courtyard. Then he carefully inspected the entire house, including the kitchen and woodshed in the lower room.

Seeing that nothing was amiss, they were finally relieved.

At this moment, the sun had gradually risen into the sky.

Luo Qingfeng felt a little worried when he thought about how Nightingale was about to enter the manor.

However, at the beginning, the demon probably didn't dare to make a move easily.

If it truly is the kind of demon that enjoys absorbing the vital essence of men and women, it would probably only act when it's late at night and everyone is asleep.

Therefore, the nights in the mansion are the most dangerous.

With that in mind, Xiao Tao and two other maids quickly brought over quilts, basins, and other daily necessities, and then began to decorate the room.

The other two maids appeared to be twin sisters, looking quite alike; one was named Xiao Zi, and the other Xiao Jing.

Luo Qingfeng asked who had given him the name.

Both of them said, "It's the head butler."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingfeng nodded and said, "What a wonderful name! 'Twin Bauhinia blossoms, sisters united in spirit,' the head steward truly possesses great literary talent!"

The two sisters were delighted to hear the praise and became even more diligent in their work.

After Luo Qingfeng left the room, the two sisters immediately leaned close to Xiao Tao and whispered, "Good sister, you're going to be so lucky. This young master Luo is so young, handsome, talented, and kind. Even the head steward is impressed. He'll be a force to be reckoned with in the manor from now on."

When the three of them made the bed together, the two sisters chatted amongst themselves, full of envy.

"Little Peach, you're so lucky. You escaped that misery early and got to be with such a handsome young man. Sigh, we might end up like Little Red and Little Green, always at risk of being given away to some old geezer..."

"I heard that Xiaochun, who was taken away by that schoolteacher last month, jumped into the river and committed suicide. It's said that the wicked old man often beat and scolded her, and even planned to sell her to a brothel..."

As they talked, they couldn't help but think about their future fate, and both of them had tears in their eyes.

Xiao Tao quickly comforted her.

After a while.

The two sisters wiped away their tears and gave a bitter smile.

"What's the use of saying all this? We are all lowly servants and slaves, this is our fate. Our masters can give us to whomever they want, we have no room to resist. Being able to eat our fill, stay warm and alive is already better than many other people..."

"By the way, Xiaotao, does the small bed in the outer room need to be made?"

"Hey, aren't you going to sleep with that Young Master Luo? Xiao Cha and the others are so envious! They say you're going to enjoy this handsome young master's gentle whipping tonight, and you definitely won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning, hehe..."

"By the way, Xiao Tao, you must seize the opportunity and sleep with this Young Master Luo as soon as possible. If you can get pregnant, that would be even more secure. Otherwise, you might end up being given away."

"Yes, it's fine to give it to a young master, but if you give it to one of those wicked and ugly old men, they'll suffer a fate worse than death..."

After tidying up and muttering to themselves for a while, Xiao Zi and Xiao Jing reluctantly left.

Luo Qingfeng was admiring the blooming flowers in the courtyard, holding a freshly picked green tangerine in his hand and tasting it, which made him grimace from the sourness.

When the two sisters came out, they saw him grimacing from the sourness, and immediately chuckled, covering their mouths and saying, "Young Master Luo, the green oranges in the yard are so sour they'll make your teeth ache. If you want to eat oranges, just have Xiao Tao go to the kitchen to get some."

Luo Qingfeng stood up and said, "I just wanted to try something. By the way, when will the head steward be back? I came in a hurry today and didn't bring any books. Without books, it won't be good to attend class tomorrow, so I'd like to go out for a bit."

Xiao Zi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go ask later."

Luo Qingfeng bowed and thanked him.

Seeing his polite manner and beaming smiles, the two sisters glanced back at Xiao Tao at the door and sighed inwardly, filled with envy.

After the two left, Luo Qingfeng finished the remaining green tangerines in his hand, turned around and looked at the little maid in the corridor and said, "Xiao Tao, what were you two whispering about in the room just now? One minute you were laughing, the next you were crying."

Xiao Tao blushed and said shyly, "No, it's nothing."

She immediately said, "Young master, lunch should be ready. I'll go get it for you."

The mansion provides two meals a day, one for lunch and one for dinner.

The food should be pretty good.

Luo Qingfeng did not refuse.

Although meat probably wouldn't be enough for his current appetite, a free lunch still smells delicious.

Xiao Tao quickly brought over the food.

Three dishes and one soup, one meat dish and two vegetable dishes.

For an ordinary family, this meal would be a luxury, but for Luo Qingfeng now, it's definitely not enough.

Because of his cultivation, he will go out later to buy some meat to eat.

As Luo Qingfeng was eating with his head down, he heard the sound of a maidservant standing beside him swallowing.

A thought struck him: Ordinary maids shouldn't get to eat this kind of food, unless they are favored maids.

Thinking this, he ate only half of his meal before saying, "I'm full."

At this moment, Xiao Zi came over to report: "Young Master Luo, the head steward said that you may go home to get your books, but you must return before dark. Also, when you return, you must enter the mansion through the back gate, and Xiao Tao needs to be there to greet you; otherwise, you will not be able to enter."

Luo Qingfeng nodded and said, "Please thank the head steward for me. I'll head back now."

Xiao Zi respectfully took her leave.

Luo Qingfeng said to Xiao Tao beside him, "I'll be back in about an hour. Wait for me at the back door then. Don't come too early."

Xiao Tao hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Would you like me to accompany you home, young master?"

Luo Qingfeng said, "No need."

After saying that, he went out the door and followed the route he came in through, heading towards the back door.

At this time, Nightingale and the others should be about to enter the mansion, or waiting outside, hoping to meet them.

Of course, even if he encountered him, he wouldn't go up to say hello.

He just wanted to confirm whether the Demon Suppression Academy had begun to take the case seriously and whether they had sent more demon exorcists.

After passing through the long corridor and courtyard, and then through two gardens, he suddenly realized that he was somewhat lost.

There was a grove of trees ahead.

He remembered that when he came, he hadn't passed through such a large bamboo forest.

The bluestone path on the ground, the cobblestone path next to it, and even the artificial hill and stream not far away all seemed somewhat familiar, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that they were not the same as when they arrived.

They must have gone the wrong way.

Just as he was about to turn back, a maidservant dressed in a bright green dress and carrying a flower basket suddenly emerged from the bamboo grove. Seeing him, she softly asked, "Young master, which courtyard do you belong to? What brings you here?"

Luo Qingfeng quickly bowed and said, "Please forgive me, young lady. I am a tutor hired by the head steward. I just arrived at the manor today and was about to leave through the back door to go home and get my books, but I forgot the way I came and went the wrong way."

The maid chuckled softly and said, "So you're a schoolteacher. This is the first time I've seen such a young schoolteacher."

Then she said, "Young master, please come with me, I will take you out."

Luo Qingfeng quickly thanked him.

The maid smiled, turned around, and walked into the bamboo grove.

Luo Qingfeng paused, then said, "Miss, I remember that I didn't pass through the bamboo forest in front of me when I came here."

The maid turned around, smiled sweetly, and said, "It's closer from here; just pass through the bamboo grove and a flower garden, and you'll arrive."

She then laughed and said, "What's wrong, young master? Don't you trust me?"

Luo Qingfeng glanced at her again before following her.

The maid waited until he was close before continuing forward and saying, "My name is A-Lian, and I serve the Fourth Madam. There's a flower garden in the back, so I was picking flowers there. What's your name, young master?"

Luo Qingfeng said his name and then looked her over a few more times.

This young maid had delicate skin, a pretty face, and a small beauty mark on the corner of her mouth. She spoke softly and gently.

The maids in wealthy families are indeed all quite good.

"Young Master must be exceptionally talented, otherwise the head steward wouldn't have agreed to let him stay and teach. After all, those old teachers had really angered Master and Madam. If they can't find a good teacher this time, the head steward will be punished."

As Ah Lian walked, she said with a smile.

After passing through the bamboo forest, there was indeed a large flower garden ahead, where hundreds of flowers were in full bloom, vying for attention and creating a breathtaking scene.

After entering the path in the middle of the flowerbed, A-Lian stopped talking and quickened her pace.

Luo Qingfeng glanced ahead, then slowed his pace.

"Girl, it seems there's no road ahead."

He stopped.

But the maid named A-Lian seemed not to hear, and continued walking faster and faster, soon passing through the flower path and entering a small wooden house in front.

Luo Qingfeng's stellar energy surged within him, his eyes scanning the surroundings and his ears listening to everything around him, as he began to slowly retreat.

Just then, two maids suddenly stood up from the flowerbed on the right.

"Hey, who are you? What are you doing here?"

The two maids asked warily.

Luo Qingfeng turned his head and looked at the two of them carefully for a few moments before saying, "I am the new teacher recruited by the head steward. I originally intended to leave through the back door, but I got lost and was led here by a young lady."

The two maids exchanged a glance.

One of them immediately said, "Stop lying! We just saw you walking and stopping alone from the woods. Who was leading the way? If you don't tell the truth, we're going to call the guards!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingfeng was immediately startled.

(End of this chapter)