Liu Gui jogged out of the courtyard.
Now that it was decided the spiritual pet would be kept here, he had become the errand runner. He needed to go to the Jade Garden and tell them to bring over the iron cage for the puppy and its food.
Yu Qing did not even have the qualification to run this errand, as he was not allowed into the inner courtyard.
With the matter settled, Feng Changdian also noticed something unusual. Seeing that the spiritual pet stayed solely with Yu Qing, he roughly understood why the Third Miss and the others had specifically assigned him to care for it, and he could not help feeling curious.
Xiaohong asked Yu Qing out of curiosity, “Niu Youqing, why is Purple Dragon so good to you?”
Everyone turned to look at Yu Qing at once, as this was exactly what they all wanted to ask.
Good to me? Yu Qing was baffled by her question. Apart from pestering him for food, he really could not see how the puppy was treating him well. He did not quite understand their way of speaking and asked doubtfully, “Is it treating me well?”
Xiaohong immediately rephrased it, “Why is Purple Dragon so close to you?”
Oh! Yu Qing understood at once. He certainly did not dare admit that he had fed it leftover spoiled rice, so he gave a brief answer, “I do not know either. Ever since I was young, small animals seemed to prefer playing with me. The elders at home said it was because I am kind-hearted.”
After speaking, he felt a slight sweat of nervousness. He wondered if praising himself like that was a bit much. After all, when the brothers from Linglong Temple saw animals, big or small, in the mountains, they mostly dealt with them as food.
The younger ones felt as though they were listening to a story. Feng Changdian, however, stroked his beard and said, “Indeed. These small animals may look tiny, but they can actually feel who treats them with genuine kindness. Therefore, Third Miss, you can rest assured leaving the spiritual pet here to be raised.”
Wen Xin nodded slightly.
Not long after, Liu Gui arrived with servants from the Jade Garden, delivering the iron cage and a large canvas bag of “dog food”.
Upon seeing the iron cage, the puppy immediately darted across the drainage ditch and hid behind Yu Qing.
After handing over the items, and before preparing to leave, Song Pingping instructed Yu Qing, “Regarding its food, just feed it five pellets per meal for now. I will bring more once it runs out. Remember, do not feed it anything else. Otherwise, do not blame me for being harsh. Have you understood?”
Yu Qing nodded, “Understood.”
Perhaps because he was a strange man, Wen Xin had hardly spoken throughout. Only when leaving did she offer Yu Qing a polite remark, “Troubling you, and thank you for your trouble.”
Before Yu Qing could speak, Feng Changdian smiled and said, “Third Miss, you are too polite. It is no trouble at all. This is what we servants ought to do. The fact that you gave him this task is the true blessing he earned in his past life.”
Wen Xin gave a reserved smile, nodded gracefully, and then left with the people from the Jade Garden.
Once outside the main gate, Xiaohong let out a long breath and said, “That is settled. We can finally relax and get a proper night’s sleep.”
Song Pingping raised her fists to the sky, looking equally relieved. “The master and senior brother have also gone out. They probably will not return for a few days, so we can finally enjoy some freedom.”
Inside the utility courtyard, with everyone else gone, Feng Changdian looked at the little creature that had been hiding since the cage arrived, and sighed to Yu Qing, “You are a blessed man. You truly hit the jackpot this time. If you are retained after three months, with the Third Miss looking out for you, you have secured your fortune for life.” He pointed at the puppy. “I need not say more. You must understand that it will be your reliance for this life. Take good care of it. If it needs anything, just ask. If Liu Gui cannot handle it, come to me.”
Liu Gui, standing nearby, looked on with envy.
“Yes,” Yu Qing agreed.
“I have other matters to attend to,” Feng Changdian said, before leaving.
Yu Qing and Liu Gui walked him to the gate.
Once Steward Feng was far enough away, Liu Gui patted Yu Qing’s shoulder with some excitement. “As long as your background is clean, you will definitely be kept on after three months. Brother Niu, when you prosper in the future, do not forget my kindness!”
Yu Qing smiled politely, “It is all thanks to Head Liu’s guidance.”
Liu Gui shook his shoulder. “Calling me ‘Head Liu’ sounds awkward. We are brothers now. Let us just address each other as brothers in private.”
Whatever, Yu Qing politely brushed it off for a while.
Having finally managed to send the man away, the puppy ran up to him again, wagging its tail and head with eager eyes.
Others might not understand, but Yu Qing knew instantly. It was begging for food again. He immediately tore open the “dog food” bag, grabbed four pellets, and squatted down to feed it.
Eat this? The puppy refused, quickly backing away.
“Not eating it? What do you want to eat? You have already delayed my breakfast. I do not even have anything else to give you.”
Grumbling, Yu Qing stood up. He first closed the main gate, then turned around, swiftly lunged out, and grabbed the puppy. Not intending to spoil its bad habits, he pried open its mouth, shoved the “dog food” directly inside, and then promptly stuffed the puppy into the cage and secured it.
Simple and rough, with not a shred of affection.
He then went to fetch a stack of floor tiles to block both exits of the drainage ditch, preventing the puppy from accidentally escaping one day.
Since he was now responsible for raising it, if it got lost, he would have to answer for it. Naturally, he had to seal any loopholes.
After blocking the dog hole, he turned back and noticed the puppy was still making a clicking sound inside the cage. Walking closer, he saw it spit out a pellet of “dog food”. Looking carefully, it was not just one. There were four soggy pellets in the cage.
Yu Qing finally realised the little creature had a rather stubborn temperament. If you forced it to eat something it disliked, it would simply vomit it back out.
“Aoo… aoo…”
After wagging its tail pitifully for a while with no response, the puppy started rolling and thrashing in the cage again. Within moments, its eyes welled up with tears. As though suffering immense grievance, it kicked its short legs and wailed incessantly.
Yu Qing felt uneasy because of it. He was not Wen Xin, and he worried that others might hear and think he was abusing the spiritual pet.
To avoid trouble, he quickly dragged the iron cage into his room, pulled the dog out, grabbed a rope, and swiftly tied its mouth shut.
Thrown back into the cage, the puppy finally fell silent. It could no longer make a sound, leaving only its paws scratching futilely at the rope around its mouth.
Bang! Yu Qing kicked the cage straight under the bed. Out of sight, out of mind. The main point was to keep it hidden from outsiders.
If anyone else came, he would definitely check who they were before letting them in. If it were Wen Xin or the others, he would have to untie the rope from the puppy’s mouth first.
Having temporarily solved the puppy problem, he went to the storeroom, found a large roll of paper used for pasting windows, and cut a large piece to bring back.
Returning, he lifted the bedding from the couch, spread the large paper on the bed board, brought out brush and ink, and began sketching the rough layout of the Wen estate.
The three brothers had already walked around the entire perimeter of the Wen estate before entering, noting its overall shape was a large rectangle.
He drew the large rectangle, marked the four gates to the east, south, west, and north, noted the location of the utility room, and finally roughly sketched the route of the underground passages he could remember, before pausing.
From today onwards, he would have his two senior brothers gradually fill in the surface features of the Wen estate on the map, while he himself would complete the underground layout. When the time came, they would locate the tunnel exit closest to Wenshu Pavilion, preparing for a secret entry if absolutely necessary.
Having made a start, he put away the brush and ink, replaced the bedding, and covered the drawing.
As for the constant flapping and stirring under the bed, he ignored it. He could not do anything about it for now. He had no way to soothe it and could only resort to forceful measures.
When lunchtime arrived, Yu Qing appeared at the dining hall with a bowl, served himself food, and left immediately.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who were eating in the dining hall, exchanged a glance and stood up one after another, following him in sequence.
The three brothers entered the utility courtyard in turns. Once the door was closed, Nan Zhu immediately pressed Yu Qing for answers, “Why did I see the Third Miss coming to your place this morning?”
Mu Aotie was also curious, having heard it from Nan Zhu.
He had wanted to come this morning to find out whether the fifteenth brother had entered the tunnel the previous night, but Nan Zhu had blocked him.
Yu Qing did not answer verbally. He crawled under the bed, dragged out the iron cage, opened it, and grabbed the struggling puppy with its mouth tied.
The two senior brothers looked bewildered. Nan Zhu exclaimed in surprise, “This little thing ran to your place again? Is it here to bring me silver again?”
Yu Qing ignored him. Holding the puppy by the scruff of its neck, he went straight to the storeroom, dug out the iron pot they had previously put away, and placed it on the floor. He turned to the two who followed him and said, “Are you still eating? If not, pour it all into the pot.”
That was exactly what they intended. They immediately poured their unfinished food into the iron pot.
The teary-eyed puppy instantly lit up, wagging its tail joyfully. Once Yu Qing untied the rope and released it, the puppy pounced into the pot like a hungry tiger. It spun around inside the round pot, rolling in the food until its fur was terribly dirty. After steadying itself, it immediately began gobbling down the food.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie stared in dumbfounded silence.
“You are feeding the spiritual pet this?” Nan Zhu asked, pointing at it.
Yu Qing replied, “It refuses to eat what it is supposed to eat and throws a massive tantrum. What can I do? I do not have anything else to give it. If it will not eat this, what should it eat?”
Mu Aotie asked, “What exactly is going on?”
“What else could it be? They made me raise it…” Yu Qing explained the general situation.
The two senior brothers were speechless, never expecting such a situation to arise.
Nan Zhu suddenly said excitedly, “That Third Miss might have a chance to enter Wenshu Pavilion. Since you have the opportunity to interact with her, why not try to find a way?”
Yu Qing said, “Let us wait and see. I cannot find an opening to bring it up right now. By the way, precisely because raising this dog thing makes it easy to contact Wen Xin, the Wen family might investigate my background. You must be careful when coming here. Avoid contact with me unless absolutely necessary.”
The two senior brothers nodded silently.
Yu Qing beckoned them, led the two back to his bedroom, lifted the bedding to reveal the map underneath, and handed them the brush and ink. He urged them, “You should not stay long. Hurry up.”
Understanding easily, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie knew exactly what it was at a glance. They immediately gathered around the map and took turns adding details to it.
Inevitably, the conversation turned to the underground passages afterwards.
Yu Qing did not hide this from them. Except for the matter of him secretly watching Wen Xin, he roughly explained everything else.
Hearing that the person having an affair with the Qinglian Mountain disciple might be the matriarch of the Wen family’s second branch, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie were utterly shocked and found it hard to believe.
They also knew the fifteenth brother would not speak carelessly about such a matter. Nan Zhu immediately asked, “What do they look like? We will keep an eye out and find an opportunity to verify it.”
“The woman is middle-aged but still beautiful, with a curvaceous figure and sharp, shrewd eyes. The man looks relatively young, dressed in white clothes, with sword-like eyebrows and star-bright eyes, quite handsome and elegant…”
As soon as Yu Qing finished speaking, Nan Zhu could not help but slap his thigh. “Damn, the man you described must be the one I have seen. He is probably Zou Yunting, disciple of Fan Wuchou, the Qinglian Mountain elder stationed with the Wen family! Hell, he looks like a respectable young man. I really could not have guessed!”