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Chapter 99 — Black-Hearted Boss
The next day.
Xiao Xi wakes up and sees a neat stack of clothes beside her bed. Did Feng Lingran bring clothes to her when she was still asleep?
There seems to be no better explanation than that.
Xiao Xi stretched out, put on the clothes, got out of bed, and opened the door. She saw Qin Wen coming over and smiled at him.
Qin Wen was bringing the breakfast of the little fox in his hand when he saw Xiao Xi came out of a door. If he remembered correctly, it was the door to Wang Ye’s room. How could Xiao Xi come out from…… Wang Ye’s room?
Qin Wen stared, if it wasn’t because of the door behind Xiao Xi still being open, Qin Wen would have thought that his eyes were wrong.
“Steward Qin, good morning.”
Xiao Xi glanced over the food box in steward Qin’s hand and reached for it, “Is this the breakfast for the little fox? I’ll feed it!”
Qin Wen looked at the young girl’s bright and brilliant smile and nodded in astonishment. He saw the young girl turn around and walk into Feng Lingran’s room. Qin Wen seemed to understand that Xiao Xi had come to see the little fox in Wang Ye’s room.
It’s just that… Xiao Xi had disappeared for several days. Why did she suddenly appear?
The door closed.
Xiao Xi’s small hand was on her chest. Fortunately, she was smart. Otherwise, she will be caught by Qin Wen, which would be beyond debate.
“Little disciple, before I leave today, I’ll take you to the cave in the outskirts.”
Zi Yi suddenly appeared and floated in front of Xiao Xi.
Are you leaving so soon?
Xiao Xi suddenly lost some of her heart. Although she spent such a short time with Zi Yi, all the help that Zi Yi gave had already been engraved in her heart. This master and disciple bond was the warmest gain after transmigrating.
“Master, when will you be back?”
Zi Yi stared at Xiao Xi’s reluctant to part expression, and a mischievous smile spreads from the corners of his mouth.
“What? Did the little apprentice fall in love with master? Can’t bear to leave?”
“Master, you’re not being serious.”
Xiao Xi knows that Zi Yi like to tease her, inevitably leading to a red little face.
“What do you mean master is not being serious? Master is concerned about you. If little disciple really loves master that much and refuse to part, master can take little disciple along to find the spiritual grass together. Little disciple, will you consider going with master?”
“No, no, master, the feeling is that of a master and disciple, it’s reasonable for little disciple to be reluctant to part with master, but the meaning completely changed in master’s mouth.”
Xiao Xi did not deny that she was reluctant to part with Zi Yi, and saw his expression get happier. Those pair of phoenix eyes become even more mischievous, and she pouted her mouth.
At the cave in the outskirts.
Xiao Xi went in with her lunch box and saw the boy who kept standing. She smiled.
When the little boy saw Xiao Xi, his eyes were shining like the snow. He did not wonder why Xiao Xi was here, just the fact that Xiao Xi’s appeared was exciting enough for the little boy.
The little boy ran over and threw himself into Xiao Xi’s arms. He stretched out his tongue excitedly and was about to lick Xiao Xi.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Xi immediately raised her palm, and made a move to hit the little boy.
The frightened little boy withdrew from her arms, and his tongue shrank back. He stood there honestly and did not dare to move. The little boy looked at Xiao Xi’s raised palm and seemed to be familiar with it. The little fox did the same when it wanted to hit him.
Xiao Xi put the food box on the ground and brought out the food inside. There were chicken legs, meat and fish. Today’s breakfast is very rich, probably because last night Feng Lingran took the little fox to eat with him, so Qin Wen poured his heart into it this morning.
With a flick of Zi Yi’s sleeve, two pairs of bamboo chopsticks appeared in front of Xiao Xi.
Xiao Xi glanced gratefully at Zi Yi, she picked up the bamboo chopsticks, and taught the little boy how to hold them with his hand. He learnt fast. Soon, the little boy knew how to use chopsticks. As he tried to pick up food with the chopsticks, the food continuously slipped from its hold.
“You can’t eat these foods without chopsticks, you know?” Xiao Xi told the little boy. Seeing his confused eyes, Xiao Xi started to get a headache. He put down his chopsticks and ate with his hands, which resulted in a beating, ” If you don’t want to be beaten, eat with chopsticks.”
Xiao Xi saw the little boy nodding at her. She almost thought she had seen wrong. Surprised, she asked, “Little snow wolf, did you understood what I said just now?”
The little boy looked at Xiao Xi with confusion. Her heart sank again. It was impossible for him to understand the human language in such a short time.
A moment later.
“Little disciple, come out, master have a gift for you.”
Huh?
Xiao Xi followed Zi Yi and walked out of the cave. She saw something jumped out from Zi Yi’s sleeve and a small snow white fox appeared on the ground. Xiao Xi eyes twinkled from the pleasant surprise.
“Master, this is……”
Xiao Xi was so excited that her voice was trembling. She had been worrying over the problem of what the people in the Regent’s Palace would do if the little fox is nowhere to be seen while she was there. It would have aroused suspicion. Now that there is this little fox, her worries are soothed.
“It’s called Ling Er. It looks like a little fox, but it’s not a real fox. Master saw it and thought that it looks similar to you, gives it to you so as to fool the people in the Regent’s Palace.”
“Ling Er?”
Xiao Xi looked at the little fox, Ling Er, on the ground and gently crouched down. Ling Er jumped into Xiao Xi’s arms and nuzzled cutely.
Xiao Xi became extremely fond of it, she looked up at Zi Yi and asked, “Master, what breed is it?”
“You will know later.” Zi Yi’s figure suddenly disappeared in front of Xiao Xi, but his voice remain, “Master will get going now. Little disciple, if you miss master, tell it in the ear of Ling Er, that you miss master, and master will be able to hear your yearning.”
Xiao Xi’s eyes grew wide while holding Ling Er in her arms. Listening to the voice that gets increasingly distant, her delicate little face was dusted with a layer of red.
Master… how mean ah!
So… if she speaks in Ling Er’s ear, will Zi Yi really be able to hear her?
Xiao Xi looked down at Ling Er in her arms, and leaned her little mouth to its ear. She whispered, “What a mean master!”
In the air, the voice of Zi Yi suddenly came.
“Master just left and the little disciple already speaks ill of master? Okay then! Just you wait, when master comes back, master will teach you a lesson.”
Xiao Xi felt a tremor in her heart and looked at Ling Er’s ears in surprise. Zi Yi could really hear what she said. That was amazing. Basically, Ling Er’s ears was Zi Yi’s ears.
Xiao Xi carried Ling Er and went back into the cave. When the boy saw Ling Er, he ran over in pleasant surprise. He seemed to have finally meet the little fox again, but after he sniffed around Ling Er’s fur, the excitement in his eyes disappeared completely, an expression as if he had mistaken the fox for another.
Xiao Xi looked at all this and smiled. This little snow wolf is still quite smart after all.
This outskirt could not really be called far from the Regent’s palace, but also could not be called near. It is more or less about an hour’s walk.
Xiao Xi walked half an hour with Ling Er in her arms. She saw the bustling city center of the capital. Xiao Xi was filled with curiosity. She had never visited the capital in the Eastern Jin Dynasty since she was a fox. Currently, it is still too early for dinner and it is unlikely that Feng Lingran will return home early either. Let’s go for a stroll first. She also happened to have some silver notes from Feng Lingran.
“Boss, how much is this?”
Xiao Xi saw a jade hairpin. It was extremely beautiful. Even Xiao Xi, who did not know about jade, knew that it was a top-grade product.
“Little girl you have good taste. It’s the best suet white jade in our shop. It’s also the latest fashion. It’s only five hundred liang.”
The owner of the Jade Shop stretched out five fingers and looked at Xiao Xi with eyes as if he was looking at a “fat sheep” that was ready to be slaughtered.
Xiao Xi clicked her tongue, such a small jade hairpin, even if it was better, it should not cost five hundred liang ah!
This boss is robbing in broad daylight.
Xiao Xi put down the jade hairpin and said, “It’s too expensive. I don’t want it anymore.”
“Little girl, look at your dress, it’s obvious that you are a lady from a rich household. You should also know that this jade is the best. Five hundred liang is already very cheap. How about this! I can see that you are fond of this so only four hundred fifty liang for you and next time you want to buy something, you come visit this shop again.”
Xiao Xi scoffed at his attempt in her heart. This greedy boss, if she were to come again next time she must have wool in her eyes!
“Boss, to tell you the truth, this is a good piece of jade, but at most it will cost fifty liang. If you sell it at that price, I will buy it. If you don’t want to, then just forget it.”
“Little girl, are you joking with me? Fifty liang? I gain nothing, at least four hundred liang, I won’t go any lower.”
This way of talking… what a spiel.
Xiao Xi shook her head, put down the jade hairpin on her hand, and turned to leave.
When the boss saw Xiao Xi leave, he sneered, “Look at you wearing decent clothes, but turns out to be a poor dog. Coming in penniless, looking around without buying anything, and saying that it’s too expensive. Truly disgusting.”
Xiao Xi was about to walk out of the shop when she heard this, she stopped and turned around, “Boss, the act of doing a business transaction relies on the mutual agreement of both parties. Since you’ve opened your doors to do business, you will need to receive customers from everywhere. If you don’t even have the stomach to handle this, what kind of business do you open? Besides, you’re just a big mouthed lion, that just throws in exorbitant prices all willy-nilly. Even if I have the money, I would still not give it to you in vain.”
The boss was flushed with anger because of Xiao Xi’s harsh words, “What do you mean that I throw in high prices randomly? This jade hairpin is of the highest quality. It’s the kind of jade fit to be worn on the head of a Royal concubine. Don’t be afraid of me laughing at you if you can’t afford it.”
Xiao Xi could be considered a wise person, but her originally good mood for shopping was destroyed by this black-hearted boss.
“Don’t use your snobbish eyes to see others. A mere four hundred liang, I can easily afford that, but I won’t waste it on you.”
“Is that right?” The boss looked at Xiao Xi with cynicism and noticed that she was holding a little fox in her arms. The ridicule in his eyes grew worse. He had mistook the poor lowly girl as a young lady. Which lady from a great household would be willing to hold a little beast in their arms? Unless of course it was a poor and lowly girl, he continued to sneer and said, “If you pauper can pull out a thousand liang worth of silver notes from your body today, I will give you this jade hairpin for free.”
By this time, a lot of spectators had gathered at the door of the Jade shop, some were pointing at Xiao Xi, while some of them were scolding that the boss was being too much, but in any case, it is a spectacle, and they had come to see the spectacle.
Sellychi: Hmnn its exactly one year from when I picked up this project, time goes fast eh~
Anyway, Ling Er’s existence will be explained in the future…. the far future, any theories guys? Feel free to drop it down in the comment~
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