C6 Baiting Aunt Seventh

Jing Xiuyuan sidled up to Jing Yeli, chuckling as he wrapped an arm around his. "Seventh Uncle?"

Jing Yeli glanced at him. "Go back home."

"Seventh Uncle, Grandma said I should stay at your place for a while, eat and live with you, and watch you charm your future wife!"

Xiuyuan's eyes sparkled with excitement, his cheeks flushed. "Is my forever-bachelor uncle finally going to settle down?"

Yeli gave him a cool look before asking softly, "What did Miss Wen do to upset you?"

Xiuyuan immediately stopped teasing and started complaining. "Even though Mr. Wen is a high-ranking official, his daughter, oh my gosh, how much does she weigh? Her legs are thicker than my waist! I only took one look and nearly had a heart attack!"

Yeli was silent. He suddenly wondered if the young lady from the Hua family was similarly intimidating in appearance or demeanor.

---

At the Hua Mansion, Hua Xiangxue sat in the courtyard, smiling at Jiaojiao and Granny Lan as they worked. "Keep it up! I'm cheering you on in spirit!"

Jiaojiao wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked with a grin, "Miss, what do you think we should plant?"

Hua Xiangxue pursed her lips, "What should we plant? Cabbage and potatoes are the most practical, but watermelons and cantaloupes bring good luck!"

Jiaojiao grinned and whispered, "I think we should go with cabbage and potatoes! Come fall, if we run out of food, Granny Lan can still whip up something special for you—"

Hua Xiangxue rolled her eyes and reached out playfully, "I feel like giving you a little flick on the forehead. Do you really think you'll go hungry while you're with me?"

Jiaojiao stuck out her tongue, and Hua Xiangxue stood up, "Alright, you all keep planting. I'm going to check out the back. Our Snow Reflection Pavilion is actually quite spacious!"

Jiaojiao and Granny Lan nodded. Once Hua Xiangxue headed to the backyard, Jiaojiao whispered, "Granny Lan, don't you think the young lady's change is quite nice?"

Granny Lan smiled and nodded, lowering her voice, "The lady once said, at seventeen, the young miss would face a challenge, but after overcoming it, she'll be blessed with great fortune!"

Jiaojiao was overjoyed to hear this.

Hua Xiangxue wandered the backyard for a while, noting its considerable size. If it were just Jiaojiao and Granny Lan working on it, who knows how long it would take to finish.

Suddenly, a smile played at the corner of Hua Xiangxue's mouth as she sat on the nearby swing. Ah, it really does pay to use your brain when getting things done!

"Who?"

Suddenly, Xiangxue saw a shadow drop down from the wall. Her expression changed as she glanced around quickly, grabbing a small trowel that looked more like a spatula, hardly intimidating at all.

Xiangxue hurried forward, and when she saw the person, their eyes met, both of them equally surprised.

The stranger appeared to be about her age, strikingly handsome and composed, hardly fitting the image of a petty thief.

Xiangxue's mind raced as she studied his features, thinking he seemed destined for wealth and success. Why had he turned to thievery? Maybe it was some unfortunate twist of fate.

"Little thief, what are you trying to steal? You really picked the wrong place. Look at this yard, it's all weeds. You weren't planning on stealing weeds, were you?" Xiangxue waved the trowel around, sizing up the intruder.

The thief looked a bit embarrassed, then glanced at Xiangxue's outfit and fabric, lowering his voice to ask, "Are you a maid of the Hua family?"

Xiangxue raised an eyebrow. Her clothes were indeed made from fabric typically used for maids, thanks to Granny Lan and the steward's efforts.

"Uh—what's wrong with being a maid? Aren't we people too? I'm a maid of the Hua family, but I'm a loyal one!"

"If you're thinking of stealing something right in front of me, I can't promise I won't report you!" Xiangxue squinted her eyes, smiling mischievously.

This young man, despite his good looks, didn't seem threatening at all, so she wasn't really scared.

"I—" The young thief, caught off guard by Xiangxue's words, looked embarrassed and finally lowered his voice to ask, "Miss, how about this? I can give you some money if you tell me where the young lady of the Hua family lives."

Xiangxue immediately became wary.

Young lady? There were only two young ladies in the entire Hua family.

One was the neglected and penniless eldest daughter, which was herself. The other was the spoiled and arrogant illegitimate daughter, Hua Yunjin.

Judging by the lack of malice in the young man's eyes, he probably wasn't after her. Besides her beauty, she really had nothing else to offer!

Wait, she did have the money Mrs. Lau gave her yesterday!

Could it be Mrs. Lau? Did she send someone to steal the money?

Impossible!

Her current mood and health were their top concerns; they wouldn't send a petty thief to scare her over a mere thousand dollars!

Thinking of this, Xiangxue gave the young thief a knowing look—

"Thief, are you talking about the most favored young lady of the Hua family?"

The young thief hesitated, "The most favored? It must be the most favored one, right?"

Seeing the little thief blushing and looking a bit awkward, Hua Xiangxue leaned in and whispered, "How about this: what do you think?"

Little Thief: "???"

Hua Xiangxue lowered her voice, negotiating softly, "I'll guide you, and we split the loot fifty-fifty. How does that sound?"

Little Thief: "!!!"

What happened to the loyalty we just talked about?