Big Boss – Chapter 65

It’s her

Upon hearing this surname, Ye Youqing’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

The young woman had no suspicions, and with a gentle smile, she bowed her head, “Thank you, Young Master Zhou.”

“There’s nothing else. Go back and rest,” Ye Youqing said, closing the door. She turned around to meet a gaze from someone lounging on the bed, unable to suppress a smile.

Listening to the footsteps recede outside, Ye Youqing furrowed her brows and asked, “Laughed enough?”

Shi Li nodded, “Enough, Young Master Zhou.”

Ye Youqing blushed, covering her mouth as she walked to the bedside and pulled her up, “I was just thinking randomly. Don’t take it seriously.”

Shi Li pursed her red lips and laughed a little longer before she regained her composure and said, “Do you really want to take her along? She cries incessantly, it’s a real nuisance.”

Ye Youqing extended her hand, lightly grasping at the air with her five fingers, and shook her head, “This woman doesn’t seem right. I squeezed her arm just now. It appears slender and soft, but when I really squeezed, it was firm muscle, not the least bit weak.”

Hearing this, Shi Li straightened up, her eyes narrowed, “Trained in martial arts?”

“Not necessarily. Years of manual labor could also result in that. But if she really trained in martial arts, going to such great lengths to deceive us with those injuries, what for?” Ye Youqing sat down, starting to undress herself, feeling aggrieved as she applied medicine on her own.

“What? The young lady won’t help you apply the medicine?” Shi Li raised an eyebrow as she watched her struggling to reach her own shoulder.

Ye Youqing struggled for a long time but couldn’t reach, her shoulders slumped, and she turned to look at Shi Li.

Shi Li lazily got up, took the medicine bottle, and reached out to smear it on Ye Youqing’s back, “Bear the pain.”

Ye Youqing gritted her teeth.

“Could she be from the capital?” Shi Li asked.

“I have the same concern, but I can’t understand why, if she were from the capital, she wouldn’t have brought people to attack as soon as she suspected my identity. Why go through so much trouble to follow me?” Ye Youqing said, enduring the pain.

“Your family hasn’t offended any martial artists, right?” Shi Li asked.

Ye Youqing shook her head. Duke Liang was a dutiful civil servant and shouldn’t have offended anyone. As for King Si Rong, she only knew of the Fenghua Pendant related to him.

“I’m more inclined to think she’s from the capital. Since she came without bringing pursuers, instead of letting her go back and report, we should keep a close eye on her to prevent her from reporting. Besides, even if we drive her away, if she really has martial arts skills, following us wouldn’t be difficult.”

“Or…” Shi Li drew her sword with a swift motion, the blade gleaming coldly under the candlelight.

Ye Youqing pressed down her eager hand, suppressing her sudden excitement.

“It’s not appropriate to kill without understanding the situation,” Ye Youqing said, being well-versed in the teachings of a lawful society. “Secretly inform Ma Da and Ma Xiao to keep a close watch on her. If she acts suspiciously, then we can act.”

The light in Shi Li’s eyes dimmed, turning lazy again, and she replied with a soft “oh.”

“It’s late. We have to continue our journey tomorrow,” Shi Li yawned as she walked out the door.

Ye Youqing finished dressing, watching Shi Li’s figure disappear at the door. She rested her chin on her folded arms, staring at the flickering candlelight in front of her, and sighed lightly.

After the fifth time blowing out and relighting the candle, Ye Youqing finally got up and left the room.

The night corridor was empty and quiet, with only a few lanterns hanging, their light very dim. She took a few steps to one of the doors and stopped.

Inside, there were faint sounds of someone turning over in bed.

The turning sounds continued, but the light was out, showing how restless the person inside was.

Ye Youqing’s hand, raised to knock on the door, remained in mid-air until it grew sore, then she slowly lowered it.

She sighed silently, turned around, and her tall figure disappeared into the darkness.

The morning rain drizzled down, extinguishing the summer heat, bringing a cool breeze from the mountains and fields. The ground’s dust first turned to mud and was then washed clean. In the distance, the land was hazy, and the mountains took on a more vibrant green.

The dampness and rain made one drowsy. Ye Youqing sat in the carriage, waiting. The street was almost empty, with only the sound of rain tapping on the eaves, splashing into puddles.

“Shall we go?” Ma Da, sitting at the front of the carriage, turned back and asked Ye Youqing with a smile.

“Let’s go.” Ye Youqing popped a sour apricot into her mouth, and the carriage started to move forward.

Lian’er was arranged to ride a horse, led by Ma Xiao. From a distance, she seemed very uncomfortable on horseback, constantly looking back pitifully.

Ye Youqing pretended not to see.

Beside the carriage, a woman in white rode her horse, wearing a straw raincoat. However, her exposed sleeves and hems were still muddied and dirty.

Like petals emerging from the mud.

The group bypassed the mountain road and traveled on flat ground, but even so, it was much more difficult than on a sunny day. Occasionally, there were patches of mud on the ground, causing the horse’s hooves and wheels to slip frequently. The repetitive sound of rain hitting the roof made one sleepy.

About an hour later, the carriage slowly stopped. Ye Youqing woke from her drowsiness, lifted the curtain to look out, and saw Ma Xiao lifting Lian’er off the horse.

“What happened?” Ye Youqing squinted, avoiding the glaring daylight.

“Young Master, she can’t ride a horse. Her legs were chafed by the saddle,” Ma Xiao said, jumping off the horse and looking down, troubled.

“It’s this slave’s fault, causing a delay for you, Young Master. Don’t worry about this slave, I’ll be fine,” Lian’er said, shaking her head, shivering in the rain, her eyes filled with sorrow.

Ye Youqing focused on her wet, chafed lower legs, noticing some places where the skin was broken and bleeding.

“How did it get so severe?” Ye Youqing asked sympathetically.

“If you can’t sit astride, then sit sideways,” Ye Youqing suggested.

Not expecting this response, Lian’er was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook her head, “No, Lian’er can’t ride a horse. I’ll just run behind.”

She gathered her long skirt in her hands, her hair sticking to her cheeks from the rain, which made her face look even more delicate and fair.

“Are you sure?” Ye Youqing asked.

“Young Master has already shown mercy by allowing this slave to stay. This slave dare not delay you,” Lian’er said as she started to move to the back of the carriage, only to be stopped by Ye Youqing.

“No, I have a kind heart. How can I let a young lady run behind?” Ye Youqing smiled gently and patted Ma Da on the shoulder, “Ma Da, you accompany her in the carriage. I’ve been wanting to learn how to drive a horse.”

“Young Master…” Lian’er hurriedly protested but was cut off by Ye Youqing.

“Come,” Ye Youqing said, taking Ma Da’s place on the carriage board and accepting his bamboo hat.

Everyone’s eyes were on the young woman, and Lian’er’s eyes reddened as she bowed deeply, “Thank you, Young Master.”

Once Lian’er was seated inside the carriage, Ye Youqing, under Ma Xiao’s guidance, snapped the whip on the horse’s rear, and the carriage continued forward.

Outside was much more interesting than inside the carriage, and there was no chance of getting motion sickness, Ye Youqing thought.

Moreover, letting the young woman out of sight, who could say she wouldn’t leave marks or send messages?

The rain grew heavier, turning from wool to needles, then to round droplets that pounded on the bamboo hat, making her head buzz. The curtain of water made the road difficult to see.

Shi Li, holding her raincoat and bamboo hat, turned back and shouted to Ye Youqing, “Young Master, the rain is too heavy. There’s an abandoned tea house ahead. Why not take shelter from the rain?”

Ye Youqing waved in agreement.

The ground was soaked and soft, muddy underfoot, making it unpleasant to walk as each step left a shoe full of mud. Ye Youqing steadied her bamboo hat.

Turning around, the group dismounted, and Ma Xiao and Ma Da led the horses and carriage under the tea house’s awning. Lian’er carefully stepped into the muddy water, holding onto the carriage.

This was a rural area, with scattered villages nearby. In the distance, grass huts were visible, washed by the rain, along with patches of fields. Scarecrows stood under the pale sky, a few crows resting under their arms, and the deserted tea house stood lonely by the road.

Just then, a scream came from beside her. Lian’er had slipped in the mud and was about to fall to the ground.

Ye Youqing half-extended her hand, but before she could act, there was another sound to her right. In her peripheral vision, she saw white clothes mingling with the rain, landing with a loud splash, spraying water everywhere.

In a split second, Ye Youqing turned, taking three steps to the fallen mute girl, knowing Lian’er would not escape the same fate behind her.

“Miss!” Ye Youqing hurriedly squatted in front of the mute girl, reaching out to help, but the girl pushed her away, struggling to lift herself from the mud.

The rain intensified, and the mute girl’s raincoat slipped off, her white silk clothes soaked and clinging to her skin, covered in mud spots.

“Are you hurt?” Ye Youqing took off her hat and placed it on the girl’s head to shield her from the rain.

Ci Ke suddenly felt both angry and tearful.

Ye Youqing hadn’t cared for her like this in a long time. The rain soaked her veil, and she could see nothing, only hearing Ye Youqing’s worried voice and feeling her warm palm.

She longed for the touch of this gentle woman’s hand, just as before.

It was like a curse, an unbearable yearning.

“Alright, let’s go inside, okay?” Ye Youqing, seeing her sitting so dejectedly, softened her voice, no longer mimicking a man’s deep tone but using her own gentle voice.

Ci Ke’s body trembled slightly, then she stood up with Ye Youqing’s help.

She looked up and met Lian’er’s gaze. The frail young woman was being lifted by Ma Xiao, looking at her with a pitiful expression, filled with rejection.

Ci Ke did not look away, her eyes growing darker.

Before Ye Youqing could move, she felt arms wrapping around her.

The mute girl suddenly pulled her tightly, immobilizing her.

Ye Youqing looked down at her hands but did not struggle.

“Young Master…” Lian’er said softly, being pulled under the shelter by Ma Xiao, yet still clinging to Ye Youqing’s sleeve like a plaster.

Seeing this, the mute girl suddenly released her hold, turned, and ran into the rain, her white clothes billowing.

Ye Youqing felt anxious, shaking off Lian’er and striding after her, stepping over mud and ridges, quickly catching up to the girl in an open space.

The mute girl suddenly took off her hat and threw it into a puddle, exposing her face to the pouring rain, her cheeks as white as tofu.

With fox-like eyes, she cried, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.

“Ye Youqing, I’m sorry.”

“She’s not a good person, don’t touch her…”