Shi Yan was just right for this.

Setting aside everything else, after spending several days together on the journey to the capital, Shi Yan was at least not a stranger to Miss Luo.

Originally, sending one’s personal guard to a young lady’s residence would be somewhat improper, but this young lady was Miss Luo, and sending a maidservant to deal with someone else’s male attendants seemed even more inappropriate.

Shi Yan was just a bit talkative, but talkativeness had its advantages too—at least during his half year at the Grand Commander’s Office, he could actively or passively gather quite a bit of information.

Having considered this, Wei Han spoke up: “Shi Yan—”

Shi Yan immediately scurried over: “What are the master’s orders?”

The young lady sitting across from Wei Han revealed a knowing smile.

“Escort Miss Luo back to her residence for me.”

“Yes.” Shi Yan clasped his fists in acknowledgment, completely unaware of what he was about to hear next.

Wei Han’s tone remained unchanged: “No need to come back.”

Shi Yan: ?

Ignoring the small guard’s dazed expression, Wei Han continued: “Stay at the Luo residence for half a year and help Miss Luo take care of her big white geese.”

Shi Yan: ??

After standing there stupefied for quite a while, Shi Yan finally found his voice: “Master, you, you want me to raise geese?”

Wei Han glanced at him with a cold expression: “What, unwilling?”

Shi Yan’s heart trembled, and he hurriedly nodded: “Willing, this lowly one is willing!”

Compared to scrubbing chamber pots, raising geese was still much more comfortable. He knew how to choose.

“Then accompany Miss Luo back.”

Even after walking very far from the tavern, Shi Yan, his gaze still vacant, was still contemplating one thing: he was clearly the master’s personal guard, the kind with very good martial skills—so why did he have to choose between scrubbing chamber pots and raising geese for his assignments?

Walking to one side, Hong Dou curled her lip: “Shi San Huo, why are you making that face like life is worse than death? Don’t tell me you think raising Big White for our young lady is beneath you?”

Shi Yan came back to his senses. Because he hadn’t yet recovered from this enormous blow, he asked dumbly: “What did you call me?”

“Shi San Huo.” Hong Dou rolled her eyes. “I don’t know many characters and don’t like your complicated ones. Calling you San Huo is much more convenient.”

Luo Sheng reprimanded Hong Dou: “Hong Dou, don’t be rude.”

Having been scolded, Hong Dou’s gaze toward Shi Yan wasn’t very friendly: “Then I’ll still call you Shi Yan.”

Shi Yan gave a start and quickly said: “San Huo is fine. My parents and relatives all call me that actually.”

How could he forget that he was now someone making his living at the Grand Commander’s Office? If he didn’t curry favor with Big Sister Hong Dou who was close to Miss Luo, his days wouldn’t be easy.

Hong Dou became interested upon hearing this: “Really? Your family calls you that too? Don’t tell me if you had a younger brother, he’d be called Si Huo?”

Shi Yan nodded: “That’s right. I have a younger brother called Shi Yi, and we usually call him Si Huo. There are also two cousins, one called Wu Huo and one called Liu Huo—”

Hong Dou let out a silver-bell-like laugh.

San Huo, Si Huo, Wu Huo, Liu Huo… It seemed the Shi family was short on firewood.

Her mood lifting, Hong Dou’s tone improved as well: “Shi San Huo, let me tell you, being able to get the job of raising Big White for our young lady—you’ve really struck it rich.”

“How so?” Shi Yan’s ears immediately perked up.

Could there be some unknown benefits, like Miss Luo personally preparing three meals a day?

Taking a step back, if Xiu Gu did it, that wouldn’t be unacceptable either.

Hong Dou looked deeply at Shi Yan, shook her head and sighed: “Your looks won’t do.”

Shi Yan: ???

He endured and endured again, practically beyond endurance.

“May I ask, Big Sister Hong Dou, does raising geese have something to do with one’s appearance?”

Besides, he wasn’t ugly!

Hong Dou smiled: “You’ll know when you get back.”

Given that Shi San Huo’s performance today had been pretty good, she’d still give him some face.

Shi Yan didn’t feel like he’d been given any face. He only felt that this day had dealt one devastating blow after another to his body and mind.

A dignified personal guard dispatched by his master to raise geese for someone else’s young lady, and even scorned for being ugly.

He’d been wrong. He’d only known that the master had fallen into Miss Luo’s hands and had even felt sympathy, never imagining that he was actually the sacrificial victim!

Luo Sheng had walked to the tavern today, and returned the same way. Listening intermittently to Hong Dou and Shi Yan’s conversation, her steps suddenly halted.

The alley entrance they were passing was narrow and dim. The deep alley was formed by two rows of houses facing back-to-back, and logically shouldn’t have anyone lingering there, yet at this moment quite a commotion was coming from within the alley.

The reason Luo Sheng stopped was because she heard a string of curses: “Xu Xi, you’ve got quite the nerve, daring to ambush us when we’re alone. Go ahead and hit, go ahead and hit—if you can’t beat someone to death, then don’t blame us for dealing with you today!”

Xu Xi?

Luo Sheng stepped toward the alley, deaf to Hong Dou’s calls behind her.

“What’s Miss Luo doing—” Shi Yan was completely bewildered.

Why would she suddenly walk into an alley?

Hong Dou couldn’t be bothered with Shi Yan and hurried to catch up.

The light in the alley was dim, the walls covered in layer upon layer of moss. Compared to the bright sunshine outside the alley, it was as if they’d entered another world.

In Luo Sheng’s line of sight ahead, three or four youths had cornered another youth against a wall and were punching and kicking him.

The youth being beaten had no strength left to respond. His eyes stared fixedly at the others, like a small beast both desperate and furious.

But these several youths—whether those doing the beating or the one being beaten—apart from the occasional curse and the muffled sounds of fists and feet striking, hadn’t let out any earth-shattering screams.

“What are you doing?”

The young lady’s voice, cold and hard as jade, suddenly rang out in the dim alley, startling the several youths who all looked over together.

Seeing a beautiful young lady in fine clothing, one youth said viciously: “Mind your own business. This isn’t a place for a little lady like you!”

The light in the alley was poor because of the contrast with the bright sunshine outside, but for the several youths who didn’t know how long they’d been waiting in the alley, it didn’t affect their vision. They could tell at a glance that the young lady who’d suddenly appeared was about their age—some sheltered noble daughter who’d wandered in out of curiosity.

Luo Sheng paid no attention to the youth’s words. Her gaze fell on the youth being beaten, and she called out calmly: “Xu Xi.”

The beast-like youth looked over with a confused expression.

The other youths’ faces changed slightly: “You know him? Which family are you from?”

Their circle was neither small nor large, with countless threads of connection between them.

For instance, right now they found this young lady strangely familiar, but couldn’t recall her identity for the moment.

“Xu Xi, come here.”

The young lady’s tone was calm, her expression composed, as if she weren’t standing in a dark alley facing several youths in the act of beating someone, but rather strolling in a garden at home.

The youth called Xu Xi didn’t move. The several fierce-looking youths didn’t move either.

This young lady was truly too strange.

“Then I’ll come over.” Luo Sheng lifted her skirt hem and stepped across the moss, walking over step by step.

She walked past the several stunned youths and stopped at Xu Xi’s side.

Even at this point, the several youths including Xu Xi remained dazed.

They’d never seen a girl like this!

And Luo Sheng had already turned around to shield Xu Xi behind her, coldly ordering: “Give them a beating for me.”