This quick-thinking maneuver wasn’t actually complicated. Not only was it uncomplicated, but from Mo Zi’s previous life’s perspective, it absolutely couldn’t be brought to any elegant hall. However, compared to running away mindlessly and being caught with a guilty-looking back that could be recognized, it was still superior by a notch.
First, she made the embroidered shoes on her feet stomp as loudly as possible with maximum effort. At the same time, she removed the vest she was wearing, deliberately revealing the regulation spring skirt of a second-class maid underneath. Then she turned the white silk lining of her vest inside-out, draping it over her arm to serve as an outer garment. Finally, she called out in a voice loud enough to be heard from within the rockery cave.
“Miss, please wait for me at the bridge. If you catch a chill, the mistress will blame us for having no discernment and not serving you properly.” Glancing sideways, that half-sleeve had disappeared. Good, she thought to herself. Excellent.
Mo Zi bent down to pick up a rather large pebble and threw it forcefully into the lake. Satisfied upon hearing the splash, she then walked quickly forward, not forgetting to continue her improvised performance.
“Miss, why are you venting your anger on the lake water? Eh? Miss, don’t leave—wait for me, wait for me!” Mounting the bridge, Mo Zi couldn’t afford to take dainty lotus steps. Two large steps and one small turn—her sleeves rustling loudly in the wind from the lake, like a kingfisher skimming the water. In the blink of an eye, she had reached the opposite shore and circled behind the garden gate.
Not curious enough to look back at the excitement, she adjusted her breathing, smoothing down the stray hairs that had flown up from her hurried run, resuming her unhurried pace.
Clack—a small pebble rolled to her feet.
Mo Zi’s steps paused. She lowered her eyes then raised them, immediately noticing the century-old banyan tree not far away.
Clack clack—two small pebbles, one chasing after the other, pursued down to her feet.
Others wouldn’t notice, but Mo Zi’s eyes were sharp. Three small pebbles, round and gleaming, without any sharp edges—clearly polished into that state by someone.
“Xiao Yi.” The corners of her mouth curved slightly as she tilted her head up.
Looking up at the tree again, she saw how small the leaves were. Though the branches were dense and the trunk tall, sunlight still constantly filtered through in golden threads. Where on earth was this girl hiding, leaving no trace of her whereabouts? If she weren’t past the age for learning martial arts, she would definitely steal a few moves.
Suddenly sensing movement by her ear, she instinctively turned around. Five slender fingers stopped half an inch from her shoulder. She pretended to be startled, stepping back several paces, lightly patting her chest with a look of lingering fright.
“Aiya, you scared me to death! Xiao Yi, you should have made a sound earlier.” Though she only designed warships, being in the military, she naturally understood basic combat techniques, and her five senses were sharper than ordinary people. But this might be her last means of self-protection—however insignificant, she kept it deeply hidden.
Xiao Yi released the half of her skirt hem that had been tucked into her waist, smoothing both sides of the skirt hem with her hands, turning her eyes left and right, confirming that her white silk pants were properly covered before grinning at Mo Zi.
“Did you see?”
Small eyes, flat nose—not a beauty. Tall and slender build—neither curvaceous nor delicate. Knew martial arts. Could talk with Mo Zi and the others, but taciturn with outsiders, only obeying Third Mistress’s instructions—Xiao Yi was the most loyal.
Where Xiao Yi learned her martial arts, Mo Zi didn’t know, but she sensed her skills were quite extraordinary. Only four people knew that Xiao Yi knew martial arts. Outside the courtyard gate, Xiao Yi appeared somewhat clumsy. The gossip was that she was promoted to first-class maid only after following Third Mistress for a long time.
“Our eyes met—how could I not see you?” Mo Zi reached out and deftly plucked a leaf from Xiao Yi’s hair. “Where were you hiding? Why can I never find you?” Over the past six months, she had developed genuine affection for these few.
“If even you couldn’t be fooled, my martial skills would be wasted.” Xiao Yi was half a head taller than Mo Zi and the same age as Third Mistress, but childlike in nature. “I’m not asking if you saw me, but rather that.” Her chin raised, gesturing in the direction Mo Zi had come from.
Only now was Mo Zi truly surprised. Her dark brows drew together then relaxed, half-reproachful, half-smiling. “Xiao Yi, before you climbed this tree, where were you?”
“On the rockery…” Xiao Yi tugged at her earlobe string of beads. “Sleeping.”
“Sleeping soundly?” The sun was so nice.
“Too noisy.” Xiao Yi pouted. “The woman was humming and moaning like singing opera, but not as pleasant as a young female performer. The man…”
Mo Zi interrupted Xiao Yi’s description, not wanting vivid images to play out in her mind.
“Xiao Yi, that kind of… play…” Feudal, feudal—the dignified mansions with their moral facades, once the doors closed, there were plenty of male thieves and female prostitutes like Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian. “It’s better to hear less of that in the future.”
“As if I wanted to listen! I was sleeping perfectly well when they woke me up. Thinking they were just talking, but what I heard gave me goosebumps all over. ‘Brother this, sister that’—so affectionate, then brother started undressing sister.” As Xiao Yi spoke, her eyes went round. “I was lying there, just getting a bit interested, when the two went into a cat hole. After that, there was sound but no picture. I thought maybe I could spy and gather information, so I stubbornly didn’t leave. Result? All ‘yi yi ya ya,’ ‘en en ah ah’—no words at all.”
“Xiao Yi…” Mo Zi’s mouth opened halfway, powerless to stop her, as she heard every single onomatopoeia clearly.
Under the bright sun, cool breezes whisked past her feet. She felt disgusting little bumps climbing up her shins. How many could she shake to the ground with one shiver? Though she had no personal experience, she’d received physiological education and understood what should be understood.
Xiao Yi had followed Third Mistress north and south, visited plenty of those establishments and alleys, so she spoke without her face reddening even once. “I really wanted to eavesdrop for our miss. Besides, in Stone Garden, what’s so rare about sneaking around doing sordid things? It would be strange if there wasn’t such a scene any given day.”
Stone Garden was Pinglan Garden. Because of Fifth Master Qiu’s peculiar fondness for rockeries and stone caves, Xiao Yi gave it a nickname.
Mo Zi once again thought she had viewed ancient people as too ancient. Confucius was Confucius, the Golden Plum was the Golden Plum, but they all came from ancient times. From what she could see, this region’s overall atmosphere was strict, class hierarchy distinct, with many restrictions on women, and noble young ladies especially never stepping outside the main or second gates. But in the Qiu Mansion, because of the romantic Fourth and Fifth Masters Qiu, there were plenty of sordid affairs in the shadows. When Master Qiu’s health was good, he loved seeking flowers and asking for willows. Though he was now useless, he couldn’t manage his sons. Fourth Master Qiu didn’t like eating grass by the burrow—he only loved whoring outside. Fifth Master Qiu attended to both inside and outside—anyone with a bit of beauty who suited his taste, he would bed anywhere.
Zhang Shi felt she didn’t need to worry about Fourth Master Qiu. For Fifth Master Qiu, her instruction was: “Those in your quarters, I won’t interfere. Outside your courtyard, if you want any maid, you must tell me first. Whether taking them as bed warmers or as concubines, handle it properly and formally. Don’t let outsiders say our Qiu Mansion has no proper conduct.”
“But you’re also an unmarried good maiden. Hearing too much about sneaking around is harmful to your physical and mental health.” Mo Zi had transmigrated, but since she had become a maid, she temporarily had to adapt to mainstream society in this identity, rather than immediately advocating for human rights, freedom, and equality, thinking about independence while instantly becoming wealthy.
“Physical and mental health?” Xiao Yi found this novel.
Mo Zi explained: “When you listen to such things, you feel flustered, chest tight, breath blocked—isn’t that right?”
Xiao Yi nodded repeatedly.
“This is a sign of impending illness. Being ill means discomfort, unhealthiness.” Mo Zi spoke as if teaching a child.
“I’m most afraid of getting sick.” Xiao Yi had never heard such an explanation before. “From now on, I won’t listen anymore. No wonder my ears felt uncomfortable too.”
Seeing how easily she’d bluffed Xiao Yi, Mo Zi raised her brows, smiled, then spread open her palm. “Xiao Yi, find a tree hollow to help me hide this.”
A golden pierced hollow ball reflected amber-yellow light on her snowy-pink palm. Sunlight condensed into several small beams, scattering like scattered pearls.