beloved little treasure
Hao Yan Che looked at the little girl in front of him. She had snow white skin, her body was like a little round ball. The black and white maid’s uniform made her look like a seaweed wrapped rice ball. No matter what angle he looked at her face, she looked like a dummy, which meant she must be his parents’ ideal daughter-in-law.
Yuan Gun Gun thought Hao Yan Che looked more handsome with his eyes opened. His eyes were violet like violet eyes she had seen somewhere buried deep in her memories.
‘How will you turn me into paper?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked.
‘First I’ll chop off your arms and legs,’ Hao Yan Che said. ‘Then I’ll poke out your eyes, cut off your tongue, hammer your ears off, and lastly I’ll nail your head to a wall.’
Yuan Gun Gun dropped the plunger and cried.
‘Big sister Ting… big sister Wen…’ Yuan Gun Gun called.
Yuan Gun Gun thought Hao Yan Che was a scary beautiful monster.
Hao Yan Che considered calling someone to whip Yuan Gun Gun for daring to wail in front of him.
Chen Jia Ting and Chen Jia Wen heard Yuan Gun Gun’s cry. They ran into the room and they were sad to see Yuan Gun Gun crying pitifully.
‘Young master,’ the Chen sisters greeted and bowed.
Yuan Gun Gun ran to the Chen sisters, she hid behind them and her round face looked over their shoulders at the scary Hao Yan Che.
‘Who is she?’ Hao Yan Che asked coldly.
‘She is Yuan Gun Gun,’ Chen Jia Ting said. ‘It’s her first day working as a maid her. Young master if she offended you, forgive her first offence.’
Chen Jia Ting was scared Hao Yan Che would vent his anger on Yuan Gun Gun.
‘Close your mouth,’ Hao Yan Che said. ‘If you don’t stop crying, I’ll sew your mouth close.’
Yuan Gun Gun closed her mouth, and too scared to make a sound.
‘Take her outside,’ Hao Yan Che said.
‘Yes young master,’ Chen Jia Ting said.
Chen Jia Ting was relieved Yuan Gun Gun got to stay alive.
Hao Yan Che watched the little round ball leave his bedroom. He hated females like Yuan Gun Gun the most, a dummy who only knew how to cry.
Fifteen minutes later, inside Yuan Gun Gun’s bedroom, Yuan Gun Gun hugged Chen Jia Ting on the bed and cried.
‘I want to go home,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.
Chen Jia Ting patted Yuan Gun Gun’s back.
‘Gun Gun, young master has a bad temper,’ Chen Jia Ting said. ‘He’s good at cursing people, and punishes people cruelly. Apart from those traits, he isn’t scary. Don’t cry.’
‘If he isn’t scary then nothing is scary,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.
‘Gun Gun, think about what you did wrong,’ Chen Jia Ting said. ‘Why did you want to poke young master with a plunger?’
‘I couldn’t find anything else to wake him up with,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘I listened to big sister Ting, I didn’t touch him. Besides, I didn’t poke him with the plunger.’
‘Don’t cry,’ Chen Jia Ting said. ‘Young master was lenient on you. If someone else cried in front of him, they would be dragged outside and be whipped.’
‘Whip?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked. ‘I want to go home.’
‘Gun Gun, if you’re good, no one will whip you,’ Chen Jia Ting said.
‘Big sister Ting, can I be a maid for someone else?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked.
‘No,’ Chen Jia Ting said. ‘You’re young master’s maid. In the future you’re responsible for serving him.’
‘Why?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked. ‘I don’t want to be his maid. He’ll turn me into paper.’
‘Don’t cry,’ Chen Jia Ting said. ‘All the maids and butlers here needs to listen to Mrs Chen. There are no exceptions.’
‘Gun Gun, don’t cry,’ Chen Jia Wen said. ‘Young master was only scaring you. He won’t turn you into paper.’
Chen Jia Wen gave Yuan Gun Gun an apple.
‘Really?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked and bit the apple.
‘I’m telling you the truth,’ Chen Jia Wen said.
Chen Jia Wen thought Yuan Gun Gun was like a scared chubby deer.
Yuan Gun Gun quietly ate the apple.
Chen Jia Wen threw the apple core in the bin.
‘It’s late,’ Chen Jia Wen said. ‘Gun Gun, you need to serve dinner to young master.’
‘How do I serve him?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked. ‘Do I feed him food?’
‘No,’ Chen Jia Wen said. ‘You only need to carry the tray of food to his bedroom. Wait for him to finish eating dinner. Then take the tray away.’
Yuan Gun Gun thought Hao Yan Che had a strange habit of wanting someone to watch him eat dinner.
***
End of Chapter Twenty-One