Chapter 11: Guarding The House And Courtyard
“G-g-g-grandpa… Heavens! A wolf!” Shi Tou looked at the gray wolf that had dropped from the sky, meeting its pair of green beast eyes, and was so scared that he plopped down on the ground on his butt.
“What’s there to fear? It won’t bite you.” Shang Wan patted the gray wolf’s head. The gray wolf’s ears twitched, and it walked over to Shi Tou, sniffing at the scent on his body.
Shi Tou instinctively held his breath.
Goodness, this was a wolf—a man-eating wolf! So close to him, what if it took a bite…
Shi Tou instantly broke out in cold sweat.
But he had clearly worried for nothing. After memorizing his scent, the gray wolf turned its head and walked away, looking rather disdainful.
Shi Tou: “……”
“Doggy!” Yuan Yuan, held in Xiao Huan’s arms, had eyes sparkling bright. She stretched out her short arms, wanting to pet the wolf.
Xiao Huan hurriedly grabbed her hand, not letting her move around.
The gray wolf circled the two once. Its black nose twitched for a moment before it lifted its head. Its green beast eyes precisely locked onto the extremely excited Little Friend Yuan Yuan, and a low growl rumbled in its throat.
Xiao Huan was so scared her body went rigid. Staring at the gray wolf, she didn’t dare move. “Y-Young Madam, what’s wrong with it?”
Shang Wan said, “Put Yuan Yuan down and let Xiao Hui sniff her.”
“Oh.” Xiao Huan tentatively set Yuan Yuan on the ground. Sure enough, the gray wolf came over and lightly sniffed her body.
Little Friend Yuan Yuan seized the chance. Her short, chubby finger precisely poked the gray wolf’s nose, stimulating it to sneeze right away. A mouthful of sharp white teeth was revealed.
“Doggy.” Yuan Yuan wasn’t scared at all. Instead, she happily clapped her small hands, eager to touch the wolf teeth.
Xiao Huan hurriedly picked her up.
Ancestor, this is a wolf, not a dog! Your little body would only be enough for it to eat two bites.
“Xiao Huan, in a bit, make a nest for Xiao Hui. Prepare food every other day. It will hunt by itself.” Shang Wan walked over, took Yuan Yuan, and placed the little one on the gray wolf’s back. “From now on, Xiao Hui will guard the house and courtyard for us.”
Xiao Huan: “……”
Could she refuse? She didn’t want to raise a wolf!
“Young Madam, this servant has heard that wolves can’t be tamed.”
“The one I brought back can naturally be tamed.” Shang Wan waved her hand. “You and Shi Tou should both learn from Yuan Yuan. Treat Xiao Hui like a big dog and it’ll be fine.”
Both of them simultaneously looked at Yuan Yuan, who was excitedly lying on the wolf’s back, letting the gray wolf carry her in circles around the courtyard. They thought to themselves, how could that compare? Yuan Yuan didn’t know it was a wolf, but they did!
Shi Tou carefully avoided the gray wolf’s path and came over to ask, “Young Madam, how did you tame this wolf?”
“Simple. Carrot and stick, just like training a dog.” Shang Wan slanted him a glance. “You want to try too?”
“No no no…” Shi Tou shook his head like a rattle drum, quickly stuffing his bit of curiosity back inside.
Seeing his fearful appearance, Shang Wan thought to herself that being too timid wouldn’t do. She needed to find an opportunity to train him.
Shi Tou suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose, mumbling, “It must be the Young Master thinking of me.”
As he spoke, he stealthily glanced at Shang Wan and asked softly, “Young Madam, how do you plan to rescue the Young Master? If there’s anywhere I can be of use, just say the word.”
This kid actually had confidence in her.
Shang Wan waved her hand. “You don’t need to worry about rescuing people. I told you to inquire about news from the village. Did you hear anything useful?”
“All just trivial little matters.” Shi Tou said, “But I found out there’s a bricklayer in the village, surnamed Zhang. It’s a craft passed down through generations in his family. His work is meticulous, and his wages are lower than those of bricklayers in the city. Whenever villagers have issues with their houses, they go to him.”
“Then we’ll go to him too.” Shang Wan said, “Get ready and go right now. Once you’ve negotiated the price, start work. Demolish what needs demolishing, repair what needs repairing. You help out on the side. Since we all live in the same village, it’s convenient. Get the house fixed as soon as possible.”
“Alright.” Shi Tou nodded in agreement.
Shang Wan continued, “I need to go to the city. I’m not sure when I’ll be back in the evening, so don’t wait for me for dinner.”
Just then, the gray wolf carrying Yuan Yuan ran over. Shang Wan petted the wolf’s head, reached out to pick Yuan Yuan down, and kissed her soft little face. “Be good and listen to Xiao Huan and Shi Tou. I’ll come back once I’m done.”
“Don’t go.” Yuan Yuan’s originally smiling little face immediately fell. Her small hands reluctantly hugged Shang Wan’s neck tightly, nuzzling again and again.
Shang Wan tried to reason with her own child. “If I don’t go, Yuan Yuan won’t have a daddy.”
“Daddy?” Yuan Yuan blinked her big eyes brimming with tears and pouted her little mouth. “Want daddy.”
“Good girl.” Shang Wan pinched her cheeks and handed her to Xiao Huan. Under the worried and reluctant gazes of the big one and the small one, she vanished in a flash.
Shi Tou couldn’t help but sigh. “When will I ever have such great skills as the Young Madam?”
Xiao Huan: “In your dreams.”
Shi Tou grinned foolishly. “Even getting a thrill in my dreams would be fine.”
When Shang Wan entered the city, she discovered that the guards at the city gate had doubled. They were checking people leaving the city especially carefully. Without her needing to ask specifically, news of the Lu Family being robbed last night had spread throughout the city.
It was said that the thief hadn’t left the city yet. The constables were searching everywhere in the city, paying special attention to unfamiliar faces, eager to find that thief as soon as possible.
Shang·Thief·Wan swaggered down the street, brushing past a crowd of constables.
Li Wen Hua had died in office, so his body was to remain at the county yamen for seven days.
Shang Wan was ushered in as a commoner come for mourning. She lit a stick of incense before the spirit tablet.
The hall was filled with wailing cries. A young woman wearing sackcloth and mourning was so overcome with grief that she actually fainted.
The Li Family servants all shouted “Young Madam” and anxiously helped her down.
Shang Wan secretly raised a brow. Whether she had truly fainted or was faking it couldn’t escape her eyes. That woman was clearly pretending to faint.
However, whether she was faking it or not had nothing to do with her. She had only come to find Tian Sheng.
The original host had once glimpsed Tian Sheng from afar at a banquet hosted by the Lu Family.
Tian Sheng was of medium height, with a round face, thick eyebrows, a hooked nose, and a mustache on his lip. He was fairly recognizable.
Shang Wan dodged people along the way and searched inside and out of the county yamen front courtyard, but didn’t spot Tian Sheng anywhere.
She had clearly heard the constables at the doorway say Tian Sheng was in the county yamen handling official documents. Where was he?
Shang Wan frowned and thought for a moment before striding quickly toward the backyard.
The Li Family was temporarily staying in the county yamen backyard. Because of the funeral, most of the servants had been called to the front, so there weren’t many people in the backyard.
Two maids came walking toward her. Shang Wan hid behind a rockery to avoid them. Just as she was about to come out, her ears suddenly caught some unusual movement.
A flash of surprise passed through her eyes.
The front courtyard was still holding the funeral. Doing that kind of thing at someone’s funeral—how could they be so improper?
Because of her damnable curiosity, Shang Wan followed the sound over.
It wasn’t far—just in a small courtyard in the nearby garden. There was even a young servant standing watch at the courtyard gate, shoulders hunched like he was the one doing something guilty.
Shang Wan lightly vaulted over the side wall, landing silently like a cat.
The people in the room were going at it hot and heavy, their voices somewhat uncontainable.
She really hadn’t misheard.
Having satisfied her curiosity, Shang Wan expressionlessly rubbed her ears and turned to leave when she suddenly heard the woman in the room cry out two words emotionally.
