The Timid Miss Su

Outside the room, Shopkeeper Yuan knocked on the door first. "Miss Su, our Eldest Young Master is here. May we see you?"

The gang was clinking their cups together, and the nanny heard it first. Her expression changed and she shushed them at once.

This time, the voice outside the door became clear.

The Eldest Young Master wants to see me? Su Ji wondered. Which Eldest Young Master?

Su Jiu opened her eyes. It wouldn't be Eldest Young Master Ji, right?

The nanny also panicked as she hurriedly patted Su Jiu's skirt down, trying to make her look neat. Looking at Hu Dapao and Ah Shu's drunken appearance, she hurriedly said, "Quickly, hide! If the Eldest Young Master sees this, he would misunderstand!"

Hide? they wondered, looking around quickly. But where to hide?

Although the room was spacious, there were only several bookshelves with vases, and no cabinets to hide in.

Besides, how did you hide four people?

Outside, Shopkeeper Yuan raised his voice and shouted again, as he did not get a response.

"Please wait a moment," the nanny replied. "My lady's robes are wet because of the tea, she'll be ready in a moment!"

"Such arrogance, how dare she let our Young Master wait for her," Jin Mi said arrogantly, her glare cold.

Ji Yuxian looked calm, but his gaze grew darker.

The nanny was in a panic, and Su Jiu thought of a plan amidst the chaos. Looking at Qiao An, she said, "Master An, you and Chang Huan take Dapao and Ah Shu, and leave!"

Qiao An glanced at the window behind her and cast back worried look. "Can you handle it alone?"

"Rest assured, no matter what they say, I will not speak. Everything will be handled by Nanny!" Su Jiu replied.

"Yes, yes, I'm here to handle it!" the nanny said.

Qiao An nodded. Fortunately, Hu Dapao and Ah Shu were not so drunk they were unconscious. At Su Jiu's orders, they leaped out of the window one by one.

"Miss Su, are you done?" a woman's shrill voice rang the air. "Don't tell me you are afraid of seeing us!"

The nanny closed the window, adjusted the golden hairpin on Su Jiu's head, and wiped the oil off her mouth. "Just keep your head down, and don't talk no matter what the other party says, I'll take care of it!" she instructed.

"Rest assured!" Su Jiu gave her a reassuring look.

Outside, Shopkeeper Yuan urged them again. 

"Coming, coming!" The nanny rushed over to open the door.

The door opened, and a strong stench of wine wafted out, making the three of them frown.

The nanny hung her head down and stood respectfully aside. "Greetings to the Eldest Young Master!"

Ji Yuxian entered first and he was stunned upon seeing what was going on in the room.

The wide tables in the room were disorganized, gnawed bones were thrown all over the place, the wine vats were placed, slumped to one side, and the room was permeated with the scent of wine.

Inside, a woman sat there. Her long dark hair was soft, and her figure was slender and thin. She lowered her head as if she were very shy, but the situation in the room was really contrary to her demeanor!

There was no time to clean up, and the nanny's face was utterly embarrassed. She went behind Su Jiu, pulled her up, and chuckled.

"Miss, this is Eldest Young Master Ji!"

Su Jiu stood up, her eyes looked down and she nodded, "Oh!"

The lady had her head down, but her beauty was still apparent. Looking at the leftovers on the table, Jin Mi's eyes were filled with disdain, after the initial astonishment passed. She remarked unkindly, "Did Miss Su eat all these? Is the Su Family so poor that they can't afford to eat, and starve Miss Su like this?"

The nanny's face was red with humiliation as she replied, "I ate all of these. I hadn't had breakfast and was starving!"

Distaste flashed in Jin Mi's gaze. "I didn't know Fuyang had such a rule that servants could also eat at the table with their master?"

She went up to pick up a half-empty wine vat and glared at the nanny, "You drank this wine, too?"

The nanny nodded awkwardly. "Yes!"

Jin Mi shook her head and laughed. "The Su Family has run a business for many generations, and there are many children in the family who have served as officials. Is this how they are brought up?"

Su Jiu bowed her head, clenched her teeth, and told herself not to mind this obnoxious woman's words. She tried hard to control her impulse to kick the woman.

"I am so sorry!" The nanny held Su Jiu's hand, and her face was full of embarrassment.

Shopkeeper Yuan finally reacted, as he hastily moved a chair for Ji Yuxian. He wiped it with a handkerchief and said respectfully, "Please have a seat, Young Master!"

Ji Yuxian glanced at the chair, but did not sit down. He glanced at Su Jiu, "Miss Su, you just arrived at Shengjing, are you getting used to it?"

His voice was low and as elegant as a zither.

The nanny immediately replied, "Yes, thank you so much for taking care of us!"

"I haven't seen Uncle Su for more than a decade, is he alright?"

"Yes, yes, everything is fine!" the nanny replied with a smile.

"How brazen!" Jin Mi reprimanded angrily, "Our Young Master is speaking to your young lady, why are you, a servant, interrupting? Is your lady mute?"

Su Jiu was just about to raise her head, but the nanny pressed her hand down tightly. "Yes, I have gone overboard!" she replied respectfully.

Ji Yuxian's gaze fell on the woman. Ever since they entered the room, she had been lowering her head, not daring to say a word. Her demeanor was timid, her hand held onto her nanny, trembling faintly as if she were extremely nervous.

The Su Family actually let such a woman to be the mistress of the Ji Family, did they overestimate themselves, or underestimate their Ji Family?

Smelling the strong scent of wine in the room, a touch of disgust flashed in the man's delicate eyes of the man. As if he simply did not want to stay any longer, he glanced at the woman coldly, turned and went out.

Jin Mi followed, and before going out, she said, "It doesn't matter if Miss Su has never seen the world. It doesn't matter if she doesn't know of any rules, but she has to know where she is now!"

"In Fuyang, you have embarrass the Su Family. Now that you are in Shengjing, you are embarrassing the Ji Family. Outsiders would think the Ji Family mistreated you with such gorging if you were at other restaurants!"

"And," she said, glancing up and smiling, "I heard that the Su Family is also a reputable family in Fuyang. Did Miss Su not even have a servant girl when she went out?"

"Yes, but she didn't follow us out today," the nanny replied.

Jin Mi hummed and followed Ji Yuxian out of the room.

Shopkeeper Yuan followed hurriedly, and he almost crashed into the waiters.

He looked at the slab of meat in the hands of the two waiters. Stunned, he asked, "What is this?"

"Shopkeeper!" the waiter walking in front stammered, "This room's guests ordered whole roast lamb!"

Shopkeeper Yuan gasped, looking at the closed door behind him, and covered his face with his palm.

Ji Yuxian paused, looked back at the whole roast lamb the waiter was carrying, and his lips twitched.