Chapter 4: Young master

Shugie slowly turned her head towards the way her friend was looking; her stomach turned into water.

He was laying still; his face was covered by a cotton hat.

"Maybe he is sleeping?" She asked Nuna. At least, that is what she hoped.

"I was till someone came and woke me up," replied the young man with his eyes closed.

"We are sorry, ser, we will leave this instance!" Nuna exclaimed and stood up to leave with Shugie.

"I am afraid I can't let you leave that easily," said the young man.

Seeing this scene on screen, adult Shugie could not help but wonder why the mortal from today's peeping incident was here. If she was not there to calm little Jiang, then he probably would be dead.

That little girl tries to maintain an image of ice beauty in front of everyone at the sect, even her master, the sect leader. So seeing her losing composer, but while she was distracted, the little girl had already attacked this poor boy from the other side of the lake. He probably could not see them from the other side of the lake, let alone with all that fog and mist covering everything.

Seeing this interaction between the younger generation, she wondered if she was also like them. Worried about her image like little Jiang, or was she fiery like this mortal boy? To peek at them, knowing full well that they would sense him from a long distance away but still trying his luck.

Maybe the mortal boy was not as simple as she once thought.

While she thought this through, the scene continued.

"I,I don't understand, ser." Nuna asked while showing an innocent smile on her face, trying to mask her worries.

"Don't you know that insulting a noble is a crime?" said the young man while yawning. "Doing so while being from the common folk is downright stupid."

"Please, ser, please have mercy; we were talking nonsense. Please find the kindness in your heart to forgive us ignorant fools." Nuna came down on her knees and rapidly fired her apologies for their transgression at the young man.

"I am not trying to..." The young man sighed and got up to look at them. 'They are too scared to think,' he thought to himself.

Outside of the screen, Shugie heard his thoughts also. "I am getting someone of his thoughts also, curious," she muttered to herself.

The young man was sleeping with his hat on his face, providing some protection to his eyes. So they could not get a proper look at him. But now that he sat up, they could look. He had fair skin with light brown skin and windswept tousled hair; his eyes are a striking shade of dark brown.

Both Shugies' and Nuna were stunned.

"Look, just get your parents; you big girl go; the young one stays here till you return," said the young man, breaking them out of their reverie.

Hearing this, Nuna left quickly with a complicated look on her face.

The young man then looked at Shugie.

"Eek," Shugie blurted in fear.

Soon, Nuna returned with a man in his late 20s, with black hair and wheat skin. The man had a nervous yet determined look in his eyes.

"Has my girls in any way offended you, ser?" said the man politely while bowing a little.

"Your girls? You don't look old enough to father this one," said the man while pointing at Nuna.

"Nuna is the daughter of my sworn brother from the war of six petty kings. He died of general exhaustion a few winters back. I am now talking care of her in his stead." Shugie's father replied.

"How is the harvest this time, Mr...."

"You can just call me Wang Ser," said Shugie's father.

Outside of the screen, Shugie thought to herself, "It seems The Wang in my name is from my father."

The scene continued to change on the screen.

"Ahh, Mr. Wang, So how is the harvest this year? Plenty to go around or just getting by?" the young man asked.

"Ser, I don't know how my girls have offended you, but maybe I can compensate your lost time with this." Saying this, he pulled out a pouch.

"Mr. Wang, it seems like there is a misunderstanding going on; why don't we talk and let the girls go back?" The young man proposed.

"Girls, go back and prepare dinner. I will be back a little later," Shugie's father said with uncertainty in his voice.

Nuna reluctantly turned, choosing to believe in Shugie's father and praying for his safe return.

But Shugie was standing still.

"Let's go, Shugie," Nuna said while nudging her friend.

"Dad?" Shugie called her father with a voice filled with anxiety.

"You all are acting like I am a man eating monster with two heads and seven eyes," said the young man with a chuckle. "Go home; he will be back in a few minutes."

Nuna pulled Shugie and took her away.

-----

Just outside of the village. In a house made of weathered wood and clay, the roof thatched with dried reeds and sloped gently.

There were two girls sitting on the mud floor cutting vegetables with an arched blade attached to a wood plank held with the foot.

Both girls were distracted while working, stealing glances towards the door.

"It has been half an hour; when will Father return?" asked the little girl.

"You worry too much, Shugie; your father will return soon; if young Master wanted to cause trouble, then he could have done that there. Why take such a roundabout way to deal with us?" At least that is what Nuna is hoping for. The powerful have fickle tempers after all.

A figure entered the home. Looking at the man, Shugie ran and hugged him. "What took you so long? Nuna and I were worried sick."

"I went to but some good alcohol; the young master will be having supper at our house tonight."

"Huh?" both of the girls replied at the same time.

"Thank the heavens that the young master is kind and agreed to not speak of your transgressions. If it were someone else, then they would not be willing to take the risk of not reporting you all for a few meals."

"A few?" asked Shugie. She had a feeling that the young man had some other designs of them, not just the food. Thinking this, she took a look at his friend Nuna. Unlike her, she was very beautiful, with fair skin, big eyes, and a big chest. The big brothers from in and around their village came to propose a wedding, but this sister of hers rejected them all. Saying she was not ready.

Her father tried to convince her one day, a little bit harder than usual as she was already 17 then, but she broke into tears and ran out of their house. Her father went after her, but when they returned later, something had changed. Her father was more reserved, and Nuna also avoided her father. The world of adults was really complicated.

All she could hope was the young master was actually kind and not pressure them when

A voice came from outside the door: "Why am I not welcome in your home, little Shugie?"

They all turned towards the voice; there was the young man with a freshly hunted wild mountain goat on his shoulder.