Chapter 10: Thoughtless

Bao Mianmian was startled when she saw Chunyu with her hair disheveled.

Chunyu let out an "ow!" and rushed over to grab her by the ear.

"Don't hit my face!"

Bao Mianmian turned to run.

Chunyu gave her no chance at all and blocked her path.

"Was it you who made that whatever-it-is, the tofu pudding?"

"Yes, I made it for the Young Master to eat."

"Then should it have been sweet or savory?!"

"The Young Master ate it both ways."

"You... aren't you just causing trouble?"

"It wasn't my intention, it was the Prince."

"You've only been here for one day, and you're already speaking ill of the Prince behind his back."

"Well, I wouldn't dare say it to his face!"

She hadn't done anything wrong, yet she still had five taels of silver deducted.

Bao Mianmian felt so heartbroken and miserable.

"Do you think the Prince wouldn't know if you said things like that? I'm telling you, the Prince has eyes and ears everywhere!"

Sister Chunyu, the one with eyes and ears everywhere isn't the Prince, it's a monster.

"I really didn't say anything bad about the Prince."

"I heard everything."

"Even if you heard it, it doesn't count!"

Wait, that last sentence wasn't Chunyu's voice.

Chunyu was right in front of her, but that voice came from behind, and it was a man's.

Good heavens, Bao Mianmian wasn't stupid.

How could she not recognize the voice of her provider?

Chunyu was absolutely right; the Prince had eyes and ears everywhere. When exactly had he been standing behind her?

"Pr... Prince."

Please don't say he's deducting five taels of silver, please.

"Mhm. Follow me to the study."

Yuan Wei glanced at her, offering no extra words.

In this state, he was even less pleasant than when they had been shouting at each other upon their first meeting.

Cold and icy, it was quite intimidating.

"The Prince wants you to go to the study."

Chunyu's expression wasn't much better either.

If a mistake had been made, she would be implicated as well; the Head Steward was not someone to be trifled with.

"I heard."

Her ears had heard, but her feet refused to move.

Waaaah, she didn't want to go, can she not?

"The Prince likes punctuality. If you go late..."

Bao Mianmian bolted. I'll run, I'll run, I'll run, run, run!

The Prince's legs are seven meters and eight decimeters long, so what!

Her legs were short, but her frequency was high; she would catch up soon enough.

What was Chunyu shouting from behind? She couldn't—hear—a—thing—

"Baozi, you're going the wrong way! The study is over there!"

Chunyu used every ounce of strength she had, but she still couldn't call the girl back.

Bao Mianmian was lost.

In the gardens of the Prince of Cheng's manor, she couldn't distinguish north from south; she had lost all sense of direction.

Someone, please, show her the way.

As she turned around and around, it seemed to get quieter and quieter.

Bao Mianmian stomped her foot. A prince's manor couldn't be any bigger than a park, she didn't believe it.

Seeing a row of houses ahead, she hurried forward.

Even if she didn't find the right place, at least she could grab someone to ask.

It would be even better if a kind person was willing to lead the way.

"Is anyone there?"

When Bao Mianmian opened her mouth, she almost heard an echo.

"Then I'm coming in!"

She gave the door a gentle push; it wasn't locked and opened automatically.

What did she see!

What did she see!

What!

An ancestral tablet, with "Spirit Tablet of the Princess of Cheng" written on it.

Bao Mianmian's eyes went wide and blank.

The Prince looked quite young; turns out he was a widower.

This... this... his wife had become a tablet.

"What are you doing here?"

Bao Mianmian was just about to back away when her foot tripped on the threshold.

She fell backward directly.

It was quite a hard fall.

"My waist... my waist, my waist is going to break."

"It hasn't broken yet."

The Head Steward looked at her, feeling both exasperated and amused.

"You're going to work in the manor, yet you're still so scatterbrained."

Yuan Wei arrived at the study and looked back, but the cook hadn't followed.

After waiting a moment longer, she had vanished.

He thought to himself that she was likely new and couldn't find her way.

Immediately, he summoned the Head Steward and told him to bring her to him.

The Head Steward first found Chunyu and asked which direction Bao Mianmian had been running off in, letting out a cry of "Oh no!"

If she had headed in that direction, it certainly wasn't a place she should be going.

Sure enough, when he chased after her and saw her looking inside with a dazed expression, he quickly shouted for her to stop.

Honestly, of all the things to look at, why look at things belonging to the dead? She didn't even know how to show proper discretion.

"The spirit tablet."

"Shut up."

"The Princess's..."

"Shut up!"

The veins on the Head Steward's forehead were throbbing.

"The Prince is waiting for you in the study. You are not allowed to mention a single word about it, do you hear me!"

"I hear you."

Bao Mianmian was still feeling indignant in her heart.

I'm quite clever; would I really dare mention his dead wife in front of the Prince?

Seeing her yield, the Head Steward's expression softened slightly.

"Remember it well, otherwise don't even think about staying in the Prince of Cheng's manor."

"I promise to remember it more firmly than my own surname."

"Calling you a 'Baozi' (bun/softie), you really are a softie."

The Head Steward escorted her to the door of the study and tapped her forehead twice.

Ouch, ouch, he really hits hard.

Don't think I don't know; he's definitely doing this to get revenge for not getting to eat the tofu pudding.

"Prince, I've found her."

"Mhm. Let her in."

Yuan Wei looked up to see Bao Mianmian entering with her legs squeezed together, shuffling one step at a time.

She had thought about it seriously just now.

So what if she saw the Princess's spirit tablet?

Yet the Head Steward was so nervous, it was as if the Princess had died and come back to life.

There must be something wrong here.

And it must be a big problem.

She couldn't mention it in front of the Prince. Could it be, could it be...

Bao Mianmian's heart trembled. She held her breath, watched the Prince, and squeezed her legs even tighter.

Yuan Wei sensed something was off. She had been so lively just now with Chunyu.

Suddenly, she had become this well-behaved.

"Did the Head Steward scold you?"

"Yes, he said that since I just entered the manor, I shouldn't cause trouble."

"The Head Steward has been in the Prince of Cheng's manor for many years. Since you have entered the manor, you must listen to him."

"What about the silver!"

Silver? He didn't mention silver just now.

Yuan Wei thought for a moment; Baozi's speech was incredibly jumpy; an ordinary person really couldn't keep up.

"You are asking about the five taels of silver that were deducted."

Bao Mianmian's small face leaned forward.

Prince, please look into my eyes full of sincerity.

In the entire manor, there were many maids and old nannies, but there truly wasn't a second person who dared to lean her face so close to his.

Yuan Wei actually had a bit of a germaphobia; Baozi's breath was almost blowing onto his face.

Without a second thought, he pushed her away by her forehead.

Bao Mianmian didn't react in time. If the Prince wanted to talk, he should just talk; why use his hands?

Looking at the Prince's expression again, she grew angry.

Was he disgusted or what!

I haven't even laid a hand on you, yet you're looking down on me.

Let me tell you, Prince of Cheng, I only came to this manor to earn silver.

I have no interest in anything else!

However, looking closely...

The Prince had handsome, sword-like eyebrows and bright, starry eyes, and his nose was exceptionally beautiful.

She almost reached out to touch it again.

Luckily!

Her left hand stopped her right hand just in time.

What's the rush? If I really want to touch it, I can find ways to do it later; it's not like there won't be more chances.

A smile spread across Bao Mianmian's face as she rubbed her hands together.

"Prince, considering the fact that I have only just arrived in Fuyang City and don't have a single cent to my name..."

If he deducted her monthly wages again, it would be truly unreasonable.

"Those five taels will not be given to you, but from now on, following the standard maid's wage, I will give you fifteen taels a month."

It was simply music to her ears!