Chapter 6: 6 Tenderness

"This one! The Master said how could a copper mirror be as decent as a glass mirror, so he gave me a glass mirror!"

Liu Di explained hurriedly, then continued casually

"The Master also gave you a pair of bracelets. They're heavy. I didn't look closely; they're probably either silver or copper, definitely not gold..."

Liu Di smiled as he pulled away the red cloth covering the bracelets, only to suddenly freeze. He stared for a moment before leaning in to take a bite with his teeth—

"It's gold!" Liu Shan and his wife shouted simultaneously. Liu Shan's wife didn't believe it at first; she took the bracelets, bit them twice, gave them a little shake, and finally stood there with blank, staring eyes.

It was indeed solid gold, and it was quite heavy, weighing at least two taels. Liu Baiyu didn't know the standards for bride prices in this era. He felt that in modern times, marrying an average girl still cost tens of thousands of yuan, whereas for someone of Liu Ziqiong's caliber, a ten-million-yuan villa plus a BMW sports car depended on whether the family was willing. What did a few tens of thousands worth of gold bracelets matter? Besides, he was currently making about a million a day; why would he care about such small change?

This solid gold bracelet was heavy not only in reality but also in the hearts of Liu Shan and his wife. Even Liu Shan, who had always been against his daughter serving the Master, had his attitude changed by the impact.

"Child, just go serve the Master. I see he thinks quite highly of you; he won't abandon you after playing around..." Liu Shan had come to terms with it. With the Master being so generous, as long as the daughter had a son or a daughter, he likely wouldn't kick her out once he was bored. And even if he did, this pair of bracelets would be enough for mother and child to live on for half a lifetime.

"Dad, Mom, then I'm going!" Liu Ziqiong gave her parents a bitter smile, her eyes brimming with tears. She knew that since her parents and brother all agreed, she had no way to defy them. Moreover, the Master allowing her brother to bring a congratulatory gift was already giving her face, and given such a heavy gift from the master, she could no longer hesitate.

Liu Di, however, didn't care about any of that. He was afraid his sister would dawdle and make the Master unhappy and cause him to change his mind, so he coaxed and tricked her away, sending her straight to the Master's room.

Liu Baiyu, meanwhile, was living in a dream. He had bought two comfortable large beds from the Plane Merchant platform, along with various canned goods, biscuits, and all sorts of delicacies, intending to conquer Liu Ziqiong's stomach first.

"Brother-in-law... no, Master! I've brought Sister back. You and Sister should fly together today!" Liu Di acted like a Japanese translator in an anti-Japanese drama, bowing and scraping with a sycophantic smile. He made Liu Baiyu break out in goosebumps—he didn't think he looked that sleazy, so why did he always feel like this brother-in-law was like Mu Renzhi from *The White-Haired Girl* acting around Huang Shiren!

Furthermore, the guy had no situational awareness; he wouldn't leave and just stood there like a bright, glaring lightbulb!

Right, this guy wanted a reward, so it wasn't surprising he wouldn't leave. Liu Baiyu walked up with a grin and stuffed twenty taels of silver into Liu Di's hand. Only then did the bright lightbulb disappear with a beaming face.

Although Liu Ziqiong knew she was essentially a servant and could not resist whatever her master desired, seeing the silver Liu Baiyu gave her brother and his groveling manner, she couldn't help but think of the tragic women sold into brothels in plays. Tears welled in her eyes, and she felt like she was about to cry.

"There, it's settled. Your status is fixed; you are mine now. Why don't you call me 'Husband' for me to hear?" Liu Baiyu was a bit carried away, forgetting the principle that one should protect a young girl.

However, this sentence made Liu Ziqiong burst into laughter

"Master, I was originally your servant, so naturally I am yours... I wouldn't dare call you 'Husband.' That is for the First Madam to call; even a common concubine wouldn't dare!"

*Period dramas are deceiving people again,* Liu Baiyu complained silently, and immediately began to appreciate Liu Ziqiong's jade-like skin. Not only was it as white as water, but there were no unsightly blemishes or anything of the sort. Combined with her slender waist, long legs, high nose, and large eyes, he was instantly mesmerized, saying without realizing it

"Ziqiong, your skin is so white, so beautiful..."

"Thank you for the compliment, Master!" Liu Ziqiong's face flushed red under Liu Baiyu's aggressive gaze. However, she also knew that although she was often told she wasn't pretty, her good skin was universally recognized; this was one of the reasons she loved looking in the mirror.

"Alright then, open your mouth and let me see your teeth, okay!?" Liu Baiyu felt that since ancients didn't have toothpaste, their teeth were likely a tragedy, and he had to try his best to save them!

"My teeth are actually quite white..." Liu Ziqiong said somewhat aggrievedly. She really didn't know why this master liked this kind of tone, but she still obediently opened her mouth.

"Alright, close your mouth." Contrary to Liu Baiyu's expectations, Liu Ziqiong's teeth were indeed very white, but the wear and tear was quite severe for her age...

"You eat a lot of coarse rice, don't you?" Liu Baiyu asked with heartache.

"It's good enough just to eat rice. Master Zhang is benevolent; many commoners outside have to eat wild vegetables..." Liu Ziqiong felt that the Master must come from a very wealthy family; from his tone, it seemed as if he had never even eaten coarse rice.

"Wild vegetables are actually more expensive than rice. Since the people here are so pitiful, I might as well trade one jin of rice for one jin of wild vegetables," Liu Baiyu muttered to himself.

This sentence shocked Liu Ziqiong again. Wild vegetables were more expensive than rice? One jin of rice for one jin of wild vegetables? Was it that moldy, black rice? It must be. How could a rich man be so foolish? This Master of hers was quite dark-hearted, merely appearing dignified; she had to serve him well and not defy him, or there would be no good consequences.

"Alright, Ziqiong, you should eat something better. You haven't had dinner, have you? These are various fruit preserves..." Liu Baiyu said "persuasively," like a big bad wolf deceiving a little white rabbit.

"This... Master, these glass jars, are you rewarding me with one?" Liu Baiyu was quite stunned by this; there really were people who "bought the box and returned the pearl."

"Eat the fruit inside first. Once you're done, the glass jars are all yours; no one will fight you for them!" Having no other choice, Liu Baiyu used the same tactic his mother used to coax him!

"Then I'll eat this!" Liu Ziqiong looked at the fruit in these glass jars. She didn't dare eat what she didn't recognize, but fortunately, there were red and green patterns on them that looked real. She recognized an apple, so she chose that one.

*This...* Liu Baiyu realized that this "about-to-expire" loli was beyond saving; she continued to "buy the box and return the pearl"!

As an ancient person, Liu Ziqiong naturally didn't know how to open a can, so Liu Baiyu had to pry it open with a screwdriver. Then, this "about-to-expire" loli immediately drank the syrup in the can in one gulp without any regard for her image. She didn't even bother with the fruit pulp, simply saying it tasted good...

Liu Baiyu was somewhat speechless. Actually, he had reversed the logic; even in ancient times, people could generally afford some fruit, but white sugar was a luxury. Liu Ziqiong wasn't "buying the box and returning the pearl"; it was just that his own brain hadn't caught up.

Forget it, it's better to be tolerant with a girlfriend. Feeling embarrassed to say more, Liu Baiyu took out the ham sausages, instant noodles, and cooked beef he had prepared earlier and said to Liu Ziqiong to please her

"I wanted to make a proper meal for you, but I'm clumsy and can only make this. Please bear with me, okay?"

"Master, how could I let you cook?!" Liu Ziqiong didn't know whether to be moved or frightened. Her status was that of a chambermaid or a wife, but even for a man of some standing, there was no reason to cook for himself. How low was the threshold for a man to have "some standing"? Perhaps just having a skill, like being a chef. It was only natural for a man who was a chef to go home and wait for his wife to cook. Even in Liu Shan's household, if his wife wasn't busy with work late, Liu Shan wouldn't cook; as the head of the household, he maintained that bit of dignity.

But before Liu Ziqiong could say anything more, Liu Baiyu, feeling extremely embarrassed, forced a cup of Master Kong instant noodles onto the table in front of her. He then took out a stainless steel spoon, and fearing that this "about-to-expire" loli wouldn't know how to use utensils and make a fool of herself, he handed her a large stainless steel ladle.

The combined power of the instant noodle seasoning and the beef jerky Liu Baiyu had exchanged was not something an ancient person like Liu Ziqiong could resist. When she heard "beef," even if it was just pork, she only ate a little during the New Year, so she naturally couldn't help herself. If Liu Baiyu hadn't held her back to prevent her from eating too fast, she wouldn't have just choked a few times; she would have inhaled the soup and swallowed everything whole... Even so, Liu Ziqiong ate too much and had a bit of indigestion. Liu Baiyu accompanied her, walking around the room dozens of times until she felt better. Finally, after Liu Baiyu demonstrated how to brush teeth once more, Liu Ziqiong went to bed.