Supreme Butler (II)

Upon hearing this, Yue Qianchou was momentarily stunned. Not only him, but Li Hongniang and Shi Xiaotian were also dumbfounded. A man in his fifties jogged over from a short distance, smiling obsequiously at the woman, and hissed at Yue Qianchou, "Aren't you coming with me, uh... Mr. Yue!"

The steward, named Shi Shunqing, was a retainer of the General's Mansion. He had met Yue Qianchou many times in the past and was quite familiar with him, knowing a little about what kind of person Yue Qianchou was. But when he saw Yue Qianchou's face clearly, he was dumbfounded. Nearly ten years had passed, and he himself had aged considerably, but Yue Qianchou remained the same, only appearing more mature. He recognized him immediately and was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Shunqing, this is none of your business. Take all the servants away. I haven't seen my wife for many years and we have something to talk about." Yue Qianchou, having regained his senses, smiled slightly and began to order him around without any politeness. Shi Shunqing readily agreed and, after obtaining Li Hongniang's consent, took a group of maids and the like away.

Seeing that the steward was ignoring her, the woman became a little annoyed and glared at him, saying, "Is there no order in this General's Mansion...?"

"Wanshi, don't be rude!" Li Hongniang stopped her from continuing. The other woman beside her had been quietly watching everything that had just happened. This servant in front of her was clearly no ordinary person; how could an ordinary person command the steward of the General's Mansion?

"Mother, these servants are getting more and more unruly. If we don't discipline them, they'll surely do something to betray their master. Mother is too kind to be harsh, so why not let my daughter-in-law discipline them?" The woman seemed to be missing a screw, still babbling on. Another woman had already pulled her several times, but she remained oblivious.

"Shut up!" Li Hongniang snapped at her daughter-in-law. In her memory, Yue Qianchou was a god-like figure! Back then, he could easily trap her eldest son for days with a simple gesture; he was not someone to be trifled with!

Damn it! If you utter another word, I'll sell you off to Africa. Yue Qianchou was speechless at encountering such a woman. Pointing at the woman's pretty face, he asked Shi Xiaotian, "Xiaotian, is this your sister-in-law? Is she Shi Youtian's wife or Shi Yintian's?"

Shi Xiaotian glanced at him with a wry smile, thinking to himself, "If you weren't wearing these servant's clothes, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess." Li Hongniang had already taken over, awkwardly introducing, "Sir, please don't take offense. This is Bao Wanshi, the wife of the eldest son Youtian, and this is Situ Hui wife of the second son Yintian."

"Bao Wanshi?" Yue Qianchou glanced at her and sneered, "The name doesn't do her justice! How could Youtian have married such a shrew? In my opinion, he should just divorce her."

His words were utterly impolite, leaving those around him speechless. Shi Xiaotian at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Bao Wanshi immediately turned pale with anger, her voice trembling as she stammered, "You... you... waa..." and burst into tears.

Yue Qianchou had never liked shrewish women. He had just said something to annoy her. When he saw her crying, he immediately felt like watching a show and said jokingly, "Cry, keep crying. If it's too quiet, make it louder."

Just as he predicted, Bao Wanshi burst into loud sobs, her voice shrill and accompanied by numerous exaggerated gestures. Situ Hui's attempts to comfort her were futile. Li Hongniang rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Shi Xiaotian quickly pulled Yue Qianchou aside, pleading, "Boss, I'm begging you, please have mercy on her. She's my sister-in-law, after all. Please, just give me some face."

"Who made my wife cry?" A voice, feigning anger but tinged with amusement, rang out. Yue Qianchou turned around and saw a man emerge from the tree-lined path in the direction of the gate. He wore a civil official's hat and a crimson official robe. Who else could it be but Shi Youtian, the eldest son of the Shi family? However, he appeared much more composed than before, especially with the two small mustaches on his lips.

"Wow..." Bao Wanshi rushed into Shi Youtian's arms, wiping away her tears, as if she had seen a savior, and began to tell him all her grievances.

"Hmph! There are still such wicked servants. Wanshi, don't cry. I'll teach him a lesson for you." Shi Youtian released his wife and strode over.

"Haha! Interesting!" Yue Qianchou couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, saying, "Shi Youtian, it's been many years. I didn't expect you to become such a love-struck fool. I'd like to see how you teach me a lesson."

"How dare you..." Shi Youtian caught his breath after seeing the man's face, his face turning red. Realizing what he had said, he hurriedly lifted the hem of his official robe and ran over to bow, saying, "Youtian greets you, sir. I hope you have been well for many years."

Regardless of past relationships, it's always a happy occasion to see old friends again. Yue Qianchou grabbed him and laughed, "You're living a better life than me! Flirting with your wife in public, tsk tsk! What a life!"

"Sir, you flatter me. What I crave is merely a little romance, nothing compared to your celestial life. All these years have passed, yet you remain as radiant as ever, truly something I envy." He spoke the truth. Years ago, he relentlessly pursued the path of cultivation, only to find it elusive and his dream shattered. He finally gave up on that pursuit, settling down to marry and focus on his official career. Yet, a lingering yearning for cultivation remained, a memory he often lamented to himself. His third son was the one he truly envied! He often longed to chat with him, but rarely saw him leave the forbidden area of the back garden.

At this moment, Bao Wanshi stopped crying and stared at her husband with her mouth agape. Even if she wasn't very perceptive, she could tell that the servant in front of her was no ordinary person. Shi Youtian beckoned to her and said, "Wanshi, come and greet your master."

"Ah!" Bao Wanshi suddenly didn't know where to put her hands. She took a few graceful steps forward, her face flushed, and bowed, saying, "Bao Wanshi greets you, sir. I was rash and offended you just now. Please forgive me." Situ Hui, who was standing to the side, was very obedient. Without being reminded, she followed suit and bowed, saying, "Situ Hui greets you, sir."

"Hmph!" Yue Qianchou snorted coldly at Bao Wanshi and ignored her. Instead, he raised his hand to Situ Hui, who was bowing, indicating that she did not need to be so polite. He smiled and said, "Are you Yintian's wife? Your husband and I are old acquaintances."

"Wife? Husband?" The man's speech was a bit rude, Situ Hui muttered to herself, but on the surface she nodded with a smile and stepped aside.

Seeing that Yue Qianchou ignored his wife's apology, Shi Youtian immediately gave his third brother a look, signaling him to plead for her. Shi Xiaotian, came over and pulled Yue Qianchou aside, saying with a smile, "Eldest brother, my sister-in-law is actually a good person, just a bit too outspoken. Don't take it to heart."

"Yes, yes!" Shi Youtian chimed in, "Youtian apologizes to you on behalf of my wife. I hope you will forgive her this time for the sake of my third brother."

In truth, Yue Qianchou wouldn't really bother with such a commoner like her, but women sometimes take advantage of their gender and become a bit arrogant. To avoid future trouble, he had to scare her a little. He immediately pointed his finger and shouted, "Bao Wanshi, I'll spare your life this time for the sake of the Shi brothers. But if you dare to do this again, I'll take your head, and no amount of pleading will help!"

"Hurry up and thank the gentleman." Shi Youtian tugged at his wife. Bao Wanshi felt incredibly wronged; how could she be treated worse than an outsider in her own home? But she still obediently thanked him. And that was the end of it.

"Youtian!" Yue Qianchou patted his shoulder and sighed, "Xiaotian and I are just about to go to 'Myriad Flower Pavilion' for a stroll. Do you want to come and join the fun?"

"Uh..." Shi Xiaotian almost vomited blood upon hearing this, glancing guiltily at his mother who was glaring at him. Situ Hui blushed, while Bao Wanshi's eyes widened in disbelief. Shi Youtian, on the other hand, just kept grinning foolishly at Yue Qianchou. This was a very difficult question to answer! Actually, he really wanted to go out with Yue Qianchou, not for the Myriad Flower Pavilion's leading lady, but purely for Yue Qianchou. But with his wife, mother, and sister-in-law all around, how was he supposed to answer?

Yue Qianchou teased, "Are you going or not? What are you grinning about? Give me an answer!" Shi Xiaotian's expression twitched. Boss, you're just stirring up trouble!

"You're not allowed to go!" Bao Wanshi spread her arms and blocked Shi Youtian's way, glaring angrily at Yue Qianchou, "Even if you kill me, I won't let him go to that place with you."

"Wow! I didn't realize you were a feminist." Yue Qianchou chuckled and said, "Youtian, since your wife won't let you go, then forget it. Xiaotian, let's go." He then walked straight outside, with Shi Xiaotian following behind, head down, as if searching for ants.

"Hey! Sir, wait a minute..." Shi Youtian was getting anxious. "If you dare go, I'll fight you to the death!" Bao Wanshi jumped onto Shi Youtian, hugging him tightly with all her might, completely disregarding her image. Immediately, Yue Qianchou's loud laughter echoed from not far away, while Situ Hui's eyes revealed a hint of curiosity—just who was this person...?

.

.