Yang Qing rose, intending to approach the mute servant, but saw that he remained prostrate on the floor, not daring to lift his head.
Yang Qing slowly crouched before him, held both hands out in front of his eyes, and made several extremely quick gestures.
Neither Bu Er nor Jiang Zhizhou caught them, but the mute servant did.
He raised his head in astonishment and stared fixedly at Yang Qing.
Meeting his gaze, Yang Qing gave a slight nod.
The mute servant continued to stare motionlessly at Yang Qing, looking thoughtful.
Yang Qing moved his hands again, making several more gestures before him.
This time, as though enlightenment had suddenly dawned on him, the mute servant cautiously made two gestures back to Yang Qing.
Afterward, he glanced around, only relaxing once he saw that no one was outside.
Yang Qing silently rose and said to Jiang Zhizhou, "Lock this servant in the woodshed! He cannot even handle such a trifling task!"
Jiang Zhizhou turned toward the doorway. "Someone, come here!"
The moment he spoke, another mute servant entered, somewhat younger than the one kneeling on the floor. After bowing to Jiang Zhizhou, he seized the kneeling servant by the back of his collar and actually carried him straight out.
Yang Qing gave Bu Er a meaningful look. Understanding, Bu Er paused, then quietly followed the two of them to the woodshed.
"What did that mute servant tell you just now?" Jiang Zhizhou asked as he and Yang Qing returned to the table, facing the dishes that had already gone completely cold.
Yang Qing said nothing. He merely picked up a chopstick, dipped it in the wine cup, and wrote several words on the tabletop before him.
As Jiang Zhizhou read the words, his pupils abruptly contracted. He snapped his head