Jiang Yourning walked several steps ahead on her own before realizing she seemed to have forgotten something.
She turned around.
"Where's that Novice Monk?"
"Wasn't he in the same carriage as you? Didn't he get out?"
Jiang Wanrong looked at her younger sister and asked in return.
"Oh."
Jiang Yourning turned back and returned to the carriage.
She lifted the curtain. The boy inside was sleeping soundly.
"Little Wukong, all your food has been handed out."
One sentence.
Little Wukong sprang up instantly.
"Who? Who ate my food?!!!"
He looked around with all the ferocity of an angry kitten, still somewhat dazed by the carriage interior.
"Nobody ate your food. Get out. We're home."
Jiang Yourning couldn't help laughing.
As his gaze focused on Jiang Yourning, Little Wukong suddenly remembered that he now had a home.
He grinned and nodded.
"Okay!"
Looking at the adorable little bald head, Jiang Wanrong spoke:
"Ningning, where are you planning to put Little Wukong?"
"He's new here and still young. Let's put him in Third Brother's courtyard."
Jiang Yourning thought for two seconds before speaking slowly.
Can't be helped. My instincts tell me this Novice Monk isn't the quiet, well-behaved sort either.
If he lives with Fourth Brother, I'm afraid the two of them will tear the house down together. Third Brother will just have to suffer a little and babysit~
Jiang Wanrong nodded gently.
"That would be best."
Her thoughts were much the same as her sister's.
This Novice Monk had a distinguished status. If living with Fourth Brother taught him to tease cats and torment dogs, it would be trouble if that stirred resentment in the imperial family.
"Sixth Sister, can I come visit you all whenever I want?"
Little Wukong blinked up at Jiang Yourning, his eyes filled with deep attachment.
In this new environment, Jiang Yourning was the person he knew best.
If he couldn't see her, he might not be able to sleep well.
"Of course. Come on, I'll take you around so you can learn your way."
Jiang Yourning couldn't help smiling.
"Okay! Sixth Sister, you're so nice!"
Watching the older girl and little boy looking at each other, Jiang Wanrong couldn't help furrowing her brow slightly.
How strange.
These two didn't look alike.
So why did she have the impression that they were family?
"Sister, want to come along?"
Jiang Yourning turned to Jiang Wanrong again.
She was an old hand at keeping the bowl level and treating everyone equally.
"I'll pass. I'm a little tired from the journey, so I'll go rest for a while."
Jiang Yourning took Little Wukong on a tour of the entire Jiang Residence.
Since she was in a good mood, for once she didn't complain about being tired.
"Come on, let's go to my courtyard. I'll treat you to something tasty."
"Okay!"
Little Wukong's eyes immediately lit up, and even his steps quickened.
After returning to her courtyard, Jiang Yourning looked at the lunch already laid out across the table and fell into parched silence.
"Chun Tao, why is it another all-brains banquet today?"
Stir-fried pig brains, fish-brain soup...
One glance was enough to wipe out most of Jiang Yourning's appetite.
The first time she'd eaten this stuff, she'd wolfed it down quite happily.
But after having brains at every meal for several days straight, she was thoroughly sick of them, okay?
"Miss, isn't this all to help you recover sooner? They say bitter medicine is good for an illness. At least what you're eating isn't bitter at all."
Chun Tao spoke with earnest patience.
"All right, all right, you can leave. If I see this stuff again at my next meal, tomorrow I'll have the main kitchen stew your brains for Big Yellow."
Jiang Yourning stretched her lips into a grin.
She was clearly smiling, yet Chun Tao and Little Wukong both shrank back at the same time.
Oh no, Miss seems to be even sicker.
Sister seems a little scary. I'd better behave myself around her from now on.
After Chun Tao left, Jiang Yourning told Little Wukong to stay quietly in the room, then went to pee. When she returned, she had washed her hands and was carrying a small food box.
"You've pretty much returned to secular life now. Do you want vegetables or meat?"
Jiang Yourning spoke slowly as she looked at Little Wukong, who had obediently waited for her to return.
"I want both."
Little Wukong gave her a sweet smile.
"You sure know how to choose, kid. Come eat over here."
Jiang Yourning put the food box beside the small couch and took out a plate of roast duck, a bowl of pork slices in spicy broth, and some pan-fried dumplings.
A rich aroma immediately wafted into their noses, and Little Wukong couldn't help swallowing.
"Dig in!"
The moment Jiang Yourning spoke, Little Wukong started wolfing down the food.
He had never eaten such delicious dishes before.
"Hey, hey, hey! Leave me some meat, kid. How can someone so little eat so much?"
"Are you a water buffalo? I've only had two sips. How have you already drained your cola?"
"Young man, that last dumpling is mine!"
"Aaaah! Take my hammer!"
Inside the room.
From the moment the meal began.
Jiang Yourning's voice never stopped.
With two food lovers together, those few dishes vanished at astonishing speed.
"Burp. Sister, is there any more of that sweet water that makes bubbles in your mouth?"
The older girl and little boy lay on either side of the small square table, rubbing their round bellies. Little Wukong grinned happily.
"No more. You're really greedy, kid. That costs real money, you know?
"One can costs a tael of silver. It's expensive."
One point equaled one tael of silver. She hadn't said anything wrong.
"Then... how about I give you money?"
Little Wukong immediately sat up again in excitement.
"Just keep that little bit of money you have, kid. My family agreed to raise you, but we never said we'd give you spending money."
Jiang Yourning glanced at him, then looked away again.
She'd pass on making money off a little kid.
"I don't need you to give me spending money. Every month, I should have..."
Little Wukong counted on his fingers, then began muttering to himself:
"I had fifty thousand when I was three, eighty thousand when I was four. This year, I should have..."
After a rough attempt at calculating, Little Wukong still hadn't worked it out, but he looked at Jiang Yourning with shining eyes and said:
"Sister, I can afford that water of yours. I could even drink ten cans a day! I'll give you silver. Can you buy it for me?"
Jiang Yourning had already sat up while Little Wukong was doing his sums.
"You're not pulling my leg, are you, kid? Where would a little monk like you get that much money?"
"Um... I don't know where it comes from either. Anyway, Master gives me a few banknotes every year, along with a deposit receipt.
"Most of my money is deposited in a bank."
"..."
Jiang Yourning was a little dazed.
Seeing that Jiang Yourning didn't seem to believe him, Little Wukong hopped off the small couch, walked straight to the little table nearby, and brought over his bundle.
He sprawled on the small couch and began rummaging through it.
Jiang Yourning leaned over for a look and felt that this world was far too unkind to her.
Seriously, what harm would it do to have one more rich person like me in this world?!!!
A five-year-old Novice Monk had a whole fistful of house and land deeds, and that bulging bundle of thousand-tael banknotes looked thicker than her entire life!!!
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