A long-lost feeling (Part two)

Only then did Hu An understand what Hu Xiaotian meant. With an ingratiating smile, he said, "It was Madam!"

Hu Xiaotian glared at him. "How dare you! You actually dare to say my mom has bad taste!"

Hu An hastily explained, "Young Master, I meant no disrespect to Madam. All the standards for choosing maids were set according to her wishes. Madam said that the prettier a woman is, the more vicious her nature. She was worried that overly pretty maids would distract you and interfere with your studies."

Hu Xiaotian understood. This probably had nothing to do with him at all. His mom was a veritable vat of vinegar, unable to bear the sight of beautiful women. She feared that too many pretty maids and serving women in the residence would spell trouble, that some restless soul might try to seduce his father. Hu An had not spelled it out, but he had gotten the message across.

When Hu An saw Hu Xiaotian fall silent, he thought the young master still blamed him. In a low voice, he said, "Young Master, perhaps I could find you a replacement later."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Does replacing a forty with a fifty-nine make any difference?"

Hu An did not understand. He stared at him blankly.

Hu Xiaotian sighed. "It's still a failing grade! Forget it. Trying to explain anything to you is exhausting. It's like playing a lute to a cow!"

Hu An said, "Young Master, there's no need to be impatient. Your wedding is in October." Hu An was a man of experience. What was there he did not understand? The young master's spring urges had awakened. He wanted a woman.

Hu Xiaotian fixed Hu An with a vicious stare. The fellow had to lift the one kettle that refused to boil-he was rubbing salt into the wound.

The look in Hu Xiaotian's eyes told Hu An that he had inadvertently touched the fellow's dragon's reverse scale again. He hurriedly lowered his head and bowed deeply. "Young Master, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Hu Xiaotian gave a cold snort. "I won't see you out!"

At the door, Hu An remembered something else. He turned and walked back, bowing deeply to Hu Xiaotian once more. "Young Master, there's something this old servant doesn't know whether he should mention."

Hu Xiaotian said impatiently, "Stop fussing and hemming and hawing. If you have something to say, spit it out!"

"Young Master, I heard about what happened at the Misty Waters Pavilion. If word reaches the Master, I'm afraid it won't be good..."

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes at him, as though asking what exactly he meant.

Hu An swallowed. "That Huo Xiaoru is a dancing girl. You stood up for her and got into a fight. If word gets out, the Hu Family's reputation will..."

"Hmm?" Hu Xiaotian's expression darkened. Frightened, Hu An hastily shut his mouth, bowed to the floor, and retreated in trepidation. Inwardly, he cursed himself for meddling. How were the young master's affairs any business of his? Let him do whatever he liked. When the Master returned, he would settle accounts with him himself.

The key to happiness lay in whether a person had something to look forward to tomorrow. Hu Xiaotian felt that his life had suddenly lost all hope, let alone any sense of happiness. Arranged marriages were the death of people. With his family's current circumstances, he could easily find a pretty young beauty and spend a happy lifetime with her. That was hardly asking too much. He had never wanted three wives and four concubines, just a reasonably attractive wife with whom he could whisper sweet nothings among flowers beneath the moon and live out a simple, quiet life. Yet even this modest wish had now become an extravagant dream.

If anything still tied him to his present family, it was the Hu Family's status and wealth. Apart from those two things, Hu Xiaotian truly saw no reason to remain. Settling comfortably into life as an official's son would at least ensure that he never had to toil for a living or struggle to survive. But now it seemed he would certainly have to surrender some of his freedom, first and foremost his freedom to marry whom he pleased. Should he simply leave and plan anew the life he had gained with such difficulty, or accept things as they were, follow his parents' arrangements, marry the Li Family girl, and live in comfort without worrying about food or clothing? It was a deeply conflicting question for Hu Xiaotian. He wanted freedom, yet he was reluctant to give up this decadent life of holding out his arms to be dressed and opening his mouth to be fed. He really was torn.

Sometimes the mysteriously beautiful Huo Xiaoru appeared in his mind; sometimes he thought of the valiant divine constable, Murong Feiyan. Occasionally, Tang Qingxuan, that little chili pepper, slipped into his thoughts as well. Hu Xiaotian tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, growing more frustrated the more he thought. There are so many beautiful women in the world. Why doesn't a single one belong to me? Am I really not destined for that kind of luck in this life? No, I absolutely can't muddle through my whole life in a daze. My fate in this life should be in my own hands.

Deep in the stillness of night, just as Hu Xiaotian lay tossing in bed and beginning to set his resolve, he suddenly heard the faint clink of a roof tile above the eaves. His heart jolted, and he sat bolt upright. After the sound, everything remained quiet for quite some time. Just as Hu Xiaotian was about to lie back down and sleep, the sound came again.

Hu Xiaotian inwardly cursed his luck. At this hour, movement on the roof meant either a stray cat or a cat burglar. He pulled a dagger from beneath his pillow and crept out of bed. It was already midnight, and a fine rain drifted outside. No one should have been out and about on a night like this. Hu Xiaotian strained his ears, but even after listening for a long while, he heard no cat's cries.

After a while, a sound came from the north-facing window. He saw someone poke a hole through the window paper, then slip a slender bamboo tube inside. Hu Xiaotian crouched and edged along the foot of the wall toward the window, watching a thin wisp of smoke drift from the tube.

Hu Xiaotian held his breath. He knew that whatever was coming from the bamboo tube had to be some sort of knockout smoke. Reaching the space beneath the window, he suddenly thrust out his hand and slammed his palm hard against the end of the tube, with enough force to punch an air hole clean through the other person's throat.

A scream came from outside the window. The intruder clearly had not expected Hu Xiaotian to have already discovered him. The palm strike was both accurate and vicious, and it caught him completely off guard. The bamboo tube was driven straight into his throat. He staggered back several steps, clutching his throat in unbearable agony.

His surprise attack successful, Hu Xiaotian immediately shouted, "Catch the thieves!"

Guards already patrolled the Hu Residence day and night. Liang Dazhuang and the other five household servants lived in the side rooms flanking Hu Xiaotian's room, keeping close watch over his safety. His shout instantly alerted them. Li Jinhao and Shao Yijiao were the first two to rush out. They saw two figures outside Hu Xiaotian's door, one bent over with his hands over his mouth, howling in pain. He was the one whose throat Hu Xiaotian had rammed the bamboo tube into with a palm strike.

Li Jinhao roared, "Where do you think you're going, thieves?" Drawing the saber at his waist, he sprang forward and landed in front of them. The black-clad man on the left flicked his hand, sending a streak of cold light straight toward the space between Li Jinhao's brows.

Li Jinhao swung his saber and struck it squarely. The throwing knife was knocked aside and flew at an angle into the grass.

Liang Dazhuang was the last to emerge, but the fellow had an extraordinarily loud voice. The moment he stepped outside, he bellowed, "Come quickly! Catch the cat burglars!" That single shout woke everyone in the Minister's Residence.

Hu Xiaotian peered outside through a gap in the window. In that brief interval, more than twenty household servants had already arrived and surrounded the two cat burglars. Trapped in the middle, the pair fought desperately.

Only when he saw that his side had complete control of the situation did Hu Xiaotian pull open his door and charge out, dagger at the ready. With imposing grandeur, he declared, "Brazen thieves! You dare break into the Minister's Residence at night? You must be tired of living!" He was the very picture of ferocious majesty, his domineering presence spilling everywhere. With his side enjoying an overwhelming numerical advantage, putting on a display of heroism was absolutely necessary.

Clutching a broadsword, Liang Dazhuang immediately hurried to Hu Xiaotian's side. His tall, generously padded body blocked the young master from view as he held his blade crosswise, looking like one man guarding a pass against ten thousand. He shouted, "I, Liang Dazhuang, am here! Who dares lay a finger on my young master?" If he did not demonstrate his unswerving loyalty now, when would he?

Hu Xiaotian was so angry that he almost kicked the fellow away. Do I need you to protect me? Can't you pick a better time to steal the spotlight? He patted the fellow's shoulder. "Excuse me, excuse me! You're blocking my shot again, damn it!"

Liang Dazhuang hastily stepped behind him. The fellow never seemed to learn. This was hardly the first time he had made such an elementary mistake. He always failed to distinguish the lead from the supporting role. How could a servant like him casually steal the young master's thunder?

Dagger in hand, Hu Xiaotian turned around again.

Liang Dazhuang hurriedly put on an ingratiating smile, thinking, Surely there's no problem with standing behind you. I'm not blocking your shot!

Hu Xiaotian was displeased again. "Which of us is supposed to be protecting the other?"

Liang Dazhuang felt like crying. This young master was far too hard to please. Neither left nor right was acceptable. I can't stand in front of you or behind you. Am I supposed to lie on the ground? Seeing him at a complete loss, Hu Xiaotian could not help cursing. "Are you an idiot? Get in there! Call every servant and guard over here. We have to take the cat burglars alive!"

The commotion drew every guard and household servant in the Minister's Residence. Though the two cat burglars were skilled fighters, the few could not overcome the many. Spotting an opening, Li Jinhao slashed one burglar's arm. The man's blade fell to the ground with a clang, and several guards thrust their hooked forks forward to pin him down. The other burglar's throat had been wounded by Hu Xiaotian at the outset. Seeing his companion captured threw him into an even greater panic. In his confusion, long spears pierced both his legs, and he collapsed. The household servants swarmed him and bound him as well.

The courtyard blazed with light. The two cat burglars lay on the ground, bound up like rice dumplings. Li Jinhao tore the black cloths from their faces. Both looked to be in their twenties, and their features were fairly decent. Hu Xiaotian approached one and crouched, reaching out to seize his topknot. "With those thick brows and big eyes, you even look like one of the good guys. Why go and become a thief?"

This was the man whose throat he had pierced with the bamboo tube. Pale-faced and beardless, he stared at Hu Xiaotian with terror in his eyes. The other, sporting a full beard, had more backbone. He declared loudly, "Kill me if you want! If I so much as furrow my brow, I'm no true man!"