Chapter 29
She Refuses to Play This Kind of Flirtatious Game!
“You—you—!”
Yang Linyuan’s lips were trembling uncontrollably. He truly hadn’t expected Ying Jiuque to say something like that! Didn’t she know how a proper lady from a noble family should behave? Wasn’t she the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites? Even if her mother had passed away early, she should at least have some manners! How could she curse someone so fiercely without uttering a single vulgar word—yet make his head feel like it was splitting apart? That wasn’t something a normal person could do!
He was so furious that even though he wanted to curse her back, he couldn’t think of what to say. His hands trembled like leaves in the wind, making even bystanders worried for him.
The young servant beside him was equally anxious. He’d come out today accompanying the Third Young Master—if anything happened to him, the Madam, the Old Madam, and the Master would surely flay him alive!
“Young Master, are you all right?”
Yang Linyuan was so angry he could barely speak, nearly choking on his own rage. Just then, the man in blue beside him suddenly let out a sharp, piercing scream.
“What’s going on? Brother Yang, can you still speak? And where are your guards? Are they all dead? Get over here right now!”
The guards were stuck outside, blocked by the crowd. Young noblemen like these hated having their servants and guards follow too closely—those weren’t attendants, they were spies for their elders! Do a single thing slightly out of line, and the whole story would reach home by nightfall. They came out to have fun, not to get scolded!
So now, the guards could only fight to push through the crowd. When they heard the shout, they immediately shoved aside the commoners and rushed in.
“Young Master! We’re here, Young Master!”
As soon as they entered, one of Yang’s friends pointed accusingly at a slender figure opposite them. The guards didn’t even think—they charged forward to help their young master regain his dignity. Of course, they wouldn’t really beat a woman in public—but scaring her a little should be fine, right?
The next second, however, the burly guard who rushed in first suddenly arched backward in a grotesque position, dragging the men behind him down as well!
From Yang Linyuan’s perspective, all he saw was that sinister woman raise her hand—and the heavy money pouch in it flew through the air. The next instant, his strongest guard’s already-flattened nose completely collapsed, spraying two jets of blood that drew graceful arcs through the air before splattering to the ground.
“…”
Yang Linyuan’s pupils constricted sharply. Good heavens! In all his life, every woman he’d met had been gentle and demure, tender and sweet. Even the more open-minded ones were just cheerful and bold—but he had never seen a woman who could send a man flying with one strike!
Was that even a woman?!
The other young lords were equally stunned. They exchanged terrified looks, and when they saw Ying Jiuque take one step toward them—they scattered like startled birds, leaving the trembling Yang Linyuan alone.
As she approached, Yang Linyuan squeezed his eyes shut in fear, waving his hands frantically in front of him.
“I—I’m the son of Lord Anyuanbo! If you dare lay a hand on me, you’ll go to prison! I—!”
Ying Jiuque glanced at him oddly, then calmly bent down to pick up her money pouch. Seeing the bloodstains on it, she frowned in disgust, grabbed a handful of Yang Linyuan’s sleeve, and wiped it clean. Then she pinched the pouch delicately between two fingers and walked off.
The moment she used his sleeve to wipe the blood, Yang Linyuan noticed. He stared blankly at her face so close to his, and his pale cheeks flushed faintly red. Was he… blushing?
Ying Jiuque wasn’t blind—she saw it clearly. But she absolutely refused to play along with this “enemies-to-lovers after a fight” nonsense! Her whole body shuddered, and she turned on her heel to leave in a hurry.
Run. Run. Run. What if he was some kind of masochist?!
Yang Linyuan, meanwhile, kept staring after her retreating figure, eyes glazed over. His servant thought he’d gone mad.
“Young Master? Young Master! Let’s get back to the estate quickly—if the Master or the Heir finds out, we’re doomed! And we still have to pick up the Young Miss and Cousin from Huicui Pavilion. If we forget, we’ll get scolded again!”
He supported his dazed young master away, while the onlookers dispersed in satisfaction. It wasn’t every day one could see such a scandal involving nobles!
As for Ying Jiuque, she had already followed the small figure she’d spotted earlier to a quiet riverside.
The imperial capital of the Great Jing dynasty—Yongan—was vast, with a population exceeding a million. Water supply was always a major issue, but fortunately, the emperors of past generations had chosen this location carefully. Outside Yongan flowed a mighty river, endless day and night, and over decades it had been engineered into an intricate network of canals crisscrossing the city to supply every district.
That’s why bridges of all sizes dotted Yongan. Ying Jiuque was now heading toward one of the smaller, nameless ones.
She had just seen a child walk this way, but now—where had they gone? She’d even bought a fresh bag of piping-hot steamed buns, stuffed with juicy meat…
“Big sister… were you looking for me?”
A small voice spoke. Ying Jiuque looked down and saw the child peeking out cautiously from the riverbank, like a little field mouse poking its head from a burrow.
She hurried over and held out the buns.
“Here, here—don’t mind that idiot back there. Take these, they’re delicious!”
The little boy swallowed hard, his big, round eyes fixed on the buns. But instead of reaching out, he looked up at her hesitantly.
What, did he think she’d poisoned them? Who had time for that!
So she grabbed one, took a big bite herself, and chewed happily. These were Qiao’s Steamed Buns—a shop with decades of history! The dough was soft and fluffy, the inside bursting with hot, fragrant meat juice, wrapping a compact ball of tender filling. Even though she’d already eaten one earlier, Ying Jiuque took another big, satisfied bite.
The boy’s eyes were wide as saucers, but he still hesitated.
“Big sister… can I really have one?”
He’d met plenty of uncles before who’d tease him with hard biscuits, pretending they’d give them to him only to snatch them away. He’d learned by now that most people were just playing games—they didn’t actually mean to feed him. So he needed to ask again, just to be sure.
But this big sister seemed nice. She’d even chased after him just to give him food. And she’d eaten one herself—so there couldn’t be any broken glass or stones hidden inside, right?
Ying Jiuque paused, then said cheerfully,
“Eat! They’re all yours!”
