Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 9 Everyone hopes the young mistress will be ambitious and capable.

Yang Can and Leopard Head rode their horses leisurely at the very back of the group.

Yang Can's movements as she straddled the saddle and rode the waves were extremely graceful.

After all, I spent two and a half years on the ranch, dealing with cattle and horses all day long amidst the vast sky and clouds.

Now he is not only an excellent horseman, but also a superb archer.

As they traveled, Yang Can's gaze would frequently fall on the carriage that Granny Tu was riding in.

This was a subconscious action; his target was right there.

Leopard Head was still resentful about not being able to interrogate the bandits, and sneered:

"Master Yang, did you see that? The murderer who killed our young master is not even qualified to be questioned by us."

The Su family is fucking arrogant.

Before Yang Can could answer, he sneered and said disdainfully, "However, let them be smug. Do they really think they can control us?"

Even if the young master were still alive, they wouldn't be able to interfere in the Yu family's affairs by using the young mistress's status. Now... ha, they can forget about it altogether.

"Forget it, don't complain pointlessly, lest someone with ulterior motives overhears it."

Yang Can smiled and reminded him, "We just need to be able to give an explanation to the lord."

After hearing Yang Can's words, Leopard Head fell silent. After a long while, he sighed sadly and said softly:

"Master Yang, of course you can give an explanation to the clan leader. You are the young master's advisor, a scholar. The young master's death has nothing to do with you."

But I, Lao Cheng… hey! Actually, I know what I'm doing…

Leopard Head raised his head, his bushy beard pointing to the sky, looking utterly dejected: "No matter how I try to salvage the situation, it's unlikely to end well."

The clan head won't blame the Suo family for the young master's death, so... someone has to step forward and take responsibility, right?
Who else could this person be but me?

Leopard Head said with a wry smile, "Master Yang, I, Old Cheng, am not afraid of death, I'm just unwilling to accept it."

Do you know? I've been working for the Yu family for almost thirty years, risking my life to get to where I am today.

My family is proud of me, my son is proud of me, but I... I'm truly unwilling to accept this..."

Yang Can said, "Old Cheng, do you think the clan leader will execute you because of the young master's death?"

Leopard Head paused, then hesitated, "Well... that's not necessarily true... When Young Master was attacked, I was indeed too far away to help. The Clan Head is not a violent person..."

Yang Can smiled slightly and said, "Then that settles it, doesn't it? The clan leader won't execute you. As long as you don't die, you still have a chance."

Is there still... a chance?

"There must be. Brother Cheng, your martial arts skills are extraordinary, and the clan leader is currently short of capable people. Do you think he would give up on a master like you?"

Yang Can gently comforted him, "Of course there will be punishment, but as long as you are alive, you will definitely have a chance to make a comeback."

"A comeback..."

A light gradually appeared in Leopard Head's eyes.

This is how people feel when they are lost and confused; they desperately need the approval and comfort of others.

Even a few words of comfort would be taken as a lifeline and magnified infinitely in his mind.

Leopard Head said happily, "Master Yang is indeed a scholar with insight. Hey, Old Cheng is so irresponsible, you've made a fool of yourself."

However, I am not the only one in our eldest son's family who is worried right now.
Mr. Yang, do you think that once we return to Tianshui, the Changfang Changmai branch will be immediately dissolved?

How will the clan head arrange for the people of our eldest branch and main lineage?

Yang Can stroked his chin and pondered, "No, the clan leader will at least have to wait until it's confirmed whether our young mistress is pregnant."

Leopard Head was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed in surprise, "That's right! How could I have forgotten about that?"

"Yes, yes, what if our young mistress gets pregnant..."

Excitedly rubbing his hands together, Leopard Head began to feel anxious again: "Master Yang, do you think... our young mistress... she'll have one, right?"

"What kind of question is that? How would I know?"

Yang Can rolled his eyes at Leopard Head, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the four-horse carriage.

I've tried so hard, surely I'll get it eventually?

……

Our campsite for tonight is at the foot of a mountain.

Having learned from the previous attack, the camp was situated with its back to a cliff, making its defenses even more robust.

In early spring, the sheltered, sunny side of the mountain was already turning lush and green, unlike the desolate landscape we had seen along the way, as we were about to enter Tianshui.

Tianshui is located in the upper reaches of the Wei River. With a relatively humid climate, it is a rare fertile land in the Tianlong region. The land is rich and the people are diligent in farming, making it a veritable granary of Longyou.

At the foot of the mountain, the large tent has already been erected. Disassembling and installing such a large tent requires a lot of manpower and takes a lot of time.

However, for wealthy and powerful families, these things cannot be omitted.

They have no shortage of manpower, and they cannot lose the dignity that nobles should have.

Inside the large tent, candlelight flickered on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Suo Chanzhi sat before the dressing table, her slender waist seemingly about to break.

Having finished her bath, she let her beautiful hair down, which was neatly combed and gleaming.

But she continued combing her hair, one stroke at a time, as if her hair remained disheveled, just like her chaotic mood.

Xiao Qingmei was originally responsible for combing her daughter's hair.

But for some reason, tonight the girl kept complaining that her hair wasn't combed well, and snatched the ivory comb from her, so Qingmei had to make the bed.

The bedding was still bright red, embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.

It wasn't that they didn't want to change it, but that among the many items that came with the dowry from the Suo family, there were none with plain colors.

Qingmei stroked the bed sheet again and again until there wasn't a single wrinkle.

But when she thought about the messy, twisted bed sheet she saw this morning, she felt that her actions were meaningless.

Tomorrow morning, this bed sheet will probably still be a mess, right? What exactly does that kind of thing feel like? Why does the girl always make those strange noises?

That "treasured treasure" consisted of a few disjointed drawings. For someone with no experience in the field, no matter how many times they looked at them, they could only vaguely understand them. No wonder she could never figure it out.

Yang Can walked out of the night and stopped outside the tent, because Granny Tu was standing like a ghost in the shadows in front of the tent.

"Granny Tu."

Yang Can greeted Granny Tu politely, his demeanor conveying a mixture of humility, timidity, and deep affection.

This perfectly suits his current status and the mood he should be in.

Granny Tu didn't see through his disguise. Looking at his appearance, she couldn't help but smile with satisfaction, and stretched out a hand as thin as an old branch: "Take off your belt."

Yang Can wore a plain white sash around his waist. The conditions on the road were simple, which was equivalent to wearing mourning clothes for the young master.

Granny Tu clearly didn't want him to bring such an eye-catching thing in, ruining Suo Chanzhi's mood.

Yang Can hurriedly untied his plain sash and handed it to Granny Tu with both hands.

Granny Tu glanced around a few times, then tilted her head at Yang Can and called out, "Qingmei, come out."

The sound entered the tent, and Suo Chanzhi's ivory comb suddenly stopped, while Xiao Qingmei, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, sprang up with a "whoosh".

“Miss…” Qingmei called out to Suo Chanzhi subconsciously.

Suo Chanzhi looked at the woman's face in the mirror, which was gradually becoming flushed, and let out a barely audible hum from her nose.

Little Green Plum understood and walked towards the tent entrance.

Just as Yang Can was about to enter the main tent, a petite and exquisite young girl, as delicate as a fragrant fan pendant, walked towards him.

The two moved to the left and then to the right at the same time, dodging each other several times, and perfectly avoided each other.

So, Xiao Qingmei put her hands on her hips and glared angrily at Yang Can.

She hadn't forgotten that the girl had many bruises on her body, all done by this stinky man in front of her. The girl felt a sense of shared indignation!
Yang Can smiled slightly, took two steps back, and made way for her.

Little Green Plum gave a soft snort, proudly raised her chin, and walked out with a "tap tap tap".

Her little bottom was perky, like a juicy peach. Although it was still a bit green, it already foreshadowed its future sweetness.

Yang Can glanced back and saw that Granny Tu had already sat down by the tent flap.

That gaunt figure looked just like a roof beast crouching on the eaves.

Yang Can entered the main tent and closed the tent door.

Qingmei wanted to leave, but for some reason, she also wanted to stay.

After hesitating for a moment, she quietly walked over and, separated from Granny Tu by a tent flap, consciously squatted down in the shadows of the large tent.

A smile that was hard to decipher reappeared on Granny Tu's face.

Inside the tent, Suo Chanzhi was still dressing in front of the mirror, seemingly unaware that Yang Can had entered. Only when Yang Can's figure appeared in the mirror did her body tremble slightly.

An eerie silence fell over the tent, and the dripping of the water clock in the corner suddenly became clearly audible—one drop, two drops, three drops…

Suo Chanzhi's heartbeat also began to quicken, one beat, two beats, three beats...

On average, each drop of water from that leak takes about ten seconds. During this time, a person's average heart rate should be around fifteen beats per minute.

Ke Suo Chan Zhi felt her heart rate had at least doubled; she could even hear her own heart pounding like a drum.

"How long is it going to take to comb my hair? It's late." Yang Can sprawled out on the couch, looking utterly lazy.

Suo Chanzhi saw this in the mirror and was immediately furious. She slammed the ivory comb heavily onto the dressing table.

"You, surnamed Yang, you need to understand that your life and death are in my hands!"

Suo Chanzhi turned around from the brocade stool, her willow-leaf eyebrows raised in anger.

She felt that she had to set some rules for Yang Can!

Why do you have the right to humiliate me!

Why do you think you can do whatever you want to me?!

Why should I have to sit up straight just because you tell me to? Why should I have to lie down just because you tell me to?

"You...what are you going to do?"

Upon seeing Yang Can stand up, Suo Chanzhi immediately panicked.

She wanted to escape, but her bottom seemed glued to the brocade stool, and she couldn't move at all.

Yang Can did not approach her, but instead leisurely walked to a three-legged table with rolled ears beside the couch and opened a spice box.

After a quick selection, Yang Can chose a spice with a calming and subtle aroma.

He skillfully filled the incense burner with a silver spoon, then lit the candle, and a faint, pleasant fragrance quickly spread out.

Then, he walked to Suo Chanzhi's side and bowed slightly.

Suo Chanzhi felt a lightness in her body as Yang Can pulled her into his arms again.

Suo Chanzhi was furious. She wanted to slap Yang Can across the face, she wanted to kneel down on Yang Can's stomach, and she wanted to order Yang Can to kneel down before her in a stern voice...

After she finished thinking, she found herself flying onto the bed again, bouncing around on the big bed a few times.

"You...you, you should turn off the light first."

Upon seeing Yang Can approach, Suo Chanzhi forgot about her anger. She felt that rules and regulations could be established for him gradually, as there was always a process involved.

Yang Can smiled and agreed, then turned around to extinguish the lamps in the tent one by one, leaving one lamp still some distance from the bed.

Suo Chanzhi bit her lip and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "There's still one left."

"Keep it," Yang Can replied, and Suo Chanzhi fell silent.

It's okay, let him stay. Look, I told him to turn off the lights, and he listened to me, didn't he?

This is a great start!

　I took someone's advice and will release this chapter at 7:30 instead of this morning.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)