The Wife of a Loyal Servant - Chapter 9

She felt that in her previous life—no, probably even the life before that—she must have owed that couple a great debt, which was why she was repeatedly pushed into dire straits by them.

First, Cheng Shaoan stole her pension money. Then, after she’d worked herself nearly to death and finally saved up a little to start a small business and support her family, Jin Qiaorong took advantage of her absence and ran off with all the money.

No—not all. She’d generously left behind twenty coins for her, her mother-in-law, and her son. By the time those twenty coins had dwindled to three, Ling Yu had an ‘accident’ while chasing after Cheng Shaoan, who resurfaced a few years later. When she opened her eyes, she’d miraculously returned to several years earlier.

Cheng Shaoan, of course, didn’t understand her implied meaning. He only heard the phrase ‘a match made in heaven,’ and his face, fairer than the average village man’s, lit up with pure delight, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably.

“Sister-in-law, you’re joking.”

Ling Yu, seeing his beaming face, suddenly had a thought. Pretending not to understand, she asked, “Why are you asking whether Cousin Qiaorong is pretty? I heard from Mother that she’s planning to ask a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for you.”

Cheng Shaoan’s handsome face furrowed, but his eyes quickly spun with calculation. He hurried after Ling Yu as she carried the dishes toward the main room, lowering his voice ingratiatingly.

“Sister-in-law, do me a favor. Help me find out whether Cousin Qiaorong has already been promised to someone.”

“Oh? So you’ve taken a liking to her? With her fairy-like looks, she’s not lacking for suitors. You, on the other hand, idle around all day with no proper work, and your own brother still has to support you. Why would anyone give their daughter to you?” Ling Yu stopped and gave him a long, meaningful look.

Cheng Shaoan’s expression stiffened. He wanted to retort but realized that although his sister-in-law’s words were unpleasant, they were painfully, unavoidably true.

Why would a girl as fairy-like as Qiaorong marry a lazy, good-for-nothing man?

For once, the always-carefree second son of the Cheng family actually began to reflect on himself.

Ling Yu’s eyes flickered. She pressed her lips together and finally made her way toward the main hall to greet the guests.

Cheng Shaotang returned from the escort agency at sunset. He hid it well, but Ling Yu still caught sight of the worry between his brows. She tried to recall what had happened around this time in her previous life. But the years had stretched too long, she couldn’t remember them for the time being.

“Your aunt’s intention is to settle in our village,” Madam Wang explained after dinner. “She wants us to keep an eye out in case anyone is planning to sell their land.”

“I understand, Mother. I’ll look into it tomorrow,” Cheng Shaotang said, nodding his agreement.

To settle down, one had to own land in the area, as stipulated by the government rules.

“I’ll go, I’ll go! Big Brother has been traveling for years and hardly stays home. How could he possibly know more about the village than I do? Let me handle the inquiries!” Cheng Shaoan volunteered eagerly.

Both Cheng Shaotang and Madam Wang were surprised by his sudden enthusiasm, but since he was willing to pitch in, they didn’t question it.

Only Ling Yu shot him a knowing glance. Cheng Shaoan felt it but pretended not to.

“Where is this Aunt Jin from? I’ve never heard Mother mention her.” After a brief pause, Cheng Shaoan couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked again.

Before this, he had never even known he had such an aunt in the family—much less that she came with a cousin as beautiful as a fairy.

Cheng Shaotang and Ling Yu both turned toward Madam Wang, equally curious about the origins of the Sun mother and daughter.

“She’s your father’s distant cousin,” Madam Wang explained. “Her maiden name is Sun. Strictly speaking, the kinship is several layers removed, and our families haven’t been in contact for many years. I only met her once, more than a decade ago. You two were still young then, so you probably don’t remember.”

“From what she said, her husband passed away about three years ago. Most of the family property was seized by his relatives, leaving her and her daughter with nowhere to stay. They had no choice but to seek refuge with us.”

“Her own family has no one left?” Ling Yu asked.

“None,” Madam Wang sighed. “A few years ago, during the bandit troubles, her entire family was wiped out. Truly a hard fate. Now she has only Qiaorong left, the two of them depending on each other as they wander far from home. We’re family, after all. We should help them if we can.”

“Mother’s right. Since we’re kin, we should help however we can!” Cheng Shaoan jumped in.

“Of course,” Cheng Shaotang agreed with a nod.

The family chatted for a bit longer. Madam Wang took Xiao Shitou from Ling Yu’s arms, coaxing him to call her “Grandma.” She remarked casually, “They say girls change so much as they grow; turns out it’s true. Look how pretty Qiaorong has become. Hard to believe she used to be that dark, skinny little girl.”

Then she held Xiao Shitou’s chubby hand with affection. “He’s still just a milk baby now,” she said, “but in a few years he’ll grow tall and sturdy, just like his father.”

Xiao Shitou simply beamed at her, making Madam Wang adore him even more.

“Dad!”

Cheng Shaotang, lost in his own thoughts, hadn’t been listening—until a soft, sticky-sweet little voice piped up right by his ear. He jumped, staring at his son in disbelief as the child smiled at him with bright, curved eyes.

“Was that him just now?”

Everyone burst out laughing. Ling Yu pinched her son’s cheek with a smile. “This little rascal finally opened his noble mouth to call you ‘Dad.’”

The little fellow already knew how to say “Mother” and “Grandma,” but stubbornly refused to say “Dad,” which had left Cheng Shaotang rather dejected, wondering if his son simply disliked him.

So now that he finally heard that long-awaited “Dad,” he couldn’t hold back a big laugh. He lifted his son high into the air, earning a cascade of delighted giggles.

“Good boy, say ‘Dad’ again!”

And this time, the little guy gave his father full face—he called out again on the spot. The words weren’t perfectly clear, but it was unmistakably “Dad.”

That night, the couple lay in bed. Cheng Shaotang couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips, and with his big hand, copying the way Ling Yu usually soothed their son, he gently patted Xiao Shitou’s back, one soft tap after another.

“Just one little ‘Dad,’ and you’re over the moon. You’d pluck stars from the sky for him if you could. People say fathers are strict and mothers are gentle, but looking at you, I doubt you could ever pull off the ‘strict’ part,” Ling Yu teased.

Cheng Shaotang quickly reined in his grin and answered solemnly, “That won’t do. Jade must be carved to become something of worth. Xiao Shitou is our eldest son. No matter how much we cherish him, we can’t forget the responsibilities he’ll shoulder in the future.”

Ling Yu simply smiled. She didn’t press him on the matter and instead asked, “You look a little troubled. Did something happen at the escort agency?”

Her perceptiveness caught Cheng Shaotang off guard. It was just his nature to brood, and he didn’t want her to worry, so he said, “It’s nothing serious.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he caught sight of Ling Yu’s worried expression and realized he’d brushed her off too casually. After a brief pause, he added, “The escort agency just got a new chief escort leader. The brothers don’t know what he’s like yet, so they’re a little uneasy about the future. It’s nothing major.”

That jogged Ling Yu’s memory. In her previous life, Cheng Shaotang had left the agency with several sworn brothers not long after a new chief took charge. Soon after, he’d been introduced into Prince Qi’s mansion as a guard.

For someone as gentle and loyal as Cheng Shaotang to walk away from a place he’d served for years, the new chief must have been someone he simply couldn’t tolerate.

If the chief in this life was the same as the one before, Cheng Shaotang likely wouldn’t stay long…

She frowned, thinking it through.

If he left the escort agency only to enter Prince Qi’s mansion, that would be a path straight to death. Better that he stay where he was. But no—who knew what sort of person this new chief was? If he was capable of driving people away, forcing Cheng Shaotang to remain would only lead to disaster later. It might be better to leave the agency entirely.

He would have to leave the escort agency, but he must absolutely not enter Prince Qi’s mansion. She made the decision silently.

For now, she would watch and wait for the day he walked away from the agency…

“Don’t worry yourself. This is just the usual discomfort that comes with a change in leadership. Give it some time; once everyone gets used to each other, things will settle again. And even if, worst case, we can’t get along and I have to leave, the world’s a big place. Surely there’s a corner that can hold me?” Seeing her brows pinched in worry, Cheng Shaotang hurried to reassure her.

“You’re right. I was making too much of it.” Of course, Ling Yu wouldn’t tell him what she was really thinking.

Seeing her relax, Cheng Shaotang finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

In reality, things at the escort agency were far from as optimistic as he’d made them sound. He’d only learned today that the new chief had a personal grudge against the former one and was especially harsh toward the escorts trained under the old leadership. That alone told them plenty about the kind of man he was.

Escort missions were full of hidden dangers. How could they trust someone like that?

When the new assignment was issued, Cheng Shaotang pressed his lips into a tight line. The escorts gathered in the room all wore grave, worried expressions, brows drawn together.

“Brother Cheng, what’s going on with the chief? Since the shipment is so valuable, why aren’t we taking the water route? I’ve run the numbers—it may be slower, but we’d still make it in time,” Tang Jinyuan asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.

“What Brother Tang said is exactly what I was thinking as well. Shaotang, if we go by land, we’ll have to pass Chichuan Road. The bandits there are infamous for their brutality and don’t show mercy to anyone. The former chief would rather waste time and earn less than go anywhere near there. He always made a point to detour around it. But this time…”

Cheng Shaotang still couldn’t make sense of it. A weight pressed on his chest, but with their departure imminent, he didn’t want baseless speculation upsetting the men. So he forced himself to say, “The chief must have his reasons for arranging things this way. We’re all part of the same escort agency, and everyone wants the mission completed safely. As long as that goal is shared, the exact arrangements don’t matter.”

The men remained uneasy, but his words weren’t wrong. If the aim was a safe trip, the details of the route didn’t matter as much.

When the brothers finally dispersed, Cheng Shaotang rubbed his temples and let out a quiet sigh.

He could only hope things really would turn out as he’d reassured them. This job was earning their pay with a blade at their feet.

The Chichuan Road was no simple path.

Meanwhile, Ling Yu was watching Cheng Shaoan pester Madam Wang to approve his new business idea. Madam Wang might be soft-hearted, but she knew her son’s temperament far too well to dare agree. She shook her head and waved him off again and again until finally, worn down, she said, “If your elder brother agrees, then I agree.”

Cheng Shaoan’s face fell immediately. He knew perfectly well his older brother wouldn’t easily say yes—that was why he’d gone to his mother first.

Ling Yu cleared her throat and interjected, “Just as Mother said, ask your elder brother first before making plans.”

As long as Cheng Shaoan spoke up, she had ways to get Cheng Shaotang to agree. Otherwise, why would she have quietly planted that idea in that idle man’s head earlier?