Chapter Ten: Is the Young Lady Truly Innocent?

Feng Yuan led the little girl back into the inn. Fat Zhang, who was still eating and drinking heartily, looked puzzled, so Feng Yuan explained the situation to him.

“What a pitiful girl! Come, have something to eat, you must be hungry!” Fat Zhang said, feeling sorry for her, and handed over the roast chicken he had been eating.

“Get out of here, who wants to eat something you’ve already chewed on!” Feng Yuan slapped Zhang’s hand away and glared at him. He then called over the waiter and ordered a new roast chicken.

“By the way, do you have a name?” Feng Yuan asked the little girl.

She nodded. “My name is Hu Xiao.”

“That’s a lovely name. I’ll call you Xiao Xiao from now on. I’m Feng Yuan, you can call me Young Master Feng,” Feng Yuan said with a smile.

“Hehe, I’m Zhang Zhen. You can call me Handsome Zhang, I don’t mind!” Fat Zhang laughed shamelessly, completely oblivious to any sense of embarrassment.

“Don’t pay attention to him, just call him Fat Zhang. Handsomeness has nothing to do with him!” Feng Yuan said to Hu Xiao.

“How can you say that? I am clearly handsome!” Fat Zhang grumbled, pouting with a look of grievance that nearly made Feng Yuan want to bury him alive. Why couldn’t he just be a simple fat man instead of disgusting everyone?

After learning her name, Feng Yuan asked about Hu Xiao’s background. It was quite tragic: she’d gone with her parents to the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, but her parents were killed by wolves. She got lost, stepped into a hunter’s trap, and was then brought to town to be sold.

It was heartbreaking to hear.

Not long after, the roast chicken Feng Yuan ordered arrived. Hu Xiao looked famished; her eyes lit up as soon as she saw the chicken, and she grabbed it, gnawing away.

“Careful, don’t choke, drink some water!” Feng Yuan said, handing her a cup of tea. Without even looking, Hu Xiao devoured the chicken in a few bites. In less than two minutes, it was gone, leaving both men stunned—even Fat Zhang, notorious for his appetite, felt outdone.

After finishing the first chicken, Hu Xiao still looked unsatisfied. Her big, watery eyes gazed pitifully at Feng Yuan, her stomach growling. Feng Yuan quickly ordered another one for her.

Soon, the second roast chicken arrived and met the same fate—gone in a flash, even faster than the first by thirty seconds.

Afterward, Hu Xiao repeated her tactic, giving Feng Yuan the same pitiful look. Still not full, Feng Yuan had no choice but to order her a third.

The third chicken was no different, stripped to the bones in an instant. Then came the fourth, fifth, sixth... History kept repeating itself, all the way to the thirtieth chicken.

After devouring thirty chickens, Hu Xiao finally stopped and looked at Feng Yuan, embarrassed. “Young Master... I’m sorry for making you spend so much.”

“Heh, not just ‘spending’—you’ve bankrupted me!” Feng Yuan forced a smile, glancing at the girl’s belly. It was flat, as if she hadn’t eaten anything at all. What kind of stomach was this, to handle thirty chickens without a change? A veritable glutton.

Hu Xiao blushed deeply, feeling mortified by Feng Yuan’s words.

Fat Zhang sighed, “I actually lost to a woman when it comes to eating. How shameful! I must go and end my life!”

…

The meal cost Feng Yuan three hundred and fifty coins. Luckily, the old man had given him five taels of silver for house viewing earlier, or he really would have been bankrupt.

Feng Yuan felt a faint sense of regret—keeping such a little girl at home, he’d surely be eaten into poverty.

After the meal and a short rest, Feng Yuan took Hu Xiao to see a physician for her injured leg. She was prescribed some medicine. Fortunately, there was nothing serious; her body was quite robust, and the leg would heal after a few days with ointment.

Afterward, Feng Yuan bought a few sets of clothes for Hu Xiao and himself, all silk, costing four taels of silver. Now Feng Yuan was truly broke, left with only three or four hundred coins. He needed to find a way to make money quickly, otherwise, this little sum wouldn’t even cover a single meal for Hu Xiao.

By the time all was done, it was getting dark. Feng Yuan took Hu Xiao home, leading her to a bedroom in the northern wing.

“This will be your room. Have a good rest,” he said.

He was about to leave to write his novel when Hu Xiao suddenly grabbed his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Feng Yuan asked, puzzled.

Hu Xiao looked at him, about to speak, but hesitated. Her face flushed with embarrassment, her head bowed, making Feng Yuan even more confused.

“Go ahead, what is it?” he prompted.

Hu Xiao lifted her head slightly and said, “Young Master… I… I want to sleep with you.”

“What!” Feng Yuan jumped in shock. This little girl, so young, was already so bold—on the very first day, she wanted to sleep with him? Too forward!

“Young Master, do you dislike me?” Hu Xiao looked at him, her big eyes shimmering with tears on the verge of falling.

Feng Yuan hurriedly said, “Don’t cry, why are you crying? I don’t dislike you!”

“Then why won’t you let me serve you as you sleep?”

“No, it’s just… why do you want to sleep with me? Men and women should keep their distance, don’t you know?”

“Young Master, you bought me, so I am yours. Everything of mine belongs to you. Serving you as you sleep is my duty—why should there be any distinction between men and women?” Hu Xiao replied.

Feng Yuan suddenly remembered—in this era, buying a maid was no different from buying a wife. If he didn’t let Hu Xiao accompany him, it would mean he was rejecting her, no wonder she cried.

But Hu Xiao was only fourteen or fifteen—a young girl. Even if Feng Yuan were a scoundrel, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Having relations with a minor was a crime.

“Xiao Xiao, listen to me. You’re still young. Wait until you grow up, then we’ll talk about it, okay?” Feng Yuan said.

“Young Master, I’m not that young. The villagers all call me ‘Little Milk Cow!’” Hu Xiao replied, deliberately puffing out her chest.

Feng Yuan glanced—she was indeed well developed, but that’s not what he meant. He was talking about age, not size. How could this young girl be so cheeky, like a seasoned driver?

“Xiao Xiao, listen. I meant your age. Wait a few years, until you’re older, then we’ll talk, alright?” he said, exasperated.

“Are you really not rejecting me?”

“Of course not. You’re so pretty, how could I ever dislike you? Silly girl, go to bed now. I have work to do,” Feng Yuan said, quickly turning to leave.

Hu Xiao didn’t stop him, merely watched as he left, and suddenly a mischievous smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.