Chapter 570 - 468: Twins

After Gui Ning and Lady Tushan left, Xiao Mo, who had been in the woodshed all day, walked out of its courtyard to get some fresh air.

Tushan Mansion didn’t have many strict rules.

Aside from important courtyards like those of the Lady, the Young Miss, and the storerooms, servants were free to go most places.

As he walked, Xiao Mo found himself in Jiao Yue Court without realizing it.

Jiao Yue Court was the very place where Xiao Mo and Tushan Jing Ci had been attacked the previous night.

But after only a day, Jiao Yue Court had already been repaired.

Just as he stepped into the courtyard, Xiao Mo saw a little girl sitting by the edge of Jiao Yue Lake.

The little girl was holding a thin bamboo pole with a fishing line attached, sitting by the lake and fishing earnestly.

"Sister Yue Shi, why aren’t the fish biting?"

Tushan Jing Ci said melancholically, propping her chin on her hand.

"Well..." Yue Shi didn’t know how to explain it, but she offered some comfort. "Miss, maybe the fish in the lake are just unappreciative. If you want to eat fish, we can just have the kitchens prepare some."

"That’s not it!" Tushan Jing Ci pouted. "Xiao Mo said that if I catch a fish, he’ll give me my birthday gift... but I haven’t caught a single one yet..."

"..."

Yue Shi wanted to say, ’If you want it, Miss, what does it matter if you haven’t caught a fish? Would he really refuse to give it to you?’

But seeing how serious her miss was, Yue Shi knew that she truly saw the little Human Race boy as a friend, not as a master and servant.

"How about this? I can buy a fish for you, Miss. You can just say you caught it yourself. Xiao Mo won’t know anyway," Yue Shi suggested.

"No, no!" Tushan Jing Ci shook her cute little head. "How could I lie to him? Absolutely not! What if he finds out and doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?"

"But..." The little girl’s round eyes darted about. "Sister Yue Shi, if a fish gets on the hook by itself, does that still count as me catching it?"

"..." Yue Shi froze for a moment, then immediately understood her miss’s clever little plan. She covered her mouth and chuckled, "Of course that counts. Please wait a moment, Miss."

With that, Yue Shi gave a slight bow, transformed into her original form, and then leaped into the lake.

In the lake, Yue Shi caught a large fish, slowly swam over, hooked it onto the fishing line, and then gave it a little tug with her claw.

"A bite!" Tushan Jing Ci shouted happily and pulled up the bamboo pole.

Under the moonlight, the surface of the lake erupted in a splash as the fish’s tail thrashed about.

Cradling the fish in her arms, Tushan Jing Ci removed the hook and then happily ran toward the woodshed courtyard where Xiao Mo lived.

But after just a few steps, Tushan Jing Ci, still holding the large fish, saw Xiao Mo standing right at the courtyard entrance.

Seeing this, Yue Shi, who was climbing out of the water, couldn’t help but freeze.

Yue Shi was stunned for one simple reason: she hadn’t sensed his presence at all!

However, when Yue Shi glanced at Xiao Mo’s waist and noticed the Jade Pendant, she quickly understood why.

But this only made her even more surprised.

’I can’t believe that senior actually gave such a treasure to Xiao Mo.’

’Why do the Lady and that senior place so much importance on this little boy?’

’Is it really just because he saved the Young Miss?’

"Xiao Mo, you... when did you get here?" Tushan Jing Ci walked up to him, her face blushing.

"Huh?" Xiao Mo was taken aback for a second before replying, "I just got here and saw you running over with a fish, Miss. Is that the one you caught?"

"Yes, yes it is." Thinking Xiao Mo hadn’t noticed anything, Tushan Jing Ci nodded happily. "What do you think? Is it big?"

"Mhm, it’s very big," Xiao Mo replied.

"Then, Xiao Mo, what about my birthday gift? I’ve caught a fish now, you know." Tushan Jing Ci looked at Xiao Mo expectantly, her eyes reflecting the bright moonlight. "You didn’t forget, did you?"

"I wouldn’t dare forget. Miss, would you please come with me to the kitchens?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

"Of course! Let’s hurry, this fish is really strong."

Tushan Jing Ci held the fish with both her hands and her tail, happily following Xiao Mo toward the kitchens.

Yue Shi’s brow furrowed as she watched the two children walk closely together, their little arms brushing against each other from time to time.

Although Yue Shi was very grateful to Xiao Mo—without him, the Young Miss might have been in real danger—she still wasn’t used to her miss being so close with a member of the Human Race.

But she soon recalled the Lady’s words: she was not to meddle, but only to ensure the Young Miss’s safety. Yue Shi shook her head and followed them.

When they arrived at the kitchens, Xiao Mo took the large carp from Tushan Jing Ci’s hands and knocked it unconscious with a swift blow.

"Please wait a moment, Miss. This won’t take long."

Xiao Mo stood on a stool in front of the stove, picked up a kitchen knife, and began to skillfully clean the fish.

"Xiao Mo, are you going to cook?"

Tushan Jing Ci asked curiously, watching the way he handled himself.

"Mhm." Xiao Mo nodded, focusing on scoring the fish. "When it was my birthday, my family would always make me Sweet and Sour Carp. I asked Master Niu about it, and he helped me recreate the recipe. I wanted to try making it for you, Miss."

In reality, the Sweet and Sour Carp was something the director of the orphanage would make for Xiao Mo on his birthday.

The director of Xiao Mo’s orphanage was a retired chef, and he would make a special dish for every child on their birthday.

"Sweet and Sour Carp? In that case, Xiao Mo, can I help you start the fire?"