I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 205: Chapter 85: Heavy Snow (Part 2)

Fang Rui called Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan over to the table to eat together.

A few large gulps of the slightly spicy, piping-hot fish soup warmed the stomach and sent a wave of heat through the body, causing one to break out in a light sweat. It was an especially cozy and comfortable feeling on such a snowy day.

"Go on, Qing Yun, Bai Shao. As the head maids, you’ll be in charge of dividing the rest of the fish soup among everyone. Oh, and you don’t need to wait on us here. Go on and eat. It’s too cold a day for that," Fang Rui said with a wave of his hand.

The fish was so large that their portion was naturally just a small part of it. There was still plenty left over!

"Yes, thank you, Master!"

The two head maids, Qing Yun and Bai Shao, curtsied and then happily turned to leave.

Snow Sturgeon was an extremely rare and top-grade ingredient. Ordinary families would never get to eat it. Only maids like them, who served in such a household, were fortunate enough to get a taste.

Besides, to be honest, the rich aroma from before had already made their stomachs rumble.

Nearby.

"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!"

Over a dozen Phoenix-tailed Swallows chirped away, drinking fish soup from their own little dishes, their heads nearly buried inside.

The three large dogs were also slurping the fish soup, occasionally lifting their heads to glance over at the table.

Now that the family was prosperous, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family no longer fretted over sharing a little food.

Fang Rui, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan sat around the table, chatting idly about their day and the small things in life.

"Nannan, Ling’Er, does anyone at school bully you?" Fang Rui asked.

"No, they wouldn’t dare!" Fang Ling’s head was practically buried in her bowl. She didn’t even look up, just grunted out a reply.

"That’s right, Sister Ling’Er is super tough! Lots of kids try to get on our good side by giving us snacks and asking for stories. We do what Brother Ah Rui told us and never take food from anyone, so then they bring out all sorts of little toys... But Sister Ling’Er tells the stories all wrong. Not that they know the difference, anyway..." Nannan rattled on, effortlessly spilling all of Fang Ling’s embarrassing secrets.

"Nannan, be quiet!" Fang Ling scrambled to cover Nannan’s mouth.

"Haha, no wonder I always see them crowding around you two after school." Fang Rui laughed, pinching both of the little girls’ cheeks.

"Who would dare to mess with these two little tyrants? I hear all about it even from home," Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family said, shaking her head.

"And that’s all because of Brother Rui, isn’t it?"

Third Lady chuckled, covering her mouth. "...All because of that one little thing, Brother Rui went and had their family’s business shut down. The parents had to bring their child to our door to apologize... After that, no one ever dared to mess with them again."

"Those parents were ill-bred. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And they had the nerve to call themselves city folk while ostracizing outsiders and forming cliques..."

Fang Rui still felt a surge of anger at the memory.

’School bullying... and they dared to bully his Fang Ling and Nannan. The absolute audacity!’

"They’re the backward ones! They’ve never even heard the stories Brother tells us..."

"Yeah, they seem kind of dumb!"

Both Fang Ling and Nannan were rather precocious. Compared to other children their age, they truly stood out, like cranes among chickens.

—This was a result of their thousand-mile journey from the Three Southern States to Wuzhong. It was a long and colorful trip, the likes of which many people would never experience in their entire lifetime.

...

Inside, the charcoal fire blazed, making the room as warm as spring. On the small red clay stove, the fish soup simmered, sending up plumes of white steam.

Amid the sounds of the family’s idle chatter, a red candle’s flame danced brightly. The rising steam diffused, casting hazy shadows on the carved window frames, making the view outside as indistinct as flowers in a fog.

Outside, the world was frozen solid, the air so cold that a drop of water would turn to ice.

In the silent night, without a breath of wind, snowflakes like goose feathers drifted down, down, down, blanketing the jade-like world, seeming to bring the very sky to a standstill.

Time flowed by, slow and serene.

...

「Later that night, in Qing Yun and Bai Shao’s room.」

The Fang Mansion wasn’t overly large, so the maids generally shared a room, two by two. Qing Yun and Bai Shao were no exception. As they were both head maids and got along well, they lived together.

"Hic!"

Qing Yun gently patted her stomach, her lovely eyes, as lively as a fawn’s, sparkling. "I’m so full. The soup was delicious, and the Snow Sturgeon was so tasty."

"That’s only because the Master is generous, willing to let us servants have some," Bai Shao said, carrying over a basin of water.

"The Master is so good to the Lady, too. But... it seems like they aren’t actually married, and Miss Nannan is..."

"Qing Yun, you shouldn’t be saying things like that."

Bai Shao looked at Qing Yun seriously and shook her head.

She had a strong sense of propriety and knew that Qing Yun didn’t mean any harm, but some things simply shouldn’t be said.

"Okay, I won’t talk about it."

Qing Yun realized her mistake and clapped both hands over her mouth, her big, dark, watery eyes darting about.

’Third Lady might seem gentle, but she was incredibly capable. How else could she manage such a large portfolio of businesses? If she heard this gossip, she’d definitely have me sent off to the Four Seas Building.’

"Let’s talk about something else,"

Bai Shao said with a gentle smile. "I went home last month and took the wages I’d saved. My family was so happy. My little brother was sick, and that money was what paid for his treatment... All our neighbors are so envious!"

"We’re just lucky. The Master, the Lady, and the Old Mistress are benevolent. They allow indentured servants like us to go home for visits and even give us a monthly allowance... I knew another girl, just as pretty and good-natured as me, but she was sold to another mansion and died under mysterious circumstances not long after."

She let out a sigh as she said this.

"That’s right. The Fang Mansion isn’t like other manors. We don’t have all that messy drama," Qing Yun said proudly.

When it came to such matters, the maids’ judgment was the most reliable. An environment as relaxed, harmonious, and warm as the one in the Fang Mansion was, among the great houses, as rare as a phoenix’s feather.

"All the girls are fighting for a position here in the main residence. The work is light, the pay is high..." Qing Yun ticked off the points on her fingers as if listing priceless treasures.

"Then you’d better work harder,"

Bai Shao teased. "So, speaking of that, Qing Yun, have you attended to the Master in his chambers yet? The other day, I saw you helping him with his bath. The water was splashing all over the floor..."

Even someone as poised, proper, and gentle as her had a gossipy side.

"Sister Bai Shao, wh-what are you talking about?!"

Qing Yun was so embarrassed she felt like steam was about to come out of her ears.

But in the end, she still replied, "I’m not that kind of person! I’ll only agree once the Master has promised me the status of a concubine!"

She said this with a proud tilt of her chin.

"Oh, you!"

Bai Shao shook her head with a smile. "That’s just because the Master spoils you. In any other mansion, just you see what would happen..."

"Giggle... Sister Bai Shao, stop talking about me. Don’t you like the Master too? Hmm?"

"I... I’m not as pretty as you are. Hey, how did this get turned around on me? Come here, you!"

Giggling and wrestling, the two blew out the lamp.

...

In another room, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady had each taken one of the girls, leaving Fang Rui to sleep alone tonight. Lying in bed, he silently opened his panel.

[Name: Fang Rui]

[Tribulation Points: 9799]

[Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Body Skill (Mastery)]

[Realm: Third Grade (Refining the Organs)]

[Skills: Fang’s Medical Skill (Perfection), Beast Taming Technique (Minor Achievement) (+), Feng Shui Skill (Minor Achievement) (+), Life-taking Saber Technique (Perfection), Rapid Trace Step (Perfection), Disguise Technique (Minor Achievement) (+), Thirteen Throws of the Flying Swallow (Great Success) (+), Xue Family Spear (Uninitiated) (+), Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique (Uninitiated) (+), Divination Skill (Uninitiated) (+), Stealing Skill (Uninitiated) (+), Agricultural Scripture (Uninitiated) (+), Carving Skill (Uninitiated) (+)...]

[Divine Techniques: Immortality (Gray)]

...

’Many of these skills, like the Divination Skill, Stealing Skill, Agricultural Scripture, and Carving Skill, were acquired during that year on the road. Others were gradually found and collected through the business network Third Lady established.’

’All in all, my skillset is now quite comprehensive.’

’As for Tribulation Points, I had a little over four thousand left after the upgrades at Eagle’s Beak Gorge. I gained about four thousand more during the year of travel. But after leaving the Three Southern States and settling down here in Huaiyin Prefecture of Wuzhong, the pace has dropped sharply. I’ve only gained sixteen or seventeen hundred points over the past year.’

In truth, Fang Rui was in no hurry to break through.

He had discovered that within the Prefecture City, Third Grade seemed to be the peak of power. He hadn’t even seen a single one yet. As for the First and Second Grades, he had never even heard them mentioned.

...

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