Resplendent – Chapter 429

Chapter 429: The Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish

“Mom knows how hard summer fatigue can be, and you still have to endure the jolts of the journey… Bao’er has suffered!” Lady Jun held her daughter close, patting her back with tender concern.

“It’s not suffering! You see, no matter how hard it was, being able to reunite with my parents and brothers in the capital makes it all feel sweet.” Facing her mother, delicate like Lin Daiyu, Gu Ye could only use sweet words to coax a smile from her. Otherwise, there would be a flood of tears again, and the whole family would be fussing over her for half a day. 

Sigh, it’s exhausting!

Sure enough, Lady Jun’s face broke into the brightest smile she’d shown in over a decade. Her beauty was naturally striking, and when she smiled, a pair of dimples appeared at the corners of her lips, making her look far younger than almost forty—more like just over thirty.

Seeing his wife’s long-missed smile, Chu Bufan felt even more love for the daughter he had just recovered. Indeed, she was a daughter of Chu Bufan—well-behaved, sensible, and skilled at making her mother happy. 

He always lived by the principle, ‘When my wife is happy, I am happy.’ And with Xiao Ye of the family, he couldn’t have been more satisfied!

“You really are your parents’ little padded jacket. Here, my Xiao Ye’er, Dad rewards you with a big lobster!” Chu Bufan placed the last baked lobster, peeled, in front of his daughter.

Yue Yuan, standing behind the girl, broke out in a cold sweat. She knew her lady’s appetite, and today she had already eaten far more than usual. If she kept eating, she’d get indigestion and feel uncomfortable for several days! 

Normally, she would have stopped her immediately, but being new to the Duke’s Manor, she worried that if she prevented the food that the Duke and his sons were lovingly serving, she might offend them.

Not thinking twice, she stepped forward, gently pressed down on the girl’s chopsticks, and whispered respectfully, “Miss, you can’t eat any more, or you’ll get sick!”

“Sister only ate such a tiny bit. How could she possibly get sick? No wonder she’s so skinny. It’s all because of you cruel servants being so strict!” Chu Xiaowu’s eyes shot wide in anger as he glared at Yue Yuan, scolding her furiously.

Yue Yuan, however, was unafraid. Calm and composed, she replied, “Young Master, be careful with your words. Our young lady often says: without investigation, there’s no right to speak. You don’t understand her health, yet you rashly accuse. As for the term ‘cruel servant,’ I cannot bear that!”

All the Chu sons, except Xiaoliu, had inherited the Duke of Zhen’s pair of tiger-like eyes, and when they glared, they carried quite an imposing air. If it had been any other maid, she would have been frightened to tears, unable to utter a word. The Chu men’s gazes toward Yue Yuan carried an added layer of meaning.

Seeing Mubai’s eyebrows raised like a storm about to break, Gu Ye hurriedly explained, “Fifth Brother, you’ve misunderstood Yue Yuan. My stomach isn’t good, and the doctor advised me to eat small meals more frequently. I do have a greedy mouth, and when I encounter food I like, I often overeat and suffer for it. This girl has seen me uncomfortable after eating too much, and whenever I forget, she reminds me. She’s doing it for my own good!”

Hearing this, Chu Bufan nodded and said, “I see, good! She’s a loyal girl. Fifth, I’m not saying this to scold you, but your temper is too explosive, and your mouth too sharp! If you’re not careful, you’ll surely trip and fall over this a few times!”

“Father, I’ve already improved a lot now. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Xiaosi.” Chu Mubai scratched the back of his head and turned to Yue Yuan: “You’re quite something, girl. Just now, this Young Master wrongly accused you. You seem… like you have some martial arts foundation, have you?”

Yue Yuan slightly bent her knees in respect and replied, “This servant and Hua Hao come from a family of escorts; our father was a fairly famous escort leader locally. When my sister and I were young, we learned some basic martial arts from him, enough only to protect ourselves.”

Chu Bufan stroked his beard and smiled: “Not bad, not bad! You know how to act appropriately, neither humble nor arrogant. My daughter’s taste in choosing maids is indeed remarkable.”

“Precisely! Not only that, Hua Hao and Yue Yuan are very smart and quick learners. They helped a lot when the factory was just starting!” Gu Ye said, clearly very pleased with his two maids.

“Eowww—” A long, high-pitched meow suddenly came from under the table. 

Chu Xiaoliu froze for a moment, looked down, and saw a tiny black kitten, smaller than his palm, at his sister’s feet, looking up at her and meowing.

“Eh? Where did this little kitten come from?” he bent down and reached out to grab the tiny black kitten, but froze mid-motion at its fierce glare.

What a ferocious cat. He couldn’t let it stay near his sister, or it might scratch her. Chu Xiaoliu cautiously extended his hand toward the little black cat.

Shitian woke up from a nap and found that all his masters were gone. He waited and looked around, but not a single one had returned to eat.

Hmph! They must have sneaked out to eat something delicious! And they didn’t even bring me along—outrageous!

Following the scent, Shitian leapt over tall rooftops and finally found his mistress. As he had guessed, she was eating seafood without him: I’m furious, and you know the consequences would be severe!

This ignorant and foolish human even dared to provoke him—he’d scratch him to death! A fierce gleam appeared in Shitian’s golden eyes. 

His little paws struck like lightning—huh? His move was swift, yet he dodged it. No blood spilled, so unsatisfying!

“Wow! Where did this little kitten come from? So fierce! If I hadn’t dodged quickly, it would’ve left several scratches on me!” Even though Chu Mushan reacted fast, the kitten still grazed the back of his hand, leaving two pale scratches.

“Xiao Mo, you can’t behave like this!” Gu Ye bent down, scooped the little creature onto her lap, and gently turned its head toward Chu Mushan. “Open your beautiful eyes and look carefully. This is my Sixth Brother! I’ve found my real parents. This is Dad, this is Mom, and there’s Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother. Everyone here is family. You must not hurt them!”

Every time she introduced someone, she would guide the little black kitten’s head to see the person clearly. Her innocent actions and words made the Chu family smile knowingly. Especially the Duke, whose heart softened completely—having a sweet little daughter really melts you!

Chu Mutong laughed, “Is this Sister’s pet? It’s quite interesting that something so small can still look so helpless.”

“Third Brother, you’re overthinking,” Chu Xiaowu craned his neck to look, but couldn’t read any expression from the fluffy black face of the kitten.

“Meow—” The little panther was hungry and wanted to eat seafood! Shitian’s eyes locked onto the lobster meat in Gu Ye’s bowl, and it licked its nose.

Chu Xiaoliu eagerly picked up a fish bone still carrying plenty of meat, placed it on a dish, and set it in front of the little black cat. “Sister, your cat must be hungry, right? Here, let it eat this!”

Shitian nearly exploded. There was a whole table full of delicious seafood, yet this human offered it the fish meat it hated the most. Was he doing it on purpose? 

Don’t think that just because you’re the Mistress’s brother, this panther can’t deal with you! Just you wait!