Chapter 433 – Rebuilding Xiangyang County (Seventeen)
Li Yun’s eyes widened in surprise, nearly popping out of his head.
“It’s truly beautiful—much nicer than the thatched hut I used to live in, and it’s quite tall, so I won’t have to worry about bumping my head.”
He tiptoed and stretched his long arms to pat the door frame, a simple smile appearing on his face, his dark starry eyes gleaming with light. That pure smile and gaze made anyone who saw him unable to help but smile back. Meng Hunyun couldn’t help but be impressed by his Young Master’s relentless teaching skills.
Just because of a little disagreement, this innocent lad was pulled onto the pirate ship.
Meng Hunyun crossed his arms and looked up at the door frame, “Bump your head?”
Li Yun, a bit frightened, replied, “Yeah, it seems like I’m just too tall; if I’m not careful, I’ll hit it.”
He had that body type where wearing clothes makes him look slim, but without them, he’s got some meat on him, and he’s quite tall. If the house is a bit shorter, he’d have to bend down just to enter, otherwise, he’d be left with a red forehead from bumping into things. He frequently had such tragic incidents happen; every time he bumped, not only did his forehead throb for ages, but the whole thatched hut would shake too.
Meng Hunyun chuckled, “Perhaps the Lord built the door high just to accommodate your height.”
Not to mention, Meng Hunyun hadn’t noticed before.
The room given to Li Yun was indeed much taller than the others.
Coming back to his senses, Meng Hunyun couldn’t help but admire the attentiveness of his Lord while also feeling warm inside.
If he thought so, then not to mention the pure-hearted Li Yun, his fondness for Jiang Pengji skyrocketed.
“The Lord is really kind; I’ve never thought I would live in a house like this. I always thought such houses could only be lived in by the high-ranking and wealthy.” Li Yun sincerely sighed, though his next words took a turn, “Now that I have a house, I must work hard for honor, and maybe some noble lady will take a liking to me.”
Li Yun’s face was rather mature, and when he kept quiet, he might intimidate many. People would think he was aloof and hard to approach.
In reality, his nature was quite innocent, as if he had been led to live in seclusion in the mountains for many years, unaware of the world.
Meng Hunyun couldn’t help but laugh, “Han Mei is handsome and has excellent martial arts skills, well-read in military strategy; he can be seen as both brave and wise. With such conditions, if he just stands in the street, wouldn’t any woman blush and heartbeat fast? Why does it sound like it’s so hard for you to find a wife?”
Li Yun gasped, and honestly replied, “My master said I’m too tall, and girls don’t like that.”
Being tall wasn’t his fault, after all. When he was around thirteen or fourteen, he grew rapidly, and it scared him so much that he didn’t dare eat.
Meng Hunyun was speechless: “…”
Although it was true Li Yun was a bit tall, being robust and strong was manly, so what was wrong with being tall?
Seeing no sign of deceit on his face, Meng Hunyun suddenly thought to tease him.
He walked around Li Yun and exclaimed, “What Han Mei said makes sense; you are indeed too tall. You know, nowadays, the beautiful women are usually petite and delicate. If you chose a soft and weak wife, when you try to kiss her while holding her on both arms, from a distance, it would look like a father-daughter moment.”
Li Yun’s cheeks flushed red, feeling quite awkward.
Fortunately, he had tanned slightly lately, so the redness on his face wasn’t very obvious.
“Wait a second, Han Mei… don’t tell the big brother that you’re still a virgin, okay?”
Seeing his reaction, Meng Hunyun found it extremely amusing.
In this era, finding a man over twenty who is still a virgin is almost as tough as plucking a star from the sky.
Meng Hunyun looked at Li Yun as if he were observing a prehistoric creature.
Li Yun was embarrassed enough to fidget, “My master said this is called keeping oneself pure.”
Meng Hunyun couldn’t help but laugh, “Are you sure it’s not because of living deep in the mountains and forests with no women around?”
Finally, Meng Hunyun understood why his Lord liked to bully this kid so much; he was indeed easy to tease.
Meng Hunyun guided Li Yun to understand the layout of the house. Unlike the complicated renovations of a three-section courtyard, the simple two-section courtyard had everything essential. Jiang Pengji had fully considered the issues of those single dogs and had made arrangements for additional doors and windows during construction.
If one doesn’t have high living standards, this two-section courtyard could be moved into immediately.
As for Li Yun…
“If you feel the house is too simple, communicate with the Lord and borrow some craftsmen to spruce it up a bit.”
Li Yun shook his head, “This is already good enough; I don’t want anything more.”
The area of the two-section courtyard wasn’t vast, but considering the habits of military generals practicing in the morning, the house was intentionally left with a designated training space. Every morning, Li Yun could practice his spear there, and afterward, he could open the side gate and head to the neighboring street to buy some breakfast to stave off hunger before heading to work.
“I want to take some leave to bring my master down from the mountains for retirement.”
Taking care of his master in retirement was Li Yun’s wish.
Meng Hunyun agreed, “That’s a filial act; the Lord will surely approve.”
The following day, Li Yun successfully applied to Jiang Pengji for three days off.
Three days off!
Qi Guanrang looked at Li Yun with eyes as red as a rabbit, filled with resentment.
They were all equally busy, so why could he take three days off?
Watching the optimistic Li Yun leave Xiangyang County town with a small bundle of food, Jiang Pengji patted his shoulder and chuckled, “Those who can do more work; the responsibilities of Wen Zheng are paramount. If after the entire county’s housing registration you haven’t finished the household registration, the common people won’t be able to apply for new rentals.”
Qi Guanrang snorted twice, appearing unwilling.
“Why not allocate a few more people to help me?”
“It’s not that I can’t; it’s just that in the entire Xiangyang County, are there any educated individuals daring to flaunt in front of you?”
Jiang Pengji teased, causing Qi Guanrang immense frustration.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Li Yun was dressed in coarse cloth, carrying a small bundle and a silver-white spear, trudging under the blazing sun.
With only three days of leave, he had to return before the deadline to not let down the Lord’s kindness.
After walking for over two hours, Li Yun’s keen ears caught the sound of rolling wheels.
He looked up and indeed saw a small dot on the horizon gradually growing larger.
“Little brother, do you know how far it is to Xiangyang County?”
Li Yun had intended to avoid it but was called out.
He replied, “Walking, it’s about two hours.”
The person had a knife hanging at their waist; Li Yun could sense a faint smell of blood around them.
Not just this guard, but the dozens of people surrounding the carriage all bore this scent, just in varying degrees.
It seemed like the person inside the carriage must be someone important.
Li Yun remained silent, pursing his lips, appearing aloof and hard to approach.
“Thank you, little brother.”
The guard smiled kindly at him, but his gaze drifted over the spear Li Yun was carrying, a slight flicker in his eyes.
“Sir, there’s still two hours to go.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Li Yun’s remarkable hearing allowed him to clearly catch the voice coming from inside the carriage, cultured yet weary.
