His Lady, Han Ruo

Aristocrat's Daughter (4)

Wen Gaomim turned to the boy beside him. Qiu Ming had not said a word after the captain left. Truthfully, Wen Gaomin did not know what to do with this child. He was grateful that he had saved his daughter, but unlike Han Ruo who was a girl trying to be strong, Qiu Ming was one who was quite fierce.

"Xiao Ming." Wen Gaomin looked at him seriously. "Who are your parents?"

"Dead." The boy did not even bat an eye.

Wen Gaomin sucked in a breath. This child was quite difficult. However, now he understood why his temperament was so.

"Xiao Ming. Once captain Kang comes back, why not join him? I believe the army suits you well. Although you are too young now, in two years you will be of eligible age."

To his surprise, Qiu Ming suddenly knelt down.

"Xiao Ming will be rude. This servant does not want to follow Captain Kang. This servant wants to serve young lady Han Ruo."

Wen Gaomin was baffled. "Excuse me?"

"Xiao Ming is indebted to lady Ah Ruo. She also saved my life while in the smuggler's den. She is just too modest to admit it."

Xiao Ming practically kowtowed. "I am an orphan and I have no hope for the future. But for my humble life, I want to serve lady Han."

Wen Gaomin was moved. Being an official, he had to be aware of people's temperaments. In order for progress to happen, he would usually seek out those who were passionate. Wen Gaomin was pretty good at spotting honest people, and he knew a person pretending to be righteous when he saw one. Right now, as he looked at this young boy, he couldn't help but feel inexplicably moved by his passion.

Children were usually the most honest with their feelings. He didn't understand why Qiu Ming wanted to serve a little girl, but he did know this boy was sincere. Sighing, Wen Gaomin nodded helplessly.

"Then serve your master well."

For the first time, a hint of joy traced the boy's features. The sudden change in expression made Wen Gaomin notice that this boy was quite...beautiful.

The governor blanched mentally.

But as fast as the boy's expression came, it also disappeared the same way. Qiu Ming kowtowed several times in gratefulness.

"Alright boy. You should go rest."

Qiu Ming nodded and left the study.

______

As soon as he stepped out, the cold mask disappeared, replaced by a slightly relieved yet weary expression.

Truthfully, Qiu Ming was well versed in acting. With his orientation, he had become a natural especially after becoming a lieutenant in his previous life. But he nearly lost it when he saw his master act like a white lotus!

Seeing Ah Ruo pretending to be pitiful- Qiu Ming suffered internal injuries just from holding in his laughter!

Ah his master was quite the handful.

She had told him ahead of time about her plan. Of course, with her body, no one would believe but instead would become suspicious once an eight year old said she had killed people. It was more believable for him to act as the violent savior. Thankfully he was ten and not any younger, otherwise it was going to be hard to explain to Wen Gaomin how he killed the smugglers.

The hard part was becoming her servant.

In their previous life, both of them did not have the luxury to seek shelter with the governor's mansion. Instead, Ah Ruo and him had to force their way back to her home a week after.

Remembering those two bastards who claimed to be her caretakers, Qiu Ming clenched his fists.

Soon. Very soon karma will come.

Back then, it was hard for him to become Han Ruo's servant. Not mentioning the fact that he was male, those two were corrupt and did not want to spend any more money- not that they had spent anything on Ah Ruo in the first place. Qiu Ming had stayed because he had nowhere else to go, and also because he did not want to leave her alone.

In the end he was not paid as a servant, but rather did chores for free while he gathered his own food. Qiu Ming would never forget Ah Ruo's pleas for him to leave for a better life. In the end, he never did.

______

The maid standing guard outside was fast asleep. It wasn't hard for Qiu Ming to sneak into the room. As expected, the little girl was still awake. She sat by the open window, staring out into the night sky. Qiu Ming was worried and hurried over.

"My lady, you mustn't stay up so late. You will injure your body and catch a cold." He reached out and closed the window. "You should go rest. The matter will be settled tomorrow morning. Have faith in the governor, he does not lack ability."

If the governor had heard them, he would have spat blood. The way these two communicated was as if they were higher than the governor himself. However, both children knew that they actually were. With Han Ruo's past experiences, she couldn't help but worry over something going wrong in their plans. Yet her worry did not show as her small face was calm.

"Did you make your request?" she asked him lazily, looking up at Qiu Ming with bright eyes. Qiu Ming smiled and nodded.

Satisfied, Han Ruo stood up and walked towards the bed. "That's good. This way, it will be harder for those two to get rid of you."

Nodding in agreement, Qiu Ming urged her to sleep.

"My lady?" He asked suddenly, just as Han Ruo was tucking herself in.

"What is it?"

Qiu Ming's sly smile made her narrow her eyes at him. What was this boy up to?

"It's just that, I believe young lady Wen will be quite fond of you. She did cry on your shoulder."

Han Ruo did not comment. She was older now, and the need to form friendships was not really enticing anymore. Being a self-sufficient person for so long, the thought of making friends was unfathomable.

"I'll keep it in mind."