The next morning, Gu Nianbin was woken up by the familiar sound of sweeping. He rubbed his eyes and looked out of the window. Sunlight shone through the white curtains, making the room warmer. He stretched his body a little bit and walked to the window, finding Du Xiaoxian sweeping under the trees carefully in the lavender uniform. Her soft hair was dancing in the wind, and her laced apron was bulging around her small body. She looked like the girl rotating in circles in the music box.
Gu Nianbin kept watching her until she swept all the way to the front door. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he was surprised to find that his lips were slightly raised, as if he was smiling. It must be the good weather that cheered him up.
He turned on the tap and splashed a handful of cold water over his face. After washing up, he put on a sweatshirt and went jogging downstairs.
The air was fresh in the morning. Although the sun was still behind the clouds, it had already dyed the sky light red. Du Xiaoxian had swept all the way to the front gate, but the sweeping sound was still very clear.
Having finished warm-up, Gu Nianbin started running. Du Xiaoxian was so focused on sweeping that she didn't even notice it when Gu Nianbin ran near her. He coughed and she turned around, looking surprised, "Young Master," she stuttered.
He responded to her casually and kept on running. After he finished running around the court, Du Xiaoxian had finished cleaning and went towards the backyard.
She didn't like walking through the living room. It was too grand and splendid for a maid. So she always made a detour through the side door to the backyard. She went to the kitchen and took a steamed bun as breakfast. It was so hot, soft and sweet that she was gorged eating it. Back at home, she could not enjoy a steamed bun made with white flour unless during the Spring Festival. She waited eagerly and her aunt would give her two buns right off the stove. She wrapped them with her clothes and went back home to enjoy them slowly, one for lunch and one for dinner. She would recall the pleasant flavor for many days.
Here in Gu Mansion, she was provided with the white-flour steamed buns every day. Every day was like the Spring Festival. No, it was even better. She was also offered new clothes and a lot of delicious things that she had never heard of, including the precious bird's nest. What a happy life! In addition to all that, she could also go to school. Therefore she had her breakfast earlier today. She couldn't be late on the first day to school and had to get ready in advance. Du Xiaoxian swallowed the last bite of the steamed bun and drank half a cup of cold water. She would feel happy as long as she was full.
She looked through the wardrobe and picked a pair of black trousers and a shirt with flower patterns. She wanted to wear a T-shirt because it was hot outside. But all her T-shirts were old. The collars of two T-shirts had worn out and the color of another one had faded. She did not want to wear old clothes on her first day to school, so the long-sleeved shirt became her choice. She could just roll up the sleeves when it was too hot.
After getting dressed up, Du Xiaoxian took out a bag sewed by herself. It was made from the yellow coarse cloth and embroidered with lotus and dragonflies. She liked it very much even though it was not delicate. This was her only schoolbag she had.
Lanzhi came in and found that Du Xiaoxian was not wearing the maid's uniform. She asked, "Xiaoxian, are you going out today?"
Du Xiaoxian tidied herself up and felt a little embarrassed, "The Young Master is going to send me to school today."
Lanzhi was surprised for a moment. She closed the door and said joyfully, "See? What did I told you? You didn't believe me. I was not lying, was I?" She examined Du Xiaoxian from head to toes and shook her head, "Are you going to school in these clothes? Your clothes were so unfashionable, not to mention the bag..."
Du Xiaoxian became less confident after hearing her words. It was a good thing to go to school. But would her poor dressing embarrass the Young Master?
Lanzhi said, "Why don't you wear my clothes and buy new ones after you get paid?"
Lanzhi was taller and her clothes did not fit Xiaoxian. But her clothes were fashionable and beautiful. Du Xiaoxian hesitated a little. But as long as she wouldn't embarrass the Young Master, she would not care what other people would say. Encouraged by Lanzhi, Xiaoxian finally took off her clothes and put on Lanzhi’s instead.
However, she refused to change her bag. Lanzhi wouldn't allow a rustic bag to ruin the overall effect, so she insisted on changing it with her backpack. However, Du Xiaoxian remained silent and clenched her bag tightly no matter what Lanzhi said. Lanzhi tried everything she could and eventually gave up.
"What a stubborn girl." She whispered angrily. She wouldn't bother to persuade those who wouldn't listen to others.
It was about time for school. Du Xiaoxian went out from the side door secretly and stood under the phoenix tree, waiting for Gu Nianbin.
Xiaoding was waiting by the car. He had never seen Du Xiaoxian wearing anything else other than the lavender uniform. He walked to her, "Xiaoxian, you look pretty today."
She glanced at him and moved aside vigilantly. Xiaoding was puzzled. Was she avoiding him just because he praised her? He was speechless and walked away. He felt sorry for her. The little girl was actually quite beautiful. She would be very attractive if she knew how to talk and smile sweetly. However, she was quiet all the time. What a pity.
After a while, Gu Nianbin came. He swept a glance at Du Xiaoxian, walked over and examined her. She lowered her head and blushed. Du Xiaoxian felt embarrassed for wearing other people's clothes. Now she wanted to find a hole to hide from being looked up and down like this.
A moment later, Gu Nianbin said, "The clothes are too big for you."
She replied shyly, "These are Lanzhi's clothes. I borrowed them."
"What about your own clothes?"
"My clothes are not good enough," Her voice lowered.
"Are you afraid of what others might say about you?" He asked.
Du Xiaoxian shook her head. She bit her lips and said,“I'm afraid of embarrassing you, Young Master.”
It turned out that it was because of him that she paid attention to her clothes. She was doing this to preserve his dignity.
Gu Nianbin smiled and pointed to the car, "It's getting late. Let's go."
Xiaoding opened the door and Gu Nianbin sat in first. Du Xiaoxian stood outside. She hesitated for a moment and got in. The calfskin seat was soft and thick with the smell of genuine leather. She was not used to the smell. The car started and the air conditioner was on. She felt a little dizzy and suffocated. Also, Du Xiaoxian was nervous to sit in such a luxury car for the first time. She felt uneasy for being so close to Gu Nianbin. All things came together. She couldn't help but moaned.
Gu Nianbin was actually observing her all the time. Finally, he asked Xiaoding to pull over and lower the window to let her take in fresh air. He asked, "are you feeling carsick?"
She nodded. When she left her hometown, the road was bumpy and the air in the crowded car was foul. She vomited three times along the way, and even spat out some yellow bile. The Young Master's car wasn't bumpy, but the window was tightly shut and the leather smell was strong. She felt uncomfortable. But to prevent vomiting, she could only moan.
She panted for a while, and her face was pale. Gu Nianbin got out of the car with her and walked along the road. She felt much better after getting off the car. After walking for a while, she said, "Young Master, I'm OK now."
Gu Nianbin nodded but didn't say anything. He continued to stroll along the road.
"Young Master, aren't we in a hurry?" Du Xiaoxian mumbled. She didn't want to be late on the first day to school.
"No," Gu Nianbin smiled at her, "We’re going to buy you new clothes now."
Du Xiaoxian stopped for a second and looked at herself. Lanzhi's clothes were beautiful enough for her. The Young Master was still not satisfied? Besides, no shopping mall would open so early.
Gu Nianbin read her mind and made a phone call. It was brief but mingled with several English words, which she didn't understand at all. She looked at him with admiration. The Young Master was really knowledgeable. He spoke excellent English. How she wished she could speak fluent English as well...
Xiaoding drove the car slowly and followed behind. It was strange that the Young Master should have the time to take a walk with this little girl early in the morning. Didn't he need to send Du Xiaoxian to school and rush back to the company for the morning meeting? He was extremely busy on most days. Things were unusual today.
Turning around at the cross, they found a large boutique that sold women's clothes. Several windows facing the street were showcasing the clothes worn by the models. Fashionable and exquisite clothes were categorized by color and style. Du Xiaoxian couldn't take her eyes off from the window and kept looking back after walking past them.
Gu Nianbin asked, "Like it?"
She nodded quickly. Who wouldn't like such beautiful clothes? After entering the store, she found more beautiful clothes inside. Rows of colorful clothes in various styles were on display. There were shirts, T-shirts, skirts, trousers, shorts, and jeans she had been dreaming of.
It seemed that the shop assistants had just arrived. Du Xiaoxian saw someone running into the fitting room, put on makeups and changed into work uniforms. Everyone came to serve them. Then the door was shut and a sign "Closed" was put on the front door.
Why were they so attentive to them now that the shop was closed? She was puzzled but didn't have time to figure it out, because she was surrounded by several beautiful shop assistants.
Someone pulled a clothes shelf to her and asked which one she liked. Some served a fruit plate for her. Some praised her for her beauty. And others began to ask her about her preferences...
Du Xiaoxian suddenly felt scared after being surrounded by so many strangers. They were all smiling at her and treated her politely as if she was a noble lady. But she was not, she was just a maid. They must have made a mistake. She panicked and turned to the Young Master for help.
Drinking tea and reading newspapers nearby, Gu Nianbin looked distracted but actually never took his eyes off Du Xiaoxian. Noticing her uneasiness, he went up to her and asked gently, "What's wrong?"At sight of him, Du Xiaoxian rushed over and grabbed his arm tightly. Although she still revered him, he was the only acquaintance she could find here. She got relieved when seeing him.Gu Nianbin was amused by her reaction. He bent down and asked softly, "None of your taste? Then let's go somewhere else."Du Xiaoxian shook her head like a frightened fawn, mumbling, "All of them are surrounding me, I..." She was too timid to speak out her nervousness in such occasions.Gu Nianbin got her at once and dismissed the sales by a gesture. He found a seat for her and said, "Now they are all gone. You can choose freely. Show me what you like."Du Xiaoxian looked at the clothes and the fancy shop, "Sir, the clothes here must be ver
Du Xiaoxian took a glance of Zhou Ting. In front of her was a tall beautiful office lady who looked smart and capable, making her feel ashamed of herself. She wanted to say that she was fine to be alone but failed to utter anything at last. Instead, she nodded slightly and left with Zhou Ting.Gu Nianbin stood there watching them away. Suddenly, he called Zhou Ting back and said in a low voice, "Go buy some snacks. Provide her with some movies or magazines to kill time. She can sleep there if she wants. One more thing, stay outside and check on her from time to time. Try not to make her uncomfortable or let anyone else in." He paused for a moment and said, "Call me if needed."Zhou Ting was surprised but remained calm. She said yes and then left. The boss's orders were always simple and straightforward, but this time were unusually long-winded. She was now curious about the little girl who could make the boss behave so abnormally.She trotted t
Gu Nianbin wanted to take Du Xiaoxian to eat western food, but he changed his mind on second thought. She would resist unfamiliar things out of instinct. He took her to a Chinese restaurant and asked for a quiet private room. He gave her the menu to order. Du Xiaoxian held the exquisite menu in her hand and flipped it over lightly. Then she returned it to him and shook her head shyly. She had never eaten any dish on it before. What if she ordered something that the young master didn't like to eat?Gu Nianbin didn't force her and took the order. While waiting for the dishes, he slowly told Du Xiaoxian what he had being thinking along the way. There were so many things he wanted her to know. She just listened quietly and occasionally nodded with a blink of her big eyes. Gu Nianbin was rarely so talktive, even himself found it hard to believe. Finally, he stopped and asked, "Xiaoxian, do you understand what I said?"Du Xiaoxian pursed her lips and said softly,
"Du Xiaoxian? What an old-fashioned name!" Yang Liying twitched her mouth with scorn. She was expecting a dashing rich boy instead of such a bumpkin to be her deskmate.Du Xiaoxian had been used to contempt since childhood and didn't care much about her words. But she was not used to be surrounded like this. She was very nervous and fearful for what would happen next. She looked more and more anxious and could hardly breathe in such an unknown environment.Fortunately, a good-looking young woman came in at this moment. This was their teacher, Ms. Jiang. She had just been summoned by the headmaster to talk about the new student. The headmaster asked her to take care of Du Xiaoxian and repeated Gu Nianbin's words in a more detailed way. She sensed the special background of the new student from the tedious instructions of the headmaster."All of you, back to your seat." Ms. Jiang dispersed the surrounding students and then asked Du Xiaoxian gently
When they returned to the office, Gu Nianbin took the bag that Du Xiaoxian had been carrying and put it on the table. He pulled her to the sofa to sit and pointed at the pile of snacks that Zhou Ting bought, "You must be hungry. Eat something first to stave off hunger. I still have something to do, so we'll go back home later.""Young master," Du Xiaoxian took a look of the snacks and was about to stand up, "Shall I go back first? I have to sweep the courtyard."Gu Nianbin stopped her, "It doesn't matter. Today is your first day of school. Forget about the chore. Leave it tomorrow."Du Xiaoxian had no choice but to stay. Gu Nianbin opened a chocolate bar for her and asked about her day at school. Du Xiaoxian blushed and said slowly, " Young master, I...I can't understand in class."Gu Nianbin stroked her hair with a smile, "Don't worry. Take your time. You'll understand gradually.""OK." Du Xiaoxian nodded, " I will st
From that day on, Du Xiaoxian's life had undergone tremendous changes.Every day, she left home early and returned late, getting familiar with the scenery on streets of G City and environment of the school.Sitting in the car, she tried to memorize the route back to home and the route to the Gu’s Company.She concentrated on classes and never allowed her mind to stray away. Gradually, she was able to understand them. As for classes in sciences, the young master said that she did not need to learn them and she did not understand anything either. Therefore, during sciences classes, she just lowered her head and drew on the notebook.She had always liked drawing. Back when she got bored at her hometown, she would pick up a twig and sat in the courtyard drawing randomly to kill time for the whole morning. She drew flowers, dragonflies, trees and grass as well as chickens, ducks, fish, pigs, sheep, dogs, cats…everything around her.
Just as Xia Xiaowan had expected, the news of her accompanying Gu Nianbin to the banquet made the headline in the entertainment section of Morning Post the next day.In the published picture, she smiled sweetly and gracefully, looking even more gorgeous than usual.Gu Nianbin beside her was also smiling gently and elegantly. He looked extremely handsome with deep eyes, a Roman nose, thin lips, and a firm chin slightly hold up.Xia Xiaowan took a sip of coffee. She spread the newspaper on the dining table and pondered over the picture in the newspaper.Du Xiaoxian also saw the picture.Standing in the corridor outside the dining room, she beheld her ladyship, with the newspaper in her hands, cheerfully talking with the master about the perfect match of their son and Miss Xia. She couldn't understand why the young master and Miss Xia were reported by the newspaper. When the master and lady went upstairs, she slipped into
Sitting in the car, Gu Nianbin asked seriously, "Now tell me. Why did you walk away alone?"Du Xiaoxian lowered her head and bit her lips. Blood seeped from the cut lips into her mouth. It tasted sweet.She didn't expect that she caused so much trouble for the young master and even bothered the police.She didn't expect the young master was so angry either. She was a fool. No wonder no one liked her. No wonder she had no friends.Now even the young master wouldn't like her. She was a nit, simply mindless. If she told the young master or Xiaoding beforehand, things would not be like this.So many people, including the headmaster, were bothered to look for her. How could she have the nerve to go to school tomorrow? The young master used his connections to send her to school, but...look at what she had done.Du Xiaoxian felt so guilty that even her guts were twisted and her body further shrank."