On the way to the Gu manor, Xiaohe kept her head bowed the entire time.
Her hands clutched her bundle cloth tightly as she hurried alongside her, lips pressed firmly together without uttering a single word.
Whenever they had gone out in the past, she always loved walking ahead, glancing this way and that, tugging at Lin Zhixue to stop and inspect anything novel she caught sight of. Right now, however, she was uncharacteristically quiet.
Lin Zhixue slowed her pace and tilted her head to look at her. “Why so quiet?”
Xiaohe shook her head, her voice muffled. “N-nothing...”
Lin Zhixue did not press her. She walked a few more steps before asking softly, “Are you worried that going to the Gu manor will cause trouble for me?”
Xiaohe’s footsteps faltered slightly.
She didn't answer, but the silence was an answer in itself.
Lin Zhixue stopped walking and turned around to look at her.
Flustered under her gaze, Xiaohe hastily lowered her head, twisting the bundle cloth between her hands into deep creases.
“Xiaohe,” Lin Zhixue’s voice was soft yet steady, “you are not a burden.”
Xiaohe bit her lip, her eyes reddening slightly, and nodded vigorously.
As they turned into the alley leading to the Gu manor, Xiaohe finally spoke up. Her voice was slightly louder than before, carrying an intentional lightness.
“Miss, is the Gu manor's kitchen big? I can help you cook... Wait, no, I mean help cook for Young Master Gu. Though I don't know what he likes to eat...”
“No need. He won't be staying at the Gu manor then, either.”
Lin Zhixue listened quietly to her chatter, a faint smile touching the corners of her lips as she led her through the front gates of the Gu manor.
Following behind Lin Zhixue, Xiaohe's steps involuntarily slowed by half a beat as she crossed the threshold of the Gu manor's main gate.
The front courtyard was vastly larger than she had imagined, paved flat and smooth with bluestone slabs, without a single stray weed in the seams.
The pillars beneath the veranda were lacquered to a bright sheen, and a row of jade wind chimes hung from the eaves, chiming melodiously whenever the wind blew, crisp as mountain spring water dripping onto stone.
Maids in matching plain dresses moved along the corridors with brisk, orderly steps.
Xiaohe looked down at the worn cloth shoes on her feet, the tips still stained with mud carried over from the alley by the Lin family's residence.
She quietly drew her feet beneath the hem of her skirt and tightened her grip on the bundle.
This place was entirely different from where she lived. Even the air smelled clean—no musty dampness, no greasy smoke drifting from kitchen stoves, only a faint, lingering trace of sandalwood incense.
She felt as though she had barged into a place where she didn't belong.
In the courtyard, Gu Yanqing was practicing his swordsmanship.
The edge of his blade cut through the morning mist, each stance crisp and decisive, his footwork considerably steadier than before.
Lin Zhixue stood by the moon gate and watched for a moment, somewhat surprised.
She had assumed that after switching to body cultivation, he rarely touched a sword anymore. Unexpectedly, not only had his swordsmanship not deteriorated, it had actually improved considerably.
She walked forward and called out to him.
Gu Yanqing sheathed his sword and wiped away his sweat.
“I thought you stopped practicing the sword after switching to body cultivation.”
“Body cultivation is body cultivation, and swordsmanship is swordsmanship,” he said. “You can never have too many skills.”
His gaze drifted past Lin Zhixue, falling upon the young girl shrinking her shoulders behind her.
Xiaohe had deliberately changed into a clean set of clothes today and recombed her hair, but standing in this unfamiliar courtyard, nerves still had her fingers tightly knotted together.
Feeling Gu Yanqing's gaze, she hurriedly lowered her head, her voice softer and thinner than usual. “This servant, Xiaohe, greets Young Master Gu.”
Gu Yanqing nodded, shifting his gaze back to Lin Zhixue, waiting for her to state her purpose.
Lin Zhixue got straight to the point, explaining Xiaohe's situation in full.
Having heard her out, Gu Yanqing looked at Xiaohe and fell silent for several breaths.
“Of course, that's no problem,” he said. “Only, what would you like her to do here?”
Xiaoyu poked its head out from beside Lin Zhixue’s shoulder, crossed its arms, and looked at him, uncharacteristically refraining from making a funny face.
“At least you have a conscience, not sticking her with rough chores.”
Lin Zhixue gave it some thought, her gaze drifting past him toward the herb garden in the backyard.
“If possible, I would like to entrust the herb garden to her.”
“Although she has no spiritual energy, watering, loosening the soil, and plucking withered leaves don't require cultivation. I can teach her first.”
“If there's anything she doesn't understand, she can also look through the herb classics in my room; I'm leaving all of them for her.”
Following her gaze, Gu Yanqing glanced at the herb plot and nodded. “Works for me. That plot is hers to manage, and her wages will match your rate.”
Xiaohe froze for a moment, then bowed deeply. Her voice trembled slightly, but she spoke with great force, “Th-thank you, Young Master Gu! I'll definitely work hard and won't let Miss or Young Master down!”
Lin Zhixue turned to look at Gu Yanqing and offered a solemn, proper “Thank you.”
In the past, whenever she spoke those two words, she would either hang her head or murmur like a mosquito. This time, however, she spoke with utter clarity, her gaze unwavering.
Having her thank him so earnestly actually made Gu Yanqing a bit unaccustomed to it.
It wasn't a big deal to begin with; taking in one more servant and paying an extra wage was completely negligible for the Gu clan. He waved his hand dismissively.
“It's just a small favor, no need to take it to heart.”
With that, he drew his sword from its sheath once more and returned to practicing his forms.
Lin Zhixue led Xiaohe over to the edge of the herb plot, crouched down, and began teaching her from the very basics.
Which spirit herbs preferred shade and shouldn't be overwatered, and which ones loved the sun and needed plenty of light.
How deep to dig the trowel when loosening the soil so as not to damage the roots.
Xiaohe listened with rapt attention, tracing gestures in the dirt with her finger as she listened, repeating every key point aloud.
Lin Zhixue also told her that the herb classics in her room were all being left for her, and that if there was anything she couldn't understand, she could ask anytime, as Lin Zhixue would still be in the city for the next few days.
Once she finished teaching the entire routine and was about to take Xiaohe back to pack her belongings, Gu Yanqing had already summoned a maid over.
The maid was in her early twenties, speaking with an easy smile that made her seem very approachable.
Gu Yanqing pointed at Xiaohe and instructed the maid to take her and arrange a servant's room in the backyard area, close to the herb garden.
He added another instruction, saying that this girl would be responsible for managing the herb garden from now on, with wages matching Miss Lin's previous rate, and that she would be moving in tomorrow.
The maid smilingly acknowledged the order and beckoned Xiaohe over.
Xiaohe turned to look at Lin Zhixue. Lin Zhixue raised her chin slightly toward the maid and gave her a reassuring nod.
Only then did Xiaohe set her mind at ease, following the maid toward the backyard, turning around after a few paces to wave back at her.
Standing by the edge of the herb garden, Lin Zhixue watched Xiaohe's retreating figure round the corner of the corridor. The final weight on her heart had at last been lifted.
Xiaoyu floated above her shoulder.
“Now you can head to the sect with peace of mind.”
She nodded, then took Xiaohe back to pack her belongings.
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