Chapter 16: The School-Uniform Girl's Worries

( )Lord's manor, in the school-uniform girl's living quarters.

Qing'er lightly knocked on the door a few times: "Qing'er wishes to see the princess."

"Come in." The school-uniform girl had now changed into a splendid long dress; compared with the military attire it was less martial but added a touch of elegance. Seeing Qing'er enter, she said, "Have they all settled in?"

"Your Highness, Qing'er has already arranged for the three to rest in the hall; meeting them now is still…"

"Right now."

Qing'er answered and was about to turn, when the school-uniform girl suddenly called her back: "Wait."

"Princess, any other instructions?"

The school-uniform girl thought and said, "How about… we wait until after lunch; before that, you first take them on a tour of our place, and if possible, it would be best to keep them here."

Qing'er was startled and said, "This… is probably not good. They kindly helped us treat the wounded, and we… are perhaps being too much."

"Too what? I wouldn't just take his people for free; at worst we could swap the Shen Guard for him, one for one, he wouldn't lose out."

Qing'er smiled knowingly: "Qing'er understands, Qing'er will take care of it right away."

…

Back in the hall, Qing'er said, "The princess is feeling a bit unwell. Since the three have traveled hard, perhaps we should wait until the three have rested before meeting them again."

Wan'er said, "It's only a few li, not really hard work. Since we still have time, why not first go see the wounded?"

"No rush, no rush, it's almost lunch time; how can we let the three honored guests work on an empty stomach? If the three feel bored, perhaps Qing'er can give you a tour of our place."

Since they were not in a hurry, I need not be either, Wu Zhuoran said, "Very well, thank you for your effort."

Qing'er led them to tour the first‑class laborers' quarters, the second‑class laborers' quarters, and the nobles' rooms among the laborers, each room more spacious and comfortable than the last. Then she showed them the granary, the lumberyard, the fishery, and so on.

After the tour, it was already noon. Returning to the hall, a large round table was already set with a full spread of delicacies. After everyone sat down, Qing'er said, "With the three honored guests arriving, we should have several good jars of wine, but we've only been here three days; the freshly brewed Qing wine is not yet drinkable, so we can only substitute tea for wine. Please don't mind."

Then she listed each dish to them; the table featured both meat and vegetarian dishes, a total of twelve courses.

After three ten‑day periods, Qing'er said again, "How is it, does it suit the three's appetites? These dishes were specially prepared by Shuang'er for you. I wonder how our cooking compares to yours?"

Wu Zhuoran replied lightly, "Fine."

Qing'er thought to herself: what a big mouth, you only have one first‑class laborer, and these few days you still don't know if you can fill your stomach. Yet she kept a smile and said, "Qing'er has been away from Sky City only three days, hasn't seen many things, and thought fish only tastes best with these few preparations. I think the fish where you are must be even better than Shuang'er's."

Wan'er said, "This fish is indeed tastier than ours, but…" She intended to add that compared to Lulu Meat it wasn't that tasty, but Wu Zhuoran gave her a kick, and she swallowed the words.

Wu Zhuoran said, "Shuang'er's cooking is extraordinary; just with fish she creates so many variations, which makes Zhuoran greatly admire her. I think Wan'er feels the same."

Wan'er, following her, changed her words: "Indeed, this fish is much tastier than ours, but… if Yan Qiu also came, we could learn well from Shuang'er, and we could eat such delicious fish every day."

Qing'er said, "Wanting to eat it every day is not difficult."

"Oh? Could your lord be willing to give Shuang'er to our honored lord?"

"That wouldn't happen, but if…" Qing'er thought that saying it now might not be good, leaving it for the princess to say would show more sincerity, and she changed her words: "Never mind, let's not say that; let's talk about something else."

…

After noon, Qing'er led the three to the central manor to meet the school-uniform girl.

Upon entering, it was a large reception hall; at the main seat in the south‑center, the school-uniform girl was already seated.

The three paid their respects, and Wu Zhuoran said, "Huachi envoy Wu Zhuoran, by order of the honored lord, comes to pay respects to the princess."

"No need for formalities, please sit." The school-uniform girl brushed away the earlier hostility from the forest, smiling, "How is it, does the tea and food here suit the three's appetites?"

After some polite exchange, Wu Zhuoran ordered Ru'er to present the gift; Ru'er handed a small bundle to Qing'er, who then presented it before the school-uniform girl.

Qing'er opened the package for her; inside were some meat pieces, about over a hundred units, each unit enough for one person to eat a full day's portion. The two could not tell what kind of meat it was and asked, "What is this?"

Wu Zhuoran said, "These past days, our honored lord had some free time and hunted a few Lulu Beasts by the riverbank; they tasted fairly good, so we brought them for the princess to sample."

The school-uniform girl did not know what a Lulu Beast was, but Qing'er, incredulously, blurted, "Lulu Beast?"

The school-uniform girl looked at Qing'er with a questioning gaze; Qing'er explained, "I heard that the Lulu Beast is a terrifying monster, impervious to swords and spears, but its meat is extraordinarily fresh."

The school-uniform girl thought to herself, "Well, you Mars man, I wasted these days worrying about you, and you actually have a Lulu Beast." A hint of warmth rose in her heart, but she kept an expressionless face, waved her hand to indicate acceptance, and said, "Please convey my thanks to your honored lord. By the way, how does your honored lord treat you?"

Wu Zhuoran replied lightly, "Fine."

"For girls as good as you, he makes you live in tents; if a windy rainy day comes, you might not even have shelter. Is that still considered okay?"

Wu Zhuoran, showing a hint of shame, said, "That cannot be blamed on our honored lord; it is all my fault."

"Oh? Your fault?"

"I recruited the people on behalf of the honored lord; I was careless and didn't consider everything, causing the honored lord to have no extra money to hire people to help build the camp."

So not all the people were recruited by him; the school-uniform girl's smile grew brighter, and she asked, "Then… does he bully you?"

"The honored lord treats us better than our parents; how could there be bullying?"

The school-uniform girl, hearing that he treats every girl well, felt a pang of jealousy, her resolve hardened, and she finally blurted, "Would you… like to stay here?"

The three exchanged glances, each indicating a shake of the head; Wu Zhuoran replied, "Thank you for the princess's kindness; everything here is indeed enviable, but we still hope to stay by the honored lord's side."

"What if your honored lord has already agreed to let the three of you stay here? While you were having lunch, I just returned from the riverbank."

Lord can freely exchange servants to other lords. Hearing this, the three were startled, and Wu Zhuoran said calmly, "Although it's only a brief three days, it's clear he is a wise lord, whose command I will never forget. If the honored lord truly refuses to keep me, I would rather return to Sky City and never come down again."

The school-uniform girl's lingering warmth vanished, and she said gloomily, "Is it worth it for a Mars man?"

"By the honored lord's side I never feel oppressed; this is a feeling I've never had. Moreover, he always trusts us; aside from dangerous matters, he lets us boldly handle anything. Such a lord is unlikely to have a second; even to die for him, I would be willing…"

The school-uniform girl suddenly slammed the table, then after a long moment suppressed her anger and said softly, "Alright, I'm tired; let's stop here for today. You came to help treat the wounded, so that's all I ask of you." With that she flicked her sleeve and left.

…

Outside the manor, the three were speechless.

Wan'er suddenly, eyes brimming with tears, said, "Why does the honored lord no longer want us? If we did something wrong, tell us and we can change."

Wu Zhuoran said, "It's just her one‑sided statement; don't take it seriously. You and Ru'er go rescue the wounded first; these matters need not be overthought."

The two had to silently follow Qing'er into the room.

Wu Zhuoran hurried out of the camp gate, heading straight to the riverbank. At that moment Yan Qiu's condition had slightly improved, and taking advantage of Li Bucai being busy setting up tents, he went back to the riverbank to fish.

"Lord?" Wu Zhuoran called out in a deep voice.

Yan Qiu saw that it was Wu Zhuoran; she usually spoke calmly, giving people a sense of tranquility no matter what happened, but just now her voice sounded somewhat heavy. Knowing something had occurred, she hurriedly said, 'In the camp, I'll go call him right away.'

Soon after, Li Bucai showed up at the riverbank, his head covered in sweat.

"Done? Good, I'll go downstream to get you back now."

The school-uniform girl's words left Wu Zhuoran unable to tell truth from falsehood; having come to the riverbank, she just wanted to ask Li Bucai for clarification, but the Sovereign's statement meant that the three persons had not been handed over to the school-uniform girl, and Wu Zhuoran's worried heart instantly eased, as a smile rarely seen in her usual demeanor appeared once again on her fair face.

"No... no, I'm just here to report my safety to the Sovereign."

"Oh, that guy is a bit troublesome, but he hasn't caused you any trouble."

"No."

"Then I can rest easy. I'm in the camp; if anything comes up, you can come here and call me anytime."

Wu Zhuoran bade farewell to the Sovereign, returned to the stronghold, and relayed the message to Wan'er and the others—there's no need to mention it further.

……

In the school-uniform girl's living quarters, Qing'er gently pushed the door open and reported, 'Princess, the wounded have been taken care of, those three...' The princess's complexion looked even worse than it had been at noon that day; she had failed to win over the three's hearts, and Qing'er dared not speak the three's intention to leave in full.

The school-uniform girl sat with her back to her, gazing out the window, remaining silent for a long time without response.

Qing'er stood there, not knowing what to say; after thinking for a while, Qing'er finally broke the silence, saying: "Actually, they're not that big a deal; Shen guard only lost by half a move; Shen guard practices martial arts so diligently every day; Shen guard will surely be stronger than that Wu Zhuoran before long."