Miss Jiu, the thirty-sixth daughter

At first, Xiao Yun’er was intimidated by the newcomer’s presence, instinctively understanding that this woman must be the mysterious Miss Jiu. Thus, he dared not meet her gaze directly.

He began to size her up from her feet upwards, and now, unable to resist, he glanced at her face. Her chin was round, her lips crimson as cherries, her nose straight and refined, and beneath her long lashes shimmered eyes like autumn waters.

He was struck by her beauty and nobility, and what puzzled him even more was that she seemed familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere before. In truth, he had—five years ago, she had tossed him a handkerchief to wipe his bloody nose. Now, faced with such a beautiful woman, his old habit returned, and he was utterly entranced.

The lady, too, cast her gaze over Xiao Yun’er, first noting his worn clothing, yet thinking to herself that the boy was sturdy. Then, observing his well-proportioned features and clear, handsome brows, she saw that he lacked both the roughness of mountain children and the pampered delicacy of city gentry. His bright, clear eyes revealed the unique curiosity and fearlessness of youth. She mused that this child was naturally lovable; whoever met him could not help but be fond of him.

Miss Long Jiu perhaps never realized that the little boy before her was once the little girl to whom she had tossed a handkerchief.

Little Hong saw Xiao Yun’er staring dumbly at her mistress, and, finding his behavior improper, called out, “Xiao Yun, Miss Jiu has arrived. Why aren’t you paying your respects?”

Yet seeing Miss Jiu, Xiao Yun’er’s mind wandered to two other peerless beauties. Lingzhi, pure and ethereal, seemed untouched by the dust of the world; he revered her as a goddess, and his heart held no other thought. Bai Xuehua, cold as ice, was as beautiful and pure as fresh snow. But when he met her, she was gravely injured and somewhat disheveled; though they spent some days together in hardship, she had lost a certain air of mystery in his eyes.

Miss Jiu, however, was different. His idolized Little Hong was but her maid, so Miss Jiu had always held a magical, noble image in his heart. Now, granted the chance to see her, he felt as if he were dreaming. Xie Er and Xiao Yu had worked at the restaurant for so long, yet had never truly met Miss Jiu. So he stared at her for a long time, unable to tear his eyes away.

All the etiquette and rules Xiao Yu had taught him were forgotten, lost far beyond the clouds. He only managed an “Oh, oh,” without a proper answer.

Miss Jiu found his behavior amusing and asked, “You are Xiao Yun’er, yes? How old are you this year?”

Without thinking, Xiao Yun’er replied, “Thirteen.”

Though he answered, his gaze remained fixed upon Miss Jiu’s beautiful face. His mind was not on manners or rules, but rather marveling at how not only was she lovely, but even her voice was enchanting—he could listen to it a thousand times and never tire.

Standing nearby, Little Hong saw him still boldly staring at Miss Jiu and grew angry, reaching out to smack him heavily on the back of his head.

That finally snapped Xiao Yun’er out of his daze, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

Miss Jiu herself was curious. She had never been stared at so intently by any man before. Had the person before her been an adult, she would have thought him a lecher and quickly put him in his place. But Xiao Yun’er was only a boy, so she felt no anger, only amusement and curiosity.

She asked, “Xiao Yun’er, why were you staring at me just now? Don’t you know any manners?”

Whether it was her gentle tone or her soft features, Xiao Yun’er felt no fear before her—he was more afraid of Little Hong. He explained, “It’s not that I don’t know manners, but Miss, you are so beautiful. I think since I have the chance to see you, I should take a good, long look. If I can never see you again, I’d regret not having looked more today. Honestly, with your beauty, I could gaze at you my whole life and never tire…”

Before he could finish speaking, Little Hong struck him again. “How dare you! Is Miss Jiu’s beauty for you to gawk at?”

Xiao Yun’er shielded his head, feeling somewhat aggrieved, and protested softly, “Miss Jiu is so beautiful—if no one dares to look, isn’t that a pity? It would be a shame to betray Heaven’s intention in creating such beauty. Besides, looking doesn’t do any harm; at worst, you can look at me a few more times.”

Little Hong knocked him again, scolding, “What’s so great about you? Who would ever want to look at you?”

Xiao Yun’er cradled his head and wailed, “Just because you don’t like looking at me doesn’t mean you can keep hitting my head. Even if you do, don’t treat it like a watermelon!”

Etiquette is a bridge between people, but can also be a wall. For some, praising another’s beauty without propriety is seen as being frivolous and earns contempt. For others, being too bound by manners can make one lose the courage to express affection to someone they love, missing the chance to deepen a bond—sometimes, those who ignore etiquette fare better.

Xiao Yun’er was just such a person. If he had stood rigidly before Miss Jiu, never daring to utter a bold word, she would never have taken any interest in him.

From his words and actions, Miss Jiu saw that although Xiao Yun’er’s status was low, he possessed the most precious qualities of a boy: confidence and courage. Though he was a child, she felt she could converse with him.

She gave Little Hong a glance; Little Hong quickly let her hands drop and smiled, “Who wants to hit you? It’s just that you’re so rude, always talking nonsense.”

Feeling a bit wronged, Xiao Yun’er replied, “I’m just speaking the truth. If you don’t like it, I’ll keep quiet next time.”

Miss Jiu laughed, “Say whatever you like; it doesn’t matter. Grown-ups rarely take offense at children.”

Xiao Yun’er grinned, “That’s true. Honestly, when Little Hong hit me just now it didn’t hurt. If she really tried, one hit and I’d be done for.” He looked at Little Hong with a cheeky smile.

Little Hong blushed and scolded, “You rascal, you deserve a beating. Next time I’ll hit you harder and see if you dare talk nonsense again.”

Despite Little Hong’s scolding, Xiao Yun’er sensed from Miss Jiu’s gentle gaze that she would not deliberately make things difficult for him. It seemed his luck was good today. With curiosity, he asked Miss Jiu, “Why are you called Miss Jiu?”

Miss Jiu was taken aback and asked in return, “Why do you think I’m called Miss Jiu?”

Xiao Yun’er laughed, “Is it because you can brew fine wine, so they call you Miss Wine?”

Miss Jiu and Little Hong both started, then realized Xiao Yun’er had mistaken ‘Jiu’ for ‘wine.’

Little Jing couldn’t help but scold, “It’s ‘Jiu’—as in the number nine, not ‘wine.’ Got it?”