048. Little Butterfly

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In one corner, a girl stood out from the rest.

Even the lowest-ranking maids in the Zhao household were dressed better than ordinary people, but this girl wore a coarse gray robe. She was very small, her face grimy, and her expression indifferent. She stood alone to one side, as though she did not care in the slightest whether she lived or died.

At the very moment Lin Shan looked over, the girl seemed to sense it and raised her head to glance at him. At last, a faint ripple appeared in her eyes—the longing to live.

She was like a small animal that had fallen into the water, waiting for someone to rescue her.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Shan pointed at the girl and said, “Squire Xiao, I’ll take that one.”

He had his reasons. The girl did not appear to have any deep connection with the Zhao family. If he needed someone to look after the courtyard, she seemed the most suitable choice.

Xiao Qiang did not ask any further questions. He pointed at the girl and said, “Come here.”

When the other women saw that Lin Shan had chosen someone like her, astonishment appeared on their faces. The woman who had first knelt before Lin Shan hurriedly said, “My lord, Xiaodie is frail and sickly. She can’t do any real work. And she’s so ugly—wouldn’t having her around offend your eyes?”

Lin Shan shrugged indifferently. “It doesn’t matter. I’m hiring a servant, not choosing a beauty.”

The girl named Xiaodie seemed unable to believe that she had been chosen. She looked at Xiao Qiang in confusion, and only after confirming that he was indeed pointing at her did she timidly rise to her feet and walk over to Lin Shan.

Up close, the girl’s appearance was truly difficult to describe. A pale blue birthmark covered the right side of her face, occupying nearly half of it. It was not obvious from a distance, but close by, it was impossible to miss.

Xiaodie was about five feet five inches tall, but she was extremely thin—little more than skin and bones.

She had probably suffered from malnutrition for a long time.

Xiao Qiang looked Xiaodie over, then pointed toward Lin Shan. “This is your master from now on.”

He then rummaged through a stack of documents and found a deed of sale, which he handed to Lin Shan. “Lin Shan, this is her deed. As for Yin Ziwei’s, I’ll give it to you after I return.”

Yin Ziwei had been sold into service to the Xiao family. Not only was he himself bound to them; if he had children in the future, they too would belong to the Xiao family. That was the meaning of being registered as a slave. Still, in this world, it was difficult to say that those with slave status necessarily lived worse than anyone else.

Yin Ziwei had food, lodging, and a monthly wage in the Xiao household. In truth, he was already better off than many people whose lives hung by a thread.

Whenever the Xiao family wanted to hire servants, countless people begged and pleaded for the opportunity to join them.

Lin Shan took the document and glanced through it.

Xiaodie’s real name was Shen Die. The document recorded her origins in detail: she was a local of Sanwen County.

Her family must have run out of food and been unable to survive, leaving them no choice but to sell her.

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Lin Shan put the deed away and said to Xiao Qiang, “Squire, I suffered a few minor injuries in the battle just now. I’ll return home to recuperate.”

“Of course,” Xiao Qiang said hurriedly. “Go on, then.”

Lin Shan nodded and left the Lin residence with Xiaodie.

Yin Ziwei cheerfully pulled the handcart behind them, and together they returned to Lin Shan’s courtyard. The courtyard contained three small rooms. Lin Shan first said to Yin Ziwei, “Old Yin, you’ll continue living at the Xiao residence for now. I’m away most of the time, so just keep watch over this place for me.”

Yin Ziwei nodded repeatedly. “Yes, master.”

His master was now Lin Shan, so naturally Yin Ziwei had changed the way he addressed him. Lin Shan then took out three ounces of silver and handed it to him. “Here. This is for you.”

Yin Ziwei was ecstatic.

Sure enough, following Lin Shan had been the right choice. His master was truly generous.

He worked with even greater enthusiasm, carrying the three large chests into Lin Shan’s room. Then he withdrew respectfully and closed the door behind him.

Lin Shan turned to Shen Die, who stood there at a loss, and said, “Shen Die, I won’t be here often, and there isn’t much for you to do. Keep this place clean and guard it properly. As long as you do your work well, I can’t promise to make you rich and powerful, but I can at least ensure that you have enough to eat and a place to live. That much won’t be a problem.”

With that, Lin Shan pointed to one of the small rooms. “You’ll live there from now on.”

Only then did Shen Die somewhat awkwardly bow. “Thank you, master.”

Lin Shan nodded and took out ten ounces of silver, handing it to her. “Buy yourself two sets of clothes. Don’t embarrass me when you go outside. Use whatever remains to buy rice and grain, and prepare your own meals.”

Shen Die accepted the ten ounces of silver, a strange glimmer appearing in her eyes.

After that, Lin Shan paid her no further attention. He returned to his room, opened the three chests, and examined what lay inside.

The more he looked, the happier he became.

“If I sell everything in these three chests, I should be able to make at least a small fortune.”

Unable to wait any longer, Lin Shan placed the contents of all three chests into his inventory before returning to the primary world.

He intended to find Luo Bing immediately and have her estimate the value of everything in the chests.

When Lin Shan opened the door, he found two men in black suits standing outside. As soon as they saw him, they asked expressionlessly, “Are you Mr. Lin Shan?”

Lin Shan frowned. “Who are you?”

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The two men wore black suits and white gloves. They were powerfully built, with a rugged air about them, and looked very much like bodyguards.

One of them said, “Mr. Lin, our boss is Luo Chenglong. He wishes to speak with you.”

Lin Shan raised both brows.

Luo Chenglong...

“Is he Luo Bing’s father?”

One of the men in black nodded.

Lin Shan knew that Luo Chenglong had always kept a very close watch over Luo Bing. Since Luo Bing had been willing to accept her father’s supervision, it seemed that the wild night they had shared had nevertheless come to Luo Chenglong’s attention.

Well, the deed had been his. If Luo Chenglong wanted to see him, then he would go. What was there to fear?

With that thought, Lin Shan said, “All right. Let’s go.”

The two men in black were stunned. They had clearly not expected him to be so cooperative.

They gestured for him to follow, and Lin Shan went downstairs with them. A Maybach was waiting below, attracting the attention of numerous onlookers.

Lin Shan took the rear seat, while one of the men drove the Maybach out of the residential complex.

About ten minutes later, the car entered a high-rise building. Lin Shan took an elevator to the entrance of a large office. One of the men in black went inside. A short while later, he came out and waved, indicating that Lin Shan and the other man could enter as well.

Only then did Lin Shan step into the office.

The room covered at least five thousand square feet. It even contained an indoor golf course. Enormous floor-to-ceiling windows filled one wall, while the ceiling was made of glass as well, allowing sunlight to pour directly into the office.

The walls and floor were white, creating an elegant, understated atmosphere.

The office itself was arranged in a traditional style, and Lin Shan saw all manner of Chinese furnishings placed throughout it.

At the far end of the office, a middle-aged man dressed in a traditional robe was studying him.

Lin Shan walked calmly over to him and said, neither servile nor arrogant, “Mr. Luo, you wanted to see me?”

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