Chapter 1326: Discipline the Son
Though this villa of Xiao Kang's occupied a considerable area, he didn't have to search long. He found Xiujuan in the living room, wiping down furniture with a towel.
Beside Xiujuan stood a maid, quite pleasing in appearance and figure. The maid's face was etched with anxiety as she ceaselessly tried to persuade Xiujuan.
"Madam," the maid said, "Please leave these trivial matters to us servants. There's no need for you to trouble yourself. If the young master sees you doing this work personally, he'll be distressed, and I, too, will be punished."
The "young master" the maid referred to was, naturally, Xiao Kang. As for why the maid didn't address Xiao Kang as 'Emissary' but as 'young master,' it was at Xiao Kang's specific request; otherwise, how would she dare to address him so casually?
"Ever since I followed the Emissary, I've always been doing these kinds of tasks. Now that I'm away from the Emissary, suddenly having nothing to do makes me quite uncomfortable. I still prefer to have something to do to feel content, especially these kinds of things. Don't worry, if Xiao Kang blames you, I'll intercede for you. With me here, he won't do anything to you. Besides, I insisted on doing this; you didn't arrange for me to. He won't blame you. I believe my Xiao Kang isn't the type of person to be unreasonable."
Xiujuan spoke coolly, her tone devoid of any warmth. To some, such a manner of speaking could be considered exceedingly impolite.
Xiujuan was a person who had known great hardship, who had endured torment. To be precise, the torment she suffered while alive was considerable, otherwise she would not have transformed into an Evil Spirit after death.
After she followed Yang Haoran, the role she played was quite similar to that of the maid before her: she was responsible for the household's cleanliness and all sorts of chores, big and small. The difference was that Yang Haoran treated her exceptionally well, never once regarding her as a mere servant, but rather cultivating her as a trusted confidante.
In reality, it was quite the opposite. The words she was currently speaking to the maid were, in fact, already her way of holding an umbrella for her. Perhaps to some, her current words might seem like mockery or sarcasm directed at the maid, but the truth was precisely the opposite; everything she said was sincere. If Xiao Kang were to blame the maid, she would truly step forward and back her up.
As for why her tone was so icy, it wasn't because she had any particular issue with this maid, but rather a consequence of her pervasive resentment and inherent personality. With the exception of a very few individuals, this was her standard demeanor when speaking to anyone. While she had no complaints about the maid, neither was she particularly close to her. Therefore, she made no conscious effort to alter or temper her speaking tone.
The maid paid no mind to Xiujuan's frigid tone. Indeed, she dared not, for she knew her place as a servant, completely without the right to take offense.
As for Xiujuan's words, the maid was half-convinced, half-skeptical. After all, it was one thing to say so, but when the young master truly became angry, she couldn't be certain if this Madam would genuinely step forward to plead on her behalf. Thus, the anxiety on her face did not vanish because of Xiujuan's reassurance, nor did her persuasive attempts cease because of Xiujuan's words.
"Madam, thank you for your kindness," the maid continued, "but these dirty and arduous tasks truly don't require you to do them yourself. You. . ."
Before the maid could finish her sentence, she suddenly spotted Xiao Kang slowly approaching, hands in his pockets. This sight brought the maid's words to an abrupt halt. The expression on her face stiffened. Her heart began to pound faster, and her mind filled with trepidation.
"Young Master!"
The maid quickly bowed, then lowered her head, not daring to speak. In this situation, she didn't know what to say; anything she might utter seemed wrong.
"Heh heh," Xiao Kang chuckled, "You may go down, there's nothing for you to do here."
Xiao Kang smiled faintly at the maid. Upon hearing this, the maid immediately let out a sigh of relief. Her greatest fear was that Xiao Kang would lose his temper and punish her. Since that didn't happen, her tense emotions immediately relaxed somewhat.
"Yes!"
The maid responded respectfully, without saying anything more or daring to ask any questions. She immediately withdrew with deference.
"Mom, please don't busy yourself anymore. This isn't Uncle Yang's villa; this is *our* villa. These tasks can simply be left to the servants. There's no need for you to do them yourself. What's more, for so long, you were always doing these things at Uncle Yang's villa, and as your son, it pained my heart to see. Now that you finally don't have to do these things, how can you still not be accustomed to it?"
Xiao Kang smiled as he tried to persuade her, but as soon as Xiujuan heard his words, her brows knitted tightly together. A clear expression of displeasure appeared on her face.
"Your words make me very uncomfortable. Why do I feel like you're blaming your Uncle Yang?"
Xiujuan's tone was very cold, even colder than when she'd spoken to the maid earlier.
Earlier, Xiujuan's icy tone with the maid was because that was how she typically spoke to those she wasn't particularly close to on a daily basis; it wasn't because she was angry. Xiao Kang was her son, her closest person. Thus, she rarely spoke to her precious son Xiao Kang in such a tone, unless there was a specific reason.
The fact that Xiujuan was now speaking to Xiao Kang in such an icy tone could only mean she was genuinely angry.
As her son, Xiao Kang naturally knew his mother's personality better than anyone. He understood Xiujuan well, so he naturally knew that Xiujuan was very angry at this moment.
"Mom, you've misunderstood me. I. . ."
Xiao Kang wanted to explain himself, but he was cut off by Xiujuan's icy gaze.
"Stand straight! Take your hands out of your pockets!"
Xiujuan reprimanded him, her face cold, her voice stern. Hearing this, Xiao Kang dared not defy Xiujuan's wishes. He hurriedly pulled his hands from his pockets, then, with an appeasing smile, stood at attention, perfectly straight.
Currently, Honghai City legitimately belonged to the Yin Division, and Xiao Kang was the Undertaker of Honghai City's Yin Division. To put it plainly, the entirety of Honghai City was under Xiao Kang's command. Though he didn't appear old, no one in Honghai City dared to provoke him; anyone who saw him had to respectfully address him as Emissary Yang. Yet, such a prominent figure in Honghai City still stood obediently before Xiujuan like a child, a deferential smile on his face, not daring to show the slightest disobedience.
"Back then, when your Uncle Yang took in your mother and me, you were just a small child, completely useless. To say you were a burden wouldn't be an exaggeration. What do you think Uncle Yang saw in you? And I had no special abilities to speak of. Although I was an Evil Spirit with some power at the time, your Uncle Yang wouldn't have given that meager strength a second glance."
At this point, Xiujuan paused slightly, then continued in a stern tone.
"To your Uncle Yang, your mother and I held no value at all then. But at my pleading, he took an immense risk by keeping me; he didn't separate us, mother and son. And my existence did indeed cause your Uncle Yang quite a bit of trouble afterwards. If your Uncle Yang hadn't been eloquent, powerful, and very clever, successfully resolving these problems, then what his fate would have been, I believe you, as you are now, should be very clear on."
The Xiao Kang of the past naturally wouldn't have understood what it meant for Yang Haoran to take in Xiujuan, an Evil Spirit. But now that he had not only grown up but also become an Undertaker for the Yin Division, he naturally understood the stakes involved. This matter could be considered greatly significant, or utterly trivial. If handled well, it was a small matter, insignificant enough to be ignored. If mishandled, it became a major issue, severe enough to warrant judgment under the Yin Division's laws. If it truly came to that, whether he could keep his Undertaker's official position would be secondary; whether he could even keep his life would be the main concern. From this, it was clear how great a risk Yang Haoran had taken when he kept Xiujuan, that Evil Spirit, back then.
"Mom, I understand, I know, I. . ."
Xiao Kang still wanted to open his mouth and explain, but just like before, he was stopped by a single look from Xiujuan before he could finish. He could only force the words back down his throat.
"Just because you were ignorant then doesn't mean I, as your mother, was ignorant too. I knew your Uncle Yang took a great risk by keeping me by his side. That's why I wanted to repay your Uncle Yang. It's just that my meager power offered no help to him whatsoever, and I felt deeply ashamed. That's why I took all the various chores in your Uncle Yang's home upon myself, to repay your Uncle Yang's kindness to your mother and me."
At this point, Xiujuan paused slightly. A hint of shame replaced some of the sternness on her face.
"I also know that these small tasks I performed were nowhere near enough to repay your Uncle Yang's profound benevolence. But I was willing, yet powerless; after all, my abilities were limited, and I could only repay your Uncle Yang's kindness in that way. And your Uncle Yang never despised your mother and me because of this; on the contrary, he treated us both exceptionally well. Especially you: how much your Uncle Yang cherished you, how much he looked after you—I believe you understand that better than anyone. Your Uncle Yang's great kindness to your mother and me is something we can never repay in a lifetime, because it cannot be measured by any material possessions. Therefore, I hope you remember this for the rest of your life!"
At this point, the stern expression returned to Xiujuan's face, and she looked at Xiao Kang, asking.
"Now, do you understand why Mom is angry?"
Seeing Xiujuan direct the question at him, Xiao Kang knew it was finally his turn to speak. As long as he didn't say anything wildly disrespectful, he believed his mother wouldn't interrupt him. So he quickly began to explain.
"I know, I know! I know why you're angry, Mom! It's because I spoke nonsense and said the wrong things just now. Mom, please don't take it to heart. I absolutely swear I won't say such things again in the future, and I will definitely engrave Uncle Yang's kindness to your mother and me firmly in my heart!"
Hearing Xiao Kang make such a promise, Xiujuan's expression finally softened. Her tightly furrowed brows also relaxed.
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