Chapter 46: An Upgrade in Treatment

The following days were overcast—not bright and sunny, but the rain never came, and the sky remained shrouded in gray. For the village children, this was the perfect weather to run wild; they could play outside all day without ever feeling hot.

Bai Xi, with Little Black in tow, found her way to the creek again.

On the path from the treehouse to the creek, everyone who saw Bai Xi greeted her warmly.

"Out for a stroll, Young Mistress?"

"Taking Little Black out to play, Young Mistress?"

Bai Xi nodded in response, casting a glance at Little Black. In the past, villagers would greet her alone, but now their greetings included Little Black as well. Once, she had been reluctant to keep him, but after he’d rescued someone—and with his talent for catching fish—their attitude toward him had soared.

Little Black felt the difference too.

If before, the villagers acknowledged him only out of respect for his mistress, now their inquiries carried genuine admiration and acceptance.

Delighted, he circled Bai Xi again and again, so excited he nearly let out a triumphant roar.

But Bai Xi didn’t let him revel for long. She shot him a look and, in her soft, childlike voice, threatened, “Don’t get cocky. If you can’t catch any fish today, you’ll have to stay in the water for me.”

Little Black immediately lifted his head high and whimpered his promise: Mistress, I’ll do my best to catch as many fish as I can.

Practice makes perfect, after all.

This was already the fourth time.

Bai Xi and Little Black fished upstream, while about ten meters down, villagers gathered to wash clothes.

It was just after lunch, and many were at the creek, so they witnessed firsthand how Little Black, under Bai Xi’s direction, caught fish.

They were astonished, envious, and proud all at once.

See? This was their Young Mistress—so impressive, she could command a tiger to catch fish.

Within a hundred miles, no one had ever heard of someone keeping a tiger, let alone training it to fish.

There wasn’t much in the way of entertainment in these parts—least of all in the village—so whenever there was something to see, everyone would gather around. They’d heard about the Young Mistress and Little Black fishing before, but few had witnessed it. Now, seeing it with their own eyes, it was as novel as a traveling show.

If they hadn’t had laundry to do—and if they weren’t worried about getting too close and distracting Little Black—they would have crowded around for a better look.

Chen Rui had come to the creek with Zhang Xiu to do laundry. As they were nearly finished, she caught sight of the Young Mistress and Little Black heading off and grew restless, craning her neck to catch another glimpse.

Zhang Xiu saw her daughter's expression and immediately understood. With only two pieces of clothing left, she waved her hand. “Go on then, but be back in time for dinner.”

Then she added anxiously, “And remember, don’t take the Young Mistress anywhere dangerous, and don’t go near the foot of the mountain.”

Last time, after all, they’d stumbled upon a tiger cub. Who knew what they might run into next—poisonous snakes, wild beasts? Zhang Xiu still felt uneasy about it. If the Young Mistress hadn’t been able to speak with animals, it could have been real trouble.

“Okay,” Chen Rui replied, her eyes bright with a smile. She quickly rinsed the soap from her hands, put on her shoes, and hurried off after Bai Xi.

“Young Mistress! Young Mistress...”

Bai Xi stopped and turned around—it was her little admirer, so she greeted her with a warm smile.

Chen Rui ran up to her, both delighted and respectful. “Young Mistress.”

Little Black glanced up at Chen Rui, then looked away. This little girl always wanted to stick to his mistress—shameless, really.

He would never admit to being petty or holding grudges.

“All done with your chores?” In the village, children—especially girls—started helping with housework as early as nine or ten, sometimes even at seven or eight if they had younger siblings to look after.

Chen Rui was often able to visit the treehouse because Bai Xi had taken a liking to her, and the village chief had spoken to her family about it.

Even so, Chen Rui still had to gather pigweed, wash clothes, sweep, and water the family’s vegetable plot every day.

“The laundry is almost done. My mother will take it back to dry,” Chen Rui replied obediently. “I wanted to see if the Young Mistress needed any help.”

Every time she saw Bai Xi, Chen Rui felt an itch in her heart—she wanted to touch her round, chubby face, or at least poke it once or twice.

Bai Xi looked plump and fair, always spoke in a soft, milky voice, and even carried the scent of fresh milk. She was clean, sensible, and even when she was a little cranky, it was endearing.

Compared to her noisy siblings who loved to roll around on the ground, Chen Rui thought the Young Mistress was as lovable as the lucky children painted on New Year prints.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Bai Xi didn’t stand on ceremony. “Come back with me in a bit and help divide up the fish Little Black caught.”

Not only was Chen Rui surprised by this—Little Black, too, looked up at Bai Xi in astonishment.

“The Young Mistress is sharing the fish?” Chen Rui glanced at the net of fish Little Black was carrying.

“Yes.” Bai Xi didn’t bother explaining herself; it wasn’t something a little kid would understand.

Little Black had caught over thirty fish this time—more than ever before.

Standing atop a round stone pedestal in front of the treehouse, Bai Xi motioned for Little Black to set the net down.

Before they’d even gone fishing, Bai Xi had already decided how she would distribute the catch, so she didn’t hesitate now.

“Two fish for Old Li’s family, one for Big Chen’s, two for Bai Shishan, two for Granny Chen...” Some families received one, others two, and soon thirty fish had been allotted, leaving just seven.

As Bai Xi went down the list, Little Black listened at her side. Each time she named a family, his heart twinged—another fish gone, and another, and another two...

Just as he thought all his hard-won fish would be given away, Bai Xi stopped, tilted her head in thought, and nodded. “That’s enough for now.”

She couldn’t give all the fish away—what would she and Little Black eat?

“Can you remember all that?” Bai Xi asked. “If it’s too much, get Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shanzi to help.”

“I can remember, Young Mistress. I don’t need their help; I’ll do it myself,” Chen Rui quickly replied.

If those boys showed up, she wouldn’t get to talk to the Young Mistress at all.

Besides, if she couldn’t manage such a simple task, how could she face the Young Mistress’ kindness in the future?

“Don’t worry, Young Mistress, I’ll get it done perfectly.” It was a phrase she’d picked up from hearing Chen Daliu and others swear their promises to Bai Xi.

Bai Xi knew Chen Rui had an excellent memory—at the very least, she wouldn’t mix up the villagers’ names. She said nothing more and waved her off to get to work.

Chen Rui first counted the fish into a basket. When she missed one, Little Black would, with a look of disdain, nudge the forgotten fish toward her with his paw and let out a couple of soft growls. Chen Rui would instantly understand—a family was to receive two fish.

(Here ends Chapter Two. My dears, please go to bed early after reading. Good night!)