Chapter 9

Big Brother wanted to hear a story about school.
Lin Miao felt a little troubled. There was nothing fun about school.
“School isn’t fun,” Lin Miao said directly. “The teacher is always so strict. Every time I’m late, I get punished to stand. But when others are late, they don’t get punished.”
Young Master frowned slightly. “That’s too much.”
Lin Miao nodded in agreement, saying, “Exactly, it’s really unfair.”
Her mother had high expectations for her, so she had never told her mother about this.
More importantly, on Teachers' Day, many classmates gave gifts to the teacher. Her mother’s preserved meat was one of the gifts, and the teacher even laughed about it in class. Lin Miao thought this teacher was awful. She was nothing like the good teachers mentioned in the books.
She didn’t want to let her mother know about this, but Young Master was different, he couldn’t go to school. Lin Miao thought that maybe not going to school was actually a good thing. So, she was willing to tell him everything.
“My classmates aren’t great either,” Lin Miao continued. “I even fought with them once because they pulled my braid.”
Lin Miao felt proud of herself, thinking she was smart and capable. “In the end, they cried because of me.”
Young Master couldn’t help but laugh at her proud expression.
Lin Miao bragged a bit more, “When the teacher came in, I started crying too, louder than they did. So, the teacher didn’t punish me.” That had been a really clever move.
Young Master patted her head affectionately. “Miao Miao is really smart.”
“It’s all experience,” Lin Miao said shyly.
By then, it was almost time to sleep. Lin Miao yawned, helped Young Master back into bed, and tucked him in just like her mother had done for her. “Goodnight, Big Brother. I’ll wake you up tomorrow morning.”
Without waiting for his reply, she dashed out like a little fish swimming away.
Young Master watched the direction of the door and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Lin Miao woke up early, excitedly waiting for breakfast.
After breakfast, Young Master had a check-up.
Lin Miao hadn’t heard anything from the doctor that seemed serious, so she breathed a sigh of relief. That meant they could stay up a little later at night and talk or tell stories!
Grandmother always went to the temple after breakfast and wouldn’t return until the afternoon.
So, the person who managed the house was mostly the housekeeper.
The housekeeper wasn’t too strict with Lin Miao, but he was very harsh with others, so Lin Miao was still afraid of him.
But Young Master’s room was the quietest, so during the day, Lin Miao would go there.
In the evening, the atmosphere felt a little strange when Lin Miao went downstairs. She soon realized why, there was the master, the one she had met on the first day.
He saw Lin Miao and patted her, asking, “Are you settling in here, Miao Miao?”
Lin Miao felt warm seeing him because he was the one who had brought her here. She said, “I’m settling in.” In truth, she hadn’t been used to it at first, but now she was getting more and more comfortable.
At that moment, Grandmother came over and asked, “Does Miao Miao like Big Brother?”
Lin Miao nodded. “Yes, I like him.”
Before Grandmother could say more, a voice came from the stairs, “Miao Miao, come here.”
Lin Miao turned around and saw Young Master holding onto the railing, looking at her.
She hurried over to help him.
As she got closer, she heard Young Master’s slightly angry voice, “Don’t meet with that liar alone.”
Lin Miao realized he was talking about the master. She wanted to argue but stopped herself, thinking it might upset him and affect his health. So, she agreed, “Okay. I won’t meet him.”
Not long after, Grandmother knocked on the door. “Xiao Yu, Miao Miao, Grandmother is coming in.”
Young Master was lying on the bed, and Miao Miao was playing Tic-Tac-Toe with him.
It was a game Miao Miao had suggested. Since Young Master seemed to be in a bad mood, she wanted to cheer him up by playing. Back home, she liked to play this game with her little brother in the yard under the pear tree.
At first, Young Master didn’t know how to play, but Miao Miao taught him the rules for the first round.
By the second round, Miao Miao hadn’t won a single game.
When Grandmother came in, they were in the middle of an intense game. They had even expanded the Tic-Tac-Toe grid to make it more challenging!
As soon as Grandmother entered, Young Master stopped playing and said, “Grandmother, if you’re going to talk about that liar, don’t mention it.”
Grandmother walked over and patted Miao Miao’s head. Then, she said to Young Master, “Don’t call him a liar. He’s a half-immortal. You’re not allowed to speak like that in front of him. Also, Miao Miao was brought here by him. If he’s a liar, then what does that make Miao Miao?”
Young Master grew even more upset. “Grandmother, you know what I’m talking about.”
Grandmother said, “I know, I know. I’m not here to talk about that. Since you don’t agree, the master won’t force you. Forcing you might harm your health.”
Then, Grandmother took out a jade pendant carved with a fish. “This is a protective charm from the master. Wear this from now on. We won’t talk about that anymore.”
Young Master glanced at Grandmother before putting on the jade pendant.
Grandmother patted Miao Miao’s head. “Play well with Big Brother. Come down for dinner soon.”
After Grandmother left, Lin Miao pulled out her notebook and continued playing Tic-Tac-Toe with Young Master.
Not long after, when they were about to head downstairs, Grandmother pulled Lin Miao aside and gave her a jade pendant. “Miao Miao, don’t take this off, and don’t let others see it, okay?”
Lin Miao didn’t fully understand but nodded seriously, seeing how serious Grandmother was. “Mm-hmm.”
When she returned to the room, Young Master called her over to his bed.
“When you went out just now, did Grandmother give you something?” he asked.
Lin Miao nodded.
Young Master took off his jade pendant and handed it to her. “Give me yours.”
Lin Miao was a little confused. Although Grandmother had said not to take it off or show it to anyone, Young Master was different, he wasn’t just anyone.
“I want your pendant,” he said again.
Seeing the frustration on his handsome face, Lin Miao quickly took off her pendant and handed it to him. “Here, Big Brother.”
“Wear mine and don’t let anyone see it,” Young Master said as he put her pendant on her, tucking it inside her clothes. The pendant he had given her had just been taken from his own chest.
Young Master’s ears turned red, but seeing that Lin Miao still didn’t understand, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Silly girl.”
Lin Miao raised her head, feeling a little defiant. “Just because I lost to you thirty-seven times doesn’t mean I’m stupid. Let’s play again. This time, I’ll definitely win!”