The Eldest Daughter's Scheme for Dominating the World

Chapter 9: Night Fright

Situ Anxiang beside Situ Yingshou was only eight years old. How could she resist such peerless good looks? Her heart was pounding. Seeing that her elder sister didn't say anything, she stammered, "… There… there… there's food here." As she spoke, she was about to lead Zheng Hao and the others to get something to eat.

Zheng Hao smiled and glanced at her. He shook one finger and then pulled Situ Yingshou's arm. "You take me to eat."

Situ Yingshou opened her mouth, about to ask him to let go.

But Zheng Hao gave her a sidelong glance, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "… The ebony wood. Do you still want it or not?"

He was indeed a lecher!

He actually used the ebony wood to threaten her...

Situ Yingshou dusted off her clothes and took the opportunity to pull her arm out of Zheng Hao's hand. She turned around and said indifferently, "Let's go."

Zheng Hao smiled again and led the others to follow Situ Yingshou towards the cabin where they ate.

After they entered the cabin, Zheng Hao ordered those attendants to eat at the table by the door, and he followed Situ Yingshou to the private room behind the screen to have a meal.

That was also the place where Situ Yingshou's family ate.

After a while, the woman who cooked on the boat brought several side dishes.

They were all river delicacies: braised small yellow fish with dried plum vegetables, loach stewed with tofu, braised crucian carp, plus a plate of small green vegetables with garlic, a bowl of egg soup with water hyacinth leaves, and white rice to go with them.

Zheng Hao's mouth watered at the sight. Forgetting to tease Situ Yingshou, he tested the food for poison with a silver needle and then buried his head in eating.

Situ Yingshou didn't say anything either and just sat beside him watching him eat.

"… You take the bones out of this crucian carp for me." Halfway through eating, Zheng Hao habitually tapped the bowl with his chopsticks.

Situ Yingshou raised her eyebrows. "I don't know how to remove the bones."

Zheng Hao realized his mistake and smiled. "I'll do it myself, myself..."

After wolfing down the meal, Zheng Hao held the tea that Situ Yingshou had just brewed for him, nodded, and said, "Thank you. — What's your name?"

Situ Yingshou glanced at him with a hint of disdain. "My surname is Situ. You can call me Miss Situ."

Zheng Hao: "…" Seriously? This little girl has a bigger airs than he does!

But since he was on someone else's boat, he had to lower his head. Zheng Hao readily complied. "Miss Situ!"

Situ Anxiang came in carrying a food box and said to Situ Yingshou, "Sister, this is the snack that Father ordered for this young master."

Situ Yingshou took it and looked. Seeing that it was a plate of water chestnut cake and a plate of taro cake, she took them out and put them on the table. She said to Zheng Hao, "Have some pastries. These two kinds of snacks are our family cook's specialties."

Situ Anxiang smiled and nodded. "They're really delicious. Why don't you have a try, young master?"

Zheng Hao turned his head, looked Situ Anxiang up and down, and asked Situ Yingshou, "Your younger sister? She's much prettier than you. Are you not from the same mother?"

Situ Yingshou just wanted to rub her forehead. — As expected, those from the royal family are not naive and kind little bunnies. How could this guy tell at a glance that Situ Anxiang and she didn't have the same mother?

Situ Anxiang blushed immediately and hid behind Situ Yingshou, saying in a low voice, "No, no! I'm not as pretty as my sister! Young master, don't talk nonsense!"

"You're quite timid..." Zheng Hao stroked his chin with his right hand and pondered. "Born out of wedlock?"

Situ Yingshou pulled Situ Anxiang out from behind her and patted her on the back. "Stand up straight. You're a daughter of our Situ family who's recorded in the family genealogy. What are you hiding for?"

Situ Anxiang took a deep breath, glanced at Situ Yingshou, stood up straight like her, and summoned up the courage to say to Zheng Hao, "No. My mother is Father's second wife. I..."

"Oh, so you're a stepdaughter." Zheng Hao nodded and wasn't interested in her. He turned to stare at Situ Yingshou, wanting to talk to her. But Situ Anxiang standing by the side was always an eyesore. Zheng Hao rolled his eyes and said to Situ Anxiang, "Little sister, could you go out and ask your father if our accommodation for tonight has been arranged?"

"Okay, okay!" Situ Anxiang nodded vigorously and walked out quickly.

After Situ Anxiang left, Situ Yingshou said to Zheng Hao, "She's my sister. You can't be rude to her."

Zheng Hao picked up a piece of water chestnut cake and took a bite. He pouted and said, "I hate all people who are better-looking than me. I can't eat when I see them!"

Situ Yingshou: "Hehe... Young master, you're being too modest. Although my sister is good-looking, she's still far from being as good-looking as you. — You don't have to be unable to eat just because you see my sister."

"Oh?" Zheng Hao was delighted to hear this. He slowly put down the pastry in his hand, leaned close to Situ Yingshou, and showed a big smile. "So, Miss Situ also thinks I'm better-looking, right?!"

Situ Yingshou: "…" She was really defeated by this narcissistic peacock...

"Eat quickly. After eating, go to sleep. It's already very late." Situ Yingshou stopped talking nonsense with Zheng Hao. She gave him a glare, stood up, and knocked on the table.

Zheng Hao didn't get used to eating such pastries. He just took a couple of bites and then followed Situ Yingshou out of the cabin.

The two of them came to the deck in front of the cabin. Looking at the inky night sky and the boundless river water, they heard occasional sounds of the river gurgling.

The wind lanterns on the building boat cast shadows on the river. One could only see the nearby water area, while the distance was plunged into deeper darkness.

The world was vast, and it seemed that only this one boat was drifting between heaven and earth.

The depression in Zheng Hao's chest suddenly vanished without a trace under the blowing of the night wind.

He stretched and was about to speak to Situ Yingshou when she quickly walked towards the stern of the boat.

Zheng Hao's heart tightened: Had they already discovered it?

Well, if they discovered it themselves, they wouldn't have to think of an excuse. Otherwise, this favor was really difficult to do...

For a moment, Zheng Hao regretted agreeing to come and help others, and for a moment, he felt that the trip was worthwhile.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he had already followed Situ Yingshou to the stern of the boat.

He saw Situ Yingshou pat her chest and seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Hao leaned forward curiously to look.

There was nothing at the stern of the boat, only the covered boat they had taken when they came was tied to the stern.

Situ Yingshou smiled and said, "I'm checking if the boat you used to pay for the boat fare is still here."

Zheng Hao: "…" This little lady is so greedy for money! Couldn't she tell that he himself was a great catch?!!

Zheng Hao puffed out his chest, coughed, and said, "Miss Situ, don't value worldly possessions too much. — Besides, a boat is an inanimate object. How can it be as important as a living being?" As he spoke, he almost pointed at his own face with his finger, motioning for Situ Yingshou to "Look here! Look here!"

But Situ Yingshou didn't even look at him. She just lowered her head to check the cable that tied the covered boat and said casually, "Who said that? Money isn't everything, but you can't do anything without money. If a living being isn't supported by inanimate objects, can you survive?"

Situ Yingshou said this with such confidence that Zheng Hao was left speechless.

He stared at Situ Yingshou's profile for a long time, and then said resentfully, "… You're ruthless."

"What did you say?" Situ Yingshou was concentrating on tying the cable securely and didn't hear Zheng Hao's last words clearly.

"Nothing, nothing..." Zheng Hao was annoyed. He opened the folding fan in his hand with a swish and fanned the air randomly a few times. He said, "It's getting late. You should go to sleep."

Situ Yingshou nodded. "I'm going now. My younger brother fell into the water earlier this evening. I just gave him ginger soup. I hope he won't have a high fever tonight."

"Fell into the water?" Zheng Hao stopped fanning with his folding fan. "What happened?"

"He fell into the river and was just rescued." Situ Yingshou replied briefly and walked towards her cabin.

Zheng Hao stopped and didn't follow her.

He stood on the deck at the stern of the boat, looked at the river water for a while, and then followed the attendant who came to look for him to the cabin that Situ Jianren had arranged for him to rest.

Before long, the boat fell silent again, as if nothing had ever occurred.

There was a commotion in the dimly lit lower cabin, but it soon subsided.

…

"Ah—!"

At the darkest moment before dawn, a scream pierced the silent night sky and reached the building boat.

Situ Yingshou hadn't fully fallen asleep. As soon as she heard the scream, she immediately sat up and looked around nervously.

The dim cabin gradually grew brighter.

It turned out that Caiqin had trimmed the oil lamp.

"Young Lady, what's wrong?"

Just then, "Ah—!" Another scream came up.

Situ Yingshou lifted the thin quilt, got up from the deck, put on her long clothes, tidied her hair, and walked to the window of the cabin to look outside.

Soon, there were more footsteps on the deck, running, shouting, screaming, and the sounds of plopping, plopping as people fell into the water from time to time.

"… Miss Situ, secure the cabin tightly. The young master has ordered that you (should) not come out!" A man's voice came from outside the window of Situ Yingshou's cabin.