Lisa's expression went through a few changes after she had listened to Haruto's explanation.
She patted Haruto's shoulder after a good while of silence, but she did not give any explanation as to her rumored ‘condition’.
Lisa grabbed a few zhus from her money bag without counting them, then she gave them to Haruto as she said: “Loyal and protective, this is a reward from this master.”
Haruto beamed with joy.
He accepted the zhu coins gifted by Lisa with both hands, then he thanked: “Thanks to master, this one will definitely be loyal to only you, the master.”
Lisa nodded, then she turned back into the tailoring shop.
She picked out a few sets of clothes for Haruto to pack them up, after which she strolled through the streets again.
She bought some trinkets and snacks along the way, then she returned to the residence with Haruto.
Once Lisa returned to the residence, she went back into the study to continue reading.
Lisa paid no mind to today’s event. Although her past self might have been anxious over what might happen, worrying that her identity may be exposed, and so on…
However, following the increase in the number of books that she read, Lisa slowly came to realize that: those things that she used to worry endlessly about had already stopped being a problem to her present self.
Lisa used to live cautiously, distancing herself from the crowd to protect her ‘secret’.
But now, even though Lisa still minded her identity, she had learned to go with the flow.
She had learned to reveal no surprise, and to answer change with no change.
Lisa had already figured it out.
The more she lived defensively, the more different she would appear in other people’s eyes.
Although everyone would keep their distance from you, not interacting with you, that did not mean that they were not keeping a lookout on you.
A peace that comes from living frankly would be much better.
More and more, Lisa felt that the advice Jennie gave her was very reasonable.
All this time, she had just thought about those hundred and eighteen lives of her village. It was indeed… too narrow-minded.
When the night was deep and the people were quiet, she would often reminisce about her past self.
Many things felt as if it had just happened yesterday.
Lisa would often laugh at her past naivety and evasiveness.
When Jennie was choosing a route for their escape, when she told her about that method of thinking, Lisa finally comprehended it completely.
Every time that Lisa thought about Jennie, she felt both yearning and admiration.
She would often sigh in her own heart: We were both women, and the same age. How was it that our scopes were so far apart…
Lisa was very grateful towards Jennie.
If she hadn’t taken away that mist of ‘revenge’, she would not be like this today.
Lisa knew that she herself could not marry, so rumors would come up sooner or later.
It was not a bad thing that some have spread earlier.
But someone did not think this way, and that person was Haruto who shared this experience with Lisa today.
Haruto acted according to Lisa's request. He gave out the snacks they bought along the way to everyone in the residence.
But when he reached Gloria, Haruto's expression turned sour immediately.
He shoved the dumplings and donuts to Gloria's hands in a manner as if he was forced against his will. He even added in a cold snort.
Gloria was widowed.
She had become a servant without other options, but she had still signed a hiring contract and not a property contract in the end.
Additionally, she wasn’t that young, so how could she accept such a treatment from this small brat?
She set aside the sugar dumplings and donuts on the table to stick her hands on her waist as she howled: “Haruto, what’s with that manner of yours?”
Hearing such an arrogant manner of speaking from this ‘traitor’, Haruto became fired-up too.
He tossed the remaining snacks on the table, rolled up his sleeves, then he pointed at Gloria as he shouted: “You eat in the residence, you drink in the residence, and all you do every day is to cook three meals. The silver you get isn't few either, but you would still dare to go around gossiping about our master! You sure have a lot of shame to eat, but I have none to give!”
Gloria choked when she heard this string of accusations from Haruto.
Her face swelled red at once, and tears filled up her eyes: “Haruto, explain this clearly. When have I ever done such a shameless thing? When did I offend the residence?”
Haruto did feel a bit bad to see Gloria like this.
In all honesty, he had not fully heard the gossip between those two housewives, he had only caught the words ‘auntie Gloria’, ‘hard to cure’ and ‘refusing to get checked’.
He connected the dots on the way back; there must have been a mole in the residence.
Gloria's intense reaction gave Haruto some pause, but he still pressed on: “Hmph, you should know just what kind of rotten words you’ve chewed on before!”
With that said, Haruto turned around to leave.
But he was hauled back by Gloria, who fumed: “What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat! If you don’t explain things clearly today, I won’t be done with you!”
“What’s with the pulling, don’t you not have any concerns?”
Haruto tried to break free from Gloria's grip as he said that. However, she was quite strong.
Haruto tried to shake her away many times without success.
Gloria's face flickered between red and white when she heard this from Haruto.
In the end, she kept one hand locked onto Haruto's arm while she swung her other fan-sized hand towards the top of Haruto's head: “You little bastard, I'm gonna hit you to death! You dare say that this auntie is shameless? This auntie’s age is way over your mothers, I’ll hit you to death if you don’t explain yourself today!”
Seeing that Gloria was really making a move, Haruto panicked at once. He dodged while he yelled.
In the end, he successfully attracted the attention of Joy and Suga who were not very far away.
Following the noise, the two of them entered the kitchen to see that Gloria was slapping at Haruto's head.
They pulled them away in a hurry, then Suga berated: “What are you two doing? Have you no regard for order?”
As the butler, Suga's word still meant something in the residence.
Gloria held back at once, while Haruto scrambled behind Joy.
He stuck half a head out from behind her shoulder as he looked at Gloria with fear.
“Haruto! What on earth is going on?”
Seeing that someone was here to back him up, Haruto jumped out from behind Joy at once: “Auntie Gloria is a traitor! She made up rumors about the master, and it spread outside the residence!”
“You’re spouting nonsense, that’s a bloody lie!”
Gloria was panicking now.
Making gossip about the master was an inexcusable offense anywhere.
Any accidents could get her chased out of the residence. As a widow, she would not survive if she lost employment.
“Stop quarreling, just what is going on? Haruto, you should explain. Is there any proof that auntie Gloria has made gossip?”
Haruto hesitated for a moment.
He took a look at Suga, then he decided to speak truthfully: “Master took me to the streets today. He entered a tailoring shop while I waited outside. I saw two housewives point at the master, mumbling between themselves, so I went over there for a listen. I heard auntie Gloria's name. Then these housewives said that… that… that our master can’t get it up!”
When Haruto's words landed, the kitchen sunk into silence at once.
Gloria's thin face flooded red.
Suga's expression also turned unusual.
Haruto ruffled his head in embarrassment.
Joy was rather calm, but her pale cheeks were dyed with a faint blush.
“Ahem… Mm! Auntie Gloria, is the… matter… that Haruto said, true?”
Hearing Suga's words, Gloria's tears started to fall at once.
She wiped them away while she spoke as if making an oath: “Butler, I may just be a worker in the residence, but I’ve never done anything that offended the residence. If I did, I wouldn't get an easy death! Also, about the matter of master’s impotence, I… I’m just a widow. How could I know anything about it?”
Having said that, Gloria held her face as she began to sob.
Hearing Gloria's explanation, Suga shot a side glance at Haruto, who was so scared that he fell to his knees at once.
However, Joy took over the conversation before Haruto could say anything: “Butler, I think that both Haruto and auntie Gloria aren’t wrong.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Here’s what I think. The master is already a Pioneer Commander, so he is someone with fame and prestige in Yangguan city. Those two housewives wouldn’t dare to create rumors about the master, but Haruto and auntie Gloria both do not seem to be lying. Both of them have been wronged, I think. Ever since Miss Han came to our residence, the matchmakers on Yangguan city were about to trample the threshold of our residence, but the master has never welcomed any of them. All of those matchmakers make a living with their words; it's probably because the master repeatedly refused to see them that they spread the rumors out of spite.”
Suga nodded once he heard Joy's explanation: “What you said makes sense.”
Gloria and Haruto had regained their standing because of Joy's explanation too, hence both of them threw grateful gazes at her.
Joy gave a faint smile, then she continued to say to Suga: “Butler, there’s still something that I’m not sure if I should say.”
“Let me hear it.”
“The master has saved my life, so I will dare to make this wild talk. The master is accomplished while young, it goes without saying. As of today, he is also someone with fame and prestige in Yangguan city, and I believe that the master would never just stop here. It is precisely because of this… If this matter that Haruto said happened to any common person, it wouldn’t be much, but this rumor is absolutely unacceptable for our master.”
Suga nodded: “Mm… You are quite right. But as servants, we aren’t in a good position to inquire about the master’s private matters. How should we go about this?”
“If I must say it, how about troubling the butler to make a search. Our master doesn’t lack anything from a residence to position, and his character is also obvious to everyone. That's why huge droves of ladies in Yangguan city can’t wait to marry into our residence. Additionally, the master is seventeen this year. In my hometown, he’d already be a father at this age. How could the residence not have a lady for so long? Gossip would come up sooner or later. Before this gossip takes root, if the master married even one concubine into the residence, it would not take very long before this rumor is eliminated. Our master is young, he is wholeheartedly focused on fighting war, and he probably doesn’t mind these kinds of things. But as servants, our lives and purpose are tied to the master. If the master doesn’t worry, we must be concerned!”
“Mm…solid judgement!”
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