Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou flinched back as Shāndiàn unleashed its fury. They turned to Bái Shēng with a smile and said, "Bái Shēng, even if we're still injured, our strength is greater than those seven or eight-year-old children, right? They can do chores, so we can definitely do better than them."
Bái Shēng tugged at the corner of her mouth and nodded, "En, that makes some sense. In that case, you can register with Sister Du here. But I'll warn you in advance, if you slack off or cause any more trouble, don't blame me for being—ruthless!" Bái Shēng made a gesture of tightly clenching her fingers.
Shāndiàn immediately boosted its master's presence, leaning in towards the two men and baring its teeth with a hiss, nearly scaring them into paralysis on the spot.
Bàoyǔ, who had already grown to Bái Shēng's calf height, refused to be outdone. With its still adorably youthful face, it bared its teeth at the two men, imitating Shāndiàn.
However, apart from being cute, it wasn't scary at all.
Shāndiàn pressed its forehead.
Du Mǐn, seeing this, showed a worried expression, "Mistress, don't listen to their sweet talk. These people have ill intentions and corrupt morals. If you let them work here, they might cause some other trouble."
Bái Shēng gave a faint smile, "They wouldn't dare."
"Yes, yes, yes, we wouldn't dare, absolutely wouldn't dare," the two men nodded repeatedly.
Bái Shēng returned to designing her furniture.
When she was at the Prince of Yu's villa, she had seen some ancient furniture with overly complex external decorative patterns and carvings. They not only accumulated dust easily but were also inconvenient to clean, which she disliked.
The furniture she designed needed no external carved decorations, just retaining the original wood state. It should be simple, convenient, and practical.
Once the houses were built, each occupied room would need a bed, a table and benches, and a wardrobe.
The reception hall would need a long rectangular table and four back benches, convenient for guests to gather.
Additionally, the kitchen would also need a long table and a few stools.
Furthermore, after the servants' quarters were built, they would also need a set of beds and benches.
Calculating this way, the quantity of furniture was astonishing.
There were ample trees and bamboo in the space, so there was no shortage of materials for furniture, only a bit of trouble when it came to moving them openly.
To save the trouble of moving furniture back and forth, Bái Shēng wanted to invite Boss Liu to their home to make the furniture, providing room and board. She'd have Huáng Gǒu Shèng assist him, and perhaps learn a skill or two.
Lu Yě walked over. He glanced from a distance at Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou working by the well and said to Bái Shēng, "Bái Shēng, what are your thoughts on Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou coming to work?"
Bái Shēng put down her charcoal pencil and looked up at Lu Yě. Suddenly, she felt she had acted improperly in this matter.
Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou, as long-time neighbors of Lu Yě's family, had been instigated by Granny Chen and Zhāng Jiāwàng to constantly oppose Lu Yě's family and had done many things to harm them. Lu Yě's hatred for the two of them could be imagined. If he had to see people he particularly detested wandering around his home all day, he would surely be depressed.
Although she had her own plans, she should have asked Lu Yě for his opinion beforehand. If Lu Yě disagreed, she would never have agreed to let those two shameless people work there.
"I'm sorry, Lu Yě. Before agreeing to let them work, I should have asked for your opinion," Bái Shēng said to Lu Yě, her face full of apology.
Lu Yě clearly hadn't expected Bái Shēng to apologize for this. He had no intention of blaming Bái Shēng at all, only feeling that Bái Shēng didn't understand these two people well enough and was worried she might suffer losses, so he came to remind her.
"Bái Shēng, there's nothing you need to apologize to me for. I said that as long as you are with me, you can do anything you want."
Bái Shēng blinked, "Anything, like finding other men?"
Lu Yě was stunned. His mind began to conjure images of Bái Shēng with other men...
No! His heart suddenly ached.
Lu Yě snapped back to reality, raised his hand and lightly rapped Bái Shēng on the forehead, a trace of annoyance appearing on his face, "Except finding other men."
"Oh," Bái Shēng giggled and stuck out her tongue at him.
Looking at her playful demeanor, Lu Yě felt an uncontrollable urge to hold her.
He quickly thought of the woman in his dreams and realized he was still attached to her.
Lu Yě punched himself hard in his mind. Why would he have feelings for two women at the same time? Was he really a playboy pig's hoof of a supreme scumbag, always eyeing the bowl while eating from the pot, like Bái Shēng often said?
Suddenly, Lu Yě's deep eyes were tinged with a hint of darkness. He collected his thoughts and said to Bái Shēng, "Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou are the most opportunistic and disloyal. Bái Shēng, you must be careful in your actions from now on."
Bái Shēng did not miss the fleeting gloom in Lu Yě's eyes. She nodded and said seriously, "En, I will. Actually, people who are opportunistic and disloyal are best controlled. As long as the benefit offered is greater than before, it will be the most loyal dog by your side."
"We must also guard against a dog suddenly going mad and biting its owner," Lu Yě said sternly. He pulled over a chair and sat beside Bái Shēng, lowering his voice slightly, "They are probably people sent by Zhāng Jiāwàng. The people in Huángshā Village must have started to suspect us. From now on, both of us need to be even more cautious and vigilant."
Bái Shēng looked at his handsome face at close range, her gaze moving from his eyes to his beautifully sculpted lips. She nodded absentmindedly, "En, I understand."
Lu Yě also averted his gaze, afraid to look into her watering eyes any longer. He feared that if he couldn't help himself, he would kiss her. He shifted his attention to the drawing Bái Shēng was making and asked with doubt, "What is this?"
Hūnhūn watched the intensifying gaze between the two and suddenly felt that she had severely underestimated her master's charm.
So, her master could charm men without relying on her face.
It glanced at Bái Shēng's chest and hips. Well, its master's figure was getting better and better. Although not tall, she had a very curvaceous figure with her ups and downs.
Bái Shēng patted her forehead, driving away the lewd images in her mind, and said with a smile, "This is our family's furniture. We'll invite Boss Liu to make it later. We want to make our home especially clean and cozy, so that life is beautiful..."
Lu Yě looked at her smiling face full of longing and her eyes that shone like stars. He almost couldn't resist the urge to kiss her again. He quickly stood up, wanting to find something to do farther away from her.
However, Bái Shēng said, "I'm making wolf bone soup for lunch. Lu Yě, can you help me chop the remaining wolf meat into small pieces? I can't chop it."
"Okay," Lu Yě's voice was forced out of his throat.
He could chop wolf meat, as long as it wasn't too close to her.
Bái Shēng wanted to respectfully invite her aunt, so she had to personally make the wolf bone soup at noon.
In the future, she would buy some large bones and blood-tonifying and qi-boosting Chinese herbs. With a bit of effort, she didn't believe her aunt would refuse to visit her "niece"!