Chapter 42: Picking Up a Little Beauty
“Thank you, old man,” Ye Ning thanked the old man and took a deep look at the Supervision Institute before turning to leave.
He hadn’t expected the Institute to have fallen to such a degree.
Despite not being from this world and having little integration with Great Zhou, he still felt a flicker of anger.
Could this world get any worse?
If even the Supervision Institute forgot its honor and duty, how could the other government offices be any better?
It’s a wonder Great Zhou hadn’t collapsed already.
On second thought, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Ye Ning.
The more corrupt and decadent Great Zhou was, the easier it would be for him to court death.
He already had some ideas.
The weather changed swiftly.
During the day, there had been some sunlight, but by night, a fierce wind picked up, followed by snowfall.
This was the first snow of winter.
The snow in this world was heavier than in his previous life, continuing all night with no sign of stopping.
When Ye Ning woke up, everything outside was blanketed in white.
His breath was quickly swallowed by the cold air.
However, his body was infused with righteous energy, so despite his thin clothing, he didn’t feel the cold at all.
This left Ye Ning a bit disappointed.
Alas, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to freeze to death, thus missing out on another potential way to die.
Lao Huang was in the yard, clearing the snow, painstakingly making a path.
After breakfast, Ye Ning headed to the Supervision Institute again, but once more, the gate was shut tight.
“These bastards aren’t planning on working?” Ye Ning muttered through gritted teeth.
The people of this world were too wilful, deciding not to work whenever they pleased.
They should experience the ‘996’ work culture of his previous world to understand the real meaning of hard work.
Left with no choice, Ye Ning returned home.
It was absurd that he, as the superior, had visited the office for two consecutive days without even getting inside.
But what could he do? Who could he complain to? Everyone treated the Supervision Institute as non-existent.
If he spoke up, no one would take him seriously. At best, they would mock him.
Determined, Ye Ning vowed, “I refuse to believe they’ll never open the gate!”
After wandering around outside, he returned home, only to find an unexpected guest.
Lao Huang and the cook were in the yard with a little girl, saying something to her.
“Master is back,” Lao Huang said with joy, hurrying over.
“What’s going on?” Ye Ning asked, glancing at the girl.
She was dirty, emitting a faint smell, her little face frozen purple, looking very weak.
“This girl fainted at our doorstep. If we hadn’t found her in time, she might have frozen to death. What kind of world is this, where a young girl can’t survive?” The cook wiped her tears.
“Master, let’s take her in. She can serve you as a maid and have a chance to live,” Lao Huang suggested.
He had a kind heart and wanted to keep the girl. Besides, he had been thinking of finding a maid for Ye Ning.
“A maid?” Ye Ning instinctively resisted.
As a modern youth, he was used to handling his own affairs and had never thought of using a maid.
Moreover, a maid was essentially a slave, needing to be registered as such.
“Little girl, where are you from? Where are your parents and family?” Ye Ning squatted down and asked.
The girl shook her head, her dirty face full of sadness, muttering “ah-bah, ah-bah.”
“Is she mute?” Ye Ning was taken aback.
“Yes, she can’t speak,” Lao Huang quickly added, fearing Ye Ning would refuse. “Not being able to speak is actually good. You won’t have to worry about secrets getting out…”
Ye Ning frowned. The girl, perhaps thinking he would reject her, started to cry.
She wrote a line in the snow with her finger. “Please take me in, or I will starve to death.”
“You can write?” Ye Ning was surprised.
The girl nodded.
“What’s your name?” Ye Ning asked.
She wrote the characters “Xuanxuan” in the snow.
After a few more questions, Ye Ning learned that Xuanxuan came from a scholarly family in the northern part of the country.
Her family had fallen on hard times, compounded by a severe drought. They fled to the capital as refugees, and those who traveled with her had either died or scattered.
If not for Lao Huang’s timely help, she might have frozen to death by now.
“It’s a harsh world when even a little girl has no space to survive,” Ye Ning felt pained.
Though he had no attachment to Great Zhou, he cared for the common people because he was human, and they were too.
His modern education had instilled in him a more humane outlook compared to people from ancient times.
“Alright, I’ll take you in. But you don’t need to be a maid or register as a slave. Just stay here and recuperate. If your family finds you in the future, you can reunite with them,” Ye Ning said, patting her head.
The cook and Lao Huang were overjoyed and quickly took Xuanxuan inside.
After some food and a bath, and changing into clean clothes, two hours had passed.
“Master, I’ve brought Xuanxuan,” Lao Huang said with a smile, opening the door.
A girl in a green long dress entered.
She was about thirteen or fourteen, slim, and her large dress looked somewhat ill-fitting, but it couldn’t hide her outstanding beauty.
She had delicate lips, long eyelashes, and snow-white skin.
“A natural beauty,” Ye Ning thought, a verse coming to mind.
Astonished, he looked at Lao Huang.
What’s going on? You just went out and picked up a little beauty?