The Dragon's Flower

XH 21

Xiao Hua could not help but panic. They had passed by several paths, but to her, they all looked the same! How on earth could she remember where was where?!

“This is the prince’s bedroom.” An Jing stopped just before a door, her head lowered as if paying respect.

Xiao Hua was unsure what was going on when the door suddenly opened from inside. The Third Prince stepping out of the room in light blue attire along with his red jade thumb ring that had never parted from his thumb. A eunuch with white hair and eyebrows followed behind him with a slight hunchback.

Xiao Hua immediately realized her mistake and quickly followed An Jing’s pose, dropping her head low.

“An Jing, sent Eunuch Sun to the gate with the new set of teacups that this Prince has gotten from Munzhu Country.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” An Jing stepped ahead until she was at the front where she can be the guide. “Please, Eunuch Sun.”

“The Empress would be happy with how filial Prince Long Zhu is,” Eunuch Sun said with a brief smile before following An Jing at a slow pace.

“Come into the study.” The Third Prince strode away leaving Xiao Hua standing alone.

Tian Zi appeared behind Xiao Hua silently and nudge her forward. “Elder Sister Hua, quickly follow our prince!”

Xiao Hua’s short legs tried to keep up with the Third Prince, whose legs seem to be longer than an average sixteen-year-olds. But much to her surprise, Xiao Hua could catch up to him. Could it be...the Third Prince had slowed down his pace for her to catch up?

Pei! Xiao Hua, don’t think too much! (〃＞＿＜;〃)

She knows very well that men love beautiful women, and with big boobs if possible. Xiao Hua stared down at her current flat chest and sadly lamented that she possessed neither! It would not be good for her to dream the impossible of being together with this beautiful man.

Xiao Hua sighed silently, lamented that in this world, she will have to hold tight onto her heart again. In her original world, she had to keep a tight hold on her traitorous heart whenever her handsome boss was around.

That man is like walking temptation! (*♡∀♡)

She had seen many ladies jumped on him but he dodged them all as if females were his allergy! But he had avoided those men that had jumped on him as well.

Le XiaoTing was one of the ladies in the workplace that would cheer inwardly when their boss got jumped by a man! They may be the type that would be jealous when a beautiful lady gets close to their handsome boss, but it was a totally different matter altogether when it was a man that do so!

It stirs up their fujoshi fire! (✧ω✧)

The Third Prince stepped into a room, where the door had already been parted open by servants.

“Xiao Hua, come in,” the Third Prince said when Xiao Hua stood outside of the room, unsure if she should enter the room or not.

The smell of ink and paper filled her nose when she entered the room cautiously. The Third Prince had sat down on a chair behind a wide and long table. With her limited eyesight, she could roughly guess that the room was spacious with plenty of shelves that hold onto with things that she could not see.

“Grind the ink for this prince,” The Third Prince ordered after he sat down on his chair.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Xiao Hua moved closer to the table and spotted an ink stick with its sides filled with dragon pictures with gold linings. Beside it was a thick ink stone with Chinese characters carved on the surface.

It sounds easy, so it should be easy, right? All she needs to do is to rub ink stick on the stone back and forth, right? (＠_＠)

“Stop,” the Third Prince suddenly said when Xiao Hua had reached out to grab the ink and was about to grind it.

“Y-Your Highness?”

“Tian Zi, teach Xiao Hua how to do it.”

Xiao Hua turned to Tian Zi, who immediately appeared as soon as her name was mentioned. “Elder Sister Hua, first you must drip two drops of water onto the inkstone first.”

“Oh!” Xiao Hua could see the logic behind it. This ink stick was dry, so it needs water to moisture it so it could produce ink!

“Here, let me demonstrate to Elder Sister Hua first!” Tian Zi picked up a clean brush and dipped it into a small cup filled with water that was beside the ink stone, and tapped the brush until two drops of water landed right on the middle of the ink stone.

“Now, we can start grinding!” Tian Zi picked up the stick and started grinding it on the water surface in the clockwise direction.

“See? The ink starts to appear!” Xiao Hua nodded, her eyes glued to the ink in awe.

“Now, Elder Sister Hua tries it!”

“Okay!” Xiao Hua took the ink stone, eager to try. She followed the clockwise movement and started grinding but very soon she found that it was not fun at all.

The ink only melted a little even after she had ground so much! Her hand was getting tired!

But she did not say anything and continue grinding the stone, occasionally keep adding few drops of water in hope that more ink will appear quickly.

The Third prince nodded. “Not bad.” He picked up a brush and dipped it with newly made ink. He started writing on a paper and Xiao Hua had to peel her eyes away from the prince.

Le XiaoTing’s boss was a picky person and never praised anyone for their task. He did not care about the process as long as they managed to produce the result that he wanted.

It looks like Third Prince was an appreciative person. Not a bad boss at all! But it was rather unfortunate that this boss was one of the cannon fodder for the hero and heroine. What a dark future for employee Xiao Hua to work for employer Prince Long Zhu whose company will be destroyed in the future.

Perhaps… she can try to change the Third Prince’s future? But that thought was even more depressing because she does not know where to start!

By the time the Third Prince finally stopped writing, filling up countless sheets of papers, Xiao Hua’s arm was dead tired, and her legs trembling like a newborn baby deer that started to walk. Modern Le XiaoTing had never done serious hard labor and Xiao Hua only need to brew tea and lifting small sized kettle filled with water! Even if the previous Xiao Hua had done any hard labor, that one month of easy labor has softened her up.

“Your Highness, lunch is ready to be served,” Tian Chi announced from the doorway.

The Third Prince stood up and to Xiao Hua’s blurry eyesight; he seems to have glided towards the door. If it was currently night time, with the Third Prince dressed in white robe matched and flowing long hair, Xiao Hua would have mistaken him as a ghost!

Tian Zi motioned Xiao Hua to follow the Third Prince before following behind Xiao Hua. They stopped at a room next to his study room and the Third Prince took a seat in front of an empty roundtable.

“Serve,” the Third Prince ordered and few maids holding onto meal boxes entered the room and placed them on the table. They removed the lids and transferred the dishes on expensive looking porcelain plates from the containers to the table before swiftly left with the empty boxes.

“Prepare for another set,” the Third Prince ordered.

The servants found the order to be strange, for they had not received any news that there will be a guest joining Third Prince for a meal. Even if they were wondering, they did not dare to ask.

When another set of chopstick and a bowl of white rice were prepared, the Third Prince turned his head to Xiao Hua’s direction. “Come and eat.”

At first, Xiao Hua thought that a guest had entered so she turned to the door. When she saw no one was there, she turned to look at the Third Prince and noticed he was staring at her direction.

“Elder Sister Hua, our master is talking to you,” Tian Zi whispered beside her.

“M-Me?”

Seeing that the Third Prince was still facing in her direction, she hesitantly stepped forward. When the Third Prince did not say anything to stop her, Xiao Hua slowly walked towards the table.

“Y-Your Highness?” Xiao Hua asked meekly, her legs feeling weak due to fear.

Is she going to be his food tester? Or is it called poison tester? Is this her punishment for last night?

“Sit down and eat with this prince. This prince would not be able to finish the food.”

Xiao Hua: ‘…’

Why does this situation remind her of Long Lian and herself? Xiao Hua was the one that asked Long Lian to finish the food for her last night, and now she was asked to finish the food for Third Prince today. Xiao Hua carefully sat down onto an empty stool, not daring to relax her posture.

Sh*t! What is she supposed to do now? {{ (>_<) }}

 

This situation was even more stressful than when Le XiaoTing had to dine with the rival company’s CEO! She remembered the time when her boss and the rival keep shooting laser beams from their eyes on each other above her head! If they had not stared at each other with plain hostility, Le XiaoTing would happily imagine them flirting with each other instead!

“Pick up your chopstick.” Xiao Hua’s hand picked up the chopstick before her mind could understand the command.  

The Third Prince had already surprised everyone in the room when he told Xiao Hua to eat with him. Their master does not need a food tester for no poison could slip under his radar. Now, the sight of their Prince using his own chopstick to personally place few dishes onto Xiao Hua’s bowl nearly drive them into alarm!

Your Highness, your personal maid is the one to serve you, not the way around!

The Third Prince smiled at the dumbfounded expression on Xiao Hua’s face. “Eat.”

Xiao Hua obediently shoved food into her mouth without tasting them. Her mind was in chaos and has no mood to taste them!

In the novel, the author had the character Xiao Hua to fall in love with the Third Prince but he hardly noticed Xiao Hua’s existence! To him, this little girl was his younger sister’s maid!

The one that had sent her into this world, listen up! Come out and this young lady promise not to kill you! (°ㅂ°╬)