Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 78

Chapter 78: Job Hunting

Shen Bingsi certainly wasn’t afraid of Lu Yinglin. What he feared was hearing the details of their discussion about selling the Lightning White Orchid.

It was as if as long as the Lightning White Orchid was there, the myriad connections between him and Rong Xie remained. If the Lightning White Orchid was gone, their connection would be severed.

Although Shen Bingsi had long known Rong Xie wanted to sell the Lightning White Orchid, as long as he didn’t ask or confirm it, he could pretend it hadn’t happened yet.

…

But now, he couldn’t. That bastard from the Yuanbao Auction House was about to sell the treasure belonging to him and Rong Xie. Hearing it suddenly, Shen Bingsi felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart, forcing him to flee in panic.

He ran dozens of miles in one breath. The sky outside had turned completely dark. He didn’t know where he had run to; it seemed he was already outside the monitoring range of the Sect Heaven Eye.

The Old Servant’s hunched figure straightened, his shoulders expanding. He transformed back into a tall, upright young man, though an aura of decadence still lingered around him.

“Damn it. Which bitch is eyeing the Lightning White Orchid?” Shen Bingsi muttered to himself. A moment later, he turned into a streak of golden light and flew toward the headquarters of the Yuanbao Auction House—the Gilded Gold Sect.

North Gate Market, Restaurant.

“I really don’t intend to sell the Lightning White Orchid,” Rong Xie pushed back the wine cup Lu Yinglin offered and said seriously. “No matter how much the other party offers, please trouble Manager Lu to decline on my behalf.”

“Junior Brother Rong, don’t be angry. I was just asking the client’s wishes on behalf of the auction house. If you are unwilling, I will simply decline it.” Lu Yinglin rubbed his nose awkwardly and laughed. “There will be many such occasions in the future. This is only the first time, and Junior Brother Rong is already angry with me. How can I open my mouth to discuss business with you later?”

“My mind is made up. I’m not blaming Young Master Lu. It’s just that for something I decided to pawn, your firm took it out early for bidding. It’s normal for me to be worried, isn’t it?” Rong Xie said.

“Of course, of course. Junior Brother Rong doesn’t understand the rules of the auction house, so worry is normal. It was my failure to explain clearly that caused Junior Brother Rong’s concern. Actually, this bid doesn’t mean anything…”

Lu Yinglin brought out his dozen years of experience in the business world and explained a great deal. It sounded very reasonable, as if Rong Xie had truly overthought it.

However, Rong Xie ignored all that, simply sticking to his original stance: the Lightning White Orchid was for collateral only, not for sale. Lu Yinglin didn’t need to mention bidding to him in the future.

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“I understand Junior Brother Rong’s intention. However, people’s hearts change every moment. Perhaps tomorrow Junior Brother Rong won’t think this way?” Lu Yinglin never spoke in absolutes. having reached this point, he stopped mentioning the Lightning White Orchid.

Seeing he no longer brought it up, Rong Xie’s attitude softened considerably. The two chatted for a while about the prosperous scenes and strange anecdotes of the Capital, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.

Observing Rong Xie’s expression, Lu Yinglin felt the timing was about right and proposed once more to take Rong Xie to the Capital to “see the world,” eat good food, and have some fun.

Rong Xie hesitated.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. I’ve just settled down, and many things need arranging. The clothes I ordered from Uncle Wang will be delivered after some time; I need to be home to wait for them,” Rong Xie said.

Lu Yinglin felt somewhat helpless. “For such a trivial matter, just have your servant wait at home to receive them. Are you really not going out just because of a few clothes?”

“Mm…” Rong Xie lowered his eyes. “I’d better wait.”

“Junior Brother Rong, you’ve already escaped that cage. Why are you still acting like before, never stepping out the main gate or the second gate? Even if you’re out, what’s the difference from before?” Lu Yinglin couldn’t help saying, his gaze toward Rong Xie carrying strong disapproval.

“How could that be? I think the difference is huge. Since moving here, I’ve been happy every day. There are so many places to explore nearby; why seek distance over what’s close at hand?” Rong Xie said in a relaxed tone.

Of course, there was another reason. Rong Xie had some money on hand now, but it was just savings after all. Savings were something that decreased constantly even if one sat at home going nowhere. Even if the money didn’t vanish immediately, it shrank invisibly with house wear and tear, material depreciation, and daily consumption. When balancing the accounts next time, one would be surprised to find that despite barely going out, the savings looked as if they had been looted.

Before finding a way to earn money, Rong Xie dared not make big moves. Spending money at home was already like this; going out would cost a fortune. As the saying goes, poverty prevents change… It was better to touch a money-squandering den like the Capital as little as possible.

“Junior Brother Rong, I think you are too frugal. This isn’t good. Life is short. You’ve finally come near the Capital, guarding such a large, prosperous place yet not visiting—isn’t that a waste?” Lu Yinglin’s tone even carried a hint of condemnation. “How about this: I will cover all expenses for the trip to the Capital. Junior Brother Rong just needs to have fun and worry about nothing else. How does that sound?”

“How can I do that? I have savings; how can I let Young Master Lu pay?” Seeing the hospitality was hard to refuse, Rong Xie sighed and told the truth. “It’s just that I just moved here and haven’t found a livelihood to settle down. Spending only savings makes me uneasy. I think I’ll wait until I have an income before thinking about pleasure.”

“You won’t spend your money. Didn’t I say it? I will cover all your expenses in the Capital.” Lu Yinglin had never met someone so difficult to invite out, and his tone became a bit impatient.

“Apologies, Young Master Lu still doesn’t seem to understand my meaning. We haven’t reached the level of closeness where I can spend Young Master Lu’s money without burden. I appreciate Young Master Lu’s kindness.” Rong Xie’s tone turned cold, seeming to intend to end this meal.

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Lu Yinglin, usually glib-tongued, was choked into silence for a long time. After a pause, he scratched his eyebrow and said awkwardly, “Fine.”

“Young Master Lu won’t blame me, right?” Rong Xie felt somewhat apologetic. After all, Lu Yinglin had good intentions. But if he didn’t speak clearly, Lu Yinglin seemed unable to understand. With no other choice, he had to be direct.

“How would I dare blame you? It’s just a pity. It seems I won’t be able to tour the Capital with Junior Brother Rong anytime soon.” Lu Yinglin laughed involuntarily. He discovered that this golden-house beauty with no worldly experience was harder to handle than any target he had pursued before. Not only was he completely unswayed by temptation, but his mind was also exceptionally clear. He truly planned to rely on himself in Lanyuan. Although one could imagine how rare the scenery atop such a difficult-to-climb snow peak would be, the cost was too great. As a businessman, Lu Yinglin felt like retreating.

He planned to “disappear” for a while to seek some approachable targets and while away the boring interim.

For the rest of the meal, the two returned to a polite state without deeper interaction.

Although there was no gain from Lu Yinglin’s side, Rong Xie clarified one thing: to settle down and thrive, he must find a money-making livelihood.

But what livelihood?

Writing for people? There were plenty of old scholars in Lanyuan who were literate. The price for writing letters at the North Gate Market had dropped to the level of pure manual labor.

Being a private tutor? Rong Xie had no research into the Imperial Examinations. In a place dense with old scholars like Lanyuan, just knowing “Enlightenment of Rhythm” wasn’t enough. Rong Xie had no competitive edge.

Teaching talismans and spells? This was possible, but Rong Xie’s spiritual energy was limited. He was reluctant to use it even to attempt Foundation Establishment, let alone waste it teaching others.

A lesser option was… cooking? But he didn’t want to bury himself in a smoky kitchen every day, keeping company with small animals in dark corners.

Rong Xie thought and thought, realizing he really had no money-making skills. It was just like the Shen family said: if he hadn’t relied on “seductive means” to “latch onto the Second Young Master,” he might have starved to death in some corner.

No, that won’t do. He had already established an independent household; how could he still think of Shen Bingsi’s benefits? He had no retreat and must find a way to break this deadlock.

While Rong Xie racked his brains for half the day, Wang Mu said from the side, “Brother Rong can continue being a steward. Noble households would surely want an experienced steward like Brother Rong.”

Continue… being a steward?

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Being a steward was indeed a livelihood very suitable for Rong Xie. He didn’t have to do everything himself, but had to know a bit of everything, possessing the ability to manage a large house and coordinate all aspects. Aside from interpersonal relationships, these were all things Rong Xie excelled at.

Actually, Rong Xie hadn’t not thought about continuing as a steward. However, stewards in large households were generally cultivated from within the family, requiring long-term tacit understanding and trust. More importantly, these stewards were usually promoted from servants and had their deeds of servitude held by the master.

Rong Xie would never agree to be a slave just to earn some money. So, this most suitable livelihood was also a no-go.

…

In the mortal world, finding a money-making livelihood was truly hard.

Fortunately, Rong Xie wasn’t entirely without income. He made flower tea using recipes he developed himself and had Wang Mu sell it, earning some small money.

However, this money was unstable. With patrolling bailiffs on the street, if they found Rong Xie trading without a license, there might be trouble. Rong Xie could only sell in small batches, accumulating some loyal customers among the neighbors. beyond that, widening channels wasn’t feasible.

Just when Rong Xie planned to take a gamble and look for shop collaborations at the North Gate Market to sell his flower tea, an unexpected acquaintance appeared, bringing a new turning point.

This acquaintance was—Hermit Baishui!

Hermit Baishui was always elusive. In his first few days in Lanyuan, Rong Xie wondered if he might run into him somewhere. As time passed, he forgot about it.

Unexpectedly, while brewing tea in the flower hall one day, familiar singing came from outside the wall. Rong Xie put down the teapot and ran out, catching up with Hermit Baishui in his loose cloth robe at the alley entrance.

“Junior Brother Rong, why are you here?” Hermit Baishui was very surprised.

“I moved here. I’ll be here from now on,” Rong Xie smiled.

“Where is your friend surnamed Shen?” Hermit Baishui looked around but didn’t see Shen Bingsi.

“Him? He’s not with me,” Rong Xie said.

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“So that’s how it is. Then we can relax a bit,” Hermit Baishui laughed.

The two stood at the alley entrance talking for a while, exchanging updates. Learning that Rong Xie had just moved and had no serious livelihood for now, Hermit Baishui invited him to join the Lanyuan Villa District as a retainer (menke).

“Retainer?” Rong Xie knew nothing about this profession. According to Shen Bingsi, they were spongers. Combined with the retainer gathering he saw last time at the Lanyuan Villa District, Rong Xie sketched a rough impression in his mind—eccentric talents appreciated by the master, spongers.

Was he going to join this profession too?

That would be… absolutely wonderful.