My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 3 First Steps into Another World (3)

Two days later, Xiao Ya rushed to Mu Shaoying and said, "Young Master, Butler Tao sent Brother Shunzi to say that Master has returned and will have lunch with you at noon."

Mu Shaoying nodded and agreed, then told Xiaoya to prepare the meal.

Mu Shaoying was somewhat worried. The original owner's family had returned, but she knew nothing about them. What should she do? She was also a little frustrated. In the past few days, she had secretly inquired about the family situation from Xiaoya, but Xiaoya didn't know much. She only knew that the family's surname was Lin. In order to avoid being discovered, Mu Shaoying tried to avoid contact with others and dared not ask others for more information.

At noon, Butler Tao followed a man into Mu Shaoying's courtyard.

The man appeared to be around forty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard. He wore a brown outfit, his back was slightly hunched, and he was thin with a furrowed brow. His face, however, was calm and resolute. Sunlight slanted across his shoulders, casting a resolute silhouette. His long hair was neatly tied up as he walked towards Mu Shaoying from the sunlight.

Is this the original owner's father?

Mu Shaoying stared at the approaching man, hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to address him, then abruptly stood up from her chair and stood there without moving forward.

"Ziping, you're not feeling well yet, just sit down." The man hurried a few steps to Mu Shaoying and helped her sit down. "Your uncle is back."

His hands were large, with calloused fingertips. Mu Shaoying looked up at the man in front of her.

Uncle? Was the original owner of this body living under someone else's roof? What about his parents?

"What's wrong, Ziping? Are you still not well?" The man in front of her asked, patting her head, seeing that Mu Shaoying hadn't spoken.

Mu Shaoying shook her head, dismissing her doubts, and thought to herself that she finally knew what to call him. She wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead and said, "Uncle is back."

After saying that, she took the man's hand.

The man paused, then looked up at Mu Shaoying.

"Ziping, are you hungry? Tao Xian, let's have dinner." After a while, he turned to Tao, the steward, and patted Mu Shaoying's hand with a smile. "I've prepared all your favorite dishes. Your uncle brought you a lot of gifts when he went to Huaizhou this time. I'll have Shunzi bring them to you after dinner."

Mu Shaoying sensed the man's long pause, but since she didn't know the reason and was worried that the man would realize the difference between her and the original owner, she adhered to the principle of saying and doing less, pretended not to know, and smiled as she nodded at the man.

To avoid an awkward atmosphere, and also to learn more about the world, she kept pestering the man for his observations and experiences while out and about.

The man relaxed his brows, smiled, and patted Mu Shaoying's head: "Uncle went out on business this time and didn't run into anyone. Huaizhou is very lively with lots of people. I'll take you there next time and you'll see. Butler Tao has already set the table for dinner, Ziping, it's time to eat."

I've heard these kinds of phrases since I was a child. Words like "next time," "later," and "in the future" are usually used by adults to fool children, or by bosses to make empty promises to employees. I've also used these kinds of words to shirk responsibility, and while I wouldn't say I'm an expert at using them, I can certainly say I use them with ease.

Despite having a thousand thoughts running through her mind, she still had to maintain a dignified appearance.

Mu Shaoying twitched the corners of her mouth, stopped talking, and took the man's hand to start eating at the table.

After the meal, the man said to Mu Shaoying, "I will have Granny Liao and Zhuzi come back to serve you in a little while. Seeing that you are not feeling unwell, I will take you to see Master Li tomorrow. It has been half a month since you went to the academy, so it's time for you to go to school."

Studying? Yes, the original owner was still a child, and to outsiders, a boy should be studying.

Mu Shaoying nodded: "Okay, Uncle, you can go ahead and get busy."

The man patted Mu Shaoying's head, turned around, and slowly walked out of the courtyard.

Watching the man's departing figure, Mu Shaoying sighed deeply at her clumsy performance. Not only would those close to the original owner be able to see through it, but anyone who knew the original owner would also notice something was wrong.

Before long, Steward Tao arranged for several boxes to be delivered to Mu Shaoying's courtyard, saying that they were brought from Huaizhou by the original owner's uncle.

Upon unpacking, they found some pastries, a few strings of candied hawthorns, and several wooden tiger puppets. Mu Shaoying was rather uninterested; these items were similar to the gifts he had given to his colleagues' children.