116 Fleeing Far Away

Chu Xiaoyu chuckled and said, "That’s not quite right. After Miss Ying discovered it, she didn’t strike me. Instead, she gazed at me with deep affection and gifted the flute to me!"

Xiao Yun laughed, "Brother Chu, is that really true?"

"Of course it’s true," Chu Xiaoyu replied. "Don't assume all women in the world are as fond of a little simpleton like you as the Ninth Young Lady is. A dashing youth like me is naturally admired by others."

As he spoke, Chu Xiaoyu deliberately pulled out a flute and flashed it before them. When Xiao Yun tried to get a better look, Chu Xiaoyu tucked it away, saying, "Sorry, my good brother, this was a gift from my sweetheart. I can't let you see it; I must keep it well hidden."

Xiao Yun scolded with a laugh, "Stop showing off! Who cares, anyway?"

Chu Xiaoyu retorted, "That’s only because you haven't been caught by the owner of the house."

Qu Buping interjected defiantly, "Who says I wasn't caught by the owner?"

Chu Xiaoyu and Xiao Yun asked in unison, "And what was the result?"

Qu Buping cursed, "The result, obviously, was that I was caught by the owner and beaten half to death. Why ask about such an obvious outcome, you two idiots?"

After hearing Qu Buping's hare-brained idea, Xiao Yun stole half a jin of oil from the kitchen that evening. He crept toward Xiao Hong’s room and began pouring the oil into the door hinges.

He thought triumphantly, *Once I get my hands on some silver, I’ll fly far away. I’ll give some money to my mother, buy Xie Xiaoyan a few beautiful dresses to make her happy, and then head to Jiangnan for a life of leisure!*

Suddenly, he heard someone call out, "Young Master Yun, what are you doing?"

Xiao Yun was startled and spilled the rest of the oil onto the ground. He turned to see Xiao Hong looking at him with a puzzled expression. Blushing, he stammered, "The door was getting stiff, so I was just applying some oil..."

Xiao Hong suppressed a laugh and said, "Young Master Yun, that is work for the servants. Please don't play any more tricks."

"Not at all!" Xiao Yun replied, and he slunk away, feeling sheepish.

When Xiao Yun met back up with Qu and Chu, they saw he was empty-handed. Qu Buping couldn't help but scold, "Oh, my dear Young Master Yun, you usually only know how to chase girls, yet you can't even handle a simple task like this?"

Xiao Yun replied, "I don't know where they hide the silver, so how am I supposed to steal it?"

Qu Buping laughed, "Young Master Yun, why don't you use your brain? If there's no silver, jewelry works just as well. Can't you find something valuable in the Ninth Young Lady's room?"

Chu Xiaoyu nodded. "Exactly. For a woman like the Ninth Young Lady, a single gold hairpin on her head is worth hundreds of taels of silver."

Xiao Yun pulled a long face. "The problem is, she doesn't exactly leave them lying around."

That evening, Xiao Yun saw Xiao Hong and smiled. "Ah, Sister Xiao Hong, you look truly beautiful tonight!"

Xiao Hong was taken aback and laughed. "Young Master Yun, don't tease me. Can I really be considered beautiful?" She wondered what this little brat was up to.

Xiao Yun praised, "Of course. Your hair looks especially lovely tonight, Sister Xiao Hong. I can't help but want to touch it again."

Xiao Hong sighed, "My dear young master, please don't make fun of your servant. I can't handle your antics."

"Good sister," Xiao Yun pleaded, "just let me touch it once, and I won't cause any more trouble. Otherwise, I might just end up doing something really strange."

Xiao Hong couldn't help but blush. She was close friends with Xiao Cui, who had already quietly told her about the time Xiao Yun had acted like a hooligan with her. Fearing he would make a scene and cause her to lose face, she blushed deeply and whispered, "My dear young master, please spare me."

Fearing his antics, she relented. Seeing him only touch her hair once, she thought, *This little brat isn't as troublesome as I feared.* She had no idea that Xiao Yun had taken the opportunity to gently pluck the gold hairpin from her hair.

Xiao Yun leaned close to her face and added, "Sister, your hair is both beautiful and fragrant. I could touch it a hundred times and never tire of it!" He then walked away, grinning, leaving Xiao Hong alone in her room, her face flushed with embarrassment.

When Xiao Yun met up with Qu and Chu, Qu Buping heard that he had only managed to take one gold hairpin and sighed, "Oh, Young Master Yun, you really have grown dull. Since you were touching her hair, why didn't you touch her pretty face as well?"

Xiao Yun blushed. "I'm not a lecher..."

Qu Buping countered, "Who said you were a lecher? Look at those two gold earrings Xiao Hong wears—they must be worth a fortune! Why didn't you touch her cheeks and then snatch her earrings while you were at it? That way you’d have both the girl and the gold—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Xiao Yun retorted, "You make it sound so easy. Xiao Hong isn't a fool; she would have noticed if you tried to take her earrings."

Qu Buping laughed, "Who says she wouldn't notice? For a woman like her, how could she not notice you pulling a hairpin from her head? But I suspect she thought you were just infatuated with her hairpin, so she didn't want to call you out. If she knew Young Master Yun was stealing it just to trade for money, she’d be furious!" He broke into a fit of laughter.

Xiao Yun felt quite embarrassed and said sulkily, "You're mocking me; that's not very friendly!"

Chu Xiaoyu chuckled, "Alright, enough bickering. Let’s discuss how we’re going to leave this place." The three of them decided that their best bet was to leave in disguise.

The next day, Xiao Yun left the inn, claiming he wanted to take a walk. Xiao Hong and Xiao Jing didn't object. Xiao Jing wanted to follow, but Xiao Yun said, "I know the way back; I won't get lost. Don't worry!" He insisted so firmly that Xiao Jing had no choice but to let him go.

Xiao Yun found Qu and Chu, who helped him with his disguise, and the three of them prepared to depart from Xianyang.