Finest Servant

Chapter 49 Mediocrity Does Not Invite Envy

"Ah, Uncle Fu, I just want a bit more freedom. Why does this bring out so many sighs from you?" Lin Wanrong said with a laugh, shifting Uncle Fu's attention. "Rest assured, as long as the Xiao family needs me, I will do my best to help. This is my way of repaying your kindness."

Seeing his playful smile, there wasn't a hint of sincerity in his words. Uncle Fu laughed and said, "You're as slippery as an eel, boy. I can't tell what's true and what's not."

Lin Wanrong said seriously, "Uncle Fu, don't worry. I may not be perfect, but when it comes to gratitude and repaying kindness, I believe I can do it."

Uncle Fu nodded and said, "Alright, Lin San, these are your words. I hope we haven't misjudged you."

Lin Wanrong laughed and said, "Alright, enough of this. Uncle Fu, why don't you teach me how to identify and care for plants instead? I've grown up just picking flowers, you know."

Uncle Fu shook his head with a bitter smile. The young man seemed to have no sense of propriety. He didn't know if Lin Wanrong could help the Xiao family, but they would have to take it one step at a time.

Over the next few days, Uncle Fu taught Lin Wanrong how to prune branches, cultivate soil, and understand the habits of various plants. Although Lin Wanrong was only interested in picking flowers and not so much in growing them, his memory was quite good. Within a few days, he was familiar with all the plants in the garden and could speak about their individual characteristics. Uncle Fu was quite satisfied with his progress.

During this time, Lin Wanrong stayed in the garden with Uncle Fu, patiently learning from him. He ate his meals regularly and wandered around the courtyard during his free time. As a servant of the gardening department, he was the second in command under Uncle Fu. No one bothered him, and he lived a rather leisurely life.

He occasionally encountered the bookish Xiao Feng in the courtyard. Xiao Feng was very friendly towards him, sharing his daily scoldings from his tutor. Lin Wanrong would give him ideas on how to slack off, and they both enjoyed their carefree days.

The maids who had fled upon hearing the barking dog eventually returned to find Lin Wanrong, striking up conversations with him. Of course, Lin Wanrong didn't really mind their earlier desertion. Whenever he asked about the mysterious woman, however, the maids would change the subject in fear. Over time, the maids became more familiar with Lin Wanrong, and their interactions grew more frequent.

Lin Wanrong was witty and humorous, knowledgeable about many things. A simple phrase in his mouth became interesting. The maids liked to listen to him talk. He knew many interesting things and spoke many unknown dialects. He knew why flowers were red and why the sky was blue. He often recited some amazing and ghostly great poems, and sang many catchy tunes. The melody was extremely beautiful, but the lyrics always made people blush.

Having been with these maids for a long time, Lin Wanrong inevitably had moments of spring heart. Sometimes, he would accidentally tell a few dirty jokes. Whenever they heard this, these maids would definitely scatter with red faces. But within the time of a meal, they would gather around him again, listening to him tell interesting stories from outside.

In short, as long as he didn't tell dirty jokes, everything was fine. But occasionally, with some hidden jokes, a few bold maids dared to sit down and listen to him finish.

In this way, Lin Wanrong's reputation gradually spread, and all the maids in the Xiao family's courtyard knew about the new and magical gardener: handsome and sunny; knowledgeable in many things, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting; witty and humorous, knowledgeable about everything.

What was even more rare was that it was said that this new servant named Lin San entered through the front door in broad daylight, not like those other servants.

So the word spread, and Lin Wanrong became the most prominent figure among the servants in the Xiao family, even being praised by some as the number one talented and romantic servant in the Xiao family. Of course, these admirers were all female.

As for the other servants, they didn't see it that way. What was so great about this Lin kid? Even if your ass was pointed to the sky, you were still just a lowly servant in the Xiao family.

Lin Wanrong became the most popular person among the maids in the mansion and the most envied person among the other servants. He didn't notice it though. In his eyes, he didn't fight for power or profit, he only sought a carefree and happy life. He shouldn't have offended any of them.

Lin Wanrong was good-looking, knowledgeable, and came in through the front door. He was not like the other servants. His reputation spread quickly.

The maids who were slightly attractive began to find excuses to get close to him, with various ideas and excuses.

"Brother San, this is the chicken soup I stayed up all night to make for you. Drink it while it's hot."

"Brother San, I just made some sweet-soup with snow fungus and rock sugar for you. Taste it quickly."

"Brother San, this is the best official swallow's nest. I specially took it from Madam's bowl for you to try."

For a moment, there were beautiful women and soft-spoken men, plump and thin, soft and fragrant, making it hard for people to focus.

The other servants stretched their necks and widened their eyes. How did this new lowly servant get to enjoy such a privilege?

Seeing the jealous and envious looks of his colleagues, the maids began to worry for him. Lin Wanrong said angrily, "I'm already low-key enough, and they still envy me? Oh well, as the saying goes, if you don't provoke jealousy, you're not talented."

This statement was spread by the well-intentioned, and the result was that the entire Xiao family's servant community launched an angry campaign against Lin, while the maid community spontaneously formed a forest protection army. The two sides often had heated debates and arguments.

Lin Wanrong didn't have the mind to join in. Watching the maids and servants argue with each other, he acted like he had nothing to do with it, eating when he needed to eat, sleeping when he needed to sleep, and playing when he wanted to play.

The maids admired him even more for his carefree attitude, and ran to the garden more frequently.

Lin Wanrong felt a little uncomfortable, as some of the maids with ulterior motives found him easy to talk to and began to make bolder moves.

"Brother San, what kind of flower is this?" A plump maid rubbed a gorgeous peony gently against her chest, her face showing a pink blush as she asked in a coquettish voice.

"Brother San, this rose is very pretty. Can you help me put it on?" Another pretty maid handed him a freshly picked rose, her face blushing, her body leaning against him, waiting for him to become her personal hairstylist.

"Brother San, this chrysanthemum is about to bloom. I want to transplant it to my room. Can you help me bring it over?"

Lin Wanrong was taken aback. Several maids with ulterior motives pretended to seek his advice on flowers and plants, intentionally or unintentionally getting closer to him. The faint scent of watercolor rouge on them made his previously dormant heart start to beat again.