Capítulo 11: Forgotten: overlap.
I arrived home quite early, after parting with the weird guy. It might've been because I usually make a trip to the abandoned winery/vineyard; I stay there for a few hours.
Today was different. I made it on time for lunch, but I had it in my room, as always. Maybe it was because I wanted to see neither Shuaiqi or the high commander; it might have even been because I was so used to eating alone...
The meal was pretty light. Just some lightly steamed rice with some duck meat on it, along with a few side dishes. Not much, compared to the hearty breakfast, but none of us, in the mansion, except the servants and Shuaiqi, eat a lot, in the first place.
I got bored after eating. Getting bored wasn't unusual — it was, however, odd, not to get bored. I was sitting on my bed, occasionally lying down and shifting positions, but nothing seemed to be working, so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
It kind of worked, since I started dozing off. Around an hour or so later, I went out of my room and looked at the sun. Not even an hour had passed, before I woke up.
I started thinking back on things I may have done or said, which can be looked into now.
I've always had a fondness for swordsmanship. But I don't want to fight like how father taught me — rough; brutal and messy. I wanted to fight, like how it was described in those newly emerging 'cultivation stories' describe it. Like elegantly flowing water, or some other nonsense bullshit made up by the author to make connected strikes look cooler. Still, I wanted to try fighting like that.
But whenever I did manage to fight like that, my efficiency would always fall significantly, and I didn't like that. Sure, I might sacrifice SOME efficiency for beauty, but the level of aesthetic appeal I got from the significantly lowered efficiency wasn't enough to appease me. And anything that looked nicer always created obvious blind spots and openings that even a complete beginner could see through and exploit immediately.
And because of all those useless facts I learnt, I realized that I should just give up on training beautifully and elegantly.
Then, it hit me! The so called 'beautiful' rat! I still had her! Even if nothing interesting happens, bullying someone is always good fun!
And besides, even if I couldn't fight elegantly, at least I could walk elegantly!
And liked that, I walked elegantly to the nearest servant and asked for the rat's current location. According to the servant, she was in the abandoned courtyard, right next to mine.
I was honestly shocked. I didn't think they'd move the rat into a courtyard! Especially the one next to mine! Well, as long as the rat is helpful, I'll be... wait a second...
I told father I'd marry the rat, didn't I? Since Ruan Gao doesn't want to marry me, I can use the rat to redirect our marriage elsewhere.
I elegantly walked into the midsummer courtyard (the one next to mine), and barged right into the master room.
Clearly, the ungrateful rat didn't know I was their savior, seeing as they were too busy covering their naked body, instead of bowing down and thanking me for saving them.
Of course, it was a minor error on her part. I'll be sure to bring it up with the madame (person teaching the rat).
"hey, rat. I have a fiancé that I don't want to marry. She doesn't want to marry me either. So you marry me, and we have a mutual divorce after a year; it's a win-win-win scenario. I don't get married, and I brush off any potential suitors, while your can enjoy whatever riches you want, and Ruan Gao can not get married to me. See, all happy?"
"what if I didn't want to help you?" she asked with a glare.
"then I'll strip you and throw you for the old men in the slums. I'm sure they'll enjoy you lots."
"bastard!"
"bastard: illegitimate child. I know there are around twenty bastards in this mansion, but I assure you, I am of a superior form, compared to their half-blood status."
"you are... Jia Pangzi?"
"yes."
"thank." she said while bowing down.
I guess the madame did well in teaching her? She did exactly as I thought! Haha.
"good. Be sure to study well, Qianzai Yi Jiao."
"name?"
"yes, name."
"thank." she said, again.
Her grammar may not be the best, but it's only been a few days. Anyways, I'll be sure to give the madame a secret bonus. No one will notice anything less than ten silver taels in the mansion.
I went out of the midsummer courtyard, and went right, to go to the kitchen, since I was feeling a little hungry. I'll just grab some loaves of bread, or something. No point in waiting for a full blown meal, is there?
While on my way to the kitchen, I bumped into servant, asking me to come with him.
This was when I realized what day it was.
Today was the one day of the week where we get a replacement for one of the servants that somehow die due to unknown circumstances. Outsiders think I am the one killing off one or two servants a week, but they're completely wrong. Well, they're not completely wrong, but they aren't exactly correct, either.
Although I DO kill some servants, I try to avoid it, since I have to pay the severance fee to the family, and I also have to give a bonus sum for any new servants, according to Jia family traditions.
I followed the servant to the site of the test, and I saw the three finalists. Except there was one problem. There was only meant to be two finalists, meaning one of these people were brought in using connections...
"what departments are they assigned to?"
"the man and lady are in the kitchen, and the other lady is for the midsummer courtyard."
"I see... which one of these people would be considered the most skilled?"
"I'd say it is... the man."
"noted. Now get these lazy asses to work. I don't pay them to loiter around, and I don't pay you to let then loiter around!"
After saying what needed to be said; subtly interrogating the examiner, I left to my room, and gathered a unit of six men.
An hour or so after the newcomers were assigned to their works, I called them all to my courtyard.
I didn't greet them, since they weren't important guests. I let them into the main hall, and had then show their hands.
I carefully examined each one of them; then, I examined their clothes. After coming to my personal conclusion, I had the lady working in the kitchen executed.
"the rat needs a maid, so I can't kill you, and kitchen complained about having an extra helper, so... two birds, one stone." I said to the two servants.
I then had the hall cleared out, and had the men clean the body and blood off of the floor. If a maid were to scream, father would come and ask why I didn't just fire them. In which case, I won't be able to say the truth, which is: 'I felt like killing someone.'
If and when the family asks for severance pay, I'll reject them, since she wasn't actually an employee, and only got in due to connections, ie: not valid, according to the Jia's traditions.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
CatHam
CatHam I decided to keep the Xianxia tag, and I know I won't miss erasing this personality, for sure. Still, it's sad having to erase Alexandra; doing this chapter was pretty much just writing a new one, and making it match up with the original chapter. I'd match it with the third personality's perspective of what happened, but from the first's perspective. The first is Pangzi, the second is Alexandra, and the third is the one introduced in this chapter.