Chapter Thirty-Six: North, South, East, and West

The four youngsters who had received the order immediately hurried over from afar. When they arrived at the Mo residence, they were stopped at the gate. The four of them didn’t even look like troublemakers today—so why weren’t they allowed in?

“It’s just that it’s only five in the morning, young sirs. Everyone’s still asleep, so please understand,” the guard said, clearly uncomfortable. He worked the night shift, alternating with his colleagues.

“We…” The four of them were at a loss for words. They’d forgotten to check the time and didn’t expect to arrive so early. But surely, they could at least be let inside the gate?

“We’re here to see Sister Qianyin. Please, could you let us in?”

“Sorry, I can’t let people in without permission. You’ll need to call Miss Qianyin to come down and get you.”

Realizing there was no room for negotiation, one of them took out his phone and called Qianyin. She was sleeping comfortably when the call came in, but she jumped out of bed at once.

“They won’t let us in. Come down and get us, quick. We’ve been traveling all night, and we’re starving. Please find us something to eat.”

Qianyin nearly laughed at the aggrieved little voice. What was up with these four?

She hung up, quickly washed up, and changed clothes. Mo Lan, awakened by the commotion, looked at her curiously.

Was she going on another mission? It was so early—why was she getting up now?

Qianyin ignored Mo Lan, striding out and heading straight to the gate. She faced the guard.

“They’re my little brothers. Let them in.”

“Yes, Miss Qianyin!” The guard felt a little guilty seeing her awake so early. But he had to do his job. He opened the gate and let the four inside.

Qianyin sized up the group—three years had passed, and they’d grown quickly. Now each of them was at least 1.8 meters tall, taller than her. They each wore a different colored T-shirt and casual pants, and their faces looked almost identical.

She led them into the living room, where there was fruit on the table.

No sooner had the four sat down than they sprang to their feet again, surprising Qianyin as each one pulled her up and gave her a huge hug.

“East, South, West, North, what are you doing?” Qianyin was helpless. They’d grown so tall that when they hugged her, she felt like a child. She wasn’t short herself—at 1.7 meters, she was quite tall for a woman.

These four were Qianyin’s sworn brothers and also her disciples. Since they had no names, they took her surname, and she’d simply called them East, South, West, and North. But now that they were grown, calling them “kids” didn’t seem right anymore.

“Sis, it’s been so long! We missed you—give you a big hug!” The eternally cheerful North said, grabbing an apple as soon as the hug was done. He really was hungry.

“I missed you all too. I’ll go make you some noodles. Apples aren’t the best breakfast—just wait a moment.” Qianyin rushed off to the kitchen in a flurry, as the servants were all still asleep.

“Great! It’s been ages since we’ve had your noodles,” the four chorused.

Looking around, Qianyin found only eggs and some greens. This would have to be a simple noodle soup, but it would taste good enough. She set about boiling water, washing the vegetables, and frying the eggs. She was used to making herself good food, so this was easy work.

“We’re hungry too!” Mo Lan suddenly appeared behind her, startling her.

“We?” Qianyin looked over, puzzled—who else was here?

Turning, she saw that Lengxue had come back as well, holding a box. An Feng stood in the doorway, watching with interest.

“Go sit down, all of you. The food will be ready soon. The housekeepers aren’t back from the market yet, so please make do with what I can whip up.” Qianyin couldn’t help but laugh—today she was playing the role of a free servant.

She increased the portions and adjusted the seasonings. Not knowing exactly how many people there’d be or whether one bowl would be enough for each, she made extra.

Soon the water boiled, and she added the noodles. When they were done, she fished them out and topped each with a fried egg—ten bowls in all, since she’d fried ten eggs.

She added the greens, poured in the broth, and was just about to taste to see if the flavor was right when, behind her, several people suddenly swooped in, each grabbing a bowl and heading out to the living room.

“Hey…You all…That’s too much!” Qianyin was genuinely annoyed—she hadn’t even tasted it herself and they’d already taken it all.

When she got to the living room, she found them all eating heartily, with not a care for appearances.

With no other choice, Qianyin sat down and grabbed a bowl for herself. As she ate, two more, drawn by the aroma, appeared.

“You’ve made me so hungry I woke up,” said the old master of the Mo family, helped down by Mo Fan. Seeing only two bowls left on the table, he plopped down and started eating without hesitation.

Mo Fan thought it looked plain, but the aroma was so good he dug in as well.

The others offered only smiles at the sudden arrival of these two, without any objection.

Qianyin quickly finished her meal, then sat down to introduce everyone. The rest ate quickly, not caring how hot the noodles were.

“Sis, I’m still hungry,” North complained, eyeing the unexpected crowd. He usually could eat two bowls.

East, South, and West nodded—they still hadn’t eaten their fill.

“Wait until the housekeepers return and have them make you more. I’m tired—I’m done cooking.” Qianyin refused to indulge them further. If she spoiled them now, they’d rely on her for every meal.

“By the way, these four are the bodyguards I mentioned. As for the fee if you want them for protection, you’ll have to discuss that yourselves. I can’t make decisions for them, and the price won’t be low—their missions easily fetch hundreds of thousands each,” Qianyin warned, making it clear to Mo Lan that these four had to agree of their own accord—she couldn’t force them.

Mo Lan nodded. But were these really “kids”? They looked more like young men.

“Bodyguards? Xiao Lan, what’s this about? Why do you suddenly need bodyguards?” the old master asked, suddenly alert.

“They’re for you, Grandpa. You and Mo Fan have both been in some danger lately. I’m worried,” Mo Lan replied bluntly. It was true—she, Qianyin, Lengxue, and An Feng couldn’t be around the old master every day.

The old master fell silent, for things had indeed been unsettled recently.

“If we become bodyguards, will we have no freedom?” East, the eldest, hesitated.

“Will we get to see Sis every day?” North, the youngest, ignored the rest.

“That’s why I’m not forcing you. Take the job if you want—it’s up to you. But if you do, it will be for a year. And yes, I’ll be with Sister Mo Lan every day, so you’ll probably see me every day.” Qianyin added the last part mainly for Mo Lan’s benefit.