LOT – Chapter 118 Bai Xiao Takes Lin Mo to Steal Loquats

Hearing Bai Xiao’s words, Lin Mo silently put down the knife in her hand.

Tsk, cooking really might not be her thing. She could steam rice just fine, but when it came to stir-frying dishes… maybe it really was a problem of talent.

Seeing that this little ancestor finally put the knife down, Bai Xiao quickly pulled her aside and had someone close the kitchen door.

“Come on, come on, I know a place where there’s something delicious!”

At this time of night, going out to eat wasn’t very convenient. After all, it was already dark, and it wasn’t very safe for a young lady to wander around outside.

But Bai Xiao had recently discovered a hidden treasure inside the estate!

When Lin Mo looked at the dog hole covered tightly by weeds, her expression almost collapsed.

“So you brought me here to eat grass? Are you serious?”

Bai Xiao pushed aside the grass. “Who said I brought you to eat grass? Do you even know who your neighbor is?”

Lin Mo: “Of course I know, it’s Hanlin Academy’s Scholar Liu, that overly rigid old man.”

Every time that old man saw her, his eyes would roll so high they nearly turned to the sky.

She had always wanted to dig up some dirt on the old scholar, but unfortunately, he was rigid since childhood and had absolutely no juicy gossip. In short, he was a completely joyless person.

Bai Xiao grinned and wriggled straight through the dog hole. “Hurry up! I’ll take you to Scholar Liu’s house for something good to eat!”

“There’s an abandoned courtyard at his place, and in it grows a huge loquat tree. The branches are full of fruit.”

At that, Lin Mo’s reluctance vanished in an instant. She flopped down to the ground, crawled forward, and wriggled right through the dog hole.

A great woman knows when to bend and when to stretch. It’s not like she hadn’t crawled through ditches before. Crawling through a dog hole for food wasn’t shameful!

Bai Xiao, who had prepared a whole speech to tempt her: … Really? You couldn’t hold out just a bit longer? Just the word “loquat” was enough to lure you over? I didn’t even get to say half of my lines!

Lin Mo’s eyes were already sparkling with hunger. “Quick, quick! Let’s go pick loquats! Take me there now!”

Meanwhile, Scholar Liu was in his study teaching his son and daughter to read, while his wife and concubines were busy with embroidery inside the house.

Using his system abilities, Bai Xiao quickly located a low section of wall, and the two of them clambered over.

【Careful, careful! We’re here to steal food—if we’re discovered, we’re finished!】

Lin Mo’s heart was pounding with both nerves and excitement. This was her first time being a thief!

This absolutely mustn’t get out. If people knew that the dignified Little Lord Lin had stolen food, she’d become a laughingstock!

【Relax, I know what I’m doing. There’s no one around here. That courtyard has long been abandoned because people say the feng shui is bad. Even the servants don’t come this way.】

Bai Xiao had done his homework. Over ten years ago, one of Scholar Liu’s concubines had lived in this courtyard. She died in childbirth along with the baby, and the courtyard was sealed off.

People were just too superstitious. In this era, childbirth was like walking through the gates of hell—no one could predict if a woman would survive.

But Bai Xiao didn’t tell Lin Mo about the death. After all, she was a girl; what if she got scared?

【Hahahaha! What a huge loquat tree! So many fruits! If I had known, I would’ve asked Father and Mother to plant a loquat tree in my yard when I was a child!】

In no time at all, Lin Mo had scrambled up the tree like a monkey.

Bai Xiao only saw her shadow blur, and then she was already perched on a branch.

【You wait down there—I’ll pick them for you!】

She reached out, twisting her body into what could only generously be called a “graceful” arc along the trunk.

Bai Xiao frowned hard. 【Be careful! Don’t strain your back up there!】

Lin Mo bragged smugly: 【I’ve been climbing trees since I was little. How could I possibly twist my waist up here? Don’t underestimate me!】

But sometimes, the more confident you are, the more likely fate is to prove you wrong.

Lin Mo grabbed a particularly large cluster of loquats, pulled hard, and then—crack!

She froze in that picking posture.

Bai Xiao hurried over, peering up. 【What’s wrong? Why are you stuck like you’ve been immobilized by an acupoint? I don’t sense anyone else nearby.】

Lin Mo sucked in a sharp breath, her inner voice quivering with tears: 【My waist— I pulled my waist! Damn your crow’s mouth!】

Bai Xiao: … How is this my fault? Didn’t I just warn you?!

The problem was, Lin Mo had climbed very high. Bai Xiao, being a system, could crawl through dog holes and climb walls, but climbing trees? Not happening.

So now the two of them were in quite the awkward situation.

Bai Xiao was deeply grateful they could communicate telepathically—otherwise, her screaming would’ve woken the entire Liu household by now.

(Onlookers: Are you sure no one else can hear your “inner voices”?)

【Aaaaaah! Help, help! My waist hurts so much!】

Lin Mo’s face twisted in pain, her nose even twitching from how badly it hurt.

【Just hold on a little longer. Why don’t you jump down? I’ll catch you. Don’t worry—I can definitely catch you!】

Bai Xiao planted his feet firmly, arms outstretched.

【I’ll even activate your protection mechanism. Even if you fall to the ground, you won’t get hurt.】

The protection system prevented others from harming her—but who knew she could still hurt herself!

Lin Mo gasped, then let out a tragic wail as she dropped.

The passing maids and servants of the Liu estate: !!!

What was that sound from the abandoned courtyard?! Why was it so bone-chillingly tragic?!

All of them instantly recalled the screams of Concubine Shan during her fatal childbirth over a decade ago.

At this moment, Lin Mo lay in Bai Xiao’s arms, howling pitifully.

Bai Xiao: 【Stop screaming, stop screaming. I checked your waist—nothing’s broken, just a little twisted. Rub some medicine on it for a couple of days and you’ll be fine.】

He had nearly thought her spine was snapped, scaring him half to death.

Lin Mo, sniffling and sobbing: 【Easy for you to say, it’s not your waist! Hurry and pick up all the loquats on the ground. After such a huge sacrifice, not a single one of these fruits can be wasted!】

Even though Lin Mo hadn’t actually opened her mouth, her inner cries had been crystal-clear to the Liu household.

The maids and servants quickly rushed to report to Scholar Liu what had happened.

“Nonsense! That must have just been the wind. How can you be so cowardly? Don’t link everything to ghosts and spirits. Concubine Shan has been gone for years. I always treated her well. No one wanted things to turn out that way during childbirth. Ever since her passing, I’ve offered sacrifices every year—for both her and the unborn child. How could she possibly have turned into a ghost?”

Scholar Liu’s words were righteous and firm… but it would have been more convincing if not for his trembling hands.

In truth, his fear didn’t come from guilt. Back then, he had indeed treated Concubine Shan fairly well. In fact, he had treated all his wives and concubines decently—he simply placed too much emphasis on the difference between legitimate and concubine-born.

But in this era, that was normal, not anything excessively cruel.