Chapter 13: Rapping On The Knuckles
Jiang Yihui opened the door and said to Xiao Yanci in the courtyard, “Come in.”
Xiao Yanci had already heard what Jiang Yihui said to Zhong Lanhua and her daughter. Seeing this person inciting the mother and daughter to sell him, resentment grew toward him.
However, when under someone else’s roof, one has to bow one’s head. The Jiang family had only him as the sole male heir, so he was clearly in charge. This person could not be offended; once they fell out, he would be the one to suffer.
Xiao Yanci followed Jiang Yihui inside.
“From earlier until now, you haven’t paid respects to me. It seems you still lack awareness as a servant.” Jiang Yihui sat in the upper seat, looking coldly at Xiao Yanci.
Xiao Yanci lowered his eyes and gave a salute: “Greetings, Young Master.”
“Shouldn’t a servant kneel when seeing the master?” Jiang Yihui snorted coldly. “My mother is easygoing, my sister is kind-hearted, but you disregard the rules like this. Are you trying to bully your master?”
Xiao Yanci clenched his fists.
A countryside mud-legged boy who studied a few days of books and luckily bought him actually thought himself so noble. The third- and fourth-rank officials he had seen before all had to fawn over him. What was he, daring to make him kneel?
Xiao Yanci really wanted to slap him across the face and loudly tell him his identity. But no, he was now a descendant of a criminal. His presence here was already because a loyal servant had taken his place; he was here in the loyal servant’s identity, otherwise he would already be a corpse by now.
He endured his hatred and knelt down, saying forbearing words: “Xiao Ci pays respects to Young Master.”
“Which Xiao?”
“The Xiao of ‘Xiao Pass meets herald riders, Protector-General at Yanran.'”
“Which Ci?”
Xiao Yanci originally wanted to say “Hanging shadows divide into a thousand-mile goose, ci roots scatter into nine-autumn thistles,” but on second thought, he couldn’t expose his name, so he changed his words.
“The ci of ‘one new ci poem, one cup of wine.'”
“Xiao Ci. Looking at you like this, you really have studied books. How many years did you study?”
Xiao Yanci answered: “Two years. Family fortunes declined, had no choice but to sell myself into servitude.”
“Since you know characters, you’ll serve writing brush and ink these few days! Of course, you still have to do the household work. Understand?”
“Understood.” Xiao Yanci squeezed his palm.
Zhong Lanhua’s voice calling for dinner came from outside. Jiang Yihui went out and came to the hall. Seeing three people’s bowls and chopsticks on the table, knowing Xiao Yanci wasn’t eating at the table, he was somewhat satisfied.
“I just tested him with a few lines; he really is someone who studied books for two days. I need him to serve writing brush and ink these few days, so he’ll be in my room for one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon.”
Hearing that Jiang Yihui had tested Xiao Ci, Zhong Lanhua felt quite proud.
Her son definitely had great scholarship, so he knew how to test and teach another person who had studied books. She was more fortunate than Zhang Zhaodi; she had been better than her when young, and even as a widow, she had a son to rely on, unlike her with only an ugly girl.
Jiang Yihui returned, and dinner was especially sumptuous.
Xiao Yanci sat in his wood shed, holding a bowl in his hands with corn paste inside.
“Xiao Gege.” Jiang Yihuan quietly pushed the door open and came in. “I secretly took a chicken leg; eat it quickly to nourish your body.”
Xiao Yanci stared blankly at the chicken leg she handed over.
“Eat it quickly, don’t dawdle, be careful not to get discovered.” Jiang Yihuan was anxious, lowering her voice. “I told my mother and brother I’m going to the outhouse, so I have to go back.”
“Huan’er, thank you.” Xiao Yanci looked at her moved. “You are my only comfort.”
“Don’t say that; you’ll definitely get better and better in the future. I believe in you.” Jiang Yihuan looked at him with heartache.
After Jiang Yihuan left, Xiao Yanci ate the chicken leg in small bites.
The chicken leg had only salt and no other flavors, but to Xiao Yanci, it was the most delicious food in the world. He thought he would never forget this chicken leg in his lifetime.
The Jiang family side was all together, but Jiang Yihui was always stern and didn’t like hearing noise during meals, so there were many rules, making the meal oppressively dull. In contrast, the Su family side was warm and pleasant because of one braised chicken. When only the last piece of chicken remained, Su Yaoguang picked it for Zhang Zhaodi, and Zhang Zhaodi picked it back for her.
“Look at your thin frame; you should eat more to nourish yourself.”
Zhang Zhaodi ate her fill and suddenly felt all her worries were nothing. Even if her daughter used up the remaining scant money to procure various materials, leaving only enough for a month’s living, she still felt this kind of life had more hope.
Money could be earned again; as long as her daughter was happy, that was priceless.
Looking at this boy again, he seemed quite pleasing to the eye. Nothing else, having a man in the house really made a difference.
The next day, Su Yaoguang continued taking Zhou Wangshu up the mountain to gather flower petals.
This time, besides flower petals, they also needed a few herbs. If she added those herbs to the face cream, it could repair scars and whiten and nourish the skin.
The knowledge about herbs was taught to her by physician sisters she befriended after becoming the top scholar’s wife in her previous life. That sister had great talent in medical skill and later entered the palace to become a royal female doctor. She passed away early, and she didn’t know if she later achieved her dream of becoming the world’s top female doctor.
Zhou Wangshu sized up Su Yaoguang and saw her suddenly become low-spirited, finding this person quite strange.
Suddenly, he sensed something wrong.
Zhou Wangshu pressed Su Yaoguang’s shoulders and said in a low voice, “Don’t move.”
“What’s wrong?” Su Yaoguang was startled by him.
Zhou Wangshu slowly turned his head and saw a large wild boar standing not far away.
His pupils contracted, and he said to Su Yaoguang, “When I say run later, you must run downhill with all your strength.”
“Don’t scare me; what’s really wrong?”
“There’s a wild boar behind us, with an extremely massive body.”
“I only have a sickle in my hand…”
“I only have a slingshot in my hand…”
The wild boar saw them not moving and grew impatient, roaring and charging over.
Zhou Wangshu shouted loudly: “Run.”
Su Yaoguang turned and ran.
Her current stamina was much stronger than in her previous life; not only was her strength much greater, she also ran faster than before.
She ran wildly all the way, and after a while, she realized something was missing.
Something’s wrong!
Where was her cheap husband bought for ten copper coins?
She looked back and saw Zhou Wangshu, pale-faced due to his unhealed injury, far behind her.
Zhou Wangshu hadn’t expected Su Yaoguang to run so well and so fast. As expected of someone used to doing work in the countryside, much more capable than those delicate young ladies in the capital city.
Zhou Wangshu couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
He hadn’t died at the hands of those bandits, nor in the human trafficker’s hands, yet he was going to die at the hands of an unknown wild boar. When the wild boar was killed and eaten by people, it would count as indirectly eating him too.
Zhou Wangshu couldn’t run anymore.
No more running.
The wild boar charged over, goring toward him.
Zhou Wangshu aimed his slingshot at the wild boar’s eyes.
The wild boar shrieked, pausing in pain for a moment.
In that moment of pause, Su Yaoguang ran back, hoisted Zhou Wangshu onto her back, and ran off.
Zhou Wangshu: “…”
