Chapter 12
Zheng Fa's mother heard the commotion and walked over to his side, holding Zheng Shan's small hand as she looked on.
Huang Yu's father smiled as he opened one of the boxes. Inside were several pieces of cloth—nothing fancy, but at least it was new.
"This is some cloth my wife had set aside, dreaming that this boy would become the Seventh Young Master’s attendant and would need a few decent new outfits," he shot Huang Yu a sideways glance, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Huang Yu shrank back a little.
"Now that my dear nephew can serve the Seventh Young Master, consider these pieces of cloth my congratulatory gift. I hope you won’t find it too shabby."
Zheng Fa turned to glance at his mother, who shook her head slightly.
"Uncle Huang, it’s not that I’m ungrateful; it’s just that one shouldn’t accept rewards without merit..."
"Oh, what’s a few pieces of cloth?" Huang Guanshi interrupted Zheng Fa’s refusal with a laugh. "I just said, I have only one son. For him to have such a good friend like you is a blessing."
Zheng Fa looked at Huang Yu, who was blushing deeply and avoiding his gaze.
"Brother Huang and I hit it off right away; I really don’t need these..."
"If you say that, then consider me as your elder. It’s only right for me to give my junior a little gift for our first meeting, isn’t it?"
Seeing that Zheng Fa was about to say more, he waved his hand and opened another box.
Inside was a complete set of writing tools: ink, brushes, paper, and an inkstone.
"Since you’re going to accompany the Seventh Young Master in his studies, you’ll need these scholarly essentials. I happen to have some extras at home, and they’re not worth much, so I brought them for you... Just remember, don’t be picky."
"Uncle Huang, you..." Zheng Fa couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Though Huang Yu's father kept insisting not to be picky, the writing tools and the new cloth were exactly what Zheng Fa needed—perhaps even more than he had anticipated.
It was a gesture filled with sincerity and goodwill. Zheng Fa wanted to refuse, but he didn’t know how to express it.
Sensing Zheng Fa’s hesitation, Huang Yu's father laughed heartily and instructed Huang Yu to carry the two boxes off the cart, then added, "Nephew, I have matters to attend to at the estate, so I’ll take my leave now."
Without waiting for a response, he spurred his horse and galloped away, leaving no chance for Zheng Fa to speak.
Huang Yu stood there, staring blankly at his father’s retreating figure, his mouth agape. "Dad! What about me? I didn’t get on the cart!"
"Huang Yu, you stay here. I’ll come back for you tomorrow!"
Zheng Fa: "..."
Looking at Huang Yu and then at the two boxes, he suddenly felt a bit of a headache.
But it wouldn’t be right to leave him here, so they each took a box and headed toward the Zheng family home.
Zheng Shan followed behind, clutching a food box.
As for Wang Gui and the others...
They remained silent, not wanting to speak.
Fortunately, they had the food box from the old man driving the cart, so they had something to offer Huang Yu.
But when it came to sleeping arrangements, it would have to be just Huang Yu and Zheng Fa sharing a room.
After dinner, Huang Yu sat in Zheng Fa’s room, pursing his lips in silence for a while before suddenly saying, "Actually, it was my dad who sent me here."
"I know."
"My dad always says I don’t understand things," Huang Yu continued, still not looking at Zheng Fa. "He’s worried that after he’s gone, no one will look out for me."
Zheng Fa nodded.
Huang Yu was clearly not the type to charm his way through life.
Even in the water pavilion, it was evident he wanted to curry favor with that Gao Yuan, but one word from someone made him so angry that he gave up.
"At first, he wanted me to compete for the position of the Seventh Young Master’s attendant, but then he told me it was just to meet someone like you. He said if I became the Seventh Young Master’s attendant, he was afraid I’d drag the whole family down."
At this point, Huang Yu leaned back, resting his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, looking a bit frustrated. "Adults are really annoying; they think too much."
Zheng Fa, sitting beside him, suddenly said, "You have a good father."
"Huh?"
"Your dad must have some standing in the Zhao family," Zheng Fa could tell from Wang Guanshi's attitude toward Huang Yu's father. "I’m just a mere attendant; I can’t even guarantee I can help you in the future. Why would he go out of his way to send me these things?"
"...For me."
Zheng Fa shrugged.
"So, you don’t think he’s... opportunistic?" Huang Yu’s face flushed red. "Isn’t it only right for us to serve the Zhao family? We’ve been their people for generations!"
Zheng Fa fell silent.
Huang Yu seemed to ponder for a moment before suddenly saying, "I can’t help but feel that getting close to you might actually drag my whole family down."
...
At the Wang estate.
Wang Gui was still fuming. "When I was an attendant, why didn’t anyone try to curry favor with me?"
"Oh, plenty of people sent silver," Wang Guanshi replied, emerging from the bedroom with a bundle. "But I borrowed money to help you get the position of the Seventh Young Master’s attendant."
"So all that silver from others went to pay off debts?" Wang Gui felt he was starting to understand.
"Not exactly; there’s still this." Wang Guanshi patted the bundle in his hands.
"That’s quite a bit." Wang Gui glanced at the size of the bundle, feeling somewhat satisfied, but then suddenly realized something was off. "Dad, where are you taking that bundle?"
"Of course, I’m taking it to Zheng Fa’s family."
"Huh?"
---
**Chapter 14: Job Benefits?**
Zheng Fa watched Wang Guanshi’s somewhat stiff back as he left, his gaze calm.
Behind him, Zheng Mu spoke with a hint of concern, "He came with the intention of easing the relationship between our families. It might not be good to refuse him like this."
Zheng Fa understood his mother’s gentle nature; she didn’t want to stir up trouble.
Meanwhile, his little sister Zheng Shan was clear about her feelings: "A few stinky coins—who wants them? Wang Gui’s family isn’t good people!"
She clearly remembered the incident when Wang Gui had blocked her at the village entrance.
Zheng Fa patted his sister’s head and explained to his mother, "Wang Guanshi probably doesn’t have good intentions. I’ve just been chosen by the lady to be the Seventh Young Master’s attendant, and he’s brazenly taking someone else’s silver. What kind of behavior is that?"
This was completely different from what Huang Yu’s family had sent.
Huang Yu’s father had given practical writing tools and a few pieces of coarse cloth—nothing valuable, but useful.
But Wang Guanshi... a bundle of silver was hard to ignore.
It seemed more like a trap than a gift.
In the end, one was sincere in friendship, while the other had ulterior motives.
Zheng Mu paused, beginning to understand, and her gaze toward Zheng Fa was filled with an inexplicable sense of pride. "You’ve really grown up."
Zheng Fa smiled and nodded, not being modest at all. "Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll earn back this silver for you in the future!"
He knew that his mother had always been cautious, and the more confident he was, the more reassured she would feel.
In fact, he was also a bit intentionally trying to scare Zheng Mu—whether Wang Guanshi was genuinely trying to trap him was uncertain, but he knew he didn’t need to take such risks for that silver.
His little sister chimed in, nodding along, "Mother, I can earn silver for you too! I don’t want the Wang family’s silver!"
Her small face was filled with determination.
Zheng Mu shot her a glance. "You’d better not be greedy; I’ll be thankful just to have enough to eat!"
Zheng Fa picked up his little sister and bounced her a bit, laughing, "You’ve gotten heavier! You seem to have grown taller too."
He suddenly remembered something. "About the cloth from the Huang family, Mother, can you make me two outfits? The rest can go to you and my little sister."
Zheng Mu hesitated. "That’s a gift for you, and since you’re going to the Zhao residence, you’ll need a few more outfits to look presentable."
"But being an attendant isn’t a big deal; what’s there to be presentable about?" Zheng Fa pinched his little sister’s hair playfully. "Besides, our family hasn’t had new clothes in years."
"New clothes!"
Hearing those words, Zheng Shan raised her hands in excitement, cheering.
She was overjoyed.
"Alright, I’ll make you two outfits, and the rest will go to your sister. I won’t take any for myself," Zheng Mu thought for a moment and said firmly.
...
After spending three days at home, Zheng Fa donned the new clothes made for him and bid farewell to his mother once more.
This time, Zheng Mu’s eyes were a bit red.
According to the Zhao family’s rules, Zheng Fa would follow the Seventh Young Master to study and train, returning home only once every six days.
If Zheng Fa remained in the position of an attendant, he would likely spend most of his time at the Zhao residence for several years to come.
Zheng Shan had been particularly happy these past few days, enjoying good food and receiving new clothes from their mother.
Wang Gui no longer dared to bully her.
But now, she clung to Zheng Fa’s knee, crying loudly:
"I don’t want to eat meat from the city anymore!"
"I don’t want new clothes!"
"I don’t want my brother to go to the Zhao family!"
The one who came to pick up Zheng Fa was still the old man driving the ox cart. He chewed on his pipe, watching this scene with a bit of difficulty. "Little Zheng, we need to set off. We can’t keep the noble waiting."
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