But to be honest, Zheng Fa didn’t feel much about it. After all, the lady was the one who allowed him to reunite with his mother and sister, and she also provided them with a better life.
That was enough.
As for everything else, it was about actions, not intentions.
The Seventh Young Master was taken aback, looking a bit embarrassed as he pressed his lips together and avoided Zheng Fa’s gaze.
He turned his head to lift the curtain of the carriage and looked outside, muttering, “I haven’t been to the village yet. This time, I really want to take a good look!”
…
In the village.
The sun was nearly setting, and Zheng Fa’s mother stood at the door, anxiously peering outside.
As the sky gradually darkened, a small figure appeared, bouncing toward the Zheng family’s gate, carrying a bamboo basket that was three times the size of her head.
“Shan’er!” Zheng’s mother hurried forward, taking the basket from her daughter’s hands and scrutinizing her from head to toe.
Zheng Shan’s pant legs were still muddy, and her forehead was glistening with sweat.
Seeing that her daughter was intact, Zheng’s mother let out a sigh of relief, but then, in a mix of anger and concern, pinched Zheng Shan’s ear. “Why are you back so late? Do you know your mother was worried sick?”
“Mom! That hurts!” Zheng Shan cried out, tilting her head to explain, “I wasn’t playing! I took a long way…”
“You took a detour?” Zheng’s mother asked, releasing her grip.
“Yeah, Wang Gui has been bothering me on the road these past few days, so I was scared and took a longer route,” Zheng Shan nodded.
“Wang Gui… he’s getting more and more outrageous these days!” Zheng’s mother frowned.
“His father doesn’t even discipline him!” Zheng Shan grumbled in frustration.
Zheng’s mother sighed. Ever since her son had refused the money from Wang Guan Shi’s family, Wang Gui’s bullying of Zheng Shan had escalated.
Because of Zheng Fa, Wang Gui didn’t dare to truly harm Zheng Shan, but he was certainly a nuisance.
As for Wang Guan Shi?
Knowing Zheng Fa’s attitude toward their family, he probably wouldn’t care about Wang Gui anymore.
Since Zheng Fa was still working as a servant in the Zhao residence, he certainly wouldn’t take matters into his own hands.
But for these small issues, afterward, it would be easy to dismiss it as just childish behavior.
“About this, when your brother comes back, don’t tell him,” Zheng’s mother suddenly said. “Tomorrow, I’ll go gather pigweed.”
“I’ll go! Ever since brother left, all the chores have fallen on you, Mom. I can help, and I can avoid Wang Gui. Brother used to do more work than I do!” Zheng Shan insisted, tugging at the basket.
“Don’t tell your brother.”
Zheng’s mother gently wiped the sweat from her daughter’s forehead with her sleeve and added a reminder.
“I won’t tell. You said it, Mom. Brother must be having a hard time as a servant in the Zhao residence,” Zheng Shan nodded earnestly. “We can’t let him worry about us.”
Zheng’s mother embraced her sensible daughter.
Zheng Shan playfully snuggled against her mother, then suddenly spoke in a tone of complaint:
“Wang Gui even said that brother is living the good life in the Zhao residence and that I should beg him to take me to the city to enjoy it too!”
“That’s not possible! Your brother is all alone in the Zhao residence, living in fear. How could he have that kind of privilege? Saying that would make people think he’s arrogant!”
“I know, he just wants brother to be like him, getting beaten and sent back!” Zheng Shan lifted her head, pride shining in her eyes as if she understood everything. “Brother always brings me delicious food!”
As she spoke, she licked her lips, seemingly recalling the tasty treats from the food box.
---
**Chapter 29: Night Disturbances**
The sky had completely darkened, and the carriage sped through the starlit night.
The Seventh Young Master wore a face of despair, clinging to the carriage door as he asked Gao Yuan, “Where are we now?”
“We should be almost there?” Gao Yuan replied uncertainly.
“If you can’t even navigate the road, what use are you?” the Seventh Young Master scolded. “When I get back, you’re out of here!”
“I know how to drive, but I didn’t learn how to read the roads!” Gao Yuan retorted, quickly shifting the blame. “Why don’t you scold Zheng Fa? He can’t even find his way home!”
Both of them turned to glare at Zheng Fa, who was watching the commotion with an air of indifference, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Zheng Fa: … This blame is indeed on him.
Once they left the city, the roads all looked pretty much the same. Who could tell which fork in the road was the right one?
In the modern world, with the advent of smartphone navigation, many people can’t even read a map anymore.
Let alone here, where there aren’t even any road signs, relying solely on the old horse’s instincts.
“Hmm, this road should be right! It can’t be wrong!”
Fortunately, Zheng Fa had a good memory. Recalling the scenery along the way, he finally found the correct turn.
Hearing Zheng Fa’s confident reply, the Seventh Young Master turned back to sit on the bench, rubbing his stomach with a frown. “I’m so hungry! Is there anything to eat?”
They had set off after lunch, and with the speed of the carriage, they should have reached Zheng’s family’s village before dinner.
But now, having taken a wrong turn, they had wasted most of the day. Forget dinner; they had even missed the late-night snack time.
All three of them were actually hungry.
Zheng Fa keenly noticed that when the Seventh Young Master said this, he was staring at the food box by his feet.
After a moment’s thought, Zheng Fa picked up the food box.
The Seventh Young Master broke into a grin, only to watch in disbelief as Zheng Fa hid the food box behind his back.
Not even letting me see it?
“Zheng Fa!”
“Hmm?” Zheng Fa feigned confusion.
“I’m hungry!”
“I’m hungry too,” Zheng Fa replied with a look of deep sympathy.
“I saw you took so many snacks from the kitchen; they’re all in there!”
Seeing him play dumb, the Seventh Young Master’s patience wore thin.
“This is for my sister,” Zheng Fa coldly refused. “Just this little bit.”
“... Brother!”
Even though Zheng Fa always considered himself more knowledgeable than the people in this world, he was still taken aback by the Seventh Young Master’s audacity.
“She’s only six…”
Zheng Fa thought to himself: Aren’t you ashamed?
“I’m hungry!”
Zheng Fa sighed. The Seventh Young Master, coming from such a background, must have never gone hungry in his life.
That’s why he couldn’t stand it.
He opened the food box, revealing two plates of snacks, all of which Zheng Fa had chosen because he found them delicious.
Now, everyone in the Zhao residence knew that Zheng Fa had a bit of face in front of the Seventh Young Master. Whenever he mentioned it in the kitchen, someone would prepare it for him.
“Here!” He handed over one plate of snacks.
The Seventh Young Master grabbed a piece of bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment, lifted the carriage curtain, and called out to Gao Yuan, “Gao Yuan, you must be hungry from driving all this way too. Come have some.”
He extended the plate, and Gao Yuan nodded, eagerly taking a piece.
Zheng Fa figured that since they were both at an age where they could eat a lot, one small snack probably wouldn’t fill them up, so he placed the food box inside the carriage and said, “Take more after you finish this.”
The Seventh Young Master quickly finished a piece of bean cake, then looked at Zheng Fa, who hadn’t taken any snacks, and asked, puzzled, “Aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Zheng Fa smiled.
The Seventh Young Master glanced at his own hands, which were licked clean of crumbs, then back at Zheng Fa, recalling that they had all shared lunch together.
Both he and Gao Yuan were hungry.
Zheng Fa wasn’t hungry?
He probably wanted to save more for his sister, right?
The Seventh Young Master swallowed hard and suddenly said, “I’m not that hungry either. I won’t eat anymore.”
Outside the carriage, Gao Yuan chimed in, “No water, eating too much will choke me! I won’t eat either.”
Zheng Fa truly didn’t feel very hungry; he was probably just used to enduring hunger.
He also genuinely intended to save a few pieces for his sister.
These two…
He didn’t press further, smiling as he closed the food box. “We’ll be there soon; we can eat when we arrive.”
As Zheng Fa had said, in less than half an hour, they saw the silhouettes of houses against the starry sky.
“We’re here!”
The Seventh Young Master gazed longingly at the cluster of small houses, itching to jump out of the carriage.
Suddenly, the first house lit up with a torch.
The sound of drums and gongs echoed.
The villagers, who had long since fallen asleep, were now waking up, lighting candles in their homes.
The entire village seemed to awaken in a flurry.
“What’s going on?” The Seventh Young Master stared in astonishment at the chaotic scene in the village.
“They’re afraid of bandits. We arrived too late, and the watchmen couldn’t see the carriage clearly, thinking we meant no good.”
The Xuan Wei Realm was not peaceful.
Jingzhou City was fine, but the villages outside often faced the threat of bandit raids.
Every night, young men would stand guard.
His tone turned a bit somber.
Zheng Fa’s father was one of the watchmen that night when the demon beasts descended…
At this moment, the village was already in a state of panic.
Zheng’s mother held the sleepy Zheng Shan in her arms, peering out through the window.
“Mom?”
Zheng Shan sensed her mother trembling.
Zheng’s mother forced a smile for her daughter. Zheng Shan had been just a year old when her father passed away, so she had no memories of him.
But she had never forgotten.