Chapter 26

Back then, it was the same sound of gongs and the same chaos.

After a while, someone from the village suddenly ran over, shouting, “It’s fine, it’s fine! The carriage from the manor has arrived!”

Zheng Shan felt her mother’s grip on her arm suddenly loosen, and a sigh escaped from above her head.

Moments later, her mother’s body stiffened.

She let go of Zheng Shan and dashed outside in a frenzy.

“Mom? What’s happening?”

Zheng Shan watched her mother, barefoot, stumbling as she followed.

Zheng Mu didn’t answer, nor did she dare to.

Not long ago, Wang Gui had been beaten by the lady of the house and returned home in a daze.

It was also a carriage.

It was also a night like this.

The people from the manor had brought back the barely conscious Wang Gui, and then they had suddenly arrived.

...

At Wang Guan Shi’s home, Wang Gui was dressed and excitedly whispering to his father.

“I told you Zheng Fa wouldn’t last long! We should have dealt with the Zheng family sooner! Dad, you always say to wait, wait!”

“Shut your mouth.”

Wang Gui fell silent, but his face still showed defiance.

Wang Guan Shi knew his son wasn’t wrong.

He understood a bit about the temper of the Seventh Young Master.

Having his son sent back was one thing, but the Seventh Young Master was truly difficult to please.

Moreover, it was unusual for anyone to come to the manor at this hour.

Just as Zheng Mu had thought, he recalled the night his son had been sent back.

“Being cautious isn’t a bad thing! Besides, he’s been rejected by the Seventh Young Master. The whole family is at the village; where could they run off to? What’s the rush?”

Wang Guan Shi scolded his son and walked toward the village entrance.

Wang Gui followed behind, smiling. He knew his father wouldn’t stop him anymore.

A carriage was slowly approaching, and Wang Gui looked at the young driver, puzzled by his youth and unfamiliarity.

And where was Zheng Fa?

Lying in the carriage?

He leaned forward to peek into the carriage, only to see the curtain being lifted, and the Seventh Young Master poked his head out.

The Seventh Young Master?

Wang Gui stared in shock at the Seventh Young Master’s face, unable to comprehend why he was here.

Could it be that he was here to pick him up?

“Master!” he called out excitedly, secretly vowing: The Seventh Young Master came personally to fetch me; I must serve him with all my heart!

Even if it meant breaking my leg, I would take him to Yan Yu Lou!

“Hey? You live here too?”

At that moment, the surprised expression on the Seventh Young Master’s face felt so cold and hurtful to Wang Gui.

---

**Chapter 30: Picking Someone Up**

Hearing Wang Gui call out “Master,” the villagers knew a big shot from the manor had arrived.

Almost all the villagers surrounded the carriage, their expressions a mix of awe and a hint of flattery as they looked at the Seventh Young Master.

Wang Guan Shi stood out the most, kneeling at the front of the crowd, prostrating himself with perfect form—something he had trained for. His reputation for loyalty among the prominent figures of the Zhao family had been built on such small details.

After a long pause, the Seventh Young Master still hadn’t spoken.

Wang Guan Shi cautiously raised his head, only to see that the Seventh Young Master wasn’t looking at him but at the carriage door.

Zheng Fa was just climbing out of the carriage, landing right in front of Wang Guan Shi.

The two exchanged a bewildered glance.

Perhaps because Wang Guan Shi was too respectful, Zheng Fa unconsciously made a gesture to rise.

Wang Guan Shi instinctively stood up, but then his face stiffened, turning beet red as his gaze slowly shifted from Zheng Fa to the Seventh Young Master, who seemed oblivious, wearing a bright smile.

Wang Gui watched from the side, filled with confusion:

My dad is kneeling to Zheng Fa?

Wait, why is Zheng Fa standing there just fine? Not only can he walk, but he can also jump?

Why is the Seventh Young Master standing with Zheng Fa, chatting and laughing, looking so close?

A wave of incredulous jealousy washed over him—when he was a servant, the Seventh Young Master had never even smiled at him.

“Master, what brings you to the village?” Wang Gui couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.

“Oh, I’m here to pick someone up.”

Joy surged in Wang Gui’s heart; indeed, the Seventh Young Master still remembered Yan Yu Lou, no, he remembered my unwavering loyalty!

Although it seemed Zheng Fa had somehow won the Seventh Young Master’s favor through some underhanded means, the Young Master’s arrival confirmed that he still held some affection for Wang Gui!

Wang Gui was very confident in his talent for being a sycophant: One day, I, Wang Gui, will become the most favored servant of the Young Master!

“Picking someone up?” Wang Guan Shi, hearing those words, glanced at his son. The Seventh Young Master only knew Wang Gui in this village, didn’t he?

“Zheng Fa, where are your mother and sister? Have they arrived?” the Seventh Young Master asked, tapping his head and turning back to Zheng Fa.

“Brother!”

Seeing Zheng Fa’s gaze turn toward her, Zheng Shan, who had been holding back, finally couldn’t contain herself and jumped up, calling out beside Zheng Mu.

The Seventh Young Master led Zheng Fa to Zheng Mu.

Zheng Mu first scrutinized Zheng Fa’s face, noticing he showed no signs of suffering; in fact, he looked a bit plumper.

A smile finally appeared on her face.

“Mom, the lady of the house said I should bring you and my sister to live in the city.”

Zheng Mu, who had been about to speak, suddenly froze, unsure of what to say.

Wang Gui felt as if he had been struck by lightning, unable to believe his ears.

Not here to pick me up?

But to take Zheng Fa’s family?

The villagers around them reacted even more quickly and dramatically.

“Going to the city? The whole family? The Zheng family is about to prosper; their ancestors must be smiling down!”

“Stop talking nonsense; it’s clearly Zheng Fa who’s made a name for himself in the manor. Look, even the Seventh Young Master has come back with him.”

“I said Zheng Fa was something special!”

“Nonsense! You were the one who said Zheng Fa was mute and would never amount to anything!”

Amidst the mixed voices of envy and regret from the crowd, Zheng Mu seemed to snap back to reality, glancing at Zheng Fa and then at the Seventh Young Master, opening her mouth but unsure of what to say.

It was Zheng Fa who gently squeezed her hand: “Mom, we haven’t eaten yet; we’re all hungry. Can you make us something to eat?”

“Not eaten?” Upon hearing her son was hungry, Zheng Mu immediately forgot everything else and turned to head home. “I’ll make it for you right away!”

After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped, looking back at the Seventh Young Master beside Zheng Fa, and quietly asked Zheng Fa, “Has the Seventh Young Master eaten?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… we don’t have any meat at home, just some coarse grains that the villagers eat. A noble like the Seventh Young Master probably wouldn’t find that acceptable…”

Meanwhile, the Seventh Young Master frowned, about to say something.

But Wang Guan Shi suddenly spoke up: “Master, I have some simple fare at home. While it’s not as good as the manor’s, it’s certainly better than the Zheng family’s. You should come to my house for a meal.”

Zheng Fa felt his mother’s grip on his arm tighten, and he turned to see her expression dimming.

He knew Zheng Mu was overthinking; she probably felt that the Zheng family’s conditions and her own reaction were embarrassing Zheng Fa.

After Wang Guan Shi finished speaking, the Seventh Young Master fell into a brief contemplation.

He looked at Zheng Fa, then at Wang Guan Shi.

Wang Guan Shi wore a respectful yet warm smile.

“Do you have wine at your place?”

“Yes!”

“Do you have meat?”

“Yes!”

“Do you have grain?”

“Yes!”

“Well, your family is doing quite well then.”

“It’s all thanks to the manor’s grace…”

The villagers around looked at Wang Guan Shi with a hint of envy. To be fair, they had to admit that the most respectable family in the village was indeed Wang Guan Shi’s.

If the Seventh Young Master went to his house, they figured he would be just as anxious as Zheng Mu.

Clap!

The Seventh Young Master clapped his hands and said, “Well, that’s simple! The Master is going to eat at the Zheng family’s place, and your family has everything. Just take some over to the Zheng family!”

“Huh?” Even Wang Guan Shi, who prided himself on being unflappable, felt his smile freeze at that moment. Looking at the Seventh Young Master’s nonchalant expression, he turned to Wang Gui.

For the first time, Wang Gui saw not disdain on his father’s face, but deep regret. In that moment, he understood the expression on his father’s face:

What kind of life did you live when you were a servant?

Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan exchanged glances, realizing that this person could really be a sycophant to others…

And it was quite amusing!

...

“Master, this…”

“What? Is your family’s food not good enough for me?” The Seventh Young Master’s face turned dark in an instant.

“Of course it is! Wang Gui! Go get the wine, the dishes, and the cured meat from home and take them to the Zheng family!” Wang Guan Shi, suppressing his anger, slapped his son, who was standing there in a daze.

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