Chapter 29
Their new home in the Zhao family wasn't particularly large, but compared to the mud house they had lived in before, it felt like a palace.
As soon as they entered the small courtyard, there were two small rooms on either side. Zheng Fa planned to use one as a kitchen and the other as a woodshed.
The main house had a total of four rooms, not counting the central living room.
Zheng Fa intended for each of the three family members to have their own room.
This made Zheng Shan overjoyed. She grabbed Zheng Fa's finger and pointed toward her room, nodding earnestly, "My new room is so beautiful!"
Zheng Fa glanced inside; the room was empty, filled only with dust and devoid of any furniture.
He couldn't understand how his little sister found it beautiful.
"Your sister is still young; let's keep this room for you as a study," their mother, Zheng Mu, hesitated before saying, "You're now the young master's bookkeeper, and studying is important. Your sister can just sleep with me."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Shan lowered her head, saying nothing, her little mouth pouting in a way that made her look quite aggrieved.
Zheng Fa knew that both Zheng Shan and Zheng Mu had been uncomfortable sleeping together. Ever since their father passed away, Zheng Mu had been overworked and couldn't stand staying up late, making her sleep light. Meanwhile, Zheng Shan was full of energy, staying up late, yet she was sensible enough to feel for her mother.
Every time Zheng Mu fell asleep, the little one would freeze in place, afraid to wake her mother. For someone as lively as her, it was quite a torment.
This was also why, before moving into the new house, Zheng Shan's biggest wish was to have her own bed.
"Although my little sister is still young, she will grow up eventually. Since we have extra rooms, let her sleep here to avoid moving again later," he said to his mother.
Zheng Shan's head shot up, beaming at Zheng Fa with a silly grin.
Seeing that their mother was about to say something, he continued, "I need to study. I can read in Mr. Shen's class or in the Seventh Young Master's study. Can't I read in the living room when I get home?"
"Well... I saw that the Wang family set up a study after Wang Gui enrolled, saying that a scholar should have a dedicated room for books."
Zheng Fa waved his hand and laughed, "A poor student has many supplies... I mean, it's not about having books on a shelf; it's about having them in your mind."
"But..."
"Mother, he has already read up to Yan Yu Lou, and his father's position as steward is gone. If we are to learn, we should learn something worthwhile."
"That's true!"
Thanks to Wang Gui, Zheng Mu had become very receptive to advice...
Zheng Shan raised her hands above her head and cheered, "Mother! I want to decorate my own room!"
"Then you can clean it yourself," Zheng Mu said, smiling at her daughter's excitement.
"I'll clean it myself! I'll clean my brother's room too, and I'll clean your room as well!"
The mother and daughter were happily huddled together, whispering about how to arrange the furniture that Steward Gao had sent over. Zheng Fa glanced at the sun and said to them, "You two keep discussing; I need to go practice martial arts with Coach Xu."
Zheng Mu waved her hand, not even looking at Zheng Fa, lost in the joy of arranging their new home, leaving him with a sense of being sidelined.
...
In the training ground's room, Coach Xu sighed deeply as he stroked several thick tomes in front of him.
His rugged face was etched with delicate worry.
Seeing his master in this state, Xu's young apprentice, who was also his nephew, approached and asked with concern, "Uncle, what's wrong?"
"Ah, the lady sent over 'Ling He Shen' for me to teach to that little brat Zheng Fa."
"'Ling He Shen'!" Xu's nephew exclaimed, looking at the book in his uncle's hand. Sure enough, the title 'Ling He Shen' was boldly written on the cover.
His gaze was instantly captivated: "Uncle, can I take a look?"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? I've served the Zhao family for twenty years, and only now has the lady recognized me and allowed me to learn 'Ling He Shen.' What a pity..."
"You took twenty years to earn this qualification," Xu's nephew lowered his voice, "that's a bit unfair..."
"Shut up! Your audacity is growing! Do you think you can speak about the lady?" Coach Xu smacked his nephew on the head.
Rubbing his head, Xu's nephew grinned, "I was just concerned about you, seeing you sigh like that!"
Coach Xu's expression softened a bit, and he said, "It's not about that... I wanted to take Zheng Fa as my apprentice."
"Now you can't!" Xu's nephew suddenly understood.
"Exactly! Now that he has the lady's favor, how could I have the face to approach him? What would the lady think of me?" Coach Xu nodded. "But I should have mentioned the apprenticeship to Zheng Fa earlier."
"If you had told him sooner, he would have been my junior brother!" His nephew grasped the situation.
"Even if we can't become master and disciple, mentioning it earlier could have forged a good bond!"
Coach Xu looked regretful, while his nephew's eyes darted around, and he quietly slipped out of the training ground.
...
As Zheng Fa reached the entrance of the training ground, he spotted a young man squatting there, seemingly waiting for someone. The face looked familiar; he seemed to be one of the people who stood beside Coach Xu last time.
He paused, slightly bowed to the young man, and prepared to enter.
Suddenly, the young man sprang up, his face beaming with joy as he exclaimed, "Zheng Brother!"
"Uh?" Zheng Fa stopped, looking at him in confusion. "Who are you?"
"We met last time! Coach Xu is my uncle."
"Xu Brother, what do you need from me?"
"Nothing much!" The young man stepped forward, enthusiastically grabbing Zheng Fa's arm. "After our brief encounter last time, I felt like we hit it off! What a coincidence to run into you here; it must be fate!"
Zheng Fa glanced at the two shallow depressions the young man had made while squatting, tilted his head back to avoid the enthusiastic spittle, and replied, "Indeed, what a fortunate meeting!"
"How about this: let's become sworn brothers!" Before he finished speaking, Zheng Fa watched as the young man pulled out an incense burner from where he had been squatting, placing three incense sticks in it, and three wisps of blue smoke began to rise.
"This... isn't this a bit hasty?"
"Such is the bond of friendship; when I met Zheng Brother, it felt just like this."
With such enthusiasm, Zheng Fa felt he couldn't refuse outright, so he gently suggested, "Well... we don't need to go that far; how about we just call each other brothers in daily life?"
"Alright then..." Seeing Zheng Fa's reluctance, Xu's nephew seemed to feel it was inappropriate to push further, reluctantly nodding and sincerely saying, "You must remember, in my heart, I consider you my younger brother, Zheng Di!"
"Xu Brother, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving!" Zheng Fa replied quickly and hurried away.
The young man called out from behind, "Let's catch up again soon and strengthen our brotherly bond!"
...
Zheng Fa entered the training ground and found Coach Xu in his room.
He saw Coach Xu standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at something with tearful eyes, a look of deep affection on his face, as if he were staring at an old friend.
"Coach?" he asked cautiously.
"Xiao Zheng, do you know what day it is today?"
"What day?"
"I had a younger brother when I was a child, and we were very close. Unfortunately, he passed away young, and today is his death anniversary..."
Zheng Fa spoke softly, "Coach, my condolences."
Coach Xu wiped his face and said, "To be honest, the first time I saw you, I felt you resembled my late brother."
"..."
"Let's become sworn brothers!"
"Wait, that sounds a bit familiar." Zheng Fa glanced at the incense altar behind Coach Xu, frowning.
---
**Chapter 34: 'Ling He Shen'**
"Uncle, weren't you the only brother my father had?"
Hearing his nephew's question, Coach Xu's dark face flushed with embarrassment, and then he became angry, pointing at the incense burner in front of him, "You little rascal! You just met him and are already trying to form a bond! You've tarnished the reputation of the Xu family!"
His nephew looked at the incense altar behind him, clearly puzzled, "The Xu family's... reputation?"
"You!"
"Exactly! You should consider who my uncle is and who taught me..."
"Ah, forget it, forget it. The child is still young and doesn't understand," Zheng Fa interjected, stepping in front of his older cousin, who was at least five years his senior, and said to Coach Xu earnestly, "Let's talk this out calmly; no need for violence!"
Coach Xu looked at Zheng Fa, feeling even more embarrassed. His raised hand awkwardly fell, and he muttered, "Sorry for making you laugh..."
Zheng Fa knew that if he didn't offer some comfort now, Coach Xu might never want to see him again.
He looked into Coach Xu's eyes and said, "Setting aside the fact that you have taught me, I also heard from the young master that you wanted to take me as your apprentice. I have always cherished that kindness in my heart."
Upon hearing this, Coach Xu quickly waved his hand, his expression softening considerably.
"You were originally a piece of uncut jade; without me..."
"Without your guidance, I might not even have had the chance to stay by the Seventh Young Master's side as a bookkeeper, let alone be where I am today!"
Table of Contents
