Picking Someone Up

Picking Someone Up

When they heard Wang Gui call out "Young Master," the people of the estate knew that a great figure from the residence had arrived.

Nearly all the tenant farmers gathered around the carriage, looking at Seventh Young Master with reverence mixed with a hint of ingratiation.

Steward Wang was the most conspicuous of all. He knelt at the front of the crowd, prostrating himself with all four limbs to the ground in an impeccably standard posture. He had specially trained for this. His reputation for loyalty among certain important figures in the Zhao Family had been built up through such little details in every gesture and movement.

After quite a while, Seventh Young Master still had not spoken.

Steward Wang cautiously raised his head and saw that Seventh Young Master was not looking at him at all, but at the carriage door.

Zheng Fa was climbing out of the carriage. He jumped down—and landed right in front of Steward Wang.

When their eyes met, both looked a little bewildered.

Perhaps Steward Wang's posture had been too respectful, because Zheng Fa even unconsciously made a gesture for him to rise.

Steward Wang instinctively stood up first, then his face stiffened involuntarily. His cheeks flushed the color of fermented bean paste, and his gaze slowly shifted from Zheng Fa to Seventh Young Master, who smiled brightly as if he had seen nothing at all.

Watching from the side, Wang Gui's heart filled with all kinds of doubts:

My father knelt to Zheng Fa?

No, how was Zheng Fa standing there perfectly fine? Not only could he walk, he could even jump?

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

An even deeper layer of unbelievable jealousy rose in his heart—when he had been a bookboy, Seventh Young Master had never given him so much as a smile.

"Young Master, what brings you to the estate?"

Unable to suppress the doubts in his heart any longer, Wang Gui asked.

"Oh, I came to pick someone up."

Another wave of delight surged up in Wang Gui's heart. Sure enough, Seventh Young Master still remembered Mist and Rain Pavilion—no, remembered his unswerving loyalty!

Although Zheng Fa seemed to have somehow won Seventh Young Master's favor through some shameless means, Seventh Young Master's arrival assured Wang Gui that the young master still had lingering feelings for him!

Wang Gui had tremendous confidence in his talent for being a lackey: One day, I, Wang Gui, will become the number one lackey under the young master!

"Pick someone up?" Hearing those words, Steward Wang glanced at his own Wang Gui as well. Didn't Seventh Young Master know only his son on this estate?

"Zheng Fa, where are your mother and little sister? Did they come?" Seventh Young Master patted his forehead and turned to ask Zheng Fa.

"Brother!"

Seeing Zheng Fa look her way, Zheng Shan, who had held herself back for ages, finally could not endure it any longer. Beside Mother Zheng, she hopped up and down as she shouted.

Seventh Young Master pulled Zheng Fa over to Mother Zheng.

Mother Zheng first studied Zheng Fa's face closely and found that not only was there no sign he had suffered, he had even put on some weight.

Only then did a smile appear on her face.

"Mother, Madam has shown us kindness. She said I could bring you and my sister to live in the city."

Mother Zheng, who had been about to speak, suddenly froze, not knowing what to say.

Wang Gui looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He could not believe his ears.

He didn't come to pick me up?

He came to pick up Zheng Fa's family?

The tenant farmers around them reacted even more strongly and quickly.

"To the city? The whole family is going? The Zheng Family is going to prosper—their ancestors' graves must be smoking green!"

"What nonsense! Zheng Fa is clearly doing well in the residence. Look, even Seventh Young Master came back with him."

"I said long ago that Zheng Fa was no ordinary child!"

"Bullshit! Before this, you said Zheng Fa never spoke and looked like a mute, that he was bound to amount to nothing!"

Amid the surrounding chatter filled with envy and regret, Mother Zheng seemed to come back to herself. But she looked at Zheng Fa, then at Seventh Young Master, opened her mouth, and still did not know what to say.

It was Zheng Fa who gently took her hand. "Mother, we haven't eaten yet. We're all starving. Could you make us something to eat?"

"You haven't eaten?" Hearing that her son was hungry, Mother Zheng immediately stopped thinking about anything else. Turning, she hurried toward home. "Mother will make something right away!"

After taking two steps, she abruptly stopped and looked back at Seventh Young Master beside Zheng Fa. In a low voice, she said to Zheng Fa, "Seventh Young Master hasn't eaten either?"

"That's right."

"This... there's no meat left at home. It's all coarse grain that country folk eat. A noble person like Seventh Young Master probably can't stomach it..."

At the side, Seventh Young Master frowned, about to say something.

But Steward Wang suddenly spoke up. "Young Master, my home has some simple food and drink. Though it cannot compare to the residence's fare, it is more presentable than the Zheng Family's. Young Master, why not come to my home for a simple meal?"

Zheng Fa felt the hands gripping his arm tighten. Turning, he saw the slightly dim look on Mother Zheng's face.

He knew that Mother Zheng worried too much. At this moment, she probably felt that the Zheng Family's circumstances, and her own reaction, had caused Zheng Fa to lose face.

After Steward Wang said this, Seventh Young Master fell into brief thought.

He looked at Zheng Fa, then at Steward Wang.

Steward Wang wore a respectful yet warmly enthusiastic smile.

"Does your family have wine?"

"Yes!"

"Meat?"

"Yes!"

"Grain?"

"Yes!"

"Then your family is doing quite well."

"It is all the residence's kindness..."

The surrounding tenant farmers looked at Steward Wang with some envy. Fairly speaking, they had to admit that Steward Wang's family was the most presentable one on the estate.

If Seventh Young Master went to their homes, they would likely be as terrified as Mother Zheng.

Smack!

Seventh Young Master clapped his hands together. "Then isn't that simple? This young master is eating at the Zheng Family's home. Since your family has everything, bring some over to the Zheng Family!"

"Ah?" Even though Steward Wang prided himself on remaining unruffled by favor or humiliation, the smile on his face froze at this moment. Looking at Seventh Young Master's matter-of-fact expression, he turned to Wang Gui.

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

What kind of days did you live when you were a bookboy?

Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan exchanged a glance. When this man acted like a dog toward others, he really was...

A delight to behold!

"Young Master, this..."

"What, your family's things aren't for this young master to eat?" Seventh Young Master's dog-like face darkened at the drop of a hat.

"Of course they are! Wang Gui! Take the wine and dishes at home, along with all the cured meat we have stored, and bring them to the Zheng Family!" Steward Wang suppressed his anger and slapped his son, who was standing there dazed.

"Father! All the meat? Then won't we only have a few chickens left at home?" Naturally, Wang Gui was unwilling. His family was better off than Zheng Fa's, but squandering wealth was not supposed to be done like this.

"Your family raises chickens too?" Seventh Young Master immediately chimed in, looking very interested.

"Kill another chicken!" Steward Wang kicked Wang Gui, telling him to get lost quickly, afraid that if he said another word, even the newly built house would have to be given to the Zheng Family.

"The table's a little small, Young Master. Please bear with it."

Even with Steward Wang's family's generous support, eating at the Zheng Family's home was an unprecedentedly shabby experience for Seventh Young Master.

There were only three stools. Seventh Young Master, Zheng Fa, and Gao Yuan sat on them.

Mother Zheng and Zheng Shan had nowhere to sit.

Mother Zheng was at ease with that instead. She hid in the kitchen; she would not have dared sit together with Seventh Young Master anyway.

Zheng Shan did not care at all whether she had a seat. Leaning against Zheng Fa, she stood on tiptoe and stared at the several heaping dishes on the tiny table.

"The Wang Family... eats so well!"

She had stuffed a finger into her mouth, drool smearing her whole little hand as she spoke enviously.

Zheng Fa took out a handkerchief and wiped her hand, but he knew in his heart—Steward Wang probably did not usually eat like this either.

Serving Seventh Young Master every day? Such enormous good fortune—if it were given to Steward Wang, he would hang himself at the gates of Zhao Residence...

Seventh Young Master, however, frowned and asked, "Does your family have a grudge against Wang Gui's family?"

If he had not noticed that, he would not have gone out of his way to torment the Wang Family.

Before Zheng Fa could speak, Zheng Shan had already pulled a stern face and complained, "His family has always bullied ours!"

"Oh?" Seventh Young Master looked interested.

(End of Chapter)