Fear

In the twilight, Zheng Fa could clearly make out his younger sister Zheng Shan standing beneath the great elm at the village entrance.

Before her stood three boys at least a head taller than she was. The one in the middle was clearly their leader.

Zheng Fa recognized the boy in the middle at a glance.

Thin and tall, with a hooked nose and sparse brows, he had a bleak, insipid face.

This was Wang Gui, the only son of Steward Wang from the estate.

The former holder of Zheng Fa's current position as a pageboy.

A few days ago, Zheng Fa had heard from his mother that Wang Gui had been caned by the Madam and sent home. He had still been unconscious when he arrived at the manor, unable even to get out of bed.

Yet today, he was already standing here bullying Zheng Fa's younger sister.

Wang Gui's complexion truly was paler than before, with scarcely any color in his face, making his features look all the more gloomy.

Even the way he stood seemed unnatural. One arm rested on the boy beside him, as though he lacked the strength to support himself.

Zheng Shan had just been arguing with these boys, and it was obvious that the two sides had clashed.

Alone and small-framed, she raised her head high before the boys, who outnumbered her and were older than she was.

Her tiny body was taut, her fists clenched tight. In her right palm, she still held half a flatbread.

The other half had been torn apart and thrown onto the ground, covered in mud.

Zheng Fa knew that flatbread had been made by their mother. That morning, she had even given the Old Man driving the cart a bundle of them.

This one had likely been specially saved for Zheng Shan by their mother, who had felt sorry for her and wanted her to have a snack.

Though flatbread was not worth much, white-flour flatbread was not something Zheng Shan could eat every day. To her, it was a precious treat. If no conflict had occurred, she would never have dropped half of it onto the ground.

Because he knew his younger sister too well, Zheng Fa could see the fear hidden beneath her stubborn posture.

He quickened his pace toward the four of them.

Then he heard Wang Gui say in a dry, hoarse voice, "So what if your brother came back? You think I'm afraid of him? Are you afraid?"

He asked the boy beside him.

"Not afraid," the boy replied with a grin.

"And you?"

"He doesn't even have a father. Who'd be afraid of him?"

As if that amused him, Wang Gui laughed. Even as he laughed, he covered his neck with one hand, clearly not yet healed from his injuries.

Unable to hold back, Zheng Shan said, "When my brother comes back and sees you stealing my food, he'll have the Madam beat you again!"

In her mind, being beaten by the Madam was already the greatest punishment in the world.

"Pah! What status does your brother have? He dares order the Madam around?" At the mention of the Madam, Wang Gui stopped laughing, but the anger in his eyes grew clearer. "You really think that just because I was sent back, your brother can become the Young Master's pageboy?"

"Your brother can't even recognize all his characters! Why would the Madam choose him?"

Wang Gui's tone was utterly certain.

Zheng Fa realized that Wang Gui probably truly did not believe Zheng Fa could take over his position as a pageboy.

But today, he was more hot-tempered than usual.

Normally, Wang Gui did bully Zheng Shan, but he generally only ignored her or occasionally mocked the Zheng Family's family background in front of her.

Cases like today, where Zheng Shan had been blocked at the village entrance, were actually rare.

Especially when Wang Gui was obviously still unwell.

Zheng Fa thought it over. Wang Gui had merely heard that the Madam was choosing a pageboy for the Seventh Young Master, and knew there was no hope at all of returning.

So he had vented his anger on Zheng Fa, who had the chance to enter Zhao Manor.

And Zheng Fa's younger sister had become even more of an eyesore to him.

That was why he had deliberately come to make trouble for her today.

Zheng Fa gradually drew closer. His footsteps made both groups turn to look at him.

Zheng Shan had been glaring furiously at Wang Gui and the other two, her small mouth pressed tightly together, unwilling to show weakness.

But the instant she saw Zheng Fa, the tears in her eyes finally spilled down in drops. "Brother, they stole my flatbread!"

There was also a flicker of panic on Wang Gui and the others' faces.

After all, Zheng Fa was taller and stronger than all three of them. With a dark expression, he strode over with a faintly imposing air.

Seeing Zheng Shan's little face covered in tears, Zheng Fa ignored the three boys. Instead, he pulled Zheng Shan tenderly into his arms and set the food box given by the Old Man driving the cart before her.

"Look, what did Brother bring you?"

Zheng Shan sniffled. As if she had caught a scent, she stared through tear-blurred eyes at the unfamiliar food box before her.

"It smells so good!"

Seeing that she had stopped crying, Zheng Fa undid the lid of the food box.

It was a three-tiered food box. The first layer held three small plates of pastries: one shaped like flower petals, one like butterflies, and one filled with round little treats.

"Food!"

"That's right. These are pastries from Ju Xing Tower in the city. Someone specially bought them for you!"

"For me?" Zheng Shan stretched out her slightly chubby hand and pointed at her own little nose.

"They're all yours."

His younger sister's happiness was so simple that she did not even have time to wipe away the tears and snot from her face before she gave Zheng Fa a silly smile.

"Let's see what's underneath."

Zheng Fa continued coaxing her.

"Okay!" Zheng Shan craned her neck forward and held her breath as Zheng Fa opened the food box.

"Meat! So much meat!"

The second layer contained only one dish: a huge plate piled high with slices of meat, plain and unadorned.

But for Zheng Shan, this was probably the first time she had ever seen so much meat heaped together at once.

She even rubbed her eyes.

Zheng Fa lifted the third layer's lid. It also held only one dish: a plump, glistening roast chicken sprawled there in all its glory, so alluring that Zheng Shan could scarcely pull herself away.

"Brother, is all this for me to eat?"

Zheng Fa smiled and nodded. That Old Man driving the cart really did have some wisdom in him. Compared to those fancy, showy foods, putting great hunks of meat before my younger sister would definitely make her happier.

"It's all yours. You'd better eat it quickly. Don't cry if it spoils."

"It's for me, Mother, and Brother! We all have to eat it quickly!" Zheng Shan shook her head, then pointed happily at the food box. "I'll eat, Mother will eat, Brother will eat! We'll definitely finish it!"

Then she suddenly patted her belly with concern. "Brother, my belly is growling. It says it can eat more than half all by itself!"

At last, Zheng Shan had forgotten her earlier unhappiness.

But the three boys behind Zheng Fa were having a much harder time.

Wang Gui was all right. He had seen some things before, after all, and Steward Wang's household was fairly wealthy.

But the other two were ordinary youths from the manor. Their families were only a little better off than Zheng Fa's, and they rarely saw so much delicious food in their daily lives.

"Brother Wang, have you eaten food from Ju Xing Tower before?" one of them asked Wang Gui, swallowing his saliva.

"Who hasn't? It isn't even expensive! Next time, I'll bring some for you too!" Wang Gui said resentfully.

What angered him even more was Zheng Fa's attitude of ignoring him when he arrived. For some reason, ever since they were young, Zheng Fa had never shown anger when facing him.

More often, it was this sort of attitude—ignoring him and refusing to acknowledge him.

Yet it was precisely this attitude that had always made Wang Gui somewhat wary of Zheng Fa.

After going to the city and becoming the Young Master's pageboy, Wang Gui felt that he had seen more of the world, and Zheng Fa's manner had seemed laughable to him.

But now, seeing Zheng Fa like this again, Wang Gui felt as though he were facing the important people of Zhao Manor. A little fear rose in his heart.

What am I afraid of? Even if I've returned to the manor and can no longer be a pageboy, can I really not compare to a fatherless boy like him? He secretly consoled himself and took two steps forward, intending to speak.

Outside the manor, the sound of carts and horses rang out.

A youth stood atop a carriage and shouted toward Zheng Fa, "Brother Zheng, I've come to see you!"

Zheng Fa turned around. Who else could the person standing before the carriage shaft and waving at him be but Huang Yu?

Beside Huang Yu, a plump Middle-aged Man also smiled at Zheng Fa.