Preserving My Life

In Qi State, Qingzhou, Yingtian Prefecture, Huaiyuan County, a boy of fifteen or sixteen was practicing a certain boxing style over and over.

Directly Strike the Yellow Dragon, Thousands of Soldiers Split Easily, Feint to the East, Attack to the West—the boy threw punch after punch. Sweat gradually soaked through his clothes.

A child's voice called out, "Big Brother, the food's ready. Come in and eat." The boy answered, "Coming." With that, he withdrew his stance and went inside.

His original name had been Li Fan. He had been a second-year graduate student, but while conducting an experiment, a tube furnace exploded and directly blew over the hydrogen tanks in the laboratory, sending him across worlds half a month ago.

Although he had been an orphan in his previous life and had never known fine clothes or rich food, donations from kind-hearted people and government welfare had at least kept him from worrying about food.

After arriving in this world, the original owner's mother had died young from insufficient Vital Energy after giving birth to his younger brother, Li Ping'an. Their father had relied on his identity as a hunter and a few carpentry skills to barely keep the two brothers alive.

Until half a year ago, when their father had entered the deep mountains to hunt some large game to support Li Bufan's schooling and martial arts training. Not only had he failed to catch anything, but a tiger had bitten off his hand, leaving him despondent from then on.

Unable to hunt or work, the already poor family had been dealt another crushing blow. Half a month ago, one night, the original owner's father had told Li Bufan, "Son, Father can't go on anymore. The bow and arrows on our wall, and this family, are yours now. Father is useless now. I can't keep wasting food. Otherwise, the three of us will die."

Before Li Bufan could react, he had slammed his head into the wall, leaving the two brothers behind.

The original Li Bufan had been grief-stricken to the bone and fainted. When he woke the next day, the man was no longer the same man.

So be it. Since I am here, I shall make peace with it. I have taken your body to live another life, so your family is my family as well.

Afterward, he hid it from his younger brother, dealt with their father's body, and told Li Ping'an that their father had gone somewhere very far away and would not return home for a long time.

After their father left, all he had left the brothers was a dilapidated thatched hut and half a vat of rice bran. By now, even the rice bran was nearly gone.

Winter was about to arrive. With freezing skies and frozen ground, the two brothers had no idea how they would endure it.

"Big Brother, Lin Manor says they're looking for a page boy for Second Young Master Lin. I want to try."

An maturity beyond his years appeared on Li Ping'an's childish face.

"A page boy?" Li Bufan's brows drew tightly together. He knew well that being a page boy in this era did not simply mean waiting on someone. Not only would one have to attend to the master's food, clothing, lodging, and travel, but if one encountered wealthy young masters with a taste for men, one might even have to warm their beds and ease their loneliness.

"Big Brother..." Li Ping'an lowered his head and said, "Don't lie to me anymore. I know Father didn't go somewhere far away. Father is dead. Our family can't even keep the pot boiling now.

The old steward of Lin Manor said they only wanted children with delicate features and clean family backgrounds. Under his father's and elder brother's care, Li Ping'an had grown up more handsome than children from other families. He likely had some advantage in securing the position of page boy.

If he pleased the master's family, perhaps... he could eat meat.

"Stop talking." Without looking back, Li Bufan walked outside. "If anyone is selling himself, it will be your elder brother. It is not your turn yet." Blood was thicker than water. The original owner's memories had blended with his own like milk and water, inseparable from each other, and that familial bond had naturally carried on as well.

Once outside, Li Bufan assumed his stance again and began throwing punch after punch.

Li Bufan did not know the name of the boxing style he practiced, but it was one of the few possessions his father had left behind. The original owner's father had relied on practicing this fist style day after day, year after year, to gain the strength to escape a tiger's jaws.

After practicing for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, Li Bufan noticed that with winter approaching, the days were growing shorter and shorter. He put away his stance, instructed Li Ping'an to lock the door and stay home until he returned, then headed outside.

The clever Li Ping'an knew that his elder brother was likely going to sell himself.

A journey that should have taken the time of one incense stick took Li Bufan half an hour. He wrestled with himself again and again along the way, until at last, his gaze hardened and he walked toward the gates of Lin Manor before him.

At the end of a street paved with Blue Stone, a grand manor stood in imposing silence. Bowl-sized bronze studs on its vermilion gates gleamed with a cold, hard light beneath the setting sun.

Above the gate hung a plaque bearing the two gilded characters, "Lin Manor," grand and imposing. Two stone lions bared their fangs and glared before the entrance, adding still more majesty.

Li Bufan stood below the towering steps, looking up at the magnificent residence as he took a deep breath. The coarse, short jacket on his body, washed until it had faded white, was utterly out of place against the luxury of this grand household.

Who in his previous life could have imagined that one day, he would come to a place like this for the sake of a few mouthfuls of food, ready to sign a contract selling himself?

He clenched his fists. His palms were damp with sweat from having held them tight all the way here. The hesitation and struggle had been exhausted on the road. Now, only the resolve to carve out a path to survival for his younger brother remained in his eyes.

He adjusted his collar. Though it was tattered beyond repair, he still tried to retain a shred of dignity, then stepped onto the cold Blue Stone stairs.

The two gatekeepers had long noticed this boy lingering outside the entrance. When they saw him approach, one of them—a tall, burly servant with a face full of flesh—immediately took a broad step forward and blocked the way.

"Get lost, get lost! Where did this poor brat come from? Do you even know what kind of place this is? Go beg somewhere else!"

The other crossed his arms and looked Li Bufan up and down with a critical, contemptuous gaze, his lips curling.

Li Bufan stopped and tried to keep his voice calm.

"Gentlemen, please trouble yourselves to inform the steward of your esteemed manor. I am not here to beg. I heard that Huichun Hall under Lin Manor needs people, and I came hoping to find work."

The fleshy-faced servant sneered. "Huichun Hall? You? How many characters do you know? Can you use an abacus?"

"Your hair hasn't even fully grown in, and you want to enter Huichun Hall?"

"Scram, scram, scram! Stop blocking the way!"

Li Bufan's heart sank, but he did not retreat. He remembered his father occasionally mentioning that although Lin Manor was a major household in the county and its rules were strict, the old steward seemed to have a decent reputation and was not entirely unreasonable. He could not let the gatekeepers frighten him off just like that.

He cupped his hands again, his tone growing firmer. "Sir, I truly need work urgently to support my younger brother.

"Could you please do me this favor and merely inform the steward? Whether he sees me or not will be entirely up to him. If the steward blames anyone, I will bear it alone and never dare implicate the two of you."

He spoke sincerely, his eyes clear and stubborn. The steadiness that did not match his age, along with the faint anxiety seeping through, made the silent servant with crossed arms raise his brows. There was less contempt in the way he looked at Li Bufan now, and more scrutiny.

The arms-crossed servant nudged the fleshy-faced man with his elbow and whispered, "Old Wang, look at this kid... His features are fairly decent, and he speaks with some sense. He doesn't seem like one of those people who just make trouble without reason."

"How about... we tell Uncle Fu? Passing on a message won't cost us anything. What if Uncle Fu really is looking for someone? It would be worse if we stopped him."

Old Wang, the fleshy-faced servant, frowned and glared at Li Bufan again. He seemed to think his companion had a point, but could not quite save face. He snorted. "You're always meddling! Wait here!"

With that, he turned around unwillingly, pushed open a side gate, and slipped inside.

Li Bufan felt somewhat relieved. He stepped back, lowered his hands, and stood quietly outside the gate to wait. The other servant no longer paid him any attention, simply returning to his position and turning his gaze toward the street.

Time passed bit by bit. The world behind the gate was silent, but Li Bufan's heart gradually rose into his throat. He could hear his own heart thudding, mixed with his unease over an unknown fate. He did not know what kind of destiny awaited him beyond those vermilion gates.

Would he obtain a sliver of life, or be shut out completely, plunging the two brothers into a hopeless situation? Just as his thoughts tangled into chaos, the side gate creaked open again.

But the one who emerged was not the fleshy-faced servant. It was an elderly man in a dark blue satin robe, with a lean, refined face.

His sharp gaze landed on Li Bufan like that of a hawk. He spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying unquestionable authority. "You are the one who wishes to see me?"

The old man's eyes shone like torches as he examined Li Bufan carefully from head to toe. That gaze seemed capable of piercing through his clothes and seeing the bones and thoughts within.

"Yes. This boy is Li Bufan. Greetings, Lord Steward." Following the etiquette from his hazy memories, Li Bufan cupped his hands again and bowed deeply.

"Hm." The old steward, Uncle Fu, gave a sound through his nose as acknowledgment. "You said you want work at Huichun Hall?"

"Yes." Li Bufan raised his head and tried to make his voice clear and steady. "This boy has studied for several years, recognizes characters, and knows some simple arithmetic. I beg Lord Steward to give me an opportunity."

"You have studied? You recognize characters?" No emotion could be heard in Uncle Fu's voice. "There are plenty of poor boys in Huaiyuan County who know a few characters.

"Our Lin Family's Huichun Hall handles the flow of medicinal herbs and silver. Clear accounts are the highest priority. What makes you think you are qualified?"

Li Bufan's thoughts raced. He knew empty words were useless; he had to present something tangible. Taking a deep breath, he said, "This boy does not dare boast. But last autumn, when the county office posted the grain tax amounts paid by every household, I looked over them once and can recite most of them from memory. If Lord Steward does not believe me, you may test me as you please."

This was the confidence he had retained from his previous life as a science and engineering student. His logic and memory far exceeded those of an ordinary ancient boy. The original owner had indeed studied intermittently with his father for several years, so he did have some foundation.

A nearly imperceptible flash of surprise passed through Uncle Fu's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked, "There are pheasants and rabbits in one cage. Above are thirty-five heads; below are ninety-four feet. How many pheasants and rabbits are there?"

This was a classic arithmetic problem. Clearly, he was testing Li Bufan's quick wits and grasp of mathematics.

Li Bufan almost answered without thinking. "Twenty-three pheasants and twelve rabbits." He had even instinctively used the more elegant word "pheasant" instead of "chicken."

Uncle Fu's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He had not expected the boy to answer so quickly, and with an answer that was perfectly correct.

"Oh? How do you know?" Uncle Fu pressed, seemingly wanting to see whether he had guessed or merely memorized the answer.

Li Bufan replied calmly, "Assume all thirty-five heads are rabbits. Then there should be one hundred and forty feet. Yet there are only ninety-four, so forty-six feet have been overcounted.

"Each time one rabbit is changed into one pheasant, the number of feet decreases by two. Therefore, twenty-three must be changed, making twenty-three pheasants. The rabbits are thirty-five minus twenty-three, which equals twelve."

His reasoning was clear and his explanation smooth. Uncle Fu stared at him for several breaths. The surroundings were so quiet that they could hear the wind passing through the gate corridor. The two gatekeepers had also put away their earlier disdain, looking in astonished uncertainty at this raggedly dressed boy who answered every question with ease.

After a long while, Uncle Fu slowly spoke. His tone seemed to soften by the faintest degree. "You are a piece of jade worth carving. However, Huichun Hall does not need an accountant at present. What it needs is an apprentice to run errands and move goods. The pay is low, and the work is hard. Are you willing?"

Relief surged through Li Bufan's heart, and he nearly showed his joy on his face, but he forcibly suppressed it and bowed again. "This boy is willing! Thank you, Lord Steward, for the opportunity! This boy is not afraid of hardship and will certainly give his all!"

"Hm." Uncle Fu nodded. "At the beginning of the chen hour tomorrow, go to Huichun Hall's back entrance and find Steward Zhang. He will arrange things for you. Remember, the Lin Family has strict rules. Keep your hands clean, keep your eyes open for work, and do not be lazy or slippery."

"Yes! This boy will remember!" Li Bufan answered respectfully. Uncle Fu said no more and turned back into the manor through the side gate. The vermilion door slowly closed again, separating two different worlds within and without.

Only after the door had shut completely did Li Bufan truly let out a breath. A thin layer of sweat had already formed on his back. He turned and walked down the steps, his stride far lighter than when he had arrived.

Though he was only a hard-working apprentice, at least... he and his younger brother now had hope of surviving this winter. Meat might still be far away, but there should be a few more grains of rice in their gruel.

He looked up at the sky, quickened his pace, and hurried home. He had to tell Ping'an the news as soon as possible.