Little Bun

An Ziran's words had not been mere talk. Within two days, he began putting them into action.

He had already gone through all of the An Family's messy accounts. Before his death, An Changfu had loved nothing more than shining silver. He sold the rent collected from tenant farmers at high prices, earning a substantial sum every year. Aside from using some of it to curry favor with others, he stored the rest in the An Family's treasury. Over the years, it had accumulated into quite a fortune.

After An Changfu and his wife died, Steward Su was the only one who knew about it. Even An Changde did not know his younger brother had a treasury; otherwise, he would definitely have bribed someone in the An Family to investigate it.

Although most of the silver in the treasury had been squeezed from the common people, the An Family's current situation actually made it easier for him to move it. There was no need to exchange the silver beforehand.

However, how to move the treasury was a major problem!

One careless move, and An Changde would discover it. If he knew, his legal wife, Wu Zhi, would know as well. If they then informed the prefect of Yong Prefecture, An Ziran could not be sure whether the treasury would still be safe.

Because of this, An Ziran did not sleep all night.

The next morning, he appeared at the breakfast table with dark circles under his eyes. Breakfast consisted of porridge, steamed buns, and a few pieces of fried flatbread—simple, not extravagant. Having been here for over two months, he had almost gotten used to it. Unlike in his previous life, when he only drank a cup of coffee for breakfast.

After breakfast, he headed for the study as usual. At a corner in the corridor, distracted by thoughts of how the An Family should develop in the future, he nearly collided with a maid. Startled, she fell to the ground and did not react for a moment.

"Are you all right?"

Only when An Ziran's calm voice sounded did she come back to her senses.

The maid then realized that the youth standing before her was the eldest young master. Remembering why she had come, she hurriedly said, "Eldest Young Master, please go see the second young master at once. Something is wrong with him."

An Ziran finally recognized the maid before him. At the same time, he remembered his younger brother, who was only three months old. Trouble in the An Family had come one after another, and he had only visited him once, so he had not immediately recognized Yue Ju, one of the maids caring for his brother.

When the two arrived at Maple Court, the wet nurse was tending to An Ziming.

On the way over, Yue Ju had already told An Ziran what happened. His younger brother had suddenly developed a fever that morning. Although it was not very high, for a baby only three months old, the slightest carelessness could endanger his life.

The wet nurse did not dare delay. She immediately sent another maid, Cai Ju, to fetch a doctor, then had Yue Ju notify him.

An Ziran walked over and lowered his head to look at the Little Bun in the cradle, his cheeks flushed red. This Little Bun was his younger brother, and his feelings could not help but turn complicated. In his previous life, he had been all alone. Forget a younger brother—he had not even had parents.

As if sensing his gaze, the drowsy Little Bun slowly opened his eyes, revealing two grape-like pupils. He looked at An Ziran with bright, watery eyes, lightly waving his tiny hands as though beckoning to him. Then he suddenly broke into a delighted smile.

An Ziran froze.

The wet nurse said at just the right moment, "The second young master is so clever. He knows the eldest young master is here. No matter how I coaxed him earlier, he had no energy, but the moment you came, he opened his eyes."

As if possessed, An Ziran took hold of his little hand. The tiny thing moved even more happily. Blood ties truly were something strange.

The doctor arrived quickly. Exhausted from playing, the Little Bun had already fallen asleep.

After examining him, the doctor said it was not serious, merely a mild fever. He prescribed a folk remedy and gave some instructions on what to watch out for before leaving.

An Ziran did not stay long, but he came again that afternoon. The Little Bun had already awakened and was recovering quickly; by afternoon, his fever had subsided. His eyes were especially lively, and with his little mouth open, he kept gazing at An Ziran happily. It was not until Steward Su came looking for him that he realized an hour had passed. He felt as though he had only been sitting there for a moment.

The moment Steward Su entered Maple Court, he saw the faint smile on the eldest young master's face before it could fade. It was the first time in two months that he had seen the eldest young master smile. His previously wavering resolve suddenly hardened. He decided to tell the eldest young master about that matter and let him decide for himself.

"Steward, what is it?"

Seeing him standing at the doorway without entering, An Ziran looked at him in puzzlement.

Steward Su walked over to him and said softly, "Eldest Young Master, there is something very important I need to tell you."

An Ziran raised a brow and gave him a surprised look. Then he instructed the wet nurse and the two maids, "You may leave first. Stand guard outside, and do not let anyone approach."

The three did not dare say more. They immediately withdrew in an orderly manner.

Very quickly, only the two of them remained in the room, along with one sweet-smelling Little Bun.