The next afternoon, the little boy arrived at the City Lord's Mansion as promised and knocked on the gate, somewhat ill at ease.
Ling Feng opened the gate and beckoned to the boy with a smile. "Come in!"
Carrying his little basket, the boy followed Ling Feng apprehensively into the City Lord's Mansion.
The exquisite courtyard before him held sights the boy had never seen before: a pond, a garden, a stone pavilion, flowing water.
But what struck the boy as strange was that such a large courtyard had no one else in it, only the young gentleman before him.
Ling Feng sat on a stone stool in the courtyard. A wooden food box rested on the stone table beside him.
Somewhat embarrassed, the boy set his bamboo basket before Ling Feng and said nervously, "Young master, I went digging for herbs first thing this morning, but I only found one. Don't worry, I'll go back into the mountains to dig for more in a little while!"
Ling Feng nodded with a smile and pointed at the food box on the stone table. "Take this home. The medicinal broth your mother needs is inside!"
The boy looked at the food box on the stone table in surprise, then realized that this young gentleman must have looked into his circumstances yesterday.
Looking at the food box before him, the boy bit his lip and thought for a long time before dropping to his knees with a thud. "Young master, as long as you can save my mother, I, Shitou, am willing to serve you as my master for the rest of my life!"
If he could follow such a kindhearted young gentleman, even as a slave for life, at least he would no longer have to worry about food and drink.