Zhao Baozhu bent deeply, his face flushed red, secretly scolding himself for being useless, why did he blush every time he saw this young master? The last time he saw him, his heart had also raced uncontrollably. It must be because the young master carried such noble bearing and extraordinary presence that someone like him, who grew up in a small mountain village with no experience, was stunned at first sight.
Zhao Baozhu took two deep breaths, just gathering his courage to raise his head when he heard the young master say, “Come closer.”
Zhao Baozhu’s breath caught halfway, making his face even redder. Helpless, he lowered his head and slowly moved step by step to Ye Jinghua’s front, staring at the embroidered cloud-pattern boots on the man’s feet.
“Baozhu is shy!”
It was unclear whether Ye Ning or Ye Miao said it. The two girls burst into laughter.
Zhao Baozhu felt the gaze on him shift away. The cool voice spoke to Ye Ning and Ye Miao: “You two go back to the main house first.”
The two little girls answered and ran off, their footsteps pattering away. One of them even reached out and tugged Zhao Baozhu’s finger before leaving, full of mischief.
When the footsteps faded, Zhao Baozhu felt the gaze return to him. The man’s voice came from above his head: “Raise your head.”
Zhao Baozhu bit his lower lip, feeling the heat on his face subside a little, and then raised his head. The moment he did, he met a pair of beautifully shaped eyes. The upper eyelid folds drooped slightly, and the eyelashes half-covered the eyes. Standing in the sunlight, Zhao Baozhu saw clearly this time that the young master Ye’s irises were slightly lighter than ordinary people’s, like some kind of precious gem.
At this moment, those eyes held a faint warmth as they fell on Zhao Baozhu’s face. After slowly looking him over once, he said softly: “I haven’t seen you for a while. You’re responsible for cleaning this garden?”
Zhao Baozhu took half a beat before hurriedly answering, “Yes.” He stepped aside and gestured to the courtyard behind him. “Young master, you may inspect it. I’ve cleaned this courtyard inside and out until it’s spotless.”
Ye Jinghua lifted his eyes, glanced around the courtyard briefly, gave a soft “mm,” and then turned his gaze back to Zhao Baozhu’s face. “Was it Fang Qin who arranged for you to be here?”
Zhao Baozhu froze, then nodded. “Yes, Qin Gege arranged it.”
Ye Jinghua’s lashes moved slightly. His expression remained calm as he nodded lightly.
Zhao Baozhu looked at him, blinked, then asked cautiously, “Is there something improper?”
“No,” Ye Jinghua denied. Then he lifted his eyes toward Zhao Baozhu’s forehead. “Has your wound healed?”
Zhao Baozhu froze again, not expecting him to remember this. He quickly said, “It healed long ago.”
The next moment, Ye Jinghua reached out and gently brushed aside the hair on his forehead, revealing a pale scar beneath. He frowned slightly. The movement was so quick that Zhao Baozhu hadn’t even had time to be surprised before Ye Jinghua had already withdrawn his hand.
“Why is there still a scar?” he looked at Zhao Baozhu. “Was the medicine the doctor prescribed not good?”
Because of the sudden action, Zhao Baozhu was briefly startled. But he was, after all, a scholar at heart. Even if he was temporarily serving as a servant, he did not have that ingrained servility, so he quickly forgot the surprise and said naturally: “The doctor’s medicine was very good. After I applied it for a few days, the wound scabbed over, so I stopped using it.”
Zhao Baozhu had grown up rough in the countryside and was not someone delicately raised. Moreover, he felt that as a man, he shouldn’t fuss like young ladies applying things all the time. Once the wound was mostly healed, he stopped the medicine immediately, thinking he could save the rest for the next time he got injured.
But upon hearing this, Ye Jinghua’s brows clearly furrowed, a faint crease appearing between them. When his face cooled, those light-colored eyes took on a trace of coldness, making him look very serious. Zhao Baozhu felt a bit intimidated, blinked, and said softly: “Then… should I continue applying the medicine?”
Ye Jinghua’s expression eased slightly, and he nodded. “If the doctor’s medicine is good, then continue using it.”
Zhao Baozhu obediently nodded. But inwardly he thought that nobles in great households were indeed particular, not only were they immaculate themselves, they also couldn’t tolerate even a scar on those beneath them. Zhao Baozhu couldn’t help recalling the stories elders in his village used to tell about people in the capital, especially about how, when selecting consorts for the palace, every inch of the body had to be examined, with no scars or moles allowed. Now it seemed those stories weren’t entirely baseless. If even a wealthy young master who ran an inn was like this, the imperial palace must be even stricter.
Zhao Baozhu secretly arranged things in his mind, then lifted his eyes, only to see Ye Jinghua looking at him, a trace of a smile held at the corner of his lips.
Zhao Baozhu’s heart gave a sudden jump at that smile, and he inexplicably felt a bit guilty, for no reason sensing that Ye Jinghua seemed to have seen through his thoughts. Before he even had time to feel embarrassed, Ye Jinghua lowered his eyes, the smile at the corner of his lips also concealed, and said softly: “No need to begrudge the medicine. If it’s used up, then go find Fang Qin to get more.”
Zhao Baozhu hadn’t expected that he had even anticipated this layer; his cheeks flushed red as he replied haltingly, “I understand.”
Seeing him obedient, Ye Jinghua nodded, as if finally satisfied, and said, “It’s noon. You should go eat as well.” Zhao Baozhu answered with a “yes,” turned around, and was just about to pass through the small gate on the west side of the courtyard toward the back yard. However, as he turned his head slightly, Ye Jinghua’s gaze suddenly fixed, and he spoke: “Wait.”
Zhao Baozhu abruptly stopped and turned his head to look at Ye Jinghua. Seeing him frown while looking at a patch of skin on his cheek, he said, “What’s wrong with your face?”
Zhao Baozhu was stunned, then raised his hand to touch his face. At the highest point of his cheekbone, a patch of skin felt especially rough, and faintly gave off a bit of heat. Zhao Baozhu suddenly understood and said somewhat embarrassedly: “The sun has been rather harsh these past few days, I got a bit too much exposure.”
As soon as spring entered the capital, there had been several consecutive days of strong sunshine. Zhao Baozhu’s hometown was rainy year-round, so his skin had been raised to be both fair and delicate, completely unable to withstand the sun. There was no place to take shade in this courtyard, so the skin on his cheekbones had been reddened over a large area. Earlier, when his whole face had been flushed, it hadn’t been very noticeable; now that the redness had faded, that patch of skin stood out all the more.
Ye Jinghua frowned for a long while. Zhao Baozhu looked at him in confusion, and only after quite some time did he see Ye Jinghua raise his hand and wave lightly, saying to him, “Go eat first.”
Zhao Baozhu nodded blankly at his words, turned, and walked through the small gate toward the back yard. Only after he had gone some distance did Zhao Baozhu turn his head back to glance behind him, raising his hand to scratch the back of his head. He didn’t know whether all wealthy young masters in the capital were like this, or whether this Young Master Ye in particular was especially hard to read.
The thoughts of nobles are truly hard to guess!
***
Zhao Baozhu didn’t take this matter too much to heart and quickly forgot about it. Who would have thought that the next day, while he was eating breakfast, Steward Li came looking for him, with two young servants following behind, each holding something in their hands.
With half a bun still in his mouth, Zhao Baozhu was yanked up from his chair. Steward Li grabbed his sleeve and examined his face carefully, clicking his tongue and sighing several times.
“Look at how sunburnt this face is, what a sin!” Steward Li frowned, his eyes full of pity as he said, “You earnest child, when the sun is strong you don’t even know to take cover, just standing there under it getting baked.”
Zhao Baozhu blinked, swallowed the bun in one gulp, and said, “Steward Li, why have you come?”
Steward Li shot him a reproachful look: “I’ve come to bring good news to you, you little troublemaker!” After saying that, he turned his head and called the two young servants forward. Only then did Zhao Baozhu clearly see that one of them held a robe with a moon-white base embroidered with goose-yellow patterns, while the other held a jade plaque, on which the two characters “Baozhu” were clearly engraved.
Zhao Baozhu looked at the two items and said in surprise, “Steward Li, this is–”
“These are all yours.” Steward Li said with a beaming smile, “The young master said that from now on you are to serve in the study. No need to stand under that blazing sun anymore!”
Zhao Baozhu widened his eyes. “…The study?” Since when did this inn even have a study?
“When serving before the young master, naturally your outfit must be changed.” As he spoke, Steward Li picked up the clothes and jade plaque and handed them to Zhao Baozhu, nodding toward the inner room. “Quickly change into them, the young master is still waiting for you in front.”
Zhao Baozhu took them in a daze, immediately drawn to the cool touch of the jade plaque. He lowered his head to look at the plaque in his hand and saw that the jade was fine in texture, with a gentle luster, one could tell at a glance that it was quite valuable.
Zhao Baozhu’s heart trembled, and he immediately pushed the jade plaque back to Steward Li: “This is too valuable. I can’t accept it.”
However, Steward Li seemed to have anticipated what he would say and dodged to the side with a dismissive click of his tongue. “Just take it! If you return it, how am I supposed to explain it to the young master?” Zhao Baozhu immediately froze, holding the jade plaque, neither able to accept nor return it. Seeing his expression, Steward Li lowered his voice and said, “Besides, it’s not truly given to you. When the time comes, if you leave the residence and go elsewhere, it must be returned in its original state.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu let out a great sigh of relief. He thought to himself that was good, regardless of whether he passed the spring examinations or not, he would eventually have to leave, and at that time he could just return the items. He carefully put away the jade plaque, thinking that he would have to be careful not to knock or damage it in daily life. Then he looked at the clothes in his hand. After examining them closely, he frowned, raised his eyes, and looked at Steward Li somewhat hesitantly: “This outfit… isn’t it a bit too feminine?”
Zhao Baozhu held the clothes carefully. The fabric felt smooth and slightly cool, far better than the coarse linen short garment he was currently wearing. It was just that the pattern was a bit too delicate, and it was embroidered with goose-yellow thread. Although it was tailored in a man’s style, no matter how Zhao Baozhu looked at it, it seemed like something a young girl would wear.
“You child, honestly.” Steward Li glanced at him impatiently, pushing Zhao Baozhu toward the inner room as he said, “How is it feminine? Those serving in the front courtyard all wear the same style. Go change quickly, don’t keep the young master waiting!”
Zhao Baozhu had no choice and didn’t want to go against an elder, so he took the clothes and went inside to change. When he came out, Steward Li turned him around and looked him over, praising him several times with “good-looking,” and personally fastened the jade plaque at his waist, saying: “Now that’s complete!”
After that, Zhao Baozhu followed Steward Li toward the front courtyard, their steps hurried along the way. When passing Ruilai Courtyard, Steward Li suddenly stopped, turned his head, and said to Zhao Baozhu, “From now on, you’ll move into this courtyard.”
Zhao Baozhu was startled and said instinctively, “Here? Isn’t this courtyard for guests?”
Hearing this, Steward Li was also stunned. “What guests?” Then he thought for a moment and said, “You mean the two young ladies Ye Ning and Ye Miao? They never stay overnight when they come.”
Seeing that Zhao Baozhu still looked confused, he explained, “If other guests come, there are dedicated guest rooms in the front courtyard.”
So that’s how it was. Zhao Baozhu let out a breath of relief, thinking that this courtyard must be left unused. Then another thought arose, and he began to doubt Young Master Ye’s business acumen, such a large courtyard left idle, could it be due to insufficient guest flow? With such a vast, estate-like inn, who knew how much money it could earn in a year.
