The next day, Zhao Baozhu remembered that there was a noon meal. Seeing that the time was about right, he followed the previous day’s route to the side room.
He lifted the curtain and saw that many people were already sitting at the wooden tables from yesterday. They wore plain white or light green clothing, sitting three or four to a table. When they saw Zhao Baozhu enter, they all turned to look at him, their expressions not very friendly. That sharp-eyed maid from before was also among them; when she saw him looking over, she immediately lowered her head guiltily, but after a moment seemed to realize something and lifted her head again, glaring fiercely at Zhao Baozhu.
Zhao Baozhu took in everyone’s expressions, surprise, disdain, contempt, and coldness. He frowned slightly, not understanding why these strangers treated him this way.
Just then, a female voice called out to him: “Baozhu, over here!”
Zhao Baozhu turned his head and saw Qi Mama sitting alone at a table, waving at him. His face lit up with joy, and he quickly went over and sat down beside her.
“Qi Mama.” He greeted her with a smile. “I finally get to see you. I waited for you for quite a while yesterday, but you never came.”
“Oh my, that was this old Mama’s fault.”
The moment Qi Mama saw Zhao Baozhu, her face lit up with a smile. The child was good-looking and open-hearted. She liked children who smiled the instant they saw someone. Unlike those gloomy-faced ones who drooped their brows all day, acting like everyone owed them money, it was irritating just to look at them.
“Our Baozhu waited such a long time yesterday, and even missed lunch. You suffered quite the grievance, didn’t you?”
Qi Mama carefully wiped the fine sweat at Zhao Baozhu’s temple with a handkerchief, while shooting a cold glance to the side. “It’s all these black-hearted things’ fault. One day or another they’ll all be driven out!”
Following her gaze, Zhao Baozhu saw that everyone wore expressions of anger they dared not voice. Someone lifted his head and glared fiercely at Qi Mama, only to lower it again, lips moving rapidly as he whispered something to his companions.
Seeing their behavior, Zhao Baozhu’s eyes rolled, and he understood most of it. Yesterday Qi Mama had probably been delayed by something. She must have sent someone to call Zhao Baozhu for a meal, but for some reason that person never came. Zhao Baozhu’s cat-like eyes narrowed slightly as he swept a glance over the several tables full of hostility nearby. How could he not understand that he wasn’t welcome here?
Even so, he did not care. He withdrew his gaze, pulled the white porcelain bowl on the table in front of himself, and lowered his head to take a bite of rice.
His mother had died early when he was little. Because he was fair-skinned, and the only young boy in the village who didn’t fight and instead stayed home reading every day, he had often been excluded by the other mischievous children. He hadn’t cared back then, and he cared even less now about the cold looks of these people who had nothing to do with him.
Why did every inn servant in the capital seem like they’d swallowed firecrackers?
“Tch, we won’t bother with them.” Qi Mama also turned back around and directly picked up a plate of glossy braised pork from the table, placing several chunks into Zhao Baozhu’s bowl. “Working farm chores all morning tired you out, didn’t it? Eat more meat quickly. Meat gives you strength.”
Zhao Baozhu’s mouth was stuffed with fragrant white rice. Looking at the large pieces of richly colored braised pork falling into his bowl, the fatty portions wobbling slightly, his eyes instantly lit up.
“Is… is today some kind of special occasion?”
He asked blankly.
Qi Mama froze for a moment before realizing that Zhao Baozhu only had an elderly father at home. Their life must have been difficult; meat was probably something they only ate once during festivals or holidays. Her heart immediately softened with pity, and she gently patted Zhao Baozhu’s back.
“Good child, it’s nothing rare. Just eat as much as you want.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu relaxed and buried his head in a fierce bout of eating. Only after four chunks of braised pork had gone down his stomach did he suddenly remember something and lift his head.
“Mama, you eat too.”
Seeing his cheeks puffed up like a little mole in the woods, adorable beyond measure, Qi Mama smiled with curved eyes. “This old Mama’s bones are too worn out to eat greasy things like this.” As she spoke, she picked up some stir-fried shredded pork for Zhao Baozhu. “All of it is for our little Bao’er.”
Zhao Baozhu smiled shyly at this, but he could hardly reject an elder’s kindness, so he lowered his head and ate every dish Qi Mama placed into his bowl cleanly. Seeing this made Qi Mama smile even wider; the way she looked at Zhao Baozhu was even more indulgent than how she looked at her own grandson.
Meanwhile, the people at the other tables, seeing Zhao Baozhu eat like this, transformed the little bit of surprise they’d felt at his unexpectedly good looks back into disdain. So what if the little beggar had a clever-looking face? At his roots he was still an uncultured, ill-mannered thing. How could he compare with household servants like them, who had served noble families since childhood?
Zhao Baozhu was busily shoveling rice into his mouth when he heard someone whisper near his ear, “Eating like a starving ghost. What a waste of that pretty face.”
Though the speaker lowered his voice, others could still hear him. Zhao Baozhu’s chewing paused, and he immediately turned to find the man who had spoken, shooting him a vicious glare.
The man clearly hadn’t expected Zhao Baozhu to look over. He froze on the spot. Zhao Baozhu’s upturned cat eyes swept coldly over him, intimidating yet strangely alluring at the same time. Being glared at like that, the man’s face flushed red and green by turns. Finally he lowered his head abruptly and muttered: “So what if you’re good-looking? Glare at people at every turn. No upbringing.”
Zhao Baozhu: …
He let out a breath and could no longer be bothered to argue with these people. It seemed the people of the capital not only had bad tempers, but weren’t very bright either.
***
After the meal, Zhao Baozhu rested one hand on his bulging stomach. He felt that the sky was brighter, the trees greener, and everything in the world wonderfully peaceful. Now that he had eaten his fill, he had even more energy than yesterday. In less than two hours he had settled all the chickens and ducks properly, and even found time to turn over all the soil in the vegetable patch in the back courtyard.
After finishing those chores, there was still some time before dinner. Zhao Baozhu took out his book again and squatted beneath a large tree to review his lessons. The book in his hands had been used for more than ten years, patched and rebound in countless places, barely holding together. The paper had become frighteningly thin, and Zhao Baozhu had to turn the pages with extreme care, afraid that a careless touch would tear them apart.
The banyan tree blocked the glaring sunlight overhead, while the chilly breeze of early spring blew past. Zhao Baozhu shrank his neck as he turned a page, pulling his clothes tighter around himself. The north really was different. Even with spring already here and the sun shining brightly, it was still this cold.
Curling his neck and breathing warm air onto his hands as he read, Zhao Baozhu noticed several fluffy yellow chicks waddling out of the coop and swaying over to his feet.
He tore his attention away from the book long enough to glance at them, gently nudging them farther away with his foot as he whispered, “Don’t come over. Fang Gege won’t let me hold you.”
The chicks were deeply confused. Tucking their heads beneath their wings, they tilted them sideways and stared at Zhao Baozhu with black bean-like eyes, chirping noisily. Zhao Baozhu found them unbearably cute, and his heart began to itch.
He flipped the book face-down against his chest and furtively looked around like a thief, wanting to make sure Fang Li was nowhere nearby.
Fang Li indeed wasn’t around. But with that glance, Zhao Baozhu spotted someone walking this way.
Focusing his eyes, he realized it was precisely the person who had mocked him for lacking upbringing at noon. The man carried an enormous wooden bucket in his hand and seemed to struggle with its weight. When he drew close, he also noticed Zhao Baozhu squatting beneath the tree, and immediately lifted his brows maliciously.
“Well, well.” He set down the large bucket and looked Zhao Baozhu up and down. “Reading a book?”
His tone dripped with sarcasm; one could tell at once he came with bad intentions. Zhao Baozhu’s expression darkened. He kicked the surrounding chicks away and put away the book in his arms.
Seeing this reaction, the man’s brows twitched. He stepped forward and reached out to snatch Zhao Baozhu’s book.
“What are you hiding for? Reading something shameful? Let me see—”
Zhao Baozhu pulled his right hand back, tucking the book behind his waist. Then he shoved the man hard with both hands, pushing him back two or three staggering steps before he managed to steady himself.
“Stay away from me.” He said coldly.
The man hadn’t expected Zhao Baozhu to actually lay hands on him. He froze briefly, then raised a hand to rub his shoulder before lowering his eyes to Zhao Baozhu.
“You’re not very big, but you sure are strong.”
Zhao Baozhu was young, and because his family had always been poor and he’d never eaten much good food growing up, he wasn’t very tall. But the man before him was only half a head taller, which barely counted for anything among northern men. Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu let out a cold snort and lifted his chin.
“You’re not that tall either. No need to waste your breath mocking me.”
Clearly struck in a sore spot by the jab at his height, the man’s expression shifted repeatedly. He stared at Zhao Baozhu darkly for a moment before finally squeezing out a sentence.
“Sharp-tongued.”
Zhao Baozhu looked at him coldly.
“Picking trouble for no reason. Are you that idle?”
The man nearly toppled backward from anger. Zhao Baozhu looked delicate, and he was just a shabby little beggar, so the man had assumed he would naturally be meek and submissive like other poor people. He’d never expected his temper to be this fiery.
Still unwilling to accept it, the man gritted his teeth and said, “You’re slacking off here. Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Fang Li and have him throw you out?”
Zhao Baozhu blinked. “Slacking off? What slacking off? Which eye of yours saw me slacking off? I already finished all my work.”
Hearing this, the man’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Impossible!” They had all dumped the heaviest parts of their work onto Zhao Baozhu!
Zhao Baozhu raised a brow and stepped aside slightly. “See for yourself.”
The man stared at him fixedly, then walked past him toward the chicken coop. When he saw the coop cleaner and tidier than ever before, the carefully turned soil, and the chickens and ducks leisurely wandering through the courtyard, his expression changed several times.
Most of the servants had served the Ye family for years. They knew the masters were lenient and wouldn’t easily drive them out, so they had long grown accustomed to lazing around and working halfheartedly. Seeing someone like Zhao Baozhu work so efficiently all at once left him unable to believe it.
“Well? Believe me now?”
Zhao Baozhu said smugly behind him.
The man slowly turned back, casting Zhao Baozhu a dark look before glancing at the wooden bucket nearby. Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind.
“Since you’ve finished your own work, then go feed the horses for me too.”
Turning around, he pointed arrogantly toward the path leading to the stables.
“Those are all the young master’s beloved horses. Any one of them is worth more than you. Take proper care of them. I’m only giving you such an important task because I see you work fairly efficiently.”
Hearing this stream of nonsense, Zhao Baozhu almost laughed from anger. He let out a short “ha,” crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at the man mockingly with upturned eyes.
“Why should I help you do your work?”
His expression suddenly turned cold. “No chance. Do your own work yourself.”
The man choked at once. This sort of speech usually worked very well on servants who were young and had shallow roots in the household. He’d never expected Zhao Baozhu not to buy into it at all. Being embarrassed on the spot, he looked at Zhao Baozhu’s frosty face and found himself unable to save face.
But in the next moment, his gaze shifted, and suddenly another scheme came to mind. Without drawing attention, he quietly moved one foot to the side.
“Hey!”
Seeing him suddenly bolt and run, Zhao Baozhu’s eyes widened in disbelief: “You’re trying to run?!”
The man shouted as he ran, “Hurry and go feed the horses! If those ancestors aren’t fed, they’ll start making noise later!”
Zhao Baozhu’s brows shot up, and he instinctively wanted to chase after him, but he wasn’t familiar with the layout of the courtyard. He could only watch helplessly as the man disappeared into the winding path in just a few steps, so angry that he stomped his feet on the spot.
“How can there be such a shameless person?!”
Zhao Baozhu’s eyes nearly spat fire as he swung his fist toward the direction the man had disappeared. These past few days, being new here, he had been restraining his temper on others’ territory. Next time he saw that man, he would definitely punch him hard in the face!
