The noise from the courtyard outside seemed to have quieted down, or perhaps it was simply drowned out by the commotion inside the house.
“Aunt, Aunt, don’t hit me, don’t hit me! I’m still sick!”
The Seventeenth Young Master cried out, covering his head and dodging.
First Madam Cheng struck down hard with her hand.
“You’re not just sick—you’re seriously sick! I’m beating you to knock some sense into you! You dare talk nonsense! Nonsense!” she shouted.
The Seventeenth Young Master laughed and clung to her arm.
“Aunt, Aunt, I’m better now, I’m better,” he said with a grin.
First Madam Cheng angrily flung him off.
“Pack his things and send him back immediately. Tell your master and madam to keep him locked up for half a month—he’s not allowed to leave the house,” she instructed the maid nearby.
The maid hurriedly responded, “Yes, Madam.”
The Seventeenth Young Master said nothing more. He just stood up cheerfully.
“Then I’ll be off, Aunt,” he said, and actually ran out the door, as if he couldn’t wait to go home.
First Madam Cheng called out, but couldn’t stop him. She was both angry and relieved.
“Go back and tell your madam to keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him cause any more trouble,” she instructed the maid again.
The maid replied promptly and took her leave.
“Madam, the Old Madam is asking for you,” another maid came in from outside and said.
“Looks like the commotion is over,” First Madam Cheng remarked.
“Madam, the Old Madam is likely going to discuss Jiao-niang’s marriage with you,” the maid said with a smile.
“Is it easy being in charge? There are so many things to worry about, and all the effort often goes unappreciated. All the marriage arrangements for the children in this household combined aren’t as troublesome as hers alone,” First Madam Cheng said.
“There’s no such thing as a truly difficult task—only people who aren’t determined. Madam has the heart, so it’s sure to succeed,” the maids said with smiles as they gathered around First Madam Cheng and escorted her out.
As night fell, Young Master Qin felt as if he had been walking endlessly. The lights ahead flickered brightly, but he could never quite reach them.
He realized—this was a dream.
Young Master Qin quickly told himself that and simply stopped walking.
The lights vanished, and suddenly the surroundings were filled with people.
“You little cripple.”
“Look at that little cripple.”
Low, whispering voices came at him from all directions.
Young Master Qin frowned. This kind of dream? Well, whatever. Though it revealed the shadows in his heart, it didn’t really bother him.
He began to walk again, slowly. The whispers around him gradually became faint and unreal.
He knew the truth, accepted it, didn’t fear it—and could even find a kind of enjoyment in it.
“Why pretend to be so carefree?”
A woman’s voice rang out.
Young Master Qin suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked toward the figure of a lady who had appeared beside him. Her dark clothing blended seamlessly into the night.
“You little cripple—it’s not like you really want to stay a cripple for the rest of your life.”
Young Master Qin abruptly opened his eyes. The eastern sky was turning pale; the canopy above his bed glowed faintly.
He stared quietly at the canopy for a moment, then pushed himself up.
His crutch lay beside the couch. Outside the curtain, a young servant was sleeping soundly, slumped over.
He picked up the crutch. He had barely taken a few steps when the tapping sound—thump, thump—of the crutch hitting the floor startled the servant awake.
Young Master Qin stopped again and looked down at the crutch in his hand.
“When I was little, I used to sneak out to play all the time…”
“The maids would be fast asleep by the bed…”
“When I came back, they’d never even notice…”
He thought of the light-hearted stories Zhou Liu-lang had once told. Stories he’d listened to so eagerly—small, ordinary joys he realized he would never experience himself.
You little cripple—it’s not like you really want to stay a cripple for the rest of your life…
“Young Master, you’re getting up?” the servant asked, rubbing his eyes, still drowsy.
Young Master Qin gave a soft “Mm.”
“I’m going out for a walk. You don’t need to follow me,” he said, moving forward with his crutch.
“Even though it’s getting light, it’s still early. Where are you going, Young Master?” the servant asked, rubbing his eyes again.
“Do I need your permission just to take a walk?” Young Master Qin suddenly snapped.
The servant was startled awake, now completely alert.
The young master, who was always gentle, refined, and smiling even before he spoke, had actually lost his temper…
Young Master Qin’s hand gripped the crutch tighter. He took a deep breath.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I’m just going to walk in the courtyard. You don’t need to follow me,” he said again, more calmly.
The servant didn’t dare speak further and quickly nodded.
He listened to the thump, thump of the crutch and watched as the young master slowly walked away into the distance.
By the time the sky was fully bright, Li Dashao stepped out of his house, and Ah-Song had already brought out the little donkey.
“You don’t need to bring back vegetables or meat for the next few days—there’s more than enough at home,” she said.
“If we can’t finish it, send some to your family. In this summer weather, fruits, vegetables, and meat won’t keep long,” Li Dashao replied.
Ah-Song’s family was of modest means. In the past, when Li Dashao was not doing well, he was looked down on by her family. But now, with his work going well at Tai Ping Residence, the household’s fortunes were improving day by day. They hadn’t started making money yet, but not having to spend was already a kind of earning.
When she brought food like vegetables, meat, or rice to her parents’ home, Ah-Song could now do so with pride. Among her siblings, she appeared more capable, and her visits no longer felt hesitant or awkward—they were cheerful and confident.
Li Dashao rode out on the donkey. On the way, villagers who had finished their morning farm work greeted him with smiles. Even the village headman stopped to chat briefly. This was something Li Dashao had never imagined in all his twenty-odd years of life.
“My boy just turned ten. We don’t really need him at home for chores. If Tai Ping Residence still needs someone to run errands or help out, take him along,” the village headman said with a smile.
Li Dashao quickly replied, “Of course, of course!”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” he added cheerfully.
Although Li Dashao was just a cook at Tai Ping Residence, not many cooks could earn the favor of the venerable monk at Puxiu Temple. The villagers didn’t know or care who exactly owned Tai Ping Residence—in their eyes, Li Dashao held a rather exceptional position there.
Especially after Tai Ping Residence began hiring help, and Li Dashao recommended a boy from a neighbor’s family, his status was even more firmly established.
Tai Ping Residence paid generous wages, and any household with an extra mouth to feed didn’t mind earning a bit more.
The brief delays along the way didn’t stop Li Dashao from leaving the village. Just as he was stepping out of the village entrance, a man approached from the direction of the neighboring village. The two locked eyes and paused, slightly surprised.
“Manager Liu,” Li Dashao greeted first.
The man was none other than the manager of Immortal’s Abode.
“Brother Li,” Manager Liu replied, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. There was a flicker of unease in his gaze.
Since refusing to take back the land that had been hastily sold off, Dou Qi had sent people to speak with Li Dashao twice more. They even promised to honor the Old Master Dou’s original offer to give him a share in the business—but Li Dashao still turned them down.
Meeting his former employer now was, naturally, a bit awkward.
“Sir, out working so early?” Li Dashao greeted politely.
“Not busy, not at all—can’t compare to you, Brother Li, such an important man these days,” the manager replied with a forced smile.
This Li Dashao, who used to be the kind of guy you couldn’t get a word out of even with three pokes, now had the nerve to be sarcastic and mocking.
Li Dashao didn’t feel there was anything wrong with what he’d said. He simply smiled.
“Well then, I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll be on my way,” he said.
The manager grunted twice as he watched Li Dashao nudge the donkey forward.
Li Dashao still looked just as thin as before, still dressed plainly, but for some reason, the manager felt a certain oppressive air whenever the man spoke to him. Was it because he was riding a donkey?
I ride a horse, for heaven’s sake!
The manager spat and turned to see his servant with the horse lagging far behind.
“Hurry up!” he barked.
Riding hard on horseback, he entered the city as the sun climbed higher. The streets were already bustling with activity, but Immortal’s Abode remained unchanged.
There were still a few guests seated in the main hall, but the dishes before them were no longer the famed “Passing Immortal” selections.
“You only have these few dishes? That’s it?”
“Is there anything else?”
The voices of customers talking to the waitstaff drifted over.
The manager couldn’t be bothered to listen—he knew it wouldn’t be long before the comments turned sour. Either the customers would leave grumbling, or they’d order one or two forgettable dishes.
He headed straight for the back courtyard. After things had quieted down for a while, Dou Qi had sold his house in the city and was now living at Immortal’s Abode.
“Damn it! It really was them!”
Just as the manager opened the door and walked in, he heard Dou Qi cursing angrily.
“Master Dou, what is it?” he asked.
Dou Qi’s face was ashen with rage. He kicked over the small table in front of him, sending several sheets of paper fluttering to the ground.
“Tai Ping Residence!” he shouted. “It’s actually theirs! I’ve said it all along—there are no good people in this world, only clever ones and fools! And I, Dou Qi, have been toyed with by those two brats this whole time! They’ve been scheming against me since the very beginning!”
The more he spoke, the more manic he became, waving his arms wildly.
“Master Dou, what on earth is going on?” the manager asked nervously, starting to worry that Dou Qi had finally lost his mind from all the recent blows.
“We’ve found out who the real owner of Tai Ping Residence is!” Dou Qi turned to glare at him and growled through gritted teeth.
Found out?
“Who is it?” the manager asked quickly.
“The Zhou family— Guide General!” Dou Qi said, biting the words out.
