Chapter 2
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“Yao’er seems somewhat responsible.” Madam cast a sidelong glance at Xue Yao. “Considering your young age and this being your first offense, I can’t bear to punish you severely. I’ll only deduct half of your monthly allowance to teach you a lesson.”
In modern terms, Xue Yao’s mother was Concubine Zhou, but in ancient times, a concubine-born child was supposed to call the main wife “Mother.” They usually referred to her as “Madam.”
The way people in ancient times addressed each other was quite easy to understand. It mostly depended on how subordinates addressed their superiors. For example, Xue Yao’s father, named Xue Cheng, was known as the third master of the Xue family. Servants and maids from the third courtyard would call him “Master” or “Third Master.” His son, wife, and concubine would also refer to him as “Master” in their daily lives. Even the Old Master and Madam would address him as “Master.” This was known as addressing according to one’s status.
Of course, a son could also call him “Father,” and parents could address their child by name. It all depended on each family’s customs.
This was what Xue Yao had observed over the past two days. After all, his host was an eight-year-old child who used names based on habits, not rules. Xue Yao had to figure it out for himself.
At this moment, Xue Yao was preoccupied with the recent system prompt and didn’t have the patience to ponder how severe the punishment of “deducting half of the monthly allowance” was. He simply nodded in acknowledgment.
After Madam returned to her room, Concubine Zhou felt a mix of affection and relief for her dutiful son. She quickly retrieved some money she had been saving in her own secret stash and handed it to Xue Yao’s personal maidservant, instructing her not to skimp on Yao’er’s school expenses. Half of the money that was lacking would be covered by her.
If Xue Yao were to accept money from his birth mother, the six points he had just earned might be taken away. Thus, he promptly declined Concubine Zhou’s kind offer, saying that the palace school would provide pastries, so there was no need to bring his own food.
Concubine Zhou relented and praised him a bit more before returning to her room.
Xue Yao went back to the east wing, dismissing the maidservant, and started examining the “system prompt” on his own.
He attempted to give a soft command, “Open the system interface,” but heard no response. He closed his eyes and mentally issued the command, but the system remained unresponsive.
When he recalled the passphrase “Villain Redemption System,” a dim space suddenly appeared in his mind.
Inside the space, a colossal three-dimensional Rubik’s Cube materialized, each of its smaller cubes radiating a subtle, translucent glow.
With focused intent, Xue Yao directed his mental energy towards one of the small cubes, causing his field of vision to instantly zoom in. It was as if he were suspended directly in front of the cube.
Some item seemed to be encased inside the cube, partially obscured by the semi-translucent glass.
The recent system prompt mentioned that to open the exchange interface, he needed to reach 50 Whitewashing Points.
With a paltry 6 points just now, perhaps he couldn’t unlock the Rubik’s Cube at all. Xue Yao reluctantly gave up and opened his eyes, exiting the mental space.
He was feeling a bit excited. This was clearly some sort of cheat. Alhough he didn’t know how it might be useful at the moment, at least it gave him something to look forward to.
Since it was the “Villain Redemption System,” these so-called “Whitewashing Points” must be earned by doing good deeds and becoming a good role model like Lei Feng.
At the moment, it seemed that showing filial piety to his birth mother was a way to earn Whitewashing Points. Should he send Concubine Zhou a new blanket to test it out?
Xue Yao decided to give it a try. He spent the whole night running between the east and west wings, serving tea, water, and delivering the blanket, all the way until it was dark. Finally, he heard a notification sound: 【Earned -1 Whitewashing Point for three non-substantial acts of showboating.】
Xue Yao: “? ? ?”
Why did he lose a point?
Non-substantial acts of showboating? A bolt from the blue!
Was this system so strict?
Xue Yao felt disheartened.
During a restless night, he could only think of two possible solutions: one was to help the Seventh Prince fix the ear and tail of the wooden horse, and the other was to hope for some life-saving treasures in the system’s exchange interface.
However, both paths seemed quite uncertain at the moment.
The Seventh Prince was only three years old and didn’t study with the Third Prince.
In the novel, most early-stage villains were likely followers of the Third Prince. In reality, events between these incidents ranged from weeks to years apart.
As the Third Prince’s reader-in-waiting, Xue Yao couldn’t just casually meet the Long Aotian cub.
So now, the most feasible path was to engage in meaningful deeds, earn some Whitewashing Points, and see what valuable items he could exchange them for.
Over the next week, every day after returning to the Xue residence from the study hall, Xue Yao put forth his best effort. He wandered aimlessly inside and outside the estate, praying that his fellow villagers or acquaintances would encounter some trouble that he could come to their rescue.
However, as just an eight-year-old child, he couldn’t carry a burden, lacked the physical strength to assist, and didn’t possess the mental maturity to alleviate the worries of ordinary people.
The only help he eventually offered was when a servant in the courtyard cut her hand. He brought some ointment from his own room and treated her injury.
Whitewashing Points +2
Judging by this system’s stinginess, it seemed he wouldn’t even reach 50 points even if he donated all his personal belongings!
On this morning, Xue Yao’s grandmother intended to visit the temple. She only allowed the eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Wang, to accompany her.
Xue Yao followed his father to see his grandmother off as they left the Xue residence.
When his grandmother was getting into the carriage, her legs weren’t quite agile. She lifted her foot three times before managing to step onto the footrest.
This scene suddenly triggered Xue Yao’s memory!
In the novel, the Third Prince once tried to play a prank on the little male protagonist. Noticing the absence of his reader-in-waiting, he asked a young eunuch and learned that Xue Yao had taken leave due to a family emergency.
The Third Prince had a good relationship with his reader-in-waiting and went on to inquire further. He found out that Xue Yao’s grandmother had fallen while visiting a temple and had fractured her hip.
Shortly after this incident, the book Xue Yao took a few more days off, as his grandmother had passed away.
The novel didn’t specify the exact time between the fall and her passing, but Xue Yao believed that this fall, directly or indirectly, led to his grandmother’s demise.
In ancient times, with underdeveloped medical practices, breaking a bone at over sixty years of age required several months of recovery, mostly confined to a bed.
With advancing age and a lack of proper exercise, various ailments could befall someone.
If the above assumptions held true, then if Xue Yao prevented his grandmother from going to the temple, it would be like saving a life, earning him a substantial amount of Whitewashing Points.
But how could he stop his grandmother from making her temple visit?
Lately, his grandfather had been suffering from frequent headaches, and even the local physician couldn’t diagnose the cause. It was this situation that led his grandmother to donate money for temple offerings.
If Xue Yao interfered with such an act, it would be seen as highly disrespectful. Could he still have a place in the Xue family after such an action?
Moreover, the Third Master Xue already held the lowest position in the household. Even his legitimate son, Xue Qiong, didn’t receive much attention. As a concubine-born son, Xue Yao was scarcely heard and held no authority.
After the Old Madam had boarded the carriage and Madam Wang had followed suit, the footman was about to fold up the footrest. Suddenly, Xue Yao, mustering his courage, rushed forward. “Grandmother! I also want to go to the temple to pay respects to the Bodhisattva!”
The clear voice of the child drew the attention of everyone. Over twenty pairs of eyes focused on Xue Yao, the second son of the third branch.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and the Old Madam asked Madam Wang, “Whose child is this?”
“It’s Yao’er.”
The Old Madam called out to the outside, “There’s nothing interesting in the temple. You won’t enjoy it.”
“I don’t want to play. I want to pay respects to the Bodhisattva!” Xue Yao hurried to the back of the carriage, extended his neck, and looked at the Old Madam with big, watery eyes. “I want to accompany my Grandmother in paying respects to the Bodhisattva, so that my Grandfather won’t have a headache!”
The Old Madam loved to hear auspicious words from children. Upon hearing this, she beamed with delight. She waved and said, “Lift him up. It’s rare for a child to have such a kind heart.”
A nearby servant immediately lifted Xue Yao into the carriage, smoothly accompanying the Old Madam to the temple.
Xue Yao’s biological father was taken aback. He never expected his usually dim-witted son to suddenly play such a major move and shamelessly deliver such an impressive flattery!
When they returned, Master Xue repeatedly marveled at it and praised Yao’er as a tactful child with an unpredictable future.
Madam Chen, upon hearing this, didn’t dare to contradict and simply smiled gently. She couldn’t let her husband know that she couldn’t bear this concubine-born son shining in front of him. In her heart, she could only blame Concubine Zhou for her effective upbringing.
•••
From the moment Xue Yao accompanied the Old Madam to the temple and stepped out of the carriage, he boldly clung to her arm and walked alongside her.
Madam Wang subtly mentioned the hot weather a few times, hoping that Xue Yao wouldn’t walk so closely to the Old Madam. However, Xue Yao pretended not to hear and repeatedly advised his grandmother to walk slowly and mind the threshold ahead.
The Xue family was a large clan. Even though they lived together in one estate, the relationships between grandparents and grandchildren varied.
While the Old Madam wasn’t particularly concerned about the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children, the book Xue Yao was naturally reserved and lacked the social skills to initiate interactions. Consequently, his relationship with the Old Madam was quite distant.
This sudden display of affection was, in fact, quite abrupt. Regardless, Xue Yao continued to fawn on her. He was determined to earn Whitewashing Points.
Surprisingly, the Old Madam didn’t find it awkward at all. She was genuinely delighted.
The Xue family was a distinguished lineage of scholars, where generation after generation were all learned individuals, emphasizing the qualities of being “reserved in speech and diligent in conduct”.
From Old Master Xue to his three sons, and even the five young masters among the grandchildren, none had ever displayed excessive familiarity with the Old Madam, unlike Xue Yao.
It was the daughters-in-law and granddaughters who tended to be more affectionate toward the Old Madam. This was why she often enjoyed spending time with the women of the family.
Now, having a grandson who stuck to her like this was a rare treat. The Old Madam felt a unique sweetness in her heart, and she didn’t mind the heat. She was more than happy to walk alongside her little grandson.
Madam Wang, who had been quite talkative, was silenced by a stern glare from the Old Madam and dared not speak further.
In truth, Xue Yao had no certainty. He believed that the Old Madam didn’t push him away due to saving face. Therefore, he never dared to lift his head and meet the Old Madam’s eyes. Instead, he huddled in her arms, which made him appear even clingier.
The book Xue Yao was a minor character, and the story didn’t directly depict the incident of the Old Madam’s fall. Xue Yao had no knowledge of when exactly the Old Madam had fallen. Hence, he remained vigilant, never leaving her side.
After finishing the incense offerings, Xue Yao faced a dilemma. The monk responsible for divination needed to have a private conversation with the Old Madam regarding an urgent matter.
The two of them headed toward a pond located behind the temple, discussing matters while strolling.
Although they had sent the attendants away, there was no specific servant assigned to watch over Xue Yao.
Xue Yao promptly slipped away to the rear garden of the temple and hid behind an artificial hill, observing.
The monk and the Old Madam walked along a stony path bordering the pond. Upon seeing the state of the path, Xue Yao knew it was trouble.
The rain the previous night had washed up mud around the edges of the stony path, leaving many sections slippery due to the muddy water.
This was definitely where she had fallen. Xue Yao considered rushing to support the Old Madam, but doing so would be inexplicable and overly obsequious. Excessive attentiveness could be annoying.
There was no alternative. He could only hide behind a flower bed, keeping a watchful eye on the path in front of the Old Madam.
When the Old Madam reached the western edge of the pond, Xue Yao suddenly noticed a glimmer on the stony path ahead. Upon closer examination, he realized it was a sunken section of the path with water pooled in it.
He glanced back and saw that the Old Madam was deeply engrossed in conversation with the monk.
This was likely the spot where she had fallen!
Without hesitation, Xue Yao sprinted around, positioning himself about four steps behind the Old Madam. He watched helplessly as her foot stepped into the pool of water.
The Old Madam let out a cry of surprise and toppled backward.
Xue Yao’s mind went blank for an instant. With a quick push from his toes, he dashed forward and lifted his hands just before the Old Madam hit the ground.
However, due to his young age, he couldn’t prevent the fall and ended up falling alongside her, serving as a cushion.
Thanks to Xue Yao’s effort, the Old Madam didn’t experience any serious pain, only shock. She patted her chest and suddenly heard her young grandson’s tender voice from behind, struggling through the pain, “Grandmother, are you alright?”
Simultaneously, Xue Yao heard a system notification in his mind: 【Whitewashing Points +75, Exchange Interface Unlocked.】
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awww. painful but hey it worked.