Chapter 13: Fear

In the twilight, Zheng Fa could clearly see his younger sister Zheng Shan standing beneath the great Sun Da Yu tree at the village's edge.

Before her stood three boys, each at least a head taller than she was, with the one in the center clearly the leader.

Zheng Fa instantly recognized the face of the boy in the center.

Thin and tall, with a hooked nose, sparse eyebrows, and a face that looked bland and lifeless.

This was Wang Gui, the only son of Wang Guanshi from the estate.

The previous holder of my current position as a book attendant.

A few days ago, Mother said he was beaten by Lady and sent home, still unconscious and unable to get out of bed when he arrived.

Yet today he's standing here bullying my little sister.

Wang Gui's complexion was indeed paler than usual, his face nearly devoid of color, making it look even darker and more sullen.

His posture was unnatural—he leaned one arm on the boy beside him, as if lacking strength.

Zheng Shan had just been speaking to these men; the conflict between them was obvious.

Alone and small of stature, she faced the group of older, taller boys with her head held high.

Her tiny frame was taut, fists clenched tightly, and in her right palm lay half a flatbread.

The other half of the flatbread had been torn and thrown on the ground, caked in dirt.

Zheng Fa knew this flatbread was made by Mother—earlier that morning, she'd given a bundle of them to the cart driver.

This one was likely Mother's special treat, saved just for Zheng Shan.

Though the flatbread was worthless, for Zheng Shan, such white flour bread wasn't something she ate daily—it was a precious snack, and under normal circumstances, she would never let half of it fall to the ground.

Because he knew his little sister so well, Zheng Fa could see the fear hidden beneath her stubborn posture.

He quickened his pace toward the four of them.

He heard Wang Gui's hoarse voice say: "So what if your brother came back? Do you think I'm afraid of him? Are you afraid?"

He asked the boy beside him.

"Not afraid," the boy replied with a grin.

"What about you?"

"My dad's gone—who's afraid of him?"

Wang Gui laughed, clearly amused, but he kept one hand pressed to his neck—his wound hadn't healed yet.

Zheng Shan couldn't help speaking up: "When my brother comes back, he'll see you stealing my food—he'll make Lady beat you again!"

In her mind, being beaten by Lady was the greatest punishment imaginable.

"Pah! What rank does your brother hold? How dare he command Lady?" At the mention of "Lady," Wang Gui stopped laughing, but the anger in his eyes grew sharper: "Do you really think, now that I've been sent home, your brother can become the young master's book attendant?"

"Your brother can't even read all the characters! Why would Lady choose him?"

Wang Gui spoke with absolute certainty.

Zheng Fa realized Wang Gui truly didn't believe he could replace him as book attendant.

But today he was angrier than ever before.

Normally, he would bully Zheng Shan, but only by ignoring her or occasionally mocking the Zheng family's poverty to her face.

For him to ambush her at the village entrance, as he did today, was rare.

Especially since Wang Gui's body was clearly still unwell.

Zheng Fa thought: He must have heard Lady was selecting a book attendant for the Seventh Young Master, and realized he had no hope of returning.

So he took out his frustration on Zheng Fa, who had the chance to go to the Zhao household.

And Zheng Fa's little sister made him even more resentful.

That's why he deliberately came to harass her today.

As he drew nearer, his footsteps made both groups turn to look at him.

Zheng Shan had been glaring defiantly at Wang Gui and the others, lips pressed tight, refusing to show weakness.

But the moment she saw Zheng Fa, her tears finally spilled: "Brother, they stole my bread!"

Wang Gui and the other two showed a flicker of panic.

After all, Zheng Fa was taller than all three of them, and his dark, approaching expression carried a quiet menace.

Seeing Zheng Shan's tear-streaked face, Zheng Fa ignored the three boys entirely—he pulled her into his arms and placed the cart driver's food box before her.

"Look, what did your brother bring you?"

Zheng Shan sniffled, as if catching a scent, her blurry eyes fixed on the unfamiliar food box before her.

"It smells so good!"

Seeing she had stopped crying, Zheng Fa lifted the lid of the food box.

It was a three-tiered box: the top layer held three small dishes—one shaped like petals, one like butterflies, and one like round balls.

"Food!"

"Yes, these are snacks from Juxing Tower in the city—someone bought them specially for you!"

"For me?" Zheng Shan extended her chubby little finger and pointed at her own nose.

"All for you."

Her joy was so simple she didn't even bother wiping the snot and tears from her face—she just beamed foolishly at Zheng Fa.

"Let's see what's underneath."

Zheng Fa continued to soothe his little sister.

"Okay!" She leaned forward, holding her breath as Zheng Fa opened the next layer.

"Meat! So much meat!"

The second layer held just one dish—a large platter piled high with slices of meat, plain and unadorned.

But for Little Sister, this was probably the first time she had ever seen so much meat piled together at once.

She even rubbed her eyes.

Zheng Fa lifted the third layer; the third layer held another dish—a plump, glistening roast chicken, its jade body laid out, making Little Sister nearly unable to resist.

"Brother, is all of this for me to eat?"

Zheng Fa nodded with a smile; in his heart, he thought that the old man driving the cart must truly have some wisdom, for compared to those flashy foods, this approach of placing large chunks of meat right before Little Sister would absolutely make her happier.

"It's all yours; you must eat quickly, or if it spoils, don't cry."

"It's me, Mother, and Brother too; we all must eat quickly!" Zheng Shan shook her head, pointing joyfully at the food box: "I will eat, Mother will eat, and Brother will eat too! We will surely finish it all!"

Suddenly, she patted her stomach with a worried expression: "Brother, my stomach is rumbling; it told me it alone can eat more than half!"

Little Sister finally forgot the displeasure from just now.

But the three boys behind Zheng Fa found it very hard to bear.

Wang Gui was fine; after all, he had some experience, as the Wang Guanshi's family possessed considerable wealth.

But the other two were ordinary youths from the manor; their families were only slightly better off than Zheng Fa's, yet they rarely saw so many delicious foods in daily life.

"Brother Wang, have you ever eaten the food at Juxing Tower?" one asked, swallowing saliva.

"As if anyone hasn't eaten it; it's not expensive! Next time I'll bring some for you too!" Wang Gui said resentfully.

In truth, he was even angrier at Zheng Fa's attitude of ignoring him when he arrived; he didn't know why, but from childhood to now, Zheng Fa had never shown anger toward him.

Instead, it was this attitude of ignoring and disregarding him.

It was precisely this attitude that had always made Wang Gui somewhat afraid of Zheng Fa.

By the time he reached the city and became a young master's page, he felt he had seen more of the world, and in his heart, he thought Zheng Fa's demeanor was laughable.

But now, seeing Zheng Fa act this way again, he felt in his heart as if facing the my lords of the Zhao Manor, feeling a bit of fear.

"What is there to fear? Even if I return to the manor and can no longer be a page, am I not better than him, an orphan without a father?" He secretly comforted himself, took two steps forward, and wanted to speak.

Outside the manor, the sounds of carriages and horses arose.

A youth stood on the carriage, shouting loudly toward Zheng Fa: "Brother Zheng, I have come to see you!"

Zheng Fa turned around; standing by the carriage shaft and waving at him, who could it be but Huang Yu?

Beside Huang Yu, a middle-aged man of a plump build also smiled at Zheng Fa.