Chapter 1974

"The fish roasted by the noble person tastes like divine food!"

Gao Yang smiled without a word.

He handed the roasted fish first to Shangguan Wan'er and Chu Qingluan.

Finally, it was Gao Changwen's turn, who had been waiting expectantly on the side.

Gao Changwen took it and immediately began to tear into it.

Gao Yang, however, kept his eyes on the old farmer, and only after he had eaten enough did he ask casually: "Old man, just now I saw you looking at this firewood, it seemed... your expression was unusual?"

The old farmer was immersed in the freshness of the fish meat, and upon hearing this, he stiffened, and the fish bones he was gnawing clean almost fell out of his hand.

There were two young masters in the Duke of Dingguo's residence. Everyone in the world knew the eldest, Gao Yang—the number one strategist of Da Qian, the famous Living Yama.

He had heard that the eldest young master had resigned from his post, but even if he had resigned, he was still a figure of heaven-reaching importance; why would he come to this small manor?

Therefore, it must be the second young master of the Gao family, Gao Changwen!

But even if it were the second young master of the Gao family, he was still a noble person beyond his reach in this lifetime. If he angered him, wouldn't he be finished?

"Young Master, spare my life, spare my life, I just... I just thought..."

The old farmer spoke incoherently, his face full of fear.

"Thought what? I am just chatting with you, no need to be nervous. Speak freely, I forgive you."

Gao Yang helped him up, his tone gentle.

Shangguan Wan'er and Chu Qingluan also put down the fish in their hands, their beautiful eyes filled with curiosity.

Hearing Gao Yang's words, the old farmer let out a heavy sigh of relief, as if a heavy stone had fallen from his heart.

Only then did he dare to look up, first at Gao Yang, then at the thick branches still crackling in the fire, his eyes filled with unconcealable heartache and disbelief, his voice carrying a sob.

"I just thought... this is too... too extravagant. This... such good hardwood, if one piece were split and burned sparingly, it would be enough for my family to heat the kang for a whole day. You, noble person... you are burning so much at once... just to roast these few fish..."

As the old farmer spoke, his voice choked, as if what was being burned wasn't firewood, but his life!

Gao Yang's heart sank.

But Gao Changwen was full of disbelief, and while eating the fish, he almost choked on a bone.

After he swallowed the fish meat in his mouth.

He jumped up as if startled.

"Extravagant?!"

Gao Changwen pointed at the raging fire before him, full of disbelief, "No, old man, are you mistaken? Just burning a few pieces of broken wood, and you call that extravagant?!"

He pointed in the direction of a dense forest visible in the distance and asked the old farmer in confusion.

"Aren't there trees all over the mountains and plains? Just chop them down! And you call this extravagant?"

Gao Changwen couldn't understand at all.

Shangguan Wan'er knew more, so she said helplessly, "Changwen, chopping down trees isn't as simple as you think."

"What's difficult about it? Just swing an axe and chop! But if a person is lazy, even the gods can't save them!"

Gao Changwen blurted out.

He looked at the old farmer, then at the bundle of firewood, which was well-tied but consisted mostly of thin, small twigs.

His eyes became increasingly unkind!

One piece of hardwood could equal this whole bundle!

What was the use of just picking up these small twigs?

Was it enough to burn?

As soon as these words were spoken, the old farmer's face carried deep helplessness and sorrow. He shook his head with a bitter smile: "Young Master, you are a star from heaven, how could you understand the suffering of the grass and mustard on earth?"

"We are poor, lacking silver, food, and clothes—lacking everything, except for diligence and the will to risk our lives. If we could chop down trees, why would I be picking up these twigs and fallen leaves?"

Boom!

Gao Changwen was dumbfounded.

"Can't chop them?"

"Why can't you chop them?"

Gao Yang's eyes also turned to the old farmer.

The old farmer wiped away his cloudy tears and looked at Gao Changwen, explaining in a hoarse voice: "Noble person, this mountain and this forest, they look close to you, but they all have owners!"

"These are the properties of the masters and high officials in the county, the properties of the powerful aristocratic families. Let alone chopping down trees, even if I go in to pick up some withered branches and fallen leaves, if the guard dogs discover me and chase me down to take a bite, I deserve it!"

"If I steal wood in the middle of the night and am discovered by the guards, even if I'm beaten to death on the spot, it's for nothing!"

Rumble!

Gao Changwen's face was full of disbelief.

"Chopping a tree... could actually... lead to death?"

He muttered to himself, his voice dry and trembling, as if he were seeing the world for the first time.

In this instant, Gao Changwen's worldview and values collapsed!

He had lived in Changancheng all his life, living a life of luxury, where food and clothing were provided for him. Whenever he had a little silver, he would rather eat steamed buns and throw it all into the brothels of Changancheng.

That was a place where the warm wind intoxicated people, and one breath was filled with the rich, fragrant scent of luxury and indulgence.

But right now, a very real, cruel world was unfolding before him bit by bit—a world beneath the prosperity of Changancheng that he had never seen and never imagined.

It existed truly, not far from him.

The old farmer, blowing in the eerie autumn wind and listening to Gao Changwen's words, felt a huge, unspeakable sourness in his heart!

He had lived for more than half his life and naturally knew that Gao Changwen wasn't intentionally teasing or mocking him, but expressing his true feelings.

But it was precisely this unconscious expression of true feelings that was the most hurtful!

What was the world of the heavenly palace really like?

The old farmer couldn't imagine.

But at this moment, he only felt that it was the distance between the clouds in the sky and the mud on the ground, further away than life and death.

The old farmer's gaze swept over everyone, landing one by one on the robes that looked extremely expensive, and he said with self-deprecation, "Young Master, have you ever heard a proverb called 'Auspicious snow heralds a year of abundance'?"

Gao Yang's pupils shrank.

In this instant, he felt that the old farmer's cloudy eyes were extremely piercing.

Gao Changwen was still immersed in the huge shock and instinctively answered, "Who in the world doesn't know this proverb? Auspicious snow heralds a year of abundance, meaning a great harvest next year, peace for the nation—it is an auspicious snow!"

"What do you think, Young Master?"

The old farmer looked at Gao Yang with burning eyes.

Although the whole Ping'an Manor said that the second young master of the Gao family was notorious, and that even though they were born of the same mother, the gap was too large.

But today.

The old farmer felt that the common people were mistaken.

The second young master of the Gao family could ask him about firewood, could give him fish to eat, and there was no contempt in his eyes; he seemed like a person who understood.

Gao Yang was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Everyone says an auspicious snow heralds a year of abundance—"

"But I say."

"Though they call the year of abundance auspicious, what of the reality of the year of abundance?"

"In Changancheng there are the poor, for whom it is not good for the auspiciousness to be too much."

He looked at the old farmer and asked, "Old man, what do you say?" ===== CHAPTER 1976 =====