YBTGX 14

Chapter 14

Lu Lin’s First Entry into the Liu Estate

Steward Wang felt a murmur of doubt in his heart, but he did not let it show on his face, simply stepping aside to be the first to cross the threshold.

Lu Lin followed Steward Wang in. As he walked, he observed everything he saw and heard with focus. The flagstone ground was polished as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the octagonal palace lanterns hanging under the eaves. As far as the eye could see, winding corridors connected exquisite pavilions and towers. The rockeries were rugged, the waterside pavilions were surrounded by pools, and every blade of grass and tree was groomed with elegance. From time to time, servants in uniform blue tunics or maids in plain-colored dresses hurried past. Upon seeing Steward Wang, they would immediately stop and bow.

Lu Lin kept his eyes straight ahead the entire time, yet his peripheral vision took in everything. Steward Wang was also carefully observing Lu Lin’s reactions. Seeing that Lu Lin did not show the slightest bit of awkwardness typical of someone in a strange, new environment—remaining as calm as if he were not a six-year-old child—Steward Wang gained a new level of insight into Lu Lin’s character.

Passing through several moon gates, Steward Wang led Lu Lin to a courtyard named “Qinxin Garden.” In the garden, a middle-aged man and woman dressed in brocade sat at a stone table drinking tea. Before them already stood seven or eight boys of similar age, all dressed in new clothes, yet wearing faces full of nervousness and restraint.

Steward Wang stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Master, Mistress, this is Lu Lin from Xiahe Village, the last pageboy.”

Having said this, he gestured for Lu Lin to greet them. Lu Lin performed a proper bow. “Lu Lin greets the Master and Mistress.”

Master Liu’s gaze lingered on Lu Lin for less than an instant before drifting away coldly. Madam Lin picked up her teacup, used the lid to gently skim the foam, and from beginning to end, didn’t even raise her eyelids.

…

Standing in the corridor not far away, two young maids were stretching their necks to get a look. One of them was Mo Xiang, the Mistress’s personal maid. The other maid had a round face with a bit of baby fat.

“Sister Mo Xiang, which one is the prodigy Steward Wang was talking about?” asked the baby-faced maid, Lan Xiang, in a low voice.

Mo Xiang pouted, pointing at Lu Lin, who wore patched old clothes yet stood the straightest. “It’s that one.”

“He looks quite sharp, but why aren’t the Mistress and Master reacting at all?” Mo Xiang lowered her voice. “What do you know? The Master and Mistress are suppressing him. They’re afraid that if he becomes conceited from early success, he’ll lose his true nature. Just wait, he’s in for a hard time later.”

In the garden, Madam Lin finally set down her teacup, her cold gaze sweeping over the group of children as she spoke calmly. “Old Wang, tell them the rules of the household.”

Steward Wang bowed in acknowledgment, then turned to face the group of children who were sweating in their palms. “Once you enter the Liu estate, you must abide by the rules of the Liu estate. Pageboys are divided into two types: ordinary pageboys, who are responsible for sweeping the courtyard and grinding ink and laying out paper—they receive a monthly salary of two hundred wen and eat mixed-grain rice. The other type is the personal pageboy, who attends to the young master’s side, receives a monthly salary of three hundred wen, and eats white polished rice.”

As soon as these words were spoken, different expressions flashed across the children’s eyes. Three hundred wen and white rice. In this world where even eating one’s fill was a luxury, this was a prospect these farm children couldn’t even dream of.

Steward Wang paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally landing on Lu Lin. “By the decision of the Master and Mistress, Lu Lin shall be the Young Master’s personal pageboy.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a discordant voice rang out.

“I disagree!”

Everyone followed the sound to see a chubby little boy in a brand-new blue cloth robe standing out with a look of extreme indignation. “My father says I already know three hundred characters! Why does he get to be the personal pageboy just because he’s wearing rags, while I can’t?”

The chubby boy knew very well that before he came, his father had admonished him repeatedly to fight for the position of personal pageboy. Otherwise, a so-called ordinary pageboy would be no different from the lowest servants in the house.

Three hundred characters! When this was said, the children who were already so nervous they didn’t know where to put their hands and feet gasped. For a farm child of this age, knowing how to write their own name was already impressive.

“Three hundred? Is that for real?”

“My dad said the village accountant only knows five hundred characters.”

…

Hearing the exclamations around him, the chubby boy puffed out his chest even further, his chin held high, his face full of undisguised smugness. Steward Wang’s brow furrowed, and he was about to rebuke the boy for his lack of manners when—

“It is no matter.”

Madam Lin’s cold voice rang out, interrupting him. Her well-maintained phoenix eyes landed on Lu Lin for the first time. “There is only one position for a personal pageboy. Tell me, what should we do?”

She cast the problem over lightly. Just then, a boy wearing a loose royal-blue silk robe with tousled, sleep-mussed hair shuffled out from behind the moon gate, yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes. It was the young master of the Liu house, Liu Quan.

Seeing her son’s disheveled state, the anger Madam Lin had just suppressed flared up again. She glared fiercely at the Master sitting nearby, her eyes conveying a look of “disappointed in him.” What time is it, and he’s only just waking up?

Liu Quan rubbed his eyes, saw a pile of unfamiliar brats standing in the courtyard, and immediately looked unhappy, his little mouth pouting. “I don’t want a pageboy! I want a maid! A pretty maid who can tell me stories!”

Madam Lin’s face darkened further. Terrified that her son might say something shocking like that “ah-umm-ah” singing from before, she shot him a dagger-like glare. “Shut up! Say one more word, and you won’t get any dinner today!”

Liu Quan shuddered at his mother’s glare and didn’t dare to throw a tantrum anymore, but his chubby little face was written with grievances and unhappiness. He pouted and looked around at the children in front of him with a sour expression. “Which one is my pageboy?”

Steward Wang stepped forward and pointed respectfully at the quietest figure in the crowd. Liu Quan’s gaze fell on Lu Lin, and he immediately pursed his lips in total dissatisfaction. While the others had at least changed into the new clothes prepared by the estate—which, although of plain material, were clean and tidy—only Lu Lin wore his old, tattered clothes, patched layer upon layer. Standing among a group of new outfits, he looked particularly glaring.

Without a second thought, a chubby finger pointed at Lu Lin. “I don’t want him! He’s dressed like a beggar; I don’t want a little beggar to be my pageboy!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of the chubby boy who had claimed to know three hundred characters lit up. He stepped forward, his face full of smiles. “Young Master, pick me! I know a lot of characters; I can accompany you in your studies and play with you too!”

Hearing this, Liu Quan turned to look at the chubby boy. Although he was also wearing a plain blue cloth robe, he was round-faced and looked honest and sturdy—far more pleasing to the eye than that skinny little “beggar.” Liu Quan immediately found this chubby boy adorable and made his decision on the spot.

“Fine, it’ll be you!”

But Madam Lin was still there—since when did Liu Quan have the authority to decide?

“Shut up!” Madam Lin’s brows arched, and she snapped at him.

Liu Quan shrank his neck and immediately sealed his mouth, not daring to say another word. Madam Lin withdrew her gaze and looked back at Lu Lin, who had remained completely unmoved by emotion from start to finish.