Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Since Yuanbao's sudden disappearance, Li Shi had guarded him like the apple of her eye, terrified that her precious grandson might suffer another mishap. To prevent this, she even planned to hire two attendants to watch over him.

Originally, Wang Ying disagreed, but he couldn't sway the old lady. In ancient wealthy households, such was the customary way of life, and it was impossible to change their ingrained beliefs overnight. In the end, he had no choice but to comply.

The hired attendants had to be from known backgrounds, neither too old nor too young, and capable of caring for Yuanbao and playing with him.

Fortunately, many children on the manor met these requirements. Li Shi summoned Chen Xi and asked him to spread the word: families struggling to raise their children, whether boys, girls, or older boys, could send them to care for the young master.

If another family were hiring servants, no one on the manor would be willing to send their children, unsure whether the master was kind or cruel, or if the children would suffer. But this master was different—he was benevolent. Even the village head was willing to send his own son to serve, so why would they hesitate?

As soon as the news spread, everyone brought their children for the master to select.

At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, a dozen or so people stood outside the detached courtyard. Besides a few adults, there were seven or eight children, all there to apply.

"Hey, Sister Li Er, you're here too? You're willing to send your only child?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Being a servant doesn't mean I'll never see him again. But those two clumsy oafs of yours—the master might not even want them."

"What are you talking about?"

"What's wrong with saying it? Snot hanging down to your chin, and you still won't let anyone mention it?"

"That's utter nonsense!"

Just as the two women were about to start a heated argument, someone behind them coughed. "Stop quarreling. If you want to fight, go home and do it. Don't ruin our chances."

The two women fell silent, exchanged dirty looks, spat, and stood apart with their arms crossed.

Soon after, an elderly woman arrived, holding the hand of a dark-skinned, skinny boy.

At the sight of them, the crowd scattered. "Old Granny Yang, why did you bring him?"

The old woman tightened her grip on the child’s hand. "The master didn’t specify any requirements. Why can't Mutou come?"

The woman called Sister Li curled her lip. "The master is hiring servants to take care of the young master. They need to be decent children. He's cursed—his parents and grandparents died because of him. Get him out of here!"

The old woman said nothing, leading the child to a corner. She wasn’t his grandmother, just an old neighbor.

The child had a hard life. His mother died in childbirth years ago. His father and grandfather fell off a cliff and died while burying her, leaving only him and his grandmother to rely on each other.

Two years ago, his grandmother also passed away from illness, leaving six-year-old Mutou to survive on his own.

Too young to farm, the family’s land was seized by others. He could only glean leftover grains during harvests to fill his belly and was often bullied by village children.

Granny Yang, unable to stand by, often brought him food. Somehow, he survived, day to day, often hungry.

Knowing she couldn’t raise him but unwilling to watch him starve, Granny Yang brought him when she heard the master was hiring servants. Even if he became a menial servant, at least he’d get two meals a day.

Around daybreak, Elder Chen opened the gate and was startled by the throng of people.

"What’s everyone doing here?"

Chen Xi cupped his hands respectfully. "Elder Chen, the master’s mother asked me to help find two children. I put word out in the village, and everyone wanted to send their kids. I didn’t know who to choose, so I brought them all for the old lady to pick two suitable ones."

"Wait here for a moment. I’ll go inform her."

Soon after, Wang Ying came out. He glanced at the children and said, "If you’re an only son or daughter, you can go back. The old lady wants servants who will sign indentures and stay with the Chen family for life."

Upon hearing this, several women immediately had second thoughts, pulling their children with them as they retreated.

The women behind quickly urged their children forward. "Master, what about my Qiuhua? She can do all kinds of work—laundry, cooking!"

A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl was pushed forward. "Quick, kowtow to the master."

The girl shyly knelt. "Greetings, Master."

Others followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing.

Wang Ying was getting a headache. Sixteen or seventeen was marrying age—hiring them would only cause trouble. He couldn’t keep them from marrying, so he decided to pick younger children.

He selected a few who looked tidy and about the right age. "These children, come with me. The rest can go home."

The chosen ones were thrilled, while the others left disappointed.

As Wang Ying was about to lead the children inside, an elderly voice called out from behind. "Master, please, do us a kindness and take this child too."

Granny Li pulled Mutou down to kowtow. The child was earnest, banging his head on the ground until it turned red.

"Old lady, please rise. Don’t kowtow to me—it'll cut my life short."

Granny Li pleaded urgently, "Master, please don’t mind an old woman’s lack of manners. This child has had a hard life—his parents and grandparents are all dead, his relatives won’t take him in, and he’s all alone. I’m an old woman not long for this world and can’t support him. I beg you to give him a meal."

Wang Ying stepped forward and helped the child up. "How old are you? What’s your name?"

"My name is Mutou. I’m eight years old."

The child spoke clearly and wasn’t simple-minded. His eyes were bright, and his features were decent, but his clothes were dirty and torn, and his hair was messy, making him look disheveled.

"Alright, come in with the others."

Granny Li happily kowtowed again and pushed Mutou to follow.

They passed through the corridor to the backyard, where Li Shi was sitting with Yuanbao, feeding him fruit puree. She had peeled an apple, added honey, steamed it until soft, and was feeding him spoonful by spoonful.

The sweet and sour dish was good for his digestion, and Yuanbao loved it.

When Wang Ying brought the children over, Yuanbao lost interest in eating and stared curiously at them.

"Mother, these are the children Elder Chen found. I picked a few younger ones. See which two you’d like to keep."

Li Shi wiped Yuanbao’s mouth with a handkerchief and looked the children over carefully.

There were five children in total: three boys, one older boy, and one girl, all around seven or eight years old. After looking them over, Li Shi pointed to the tallest one. "What’s your name?"

The boy knelt properly and kowtowed. "Greetings, Madam. My name is Chun Sheng, the youngest son of Chen Shugen."

Chen Shugen was Chen Xi’s nephew, so they were distantly related.

"You stay. The rest…"

Before she could finish, Wang Ying pulled Mutou forward. "I’ll pick one. This boy is called Mutou. I think he’s quite suitable—let him stay as Yuanbao’s playmate."

Li Shi frowned slightly. The child looked too disheveled for her taste, but since her son-in-law had taken a liking to him, she acquiesced.

The remaining children weren’t sent away empty-handed. Wang Ying handed each of them three strings of cash. "Take these back to buy sweets."

The three children left gripping the coins, leaving only Chun Sheng and Mutou in the courtyard.

“First, take these two children to get cleaned up.” Especially this child named Mutou, who was covered in filth—Li Shi didn’t dare let him watch her grandson.

Since both were boys, Wang Ying had Uncle Chen take them to the servants' bathing area in the front courtyard to bathe.

As both had lice in their hair, which couldn’t be fully removed in a short time, Uncle Chen decided to shave both their heads, leaving them bald like little monks.

After their bath, they changed into clean clothes and were brought to the backyard, where they could finally see Mutou’s features clearly.

The boy wasn’t ugly—he had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and dimples when he smiled—but he was too thin, with a large head and a tiny body.

Li Shi called the two children over and began to lay down the rules for them.

"From now on, your job is to take care of the young master. Make sure he doesn’t fall, bump into things, trip, or get hurt. Once he begins his studies, you’ll assist him with reading and writing. Never let him be mischievous or unruly. If anything happens to Yuanbao, I will not spare you!"

The two children quickly knelt and said, "We will serve the young master well."

After the warning, she offered an incentive: "Of course, we won’t make you work for nothing. Your food, clothing, and lodging will be provided, and you’ll receive a hundred copper coins a month as pocket money. If you do well, there will be additional rewards. You must work hard."

"Yes!"

The children had no concept of money, but Mutou was relieved just hearing that food and shelter were provided. Having experienced hunger, he was willing to do anything as long as he could eat.

It’s often said that children from poor families grow up fast. In Wang Ying’s world, children this age would have just started elementary school, some still needing help wiping. But these two were like little adults, capable of doing everything.

Mutou, in particular, was very diligent and always noticed what needed doing.

As soon as the old lady finished peeling an apple, he would take the peel away to throw out without being told. If Yuanbao wanted to see the dog, Mutou would carry him on his back to the front courtyard to see the puppy. If Yuanbao wanted to look at the cat, Mutou would stand in front of Yuanbao to prevent him from getting scratched. He already acted like a responsible adult.

Though Chun Sheng wasn’t as capable, he had a cheerful personality, always smiling and often making Yuanbao laugh. The three of them got along exceptionally well.

With playmates around, Yuanbao’s temperament became much more cheerful, and Li Shi no longer had to keep a constant watch over him, so she wasn’t constantly exhausted.

A few days later, Chen Qingyan left a note in the Experimental Field, saying they had arrived in Jizhou City and wanted to see their son that evening.

That night, Wang Ying found an excuse to bring Yuanbao to his room and took him back to the Experimental Field.

Before entering, Wang Ying was a bit worried that his son might be rejected by the Experimental Field. But as he prepared to open it, Yuanbao walked right in all by himself. It seemed the child didn’t even need to consciously activate the field to enter.

When they arrived, Chen Qingyan hadn’t yet appeared. Wang Ying led Yuanbao to pick grapes to eat. After the autumn grapes ripened, Wang Ying adjusted the weather and harvested more, using accelerated growth so they were just ripe now.

The grapes were a bit sour. After eating a few, Yuanbao stopped, sticking out his tongue with his little face scrunched up like a bun.

Wang Ying couldn’t help but laugh. If only he had a camera, he would have taken a few photos to save as keepsakes for Yuanbao to look back on when he grew up.

As they were eating, Chen Qingyan entered. "What are you two laughing about?"

"Father!" Yuanbao called out and ran toward him.

Chen Qingyan had been drinking a little wine, his cheeks flushed, and he lifted his son onto his shoulders.

"Be careful, don’t drop him."

"Yuanbao has gotten heavier."

Wang Ying said, "He’s gained a little weight. A few days ago, Mother found him two playmates. He’s been running around outside every day, eating more when he’s tired, and his little face has even gotten tan."

The two sat together and talked about recent events. Little Yuanbao only half-understood and soon fell fast asleep.