That child has such a good destiny, what more is there to say?
Xi Shan couldn't help but say in a low voice, "Father, could you.. send Dalang as well? I don't even ask for the Young Master to teach him how to read; I only hope he can stay by the Young Master's side to serve and learn a thing or two."
Serve?" Xi Ping couldn't help but snort. "What can Dalang even do?
Xi Shan and his wife were momentarily speechless. Dalang was the eldest son and eldest grandson, spoiled rotten since childhood; besides, his family didn't need to farm themselves, so he wasn't very skilled at even simple tasks like serving tea or water.
Xi Shan gritted his teeth and said, "I.. I will teach him again."
Xi Ping shook his head. "It's no use. Didn't you see the man and woman by the Young Master's side? If Dalang goes over, he'll only be doing the same kind of coarse labor as Xi Ya, he might not even do it well."
Xi Ping sighed; he had thought a lot on the way back, even considering sending some of the prettier girls from home over there.
However, as soon as he thought of the Fu siblings from Fuchun Mountain, the thought was extinguished.
The news that Xi Zhenliu was able to follow the Young Master to study and practice martial arts spread through every street and alley, carried by everyone visiting relatives and friends during the New Year.
And Zhu Ci was in a good mood at this time. Xi Zhenliu was well-behaved and obedient, Xia Lei had also woken up. Although this room full of the weak, the sick, the disabled was only missing the elderly, it was still quite lively.
Xia Lei hadn't expected that he would wake up; he had originally thought that he was truly going to die here.
The moment he opened his eyes, he experienced a moment of daze; if not for the pain from the wounds on his body reminding him that he was still in the mortal realm, he feared he would have thought he was already in the Hall of Yama.
Upon hearing the news that Xia Lei had regained consciousness, Zhu Ci instructed Xi Ya to take Xi Zhenliu to get settled first, while he went over to take a look himself.
Xia Lei struggled to sit up to express his gratitude for being saved, but Zhu Ci pressed down on his shoulder and said, "Rest well and don't toss and turn. Once you've finally recovered a bit, if you make it worse again, no one will be able to save you."
Xia Lei cupped his hands and said with great solemnity, "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, Young Master. Whatever you command, I will face fire and water without hesitation!"
Zhu Ci smiled and patted his shoulder. "Recover from your injuries first."
He believed that Xia Lei was truly grateful, he also believed that what Xia Lei said at that moment was sincere.
But this person's origins were unknown, he had been extremely eager to stay from the very beginning, which was truly strange.
Sigh, when you calculate it this way, more than half of the people around him are quite strange. Even Xi Ya has suspicious points; the only one who is likely completely innocent is the young child, Xi Zhenliu.
At this thought, Zhu Ci's mind suddenly shifted. In these chaotic times, there must be many children who have lost both parents. Without parents or elders, it would be very difficult for these children to survive; let alone children, even for adults, survival is not easy.
He could indeed find a way to take in some of these children; after all, it would be more reassuring to raise them himself.
He thought about this and looked out the window; Fu Qiulu was currently holding medicine, preparing to change Xia Lei's bandages.
Zhu Ci clearly felt that the Fu siblings had been somewhat restless lately, he didn't know if they were about to make a move.
After Fu Qiulu finished changing the medicine for Xia Lei, she couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Xia Lei looked at her, feeling somewhat helpless. "Am I not getting better soon? Why are you still sighing?"
Fu Qiulu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Do you think we should find a way to give the recipe for this medicine to the Marquis.."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Just give it to me, if he can use it, consider me a loser. An evil kitty sits there with a cold sneer. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 40
Xia Lei instinctively looked out the window, after finding nothing out of the ordinary, he said in a low voice, "That medicine is indeed extraordinary, it's just.. the Young Master did save my life after all.."
If it had been anyone else, he would have stolen the prescription without a second thought, but stealing the prescription of his life-saving benefactor was something his conscience simply could not overcome.
Fu Qiulu couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I feel the same way, always feeling.. like I've let the Young Master down."
It was true that their Young Master did not trust them much, but it was also true that he was very good to them; he was a very strange person.
Fu Chunsheng pushed open the door and walked in, saying in a low voice, "I know what you are thinking. I have almost finished deducing the formula; find an opportunity to send it to the Marquis."
Xia Lei fell silent, caught in a dilemma for a moment.
If this young master were a standard profligate, he might not find this so difficult, but Zhu Ci.. he almost fulfilled all his imaginations of a gentleman: being selfless, harmonious yet diverse, gentle and kind, magnanimous, self-restrained in his desires, finding contentment in a simple life.
The last point might be met with disdain by others, but in Xia Lei's eyes, this mountain village lacked everything. For a young master raised in the Capital, this place was truly impoverished; yet even in such a barren place, the other party remained calm and composed, staying there steadily and peacefully.
And taking in Xi Ya and Xi Zhenliu..
Thinking of this, Xia Lei suddenly said, "Since the Marquis intended to have Xi Ya come over, he must already have some understanding of this young master."
If he hadn't been certain that Zhu Ci would take in Xi Ya, how could he have sent him here?
Alright, stop talking about such nonsense. I will handle this matter myself; even if the Young Master finds out, it won't implicate you.
Xia Lei reflexively countered, "No, if you run into trouble, Qiulu will be suspected as well. You worked so hard to earn the Young Master's trust; if it ends like this.."
Fu Chunsheng said firmly, "If I am discovered, the worst that can happen is that I pay with my life, but the medicine must still be sent out. This concerns the lives of thousands of soldiers; we cannot be careless."
Xia Lei and Fu Qiulu exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat helpless.
They were sent to this young master's side not to steal, but to watch over and protect him.
If this Young Master cannot make it, they will take him to Songjiang Prefecture.
The Marquis had specifically instructed them not to do anything unnecessary and to simply take good care of and protect the Young Master, but now they were forced to do something unnecessary.
Just as they were sighing, they suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Fu Chunsheng's expression changed instantly, he ran out as fast as he could.
As soon as he went out, he saw Xi Zhenliu passing by. Upon seeing Fu Chunsheng, Xi Zhenliu was startled and greeted him cautiously, "Brother Chunsheng."
Fu Chunsheng felt suspicious in his heart, but his expression remained very gentle as he crouched down and asked softly, "Why have you run all the way here?"
Xi Zhenliu said in a low voice, "I.. I want to see the Young Master."
What do you want to see the Young Master for?
“I.. I miss A-fu and A-niang. I want to go see them.” Xi Zhenliu's eyes reddened.
Though he was still so young, he already understood the concept of life and death, but understanding it and accepting it were two different things—especially since only a few days ago, the family had still been discussing how to celebrate the New Year, now they were worlds apart.
Fu Chunsheng thought of his own past self in an instant. He raised his hand, rested it on Xi Zhenliu's shoulder, said, "Haven't you already gone today?"
New Year's Eve is a major day for ancestral worship. In the morning, Zhu Ci led a group to pay respects at the Xi Family ancestral graves, while there, he also had Fu Chunsheng take Xi Zhenliu to pay respects to his parents.
Xi Zhenliu nodded obediently, "I.. I just missed them. I understand."
"Good girl." Fu Chunsheng originally had much more he wanted to say.
He wanted to tell Xi Zhenliu that in the days to come, he would have to be strong and work hard all by himself.
He only thought about it but didn't say anything; an eight-year-old child might not necessarily understand these things, besides, Xi Zhenliu was quite lucky to have met the Young Master.
Xi Zhenliu managed a forced smile and said, "Then since Brother Chunsheng is busy, I'm going to play."
Fu Chunsheng could naturally tell that Xi Zhenliu was forcing a smile, but he said nothing, merely standing up to pat the back of Xi Zhenliu's head and saying, "Go play."
Fu Chunsheng squinted his eyes and watched for a while, only stopping his gaze once he realized Xi Zhenliu had truly returned to his own room.
Meanwhile, Xi Zhenliu observed cautiously from within the room. After a long while, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention to him, he dashed to the window of Zhu Ci's study and perched on the windowsill to peer inside.
Zhu Ci was currently making plans; since he had said he would teach Xi Zhenliu literacy and martial arts, he couldn't just act recklessly.
Fortunately, when he was an undercover agent, he had even tutored the homework of the children of high-ranking officials. Yes, even the children of these crime bosses had to study hard to try and wash their hands of their past and find a legitimate way out.
He knew a bit of what was taught in primary school; this stage was basically about building a foundation and developing intelligence.
Zhu Ci did not expect Xi Zhenliu to be highly educated; as long as he could recognize a few more characters, it would be enough. These days, illiterates were truly everywhere, when he dealt with others, he would habitually assume they were literate, which often led to many troubles during communication.
Zhu Ci noticed a figure peeking out from the windowsill, seemingly looking inside through the gap in the window.
"Xi Zhenliu? What are you doing peeking around like that?" Zhu Ci didn't even have to guess to know it was Xi Zhenliu.
After all, he was the only shorty in the whole family.
Even his height had grown quite a bit over the past few months; a rough estimate would put him at least at 1.75 meters. Given that this body was only fifteen years old after the Lunar New Year, such a height was already quite good for this era.
The figure outside the window immediately ducked back after hearing it. After a while, Xi Zhenliu stealthily pushed open the door to peek inside.
Zhu Ci put down his brush, waved his hand, said, "Come here."
Xi Zhenliu's eyes lit up instantly, he ran over in a flash.
Zhu Ci looked at him and said softly, "In the future, no matter who you are facing, remember to knock on the door or call out to ask permission before you go to see someone. Don't sneak around peeking outside the window; it is very impolite. Do you understand?"
Xi Zhenliu nodded earnestly at once. "I'll remember that."
Zhu Ci did not say much. Xi Zhenliu had various minor issues caused by his different growing environments, which would inevitably need to be corrected one by one in the future, but he would not be too harsh toward any minor flaws that weren't serious.
He turned and asked, "What is it? Are you bored? Shall I have your brother Xi Ya take you to set off firecrackers in a moment?"
Xi Zhenliu shook his head, hesitated for a moment, said in a low voice, "Young Master, just now.. just now I heard Chunsheng, Qiulu, that injured Master Xia talking about something regarding a formula."
Hmm?" Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. "A recipe? What did they say about it?
Xi Zhenliu said, "I.. I didn't quite understand, I didn't hear much, I only heard them say they had wronged you, Young Master."
Xi Zhenliu asked with some trepidation, "Young Master, are they truly treating you unfairly?"
Zhu Ci hardly had to guess to know that these people were definitely targeting the method for making Allicin.
He just hadn't expected Xia Lei to actually know Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu.
This is getting very interesting.
Just who was so calculating as to send someone to his side?
No, it's still hard to say whether Xia Lei was actually sent by the other party or not.
Planting spies is definitely meant to gather more information, not to let them die at the enemy's doorstep.
If it weren't for Zhu Ci creating Allicin, Xia Lei might already be dead. Could it be.. just a coincidence? Or was someone trying to harm him and Xia Lei stepped in to block it?
Hmm, the latter wasn't that likely either. If he were Xia Lei, he would definitely take such an opportunity to save the person to his face and become the other party's savior—wouldn't that be an even more natural way to get close?
Many possibilities flashed through Zhu Ci's mind, yet the likelihood of each answer was very low.
He raised his hand to pat Xi Zhenliu's head and said, "I understand. You don't need to worry about this matter, nor do you need to deliberately listen to what they have to say, do you understand?"
Xi Zhenliu nodded, appearing to understand but not quite.
Zhu Ci looked at him and thought that he must put the lessons on the schedule.
Xi Zhenliu, perhaps because of anxiety or perhaps because of something others had said, was working hard to prove his "usefulness."