Ye Jinghe stood with his body bent forward:
"To answer the master, I am Changfeng."
Pei Qinghe stood in place, seemingly lost in thought, and only after a moment said:
"I have heard everything about the Songhe Hall affair. Today, I can make the decision to release your indenture and give you ten taels of silver besides. You should return home.
You still have elders in your family who will not leave you without support, and these ten taels of silver will be enough to keep you alive. You… go on, then."
Pei Qinghe knew nothing of astrology, but he understood what his mother's act of kindness meant—at most, she wanted him to step on himself so that this boy would remember the Pei family's favor.
But he was a man, the clan head of the Pei family, and moreover, her son.
Such a heartless and unrighteous deed—he could not do it. This so-called fortune of a noble patron—he would rather do without it!
The moment Pei Qinghe spoke these words, Pei Du knelt directly:
"Father, no, please don't…"
Pei Du did not know how to express what he felt. He wanted Changfeng to leave, yet he was terrified of Changfeng leaving.
But now, with his father's single command, he had a feeling that he would never see Changfeng again.
Ye Jinghe also knelt beside Pei Du:
"Master, Changfeng will not leave."
Pei Qinghe looked down at Ye Jinghe. This child had been in the residence for barely a month—how could he have any genuine feelings for Du'er?
"Why?"
Unexpectedly, Ye Jinghe seemed to see through Pei Qinghe's thoughts:
"For the young master, and even more so for myself."
Pei Qinghe's impatience subsided. He looked at Ye Jinghe with some puzzlement and curiosity:
"And what reasoning is this?"
"The young master treats me extremely well. If I leave, I fear that the young master will be alone in the future, and over time, his temperament may well turn for the worse. I believe this is also the reason you, Master, had me enter the residence in the first place."
If an outsider like him could see that something was wrong with Pei Du after only two or three days of interaction, could his own father not see it?
Pei Qinghe was silent for a moment:
"Continue."
"Third Master is profoundly learned, and Changfeng admires him greatly. If Changfeng leaves the Pei residence, I fear I will never have the chance to study under Third Master's tutelage in this lifetime. Being able to attend lessons alongside the young master now is already Changfeng's good fortune.
This is Changfeng's selfish desire. The madam previously promised Changfeng one qian of silver per month as allowance—Changfeng can offer all of it as tuition. I beg the master to permit Changfeng to stay!"
Ye Jinghe spoke with lowered eyes. When he had been humiliated, he had wished he could sprout wings and fly away from the Pei family at once. But once he calmed down, Ye Jinghe clearly knew that once he left the Pei residence, all that awaited him was a dark and hopeless road ahead!
With his decision made, his earlier worries about Pei Du's future also found their anchor, though Ye Jinghe still felt a bitterness in his mouth.
When he finished speaking, Pei Qinghe's gaze toward Ye Jinghe changed completely. Such a young child, yet he could plan for his own future so clearly.
Even he himself—at seven years old, merely knowing to study hard for the sake of the family had already been a remarkable thing!
Pei Qinghe thought and thought, held back and held back, before finally saying:
"Very well, but are you not afraid of encountering what happened today again?"
"Will the master allow Changfeng to encounter what happened today again?"
Ye Jinghe stepped aside, revealing Pei Du's eyes staring fixedly at Pei Qinghe. Pei Qinghe could not help but draw in a sharp breath.
This boy, this boy! He was a master at playing with people's hearts!
If he had not said those words, Du'er probably would not have felt anything. But now… if anything ever happened to this boy again, Du'er would surely blame him, his own father.
"Get up! Both of you get up! I'm not some man-eating monster that you need to scare yourselves into such a state.
Hmph, since you, boy, don't want to leave for the sake of Third Brother, then stay. Keep your monthly allowance for yourself—the Pei family is hardly so hard up that we need a child's silver!
But the Pei family will not keep you for nothing. I'll give you five years. Once those five years pass, if you have achieved nothing in your studies, you will leave on your own! Do you dare accept this?"
The moment Pei Qinghe said this, Ye Jinghe stood frozen in place. Was this… a pie falling from the sky?
The bitterness in his mouth had not yet faded when joy swept through Ye Jinghe's heart. He dared not open his mouth, afraid his heart would leap out from sheer happiness.
"Tsk? What, gone dumb?"
Pei Qinghe waved his hand in front of Ye Jinghe's eyes, and Ye Jinghe immediately spoke, his voice slightly hoarse:
"I accept! I am willing to accept! If I cannot make something of my studies, I will submit to whatever the master decides!"
Pei Qinghe shook his head:
"What would I do to you? Scholarship is not done for my sake—I only hope you can still keep your original intentions by then. Someone, bring brush and ink! Today, you and I shall draw up a written agreement. Five years from now, if you have made no progress in your studies, you will leave on your own."
Pei Qinghe paused, then said:
"On the other hand, all your expenses for study and the imperial examinations from then on will be covered by the Pei family. How about that?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Jinghe fell quiet for a moment. This was an agreement that held not a single disadvantage for him. Could the master have… lost his mind?
"Will you sign or not?"
Being stared at by Ye Jinghe with such a strange look, Pei Qinghe felt a flash of embarrassed anger, but he did not wish to make things difficult for a child.
Besides, the term "having no particular skill" was far too broad. If his mother did anything else, he could still ensure the child parted ways with the Pei family amicably.
"I'll sign."
A tall figure and a short one stood solemnly before the table, putting their agreement in writing. Pei Qinghe watched Ye Jinghe's crooked, wobbly handwriting and couldn't help but tease:
"With handwriting this ugly, no wonder you hesitated earlier!"
Ye Jinghe: "…"
Ye Jinghe lowered his eyes, the fragrance of tea wafting through the air:
"Today is Changfeng's first time using a brush. I apologize for making a fool of myself before you, sir. It's just that the brush is too soft—not as easy to command as dipping one's fingers in water. Changfeng will be sure to practice more in the future!"
Pei Qinghe was momentarily stunned. He looked at the frostbite on Ye Jinghe's fingers and was silent for a long while. Only after Ye Jinghe and Pei Du had taken their leave did he finally press the written agreement against his own face.
He truly deserved to die!
He had actually tried to use words like those to drive away a child so eager to learn!
Think about it—Changfeng had only been studying with the third young master for a month, hadn't he?
"Qing'er."
The servant boy immediately stepped forward. Pei Qinghe irritably turned the thumb ring on his finger:
"Take a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the storeroom and deliver it to that boy, so he won't use that as an excuse later to say I made things difficult for him and didn't want him to stay!"
Qing'er just chuckled and acknowledged the order. His master was all bark and no bite—if it were any other household, they wouldn't have even given Changfeng a choice.
＊
The five-year agreement at Jianjia Courtyard eventually spread throughout the entire Pei estate. When Ye Jinghe crawled out of bed at dawn, he overheard a hushed conversation from outside the window:
"I heard that yesterday the Old Madam punished Changfeng. The master took pity on him, but even when he told him to leave, he shamelessly insisted on staying."
"What do you know? That kid's young, but he's got plenty of schemes. A boy his age, if he left the estate and went to live with relatives, wouldn't he be ground down to nothing? He might even get sold off again.
But staying here is different—the young master dotes on him, and even the master wouldn't mistreat him out of consideration for the young master. Look, now he's even getting to study!"
"Changfeng used to be a book boy anyway—didn't he always study alongside the young master?"
"Fool, utter fool! Sneaking in study beside the young master and studying openly are completely different! But who does Changfeng think he is? The third master started learning characters at three and still took ten years to pass the county exam. What makes him think five years will amount to anything?"
"Bang—"
The window was shoved open with force. Beneath it stood two unfamiliar servants. The winter wind stirred the boy's dark hair as he wrapped himself in his quilt, eyes bright and sparkling, the corners of his lips lifted high with boundless spirit:
"You two—next time you gossip, could you at least make sure the person in question isn't around?"
The two were so startled they nearly jumped out of their skins, scrambling away on all fours. This wasn't right!
He should have been mortified to death, or at the very least, cowered in his room and refused to come out!
Ye Jinghe watched their retreating backs and called out loudly:
"Still, I'll accept your envy!"
The two stumbled mid-step and tumbled straight into the shrubbery of the courtyard.
Ye Jinghe gave a light snort and closed the window. He wasn't made of clay. He knew better than anyone how hard-won this opportunity to study was.
The stars at three in the morning had accompanied him through countless days of pursuing his education. The six-hour round trip to school every day had transformed him, step by step, leading him out of the mountain village.
Even now, having transmigrated into this book and starting over, he could pick up his books again here at the Pei estate, change his fate—and the conditions were far, far better than what he'd had before!
The master would never know how much that written agreement from yesterday had made his heart race!
Ye Jinghe pushed the door open and stepped out. As soon as he entered the room, Pei Du smiled and said:
"I heard you talking just now—who were you speaking to?"
"Someone heard that I get to study alongside you, young master, and came to congratulate me!"
Ye Jinghe smiled as he straightened Pei Du's clothes. His fingertips brushed over the fine silk fabric, catching a loose thread. Ye Jinghe quickly lowered his hand, but Pei Du, oblivious, took hold of it:
"Changfeng, will you eat with me today too?"
"How could that be? Young master, you must never say such things again!"
"Oh, I see. Yesterday was the first time someone ate a meal with me, laughing and talking. I was so happy. So… that was the last time after all."
Pei Du spoke in a dejected tone, his pitiful little eyes gazing mournfully at Ye Jinghe as he clutched the hem of Ye Jinghe's clothes and refused to let go.
Ye Jinghe: "…"
Wait—wasn't this tea-artistry technique oddly familiar?
"Just this once, and never again, young master."
"Mhm mhm!"
Pei Du nodded like a little pestle pounding garlic.
Though the Pei family was wealthy, their breakfast was hardly extravagant. The main dishes consisted of two-colored multigrain milk steamed buns, a basket of four steamed fish dumplings, a basket of lamb buns, and two sticks of fried dough. For drinks, there were eight-treasure porridge, soy milk, and bone porridge, along with several small side dishes—varied in style and exquisite in presentation.
Pei Du had a sweet tooth, so he ate three fish dumplings, half a milk steamed bun, half a bowl of eight-treasure porridge, and a few sips of soy milk.
Ye Jinghe wasn't picky about anything, but the lamb buns were simply too fragrant. With one bite, the rich, juicy lamb carried just the right hint of gamey flavor, paired with a bold kick of pepper that instantly whetted the appetite.
Fist-sized buns—Ye Jinghe wolfed down two in one go, then soaked a fried dough stick in the leftover soy milk from Pei Du's cup and finished it off in a few quick bites.
Pei Du stared wide-eyed.
"Changfeng, you…"
Ye Jinghe lowered his head sheepishly. He supposed he had been a bit gluttonous. But the next second, Pei Du spoke softly:
"Did you never get enough to eat before?"
Ye Jinghe didn't know how to answer. The servants' meals were always bland, so eating was just a matter of filling one's stomach—but delicious food always made one's appetite better.
Ye Jinghe's silence made Pei Du look at him with a hint of pity in his eyes, which he quickly tucked away when Ye Jinghe glanced over.
After breakfast, the two headed to the family school together. A servant boy came to carry Pei Du there, but Pei Du refused.
When they arrived at the schoolhouse, Ye Jinghe was surprised to find an extra desk inside. He had a guess as to what it meant but didn't let it show.
Before long, Pei Qingyan walked in from outside. Seeing Ye Jinghe still seated beside Pei Du, he pointed and said:
"Changfeng, your seat is over there."
"Third Master, this—"
"In the schoolhouse, you should call me Master."
Pei Qingyan's tone was calm but brooked no argument:
"Besides, my elder brother said you hold me in great esteem and wish to become my disciple. Let me see what you're capable of."
Ye Jinghe: "??"
Before Ye Jinghe could react, Pei Qingyan firmly made him sit down, and then… began the first monthly examination!