After the coquettish fake master was driven away - Chapter 5

Overcome with sadness, Xie Jinning curled up, hugging his knees.

He buried his face in them, and his slender back began to tremble.

Wang Zhihe, thinking he was feeling guilty, raised an eyebrow in satisfaction—until he heard the sobbing and realized he had actually made the boy cry.

The smile on his face faltered. Hastily, he said, “Hey, hey, hey, don’t cry! You make it seem like I’m bullying you.”

“You… you are bullying me!”

Xie Jinning sniffled softly, not even lifting his head. “I didn’t even think of it, and yet you knew, and with your mouth, you had to expose it. Who do you think you are… sob…”

It was the first time Wang Zhihe had encountered such a boy. Unlike the rough, tough children of the village, this delicate young master couldn’t be hit or scolded. He scratched his head anxiously, at a loss.

Honestly, when he first spoke, he had felt a little smug, seeing a rich boy in distress. But seeing him cry so pitifully, it seemed the boy was truly heartbroken.

A delayed regret crept in. Wang Zhihe wasn’t good with words and couldn’t comfort him properly. For a while, he was at a complete loss with this “tofu-like” young master. He had no choice but to admit defeat.

“Yes, yes, yes… It’s all my fault for speaking harshly. You’re a magnanimous young master, don’t stoop to my crude level, alright?”

Xie Jinning ignored him and continued crying.

His sobs were small, occasionally punctuated by sniffs that led to coughing fits, which broke one’s heart to hear.

Wang Zhihe was at a complete loss, trying every method—scolding himself for being clumsy with words, apologizing until his mouth went dry—before Xie Jinning finally lifted his head, quickly glanced at him, and asked, “Where are you taking me?”

Of course, Wang Zhihe thought, he’d be sent back to wherever the young master had previously suffered. But when the words came out, he hesitated, and mumbled vaguely, “To where you’re supposed to go.”

Though ambiguous, Xie Jinning understood: he was being sent to where Xie Zhu had lived before.

He remembered secretly having someone investigate Xie Zhu’s origins. Though he didn’t know the exact location, he’d heard it was a poor place with not even a private school. Xie Zhu had to sneak into the town’s private school to learn, and yet he still passed the household examination.

Truly clever… a child of his parents, indeed.

Xie Jinning’s mood sank further.

He was different. He could never sit still at school; he spent his days thinking only about what to eat or what to play.

Now, with a more talented child for his parents and a brother with a scholarly companion, it was no surprise they would no longer need him.

A few more tears fell from his long eyelashes.

He had cried through the entire previous night, exhausted, finally falling asleep. Waking up on the carriage that morning, memories stirred by Wang Zhihe’s words had driven him to another round of tears.

His emotions fluctuated wildly. His head spun, his temples throbbed painfully, and his eyes burned.

He couldn’t cry anymore.

Biting his lower lip hard, the slight sting brought a brief clarity to his mind.

That place was poor and dilapidated. If he went there, he’d probably end up like Xie Zhu when he first arrived at the house: yellowed, thin, and ugly… Not at all presentable. He refused to go.

After a moment’s thought, he wiped the tears from his face and asked stubbornly, “Do we have to go?”

“Of course,” Wang Zhihe said, sighing in relief. “Don’t worry. Old Wang is reliable. You pay me, and I’ll make sure you get there safe and sound, completely unharmed.”

It seemed that casually dumping him somewhere wasn’t going to work.

Xie Jinning lowered his eyelids in disappointment, resting his chin on his knees.

From Wang Zhihe’s perspective, the boy’s long, black lashes, wet from tears, resembled wings of a drenched butterfly. The faint redness at the eye corners looked like blush, making him strikingly beautiful.

His still-childish cheeks were round and full, the soft chin slightly puffed, and his downturned lips, even in displeasure, carried a touch of innocence and cleverness.

Hearing his own voice spoken by the boy, Wang Zhihe felt it carried a softness he had never heard before.

“Eh… do you want some flatbread?”

Immediately after saying it, he regretted it, nearly biting his tongue.

Flatbread? The young master had been eating the finest things in the household—how could he be willing to gnaw on dry bread?

Sure enough, he was glared at.

“No.” Xie Jinning covered his lips, coughed twice, and reached out his hand. “I want water.”

Wang Zhihe quickly untied the water pouch at his waist and handed it over.

Xie Jinning took it, noticed it had been used, and immediately tossed it back, not caring whether it hit anyone. He turned his face and said through his nose, “I don’t want water you’ve drunk from.”

Clearly, he was concerned about cleanliness.

When Wang Zhihe brought a fresh water pouch, Xie Jinning drank most of it at once, tightened the cap, and stuffed it into his bag, doing so openly.

Wang Zhihe said nothing. After all, one trip delivering him paid enough for a thousand water pouches. He placed the provisions from the bag in front of Xie Jinning. “Take what you want to eat. I need to get moving.”

Xie Jinning quickly stopped him. “Wait.”

“What now?”

“I want to get off the carriage and walk a bit.”

He had been cramped in the carriage all night, every part of his body uncomfortable, especially his waist. Stepping down, he stretched while carefully observing the surroundings.

He had to run.

Xie Jinning thought, with so many friends, even if he wasn’t a real Xie young master, they would help him as a friend.

Even if things weren’t exactly like before, at least he wouldn’t go hungry.

His steps unconsciously took him farther from the carriage. Suddenly, he felt a prickling on his back. Turning, he saw Wang Zhihe, who had hitched the horse and carriage, staring at him.

They made eye contact. Wang Zhihe raised his whip. “Hey, don’t go too far.”

Xie Jinning turned back toward the carriage.

“Had enough exercise? Get on now.”

“Wait a bit more.”

“What is it this time, young master?” Wang Zhihe scratched his head irritably. The journey, originally three days, would take who knows how long at this pace. He wanted to return quickly, settle the household, and prepare for conscription in a few days.

“I’m hungry. Go find something to eat. I don’t want dry stuff.”

Xie Jinning looked up at him. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting shadows on his face. His amber eyes, clear and rounded like polished glass, instantly extinguished the little flare of anger Wang Zhihe felt.

“Ah… oh, alright…”

Like a man enchanted, Wang Zhihe nodded in a daze. When he snapped back to reality, Xie Jinning had already stepped onto the carriage, lifted the curtain, and smiled at him. “Coachman, you go ahead. I’ll wait right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

The curtain just covered his flushed ears. Looking at Wang Zhihe expectantly, his eyes sparkled like a fledgling bird awaiting feeding.

Moved by the silent pleading, Wang Zhihe took action.

There was no village or shop nearby; getting food was impossible. But he remembered a fruit tree he had passed not far from the road.

After repeatedly warning Xie Jinning not to wander off, Wang Zhihe quickened his pace.

What was going on? His heart was racing. Was he sick…?

But when he returned, holding a bag of wild fruits, he found the carriage empty.

The fruits rolled across the ground. Wang Zhihe let out a cold laugh in anger.

“Damn it! How dare he trick me!”