With less than five days left before their departure for Fucheng, Yan Shaoxuan returned early to pack his bags.

As soon as he walked in, Yan Shaocheng gave him a knowing wink: “Someone has prepared a birthday gift for his future husband.”

Yan Shaoxuan’s face lit up at first, but then he frowned at Yan Shaocheng. “Big Brother, Brother Yu didn’t tell me in advance because he wanted to surprise me. Why did you ruin his plan?”

“……” Yan Shaocheng was so exasperated he almost laughed. “Earlier, Brother Yu sent someone to bring you some pastries, and you blamed me for not telling you—that was something Brother Yu did on purpose for you. Now that I’ve told you, you’re blaming me for ruining his plan?!”

“How can that be the same?” Yan Shaoxuan looked disapproving at first, then waved his hand, adopting an air of magnanimity.

“Never mind. I’ll go find Brother Yu.”

His older brother had once courted Sister Yue, yet he’d only ever sent her food—he didn’t understand a young man’s heart at all. Explaining it to him would be pointless; he wouldn’t get it anyway, so Yan Shaoxuan decided not to argue with him.

Yan Shaoxuan had made up his mind: he would pretend not to know, and let Yan Xiaoyu bring it up on his own—only then would he truly fulfill Brother Yu’s wishes. He shuffled off to the kitchen, using the excuse of letting He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue rest to take over their chores.

He Qiuhua and her daughter had already prepared all the necessary ingredients, so with the rest of the work done, He Qiuhua didn’t stand on ceremony; she smiled and led her daughter out.

That left Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan alone. One took the lead in the kitchen while the other assisted, working together in perfect harmony. Yan Xiaoyu chattered away, as if he had an endless supply of things to say.

“Have you been practicing horseback archery lately? I heard from your classmates that your skills are among the best at the county school. Every time you go to the training grounds, there’s always a crowd watching.”

Yan Shaoxuan, who was stoking the fire in front of the stove, silently straightened his shoulders. “I’ve been going, but I haven’t practiced much lately, so I’m a bit rusty now. Still, compared to them, I’m not too bad.”

After casually downplaying his classmates’ skills, Yan Shaoxuan turned to Yan Xiaoyu with a serious expression: “There’s a training ground nearby. If you’d like to see it, I can take you there to practice after the provincial exams.”

“Sure.” Yan Xiaoyu nodded eagerly. “I ride a donkey, but I’m sure I could manage a horse. I’ll bring my bow and arrows next time—let’s have a contest!”

The two exchanged a glance, both with smiles on their lips, their hearts filled with sweetness. After a moment, Yan Xiaoyu shifted his gaze away, feeling a bit awkward.

“Ahem, by the way, are you helping Miss Luo find a match, Nian-ger? She came over for dinner the other day, asked for a private room, and called you in to talk for quite a while. I asked you about it, but you wouldn’t tell me…”

The two of them chatted away, thoroughly enjoying the conversation, though Yan Shaoxuan was feeling a little impatient—why hadn’t his friend mentioned the gift yet?

Yan Xiaoyu didn’t keep Yan Shaoxuan waiting. As soon as Yuye Pavilion closed for the night, he pulled Yan Shaoxuan into a side room in the courtyard.

A finely crafted wooden box was handed to him. Yan Shaoxuan opened it to reveal an inkstone, and a distinct smile spread across his lips.

Yan Xiaoyu had previously given him a brush and ink, so he wasn’t the least bit surprised by the inkstone this time. But simply because it was a gift from this young man, he loved it.

Yan Xiaoyu chattered on as he explained, “The shopkeeper said this inkstone retains water without drying out, doesn’t freeze in the cold, and grinds ink without damaging the brush hairs—it’s a rare gem! Last time you told me that when choosing an inkstone, one should look at the material, appearance, and craftsmanship, and that it should feel smooth and fine to the touch…”

Yan Shaoxuan listened to him while examining the inkstone in the box. After a moment, his gaze paused, and he pulled a piece of paper from the gap between the inkstone and its case.

“Is this it? Did you buy me a person along with the inkstone?”

Yan Shaoxuan’s eyes widened in astonishment at the three large characters “Indentured Contract.” When he saw the name Jiang Wu written on the front, he was even more surprised.

“You bought Jiang Wu back for me?” He spoke, then immediately realized something was off. Given Yu-ger’s temperament, it didn’t seem like the sort of thing he’d do—buying a person as a gift.

“Oh my, I completely forgot about that!” Yan Xiaoyu pressed her hand to her forehead, looking exasperated. “I didn’t buy him for you; I was actually out to buy this inkstone when I ended up saving him by accident.”

Yan Xiaoyu recounted the incident to Yan Shaoxuan, who nodded solemnly.

“Jiang Wu’s employer is narrow-minded and stubborn—he’s not cut out for business. Ever since he took over the Jufu Inn, business has gone from bad to worse. He’s been unhappy about it and often takes his frustrations out on Jiang Wu and the others. Even if Jiang Wu hadn’t been secretly helping that beggar, this would have happened sooner or later. Luckily for him, you happened to be there.”

Yan Shaoxuan had warned Jiang Wu earlier to make preparations. The last time he’d asked Jiang Wu for help and even given him some silver, he never expected Jiang Wu would nearly lose his life.

Yan Xiaoyu sighed, “Jiang Wu is still at the clinic. You should find time to go see him. He still wants to follow you.” 

That day, Yan Xiaoyu had given him three options. Jiang Wuxi hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he chose Yan Shaoxuan.

He seemed quite embarrassed when he said he wanted to follow Yan Shaoxuan, as if he felt he was letting Yan Xiaoyu down, but Yan Xiaoyu didn’t mind at all.

“A wise bird chooses the right tree to perch on, and a virtuous minister chooses the right ruler to serve.” Yan Shaoxuan is now a Xiucai, and he should have a bright future ahead of him. When Jiang Wu selected Yan Shaoxuan, Yan Xiaoyu wasn’t really surprised.

This young man is still young and lacks the modern concepts of human rights and independence; he is willing to sacrifice his personal freedom to find a promising, reliable person to follow. It is only natural—and even quite realistic.

Yan Xiaoyu had originally thought that if Jiang Xiaowu was willing to come to his home, he would hire him as a laborer—merely holding the title of “servant,” with all other benefits identical to those of Aunt Sun and the others.

But since Jiang Xiaowu chose Yan Shaoxuan, he didn’t press the matter.

“I think he has good character. If you have no objection, I’ll give you this indenture and let him follow you.”

Yan Shaoxuan didn’t agree immediately: “Let me go take a look first, then I’ll decide.”

The next morning, Yan Shaoxuan went to the clinic where Jiang Wu was.

Yan Xiaoyu had left with his indenture and hadn’t returned for three days straight. Jiang Wu felt uneasy, but when he saw Yan Shaoxuan, he was both startled and overjoyed.

“Master Yan, you’re here!” He sat up abruptly in bed. “Please sit down. I’ll make you a cup of tea!”

“No need.” Yan Shaoxuan stopped him and sat down on the stool beside the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Jiang Wu nodded vigorously, his face full of gratitude. “Before he left, Master Yan paid my medical and medication fees. I’ve had a steady supply of medicine these past few days. The doctor has visited me three times, and the apothecary’s assistant has brought me meals. I’ve been eating and sleeping well, and I’m all better now.”

“That’s good to hear.” Yan Shaoxuan looked at Jiang Wu. “What are your thoughts on this? Tell me.”

The smile faded from Jiang Wu’s face, replaced by a look of unease. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly rolled off the bed and knelt before Yan Shaoxuan.

“Master Yan, I beg you to take me in! I can do any kind of work and am not afraid of hardship. I will serve you faithfully and ensure you never regret this decision!”

Yan Shaoxuan’s face betrayed no emotion. “Stand up. Let’s talk properly.”

His tone was not harsh, yet it inexplicably commanded obedience, and Jiang Wu immediately stood up.

Yan Shaoxuan spoke in a flat tone: “Yan Xiaoyu told you that I could return your indenture. Why would you give up your commoner status to become my household servant?”

“Master Yan, there is something you do not know,” Jiang Wu said with a bitter smile. “To me, the status of a commoner is like the stars in the sky—they look beautiful, but they are out of reach, impossible to touch or eat, and in reality, of little use.”

“I was abandoned by my parents the moment I was born. I spent my days begging on the streets, and by the time I was old enough to work, I was already past the age when the charity houses would take me in. Life was so hard that I had no choice but to go to the labor brokerage to sell myself, but no one would buy me. In the end, I was simply thrown in as a bonus and given to Manager Yang. The two men who used to beg with me refused to sell themselves. They tried to find work elsewhere, but after a year of starvation, their bodies were so weakened they couldn’t keep up with others, and ordinary merchants wouldn’t hire them. They finally found a job as laborers at the docks, but even there, the foreman mistreated them.”

As Jiang Wu spoke these words, anger flashed across his face. “One of them was beaten and had no money for medical treatment. He was so sick he couldn’t even get out of bed before he told me. I took all two taels of silver you gave me to pay for his treatment, but it was too late, far too late…”

“The other one—the one Manager Yang found, the one I gave my leftovers to—he was too short, so the dock workers didn’t want him. He escaped that ordeal, but he’s been reduced to begging for a living—he hasn’t had a single full meal all year.”

Jiang Wu wiped the tears from his face with all his might and forced a smile—one that looked even more wretched than his tears—at Yan Shaoxuan: “Tell me, what good is this commoner’s status to us?”

Yan Shaoxuan remained silent.

Coming from a farming family, he understood the hardships of the common people. Having faced family tragedies and hardships in his youth, he even vowed that if he were to enter public service, he would devote himself entirely to protect the common people.

Yet he never imagined there were people even worse off than ordinary folk, living in constant misery, covered in mud, with not a glimmer of light in their lives. Jiang Wu looked at Yan Shaoxuan and suddenly clenched his teeth. “Master Yan, I know your ambitions are extraordinary, and I know my own status is lowly and my mind dull, but I still want to follow you and help you with your work.”

This time, Yan Shaoxuan’s tone softened considerably: “All right. Once you’ve recovered, come to me. I’ll send someone to fetch you when the time comes.”

Jiang Wu was overjoyed, so excited he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I’m fine right now—I can go with you immediately!”

“There’s no need to rush. Let’s wait and see what the doctor says.” After speaking, Yan Shaoxuan glanced at Jiang Wu again. “Do you have any other requests?”

Jiang Wu’s excitement cooled slightly. He hesitated, as if there was something he found difficult to bring up. Yan Shaoxuan said, “Speak your mind.”

“It’s just… it’s what I mentioned earlier—that beggar boy who got me beaten by Manager Yang.” Jiang Wu forced a smile at Yan Shaoxuan. “He’s actually a ger, and making a living out there is really tough. I was wondering if I could help him out every now and then?”

Fearing that Yan Shaoxuan might misunderstand, Jiang Wu explained urgently, “It’s either giving him some money or sharing half of my meal with him. That way, I won’t be too weak from hunger to work, and he’ll be a little better off.”

After speaking, Jiang Wu looked at Yan Shaoxuan nervously.

Yan Shaoxuan didn’t hesitate: “You’re paid for your work. If you’re willing, you can use your wages to help him; there’s no need to share your own food.”

Jiang Wu was deeply moved and wished he could kowtow to Yan Shaoxuan once more: “All right, I’ll do as you say. Thank you!”

Yan Shaoxuan was still pondering the fact that the beggar was a ger.

Yu-ger hadn’t brought it up, so he must not know. These two are quite cunning—they’ve even kept it from Yu-ger?