Ch59.1 - I want to find Lu Dazhuang

Jian Mei froze when he heard that. His round eyes looked at the young master in surprise, clearly flustered. He opened his mouth to speak but struggled to form a complete sentence. “M-Marry me? We can’t get married! Oh, it’s not about our ages—uh, this kind of thing needs parental approval. And it’s too fast! Plus, we don’t even know each other…”

The young master raised an eyebrow, his smile growing wider and wider until he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. His laughter was light and clear, brimming with genuine happiness.

Jian Mei: “……”

The old woman who just returned from outside paused in her tracks, surprised by what she saw.

While others might not realize it, she knew that ever since that incident, even though the young master still seemed gentle on the surface, he had rarely been this genuinely happy.

Jian Mei murmured with slight displeasure, “What’s so funny?”

The young master stopped laughing and replied, “Sorry.”

“Hmph.” Jian Mei let out a faint snort, unwilling to accept the seemingly half-hearted apology.

The young master found it quite amusing. He had noticed early on that Jian Mei was different. To put it simply, Jian Mei didn’t see himself as a servant. To put it bluntly, he didn’t seem to know his own place. Thus, when the young master proposed, instead of being flattered or shocked, Jian Mei tried to reason with him.

But strange enough, Jian Mei didn’t look down on himself, so he didn’t have any sense of inferiority. At the same time, he didn’t think too highly of himself, so he wasn’t arrogant either.

This child seemed like someone detached from the world, exuding a calm yet vibrant energy in him. For someone like him, living in the shadows, such purity was irresistibly captivating. No—more precisely, he guessed that most people shrouded in darkness would find themselves drawn to this kind of untainted innocence; stirring a strong desire to paint him with their own colors, a temptation utterly exquisite.

The old woman walked over and said, “Young Master, the person delivering the food has arrived.”

The young master nodded and said, “I understand. Mei, push me over there.”

“Alright,” Jian Mei replied.

He stood up and pushed the young master towards the dining table. The meal was simpler than those served in the back garden, but five dishes and a soup still made for a hearty spread. The food here was quite different from Earth’s; one dish looked like a colorful pile of mud, another was a massive roasted bone covered in meat, and there were vegetables he’d never seen before. Yet, the aroma was undeniably mouthwatering.

The young master ate his meal while the older woman stood by, taking care of him and serving him food.

Jian Mei stood off to the side, as still as a statue. He stared at the food while swallowing his saliva in secret.. He was really hungry.

“Mei.” Someone suddenly called out to him.

Jian Mei froze for a second then came back to his senses. He looked at the young master curiously. “What’s wrong?”

The young master smiled faintly, amused. “Why were you staring at the table?”

“I wasn’t staring at the table; I was staring at you,” Jian Mei replied.

The young master was surprised and asked, “Why would you say that?”

“You should eat more vegetables to stay healthy. I noticed you haven’t touched the greens in front of you.” Jian Mei then glanced at the cup beside him. “And you’ve been drinking iced water. You should drink more warm water—it’s better for your health.”

As alittledoctor, it was a habit for Jian Mei to offer advice.

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The room went silent for a moment.

Grumble.

Just then, a faint sound of hunger came from his stomach. Jian Mei’s cheeks flushed even redder; he had been working all afternoon and was starving.

The young master looked at him with a relaxed expression. “Are you hungry?”

Of course, that wasn’t a pointless question. Jian Mei swallowed hard but still replied politely, “Not at all.”

The young master nodded. “Alright, then. I was about to ask you to join me for dinner, but since you’re not hungry…”

Jian Mei cut him off decisively, “I’m hungry.”

The young master couldn’t hold back his laughter; today was the happiest he’d been in a long time. “Then take a seat and eat.”

Admitting he was hungry was an impulsive remark, but when he was actually invited to sit down, Jian Mei hesitated and he looked at the old woman. The woman simply smiled at him and said, “If the young master invites you to eat, then eat.”

Jian Mei’s family also hired housekeepers. There wasn’t a rule prohibiting housekeepers from eating with the family, but they’d always set aside their own portion and eat in a separate room.

Drawing on this experience, Jian Mei said, “No, that’s okay. I’ll just wait until the young master finishes eating and have my meal in another room instead.”

The young master’s smile faded, and a trace of sadness crossed his delicate face as he looked at Jian Mei. “Do you dislike me?”

Jian Mei shook his head quickly. “No, no, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then sit down,” said the young master.

Jian Mei wondered why the young master didn’t ask the woman sitting next to him to sit down. However, he was worried that if he said anything more, the young master would start his ‘dislike theory’ again, so he quickly sat down.

The old woman brought him a bowl and chopsticks. The young master said, “Eat as you like.Aunt Liand I can’t finish all this food.”

Jian Mei nodded. “Okay.”

Before Jian Mei came over, the young master was aware of the children’s backgrounds. They were all from small rural villages, had never seen much of the world, and were from poor places where they couldn’t afford to go to school, which was the reason why they came to work at their estate. When Jian Mei sat down to eat, they thought he’d gobble up the food, assuming he’d never had such dishes before. But to their surprise, he didn’t do that.

The child sat with perfect posture, each movement displaying good etiquette. His chopsticks barely made a sound as he ate, picking food only from the side closest to him without stirring anything around. He ate elegantly and gracefully, every movement refined, like a child from a noble family or a well-educated heir who had somehow ended up among the commoners.

The young master looked at him with a slight surprise, glancing at him a few more times.

Jian Mei noticed this and felt a bit embarrassed, so he asked, “Is something wrong?”

The young master shook his head lightly, his voice gentle. “Is it delicious?”

“It’s delicious.” Jian Mei smiled and said sincerely, “Especially the meat. It’s so well roasted. I haven’t had meat in ages!”

Both the young master and the maid couldn’t help but laugh at his honesty.

This child was like a little ball of sunshine. His arrival brought life to the previously dull and lifeless attic. The young master, who usually ate little, ended up eating an extra bowl of rice today—maybe because watching Jian Mei eat so happily was contagious.

After dinner, the young master went to rest while the old woman spoke to Jian Mei. “Mei, since you’re here to serve the young master, pack your things. I’ll set up a small room for you in the attic.

Jian Mei didn’t expect to move in so soon and felt a bit reluctant to leave Xiao Ban.

The old woman said, “You should make the most of this opportunity. The young master is a good person and serving him is a privilege. If you take good care of him, there’s a chance he’ll bring you along when he goes to the capital to study. That way, your tuition and living costs will be covered. Do you understand?”

Jian Mei said, “Understood.”

But honestly, he still didn’t quite get it.

He had no idea what studying in the imperial capital meant, and ever since he arrived in this strange world, he’d been completely lost.

Despite that, he went to pack his things. It was late at night, several children in the backyard were still busy working and hadn’t come back yet. Jian Mei followed the path to find Xiao Ban, spotting him cleaning the main hall. He jogged over and called, “Xiao Ban.”

Xiao Ban was kneeling on the ground, cleaning a cabinet. When he saw Jian Mei, he smiled warmly and said, “Meimei, you’re back?”

Jian Mei nodded and replied, “That’s right.”

Since the young master had already gone to bed, Jian Mei came back since he had nothing else to do. He thought Xiao Ban would also be resting but was surprised to see a group of people still working here.

Xiao Ban asked, “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Jian Mei was confused and replied, “Hurt? Why would I be hurt? I’m perfectly fine.”

But Xiao Ban was still concerned and asked, “Really? But I heard…”

“Heard what?” Jian Mei asked.

“Nothing.” In the end, Xiao Ban held back the words he wanted to say and said, “As long as you’re fine.”

He’d heard that the young master was temperamental and had mood swings. Over the years, plenty of servants had worked for him, but none had an easy life. In fact, just leaving without trouble was considered lucky. This was the reason why he was so worried Jian Mei might end up suffering the same fate.

Jian Mei whispered to Xiao Bin. “Come a bit closer.”

Xiao Ban leaned in. “What is it?”

“Here, take this.” Jian Mei pulled out a paper packet from his pocket. “You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Xiao Ban’s eyes widened when he saw well-preserved meat and rice balls inside—these delicacies weren’t for commoners like them could dream of eating. “Meimei, did you steal this from the master?”

Jian Mei quickly explained, “No, no. It’s not like that. The young master gave it to me.”

Xiao Ban was shocked. “Really? He’s that kind to you?”

“The young master is really kind.” Jian Mei noticed that Xiao Ban held some prejudices against the young master and said, “If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat. I’ll clean up the floor for you.”

He added, “I might be moving out tonight, but don’t worry, I’ll come find you whenever I’ve got some free time to hang out.”

Xiao Ban grabbed Jian Mei’s hand and called out, “Meimei!”

Jian Mei was about to clean the cabinet when he heard Xiao Ban call him. He turned around and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“I…I mean, after we work for three months and save ten gold coins, let’s leave here and go to the capital to study, okay?” Xiao Ban’s eyes were full of mixed emotions. “Once we pass the university exams, we won’t have to worry about food anymore.”

Jian Mei didn’t understand why Xiao Ban suddenly brought this up, but seeing Xiao Ban’s serious expression, he couldn’t bring himself to turn him down. Honestly, Jian Mei wasn’t sure if he would ever go back home, but as long as he was here, he felt he should live well for the original owner, who had given him a healthy body.

Jian Mei smiled gently, nodded seriously and said, “Okay!”

…..

The next day.

After the young master woke up and washed up, he began reading in the study.

Translator’s Notes:

I updated some terms, here’s what I changed so far: