Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Strange Young Boy

In the scorching summer, the villagers in the paddy fields were busy irrigating the rice plants and weeding out the grass. A boy of seven or eight years old was pulling at a clump of water grass. The roots were deeply embedded, and despite several attempts, he couldn't pull it out. His feet, exerting too much force, sank deeply into the mud. His skin was fair, and his face was flushed red, making him look nothing like a farmer.

"Second Master, come up quickly, don't fall!" A servant standing by the edge of the field, avoiding the mud, called out anxiously with a shrill voice.

"Wife, get Second Master a bowl of water!" A middle-aged man, busy in the field, called to the woman by the edge, smiling at the sweating boy.

"Second Master, take a break, have some water!" The man said respectfully to the boy.

"Second Brother, come help me pull out the grass!" The boy ignored the man and called to a black-faced boy of about ten years old nearby.

"Sure thing!" The boy called Second Brother waded through the water, smiling, and walked over. They each grabbed the water grass and pulled together, but the boy, using too much force, got his feet stuck again and fell backward. The people by the edge of the field all cried out in alarm.

"It's fine, I caught him!" Second Brother moved quickly, letting go of the grass and catching the boy around the waist. However, two black handprints appeared on the boy's white cotton shirt. The boy used the momentum to pull his feet out, stumbled a few steps, and finally stood steady.

"Second Master, come up quickly, or I'll be scolded again. Please have some pity on me!" A servant by the edge of the field pleaded with a mournful face.

"Jianxi, stop whining, I'm coming up!" The boy shouted impatiently and waded through the muddy water toward the edge of the field.

"Second Master, look at you, all covered in mud!" Jianxi hurried over to help the boy up the bank, complaining while pulling out a silk handkerchief to wipe the mud off his face.

"There's no need for such trouble, I'll wash at the ditch!" The boy pushed away Jianxi's hand, took off his shirt, and jumped into the water ditch to wash the dirt off his hands and face. He then picked up his shirt, wiped the water off his face, and walked barefoot to the shade of a tree by the field.

"Second Master, have some cool tea!" An old woman, smiling, held out a coarse porcelain bowl with both hands, offering it respectfully to the boy. Before he could reach for it, Jianxi darted over, snatched the bowl, spilled the water, and threw the mud-stained silk handkerchief to the ground. He then took out another silk handkerchief and wiped the bowl inside and out.

"Old Lady Lei, I've already washed the bowl, it's very clean," the old woman said fearfully. Second Brother, feeling humiliated, glared at Jianxi and clenched his fists, but dared not act.

"Old Lady Lei, ignore him!" The boy grabbed the bowl, kicked Jianxi, and shouted, "Who asked you to meddle!" Jianxi didn't dare to defy the boy, bowed, and stepped aside, secretly glaring at the old woman.

"Old Lady Lei, is there sugar in this tea?" The boy poured himself a bowl of water from the water jar, drank it in large gulps, returned the bowl with both hands, and raised his eyebrows to ask. Seeing the boy drink the tea without hesitation, Second Brother smiled.

"Hehe, yes, Second Master, it's sweet!" The old woman replied happily, "It's been hot these past two days, and Second Brother's father specially bought it from the market!"

"Sweet, really sweet!" The boy licked his lips, looking unsatisfied.

"At home, we have half a room full of sugar, and he never said it was sweet. What a..." Jianxi pouted and hid behind a tree, muttering under his breath.

"Chamberlain, is Second Master here?" A young eunuch in yellow, about twelve or thirteen years old, ran over, panting and asked in a low voice.

"Fengxi, why are you shouting? If you disturb the Prince, you'll be skinned!" Jianxi, still angry, scolded the sweating young eunuch in a shrill, low voice.

"I dare not, I dare not," Fengxi hurriedly bowed and apologized, his already pale face turning even paler.

"What's the matter?" Jianxi, seeing Fengxi's fear, asked in a drawn-out voice, feeling satisfied.

"Chamberlain, the High Eunuch sent me to find Second Master and bring him back quickly!" Fengxi wiped the sweat from his face and answered respectfully.

"Rascal, why did you take so long?" Jianxi was startled when he heard the High Eunuch had sent him, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get the donkey!"

"Yes, yes!" Fengxi immediately ran to get the donkey, almost tripping over his own clothes in his haste.

"Second Master, it's almost time for the meal, let's go back quickly!" Jianxi whispered in the boy's ear.

"Can't you see I'm talking to Old Lady Lei? No sense of propriety, wait!" The boy waved his hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes," Jianxi knew the boy's temper and that the more he tried to persuade, the more the boy would resist. He was anxious but could only wait obediently, looking pitifully at Old Lady Lei.

"Second Master, we need to go back too. Please come back soon, don't keep your family waiting!" Old Lady Lei, seeing Jianxi's pleading look, smiled and said to the boy.

"Alright, I'll help you again when I have time!" The boy, listening to Old Lady Lei's advice, stood up. Jianxi quickly picked up the shirt and helped the boy put it on, smoothing it out, but the mud stains couldn't be cleaned off immediately.

"Mother, why are you helping that bad person? He spilled our sugared water on the ground!" Second Brother said unhappily to Old Lady Lei.

"Sigh, he's also a pitiful person. Helping him is a good deed!" Old Lady Lei sighed and led Second Brother back into the field. Jianxi, hearing this, was shaken, feeling a pang of sorrow. Seeing Fengxi leading the donkey over, he quickly helped the boy mount it.

"Don't forget my shoes!" The boy shouted to Jianxi, who hurriedly picked up the muddy straw shoes and ran to catch up.

"A big road leads to my home,

My home is under the Liangshan mountain,

The soil is fertile, five acres of land,

Five acres of good land, what to plant?

Who will remember my face,

Who will remember my wounds,

Whose desires, whose battlefield,

Make us stray from kindness.

When can I return to my hometown, when can I see her in red makeup,

I use my long sword to cut the gaze,

But I can't cut the madness of missing home.

A big river leads to my home,

With a wife and children, a tiled house,

Fat chickens and geese, strong cattle and sheep,

Planting beans, rice, and rapeseed, who will remember my face?"

The boy, riding on the donkey, swung his legs and sang loudly. His voice echoed through the fields, and he sang with great emotion, as if he could see the endless rapeseed fields of his hometown. Jianxi frowned, wondering where the boy had learned this rustic folk song, as there were no rapeseed fields here. Fengxi, leading the donkey, also joined in, and after a while, Jianxi found himself humming along as they walked.

The three soon arrived at a large mansion with extensive grounds, surrounded by a wall over ten feet high, covering nearly two hundred acres. The black-painted gate opened onto a small square paved with blue stones, where some vendors were selling their wares under the trees, but the scorching sun meant there was little business. There were no stone lions by the gate, only a pair of plain stone drums and hitching posts on either side.

"Second Master is back!" "Second Master!" The main gate, with three visible and two hidden sections, was half-open. They entered directly, and the gatekeeper bowed and greeted them, while someone hurried to inform the inside.

The boy jumped off the donkey, and someone took the reins and led the donkey away. The boy, barefoot, walked along the long blue stone path in the courtyard. On both sides were over ten rooms for officials, and people coming and going bowed to the boy. In front was a row of seven main rooms, but the boy didn't enter. Instead, he turned right and followed a path through a side gate, with Jianxi and Fengxi running behind.

'Boom!' A loud explosion suddenly sounded. The boy glanced to the left, seeing only the eaves of a Taoist temple and rising black smoke over the high wall. The details inside were unclear. "Damn, is he refining elixirs or making bombs every day? I'll kick that damn Taoist out sooner or later, or this bastard Qingyun might blow us all up one day!" The boy frowned and cursed.

"Second Master, that's not good, he's appointed by the court!" Jianxi said with a smile. "This guy makes such a big noise every few days, disturbing the whole mansion!" Fengxi also complained. "Rascal, do you have the right to speak here?" Jianxi glared at Fengxi. "If you keep yelling at Fengxi, I'll kick you out!" The boy kicked Jianxi, making him stumble and shout.

"Second Master, I won't dare again," Jianxi, frightened, immediately knelt to beg for forgiveness, but his eyes darted around, showing no real fear.

"Hmph, get up!" The boy coldly said and continued walking. They passed through two guarded gates and arrived at the back garden, where pavilions and artificial hills were scattered, and a small lake of over ten acres was in full bloom. It was the season for flowers, and the air was filled with their fragrance. "Second Master, shall we go to the Winter Garden?" Fengxi asked.

"Sure!" The boy turned right again and entered a quadrangle courtyard. A yellow-clad eunuch saw him and quickly opened the door, bowing and announcing, "The Prince is back!" As he spoke, a tall, middle-aged eunuch came out to greet them. "Prince, what have you been doing, all covered in mud!"

"Old Uncle Huang, I helped Old Lady Lei pull weeds and fell in the paddy field!" The boy said with a smile.

"Jianxi, you were supposed to follow the Prince, what were you doing?" Old Uncle Huang asked sternly. "High Eunuch, the Prince insisted on going, I couldn't stop him!" Jianxi, knees trembling, fell to the ground, clearly fearing Old Uncle Huang.

"The Prince is young and doesn't know better, but don't you? If the Empress finds out, she'll skin you alive!" Old Uncle Huang scolded in a low voice. "I deserve it, I deserve it," Jianxi kowtowed and begged for mercy.

"Old Uncle Huang, it's not Jianxi's fault. I saw children younger than me playing in the paddy fields and wanted to try it out. It's not Jianxi's fault!" The boy said with a smile.

"Hmph, the Prince is pleading for you, so I'll let you off today. Now, go change your clothes and prepare for the meal!" Old Uncle Huang ordered. Jianxi, feeling relieved, kowtowed and retreated.

"Huahua, Guahua, help the Prince change!" Old Uncle Huang instructed two palace maids, who followed the boy into the house. He shook his head, thinking, "What a strange child, just a little better and he doesn't want to stay in the mansion, preferring to mix with the villagers. Even this large courtyard can't contain him."

The boy lay in a large marble bathtub, warm spring water slowly filling it and overflowing, flowing onto the smooth marble floor and draining through a water outlet in the corner. Next to the bathtub was a modern toilet, a clear sign that the boy was a castaway from heaven, having 'very' unfortunately traveled through time.

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The boy lay in a large marble bathtub, warm spring water slowly filling it and overflowing, flowing onto the smooth marble floor and draining through a water outlet in the corner. Next to the bathtub was a modern toilet, a clear sign that the boy was a castaway from heaven, having 'very' unfortunately traveled through time.