Chapter 4

In the early morning, Shan Fei was having a sweet dream when he heard the door "bang" and then Deng Yi's loud voice came through, "Shan Fei, why haven't you gotten up yet?"

Shan Fei sighed and finally opened his eyes. Waking from his dream, he realized that he was no longer the master of the people but a servant of the Cao family. A servant's schedule was determined by the master.

It seemed that heaven appreciated him, as he had always wanted to be a servant in that era, and now his wish was finally fulfilled.

"What are you getting up so early for?" Shan Fei sat on the bed, frowning. "Old Deng..."

"It's Little Deng," Deng Yi immediately corrected him.

After these few days, Shan Fei had learned a bit about Deng Yi's habits. This guy looked old and tough but was particularly fond of acting young, even more so than women when it came to titles and age.

"Little Deng," Shan Fei changed his address, seeing Deng Yi's pleased expression, he smiled and said, "I'm still sick, right? Can't you tell them like before? It's inhumane to make me work now, isn't it?"

Heaven had given Shan Fei the identity of a servant, but he was destined to be lazy. These days, his injuries were almost fully healed, but he always used this as an excuse to avoid work.

"It won't do today," Deng Yi leaned in and said, "Today, Manager Dong personally inquired about you and asked you to see him immediately."

"What for?" Shan Fei was quite surprised.

"How would I know? Maybe he thinks you can't work and is planning to kick you out? Then you'll be in trouble, with no place to live in your old age," Deng Yi said pessimistically.

Shan Fei was somewhat pleased, thinking to himself that this guy must have been affected by old-age insurance, worrying about his future at such a young age. Before he could ask, he heard someone outside the room say, "Miss, Shan Fei is very diligent and works quite efficiently..."

As he spoke, a tall, gourd-shaped man strolled in. Seeing Shan Fei sitting on the bed, his eyes immediately widened to the size of watermelons.

Shan Fei hadn't even buttoned his shirt and had only put on one shoe. He looked at the man with a lazy expression and whispered, "Deng Yi, this is..."

"Manager Dong... Shan Fei isn't fully recovered yet. When he heard you were coming today, he forced himself to get up..." Deng Yi, sweating, bowed and was about to explain for Shan Fei when he suddenly opened his mouth wide and looked behind Manager Dong, surprised, "Miss?"

Outside the door stood a woman with a slightly flushed face, biting her lip, and looking away. It was the young mistress, Cao Ning'er.

Cao Ning'er, seeing some servants pointing in this direction from a distance, felt a bit annoyed. She shot them a glare, and they hurriedly went back to their work, though they couldn't hide their surprise.

In recent years, although the young mistress had not been harsh on the Cao family's servants, it was the first time she had personally come to the servants' quarters.

Manager Dong was also embarrassed. As an outsider, he had become the manager of the Cao household for a reason, and good judgment was essential.

Yesterday, when Shan Fei was summoned by the young mistress and entered the pavilion where Third Master Cao lived, it was not a trivial matter, even though Shan Fei didn't think much of it. Manager Dong, of course, knew the status of Third Master Cao in the Cao household and that the family's vast business largely depended on him. The recent bad news was that Third Master Cao's health was deteriorating day by day.

What would happen to the Cao household if Third Master Cao were to pass away?

Manager Dong had been thinking about this problem since he saw Shan Fei enter the pavilion. Shan Fei had been in the Cao household for some time but had never drawn much attention. Why did Third Master Cao call him?

At dawn, Manager Dong met the young mistress, and his first question was about Shan Fei's whereabouts. Upon hearing this, Manager Dong immediately stopped what he was doing and brought the young mistress over. In their brief conversation, Manager Dong realized that the young mistress knew even less about Shan Fei than he did, which made him think there was something interesting going on. He didn't hesitate to say a few good words about Shan Fei at the door.

This guy might have a bright future!

Manager Dong thought that if this guy's head wasn't clamped by a door, he would have welcomed them with open arms or greeted him with a smile. Instead, the guy was busy putting on his shoe and had a foolish look on his face, which made Manager Dong frown.

Why isn't this guy more considerate?

"Shan Fei," Manager Dong coughed, "you worked hard last night. Get dressed quickly and come out to meet the young mistress." He turned to Cao Ning'er and smiled, "I don't know what the young mistress needs from Shan Fei."

Cao Ning'er frowned, "I'm going to the pawnshop today to inquire about some matters and need someone to help carry things. Does the manager have any other tasks for him?"

With so many servants in the Cao household, why did the young mistress choose Shan Fei?

Manager Dong pondered this and smiled, "The young mistress is too kind. Is one Shan Fei enough?" He turned and saw Shan Fei slowly walking out, standing quietly to the side, and frowned inwardly.

Why does this Shan Fei act more like a master than a servant?

"Have you greeted the young mistress yet?" Manager Dong coughed.

Shan Fei thought that this era was full of formalities, still bound by Confucian etiquette. He slightly bowed and was about to speak when Cao Ning'er said, "Let's go."

She took light steps and led the way to the front gate, where a carriage was already waiting. Cao Ning'er entered the carriage, and even though Shan Fei didn't know how to act as a servant, he knew he couldn't ride in the same carriage as the young mistress. He sighed inwardly, thinking his feet would have to work hard again.

Before the carriage moved, a maid ran up with a heavy package. Seeing Shan Fei standing there, she thrust the package at him and pouted, "Aren't you going to take it?"

"What is this?" Shan Fei was surprised, thinking the maid was planning to elope with him.

The maid looked at him in surprise, "How do you serve? If you don't take it, do you expect me or the young mistress to carry it?"

Don't you have hands? Can't it fit in the carriage?

Shan Fei grumbled inwardly but finally took the package, feeling its weight. It seemed to be made of metal... He felt the shape through the package and smelled a faint fragrance, frowning.

Is it an incense burner?

Why is the young mistress taking an incense burner out?

Before he could think more, the maid had already climbed into the carriage, and the driver whipped the horses, and the carriage left the gate, heading down the street.

Shan Fei followed with the package, taking small steps. Fortunately, he didn't have the awareness of a servant but had the physique of one. The carriage wasn't fast, and he managed to keep up.

He had been here for some time, but this was his first time leaving the estate. Looking at the long streets and shops, he felt a mix of familiarity and strangeness, a sense of warmth.

Earlier, he had heard Manager Dong and the young mistress talking, and he was a bit surprised to learn that the young mistress was going to a pawnshop. Of course, he knew what a pawnshop was. According to historical records, the pawnshop industry was documented in the Southern Dynasties, initially as a lending business where temples used clothing as collateral. Some said it had its roots in the Han Dynasty.

However, Shan Fei knew that believing everything in books was unwise. The practice of lending and pledging items likely existed since the concept of private property. Everyone had times when they needed to pawn items for cash, but the scale varied. Investigating the origin of pawnshops seemed like a pointless exercise to him. Still, encountering a well-established pawnshop in the Three Kingdoms era was a pleasant surprise.

As he jogged and took in the sights of Xuchang, his forehead began to heat up. Suddenly, a man darted out in front of the carriage, blocking its path.

The horse neighed softly and stopped abruptly.

A highwayman?

Shan Fei was startled, and the maid on the carriage called out, "Cao Xin, are you trying to die?"

"Is the young mistress in the carriage?" the man asked urgently.

"Has something happened at the pharmacy?" Cao Ning'er's voice was calm from inside the carriage.

Shan Fei's heart stirred, knowing that the Cao household had started with Third Master Cao's skills. While these skills were not rare in the Three Kingdoms era, they were not something to boast about. The Cao household had clearly diversified its business in Xuchang. He had heard from Deng Yi that the Cao family dealt in both grain and medicine. This man was clearly from the pharmacy, and the young mistress's ability to handle situations calmly showed her strength.

Sure enough, the man wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Young mistress, please go to the pharmacy. Something big has happened..."

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