As the carriage was about to disappear from view, a profound sense of loss suddenly surged within Bai Shu’s heart.
He didn’t want this person to just disappear like this, and a wave of agitation swept through Bai Shu. Instinctively, he swayed and struggled to get up from the ground, staggering to follow behind the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Shu lifted the curtain and said with a sense of urgency to Xie Huaiyu, “Young Master, that guy from earlier, he’s following us again!”
Xie Huaiyu was somewhat surprised. He looked back through the window, and indeed, the dark and thin guy from before was trailing far behind.
“He’s quite a rascal. Young Master, you kindly gave him something to eat, and now he’s latched onto us!” Xiao Shu said indignantly. “I’ll go and shoo him away right away!”
“No need. He probably hasn’t eaten enough just now,” Xie Huaiyu said.
While Baotang Village was generally prosperous, this guy was tattered and couldn’t even afford a proper meal. Surely, his family must be mistreating him.
Xie Huaiyu himself had a younger brother who was similarly a young ger. Thinking of the emaciated appearance of that ger, Xie Huaiyu couldn’t help but draw a parallel to his own brother of similar age.
He took out a packaged pastry from his bundle and said to Xiao Shu, “Take this pastry to him and ask him not to follow us.”
“Young Master, I know you have a compassionate heart, but in the future, please don’t show too much sympathy for these villagers in the mountains. They might be poor, but they can resort to anything, and be quiet sly.” Xiao Shu said earnestly.
Xie Huaiyu smiled, guessing that Xiao Shu probably recalled his own childhood experiences of being abducted. He nodded and said, “You’re right. Go ahead; I won’t personally intervene.”
Bai Shu followed for a while, and when the carriage ahead stopped, a person got off. It was the young man called Xiao Shu earlier.
Xiao Shu briskly ran towards him, his eyes filled with caution, holding an oil-paper package that he quickly thrust into Bai Shu’s arms.
“Take the food and scram. Don’t follow us anymore!” Xiao Shu stared with wide eyes, cheeks puffed.
Bai Shu was momentarily stunned, finding Xiao Shu’s appearance reminiscent of an angry hamster, somewhat amusing.
He opened the paper package and found several pieces of white jade-colored pastries inside. He picked one up, took a bite—sweet, sticky, melting in the mouth, leaving a faint osmanthus fragrance between his lips and teeth. It was incredibly delicious!
However delicious the pastry was, it couldn’t match the bun from earlier. Bai Shu looked serious, lifting his head to gaze at the carriage in front several times, hoping to catch another glimpse of the ethereal person from before.
After all, that bun was fed to him by that person!
“What are you staring at? Hurry up and leave!” Xiao Shu shouted, waving his hands to dismiss Bai Shu.
Continuing to follow someone like this, especially a male, was indeed impolite. Perhaps the other person was feeling shy.
Bai Shu thought for a moment and felt it was necessary to leave a good impression. So, he nodded in a gentlemanly manner, tightened his right fist, raised it high, and performed the highest courtesy of the zerg tribe towards Xiao Shu.
Xiao Shu, seeing the guy raising his fist, had a fierce expression as if he was ready to fight.
“Oh, he wants to pick a fight, does he? Who’s afraid of whom?” Xiao Shu rolled up his sleeves, ready to confront the guy.
However, to his surprise, the guy, in a hoarse voice, simply said thank you and turned away from the main road.
Xiao Shu was momentarily stunned, watching as the guy swiftly disappeared into the rice fields.
“He runs pretty fast!” Xiao Shu, with a disappointed expression, withdrew his fist and excitedly ran back to the carriage, saying to Xie Huaiyu, “Young Master! That guy wanted to fight with me! Unfortunately, he had a tiny bit of courage and got scared off by me in no time!”
“Well, Xiao Shu, you’re truly formidable,” Xie Huaiyu chuckled dismissively.
The carriage set off again, and Bai Shu discreetly hid in the rice fields, silently trailing behind.
As a general of the zerg tribe’s fleet, he spent most of his time engaged in space warfare and never imagined that the ground ambush skills he learned in military school would come in handy at a time like this.
After following for a while, Bai Shu observed the carriage stopping outside a manor at the eastern end of the village. Xiao Shu hopped off the carriage.
Holding his breath, Bai Shu felt a bit hopeful about seeing the person from earlier once again.
Disappointingly, the person didn’t come down from the carriage. Xiao Shu opened the courtyard gate directly, and the carriage drove straight into the courtyard.
The manor to the east of the village had several buildings within its courtyard. With white walls and black tiles, it looked completely different from the earthen huts in Bai Shu’s home—it was clearly the residence of a wealthy family.
Although he didn’t see the person again, knowing that they resided here gave Bai Shu some insight.
Reluctantly glancing at the tall courtyard walls, he wished he could see through them. After a long while, he turned away.
Originally planning to leave this place and seek a new path elsewhere, he had now changed his mind. Since that person lived in Bai Tang Village, he decided not to rush away. He would continue living under the identity of Bai Shu for a while, gathering information about the other person before making further decisions.
When Bai Shu returned to the Bai family, the sun had already set.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, he caught the enticing aroma of food wafting from inside. Bai Laosan’s family was seated around the Eight Immortals table in the main house, getting ready for dinner.
In this era, all furniture was handcrafted. Many poor households couldn’t afford tables, so they ate by squatting on the ground with bowls. Families with the luxury of using an Eight Immortals table were considered to have some wealth.
On Bai Laosan’s table, in addition to the common pickled vegetables and radishes, there were also stir-fried peanuts and scrambled eggs. Even the staple food was a mix of glutinous rice and beans. In front of Bai Laosan, there was even a pot of warmed wine.
Bai Laosan, Bai Zuoshi, Bai He, and Bai He’s brother Bai Dao were all seated at the table, enjoying their meal. Bai Dao’s wife, Bai Lishi, stood next to the table, holding a bowl while eating.
She had a noticeable belly, indicating she was likely six or seven months pregnant. Glancing at Bai Zuoshi, and when she wasn’t paying attention, Bai Lishi sneakily scooped up a mouthful of eggs and voraciously shoveled rice into her mouth.
While Bai Zuoshi served dishes to her son and Bai Laosan, she scolded Bai Lishi, “Look at how you eat. You don’t even think about your husband. You’re not efficient in your work, and you’ve really brought a big eater into our family. Being able to marry our Dao’er is good fortune for you for three lifetimes.”
Bai Lishi remained silent, focusing on her meal, treating Bai Zuoshi’s words as if they were background noise. When she reached for another mouthful of eggs, Bai Zuoshi noticed and held her chopsticks.
In a sharp tone, she exclaimed, “There are only two eggs, and so many people! You’ve eaten them all. Do the rest of us get to eat or not?”
Saying this, Bai Zuoshi divided the eggs into portions, giving Bai Laosan, Bai Dao, and Bai He each a sizable chunk, and then poured the remaining into her own bowl.
Bai Lishi pouted, rolled her eyes behind Bai Zuoshi’s back, and slyly added another piece of radish to her bowl.
Bai Shu stood outside the window, silently observing everything, and snorted coldly. Judging by the family’s demeanor, it seemed they were completely unaware that he was no longer with them.
With a loud bang, he pushed the door open, creating quite a commotion.
Bai Laosan was in the midst of picking up a peanut with his chopsticks when he was startled by the noise. His hand trembled, and the peanut rolled to the ground. Bai Zuoshi quickly picked it up and blew on it before putting it in her mouth.
Seeing the person standing at the door, Bai Zuoshi immediately darkened her face and scolded angrily, “You, you troublemaker! What are you doing here? You act dead and lazy every day. There’s no food for you here!”
Bai Shu glared at her but remained silent. He walked straight to the rice pot, picked up a chipped and cracked bowl, filled it with a generous portion of bean rice. Then, he went to the Eight Immortals table, pouring the pickled vegetables from the table into his bowl.
“Stop! What are you doing? You wretched thing!” Bai Zuoshi shouted, rushing to snatch the bowl from Bai Shu’s hands.
Usually, she fed Bai Shu leftovers, and when everyone finished eating, she would throw the remaining food into the pot, add some water, and mix it together, not sparing even a bit of extra firewood.
Today, Bai Shu had truly gone mad; he dared to come and snatch the bean rice.
“I planted this grain, and I can’t eat it?” Bai Shu raised his knee, and with a forceful push of his arm, Bai Zuoshi tumbled like a dog eating feces.
Having eaten the bun and pastries, Bai Shu had regained some strength. Although his body was still weak, his mind had combat experience.
“You little brat, you dare hit me! I’ll beat you to death!” Bai Zuoshi, unaccustomed to such insult, grumbled as she got up and went to find a broom in the corner.
Bai He also dropped her chopsticks and rushed forward, fists clenched. “Have you gone crazy? How dare you hit my mother! I won’t let you off!”
Bai Zuoshi found the broom and was about to use the handle to strike.
Bai Shu, annoyed, caught one fist and grabbed the broom with the other. With a forceful tug, both Bai He and Bai Zuoshi toppled over the table. The entire meal was scattered on the floor, and several plates and bowls were shattered.
Bai He and Bai Zuoshi took quite a hit, and it took them a while to recover from the pain.
Bai Lishi stood in the corner, holding her bowl, coldly watching the scene, and not forgetting to finish the food in her bowl.
Bai Laosan, fuming, stroked his beard and shouted, “What are you doing? Are you rebelling?”
Bai Dao rolled up his sleeves, ready to intervene, but Bai Shu, wielding the broom, struck him precisely on the joints, causing Bai Dao to cry out in pain and collapse to the ground.
Seeing the scene unfold, Bai Lao San swallowed the words he hadn’t yet spoken and pointed at Bai Shu with a trembling finger, “You… you don’t act like a proper brother! You disrespect your elders!”
Bai Shu gave him a cold look, lifted his rice bowl, took a pair of chopsticks, and left.
These females were so weak. If he were still in his previous body, they wouldn’t be enough for him to sweep away with one wing.
He just wanted to have a meal, yet these people wouldn’t let him eat in peace. Since they wouldn’t let him eat, then no one should eat!
