I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 28: Return Home

Outside Jingzhou City, a carriage was speeding along.  

Zheng Fa lifted the carriage curtain and praised Gao Yuan, who was driving the horses: "I didn't expect you to be skilled at driving!"  

Gao Yuan flicked the whip, urging the horses forward, a smile on his face: "The Six Arts of a gentleman—Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics. While others learned calligraphy or archery, my father had me learn charioteering."  

Zheng Fa was even more impressed: "Your father truly has an ancient spirit. Few scholars learn the art of driving."  

The Six Arts was an old concept, and the skill of driving was certainly not something many scholars paid attention to.  

"Well, I don't think my father looked at it that way," Gao Yuan grinned: "He said learning other things was a waste of money. But if I couldn't excel in my studies, at least I’d have a skill to make a living!"  

"Your father is quite... practical," Zheng Fa said, feeling a sense of respect for the man he had never met.  

Inside the carriage, the Seventh Young Master placed his fist in front of his mouth to hide the grin that had appeared on his face and frowned: "Pull the curtain down, there's too much dust."  

Most roads in this world were dirt roads, and as the horses galloped, they stirred up a lot of dust.  

Zheng Fa lowered the curtain and turned to look inside the carriage.  

This was the Seventh Young Master’s personal carriage, and like the Dan Zhu Ox they had ridden before, the horses were of spiritual beast lineage.  

The interior of the carriage was a world apart from the bullock cart Zheng Fa had been using.  

There was a main seat inside the carriage, covered with a thick woolen blanket, where the Seventh Young Master was lazily lounging.  

Zheng Fa sat down, feeling a soft cushion beneath him that seemed to absorb shocks. The ride was incredibly smooth, with no jostling whatsoever.  

The Seventh Young Master pulled open a small drawer from the armrest of the seat.  

Inside the drawer, there were several jade boxes stacked neatly.  

The Seventh Young Master moved with great care, a level of delicacy Zheng Fa had never seen from him before.  

He opened one of the jade boxes, revealing a small yellow paper the size of a palm.  

Before Zheng Fa could see the details of the paper, it spontaneously ignited without wind, turning into curling blue smoke.  

The next moment, a gentle breeze swept into the carriage, cool and refreshing.  

The dust that had entered the carriage earlier was blown away, leaving only a faint herbal fragrance that filled the air, soothing and pleasant.  

Zheng Fa felt as though his breath had cleared.  

"What is this?"  

"Mm, it's a talisman," the Seventh Young Master returned the jade box to its place. "This is the least valuable one, the Breeze Talisman. Oh, a single Breeze Talisman could last your family ten years."  

Zheng Fa grinned.  

Gao Yuan leaned his head into the carriage curiously: "Talisman? Let me see!"  

"Watch the road!" the Seventh Young Master nearly jumped up.  

"I’ve never seen a real Immortal Talisman!" Gao Yuan withdrew his head with a frown.  

"You’ll be sent back home when we return!" The Seventh Young Master muttered.  

Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan didn’t really mind the exchange.  

In the days they’d spent together, Gao Yuan had to admit that aside from the Seventh Young Master’s inability to speak properly and his foul mouth—which made him easy to dislike, and in some cases, liable to get beaten up—he didn’t have many flaws.  

As for the frequent threats to send him home, Gao Yuan had heard them over a hundred times.  

Gao Yuan said somewhat enviously: "Zheng Fa, you’ve really returned home. You can even bring your mother and sister to the city. The Madam is really good to you!"  

The Seventh Young Master’s face faltered upon hearing this.  

He remembered his mother’s teachings from a couple of days ago and felt that there might be an ulterior motive behind the kindness she showed him.  

This trip was, after all, partly prompted by her.  

His mother had said, "If you are going to bestow kindness, lower your stature so that no one can find fault with you."  

The Seventh Young Master, still a young boy, couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to this.  

He was caught in these thoughts when he heard Zheng Fa’s voice: "Yes, the Madam is very good to me, and it’s also good that Seventh Young Master is here."  

The Seventh Young Master looked up and saw Zheng Fa smiling at him, as if understanding his subtle guilt. He sighed deeply and said, "It’s really very good."  

Zheng Fa had indeed picked up on his mother’s intentions.  

As Gao Yuan said, to others, it seemed like a great favor the Madam was showing to the family. But if Zheng Fa were to have any future achievements, he would undoubtedly have to return this favor, preserving his family’s honor.  

If he were to be cynical, he might even think that the Madam’s true intention was to control his mother and sister within the Zhao family…  

But honestly, Zheng Fa didn’t mind much. After all, the Madam had reunited him with his mother and sister and ensured they lived better lives.  

That was enough.  

As for the rest, it was actions over intentions.  

The Seventh Young Master was stunned, feeling slightly awkward, and pursed his lips, looking away.  

He turned and lifted the carriage curtain to gaze outside, muttering, "I haven’t had the chance to visit the estate yet. This time, I want to take a good look around!"  

...  

At the estate.  

The sun was about to set, and Zheng Fa’s mother stood at the doorway, anxiously looking out.  

As the sky gradually darkened, a small figure appeared, carrying a bamboo basket that was nearly three times the size of her head, hopping toward the Zheng family’s entrance.  

"Shan’er!" Zheng’s mother hurried forward, taking the basket from her daughter’s hands and inspecting her up and down.  

Zheng Shan’s pant cuffs were stained with dirt, and her forehead was covered in sweat.  

Seeing that her daughter was unharmed, Zheng’s mother sighed in relief and angrily pinched her ear: "Why are you so late? Do you know how worried your mother has been?"  

"Mother! It hurts!" Zheng Shan cried out, tilting her head and explaining, "I wasn’t playing! I just took a longer route…"  

"You took a detour?" Zheng’s mother let go, asking.  

"Yes, Wang Gui has been blocking my way and causing trouble. I was scared, so I went the long way around," Zheng Shan nodded.  

"Wang Gui… he’s getting more and more outrageous!"  

Zheng’s mother furrowed her brows.  

"His father doesn’t discipline him!" Zheng Shan muttered angrily.  

Zheng’s mother sighed. Ever since her son had rejected the silver from Steward Wang’s family, Wang Gui’s bullying of Zheng Shan had only gotten worse.  

Because of Zheng Fa, Wang Gui didn’t dare truly hurt Zheng Shan, but he had made her life difficult.  

As for Steward Wang?  

Knowing Zheng Fa’s attitude toward the family, he likely wouldn’t intervene.  

Since Zheng Fa was still working as a study attendant at the Zhao estate, he wouldn't make a move himself.  

But for now, these little matters would be brushed off with the excuse that children didn’t know any better.  

"Don’t tell your brother about this," Zheng’s mother suddenly said. "Tomorrow, I’ll go pick some pigweed leaves."  

"I’ll go! After my brother left, all the household work falls to you, mother. I can handle it, just avoid Wang Gui," Zheng Shan insisted, clutching the basket.  

"Don’t tell your brother."  

Zheng’s mother gently wiped the sweat off her daughter’s forehead with her sleeve, giving another reminder.  

"I won’t tell him. You said it yourself, brother is working at the Zhao estate as a study attendant. It must be tough on him," Zheng Shan nodded solemnly. "We can’t let brother worry about us."  

Zheng’s mother hugged her sensible daughter tightly.  

Zheng Shan affectionately rubbed against her mother, but then suddenly, with a complaining tone, she said:  

"Wang Gui even said that brother is eating well and living luxuriously at the Zhao estate, and that I should ask him to take me to the city to enjoy life with him!"  

"That’s not possible! Your brother is alone in the Zhao estate, he’s cautious and unsure of himself. He has no status there!" Zheng’s mother said firmly. "If he said that, people would think he’s arrogant!"  

"I know. He just wants brother to end up like him, being punished and sent back!" Zheng Shan raised her head, proudly saying, "But when brother gets good food, he always brings it to me!"  

After saying that, she even licked her lips, probably thinking of the delicious food in the food box from before.

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