Extra 1

Chapter 1: The troubles of being a bookboy

A bookboy is someone who keeps watch when the young master is not doing his job;

A bookboy is someone who reads for the young master when he has to do his job;

A bookboy is someone who is anxious about the young master’s worries, thinks about the young master’s thoughts, and knows what the young master is farting as soon as the young master raises his butt; to put it bluntly, the main role of a bookboy is to be omnipotent.

Although Hua Zi dare not claim to be an omnipotent bookboy, at least he is the only bookboy in the town who was not asked to leave by the master, but was actively left by the master.

Hua Zi actually worships the young master. The master is so good at keeping an eye on people, but the young master can also take advantage of the loopholes and read recipes and medical books in the study. His aura is enough to force himself to copy books for him with no complaints.  Hua Zi always thought that he would have a promising future if he followed the young master, but he didn’t expect that when the young master was thirteen years old, he had a big quarrel with the old master and ran away from home and never came back.

Thinking about it, that quarrel seemed to be the time when the young master spoke the most.

He said: “Dad, I am not good at studying, I don’t want to take the imperial examination, and I don’t want to marry a ger with a good family background to rise to prominence. As long as Dad doesn’t give up this wish, I will never step into this house!”

Forty nine words, the young master actually said forty nine words! The young master, who usually couldn’t say five words to him at most, actually said forty nine words in front of the old master!

Hua Zi felt that the old master was really amazing.

Of course, the fact that he could hold on and not look for the young master even though he was so angry that he didn’t go home for ten consecutive years was also amazing.

The old master was stubborn when he said he wouldn’t look for him. There is no father in the world who doesn’t love his son. The madam died early, so the master naturally loved the young master more. On the surface, he was naturally embarrassed to look for a boy, but in private, he often sent himself to look for him.

Responsible for finding the young master, responsible for spying on whether the young master was doing well, responsible for helping the young master every year and persuading him to come back. As a book boy, he received a fee, but he didn’t know how many jobs he had done.

Usually, the young master refused to come back, and the master was just stubborn. Recently, the eldest ger in the family got married, and the master was really a little anxious. For so many years, the young master hadn’t see a decent little ger, so Hua Zi had a new task – matchmaking.

What kind of ger do you think the young master likes?

One inch taller is too tall, one inch shorter is too short, one inch more is too fat, one inch less is too thin, big eyes make him look stupid, small eyes make him look cunning, big buttocks are ugly, small buttocks have difficulty giving birth…

Hua Zi didn’t know how many gers from good families he brought back. If the master was not satisfied, he was given a cold shoulder by the young master. At least, the master has a reason to be dissatisfied. The young master’s cold eyes are like free money, and he treats you as he pleases… A few days ago, he tried to persuade the young master to go home for the New Year, and was almost killed by the young master’s cold eyes.

Alas, after a year, the young master’s icy aura has really been cultivated again… If there was no father at home to persuade him, Hua Zi really wanted to quit.

On the Lantern Festival, Hua Zi went out with his father to buy things. He was tired and was going to fill his stomach in a restaurant. As a result, he saw the young master on the corner of the street! Moreover, the young master was accompanied by this handsome and likable boy!

Seeing the young master leading the boy into the wonton shop, Hua Zi and his father looked at each other, and both pairs of eyes flashed with the evil look of businessmen.

 “Dad, do you want to eat wontons?”

“Hehe… You and Dad thought the same thing.”

Entering the store in a veiled manner, Hua Zi covered his face while pouring water. He stared at the young master and the boy without moving his eyes.

“Eh? Dad… Who so you think that delicate-skinned and tender-fleshed guy is? Why does he look a little silly to me? He dropped the spoon seven times while eating… Ah! It dropped again!”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Our young master’s friend must be a handsome man with a bright future! Haven’t you heard that the plague man has a few pheasant friends?”

“Dad, please don’t make trouble! They are literati and close friends!”

“I say, you two, you are wasting our tea, okay? The tea bowls haven’t been served yet, and it’s spilled all over the table…” He suddenly put the teacup on the table, and the waiter took a rag to catch the tea that Hua Zi was still pouring out anxiously.

 “Shh… Don’t get angry, little brother. We want two bowls of wontons…”

Huhuhuhuhu, the wontons were delicious, but the four eyes were fixed on a certain place in the store, not moving at all.

“Xiao Hua Zi, why do I feel that the young master’s eyes are not right when he looks at that person?”

“… Um…”

“You said, this is the young master’s new friend?”

“… Um…”

“Hey, Xiao Hua Zi…” Hua Zi’s father frowned, turned his head, and called over with a pot sticker: “You dead boy, who told you to eat all my wontons!”

“Wuwu… Dad… It hurts… Ah! The young master paid the bill, and he ran away with that delicate and tender boy!” Covering his head, Hua Zi got up in a panic, slammed into the stool, cried out twice, and jumped on one foot for a while. Suddenly, the whole person was stunned and turned to the old father who was paying the bill.

 “Dad… I just saw the young master turn his head and smile at me… Do you think he noticed us?”

Hua Zi’s father, who was paying the bill, was also dumbfounded.

Everyone knows that no matter what happens to his young master, he is most afraid of this icy smile…

*

“Dad, are you sure we still have to follow like this? What if the young master really notices…” Hiding in the crowd, Hua Zi followed the two figures in front of him, one tall and one short, and said in a low voice.

Pah!

 A dumpling hit Hua Zi’s forehead: “Stop making noise! ​​I can’t hear what they’re saying!”

“Uh… Dad, it’s so noisy here, you can’t hear anything anyway…”

“Ah! Did you see that! The young master held his hand! I’ve watched the young master grow up, but I’ve never seen him take the initiative to hold anyone’s hand… At first I wanted to hold the young master’s hand to go to school, but he always shook me off… Do you think our young master is finally moved…”

“Uh… Dad, don’t get excited… I think that delicate and tender guy looks like a man…”

Since Hua Zi came up with the conclusion, the father and son looked uglier and uglier.

 “Hey, Hua Zi, why are they going further and further away? There are only a few people left.” Hua Zi’s father frowned and looked around. Pairs of people walked by, all curiously looking at this strange father-son combination, which made Hua Zi’s father feel uncomfortable: “Hua Zi, why do they always look at me?”

“Dad… this place is called Qingrenpo, it’s a place for men in the town to meet with gers…”

“Why did our young master come here? Does he have a favorite ger?”

Hua Zi’s mouth twitched. His eyes were full of his young master reaching out to hold the handsome man’s waist when his feet slipped: “There’s no ger, but there’s a man readily available.”

“Hua Zi! Look, the young master bought a lantern!” Hua Zi’s father’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he laughed: “Let’s follow closely, there is another one.”

“Uh…” Hua Zi was stunned, and began to feel dizzy when looking at the peony lantern: “Dad, what kind of lantern did they buy?”

“Dad is dizzy…”

“Peony lantern!”

Hua Zi was stunned, and Hua Zi’s father was also stunned. Peony lanterns were clearly bought by the man on the Lantern Festival to give to the ger he liked!

 “Dad, you are experienced. Have you ever seen… uh… a tall, broad-shouldered, bold-mannered ger like this little brother next to the young master?”

“I have lived for more than 50 years, and I have never seen a ger this tall.”

Hua Zi’s face became even uglier: “Dad, our young master seems to be a dragon.”

Just after saying this, he heard the faint sound of a conversation between the two people in front. Hua Zi hurried over to eavesdrop.

“Hua Zi, Dad is hard of hearing, tell me what the young master said?”

“Well… the young master seemed to say… your body can’t bear it…”

“What! Can’t bear it?” Hua Zi’s father glared, and some inappropriate scenes flashed through his mind: “What else… what else did he say…” He suddenly felt a little dry in his throat.

 “And… um… it seems like don’t hold on, do you want to take a break? The young master doesn’t want to embarrass him…”

“Take a break?” Hua Zi’s father’s eyes widened again, and the scene in his mind was several times more intense than before. After coughing twice, Hua Zi’s father suddenly wanted to know what the young master did last night…

“Ahem… i-is there anything else…”

“Hm… and… don’t kick the quilt…”

Sure enough!

Hua Zi’s father burst into tears at this moment. He thought to himself, young master, young master, I have been following you for so many years, why didn’t I notice that you have this habit? Now, how can I deal with the old master? The Su family’s lineage…

One of his feet stumbled, and Hua Zi’s father didn’t stand properly and slipped. Fortunately, Hua Zi was quick and he didn’t fall.

 “Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, I’m okay. Help me up, hurry up and follow me…”

The two of them struggled to get up, but they couldn’t find them. They hurried forward a few steps and saw that the source of the moat was crowded with people, and even the young master’s shadow could not be seen.

“Hurry up and find the young master, squeeze over!” Hua Zi’s father said, and the two began to squeeze in and out of the crowd. They squeezed until their hair was messy, causing a small commotion wherever they passed. Then, Hua Zi’s father suddenly stopped.

 “Dad?”

“Hua Zi… Dad is dizzy… Can you help me see if that is the young master? Is the man in the young master’s arms?”

“It seems so…” Hua Zi couldn’t see clearly because of the crowd, and he couldn’t squeeze through. Under the flickering light of the wishing lantern, he seemed to see the delicate and tender boy turn his head. The lantern in his hand fell out of his hand, and then…

“Ah! Dad! Kiss… kiss! The young master kissed a man!”

“Where! Where!” When Hua Zi’s father heard this, his eyes almost became copper bells, but there were so many people, and he was short. The more crowded, the harder it was to see, and finally he was sweating profusely.

“What should I do? The young master seems to have left, and I can’t see him…” Hua Zi looked for a while, and turned around dejectedly. The two looked at each other in silence.

 “Alas… Hua Zi, don’t tell the master about this. The master is not in good health and may not be able to bear it… We still have to think about it in the long run, think about it in the long run…”