Chapter 54 Roommates

Yu San drove the carriage, carrying Zhu Hao and his new belongings, and stopped at the west gate of the prince's estate after navigating through the bustling streets and alleys.

Upon Zhu Hao's return, a guard from the prince's ceremonial guard unit quickly went to inform Lu Song.

When Lu Song saw Zhu Hao carrying bags of all sizes, his brow furrowed deeply.

"Master Zhu, why have you returned?" Lu Song asked with a darkened expression.

Zhu Hao pouted and said, "Commander Lu is asking the obvious. I simply had no choice in many matters... My grandmother came to my house today and said that if I didn't return to the estate, she would send me to the labor camp as a forced laborer... If you were in my shoes, Commander Lu, could you just walk away whenever you wanted?"

Tit for tat, without yielding an inch!

Lu Song was momentarily taken aback. This brat had quite a fiery temper. Was he so sure I wouldn't dare retort that he dared speak to me like this?

However, seeing the look of deep frustration on Zhu Hao's face, he immediately realized that Zhu Hao clearly did not want to come back. If he truly wanted to stay in the estate, why had he tried to run away earlier?

Lu Song sighed inwardly, shook his head, stepped forward to help Zhu Hao pick up his bundles, and led the way into the gate.

Following Lu Song to the courtyard assigned to him, Zhu Hao stepped inside and immediately noticed someone else's belongings. Although he was curious, he did not question Lu Song.

Lu Song volunteered an explanation.

"You will stay here for the time being. The young master of the Changshou county magistrate's family has also entered the estate and will be sharing a room with you... He moved in this morning and went to the study hall after the afternoon meal."

Zhu Hao was not particularly surprised by the news of young master Jing's entry into the estate.

As Lu Song was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and offered a kind warning: "We should not associate with each other recently, to avoid arousing suspicion... You are safe for the time being; no one dares harm you again. Don't come looking for me unless necessary."

Lu Song could never quite let go of the incident involving the arson at the stable, yet he could not figure out what role Zhu Hao had played in it. Therefore, the only thing he could do now was to keep his distance from Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hao called out to Lu Song's retreating back, "Thank you, Commander Lu."

"Oh?" Lu Song turned back to look at Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hao nodded and said, "I'm thanking you for not reporting to Centurion Lin that I saved the heir from the fire, which is why my grandmother didn't come to cross-examine me... Haha, I never expected I'd end up saving the heir either..."

Lu Song asked with a straight face, "So you mean you knew all along that Zhu Si was the heir?"

Zhu Hao spread his hands. "Is Commander Lu confused? After saving people that day, I heard Supervisor Zhang say it himself... Guess whether I would have saved him or not if I had known in advance that Zhu Si was the heir?"

Lu Song was momentarily rendered speechless.

Indeed, very few people inside the estate knew the truth about Zhu Si being the heir. How could an outsider, especially a half-grown child, possibly have known in advance?

"Still, I suppose I would have saved him anyway... I imagine Commander Lu would feel the same way."

The attitude Zhu Hao displayed was actually a reminder to Lu Song that their objectives had been identical from the start: not to make an enemy of the Prince of Xing's estate, treating intelligence gathering for the Brocade Guard as merely a job, while relying on the estate for survival and even advancement as their actual life.

There was no need to make their relationship tense and hostile.

...

As dusk approached in the afternoon, young master Jing returned.

Accompanying young master Jing was Lu Bing.

At this moment, Lu Bing was following angrily behind young master Jing, rolling his eyes from time to time... This was clearly related to young master Jing's previous cold attitude toward him. Even at a young age, Lu Bing had a temper of his own.

"I was just mentioning you to the young lord earlier this afternoon. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon!" Young master Jing carried a hint of "murderous intent," or rather, a sense of grievance.

It was the sorrowful feeling of "why must Yu be born when Zhou is also born."

Zhu Hao looked at Lu Bing and asked with a smile, "A-Bing, are you here to see your father?"

When Lu Bing saw Zhu Hao, his expression softened somewhat, and he nodded. "I'm going home with my father... He doesn't leave until the end of his shift, so I have to stay here to do my homework... Zhu Hao, could you please stop calling me A-Bing?"

Young master Jing pouted and looked at Lu Bing. "Doesn't the young lord usually call you that?"

Needless to say, the "young lord" in young master Jing's mouth referred to Zhu San, because the image the estate had cultivated for the young princess was that of the Prince of Xing's heir, and whenever danger arose, it was Zhu San, the older sister, who was pushed to the front line.

"I don't like that form of address." Lu Bing lowered his head, looking completely earnest. "Can we just use each other's given names? My name is Lu Bing."

"Hmph!"

Young master Jing's attitude was unfriendly, as if the whole world owed him something. Soon, his gaze fell on Zhu Hao. "Your name is Zhu Hao, and my name is Jing Hong."

Zhu Hao smiled upon hearing this.

Jing Hong glared at him and demanded sharply, "What are you laughing at?"

The smile on Zhu Hao's face did not fade. "I finally know your name now. Jing Hong—a fleeting glimpse... I know that idiom. I'm laughing because I've realized why your father gave you this name... Do you have any objections to that?"

Jing Hong said, "You're making fun of my name, why shouldn't I have objections? The 'Hong' in my name is not the 'Hong' from a fleeting glimpse... Are you mocking me?"

"Hey, classmate Jing, don't be so sensitive, alright? How am I mocking you? My name is Zhu Hao, and you can call me Haozi; I have no objections... A name is just a code name, don't be so high-strung."

Having lived through life once more, how could Jing Hong possibly compare to him in terms of insight, even if the boy was precocious? Besides, he never suffered from an overinflated sense of self-esteem; he wouldn't bristle like a hedgehog at the slightest disturbance.

If you brat think I'm mocking you, you might as well accuse me of trying to step into your father's shoes and deliberately taking advantage of you...

Jing Hong calmed down slightly.

He had a very strong sense of self-esteem, which was tied to his family background and upbringing. In the previous selection exams, he had lost to Zhu Hao, and a complete defeat at that, which naturally generated an inferiority complex and made him so sensitive to whatever Zhu Hao said.

Lu Bing stood nearby, watching the two boys older than him finish their argument, and licked his lips with a lingering sense of amusement. "Are you two done arguing? I'm going home."

Jing Hong asked, "Didn't you say you were waiting for your father earlier?"

Lu Bing shook his head. "You two gave me a headache with your arguing; how could I have the energy to do homework? Besides, my father often works very late and might not be able to pick me up on time. Anyway, it's not far from my house, so I can just go back by myself... My mother must have dinner ready waiting for me."

As soon as these words were spoken, let alone Jing Hong, even Zhu Hao felt envious.

They were all companion readers to the prince, so why was the treatment so vastly different?

Other people could commute from home, so why must the two of them be boarding students? This kind of unloved, neglected life would likely continue until they reached adulthood...

Ignoring Jing Hong's envious gaze, Lu Bing went out on his own.

The guards at the gate took the initiative to greet Lu Bing with extreme enthusiasm... Who told this kid to have a good father?

...

Lu Bing was gone.

Zhu Hao reminded the daydreaming Jing Hong, "Stop staring. He's the son of the commander of the prince's ceremonial guard unit, one of their own. As for us, we were recruited from the common folk to be companion readers to the young lord. Treatment-wise... there's simply no comparison. We should be grateful the estate isn't watching us like we're common thieves."

With that, Zhu Hao walked into the inner room.

Apart from a desk by the window, the inner room contained two beds—one was his, and the other belonged to Jing Hong... Regardless of how the estate arranged things in the future, at least for the next two days, the two of them were roommates.

Entering the room, Jing Hong slumped onto the stool by the desk, looking dejected.

Zhu Hao picked up a stuffed flatbread, and just as he was about to break it in half to eat, a thought struck him. He broke off half and handed it to Jing Hong.

Jing Hong frowned. "Why eat this? The estate provided meals at noon, do they not care about the evening?"

Zhu Hao smiled and said, "You really asked the right person... I haven't been in the estate for just a day or two. Don't be surprised; I only went home yesterday, but I actually arrived very early. However, I used to live in the courtyard on the east side of the estate... Here's the thing: dinner is served rather late in the estate because many laborers only return after the sun sets... What do you say? Eat a little to pad your stomach? Otherwise, you'll be starving!"

Jing Hong looked at the glistening flatbread, acting as if he had never seen such food before. Coupled with the fact that he had eaten very little at noon, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, though he stubbornly said, "No need."

He simply couldn't drop his pride and didn't want Zhu Hao to look down on him, especially after they had just been arguing.

Zhu Hao didn't press him further and shoved the flatbread straight into his mouth.

The filling was a fifty-fifty mix of chives and pork, pan-fried to absolute perfection. When Zhu Hao returned to the estate this time, Mother Zhu and Aunt Li had made a whole stack of them—thin-skinned, generously filled, and exuding an enticing aroma.

Jing Hong was immensely tempted.

Although he was the son of a county magistrate, his father had only recently assumed office as the magistrate of Changshou, having previously been idle at home without earning an income. Even though the family owned some farmland and plots registered by local villagers that provided a worry-free livelihood, their living standards could hardly compare to Zhu Hao's, whose living conditions had drastically improved.

"The estate's food doesn't taste good. If you're not going to eat it, I'm going to finish it all!"

Zhu Hao made loud chewing noises with his mouth, further tempting him.

Jing Hong didn't reply; instead, he stood up and walked outside. Given his upbringing, he naturally wouldn't accept "food given in charity." Pretending to go to the latrine, he actually went outside to wait for dinner, choosing the "out of sight, out of mind" approach.

"This kid clearly doesn't know how the estate operates. Refusing free food—he deserves to go hungry."

...

Zhu Hao was already a seasoned veteran in the estate.

He knew very well that in the estate, one should eat their fill at noon because, by evening, the guards and artisans would take away as much as they could carry, clearing the tables before dishes were even served to satisfy their own families' needs.

Since food could be eaten and taken away in the estate, why would anyone bother cooking at home?

Besides, the food in the estate was at least made of refined grain, whereas ordinary families couldn't afford refined grain for every single meal. Bringing some back home for the family was the best option. Thus, a hierarchy formed: those with higher status took the good things, those with lower status took the ordinary things, and whatever was left...

Well, for people like Zhu Hao and Jing Hong who were just tagging along for meals... getting a bite to eat was already considered lucky.

In the dining hall, Jing Hong looked at the single bowl of thin congee and a small dish of pickles on the table and almost failed to hold himself back from standing up to argue with the kitchen staff.

"Don't make a fuss. They'll just tell you that having food to eat and drink is already enough to be grateful for, and if you make a big deal out of it, they'll teach you a lesson behind your doors... You wouldn't want to find spit or snot in your meals hereafter, would you?"

Zhu Hao chuckled as he issued a warning.

Jing Hong glared at Zhu Hao. "Don't try to scare me."

Zhu Hao raised his hand in a "please go ahead" gesture, meaning if you don't believe me, be my guest.

Jing Hong didn't actually dare to argue.

Coming from a privileged background and arriving in an unfamiliar place—an estate far more powerful than his own—what good would showing backbone do when facing a pack of wolves?

Even if he hadn't learned patience, he should at least know the adage: it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain.

"By the way, I still have some large flatbreads made from a batter of flour, eggs, and scallions back in our room. If you want to eat, you can go back and wash it down with some water. When you're hungry, taking a bite is just so fragrant..." Zhu Hao reminded him.

Jing Hong stiffened his neck and snapped, "No need!"