"See? I told you these two lads were good," Old Master Li said, pointing at Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu. Old Master Zhao looked them over and nodded. "Indeed, not bad at all."
Though Old Master Zhao spoke less than Old Master Li, he looked even more kindhearted. With a gentle, benevolent expression, he said a few words to Zhao Shenggu, and the two quickly grew familiar with each other.
"Your name is Zhao Shenggu, and your younger brother is called Guan Yuan—you're not biological brothers?" Old Master Zhao asked Zhao Shenggu in surprise.
Zhao Shenggu nodded.
Old Master Zhao sighed with emotion. "You two aren't even blood-related, yet you can rely on each other like this. That shows good character. Today we came out to buy meat and take a walk. I'll take five jin (2.5 kg) today. Lao Li, how about you?"
Old Master Li snorted. "Who's as stingy as you? I'll take ten jin."
Zhao Shenggu deftly cut and weighed the meat. Guan Yuan rolled his eyes playfully. "Grandpas, how do you like our braised meat?"
Old Master Li already loved children, and seeing Guan Yuan's clever smile, he broke into a big grin. "Delicious! This is the best braised meat I've ever had."
"Then if there was something even better, would you want to try it?" Guan Yuan asked in a sweet, childish voice. Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao exchanged a glance. "What else have you got?"
"Why don't you come visit our home? I'll have my brother make you something really good."
Zhao Shenggu didn't know what Guan Yuan was up to, but he knew his brother must have a reason, so he chimed in: "That's right. We live in Guanjia Village, not far from here. The scenery there is pretty nice too—you should come see it. As for my cooking, it's passable. If you come, of course we'll treat you to a meal."
Now both Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao were intrigued. "Alright then, let's go check out Guanjia Village and taste your cooking while we're at it."
Hearing this, Guan Yuan grinned happily, showing his little canine teeth. These two old men seemed like good-hearted people. If they came and saw two helpless kids being mistreated by their own family, what would they do? He hoped he had judged them right.
The braised meat stall was doing good business, and Old Master Li found it quite entertaining—he even played cashier for a bit. After the meat sold out, Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao followed Guan Yuan and the others back to Guanjia Village.
Guanjia Village was surrounded by mountains, and the Yue River wound through it like a jade belt. Old Master Zhao was a scholar, and upon seeing such scenery, he was struck by poetic inspiration and began reciting a few poems with great delight.
Old Master Li looked disgusted. "Enough, enough! Stop with those snobbish poems—they're making my teeth ache!"
Old Master Zhao glared at him. "What would an illiterate bumpkin like you know!"
The two old men bickered the whole way. Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu were used to it by now and didn't react much, simply leading them toward the Guan family courtyard.
Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao thought they were heading into the Guan house, but to their surprise, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu walked straight past the courtyard and around to the back. Old Master Li quickly asked, "Little ones, isn't this your home?"
Guan Yuan shook his head, his little face scrunching up. "Our home is in the back." Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao sensed something was off now and fell silent, following behind.
At the back courtyard, they saw an outdoor stove setup, a quilt hanging on a rope strung between two trees, and a vegetable patch not far off. At a time when most seedlings were just starting to grow, the vegetables in this plot had already flourished—lush and green, a delight to the eyes.
Though the place was small, everything exuded a sense of cleanliness and comfort.
Zhao Shenggu invited the two elders inside, while Guan Yuan busied himself making tea. To achieve his goal, Guan Yuan was going all out—he added a drop of spiritual spring water to each of the two cups.
Old Master Zhao took a sip and felt a cool, refreshing sensation rush straight to his head, with a lingering, pleasant aftertaste. He closed his eyes in admiration. "Excellent tea! Excellent!"
Old Master Li was a rough man who normally had no patience for refined things like tea-tasting and poetry. He downed his tea in one gulp. Even so, he could tell it was truly good tea and grudgingly praised it: "Indeed, good tea."
Old Master Zhao shot him a look. "A cow chewing peonies!"
Old Master Li glared back. "Not everyone puts on airs like you do." While they were talking, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu were already busy outside. Soon, an enticing aroma of cooking wafted in. Old Master Li, lacking Old Master Zhao's reserve, followed his nose out the door. "Mmm! Oh, that smells incredible!"
Zhao Shenggu was making a Northeastern stew, using the freshly grown cabbage. He then made mapo tofu, braised pork, and stir-fried greens. In no time, the meal was ready. The midday sun was just right, so Zhao Shenggu set up his small table outside.
Old Master Li praised every bite. When he noticed that Old Master Zhao was quietly eating even more than he was, he stopped talking and sped up his own eating. The meal went by like a plague of locusts—every plate was spotless.
After they were full, Old Master Zhao could still barely maintain his dignity, but Old Master Li was practically slumped in his chair. Basking in the warm sun, Old Master Li sighed contentedly. "This is living like a god!"
But Old Master Li was rough on the outside and sharp on the inside. Once he'd recovered, he looked at Guan Yuan with a grin. "Alright, little one, you've been so hospitable today—what's this really about?"
Guan Yuan had already rehearsed what he was going to say. So far, Old Master Li seemed like a decent man. After a moment of brewing, Guan Yuan began to sob. "Grandpa Li, please save me!"
Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao exchanged a glance. "Tell us—what's wrong? Aren't you two doing alright? Why do you need saving?"
At this point, Zhao Shenggu understood Guan Yuan's plan. He took over and told the two elders everything about their situation in the Guan family, holding nothing back. "Grandpa Li, Xiao Yuan really can't stay with the Guan family any longer. All we want is a home of our own, free from anyone's interference. I know this is a lot to ask. If you don't want to help, that's fine—I'll figure something out myself."
"Figure something out? What could you possibly do?" Old Master Li asked with interest. Zhao Shenggu shook his head dejectedly. "Slowly, there'll be a way."
Guan Yuan clung to Zhao Shenggu's leg, tears streaming down his face, his shoulders trembling as he sobbed.
Old Master Zhao couldn't bear it anymore. "Alright, Lao Li, just help these two kids. Such obedient children, stuck with a family like that... ah, they've had a hard lot."
Old Master Li rolled his eyes at him. "How do you know I wasn't going to help? You're the one who always plays the good guy." Then he looked at the tearful Guan Yuan. "Alright, little one. Your brother protects you like the apple of his eye—you're a lucky kid. I can indeed help you with this, but I still need to verify whether what you've said is true. And if it works out, how will you thank me?"
Zhao Shenggu quickly thanked him. "Thank you so much. Just name it—if it's within my power, I'll do it."
Old Master Li shot Old Master Zhao a smug look. "Nothing much. Just that from now on, whenever you come up with some new dish, I get to try it first."
Zhao Shenggu had expected some difficult request, but it turned out to be this. He nodded eagerly. "No problem! You're our great benefactor—this little thing is guaranteed."
Guan Yuan quickly wiped his tears and thanked him too. "Thank you, Grandpa Li."
Old Master Li couldn't help but ruffle Guan Yuan's hair. "Mm, good boy."
After sitting for a while, the two old men wanted to walk around Guanjia Village and discreetly find out if what Zhao Shenggu had said was true. Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu had the good sense not to tag along. By sunset, the two old men had returned.
Both Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao looked grim. Old Master Zhao patted Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan on the shoulder and let out a sigh. "Kids, you've suffered."
Old Master Li, who had spent his life in the military, felt even more sympathy for Zhao Shenggu, the descendant of a hero. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this as soon as I get back. Come to my place tomorrow after you finish selling your meat."
Guan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. This was the best possible outcome. He sincerely thanked the two old men. As Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan walked them to the front gate of the Guan family house, they could hear shouting and chaos inside. Yang Xiucui was standing with her hands on her hips, berating Li Yuezhi and Zhao Xiulian for being lazy. Li Yuezhi was talking back, children were crying—the whole household was in an uproar.
Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao both shook their heads. A family like this would only ruin two perfectly good children.
After seeing them off, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu slowly made their way back. Guan He, tired of listening to the fighting inside, stepped out and spotted them. He put on a smile. "Shenggu, you two have been doing pretty well selling that braised meat in the county this past month, huh?"
Guan Yuan pretended not to hear. Zhao Shenggu gave a cold grunt and walked away with Guan Yuan. Behind them, Guan He squinted his eyes. Let them act smug. As long as they're still part of this household, whatever money they make will end up in our hands one way or another.
Back in the room with the door shut, Zhao Shenggu finally broke into a smile. "Xiao Yuan, this is great. If Old Master Li can really get your household registration moved out, I can take you and start a new life."
Guan Yuan laughed along with Zhao Shenggu's happiness, but deep down he still felt uneasy. Having drifted alone for too long, he found it hard to truly trust anyone. He'd just have to wait and see what tomorrow brought.
The next morning, they went to the county as usual. Xiao Zhang was already waiting there early. "Old Master Li asked me to wait for you here." By now, Xiao Zhang had become a regular at their braised meat stall—every day, he'd buy some for Old Master Li, then wince as he bought a jin for himself.
"Thanks, Brother Zhang."
Once they got busy, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu had no time to rest. Seeing how swamped they were, Xiao Zhang helped with the weighing. Two hours later, all the braised meat was sold out.
Since it was his first time helping, Xiao Zhang was all flustered and broke out in a sweat afterward. "Shenggu, you don't seem this busy usually—how come I'm so worn out just doing it?"
Zhao Shenggu chuckled. "I'm used to it. It's natural to be a bit clumsy your first time, Brother Zhang."
Meanwhile, Guan Yuan was patting his bulging money pouch, his eyes squinting with joy.
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