Chapter 1: Perplexity

  Gao Jian looked at Gao Huaiyuan with a silly expression, and after listening to his words, he felt somewhat relieved in his heart. This foolish child may not be likable, but since he woke up, he hasn't caused any more trouble for the family. Even when he goes out, he doesn't cause any problems. On the contrary, recently he has been actively asking to read books, and now that he knows he can't read well, he wants to do something within his capabilities. Compared to his eldest son Gao Huailiang, who he has always doted on, Gao Huaiyuan seems more endearing.

  After some thought, Gao Jiansi recalled the attitude of his family members towards Gao Huaiyuan in the mansion. Originally, Gao Huaiyuan was not liked by everyone, and with the incident he had with Li Shi, they all felt that he was very barbaric and even more so did not like to interact with him. Moreover, he had been struck by lightning before, and behind his back, the family members would discuss how he was an unlucky person, and if he stayed in the Gao mansion, it might bring bad luck to everyone.

  Apart from Li's initial suggestion to send Gao Huaiyuan back to his hometown in Daye, the other wives and children also whispered about this matter. Gao Jian had always felt a bit guilty towards Gao Huaiyuan, so he never agreed, and thus put the matter aside. Coincidentally, the affair between Li and Gao Hualiang was later exposed, which made him even more annoyed, leaving no room for him to consider this matter again.

  Now it's good, Gao Huaiyuan himself took the initiative to bring it up and apologized for the unlucky thing that happened in the mansion. This child is really better than Gao Huaiguang by more than a bit. Although he neglected him and treated him coldly, he still thought about considering himself, which makes him feel ashamed!

  After some consideration, Gao Jian stopped persuading Gao Huaiyuan. Anyway, the old house of the Gao family was empty, with only a few hundred acres of land and an old dilapidated mansion left, nothing valuable. Moreover, the old steward who had been left there before had just passed away a few days ago, and someone needed to be sent back to take over. Although Gao Huaiyuan was not very clever, he was loyal and honest, so it was better to let him go back and take care of the old house, which could also serve as a legacy for him to live on in the future.

  Having thought of this, Gao Jian nodded and rarely showed a smile to Gao Huaiyuan, saying: "Sanlang seems to be a child who knows how to be filial. Since that's the case, I won't stop you either. Now that you can read and write, although you can't take any imperial exams, at your age, managing the fields and properties of the old mansion shouldn't be a problem!

  It just so happens that I also need to send someone back to the old mansion in Daye, and now you mention it, it's just the right time. Since you have this filial piety, then you can go back and take charge of things there too. Although you're still young, with more practice, you'll naturally be able to do a good job!

  But if you're not used to it there, just write a letter and tell me, no big deal, I can come back here anyway. The only thing is, when do you plan on leaving? I'd like to make arrangements for you!

  Gao Huaiyuan thought for a moment and was overjoyed. He had only wanted to leave this place, and as for what he would do after returning to Daye, he would think about it later. But when Gao Jian said that he should go back to the old mansion as the manager, he realized that at least he wouldn't have to worry about food and drink anymore. He immediately thanked him, saying: "Son thanks Father for his kindness, please don't worry, son will take good care of the old mansion's fields and property, and absolutely won't let the output be lower than before when it was handed over to the family. Son has already thought about it, as long as Father agrees, son will leave the day after tomorrow, the earlier he can get familiar with things, the better!"

  "The day after tomorrow? This time is a bit tight, as long as you think it's okay, the day after tomorrow is fine. What do you need, just tell Dad and I'll try to arrange it for you." Gao Jian said with a pretentious air of calmness.

  "Father can be so at ease with the child, the child is already very satisfied, the child does not need anything else, just please take Liu'er away too, on the way the child doesn't need many things, thank you father!" Gao Huaiyuan hastily replied.

  Gao Jian looked at Gao Huaiyuan, who didn't take the opportunity to ask for anything, and was very happy in his heart. He nodded and agreed, and this matter was settled.

  The news that Gao Huaiyuan was going to leave Shaoxing and return to the old mansion in Daye did not cause any waves in the Gao family, except for a slight murmur from Gao Jian's concubine, Feng Shi. She felt that it wasn't right to hand over such a large piece of land to this foolish young master, but Gao Jian thought that women shouldn't interfere with his affairs and glared at her, after which Feng Shi shut her mouth herself. The reason was simple: what had happened to Li Shi was still fresh in everyone's minds, and provoking Gao Jian would only lead to trouble. Moreover, her son Gao Huaiyuan was now essentially the heir of the Gao family, and compared to the property in Shaoxing, the land in Daye was nothing. Thus, this small ripple also subsided.

  Gao Weiyan himself didn't have much to pack, just a few changes of clothes and some military strategy books that Yao Zhong had given him. He didn't need to make any preparations and could leave at any time. The key was that he wanted to say goodbye to those little brothers, as he didn't know if he would ever see them again.

  "What? Big brother is leaving Shaoxing Prefecture?" Zhao Yu's face fell as soon as he heard the news, this was not good news for him. During this time, Gao Huaiyuan had taken great care of him and he hadn't been bullied by anyone again. He had formed a dependence on Gao Huaiyuan, and suddenly hearing that he was leaving made him unhappy.

  But he also knew that he couldn't decide things for Gao Huaiyuan, after all, he was still a child. As he spoke, his eyes became red and tears flowed down, pulling Gao Huaiyuan's hand, unwilling to let go.

  Gao Huaiyuan's first notification was Zhao Yu, this little brother. The two people now have a bit of a real brotherly feeling. This time leaving Shaoxing Prefecture, what he misses most is this little brother!

  He saw the emotions of Zhao and Yu, stretched out his hand to gently pat his shoulder, first using his fingers to wipe away his tears, speaking in a grown-up tone: "Yu doesn't need to be sad, can a big man easily shed tears? Although I left Shaoxing Prefecture, there are still Huang Yan and those people here, with them around, naturally no one will dare bully you like other children. After I leave, you must practice the things I taught you, later on, no one will be your match, what's there to fear? If you miss big brother, just write a letter to me, ask my family members to deliver it to me, I'll definitely reply! Besides, I won't necessarily not come back, don't cry!"

  Zhao and Ju nodded in agreement with tears, while Quan Shi heard about this matter and rushed to finish the pair of shoes that Gao Huaiyuan had not finished during this period. Gao Huaiyuan was grateful for their family's care, and Quan Shi naturally remembered it in his heart, feeling reluctant to part with Gao Huaiyuan as he left.

  But when Gao Huaiyuan brought Huang Yan and his gang to the broken temple in the south of the city, told them about this matter, and asked them to take care of Zhao Yu more often when they had nothing to do, Huang Yan immediately refused. He jumped up on the spot and said: "No way! Big brother, if you leave like this, who will I learn martial arts from in the future? I've stayed in this family long enough, my old man always scolds me, so this time I'll go with you too!"

  But Zhou Huan heard this, didn't say a word, turned his head and walked out, making everyone somewhat puzzled, secretly thinking that the boss was leaving, how could he not say a word? Just turn around and leave like that? It's too unrighteous! So someone scolded Zhou Huan for being unrighteous, but was stopped by Gao Huaiyuan.

  "You're not allowed to scold him, I know Zhou Huan's character the best. Huang Yan, don't cause trouble for me. If you follow me, your old man will probably report to the authorities and have me arrested on charges of kidnapping. You'd better stay here honestly and don't look for trouble in the future. Bullying others with power will only lead to being caught and sent to the army!" Gao Huaiyuan instructed Huang Yan.

  "That's not going to work! Anyway, it's useless for me to study, as a merchant's son, I'm not allowed to take the imperial exam, and in this life, at most, I'll just follow my old man selling rice for a living, how boring is that?! Besides, my old man is also fed up with me, if I leave him, he'll be relieved, and won't have to worry about me causing trouble for him here! You wait for me, I'm going to go negotiate with my old man now, even if he breaks my legs, I'm still going to stick with you! Unless my dad cripples me this time, I'm definitely going to follow you!" After finishing speaking, he ran back home without looking back, and Gao Huaiyuan couldn't catch up to him.

  Gao Huaiyuan was somewhat moved. Huang Yan, despite his occasional smooth-talking and sly appearance, is actually quite honest with himself and doesn't have a bad heart, he's just a bit stubborn. Unexpectedly, when he said he wanted to leave, this guy insisted on following him, which seems...

  As for the other younger brothers, no one suggested going with him, but they promised to take care of Zhao Yu and his family in Shaoxing in the future, and would not let them be bullied or struggling financially. They asked Gao Huaiyuan to rest assured, and the young men even brought a pile of wine and dishes, sat on the ground and said they wanted to see off Gao Huaiyuan, with these guys around, Gao Huaiyuan himself forgot that he was actually an adult in his heart.

  Fortunately, the liquor in this era is not high, otherwise a group of young men would definitely get drunk and lose their way. Just as they were eating and drinking, Zhou Huan ran back panting and said to Gao Huaiyuan: "Brother, I've talked to my parents about it, anyway I'm idle and have nothing to do, so I'll go with you to Daye! My parents have agreed! Tomorrow I'll set off with you!"

  Everyone only then knew that Zhou Huan had quietly run away earlier to discuss with his family about going with Gao Huaiyuan, and the young man who had scolded Zhou Huan earlier quickly brought wine and meat to apologize. Zhou Huan silently drank a bowl of wine and ate the meat without saying another word.