The Lin Family Old Residence was laid out as a three-courtyard residence. Since his birth, Lin Zezu had lived in the two rooms of the west wing in the first courtyard.
The inner room served as his bedroom and study, while the outer room was the living space for Fugui, the houseboy and page who tended to him. Growing up with the label of a "prostitute's son who brings doom to his mother," he was despised by the mistress, Madam Zhao, who avoided him on the grounds of avoiding bad omens. Even when a meeting was unavoidable, a screen or curtain always stood between them. If he accidentally ran into her in the front courtyard, Lin Zezu was required to take the initiative to dodge out of the way; if he couldn't dodge in time, he had to stand facing the wall and wait for Madam Zhao to pass before he could continue moving about the grounds.
Auntie Qian had been Madam Zhao’s dowry maid; after giving birth to their son, Lin Zeyao, she had been elevated from a serving maid to the status of a concubine. Bound by the decorum of her position, Madam Zhao could manage to look past this "prostitute's son," but Auntie Qian understood her mistress’s heart well. Whenever she encountered Lin Zezu, she would either scold him or have the kitchen withhold his meals for the day as a form of punishment. Consequently, the original owner’s status in the Lin household had been worse than that of a common servant since he was a child. He spent his days cowering in the west wing, afraid to move lest he offend the mistress or Auntie Qian.
His older brothers, due to the large age gap, simply treated him as if he didn't exist. Even his nephews, who were closer to his age, ignored him entirely, with no social interaction between them. The original owner had always been submissive and trembling, living his life like a transparent ghost. Lin Zezu couldn't help but sigh. In his previous life, he had been an ordinary citizen, but one who had grown up under the protection of the flag and the warmth of the sun. Though he hadn't been wealthy or powerful, he had lived with freedom and ease. But living now in this grand mansion, trapped by strict patriarchal laws and customs, felt truly suffocating. Yet, with reality offering no way to break out of this cage, all he could feel for the original owner was pity.
Fortunately, after the age of eight, the original owner had been enrolled in the Songshan Private School, and in addition to attending, he received a monthly allowance of one tael of silver. This provided the original owner with a shred of financial freedom, and his excellent memory gave him a sliver of confidence in his studies. However, he never dared to show off, for if he appeared too brilliant, he might not have lived to see his fifteenth birthday before joining his biological mother, Xiao Xiangyu, in the afterlife.
"How deep, how deep is the courtyard?
In the dead of night, I pine for my mother!"
Lin Zezu shook his head, brushing away these depressing thoughts. His fingertips traced the enlightenment books on his shelf. Readers like the *Hundred Family Surnames*, the *Three Character Classic*, and the *Primer* were works he already knew by heart. Hidden under his bed were the *Four Books and Five Classics*, which he had already read several times over; he could recite them from beginning to end without issue. Lin Zezu had to admire the original owner's excellent memory. It was his poor birth that had made the original owner self-deprecating and withdrawn, acting like a shackle that bound him tight.
Under the bed, there was also the private savings the original owner had accumulated over the years—exactly fifty-two taels. Those hidden books and the fifty-two taels were the entirety of his assets. Lin Zezu thought about it: if he wanted to change his fate, the only path available was the difficult, arduous road of studying for the imperial examinations. It was the only viable path. As for doing business to earn money, in his current situation, he didn't even dare to imagine it. To say nothing else, the people in the Lin Family Old Residence would likely eat him alive until not even his bones remained. But to take the path of the examinations, his status as a concubine's son and the label of "prostitute's son" were natural, insurmountable obstacles. Even if he were to earn a title one day, his background would still be seen as inferior.
*Sigh! It is truly too difficult!*
Tomorrow would be the seventh day since his cheap father, Lin Shitong, passed away. Once the seventh day had passed, his fate would likely be decided in these next few days. It wouldn't be surprising if they added a label of "cursed his father" to his name as well.
"Fugui, just bring dinner to the room again tonight."
"Yes, Young Master. You've been cooped up in this room for several days now. Don't you want to go out for some fresh air?"
Lin Zezu looked at the sturdy, dark-skinned servant walking in from the outer room. This page, who was five years his senior, was indeed physically robust.
"I won't go out to be an eyesore. Now that the master has passed, there are bound to be changes in the household. You must be cautious in how you handle affairs and move about the estate to avoid inviting trouble. I have little influence, and I wouldn't be able to save you."
Lin Zezu probed the servant who had grown up with him, then added, "Fugui, you’ve suffered along with me these past ten years."
Hearing this, Fugui's body trembled. For over a decade, his young master had never said so much to him, nor had he ever spoken to him in such a way. While the young master still acted as submissive and reticent as before in front of others, back in the room, he no longer sat alone sighing as he used to. He was now calm and composed—almost frighteningly so. Though he served a young master despised by the master and mistress, and even the maids and servants of the estate looked upon him with contempt, he understood the young master’s character. The young master was gentle, humble, and never scolded or hit him, even when he made mistakes.
"Serving the master is not a hardship, but Young Master, you stay in this room all day. If you get sick from being cooped up, that would be bad." Fugui hesitated, then continued, "When I went to the back kitchen at noon to pick up the meal, I heard... I heard the head maid, Shuxiang, say that the mistress is planning to divide the household assets. But when I walked over, they shut their mouths and stopped talking. I didn't dare to ask any more questions."
Fugui watched the young master’s face as he spoke, and seeing no objection, he continued.
"Divide the household?"
"Yes."
"Hahaha... well! Fugui, if the household is truly divided, would you be willing to follow me?" Lin Zezu looked playfully at the sturdy boy who was a head taller than him.
*Thump.*
Fugui dropped to his knees, straining his neck and looking up. "A servant does not serve two masters. I’ve followed you since I was a child, and I am loyal to you alone. I am yours in life, and yours in death."
Fugui was about to continue with his vows when—
"Get out, get out, get out... go get the food and don't soil my ears," Lin Zezu joked.
"Hehe... I'm going, I'm going!"
Fugui scrambled up from the ground and turned to head out of the bedroom.
"Fugui, keep your mouth shut. Don't speak carelessly, and don't go asking around. If Steward Zhao finds out and gets angry, I won't be able to protect you," Lin Zezu warned. Fugui was the person closest to him in this world; until he was capable of protecting himself, he didn't want anything to happen to Fugui. The filth of these grand mansions was not something a mere servant could get involved in.
"I know, Young Master. I'll be just as I've always been."
Fugui had already left the room by the time he finished speaking.
*It seems Fugui is a candidate for an Oscar,* Lin Zezu thought. *He truly lives up to that old saying: coarse in appearance, but careful in heart.*
Lin Zezu couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward. *I don't know if human fate is ordained by heaven, but since heaven has allowed me to live this life again, I will seize this opportunity.*
*Dividing the household! Dividing the household is a good thing! Aren't they just planning to sweep me out the door? Very well, let me start my new life by being swept away!*