Miss and farmhand

Master Zhao's face was flushed red and he reeked of alcohol. At first glance, you might think he was drunk, but he hadn't actually drunk anything. The bottle had been smashed at his feet and spilled all over his trousers.

He grabbed his apprentice and turned him around to beat him. In the lower classes, it's customary not to hit someone's livelihood; masters usually discipline their apprentices by hitting their torso, as they are resilient. Today, Master Zhao was furious and didn't care about anything else. He picked up a bamboo pole and whipped his apprentice's back, then quickly struck his leg. The apprentice stood there with his hands down, neither dodging nor running away, even his arms and hands were hit.

A kitchen helper nearby pleaded, "Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him! Oh dear! Chef Zhao, just say something, admit your mistake, and we'll stop!"

The man remained silent, of course. In the master's eyes, this wasn't obedience, nor was it about enduring beatings and scoldings. It was about ignoring his mistakes, refusing to admit them, and stubbornly arguing with his master.

Master Zhao only stopped when Zhu Xiaoxu shouted, "What's going on?"

"You dare to hit and curse people in the master's garden? What do you think this is, some rural courtyard? You have no manners! Get someone to take you out today. You're not the only one who can paint!"

When it comes to his livelihood, Master Zhao can't afford to act tough. If he's kicked out today, he can forget about doing this business again; his reputation will be ruined.

He could only kneel down immediately, and even pulled his apprentice next to him.

He didn't know who Zhu Xiaoxu was, but he automatically felt inferior in front of him, who was dressed in a long robe. Although the other party was young and inexperienced, he knew that he was not someone he could associate with, so he just regarded him as a relative of the family, someone who could manage things.

"Please forgive me, sir. I was just angry when I saw my apprentice break something, so I gave him a few slaps. I really didn't mean to be disrespectful."

The handyman stood by, not daring to speak. Everyone knew that the broken things were due to Master Zhao's excessive drinking; the kitchen gave him a couple of drinks as a sign of his skill, not because they owed him anything, and they couldn't give him that every day. He couldn't resist and took the money himself. The word "steal" was too offensive; whether he stole it or his apprentice did, being labeled a thief would mean a beating and jail time, so he absolutely dared not mention it. Even though they could smell the alcohol all over the floor, they managed to cover it up. The handyman didn't dare say a word; what good would it do him to expose the truth? He'd only be sending Master Zhao to his doom, and would likely face retaliation.

Master Zhao kowtowed while pulling at his apprentice, but the man refused to kneel, looking utterly pathetic. Master Zhao was about to hit him again, reaching out his hand only to pull it back, shouting, "You little beast, kneel down!"

Huang Chu couldn't bear it any longer and said, "Let him go!"

Unable to protect the man herself in front of everyone, she could only ask Han's mother to check. When Han's mother approached, the man seemed to want to hide, and Huang Chu became anxious and whispered sharply, "You're not allowed to move!" The man then stopped moving.

Han's mother was experienced and had seen many people hit and scolded. Even so, when she lifted the corner of the man's clothes and saw half of his scarred back, she gasped.

"Young lady, this won't do! This could ruin someone! We need to call a doctor! Amitabha! How could you be so cruel?"

"Go and invite him. Doctor Liu is still with Mother. Go and ask him to come and take a look."

The man shuddered, pulled his clothes back up, and said nothing.

Madam Han gave Huang Chu a meaningful look, and Huang Chu realized he had said the wrong thing. How could a doctor who treats the mistress treat a servant's injury? It was even more inappropriate for Huang Chu to say such a thing.

In the end, Zhu Xiaoxu took charge, first locking up Master Zhao, then changing his apprentice to a different room, giving him some medicine for bruises and sprains, and cooking for him.

Zhu Xiaoxu glanced at the man; both of them looked unwell. The man was taller than him, but thinner, and even weaker after being beaten by his master, yet he stubbornly refused to show weakness.

Too stubborn, this apprentice is more troublesome than his master. Zhu Xiaoxu inexplicably disliked those gloomy eyes; he wasn't an upright person, and keeping him in the Huang family would be a disaster.

When Huang Xingtong rushed back and learned about the matter, he advised, "It's better to leave. If things get this bad, at most we won't say anything bad about him and that'll be fine. It won't ruin his livelihood. But if you keep him at home, the teacher has always stayed at the academy. There are many women in the family. Keeping someone like that around will cause trouble sooner or later."

"If we chase them away now, Master Zhao will beat them to death!" Huang Chu said anxiously.

Zhu Xiaoxu glanced at her. "Junior sister, you don't understand. These master-disciple contracts are all life-or-death agreements. The master teaches the disciple skills, provides for the disciple's food and drink, and the disciple's life belongs to the master. The master is not responsible for the disciple's death, escape, or fleeing. If the master were not in our garden, no outsider would have the right to discipline the disciple."

Huang Chu was shocked, completely unaware that the master and disciple had such a relationship.

This isn't a master and disciple relationship, it's slavery.

Zhu Xiaoxu seemed to have read her mind.

There are some things that young ladies don't need to know, otherwise it will offend their ears and be of no benefit to their character development.

But considering Huang Chu's anxiety just now and now, or perhaps there were other reasons, he didn't want to think about it in detail. In any case, he couldn't help but tell Huang Chu in an extremely stern tone.

"The poor, who can't get enough to eat, sell their children and become slaves, not even being treated as human beings. They are sent to apprentices to master craftsmen, so that at least they can learn a skill to support themselves. A master is like a second life to his apprentice. The apprentice's life is given by the master. We outsiders have no right to interfere in the relationship between master and apprentice."

Huang Chu seemed to choke, and stopped speaking, silently retreating to the back.

Huang Xingtong also sighed. He was unhappy that his daughter had witnessed such a brutal act, especially in their own home.

I just went to see that young apprentice, and wow, he was beaten terribly. Luckily, the kid is strong and stubborn, and he endured it without uttering a sound. His back is covered with layers of old injuries, surely inflicted in just one day, yet he's been bearing it all, and nobody knows.

The doctor who came to see him sighed deeply, applied medicine, and prepared a decoction to strengthen his body and replenish his vital energy. The doctor himself was trembling with fear when he came out.

"Can it hold on?"

"That's not a problem. With this kind of injury, the poison would probably kick in as soon as the person breathes out, and they wouldn't last a day. But look at that young man, he didn't let his breath out so easily. With a master like that, his character is both admirable and frightening."

Huang Xingtong went to see Master Zhao again, and he was still kowtowing and crying for mercy, looking terrified.

Then they brought the handyman over. There were only a few people there, so it wasn't easy to get the truth from him. After a lot of questioning, the handyman finally dared to speak.

"Master Zhao likes a drink, which isn't a big deal, since his apprentice does most of the work anyway. We respect him because he's seen a lot and is older, so we give him a couple of drinks occasionally. But who knew he'd start stealing when he got a craving? At first, we didn't think much of it, since he seemed to stay in his room all day, sleeping soundly. When we asked him, he said he was almost done and there wasn't any work for him. But today, his apprentice came back with something and took a bottle of wine from his room. Master Zhao was asleep and didn't notice. When he woke up, he asked who had been in his room, and then he chased them to the corridor, and a fight broke out in no time."

Huang Xingtong frowned and tapped the table.

The room fell silent for a moment before Zhu Xiaoxu spoke first: "Sir, this is really not something we should concern ourselves with. Even if we sympathize with him, we should just hand it over to the authorities. We can't afford to do anything more."

"...That makes sense."

"Then call the officials here, and I'll give orders to them."

After the two finished their discussion, they waited for someone outside to announce their arrival.

Huang Chu suddenly asked, "Father, what should we do with that beam in the garden?"