Miss and farmhand

Huang Xingtong gave him a slightly strange look, then looked at Huang Chu and met Huang Chu's smiling gaze.

He assumed that Huang Chu had persuaded the man beforehand.

It's not surprising; men are always easily swayed by the woman who is about to become their wife.

He didn't think too much about it.

Huang Chu's smile held a certain air of certainty, and something else entirely.

Huang Xingtong then remembered something else.

"Your mother just said I was confused yesterday. Little Master Zhao has been staying with us for so long, and I've only been focused on his studies, forgetting that I should also take care of his daily needs. I just found out that you eat the same meals as the servants."

The man sat up straight: "I've never been short of food in the kitchen, and they've provided me with a room to shelter me from the wind and rain. In the study, there are brushes and ink for me to paint and write, and books for my leisure. I'm very content."

Huang Xingtong nodded in satisfaction; this was the kind of person he valued.

"I think a true man should be like this. Indulging in material desires only shackles oneself; even a person born to be a crane can no longer fly. But if you're going to get married, even if you have to wait, you should prepare in advance. I want to change your identity. Where is your household registration now?"

"They were refugees who were taken in by Master Zhao and registered under his name; they were also artisans."

"I'll write to the county magistrate and ask him to change your registration. It shouldn't be a big problem. You might feel a little uncomfortable at first, and some people around you might treat you differently, either slandering or flattering you. Your old neighbors might also say something bad, but don't pay any attention to them. Just be yourself. The wedding will be in about two years, and after that, your status will be confirmed, and no one will gossip anymore."

The man nodded solemnly, his face revealing the relief and joy of being free from the artisan's household.

Huang Chu looked at him and suddenly said, "After changing your household registration, you will be registered as a separate household."

The man's expression stiffened slightly.

Huang Xingtong said, "Of course. Craftsmen are not considered lowly. After changing their registration, they retain their original address. Only the registration is different, and their corvée labor will change. Otherwise, they are no different from ordinary households. In fact, after Master Zhao moved into our house, his first term of corvée labor was exempted. Since there were few things to do in the county, the magistrate knew he was staying with us, so he didn't mention it."

Huang Chu nodded: "Changing your registered residence is a good thing. It will make studying and pursuing higher education much easier in the future."

Then he fell silent.

The man was left alone in an awkward silence.

After a moment, the man suddenly stood up, bowed his head and said, "Sir, if you do not mind, I would like to ask you to bestow upon me your surname."

Huang Xingtong was stunned for a moment. "What... what do you mean?"

As if suddenly remembering something, he immediately reassured her, "You don't need to overthink it. Even if it's a marriage arrangement, my family isn't the kind that's petty. Ultimately, it's all about making life easier. It doesn't matter what surname you take, as long as you're alive."

The man shook his head and said, "Sir, you have shown me immense kindness, which I can never repay. I never had a surname; I was born and raised in the countryside, fed by the kindness of many families. Master Zhao took me in, raised me, and taught me skills, so I can't say anything to him. But these injuries he inflicted on me... our master-disciple relationship is over. To keep his surname would only be hypocrisy. Sir, you have given me a second life; only by bestowing upon me a surname can I find some peace of mind."

Huang Xingtong blinked; he had forgotten that Zhao Dong had hit him. It was quite remarkable that he had managed to suppress his youthful temper until now.

Without much thought, he nodded and said, "Then let's do as you say. From now on, we're truly one family with the same surname and lineage."

The man breathed a sigh of relief almost imperceptibly and nodded in agreement.

As he sat back down, he caught Huang Chu looking at him with a smile that was undeniably sarcastic.

Within a few days, the man's household registration was finalized, his surname was changed to Huang, and he was given the name Muyun.

Huang Xingtong loved painting, and his favorite subject was bamboo. He believed that a gentleman was like bamboo, and he also admired the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Therefore, he always included bamboo in his name.

Jun is the green skin of bamboo. The elegance and charm of bamboo can be seen from its green color.

Huang Xingtong was very satisfied with the name: "The Huang family men are named with the element of wood. From now on, you are also one of our family. I hope you will surpass your parents and be as outstanding as bamboo and wood."

Huang Muyun naturally accepted the blessing with pleasure.

Only Huang Chu thought: Bamboo is a noble plant on the ground, representing the integrity of a person; but underground, where bamboo grows, there is not a single weed, and a single bamboo will multiply into a bamboo forest, all thanks to its stubborn and intricate root system.

Before the garden was renovated, when the ground was being leveled, it was discovered that the base of the decades-old blue brick wall was crooked for some unknown reason. When it was dug up, it was found to be a bamboo root about the thickness of a chopstick. However, the nearest bamboo forest was a mile away, and that root had sneaked in so insidiously.

If the wall hadn't been built so sturdily, it wouldn't just have been a problem of it being crooked; there would have been no way to stop it, and in the end, it would have threatened the entire foundation of the house. The craftsmen who built the houses and repaired the roofs all knew the threat posed by bamboo.

Huang Xingtong once said that the bamboo had a spirit, and specially transplanted some of it into the garden. Huang Chu, however, knew that the craftsmen who built the garden had laid several rings of hard bricks under the bamboo roots, for fear that these things would destroy the entire courtyard in a few years.

According to Huang Chu, bamboo is the fiercest and most domineering thing.

This is not a good omen.

Huang Muyun got a new identity and a new name, and moved to a new room. The servants were also talking about him and Huang Chu.

Shen Xuying called him over, chatted with him in a friendly and casual manner, looked him up and down, and then called a tailor to take his measurements and make him a suit.

Several robes and Taoist robes were made, along with some of Huang Xingtong's old accessories, belts, and jade pendants—all were taken care of. Clothes make the man, and the man, who had become increasingly composed due to his studies, was dressed according to Shen Xuying's aesthetic standards, looking somewhat respectable. However, his face still didn't resemble that of a scholar; at least he wasn't as refined as the people he often saw at home, so he looked rather odd.

Huang Chu poured cold water on the situation, offering a lukewarm comment in front of Huang Muyun: "Appearance reflects the heart."

Shen Xuying didn't have time to cover her mouth, so she could only glare at her fiercely, "How can you talk like that! You're older than Mu Yun, you should be more accommodating to him."

By the way, the strangest thing about Huang Chu was that the man was actually two years younger than her, and she couldn't tell at all.

Even Shen Xuying couldn't help but say, "That's what it means to be mature beyond one's years. You suffered a lot when you were young. What's the difference between a child and an adult?" Her tone was full of pity.

Huang Chu, however, was determined to pour cold water on the idea: "If you suffered hardships and fled from disasters when you were young, what did you eat to grow such a big body?" He was very skeptical.

Unexpectedly, the man dared to retort: ​​"Perhaps because the body knows that it doesn't know where the next meal will come from, all the nutrients it gets are used to grow taller. In the refugee group, short people are easily bullied, so naturally the taller people stay longer."

Huang Chu casually remarked, "With your height, you must have bullied others before."

Actually, it was just a casual jab, just like before.

Unexpectedly, the man frowned, remained silent for a while, and then said very seriously, "I didn't want to either."