Chapter 13: He Intended to Make Up for Six Years of Starvation

For several days, Xin Niang had been muttering about finding a playmate, and then one morning, she suddenly appeared delighted as she dressed Yun Ge’er.

“Yun Ge’er, your father has found some children for you to choose from. You can pick whoever you like.”

This time, Li Fu truly took the matter of playmates seriously.

He not only considered all the servants in the Li household, carefully inquiring about any children of suitable age among their relatives or acquaintances, but he also sent someone to scout around the Talent Market. In the end, six children who met the criteria and seemed promising were selected.

Yun Ge’er could tell that Xin Niang was genuinely happy today and kept praising his father for being so thoughtful this time.

“Your father said that our Yun Ge’er has his own ideas, so he picked a few more children. Yun Ge’er, just look them over and choose whoever you like best, and we’ll keep that one.”

As she spoke, Xin Niang wrapped Yun Ge’er up snugly.

In Liangzhou, winter came early. Before the sun rose, the air outside was cold and dry. Although Yun Ge’er stayed indoors to avoid the chill, Xin Niang still worried about him catching a cold.

Yun Ge’er struggled to lift a hand.

Wrapped so snugly, by winter’s height, he might look like a big round ball. He glanced at Xin Niang and was met with a loving embrace from his mother.

Satisfied, Xin Niang held her little treasure close and soon called the maid to bring the children in.

Before long, Yun Ge’er peered out and saw six children enter.

They were all quite young; Xin Niang had told him earlier that the youngest was four and the oldest seven.

Probably having been repeatedly instructed at home, even the youngest four-year-old stood quietly at the back without fuss.

This was only Yun Ge’er’s second time seeing strangers. He looked at the children seriously and suddenly gained a more direct sense of the outside world.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, he had overheard Zheng Zuosheng and Meng Mi arguing about how difficult life was for common folk in troubled times. At that moment, Yun Ge’er had felt worried.

When chaos and war unfold, one could never know what might happen.

But Meng Mi and the others soon stopped discussing such things. They drank wine, ate pomegranates, admired the moon, and judged which flowers were the prettiest. Meanwhile, Yun Ge’er was gently awakened every day by his mother, played with Yi Ge’er, bathed in warmth and comfort, and fell asleep peacefully. Gradually, his earlier worries faded.

The first outsiders Yun Ge’er had met were scholars. Although Meng Mi said they were from humble backgrounds, they were still relatively well-off. But these children were truly from the lowest strata.

Yun Ge’er frowned as he looked at them.

They were all thin and dark-skinned, their clothes extremely thin and worn. Before coming to the Li household, their families must have washed and dressed them, but their garments were either too short, ill-fitting, or patched.

Their small hands bore rough calluses, with dirt and grime embedded deep in the skin, impossible to wash off no matter how hard they tried. Perhaps when life improved and their skin regenerated, those stains would eventually fade.

Seeing Yun Ge’er’s small face crease in concern, Xin Niang’s heart skipped a beat and she quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Her worry flared—had these children brought some illness to Yun Ge’er?

Sensing Xin Niang’s anxiety, the children immediately showed fear. The four-year-old even sniffled, on the verge of tears.

“It’s nothing,” Yun Ge’er said, though he felt a weight in his heart.

After a moment, he composed himself and looked at the second child from the right, since that one was the thinnest and most poorly dressed.

“Do you want him, Yun Ge’er?”

Yun Ge’er puffed out his cheeks and nodded.

Xin Niang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Alright, Yun Ge’er will keep him. The others will be taken to have a meal first, and then given some money to ensure they return safely home.”

The maid acknowledged the order and led the children away.

The only child left behind was both surprised and overjoyed, nearly bursting into tears.

“What’s your name?” Yun Ge’er asked.

The boy spoke with a slight accent but was understandable. He was a local from Long County, named Chen Gouzi, six years old—neither too young nor too old. His family was extremely poor; even mice that invaded their home were devoured by them. Despite their poverty, his parents had borne five or six children still alive, with three or four more having died.

These years had been truly harsh. His family’s stomachs were tightly bound with straw ropes, yet hunger persisted. With the early onset of winter in Long County this year, many would likely freeze to death.

After much thought, Chen Gouzi’s father decided to sell him, hoping to secure a future for Chen Gouzi and a livelihood for the family. They took him to the "Talent Market."

Xin Niang was pleased that Chen Gouzi spoke clearly and promptly approved—her son had chosen well at a glance.

“Alright, Yun Ge’er, it’s time for breakfast,” Xin Niang said, concerned that he might be hungry. After the maid returned with the child, Xin Niang had Chen Gouzi change into fresh clothes and then took Yun Ge’er to eat.

In the front hall, Yi Ge’er had finished eating and was practicing walking under Madam Bu’s care. Yun Ge’er had just learned to walk a few days prior, and soon after, Yi Ge’er had also managed to stand shakily on his own.

Not only was Yun Ge’er finding a playmate, but Yi Ge’er was also getting one.

However, Xin Niang was alone and had to rely on Li Fu’s help. For Madam Bu, she invited her own younger brother, Bu Zhao.

Bu Zhao understood his sister’s intentions and sent over the cleverest servant’s child from their own household. So, compared to Yun Ge’er, Yi Ge’er was slower to walk but had already found a playmate.

Yun Ge’er was wrapped so thickly that his small hands couldn’t move freely.

At breakfast, he couldn’t even bring the wooden spoon to his mouth. Xin Niang smiled and tried to feed him, but Yun Ge’er resisted. Since Xin Niang wouldn’t undress him, she had to feed him spoonful by spoonful, treating him like a baby.

Once full, the maid led the shy Chen Gouzi inside.

Chen Gouzi had nothing to do but follow Yun Ge’er around, making sure he didn’t fall or get hurt.

Wearing well-fitting, thick, and clean clothes for the first time, and thick shoes on his feet, Chen Gouzi sometimes didn’t quite know how to walk. Occasionally, he would quietly touch his new outfit.

The fabric was so fine and generously used that Chen Gouzi secretly wished he could send some home. If his mother could turn it into two pieces for his younger brothers and sisters, they wouldn’t have to huddle on the bed in the cold winter without proper clothes.

“Chen Gouzi.”

Startled by someone calling him, he faltered and knelt down.

Yi Ge’er looked at Chen Gouzi’s reaction with a silly expression, probably finding it amusing. Then, amid Madam Bu’s surprised and exasperated cries, Yi Ge’er also promptly dropped to both knees and gave Yun Ge’er a perfect kowtow.

Thankfully, Yi Ge’er was also thickly dressed, or his knees would have been aching.

Madam Bu immediately lifted Yi Ge’er up and sternly patted his bottom. “There’s no such thing as an elder brother kowtowing to a younger brother. What a troublesome child!”

Yi Ge’er laughed carelessly and made playful gestures, wanting to play with Yun Ge’er.

Then Yi Ge’er was carried away, along with his playmate.

Compared to Chen Gouzi, Yi Ge’er’s playmate looked much fairer in complexion. Apart from slightly rough hands, he appeared very healthy.

“Breakfast time.” Yun Ge’er emerged from the interruption caused by Yi Ge’er, his face serious as he spoke to Chen Gouzi. “Eat plenty, stay strong.”

Every time Xin Niang saw Yun Ge’er trying to act grown-up on his innocent face, her heart softened, wishing she could give him everything.

Since Yun Ge’er was kind-hearted, Xin Niang did not oppose his choice and immediately sent someone to the kitchen to bring plenty of food for Chen Gouzi.

Chen Gouzi had already caught the scent of delicious food and noticed the egg custard Yun Ge’er had spilled earlier. His heart ached.

Now, a large bowl of millet porridge was placed before him, along with two large steamed buns and a plate of pickled vegetables.

Knowing that starving children could eat a lot, the food given to Chen Gouzi was plentiful, though not refined.

But Chen Gouzi did not need refinement.

He looked at the food cautiously and asked, “May I eat? How much can I eat?”

Since he could remember, his mother had never put so much food before him. He had only watched longingly as his mother gave the most to his father, then the eldest brother, then the second brother. The younger sisters got even less. His mother would finish by rinsing the cooking pot with a little water, eating every last scrap.

Chen Gouzi was always hungry.

Not only was he hungry, he saw his father’s belly bound tighter and tighter with straw ropes, and his sisters’ eyes yellow from hunger, crying through the night until exhaustion put them to sleep.

But now, food was piled in front of him.

Chen Gouzi wanted to eat but dared not move.

Even at home, without his mother’s permission, he could never touch the food—otherwise, she would beat him.

“Eat,” Yun Ge’er gave him an affirmative answer. “It’s all for you.”

Almost as soon as Yun Ge’er finished speaking, Chen Gouzi lunged forward. He was clever enough to know that children were not all the same.

At home, children were worthless; grain was the most precious.

But here, the master he would follow—Yun Ge’er—was the most precious. So he could believe Yun Ge’er’s words and need not fear being punished for eating.

Yun Ge’er watched Chen Gouzi eagerly scoop up the millet porridge and shove it into his mouth. He didn’t use the chopsticks prepared for him but ate with his hands.

Some crumbs fell beside him, and Chen Gouzi immediately bent down, like a starving wild animal, licking the food into his mouth.

He ate so ravenously, gulping down millet porridge and grabbing the steaming buns without caring about choking.

His neck turned thick from swallowing so hard several times.

“Water!” Yun Ge’er was startled and quickly looked toward Xin Niang.