After Dressing Up As a Little Fulang

It turned out the reason why Zang Ya had lost his temper the previous day was because he had gone out to participate in a drinking competition with others and lost.

Zang Ya was only twelve years old. At this age, among young masters from aristocratic families, if one married early, drinking a little wine was considered normal.

But Zang Ya was different. He disliked the feeling that alcohol clouded his mind and slowed him down. After trying it once, he never touched wine again.

Despite his aversion to drinking, as the most favored individual in the mansion, he was often offered wine regardless.

This caused him to accumulate a small warehouse of wine over time.

The competition yesterday had been impromptu. When he took the wine without notifying the wine warehouse supervisor, trouble ensued immediately.

Xiao Cui, who lived in the mansion, wasn’t fully aware of what had happened. She knew only that when Zang Ya returned, he spent a quarter of an hour checking the wine warehouse before returning to his quarters to dismiss the cleaning staff.

At the end of her sentence, Xiao Cui sighed, “Fulang, you were so lucky yesterday. You accidentally encountered the young master in such mood but he still let you go. Otherwise, it would have been very bad for you.”

An Yun felt uneasy after hearing this. “Why do you say that?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Xiao Cui sighed again, “Typically, the young master punishes not just the culprit but everyone associated. But this time, he only asked about the offender and punished them with ten lashes and demotion to a lowly servant. Usually, someone who peeks on him faces severe punishment, even whipping.”

An Yun muttered, “Ten lashes are severe enough.”

Xiao Cui chuckled suddenly at An Yun’s words, a hint of innocence mixed with cruelty. “But, fulang, if the offense was worse, he would have the offender’s limbs broken and them sent off as coolie to build roads and bridges.”

An Yun was stunned, trembling as he raised his head in disbelief. Would a person survive such a punishment?

Xiao Cui finished her statement calmly, but seeing An Yun’s terrified expression, she regretted her words.

Quickly, she reassured him, “Don’t worry, fulang. Those people committed serious offenses. As long as you obey the young master and don’t disobey him, nothing like that will happen.”

An Yun looked at Xiao Cui quietly. She spoke as if what Zang Ya did was ordinary rather than cruel. Uncertain how to respond, he simply nodded blankly.

Seeing An Yun’s reaction, Xiao Cui felt guilty for having gone too far.

To change the subject, she urged An Yun to drink the now-cold medicine quickly. They chatted briefly before she left with the empty bowl.

An Yun waited until Xiao Cui left, and then his dazed mind gradually cleared. It was truly terrible to kill someone just for a few bottles of wine.

Although An Yun didn’t understand why Zang Ya was treating him well now, he couldn’t guarantee that Zang Ya would always treat him this way. If one day he accidentally did something wrong, he might end up like those people.

An Yun thought to himself that he still needed to find a way to escape. It might be harder outside, but it was better than having his life in someone else’s hands every day, unsure when it might end.

To leave, he first needed to gain Zang Ya’s favor. However, after what he had experienced yesterday, An Yun was still hesitant about this. He didn’t believe he was clever enough to deceive Zang Ya.

.

Just as An Yun struggled for freedom and survival, he suddenly heard news that Young Master Zang, who lacked nothing, openly requested wine, saying it would be paired with barbecue.

Hearing this, An Yun’s eyes lit up as he remembered the bayberry mash his grandmother used to make for him.

Summer meant bayberries. The cold, thirst-quenching bayberries had a wine-like aroma that paired perfectly with cooked barbecue.

An Yun thought of this and considered the wines in this world. He hadn’t yet heard of bayberry mash, but perhaps he could try making it.

Though he still feared Zang Ya, An Yun wanted to present himself before him for the sake of his future freedom.

Recalling his grandmother’s method for making bayberry mash, An Yun realized he lacked the necessary tools. He had nothing but shelter, meals, and medicinal decoctions delivered promptly each day—no rights or tools for making wine.

As An Yun pondered this, he saw Xiao Cui coming to deliver medicine. His eyes brightened as an idea struck him.

That day, when Xiao Cui went to deliver medicine, she returned to the kitchen slightly late.

“Xiao Cui, why are you so slow today? Each time you return later and later. Didn’t I warn you yesterday not to be lazy and return promptly after delivering the medicine?”

The cook, responsible for chores here, scolded Xiao Cui as she entered.

Just as the cook finished speaking, another voice came from behind Xiao Cui. The voice was as refreshing as a spring, stirring the hearts of those who heard it.

“It’s not Xiao Cui’s fault. I asked her to return later because I needed to discuss something with her. If you must blame someone, blame me.”

Hearing this gentle voice, the cook’s heart softened. She hesitated for a moment, then turned away. When she saw the shuanger following Xiao Cui, her scolding words stuck in her throat.

The shuanger wore green satin clothes, his fair skin seeming to emit light. His black hair was simply tied with a wooden hairpin. People couldn’t help but want to draw closer, to see if he smelled as good as he appeared.

With picturesque features and a graceful posture, he simply stood there, and everyone’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to him, sighing from the bottom of their hearts and praising his beauty.

The cook was the first to react. She glared at the maid Xiao Cui, then turned to An Yun, who was standing there, and said with a smile, “You are the noble guest in Qinxiang Garden, right?”

Although there were only four masters in this mansion, they still knew who could and could not be offended.

The shuanger before them had caused quite a stir since entering the mansion, and those four masters didn’t show anything except that he was living in the same yard as Young Master Zang. Nonetheless, he was someone they should not offend. After all, with such good looks, he might catch someone’s eye one day and rise through the ranks.

Upon hearing her compliments, An Yun smiled politely and said gently, “You need not call me a noble gueast. My name is An Yun. You may address me by my name.”

The smile on the cook’s face was strained, but she replied, “That won’t do. Why not let me call you An Fulang, to avoid any breach of etiquette.”