QTEBS Chapter 60

The third young master of the Zhou residence, Zhou Jin, passed away four days ago.

The impression of the servants in the Zhou residence about this third young master is somewhat blurry, mainly as a sickly young man who relied on medications to survive until adulthood.

As for the funeral of the third young master, it was even more low-key. Forget about hanging white funeral banners, even some hired laborers in the residence didn’t know that on the night four days ago, a young master of the Zhou family quietly departed.

It is because of this that Madame Wang dares to boldly invite a Taoist priest to perform rituals. Otherwise, those unaware might think she is summoning the soul of the third young master.

However, the third son just passed away, and now they are hosting a banquet to welcome guests. In the vast Zhou residence, there is a joyful atmosphere everywhere, completely oblivious to any hint of impropriety.

As the sky darkens, a rarely traveled road in Xinan County sees few pedestrians, with only the rhythmic clattering of horse hooves audible.

There are five or six people riding on horses roaming the streets. The leader is dressed in a Western-style coat, a large hat tilted on the head, only revealing the sleek lower half of the face. A slender cigarette dangles from his mouth, giving off a strong and sinister aura.

Awu approaches his young master and notices him rhythmically tapping his fingers. Teasingly, he says, “Young Master, skipping the lively city of Beijing, isn’t this place lacking the proper ambiance for your dancing? Judging by your appearance, could a dance floor be all you need to have some fun?”

Ayu adds, “There’s not even a decent place to stay for the night in this area.”

Surrounded by his entourage, the leader finally speaks. His voice is extremely seductive, deep and magnetic, possibly due to excessive smoking, with a husky and sexy quality. “Even if there is, I don’t plan to go.”

Despite looking very refined and elegant, one sentence reveals a full sense of barbaric charm.

This person is none other than Zong Yuan.

They are not far from the Zhou residence at this moment. Their group is neither too many nor too few, with plenty of manpower waiting outside the county gates. In these chaotic times, the patriarch of the Zong family must ensure the safety of his only son.

Zong Yuan flicks the cigarette and shakes it, the dim red light flickering. Humming a tune along with the rhythm of the horse hooves, he is in a good mood. The people around him are playing and joking, and everyone can see the young master’s good mood.

Awu grins, “Young Master, you rejected that woman in qipao this morning, and she even scolded you before leaving. Why are you so happy now?”

Zong Yuan pats the back of his head, “Should the master have a reason to be happy?”

Awu hastily begged for mercy, exaggerating to the extreme, “Oh, my young master! As long as you’re happy, as long as you’re happy!”

Ayu led the laughter.

In the Zhou residence, a coarse servant woman rushed to the secluded courtyard of the fourth young master, Zhou Ning. At the front of the courtyard, she shouted, “Is anyone in the yard? The master asked me to bring the fourth young master to the front hall!”

No one responded inside. After a while, a maid with a waxen complexion and a skeletal figure emerged. Her eyes were lifeless, and her spirit was listless. Despite being around twenty years old, she looked like someone in their thirties or forties.

The maid went inside and brought out the fourth young master. Upon closer inspection, her hands trembled slightly, as if she was terrified to the extreme.

The coarse servant woman stared at the maid for a long time, puzzled. “I’ve seen you before, but now you look like this!” She then turned her attention to Zhou Ning and praised, “The fourth young master is truly well-born! At such a young age, he’s so exquisite and cute. When he grows up, he’ll probably captivate many hearts!”

The maid remained silent as she watched the servant woman lead Zhou Ning away. She suddenly knelt to the ground, and her whole body began to shake violently. “The fourth young master is born well… I took good care of him… I took good care of him! Please don’t come to find me again. I took good care of him…”

The coarse servant woman, who had walked a distance away, suddenly turned her head. Behind her, there was nothing.

“Weird,” she suppressed the goosebumps, “Why do I feel like someone is watching me?”

She quickly led Zhou Ning towards the front hall. The temperature suddenly dropped as a gust of wind passed by.

The three brothers of the Zhou family were waiting honestly in front of the residence. From a distance, they saw a group of people riding horses towards them.

Zhou You had excellent eyesight and immediately recognized the Zong family’s young master. He observed intently and couldn’t help but praise sincerely, “Indeed, he’s a renowned figure with an imposing aura.”

This imposing demeanor easily instilled a sense of timidity, truly befitting the eldest son of the Zong family from the capital.

As they arrived at the front of the residence, Awu and his men dismounted first. Awu held the reins of Zong Yuan’s horse, and Zong Yuan gracefully dismounted. The tails of his coat fluttered, stirring the hearts of everyone in front of the residence who greeted him, their faces blushing.

Zong Yuan took off his black leather glove from his right hand. “Zhou Fang, long time no see.”

After shaking hands with Zhou Fang, he turned to Zhou You. “Is this Mr. Zhou You?”

It was the first time Zhou You had been addressed so seriously as “Mr.” by someone, especially such a prominent figure. Nervously adjusting his robe, he replied to Zong Yuan, “Yes, Young Master Zong, I am his elder brother, Zhou You.”

Zong Yuan nodded, and the people behind him stepped forward at the right moment. With enthusiasm, one of them spoke, “Our young master has prepared many gifts for both gentlemen and the entire household. It’s all his sincere intentions. We hope you won’t find them lacking.”

Zhou You and Zhou Fang, both pleasantly surprised, waved their hands, but Zong Yuan noticed a pair of eyes fixed on him. Following that gaze, he saw a small child with clear black and white eyes staring at him intently.

Approaching the child, Zong Yuan asked, “Little one, why are you staring at me?”

Zhou Ning, with his fair and tender face, blinked his eyes but remained silent, continuing to gaze at Zong Yuan without a word.

In a playful mood, Zong Yuan waved his hand, and Awu instinctively brought over some candies. Zong Yuan held them in his hand. The candies were colorful and appealing, capturing the child’s attention. “Come, tell me your name and all these candies will be yours.”

Candies from the West that they had never seen before were being given away so casually?!

The maids around, listening attentively, couldn’t help but have affectionate expressions, secretly wishing to catch the eye of the young master from the Zong family and live a worry-free life from then on.

Zhou Ning looked at the candies, then at Zong Yuan, still not saying a word. Worried that Zong Yuan might get upset, Zhou Fang explained, “My younger brother hasn’t spoken for several months. He’s the one I mentioned in my letters, the fourth brother, Zhou Ning. It’s really a cause for concern.”

After Zhou Fang finished speaking, Zhou Ning reached out, took the candies from Zong Yuan’s hand, and then buried his face in Zong Yuan’s arms.

Zhou Fang, standing beside them, was startled: “!”

His brother, who usually ignored everyone, why is he acting like this now?!

Zong Yuan was also surprised, “He’s a smart child!” He then smiled and lifted Zhou Ning in his arms. No matter how much he claimed not to like children, deep down, he had a soft spot for them. In the real world, he should have had a younger brother, and in this world, there should have been one too, but unfortunately…

He had Zhou You and Zhou Fang lead the way, while the people behind him carried gifts and followed closely.

Zhou Fang felt a bit embarrassed, “Zong Yuan, originally, I invited you to come. I didn’t expect you to bring so many things. I really feel sorry about it.”

Zhou You, standing beside them, looked at him in surprise. So, it wasn’t Zong Yuan who came on his own initiative, but you invited him?

Zhou Ning clung tightly to Zong Yuan’s neck as if he had found his safe haven, and his little face started to blush.

Awu also liked children. He took out a candy from his pocket, peeled it, and handed it to Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning, with his black and white eyes, stared at him without opening his mouth or saying anything.

Zong Yuan glanced at him, “Go ahead, eat.”

With just a casual sentence, Zhou Ning eagerly took a bite of the candy.

A gust of wind suddenly blew, almost blowing away Zong Yuan’s hat.

Oddly enough, not even a blade of grass stirred within several meters. Zong Yuan chuckled, “Does the wind pick and choose who to blow on?”

…

Old Master Zhou and Madame Wang were anxious. If it weren’t for the respect they held as elders, they might have already gone out to greet them together.

Second Auntie saw Zong Yuan and his party from a distance, her eyes lit up, praising, “Oh, this young master from the Zong family is really handsome!”

Madame Wang sternly reprimanded, “Second sister, you are too frivolous!”

Zong Yuan suddenly stopped a few steps ahead, and Zhou Fang anxiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Ning tugged at Zong Yuan’s clothes on his shoulder, looking like he didn’t want him to go. Zong Yuan’s expression remained unchanged, “Brother Zhou, since we are meeting elders, we should show the proper demeanor. Now that it’s late, and I am a bit dusty, let Awu deliver the gifts first. I’ll freshen up before paying a visit.”

Zhou You couldn’t help but sigh. It was indeed a prominent aristocratic family, with strict rules.

The two brothers quickly asked Zong Yuan to rest first and hurriedly went to the main hall with Awu and the others.

When Mr. Zhou saw them stop, his heart trembled. Now he had finally recovered. He laughed heartily, accepted the valuable gifts from Awu with a warm and amiable manner, and kindly asked them to rest. “If there’s anything you need, just let me know!”

…

Zhou Ning slid down from Zong Yuan and held his hand, leading him to his secluded courtyard. Zong Yuan followed him, observing the surroundings.

Awu sighed and whispered, “It looks like this young master is living a tough life.”

Indeed, the surroundings were desolate.

Zong Yuan touched Zhou Ning’s head. As his hand touched, he felt a cold sensation. It was as if someone was making the same motion as him, but their hand was pressed down by his.

The sensation disappeared quickly, but Zong Yuan remained stunned for a while. It wasn’t until Zhou Ning tugged at his clothes that he snapped out of it.

The courtyard where Zhou Ning lived was relatively tidy. There was still food on the stone table under the tree. Since it was late, Zong Yuan asked Awu to check if there was a place for them to stay. He himself was led by Zhou Ning, observing the environment.

Awu sighed, “It seems this young master is leading a difficult life.”

The area around was indeed desolate.

Zong Yuan touched Zhou Ning’s head. His hand encountered a cold sensation that he completely covered. It felt like someone was making the same motion, but his hand suppressed theirs.

The sensation disappeared quickly, and Zong Yuan was dazed for a moment until Zhou Ning pulled at his clothes, bringing him back to reality.

In the courtyard where Zhou Ning lived, which was relatively neat, Zong Yuan asked Awu to check if there was a place to stay. He himself was led by Zhou Ning into the room.

The room seemed to be drafty, and as they entered, a chill could be felt.

Zong Yuan sat at the table, watching Zhou Ning bend over to search for something under the bed. Finally, he pulled out a rectangular wooden plaque-sized object and happily ran to Zong Yuan.

It was a spirit tablet, belonging to the spirit of a deceased person.

Zong Yuan raised an eyebrow, took it from his small hand, and read the childish handwriting on the spirit tablet. He enunciated each word slowly, “Remembering older brother Zhou Jin…”

“Zhou Jin?”

Zong Yuan seemed to have some impression. He was genuinely surprised, looking at Zhou Ning and asking, “Isn’t that the third young master of the Zhou family? Is he dead?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a fierce gust of wind, making a loud bang.

Zong Yuan turned to look, and the windows in the room also slammed shut.

The candles had already been extinguished.

The room was pitch black.

 

The author has something to say: 

Zhou Jin: Are you scared of love me?

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