FID – Chapter 967

Chapter 967 – Do They All Have Mind-Reading Skills or What

They stepped forward to knock on the door. A frail, elderly voice responded quickly from inside, but it took quite a while before the door finally opened.

The one who answered was an old servant. His hair was completely white, his posture unsteady. He was even older than Liu Yusheng had imagined.

At a glance, it was clear why he had responded quickly yet opened the door so slowly: his legs were weak, and one foot was crippled.

“The master is here. Hurry and come in. It’s freezing outside.” When he saw the group, the old servant froze for a moment. Then, recognizing Liu Zhiqiu, he quickly stepped back to make room for them.

His expression was overly restrained, even a bit flustered.

He was probably afraid that these noble guests accompanying the master would dislike him for his appearance.

It was understandable, however. Just the aristocratic aura Feng Qingbai gave off would make most people instinctively lower themselves.

“Uncle Liu, don’t be nervous. These are all my family,” Liu Zhiqiu said as they walked inside. “You can go back to the gatehouse and sit. We’ll go in on our own, so no need to attend to us.”

“Alright, thank you, Master.”

Following behind Liu Zhiqiu and watching how familiar he was with the place, Liu Yusheng grew curious about the other servants her Second Brother had taken in.

The farm’s courtyard was spacious, complete with garden landscaping. Everything was neat and spotless. The snow on the main path had been cleared so it wasn’t slippery.

Seeing all this, she was quite satisfied. It meant the servants were diligent and conscientious.

“Uncle Liu’s name is one I gave him later,” Liu Zhiqiu explained after they had walked a distance. “Besides him, there are five others: Liu Gen, Liu Zhi, Liu Tiao, Liu Ye, and Liu Ya. They’re actually one family.”

Pausing for a moment, Liu Zhiqiu lowered his voice. “Uncle Liu’s wife is already dead. She killed herself by hitting her head against a wall. The rest of the family didn’t fare much better. All of them were beaten severely by their previous master, leaving them with permanent injuries.”

“What happened?” Liu Yusheng frowned.

“Liu Ya is Uncle Liu’s youngest granddaughter. She was born pretty, and the former master violated her. She tried to take her own life several times. Uncle Liu’s family mustered their courage to beg for mercy, to ask the master to spare her, but instead, they were humiliated and beaten. His wife killed herself on the spot. Originally, the entire family was going to be sold as low-class slaves, but I pulled some strings and bought them. Now they help watch over the estate, so they at least have a safe place to stay.”

“These things happen all the time in wealthy households. With the deeds of sale in their hands, they can decide the life and death of their slaves at will. House-born servants are no different from livestock in their eyes, playthings to be used whenever they please. Most endure in silence; the stronger-willed choose death. It never ends well,” Liu Muqiu said quietly. She came from a wealthy household, so she had seen and heard countless such incidents.

For house-born slaves, especially women, it was nearly impossible to escape such a fate if they were good-looking.

The upper class was never short of hypocrites with respectable faces.

Turning to the man beside her—back straight, expression open and clear—Liu Muqiu subconsciously reached for his hand.

As a man with eyes and a smile as clean and warm as clear skies, his heart must be gentle and kind.

So that was why she recognized him at a glance; why she loved him so, so deeply.

Her hand was immediately clasped in return. The warmth traveling from her palm straight into her heart made Liu Muqiu’s eyes curve into a smile.

This man could warm every remaining year of her life.

Behind the couple, Liu Zhixia, Liu Yusheng, and Feng Qingbai all remained silent.

Her eldest brother and Feng Qingbai were both people who hid their thoughts well; Liu Yusheng didn’t know whether that story had stirred anything in them, but she was proud of her second brother.

No matter where or when, her second brother’s heart always remained pure.

Ahead was the main hall. They could see figures moving inside. Hearing footsteps outside, two people came out.

One was a middle-aged woman with a weathered face, and the other was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty, but the moment she saw the visitors, fear and panic surfaced in her eyes.

This must be Liu Ya, the one her Second Brother mentioned.

“Greetings, Master. Greetings, honored guests,” the woman said, bowing with the girl beside her, subtly shifting to shield the girl behind her.

Liu Yusheng and the others pretended not to notice the protective gesture.

A burnt child dreads the fire; such wariness was only natural.

“Aunt Liu Zhi, this is my elder brother. These two are my younger sister and her husband, and this is my wife. They’re all family,” Liu Zhiqiu said, giving Liu Muqiu’s hand a small swing. “Please brew some tea for us, then prepare a few guest rooms. We’ll be staying here for a few days. Also, ask Uncle Liu Gen to come see me. I have something to discuss with him.”

He didn’t ask them to skip the formalities. Habits ingrained over a lifetime weren’t worth forcing change upon.

It was more natural to get along this way.

Perhaps because of his calm, open demeanor, the nervous mother and daughter visibly relaxed a little and immediately withdrew to attend to their tasks.

After the two of them left, Liu Zhiqiu turned the conversation to business. “Later I’ll have Uncle Liu Gen go to the village and notify the tenant farmers to come and sign their tenancy contracts again. Once that’s done, I’ll take you around to inspect the estate. Tomorrow, Big Brother and Feng Qingbai, you two will have to step in and help at the government office, just to give them a heads-up.”

“It’s freezing outside. Let’s skip inspecting the estate. What we’d see is just snow,” Liu Zhixia said lightly. “After sitting in the carriage for so long, I’m a bit tired. I’ll rest first. You handle the tenancy contracts yourself. Make sure the estate prepares a meal; our family dinner is at the hour of You (around 5–7 p.m.).”

Feng Qingbai added, “Shengsheng and I need a nap too. Don’t wake us up before mealtime.”

Liu Zhiqiu looked at one, then the other. “Are you two really so afraid I’ll make you help? Are you even my brothers?”

“Not right now.”

“…” Liu Zhiqiu was genuinely exasperated.

How did they always know exactly what he was thinking before he even said it? Did everyone in officialdom have mind-reading powers?

With a big estate, there must be at least fifty or sixty tenant farmers needing leases. If he had to sign contracts and explain the rules to each of them by himself, how long would it take? Especially since he only would be collecting a thirty percent rent; this would inevitably cause some confusion among the tenants. Just answering their questions alone would wear him out.

Once word spread, more tenant farmers would surely come pouring in.

That was why he had originally planned to draft his elder brother and Feng Qingbai as his helpers.

But now, before he even spoke, they had already preemptively opted out. Was this estate really just his?

…Right, it really was.

His elder brother and Feng Qingbai had no interest in playing the role of master with him.

And they were merciless; they absolutely, absolutely would not sympathize with him.

Liu Zhiqiu adjusted his expression, looking pitifully at Liu Yusheng. “Nannan, I’ve loved you since you were little…”

The woman, looking even more exasperated, replied, “Brother, you loved me when I was little, so why don’t you love me now? Are you really going to make me do all that hard work?”

“…” Liu Zhiqiu was defeated, collapsing into his wife’s embrace.