DLMSWSHH Chapter 47

TL: Hua

Chapter 47: Transaction

Zhong Ming was choked up. He looked down at his clothes. He was definitely wearing men’s clothing. Why on earth was he still being mistaken for a girl?

Matthew let out a low chuckle beside him. He explained to the woman, “No, he is a new manservant.”

The woman clearly hadn’t expected to be so mistaken. She awkwardly muttered, “Oh, I see,” and walked away with a sheepish smile.

Zhong Ming followed behind Matthew, feeling a bit sullen. They walked along the road toward the market. After a while, Zhong Ming suddenly asked, “Is it because my hair is too long?”

Since entering this game, Zhong Ming hadn’t cut his hair. The hair that had initially reached his shoulders now grew down to his spine. Whenever the wind blew, the front strands would blur his whole face. Even when tied up, the ends would brush against his shoulders. Being mistaken for a girl might indeed be due to the length of his hair.

Zhong Ming looked around: “Is there a barbershop nearby? Maybe I should go get it cut?”

Hearing this, Matthew turned his head sharply, his gaze landing on Zhong Ming. He actually quite liked the way the other looked with long hair, but unsure if he should interfere with Zhong Ming’s decision, he hesitated.

Right then, Feng Tang’s voice cut in: “There isn’t one.”

Zhong Ming looked at him. Feng Tang repeated: “There are no barbershops.”

His tone was certain and unquestionable. Hearing this, Zhong Ming lowered his eyes and quickly gave up: “Alright. Never mind then.”

Matthew secretly breathed a sigh of relief while simultaneously glancing at Feng Tang. Previously, he had thought Feng Tang’s harsh attitude toward Zhong Ming was because he couldn’t stand men of a slender build and delicate features. After all, Feng Tang himself was an absolute Alpha in terms of masculine energy.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

The three passed through the port and arrived at the market, where commercial activity was most concentrated. Zhong Ming watched as Matthew skillfully haggled with vendors, purchasing replacement parts and equipment needed for the mansion, as well as some textiles. Feng Tang walked into the shadows and leaned against a wall to smoke. Standing behind Matthew, Zhong Ming’s gaze swept across the entire market, and he suddenly noticed something that made his brow twitch.

There wasn’t a single stall selling fish in the market.

Zhong Ming took a sharp breath inwardly. He felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet.

Even though this town sat right next to the gray lake, there were no seafood vendors at either the port or the market.

There was likely only one possible explanation: there were no fish in the lake.

Zhong Ming’s brow twitched slightly, but he quickly composed his expression when Matthew turned around.

Matthew swung the filled bag over his shoulder and said to Zhong Ming, “Everything is bought. Let’s go.”

Zhong Ming asked, “Where to?”

Matthew adjusted the bag and smiled at him: “Where do you want to go?”

He continued, “Today is mainly to accompany you out for fun. We’ll go wherever you want.”

Hearing this, Zhong Ming looked down and thought for a moment before saying, “…Let’s just walk around randomly then.”

He wanted to see exactly what else was in this lakeside town.

Matthew accepted the idea of window shopping with Zhong Ming quite well and nodded: “Alright.”

Then, he turned to Feng Tang: “Feng, are you coming with us? Or will you find a place to wait?”

He didn’t think Feng Tang was the patient type. There were several taverns around the port; usually, when they came here for supplies, Feng Tang would wait there.

However, this time was different.

Feng Tang leaned against the wall and casually stubbed his cigarette out against it. He straightened up and followed.

Matthew knit his brows, a bit surprised. His look toward Feng Tang couldn’t help but shift.

Fortunately, as soon as Zhong Ming saw Feng Tang approaching, he would move closer to Matthew, like a clingy little sweetie. Matthew found this very gratifying.

So the group ended up with Zhong Ming trailing Matthew by only half a step, while Feng Tang strolled along at the very back, like a lone wolf on lookout duty.

Walking in front, Matthew glanced sideways. Seeing Zhong Ming by his side, his gaze slid down from the youth’s silky black hair to his hands hanging by his side. His heart itched, wanting to reach out and grasp those fingertips.

But just then, Zhong Ming suddenly said, “I want to go look at that shop.”

Matthew was startled. He pulled back his stray thoughts and looked in the direction Zhong Ming was pointing, seeing a butcher shop. A stout, brawny butcher stood at the entrance, a knife in one hand and a slab of pork in the other, which he was hanging onto an iron hook.

Matthew frowned: “What’s there to see?”

Watching the butcher splash a basin of bloody water onto the ground, he said with disgust, “Don’t go. You’ll get your shoes dirty.”

Zhong Ming didn’t say anything, just looked at Matthew.

A moment later, Matthew admitted defeat and had to lead him to the butcher shop to watch the man slaughter pigs.

Zhong Ming stood before the shop, watching the butcher raise a long cleaver and hack down at the chopping block; the pig’s right front trotter was severed with a thud.

Seeing that he was truly butchering a pig, Zhong Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Matthew and asked, “Where do these pigs come from?”

Matthew blinked in surprise: “They should be from the surrounding farms.”

Zhong Ming asked, “There are farms nearby?”

“Of course.” Matthew chuckled and said to Zhong Ming, “Where else did you think the meat we eat every day comes from?”

Zhong Ming was secretly amazed. He really hadn’t expected there to be farms nearby; this map was simply too large.

He continued asking, “Where are the farms?”

Matthew pointed to the other side of the mountain range: “There are a few over there, and more further ahead.” He smiled at Zhong Ming: “My family has a farm, too.”

Zhong Ming was surprised: “Your family? Where is your home?”

Matthew looked at him with a soft gaze: “My home is a two or three-day carriage ride from here.” Remembering his hometown, a smile spread across his handsome face: “My family raises sheep and cattle, and there’s a vineyard—”

Zhong Ming listened intently, thinking to himself that the backstories for the servants here were far too complete. If it was truly as Matthew said, that his home was two or three days away, then the map of this instance was practically the size of a country.

As Zhong Ming was lost in thought, Feng Tang’s voice suddenly rang out: “Are we still walking or not?”

He stood behind them, saying coldly, “If you’re going to browse, hurry up.”

Matthew looked over, frowned, and went silent, his expression cooling slightly.

Matthew turned his head to Zhong Ming: “Let’s go.”

Zhong Ming nodded. Just as he was about to leave, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the butcher holding the severed pig trotter, about to throw it into a nearby foul gutter.

Zhong Ming spun around: “Wait!”

Spare that pig trotter!

Perhaps because he had grown up in an orphanage with scarce resources, Zhong Ming particularly couldn’t stand wasting food, especially something like pig trotters, which became soft and delicious with just a little cooking.

And so, three minutes later, Matthew’s bag contained five or six massive pig trotters and various offal that were originally going to be thrown away.

Matthew: “…”

He glanced sideways at Zhong Ming, whose eyes and brows betrayed a hint of joy. He thought very seriously and carefully but couldn’t imagine anyone was withholding food from Zhong Ming.

Could he really have some strange taste?

Matthew remained silent for a moment. He thought: At least it’s better than collecting human hands. He silently swallowed his words.

Feng Tang stood behind them, watching Zhong Ming reach out to take the trotters from the butcher. His eyebrows were practically raised to his hairline.

“It’s my first time meeting such a strange customer,” the butcher said as he handed a large bag of trotters to Zhong Ming. “You’re a servant at the Duke’s?”

Zhong Ming nodded, looking at the trotters and thinking that half could be used for stewing and the other half for a cold salad. Seeing how much he treasured these things, the butcher found it amusing.

“The Duke doesn’t seem like someone who would skimp on your food or clothing,” the butcher remarked. “You haven’t recruited anyone in a long time. It feels like it’s been over a hundred years—”

Zhong Ming heard something and looked up in shock.

Matthew suddenly spoke: “Shopkeeper.”

His tone was terrifyingly heavy. Only then did the butcher realize he had misspoke. He shut his mouth, gave Matthew a sheepish look, and turned to walk toward the back kitchen.

Zhong Ming stood in place. He was a bit unsure of what he had just heard.

Matthew reached out to take the trotters from his hand and lowered his head: “Let’s go.”

Zhong Ming saw his expression, nodded obediently, and followed Matthew away from the butcher shop.

They gradually moved away from the market. The further they walked from the port, the more the shops selling fresh vegetables and meat dwindled, giving way to a residential area. Beside paths paved with neat white stones, the town’s architecture appeared clean and exquisite. Zhong Ming looked up and saw balconies on the second floor of small villas crowded with yellow daisies, their petals trembling slightly in the wind and releasing waves of fragrance.

The first floors of some residential buildings housed shops. Zhong Ming passed one and saw an incredibly intricate and magnificent gown displayed behind a transparent glass window.

Matthew’s voice came from beside him: “Want to go in and have a look?”

Zhong Ming turned to him and saw an expression that was quite enthusiastic.

Zhong Ming: …I didn’t particularly want to go in.

Ultimately, he was half-pushed inside by Matthew anyway.

The gentle scent of laundry detergent greeted him, and the light dimmed slightly once they entered. Zhong Ming looked around; it was a women’s clothing store. The racks were hung with soft-fabric dresses. Some were lace; others were adorned with smooth, shimmering pearls. They were very beautiful.

But they look very expensive, Zhong Ming thought.

He spotted a pink dress and thought it might suit Ye Qing. He stepped forward to lift the tag, only to see a long string of zeros.

What is this, Euros?

Zhong Ming frowned and reflexively leaned closer, realizing that regardless of the currency, the dress was staggeringly expensive.

Matthew walked over and said, “If you want it, I’ll buy it for you.”

Zhong Ming turned around and let go of the dress: “…I don’t want it.”

Regardless of anything else, selling a dress for that much was ridiculous. Moreover, he didn’t have a habit of wearing dresses.

Matthew wore a look of disappointment; with his golden hair, he looked like a dejected Golden Retriever.

Zhong Ming ignored him, lowered his eyes, and put the dress back.

Matthew wasn’t quite ready to give up. He turned and flipped through the dresses on the rack one by one, using his own taste to pick out the one he thought would suit Zhong Ming best. He turned around, about to ask Zhong Ming to try it on, only to find that the youth had somehow already wandered into the depths of the shop.

The shop wasn’t large in area, but it was quite deep. At the very back hung two velvet curtains, obscuring what lay behind them.

Zhong Ming pulled the curtain aside and saw an elegant, wealthy-looking shop owner sitting on a low stool, smoking a hookah. Pinkish smoke drifted from her pipe, making the space appear blurry and dreamlike. Beside her stood a small table covered in a deep blue velvet cloth, topped with various shiny objects.

Zhong Ming raised his eyes and saw a wooden sign propped up on the table that read “Vintage.”

Zhong Ming stepped forward and looked down. On the table were exquisite little pieces of jewelry: ruby earrings, smooth, lustrous pearl necklaces, and so on. Zhong Ming’s gaze shifted, stopping abruptly when he saw a certain item.

It was a brooch.

It consisted of two curved metal pieces encrusted with pearls, forming a double-C shape.

Zhong Ming froze. Most people would recognize this brand.

Since when did Chanel start producing brooches? Zhong Ming felt a sense of oddity. He moved his gaze and immediately saw an electronic watch next to the brooch.

Zhong Ming stared at the bitten apple logo on the watch face, his eyes widening.

“Want to buy it?” the shop owner addressed him. “If you do, I can give you a discount.”

It took several seconds for Zhong Ming to find his voice. He asked, “…Where did these come from?”

The shop owner took a puff of the hookah and said, “Where else? They were fished out of the lake, obviously.”

Zhong Ming was momentarily stunned.

Just then, footsteps approached from behind.

Zhong Ming immediately turned and stepped out, pulling the two curtains shut behind him.

Feng Tang stood before him, his amber eyes pausing on Zhong Ming’s face before drifting up to the curtains behind him.

Zhong Ming lowered his gaze, his hand behind his back tightly gripping the curtains to keep the fabric from swaying.

“Let’s go,” he said to Feng Tang. “The fitting rooms are back there.”

Feng Tang withdrew his gaze, looked down at him, and then turned to walk out.

Zhong Ming breathed a small sigh of relief, slowly let go of the fabric, and glanced back at the closed curtains before following. Just as they reached the door, Feng Tang turned back, glanced at him, and said: “Time to head back.”

Zhong Ming blinked and looked up, only then noticing that the sky was gradually flushing with the orange-red hues of dusk.

Then, a kraft paper bag was shoved into his hands.

He wasn’t given any time to react. Stunned, Zhong Ming looked down into the bag and found a deep blue dress neatly folded inside. The style was relatively conservative, but the waist was adorned with a string of pearls.

To some extent, Feng Tang’s preferences were very obvious.

Zhong Ming: …

He felt a bit annoyed.

Behind them, Matthew walked out and paused at the sight. If he’d known, he would have just bought one directly too. Matthew looked down and scratched his temple with his finger, wondering if he should go back now and buy the white one.

However, right at that moment, Zhong Ming’s eyes narrowed.

He looked at the paper bag in his hand and slowly raised his head: “Why do you guys have money?”

Matthew looked up and answered, “Hmm? We have wages.”

Zhong Ming raised his eyes: “Then why don’t I have any?”

Matthew froze. Feng Tang paused in the middle of reaching for a cigarette. They both turned back simultaneously to look at Zhong Ming.

His small face was pale, his brows were knit tight, and his eyes were dark and serious.

“Why don’t I have any?”

Zhong Ming repeated.

Matthew & Feng Tang: …

As the pink sunset filled the sky, the three of them boarded the boat at the port in an exceptionally silent atmosphere. This time, neither the man at the front nor the one at the back dared to provoke Zhong Ming. Even Feng Tang kept his tall frame uncharacteristically low.

Zhong Ming sat in the middle, resting his chin on his arms and staring at the lake surface without a word.

Matthew’s handsome face betrayed a hint of nervousness as he rowed, glancing at Zhong Ming from time to time.

Come to think of it, the matter of servant wages wasn’t up to them. Either Madam Mary or Tao must have forgotten, or perhaps both. After all, living in the mansion, there was really no place to spend money.

But Zhong Ming was clearly very angry.

Matthew swallowed and said extremely carefully, “…How about you go back and ask the Duke?”

Zhong Ming pursed his lips and gave him a cold profile. Matthew didn’t dare speak further.

However, hearing those words, Feng Tang, who had been staring off into the distance, suddenly turned his head, his brow furrowing: “Are you and the Duke very close?”

His tone went up at the end. He seemed very confused about the relationship between Zhong Ming and the Duke.

Zhong Ming was still angry and didn’t notice his expression or offer an answer. Thus, Feng Tang looked at Matthew.

Matthew answered, “The Duke does indeed take more care of Zhong Ming. Perhaps it’s because he’s a newcomer.”

Feng Tang narrowed his eyes. His gaze swept over Zhong Ming before he looked away, half-convinced.

The two continued rowing in silence.

Before the sky turned completely dark, the small boat passed through a light mist rising from the lake, and the black forest on the shore gradually came into view. As the sunlight vanished, the temperature dropped. Zhong Ming let out a soft breath and peered through the white mist toward the opposite bank.

As the boat drew closer to the shore, Zhong Ming suddenly spotted a blurred figure.

The Duke stood beneath a tree, the orange-red light of dusk filtering through the leaves and illuminating his pale face.

As if noticing Zhong Ming’s gaze, he raised his head and waved at the boat, a smile curving at his lips.