Chapter 12: Chapter 10: Raise Your Head
After careful consideration, Wei Tu decided he couldn’t delay discussing the matter of buying his freedom with Mrs. Li Tong for too long.
He feared that any delay might lead to unforeseen complications.
According to Caixia, the master, Li Yaozu, planned to use the autumn harvest of the tenant fields to threaten the couple, forcing him and Xinghua to submit.
The wheat harvest in Qingshan County was only about ten days away.
If too much time passed and they were faced with Li Yaozu’s coercion... then any semblance of loyalty between master and servant would be gone.
If he were to bring up buying his freedom then, Li Yaozu would surely find ways to stop him, even resorting to framing him for a crime to eliminate this "menace" to the Li Mansion.
But if he bought his freedom early...
...even though he was still a bit short on silver coins...
...for now, they hadn’t torn off all pretenses. Seeing how "strong and able-bodied" he was, Li Yaozu would be wary of him. There was a high probability the master would abandon his original plan and avoid making an enemy of him.
That evening, Wei Tu told Xinghua his plan and asked for her opinion.
"You’re my husband. I’ll listen to you," Xinghua replied.
Xinghua knew she wasn’t very worldly-wise, so she never argued with Wei Tu about major decisions.
"That’s all I need to hear." Wei Tu nodded and told Xinghua to return to the Li Mansion a little later than usual when she went to the County Town to buy groceries the next day.
"If anything goes wrong, get out of the County Town as quickly as you can and hide somewhere outside..."
he instructed.
"Brother Wei, are you going to..." Hearing this, Xinghua’s heart trembled as her mind instantly jumped to the worst possibilities.
But the words had barely left her throat before she stopped herself. She gave a soft "mm-hmm," pulled her legs out from under the quilt, and began packing their valuables under the cover of night.
"When you leave, don’t leave me behind."
After the lamp was extinguished, the couple fell asleep in each other’s arms. In the middle of the night, Xinghua gently pried open Wei Tu’s eyes and whispered that one sentence.
Wei Tu’s Spirit was asleep. After being woken, he remained dazed for a moment.
In his drowsy state, he heard her words clearly but didn’t know how to respond.
’If it really comes to that, I can’t guarantee that in the panic, I wouldn’t leave a burden behind, one that could get me killed.’
"I still need you to cook for me. I’m used to your cooking; anyone else’s just doesn’t taste right..." Wei Tu thought for a long time before saying something that wasn’t exactly comforting.
However, as soon as the words left his lips, Xinghua had already fallen asleep, her breaths coming in rapid, warm puffs.
...
「The next morning.」
Wei Tu woke up early as usual. He went about his work, mixing feed for the horses and chopping up the dried grass that had accumulated over the past few days.
He even filled the water buckets to the brim, leaving no space.
After finishing his chores, Wei Tu watched Xinghua leave the front gate of the Li Mansion with her basket. He then sat on a stone stool for a while, waiting until the sun burning his back became unbearable before he got up and headed toward the inner residence.
Male servants were forbidden from entering the inner residence without the family’s permission.
Remembering his "place," Wei Tu stood at the entrance to the inner residence and asked a passing maidservant to go in and announce him to Mrs. Li Tong.
Soon, the maidservant returned with Mrs. Li Tong’s summons and led Wei Tu into the parlor.
"Brother Wei, what urgent matter brings you here? Is the household short on something? Or are you and Xinghua not getting along?" Mrs. Li Tong frowned, glancing at Wei Tu who stood in the center of the hall.
Mrs. Li Tong’s voice was calm, without a trace of condescension, but anyone who knew her would recognize she was deliberately suppressing her anger and dissatisfaction.
If a male servant had business with the inner residence, he was supposed to state it plainly in the outer courtyard and have a maidservant relay the message. There was no need to enter the inner residence to "discuss" it.
In Mrs. Li Tong’s eyes, Wei Tu entering the inner residence today was a breach of etiquette.
’Without rules, there can be no order.’
As the Lady of the House, Mrs. Li Tong had to squash any "sprout" of turmoil that could destabilize the Li Mansion, stamping it out completely.
Mrs. Li Tong took a sip of her tea. The scalding liquid burned her lips and tongue, but she maintained the dignified bearing of a matriarch, watching Wei Tu coldly as she awaited his answer.
However, Wei Tu’s opening words were something Mrs. Li Tong had never expected.
Wei Tu bowed and said, "First Madam, I have come to the inner residence today because I wish to buy back my indenture contract. I plan to take the Military Examination next year."
The moment he finished speaking, the hall fell utterly silent. The atmosphere froze to an icy point where you could hear a pin drop.
Mrs. Li Tong was stunned.
Even the serving maids standing behind Mrs. Li Tong were shocked, one and all.
In the mansion—or rather, in any great household—the one thing servants must never mention was their indenture contract.
It was a taboo.
As long as no one mentioned the contracts that bound them, the servants of the outer and inner residences could perform their duties as if they were born to their roles, rather than being forced into them by Acquired circumstances.
"Brother Wei, you have been with the Li Family for some years now. The Li Family has not treated you poorly, I should think." Mrs. Li Tong’s expression remained unchanged, but the fingers hidden in her sleeves tightened their grip on the fabric.
A servant buying their freedom was something that usually happened in great households plagued by unrest. Having managed the Li Mansion’s internal affairs for so many years, she did not want a stain on her record—a stain that the other ladies in the County Town could use as ammunition against her.
"The Li Mansion saved my life."
Wei Tu nodded in reply.
The hall faced south, and in the shadows cast by the sunlight, Mrs. Li Tong’s expression softened slightly.
"Is it because your wages are not enough?"
Her tone was gentle.
’It must be about the money,’ she thought. ’That’s why he’s bringing up his freedom, to remind me.’
"No, First Madam." Wei Tu shook his head firmly. "First Madam, as I just said, I intend to buy my freedom to take the Military Examination next year."
Wei Tu was confused. He was sure he had spoken clearly, so why hadn’t Mrs. Li Tong heard the second half of his sentence?
"The Military Examination?"
Those two words echoed in Mrs. Li Tong’s mind again. This time, she finally understood their meaning.
Mrs. Li Tong raised her eyes and carefully scrutinized the slightly dark-skinned young man before her. After a long moment, she said, "Lift your head."
Since he had entered the parlor, she had only seen Wei Tu with his head bowed, never raised.
Or rather, from the moment the Li Mansion had bought him as a servant, she had never seen Wei Tu raise his head.
All this time, she had been quite pleased with Wei Tu for being so deferential to the rules. But today, she felt she had miscalculated.
’The one who always seemed the most obedient is actually the most restless at heart. To think he wants to buy his freedom, take the Military Examination, and leave the Li Family.’
"Yes, First Madam." As instructed, Wei Tu raised his head and looked directly at the Lady of the House of the Li Mansion before him.
"Why do you want to take the Military Examination? It’s not easy, you know..." After seeing Wei Tu’s face, Mrs. Li Tong felt a measure of relief and asked in a gentle voice.
Wei Tu did not have the extraordinary "high-bridged nose and dragon-like features" she had read about in books. On the contrary, his appearance was rather plain; he was indistinguishable from a common village farmer.
"First Madam may not be aware, but two years ago, I obtained a copy of the Health Cultivation Technique from my second aunt. After practicing it for these two years, my strength has increased a great deal, enough to meet the requirements for the Military Examination..."
After a moment of thought, Wei Tu explained the matter of him practicing the Health Cultivation Technique in full detail, making sure to mention his second aunt, Wei Hong.
