RPAGF Chapter 882 Same people but different fates
Chapter 882 Same people but different fates
"I trust your abilities," Zhang Ping'an reassured him.
"Besides that, keep an eye on Zhong Zheng, and... and Xiao Hu too. He has a deep affection for this child, and I'm afraid he might act impulsively if he finds out something. After all, he's a member of the clan, and I don't want to hurt him unless absolutely necessary."
"Understood!" He nodded after eating. "Actually, instead of doing this, it might be better to find an excuse to let Xiaohu manage the estate in the suburbs. That would be better, wouldn't it?"
Zhang Ping'an had his own plans and waved his hand.
"Doing this now would be too deliberate. I'm afraid of alerting them. Let's wait until the end of the year and see how things go. If it really doesn't work out, I'll have a matchmaker arrange a marriage for Xiaohu and give him some land so he can manage the estate in the outskirts of Beijing and live a good life. That would be fair to him."
After finishing his meal, he noticed that her eyes darkened, and she remained silent.
Not long after, news came from the Eastern Palace that the Crown Prince had woken up and was fine.
Zhang Ping'an handed over a memorial to express his condolences, going through the motions, and didn't want to get too involved.
Getting involved at this time might not be a good thing.
After finishing his shift, Zhang Ping'an went straight home.
Pengpeng has arrived.
Upon seeing Zhang Ping'an enter, he was even more enthusiastic than his own son, Xiaoyuer, bowing deeply and saying, "Greetings, Uncle! Xiang Peng greets you, Uncle!"
Zhang Ping'an smiled and helped the man up. "We're family, no need for formalities. Please sit down. Was your journey smooth?"
Pengpeng's real name is Liu Xiangpeng. He is now in his twenties and looks very different from when he was a child.
He had the air of a young master, with his clothes and hair meticulously styled. He even followed the trend of grooming his eyebrows, applying powder, and burning incense, making him look very refined and dashing.
It's quite unlike the simple and unassuming style of Er Ya and her husband.
It often made Zhang Ping'an feel a sense of unease.
Fortunately, he is quite humble and perceptive, so he is not disliked.
Hearing Zhang Ping'an ask this, Pengpeng smiled, her eyes filled with gratitude: "Thanks to Uncle, the journey was very smooth. When I came, my parents were especially concerned about my maternal grandparents, Uncle, and Xiaoyuer, so they asked me to bring a lot of local specialties from Lin'an. Actually, I originally wanted to rent a house with other fellow villagers, but I was afraid that Uncle would think that would be too distant for me."
At this point, Pengpeng gave a slightly embarrassed smile, "So I'll be troubling my uncle quite a bit these days."
"You, at least you understand some reason. You've wasted your education. Your uncle has plenty of houses here. If you really go and rent a place outside, wouldn't that be a slap in your uncle's face? Just stay at home and prepare for the imperial examination with Xiaoyuer. Strive to pass the exam next year and become a Jinshi. Your maternal grandmother has been talking about you these past few days. Spend more time with her later."
Zhang Ping'an's words were very friendly, which made Pengpeng feel much more at ease.
My heart was finally at ease.
He secretly glanced at his cousin while he was away, and saw that his cousin rolled his eyes at him, so he knew that his cousin did not like him.
He didn't dare offend his cousin, so he could only talk to Zhang Ping'an and Xu Shi more often.
In particular, he made Ms. Xu very happy.
After the meal, Pengpeng was really tired and politely declined Xiaoyuer's somewhat insincere invitation to go for a walk outside together.
I just want to wash up and go to sleep as soon as possible.
Even with the best food, clothing, and supplies, a month or so of travel can still be exhausting.
He wasn't very familiar with the servants in the mansion, so he pointed to someone and happened to point to Zhong Zheng.
Zhong Zheng is Xiao Yu'er's personal attendant. Since he turned ten, he has mainly helped Xiao Yu'er with errands and shopping. In the past two years, he has become even more capable and can now go out to run errands.
Therefore, they no longer do such chores as fetching water for washing.
He was stunned for a moment when he heard Pengpeng look up and casually point at him.
However, he quickly lowered his head again, suppressing his emotions.
I calmly went to fetch water and helped Pengpeng wash up.
Pengpeng was a bit of a chatterbox. He was very sleepy, but his eyes were still half-open as he looked at Zhong Zheng. "Hey, when were you bought here? I didn't see you when I came to my uncle's house last time."
"You're already so tall, why are you still serving in the inner quarters? Uncle is really something, why doesn't he buy some younger, more nimble servants? In Lin'an, no wealthy family would buy someone like you, you'd only be sold to a workshop to do hard labor."
Zhong Zheng lowered his head meekly and didn't speak, but he wiped the cloth in his hand harder.
Pengpeng cried out "Ouch!" and was jolted awake by the pain. He then kicked the man away, glared at him, and angrily shouted, "Are you hoeing the ground? You're using so much force! You can't even serve people properly. What good are you? You're such a tall guy, what a waste! Believe me or not, I'll have my uncle sell you off tomorrow, you useless thing!"
Zhong Zheng was kicked and sat on the ground, clutching his handkerchief. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. After a moment, he raised his head and coldly retorted, "Do you dare? I am the young master's personal servant, not yours. You are nothing but a dependent. Do you really think this is Lin'an? Hmph!"
After saying that, Zhong Zheng sneered twice, his aura even stronger than that of Peng Peng, the proper young master. He picked up the basin and walked away leisurely.
Pengpeng stared in disbelief. "This is outrageous! This is outrageous! How dare a servant be so disrespectful? This is a master trespassing on his master!"
After saying that, Pengpeng wanted to put on his shoes and go to Zhang Ping'an to complain, but then he thought that he had only just arrived today and had already caused trouble on his first day, which would inevitably give people a bad impression.
It doesn't seem worth it for a servant.
Even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner; he knew exactly how precious his cousin was.
He is truly a chosen one of heaven!
With that thought in mind, Pengpeng's anger died down, so he simply covered his head and went to sleep.
Soon after, snoring began.
Little Fish was having a great time outside, unaware of what was happening at home.
The informant planted by Chi Bao secretly observed the matter and quickly reported back to Chi Bao, who then informed Zhang Ping'an.
"It seems Zhong Zheng isn't without temper after all. Different people have different fates. Did he do anything else after returning to his room?" Zhang Ping'an leaned back in his chair, calmly continuing to turn the pages of the book in his hands.
"No," he shook his head after finishing his meal. "But after he washed up, he went to Xiao Hu's room to say goodbye and told Xiao Hu that he was going to Daxiangguo Temple tomorrow."
"Okay, keep following closely," Zhang Ping'an instructed.
He continued, "A letter has arrived from Lin'an, but the situation has changed again, so I can't make any big moves. Keep a close eye on things."