The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 871 - 849 Daji

Chapter 871: Chapter 849 Daji

Daji had briefly spoken about his situation, aware that even his own master might not know these things.

Daji’s family had been servants to the Bai Family for generations, having been granted the Bai surname during his grandfather’s time. At the age of six, he was chosen to accompany three-year-old Bai Qi, tasked with playing with him and starting his education.

Unfortunately, Daji was not adept at studying, so when Bai Qi turned five and started going to the clan school, Daji followed to look after him, as Bai Qi was fatherless and the other children at the school tended to bully him.

At five or six years old, children did not hold back in fights; therefore, Daji protected their young master and got involved in fights.

He was naturally larger than other children his age and typically two or three years older than those suitable to be young lords, managing to overpower four or five boys on his own.

Because of this, many from the Bai Family approached Ms. Liu for an explanation.

Ms. Liu determinedly protected him by her teeth, leading the young master to apologize one by one, but she still let him accompany the young master to the clan school afterward. If anyone bullied the young master, he would fight back, from fighting with the masters to the servants.

Ms. Liu had him follow the family’s guard to learn some boxing and martial arts, and later, when the young master wanted to learn sword-fighting and horseback riding, the teachers taught Daji as well.

Daji was more talented in this regard. He continuously protected the young master, accompanying him on scholarly travels and then to the Capital’s Imperial Academy.

It was during their travels that the master and servant met several wandering heroes and security escorts.

Daji said, "When the young master was studying in the Capital, he freed me from servitude and arranged a marriage for me. However, I never went anywhere and still stayed by the young master’s side."

Bai Qi had freed Daji without Ms. Liu’s knowledge; originally, Ms. Liu kept Daji in bondage so he could manage the servants, not knowing he would be freed completely.

If it weren’t for the homecoming during the New Year, Ms. Liu wouldn’t have known at all.

Ms. Liu was reluctant to let him go but said nothing. Instead, she selected Erji and instructed him to take Daji’s place in looking after Erji, freeing Daji.

Bai Qi trusted Daji thoroughly, but Ms. Liu internally believed more in servants bond by servitude.

Daji knew this, so he bid farewell to Bai Qi and his family, taking his wife to pursue their interests, henceforth visiting home rarely.

Although they seldom met, they occasionally exchanged letters. During festivals or when security detail took him to the Capital, Daji would visit Bai Qi and his younger brother, maintaining their relationship.

Later, when Bai Qi met with disaster and his body was returned to Longzhou, Ms. Liu refused to believe the claims from Shu County.

With the realization she was being watched, she had no choice but to have Daji quietly find Erji.

After finding Erji, Daji settled him in one of the Bai Family’s manors and then returned to the Bai Family’s servitude himself.

He knew that the Old Madam trusted only those bound in servitude most.

Old Madam Liu accepted the deed of servitude and then started a small school in the manor, with four-year-old Bo’an being one of the first students.

Apart from Daji’s family and the teacher, no one knew that the most important student the teacher was nurturing was Bo’an.

Daji knew that the Old Madam wanted to repay him something, yet he understood that his return to servitude was not for these, but for the old master, for Erji...

Daji looked up at Bai Shan, thinking to himself, also for the young master.

However, to reassure the Old Madam and to gain her trust, Daji did not mind accepting whatever arrangements she made.

Bai Shan also remembered Bo’an and stood up, saying to Manbao, "Let’s go home."

Manbao nodded.

The two boarded the carriage and headed home. Upon arrival, Bai Shan said to Daji, "We will not go out anymore. Daji, go and check on Bo’an."

Manbao nodded repeatedly and said, "We may have lost our father, but you are still here. You need to talk nicely to your son, instead of always keeping a stern face."

Thinking it over, Manbao said, "You should learn from my dad. He always smiles when he sees me, and that makes me happy too."

Bai Shan nodded and thought for a moment before saying, "Why don’t you buy him something? He’s several years older than me; perhaps some books would do."

Daji felt his son wouldn’t like books, shaking his head in refusal.

Manbao and Bai Shan looked worried, "Daji, this won’t do. Just now in the yard, he didn’t even call you ’dad.’ He’s clearly estranged from you, how can this continue?"

After hesitating, Daji said, "Miss Man, do you still have a slingshot?"

Manbao blinked, catching on, "He’s too old for slingshots, isn’t he?"

Bai Shan agreed, "True, we hardly play with those anymore."

Mainly because there was neither the time nor the place for them to play anymore.

Daji looked at them.

Scratching her head, Manbao felt conflicted as this was the first time Daji had asked her for something. She finally said, "Wait here."

She dashed back into her room, found Keke, instructed it to buy a new slingshot in the market, and while picking up a pen, she wrote a prescription. She handed it to Daji, "I forgot to write the prescription earlier, take this with you."

Daji received them with a smile, then turned and left. He didn’t hurry by carriage but went on foot, which attracted less attention and aided his disguise.

Bai Shan and Manbao stood at the door watching him leave until he was out of the alley. Then Bai Shan turned to Manbao, "Who is this empathetic friend you mentioned?"

Manbao blinked at him, her heart thumping, pretending to be confused, "What friend?"

"You said yourself someone told you about empathy," Bai Shan stared into her eyes, "After leaving home, I’ve been with you all along and never saw you talk to anyone else."

Manbao swallowed hard and remained silent.

Eventually, Bai Shan turned away, defeated, "Never mind, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. But," he turned back with a furrowed brow, "don’t mention such things in public anymore, especially in front of smart people like County Magistrate Tang."

Manbao nodded repeatedly, whispering, "I won’t say it again."

However, this slip had been due to her being somewhat unsettled, and Manbao wasn’t ready to admit that it was due to her own lack of caution.

Back in the study and stewing over their delayed entrance, Bai Erlang couldn’t stand it anymore and burst out, "What are you doing? Why can’t you come inside to talk?"

Bai Shan and Manbao turned and looked at him, surprised, "Oh, you’re back from school?"

Bai Erlang, hands on his hips, frustrated, "Do you not see the time? It’s almost dark. Of course, I came back from school."

He glared at them, demanding, "What were you doing this afternoon?"

Manbao replied, "We went to see a doctor."

Bai Shan said, "We went to buy books."

Their answers differed.

Both coughed lightly, and then Manbao said, "We went to the bookstore."

Bai Shan corrected, "To the pharmacy."

Bai Erlang glared at them fiercely, then huffed loudly and turned away.

Manbao and Bai Shan exchanged a blaming glance and went after him.