On the way to the front hall to attend the family feast, it became obvious to Ling Zhang that the atmosphere in the mansion had changed. Those servants who used to greet him with a smile now merely gave him respectful bows.

The reason for this was obvious.

Ling Zhang didn't find this to be all that bad. Besides, he was no longer the man he used to be. Asking him to revert back to his usual laughing self was completely impractical.

When he arrived at the front hall, Ling Zhang noticed that in addition to Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhaowen and Ling Maomao, Fu Caiwei was also there. Ling family was a relatively small family, so unlike other families, they weren't too finicky when it came to certain rules.

Fu Caiwei was waiting in front of the hall. Her eyes brightened the moment she noticed Ling Zhang's approaching, "Come on over here. The weather has gotten colder. You should help yourself to some hot soup."

Ling Zhang hurried forward to greet his aunt. "Aunt, you shouldn't stay out here for so long. It's too cold out here."

"Oh, I'm fine," Fu Caiwei answered.

The two of them entered the hall together, where they saw Ling Maomao running out excitedly.

Moments before Ling Maomao reached Ling Zhang, Ling Zhaowen cleared his throat, causing Ling Maomao to stop short. Reluctantly, Ling Maomao changed his demeanor into a respectful one. "Big brother," Ling Maomao greeted.

With his back to his father, Ling Maomao made a face at Ling Zhang. "My father's eyes are so sharp," he whispered.

Ling Zhang's eyes softened and he winked at Ling Maomao furtively.

The brothers walked hand in hand until they were standing in front of the table. Ling Zhang bowed to Ling Xingzhong and Ling Zhaowen in greeting. Then, he and Ling Maomao took their seats at the table.

Fu Caiwei placed a bowl of soup in front of Ling Zhang, "Here, drink it while it's still warm."

Ling Zhang thanked his aunt and took a sip of the hot soup. Although the soup was a bit hot, it was delicious and fragrant. Warmth spread out in his stomach after he swallowed it, expelling the coldness he had felt during the way here.

He knew that his aunt had prepared the soup the moment he drank it. How long had it been since he last tasted his aunt's soup?

Ling Zhang lowered his head slightly, not daring to expose the intense emotions in his eyes. He finished the soup slowly. Once he had calmed himself, he looked back up again.

He didn't notice anything strange in his grandfather and his uncle's expressions since he got here. Their faces looked completely normal as if they had no idea about the things that had happened in his yard.

"Hurry up and dig in, everyone. I'm sure you're all starving after the long day," Ling Xingzhong said, which prompted everyone to pick up their chopsticks.

Ling Maomao was sitting next to Ling Zhang. After two mouthfuls, he reached out and carefully placed a piece of meat in Ling Zhang's bowl. "Here, big brother. Chicken thigh, your favorite."

Ling Zhang glanced down at the meat in his bowl and swallowed the feelings of bitterness that had risen inside him. Then, he returned the favor by putting a piece of Ling Maomao's favorite meat into Maomao's bowl. "This is your favorite," he said.

Ling Maomao laughed happily. He briskly picked up the meat that Ling Zhao had picked for him and took a big bite.

Ling Zhang did the same for his grandfather and uncle too. He couldn't do the same for his aunt, though. It would be inappropriate for a man to place food into a married woman's bowl unless he was the woman's husband. Instead, he whispered to his aunt to eat more.

Ling Maomao copied his brother's actions; he started placing food into the bowls of Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Just help yourself and don't worry about us," Ling Xingzhong said in a stern voice, despite the smile on his face.

Ling Maomao sat back down obediently and started biting into the meat that his brother had given him.

"Grandfather, uncle and aunt, I have something to tell you later." Ling Zhang said.

The elders must have known about what had happened in his yard. Ling Zhang was sure of it. Ling Zhang could pretty much guess as well why none of them had confronted him yet. Even if the elders trusted him, he still owed them an explanation.

Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei shared a look with each other. They already had an idea as to what Ling Zhang wanted to say.

"Sure. We'll head to the side hall after the meal," Ling Xingzhong said. "We can have the conversation there."

Ling Maomao gave Ling Zhang a look of dissatisfaction, "Big brother, why can't I be included in the conversation?"

Ling Zhang stroked the back of Ling Maomao's head and said, "That is a grown-up matter. I'll tell you about it once you're a bit older, okay?"

Ling Maomao curled his lips, "When can I have my coming-of-age ceremony?"

"You'll have your ceremony when you've grown much taller," Ling Zhang answered.

Ling Zhang's words filled Ling Maomao with a feeling of hopelessness. With his current body height, it would take forever for him to become as tall as his big brother!

The heaviness in Ling Zhang's heart was considerably lightened by Ling Maomao's presence.

After the family feast, the whole family (sans Ling Maomao) gathered in the pavilion. Ling Maomao was brought to the bath by the steward.

Ling Zhang came clean to his grandfather, uncle and aunt. He hid nothing from them and told them everything Dongshan and Dongsong had done. He also told them about the evidence he had found that confirmed their guilt.

Ling Xingzhong's face turned livid after he had heard everything. Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei were furious as well.

"You did well. Keeping such treacherous servants in your service will be an extreme threat to you and the Ling family," Ling Xingzhong said.

"It's all my fault. I didn't realize anything wrong with those two. And because of that, you nearly fell into a trap. I'm so sorry."

"Please, don't say that, Aunt. None of this is your fault. Dongsong and Dongshan had been with our family ever since they were little kids. They'd always been by my side to serve me. It's my fault for not being strict enough with them," Ling Zhang said.

No, this wasn't his aunt's fault. If it weren't for his rebirth, he himself couldn't have seen through their deception either.

"The fact is that these things are hard to prevent. Looks like we need to carry out Zhang'er's suggestion as soon as possible. The ranks of our servants need to be reshuffled. The possibility that there are more people like those two in our family doesn't sit well with me," Ling Zhaowen said with a serious expression.

After the discussion with the elders, Ling Zhang returned to his courtyard. He was giving a kid a piggy back ride.

Ling Maomao held onto Ling Zhang's neck and began rubbing his cheek against Ling Zhang's hair. He said in Ling Zhang's ear, "Big brother, I brought back gifts for you. I've already asked the steward to bring them to your room. You must check them later."

"Okay. I like all the gifts you give me." Ling Zhang reached behind his back and held Ling Maomao's butt firmly.

Ling Maomao's little buttocks were soft and felt good.

Ling Maomao smiled happily, then he lowered his voice and said, "Most of my gifts are for you. I gave you more gifts than I gave to my father. But you have to promise me that you won't tell him."

Ling Zhang's eyes revealed a smile. Then he turned his head slightly and nudged Ling Maomao. "Oh, you bad boy. Your dad would be so sad if he ever finds out."

"Hmph. Yeah, right. As if he'd be sad because I didn't get him enough gifts. He'd even blame me for buying things indiscriminately. He always complained about the gifts I bought for him. I will never buy him gifts again!" Ling Maomao complained.

Ling Zhang felt a bit helpless. He knew that his uncle was just worried about spoiling Maomao too much. His uncle had always been playing a strict father. No matter how much his uncle loved Maomao, he would never express it. Therefore, Ling Zhang couldn't pull the rug from under his uncle's feet. "Your father is just worried that you'll end up as a spendthrift," Ling Zhang said to Ling Maomao.

"Oh, come on, big brother. I won't turn into a spendthrift. My mother only gives me a fixed allowance. She won't let me buy anything else once I spent more than that amount," Ling Maomao said.

"How much did she give you?" Ling Zhang asked curiously.

"Ten taels," Ling Maomao said.

That was a lot of money. Ling Maomao was just a kid. Ten taels was already a huge sum of money for him.

"By the way, are you getting married soon?" Ling Maomao asked suddenly.

Ling Zhang was taken aback by that question. "Getting married? Who told you that?"

"I overheard my mother, grandfather and (maternal) grandfather talking about this. My mother said now that you're an adult, it's time for you to consider marriage. She also said that you and our cousin are a good match for each other."

"Maomao, how did you hear this?" Ling Zhang interrupted Ling Maomao's words.

This concerned a woman's reputation. He believed that his grandfather and his aunt wouldn't talk about it easily, not when the matter hadn't been finalized.

Ling Maomao poked out his tongue and whispered, "I eavesdropped on their conversation."

"You can't tell anyone about this. You got that?" Ling Zhang said seriously.

Ling Zhang's reprimand had Ling Maomao feeling a bit bad. "Oh," he said obediently.

Ling Zhang's heart melted. "I'm not scolding you for no reason, okay? It'll bring your cousin harm if this ever gets out. Your cousin has always been nice to you, hasn't she? You don't want to do anything to hurt her, right?"

Ling Maomao shook his head. "No!"

"That's more like it. Speak to no one about this," Ling Zhang reminded him again.

At this point, Ling Maomao realized that he might've caused trouble. He said, "I know, I'll never tell others."

Ling Zhang heaved a sigh of relief. He thought for a moment then asked, "And then? What else did you hear?"

'Please don't tell me they're really planning to set me up with Miss Fu," he thought. He wasn't thinking about marriage at this time. Besides, there is still an engagement...' Ling Zhang thought.

"Grandpa said that there's no need to hurry. He said that my cousin is still young. He also said he wanted to hear your thoughts on it. Big brother, are you really getting married soon? Is it true that men get to marry a beautiful wife after going through their coming-of-age ceremonies? When can I get married?" Ling Maomao said.

Ling Zhang was relieved to learn that Ling Xingzhong had postponed the discussion regarding to his marriage. The relief was short-lived and he frowned again.

He had a feeling that his grandfather's main concern had nothing to do with Miss Fu's age but with that marriage contract that not many people knew of. Even if both parties involved in the engagement were men, and the two families who made the contract had been estranged from each other for many years, the engagement was still valid.

Under such circumstances, it would be a nuisance if Ling Zhang were to end up engaged with someone else; if the other party decided to pursue this matter, Ling Zhang would probably have to face a court case.

Even though Yuwen Family desperately wanted to keep the existence of this marriage contract under wraps, and they might be eagerly looking forward to know that Ling Zhang was married to another woman, his grandfather didn't know about it.

The matter must be brought up as soon as possible. Otherwise, he was really worried that his grandpa might mention this to Yuwen Family on a whim.

Ling Zhang woke up at the crack of dawn the next day.

He didn't sleep well last night. As soon as he closed his eyes, he would think back to his previous life. Every time he fell asleep, he would wake up immediately, fearing that what he had right now was merely a dream, that it would all be gone when he woke again.

This had happened several times last night, and now he was completely exhausted. He even thought he would feel less tired if he hadn't gone to bed just now.

The first thing he did every time he roused from his fitful sleep was to confirm whether Maomao was still beside him. Only then did he feel relieved.

Ling Maomao, the little boy that he was, slept like a little piggy; he wasn't disturbed at all by his brother's repeated tossing and turning. The heat radiating from Maomao warmed Ling Zhang's quilt. At one point, he even tucked his head into Ling Zhang's armpit while he slept; his leg was thrown across Ling Zhang's stomach while his hand planted firmly on Ling Zhang's chest. He was dead to the world.

Ling Zhang looked sideways at Ling Maomao's hair which was curled up into messy ringlets before he reached over and carefully smoothed them out. The chill in his eyes was gradually replaced with warmth.

He didn't think he could even fall asleep last night without Ling Maomao by his side.

He gently removed Ling Maomao from his body and got out of bed. Then he adjusted Maomao's position and draped the blanket over his sleeping form. He pinched Maomao's face before walking away from the side of the bed.

He got dressed and washed up before heading out.

Xiafeng quickly came over and greeted him. "Young master, why are you up so early? Have you washed up already?" Xiafeng had just left his room and was preparing to order the servants to begin today's work when he saw Ling Zhang walking out of his bedroom.

"Yeah, Maomao is still asleep inside. Ask the servants to keep it down when they work. Also, station someone here to keep an eye on him. He can serve Maomao the moment he wakes," Ling Zhang said.

"Yes, young master, I will do it at the drop of a hat." Then, Xiafeng asked again, "The servants in the kitchen didn't know you'd be up so early, so breakfast hasn't been prepared yet. If you are hungry, I will get some dim sums first to get your stomach fed."

"There's no need to hurry. Just go ahead and do your thing. I'll be back later for breakfast. But don't forget to prepare breakfast for Maomao!" Ling Zhang said.

"Yes, young master," Xiafeng answered hurriedly. "But where will you go? Do you require escorts?" Xiafeng asked.

"No need," Ling Zhang said and walked straight out of the courtyard.

Xiafeng felt very confused. But after what had happened yesterday, he dared not ask Ling Zhang so casually like he used to. So he decided to just follow orders.

The servants in the courtyard were surprised when they heard that Ling Zhang was up; they began working in a frantic pace. Everyone had a tight look on their faces; yesterday's incident had greatly affected them.

Meanwhile, Ling Zhang had already reached the quarters of the guards. He summoned Wang Dashan, the head of the guards.

The guards were all early birds. As soon as Wang Dashan heard that Ling Zhang was looking for him, he came out in a hurry. "How can I help you, Young Master?" Wang Dashan said.

"Yeah. You're someone who knows Kung Fu, Master Wang. Do you think it's possible for you to teach me a few techniques to strengthen my body? From now on, I'll join you guys to practice every morning."

Wang Dashan seemed taken aback. "Young Master, you want to learn martial arts?"

"That's correct. Will you teach me? You'll be paid accordingly, of course," Ling Zhang said.

"This...... Of course I'm willing to teach you, young master. But learning martial arts isn't as easy as you think. At the beginning stage, getting hurt is inevitable. Are you sure about this, young master?" Wang Dashan said.

"I will persevere since I've already made up my mind. Why don't you teach me first, Master Wang, and see if I can stick to it?" Ling Zhang said.

Wang Dashan was instantly reminded of what had happened at Ling Family yesterday when he noticed Ling Zhang's insistence. He hesitated for a moment, then he finally nodded. "Sure, young master. I have to be thick-skinned to teach you a few tricks. But if you're really interested to learn, you can invite a Kung Fu expert to stay here with us to teach you."

Just like that, Ling Zhang managed to persuade Wang Dashan to teach him Kung Fu. Ling Zhang jogged and did laps around the guards' quarters with Wang Dashan. After that, they did some stretching. It took two hours just to complete these exercises. The sky was already bright by the time they were done.

Ling Zhang had never exercised like this before. Although Wang Dashan had gone easy on him, Ling Zhang still felt completely drained.

Ling Zhang's body was stiff and utterly inflexible. His hands and feet were shaking so much after the workout routine that he could hardly walk. His clothes were drenched in sweat and he felt a burning pain in his throat whenever he took a breath.

Ling Zhang's mind, however, was full of vigor. His eyes were brighter than ever.

Wang Dashan felt very surprised. He had been expecting Ling Zhang to give up halfway through the workout. But Ling Zhang had surprised him by completing the entire workout without a single complaint.

Wang Dashan was starting to believe that Ling Zhang was serious about learning Kung Fu.

"I'll be here again tomorrow morning," Ling Zhang said.

"Okay, young master. I'll be waiting for you. By the way, young master, might I remind you to rub yourself with medicinal oil after you get back. Otherwise, the pain will be unbearable," Wang Dashan said.

Ling Zhang nodded. "Alright, Master Wang. Thank you for the reminder."

Ling Zhang left the guards' quarters and returned to his courtyard. Despite his exhaustion, his gait was strong and steady.

"Young master, what......what on God's green earth happened to you?" Xiafeng was stunned for a while when he saw Ling Zhang walking in half-dead and sweating all over.

"Prepare some hot water and ointment for me, please," Ling Zhang said.

Xiafeng carried out the order immediately.

"Is Maomao awake?"

"Not yet," Xiafeng answered.

Ling Zhang looked up at the sky and said, "It's time to wake him up."