TEFSCBSS Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Truth Behind the Wang Family’s Pig Farming

Han Yueyi and Wang Boke walked out of the west building together and climbed into the family carriage.

Han Yueyi raised the wine in his hand and said, “Thanks, we’ll play together again when there’s a new script.”

“Heh, the day I play with you will be the day I die! I’m bringing my beauties along!” Wang Boke huffed as he let down the curtain and urged the second servant to hurry up and drive the carriage back to the Wang manor. At the entrance of the manor, Wang Taifu was holding a spiked club, weighing it in his hand and waiting in a dark mood for Wang Boke to return home.

“Hmph, it’s this late and he’s still not back—he’s probably drunk at some brothel or some tavern again!”

The butler and a few servants stood awkwardly behind him, not daring to say anything. They could only silently pray that the young master would return home soon and avoid a few extra beatings.

The sound of the carriage wheels gradually approached from the alley. The butler’s eyes lit up in relief. It seemed that the second servant had learned his lesson and had managed to convince the young master to return on time.

Wang Taifu remained silent, his face darkening as he watched the slowly approaching carriage. “Hmph, he chooses to come back just in time to make me hold back my anger? I have to reduce my lifespan because of this unfilial child!”

The poor Wang Boke, exhausted from a day of mental exertion and endless talking, was finally helped out of the carriage by the second servant. His eyes were half-closed from sleep, and just as he was about to step onto the stairs, there was a loud thud.

He barely managed to open his bleary eyes and look up. A long, black, thorn-covered object was thrown at his feet. It looked strangely familiar—what was it?

“Second servant, my eyesight’s not too good tonight, can you tell me what this is?”

The second servant was speechless.

He dared not say a word, his hand trembling as he helped Wang Boke.

“That’s your favorite spiked club. Don’t you recognize it?”

A gentle, yet strangely fierce voice sounded from ahead. It sounded warm, yet threatening. Wang Boke struggled to open his eyes, trying to make sense of the situation. He saw an elderly man with graying hair standing in front of him. The man resembled him, and the more he looked, the more familiar he became. A sense of unease washed over him until the second servant, unable to contain his anxiety, quickly knelt and called out, “Master!”

“Oh, it’s my grandfather!”

Wait… my grandfather?

Suddenly realizing, Wang Boke hastily knelt as well, and both master and servant knelt in unison, trembling like leaves in the wind. Wang Boke immediately felt wide awake, no longer sleepy, and even thought he could return to the brothel for a while.

Wang Taifu sniffed and scoffed, “Oh, not bad, you didn’t come home drunk today? And no sign of perfume on you?”

“Yes, yes, I didn’t dare go anywhere. I’ve been listening to your teachings, Grandfather, and I didn’t slack off for a moment.”

“Really? My good, obedient grandson. Then tell me, what did you do all day?”

Wang Boke tensed up, worried that he might have done something wrong and that another beating awaited him. He mentally retraced everything he had done that day.

Hmm? Wait… he hadn’t done anything bad. He had been praised by everyone and led them to victory. His name was even in the top ten on the leaderboard (though, honestly, there were only about twenty people, so what was there to brag about?). Why should he be afraid?

With that thought, Wang Boke puffed out his chest, feeling proud.

“Grandfather, I help improved your reputation today, so you can’t hit me!”

“Heh, let’s hear it,” Wang Taifu scoffed, clearly amused by Wang Boke’s words. “Improved my reputation? You’re causing me to lose reputation in the capital!”

Wang Boke cleared his throat and recounted his experience at the West Tower Script Store, including the three test questions and the games. He even showed Wang Taifu the detective notebook he had. Of course, being a good, loyal friend, he didn’t expose Su Li’s cross-dressing.

“Grandfather, trust me. Look at this detective handbook—I was part of the first script game, and in the end, I found the crucial clue, uncovered the truth, and helped catch the real culprit, earning a reward!”

“Even Boss Zhao praised me, saying that when there’s a new script, they’ll invite me again!”

“The scholars and students all admired me. They were eager to become sworn brothers, but you know, I’m not that kind of person. I turned them down,” Wang Boke emphasized his intelligence, his admiration, and his indifference to fame and fortune.

Wang Taifu rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him. He turned to the second servant. “Is this true?”

Normally, when Wang Boke went to brothels, got drunk, gambled, and squandered money, the second servant would spill every detail. But today was different. He had to tell the truth, as this was the house where Wang Taifu’s word was law. If he lied, he would be thrown out. Of course, even if he told the truth, he’d still get a beating.

But this time, the second servant stood straighter, proud like his young master.

“Master, it’s true. The young master spent the whole day at the West Tower Script Store, playing a game called ‘The Past of Huai Tree Village.’ I can’t say more about the game itself since the shopkeeper asked us to keep it secret for the next players.”

“But everything I said is true. Even the third prince was with us the whole time, and Liu Tuhu, who delivers pigs to our family, was also there. You can ask them to confirm.”

Wang Taifu slammed the teacup down on the table. “Ah, so now you want me to go ask them for confirmation? What’s next? Are you trying to embarrass me even more?”

In reality, Wang Taifu believed him. After all, even Han Yueyi had been mentioned, so it was hard to doubt. As for the West Tower Script game, he was intrigued. The shopkeeper had said that it was open to everyone—young or old. Since he had the day off tomorrow, he thought he might invite a few colleagues to try it out.

Heh, if it turns out to be some kind of improper game, he would make sure to punish this unfilial child when he returned.

But for now, he couldn’t just let this go. What about the insults he’d received from his rivals in court? If he didn’t make a move against them, at least he could deal with his unfilial grandson.

With that, Wang Taifu said to Wang Boke, “No matter what, you did come home late. Everyone had finished their meal before you came back. Should I wait for you?”

“Come inside, I won’t beat you today, but you’ll go feed the pigs!”

“If you can’t bring me the little pig for New Year’s, I’ll treat you like a pig and slaughter you!”

“Second servant, keep an eye on him. Let him feed the pigs and clean the pen before he can eat or sleep!”

“Yes, Master.”

Wang Taifu waved his sleeve grandly and left.

Wang Boke collapsed, leaning on the second servant, feeling down. “Second servant, why is my life so hard?”

“Who ever heard of a young master feeding pigs?”

“Now everyone in the family has to feed pigs. The whole Wang Manor smells like a pigsty. I can’t stand it anymore!”

“Wuwuwu…”

Sighing, the second servant resignedly called over two small servants and helped the grieving Wang Boke toward his courtyard.

The once neat courtyard now had a pen on the left side, where a small pig was eagerly waiting for food, excitedly charging toward the gate when it saw Wang Boke coming.

“Xiaohua, Xiaohua, what are you so happy about? The more you eat, the sooner you’ll die.”

“Forget it, you’ll die sooner or later. It doesn’t matter how much you eat. You’re the one who’s worse off than me.”

Wang Boke, undeterred by the dirt, grabbed the pig food bucket and poured it into the trough, watching the little pig eat contentedly. Then he went to clean the other areas of the pen.

Many courtyards in the Wang Manor shared the same scene. Almost every courtyard had a pig happily enjoying its meal.