The sudden changes were too overwhelming for Yuna to take in, but she still sensibly followed the mute servant out.
Ever since she almost starved to death in this world, she had understood one thing—this place was nothing like the world she came from. While women had special privileges, revealing your identity could bring danger too. After all, she had no one to rely on here. Who knew what kind of man might snatch her away just to use her for reproduction?
And to make things worse, this world practiced polyandry. Just thinking about it made her feel uneasy.
She slung the backpack she had with her when she transmigrated over her shoulder and headed toward the house the mute boy had pointed out. It was a large estate—ancient, elegant, and massive. A plaque hung high above the gate, with bold calligraphy spelling out "Yan Residence."
She hesitated, then gently knocked on the door. No matter what, she had found a place to stay. She would definitely have to thank this Young Master Yan someday.
Young Master Yan's name was Yan Xi. He was twenty-three years old, which in this era was already considered old. The servants whispered that he had been divorced, which was why he now hid away in this city called Donglin. Originally, he was from the capital.
Because he treated his servants kindly, he had a good reputation in Donglin. But people often sighed—it was such a waste that someone with his talent and looks had to hide away in a remote little town.
At first, Yuna thought he was just heartbroken and didn't want to chase fame and fortune anymore. Later, she learned that this twisted dynasty had an unwritten rule: regardless of a man's status, if he got divorced or became a concubine instead of a husband, he would lose all his titles and official rank.
Because of this, Yan Xi could no longer serve in the government or attend gatherings with the noble class.
No wonder he always looked sad and quiet. Just a divorce, and a man had to fall so far—it really was unfair.
As Yuna adjusted to life in the estate, she couldn't help but feel indignant for Yan Xi. She was assigned to work in the kitchen. Compared to her past experiences fighting for day jobs at the docks, kitchen work was easy. She no longer had the spoiled attitude she had in the modern world.
There weren't many people in the Yan residence—about five in the front yard. In the kitchen, besides her, there were only three others. Two were disabled servant boys, one around twelve, the other over forty. The third was a rough-looking handyman who helped with all the heavy lifting.
Seeing the disabled boys reminded Yuna again of how messed up this world was.
Because there were more men than women, some poor families would castrate their sons at a young age and sell them to rich households to serve the women. Just like eunuchs in ancient times, except those lived in palaces—these ones lived among common folk and could still end up hungry, cold, or sold off again.
These two disabled boys had been sold after making mistakes in their previous households. Yan Xi, feeling pity for them, bought them despite having no women in his household and let them work in the kitchen.
Yuna shared a room with the twelve-year-old, Enhua. The kid was extremely clever, and with his delicate features and soft voice, he looked more like a girl than she did.
"Xiao Yuna, is your porridge ready? The young master is awake," Enhua called as he walked in, breaking Yuna's train of thought.
His voice was just like a girl's. Yuna sighed. As a woman, she really felt a bit overshadowed by him.
"Almost done. If the fire's too strong, it'll burn." She quickly used the fire-blower to fan the flames. The fire in the stove roared up a bit.
"I'm going out to buy some vegetables before the market closes. When the porridge's done, bring it to the young master with the side dishes," Enhua said.
"Okay, go ahead." Yuna waved, coughed from the smoke, then stood up to lift the wooden lid. Steam shot out and scalded her hand.
"Ow…" It really hurt, but she didn't have time to baby herself. To keep this job, she had to satisfy the boss!
She hadn't even graduated college yet, and now she was already thrown into the working world. Was this punishment for always complaining she hated school? She arranged the porridge and side dishes and rushed to the dining room in the front yard. Yan Xi liked to eat there because of the beautiful view—the red maples and early frost made it look like a painting.
She walked fast so the food wouldn't get cold, but in doing so, completely forgot about the tall thresholds typical of ancient buildings.
Thump—
"…Are you okay?" Yan Xi had just sat down when he saw her fall flat on her face, one leg kicked up in the air and twitching slightly.
He looked like he was trying to hide his embarrassment and said quietly, "Sorry." Then he got up and began to clean up.
"Mute boy, help Yuna clean this up," he instructed. Then he turned to her and said gently, "Don't rush. Being steady is more important."
"Yes, Young Master." Her face burned with shame. How embarrassing—messing up like this in front of someone so elegant and graceful, who also happened to be her benefactor.
But Yuna had a thick skin. A moment later, she comforted herself—it was the threshold's fault, not hers. Doing a good job was what really mattered. She went back to the kitchen, prepared another set of food, this time carefully stepping over the threshold, and laid it out for Yan Xi. She only relaxed once he started eating.
After finishing his meal, Yan Xi seemed free and didn't want to go outside because of the cold weather. He said to Yuna, who was cleaning up, "Come to my study after lunch."
"Yes, sir." Go to his study? Yuna was actually excited. She quickly finished eating and headed over.
She knocked, and a clear, pleasant voice came from inside: "Come in."
Yuna stepped in and saw that the study was bright and well-designed. The books were not only numerous but also neatly arranged. The whole room smelled faintly of ink—just like Yan Xi himself. He sat upright, reading. Pointing to the corner of the desk, he said, "There are some characters here. Come write them and remember them."
Yuna froze. He was going to teach her to write?
Was it really okay for a man and woman to be alone in a room like this? Wait—no. She was a man now. A man, not a woman. She reminded herself firmly and bowed. "Thank you, Young Master." Of course she could write—just not in traditional characters.
She slowly approached the desk and sat on the chair he had prepared. They were almost sitting face to face. The desk was wide, but from her angle, she could see the long lashes on his eyes. The distance felt… a little too close. But no, girl, don't overthink. You're not from this world, and even if you're stuck here, you don't deserve a man like him!
She subconsciously touched her own face. It was cute, sure, but still far from beautiful. While she was thinking that, Yan Xi picked up a sheet of paper and said, "This character reads as 'Cheng,' your surname." Then he pointed at the next two characters—"Zi Yuan"—and read them aloud, asking her to copy them with a brush.
As someone used to ballpoint pens, she had no idea how to handle a brush. She pressed too hard and turned horizontal strokes into dots. Still, she had learned to write before, so memorizing came quickly. In less than half an hour, she had already written her name and the numbers one to ten.