"Ehem, young master Zheng, why do you need to take out? Are you not full yet?"
There were still many unfinished dishes left on the table.
"Who's not full? What do you take me for, a pig?!"
Wan Zheng's voice rose slightly, and his stern gaze made him resemble the original body owner even more.
"It's not like that, brother. You know I would never speak of such a thing."
Huffing under his breath, Wan Zheng released a cold, dismissive snort.
"I want the takeout, of course, to bring home. I need to fatten up the boy I'm going to sell, right? If the noble family you mentioned doesn't like my bastard's son because he's skinny, he won't sell well. How could I let go of such a fortune?"
Lying through his teeth was second nature to him.
That smug smile tugged at his lips, and his brows lifted with a trace of irritation, making Wan Zheng look almost identical to the original Wan Zheng.
And the wriggling fish had taken the bait so easily, jumping straight into his basket.
With the slick snap of his fan closing, Ji Yin leaned closer to whisper to young master Zheng.
"My brother… there's no need to yell it out loud."
A number of men with little standing were now entering the Lailou Inn.
It still left one's heart uneasy.
What if they heard it?
Ji Yin thought his cool reputation in this small town would be at risk. He could not let it fall through.
Noticing that no one was looking their way, a flicker of relief passed across Ji Yin's polite brows.
He immediately returns to business.
The fact that this idiotic young master Zheng finally fell for one of his tricks.
Isn't it a wonderful feeling to see one of those arrogant nobles so easily deceived?
Ji Yin's heart laughed with silent glee.
Just thinking of the money he would get from selling one of those little bastards that young master Zheng has.
It would probably be a lot for him to receive, which would finally allow him to save up and leave this stinky town sooner than he had expected.
"No need to fatten it up, young master Zheng. I can talk to the Ning family's housekeeper. As long as it can walk, talk, and see, the silvers are guaranteed to fetch over a hundred!"
Ji Yin's sly look, mocking smile, and eyes gleaming with greed made Wan Zheng's gaze deadly cold for a split second.
Then he returned to his usual annoyed expression, subtly pushing the other away from his face.
The smell of Ji Yin's bad breath hit him, one of Wan Zheng's most disliked pet peeves.
"The Ning family, you say? The noble relatives living in this town… I heard they once threw a servant out for being skinny." Wan Zheng muttered, recalling an incident involving the Ning family.
Last week, a young boy servant was thrown into the mass grave next to the mountain.
Everyone said it was because young master Ning's third son no longer liked his servant for being skinny.
The next day, the servant boy was placed in a small cart and taken away.
Ji Yin knew the original body owner had five sons he disliked.
So, when the Ning family was eager to buy a new playmate-slash-servant for the third young master's son, Ji Yin coaxed the original Wan Zheng while he was drunk.
The original Wan Zheng agreed without thinking.
But it was a good thing that he was too slow to act.
No contract was signed, and no money had changed hands yet.
Wan Zheng was somewhat grateful for that, relieved he didn't have to go through the hell of selling his son from the very start of his second life.
Shrugging his head with a mocking snort, he murmured.
"I won't sell it as long as my bastard is fat enough to bring me more fortune!"
"You cannot do that!" Ji Yin raised his voice, almost slamming his hand on the table full of dishes.
It was as if he suddenly saw the silver coins taking flight with grown wings the moment he heard those words.
If the idiotic young master backed out, what would happen to his ticket out of this small town!?
No way—he couldn't allow this.
"Look, look… I can talk to the Ning family's housekeeper to see how much the bastard would fetch!"
"Why are you raising your voice at me, huh? And where's my takeout!?" Wan Zheng scornfully glared at Ji Yin's frantic persuasion.
Then he shouted at the staff of Lailou Inn, catching everyone's attention.
Mr. Zhang hurriedly came, anxious, along with the other waiters who didn't want to anger their special customer.
"Young Master Zheng, our apologies. We'll make sure your takeout is properly packed."
"Hurry, hurry! I need to be somewhere."
"Yes, yes!"
Bowing nearly ninety degrees, as the old man had done for almost his entire life, his sweat was nearly visible to the naked eye.
One after another, small bamboo baskets and paper pouches of food were carefully placed in front of the table.
Inside the baskets, neatly wrapped dumplings, chicken, and braised meats peeked through the paper, and the aroma of freshly cooked rice lingered in the air.
Wan Zheng looked at them with a satisfied expression.
The food for his new family, five sons and one wife, was secured.
He specifically asked for white rice for this family, who had never dared to eat it before.
"Well then, it's truly a good meal at Lailou Inn again!"
Wan Zheng stood up swaggering and picked up all the baskets tied together.
"We're glad you enjoyed the meal and our service, Young Master Zheng… then may I ask for the payment?"
Mr. Zhang asked, his voice flattering, cautious, and reluctant, though the greedy glint in his eyes betrayed his excitement for the tip.
Wan Zheng halted, eyeing the older waiter as if he knew nothing.
"What payment are you talking about?"
"The payment… for all of these dishes…?"