DLMSWSHH Chapter 14

TL: Hua

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Chapter 14: Archives

The nursery was silent.

Zhong Ming held the spoon. Seeing Albert tilt his head and look at him with great surprise, Zhong Ming looked down at the oatmeal in the spoon with some confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you afraid of getting burned?” Zhong Ming looked at the still steaming oatmeal, skillfully blew on it to cool it down, and then brought it to the boy’s mouth: “Eat it; it’s not hot now.”

Albert’s emerald eyes widened. His gaze fell on the lips of the person before him, which were pouted from blowing on the food. In an instant, he was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; the hair all over his body stood on end.

Seeing his stiff reaction, Zhong Ming froze. It finally dawned on him that Albert probably didn’t need to be spoon-fed.

Oh no. This seems to be a habit he picked up from the orphanage, where he was used to taking care of the younger children.

Zhong Ming bit his lip awkwardly. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Albert leaned in and bit the spoon.

Zhong Ming’s eyes widened slightly as he watched the boy’s thick lashes lower, casting shadows on his fair, tender cheeks. Albert took the oatmeal into his mouth with a cold expression, chewed, and swallowed.

Then, he stared at Zhong Ming with eyes as large and round as a Persian cat’s.

Zhong Ming blinked, scooped another spoonful, and brought it to the boy’s lips.

The two continued like this, one feeding, one eating. The small bowl of oatmeal was soon empty. Zhong Ming gradually relaxed, thinking that perhaps he had mistaken; maybe Madam Sharon had taken care of Albert this way too.

After finishing the oatmeal, Zhong Ming used a fork to cut the fruit into small pieces and served them to Albert. Then, he dampened a towel with warm water and meticulously wiped the corners of the boy’s mouth.

Albert looked down at him, unsure of his own feelings, but he didn’t stop Zhong Ming.

When breakfast was finished and the clock struck nine, the tutor, Joan, arrived precisely at the nursery door.

“Young Master Albert.” Joan stood in the doorway, wearing a royal blue velvet gown. Her blonde hair was pinned back, revealing a beautiful face. She first gave a slight nod to Albert, then looked at Zhong Ming, a small smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. “Xiao Zhong.”

Zhong Ming was surprised, but he nodded back and stepped aside to let Joan enter. As the woman walked past him, Zhong Ming noticed she was quite tall, half a head taller than him. Her upright neck and shoulders made her look like a beautiful white swan.

However, as Albert looked at her, his expression was anything but pleasant. “What are you doing here?”

He glared at Joan, his exquisite features clouded with gloom. “Didn’t I tell you not to come back?”

Albert’s tone was icy, enough to make one’s heart skip a beat. Joan, however, remained calm. She walked gracefully to the desk and set down her briefcase, then turned and looked down at Albert. “Don’t be willful, Young Master Albert.”

She reached out, seemingly wanting to stroke the top of the boy’s head, and smiled. “Today’s lesson is very interesting.”

Slap.

But before she could finish, Albert swatted her hand away. Seeing the boy looking at her with total resistance, Joan’s smile didn’t change, but a hint of coldness seeped into the corners of her eyes. “What’s the matter, Young Master?” Her tone dropped an octave, and ignoring Albert’s resistance, she pressed her hand onto the top of his head. “Didn’t we agree yesterday that you would become a greater adult than the Duke?”

Hearing this, Albert’s brow twitched and his face grew even darker. Yet, he stopped resisting, allowing Joan to stroke his head. He looked like a wild cat holding back its claws.

“Good boy.”

Joan withdrew her hand after two strokes and tilted her head slightly. “We are going to begin our lesson. Xiao Zhong, come back at noon.”

Zhong Ming stood behind them. From his angle, he couldn’t see exactly what they were doing, but he gathered from the conversation that the young master was reluctant to attend class.

It seems children being averse to school is the same everywhere. Zhong Ming nodded and turned toward the door; he still had to help in the archives. Seeing him about to leave, Albert’s breath hitched. He instinctively wanted to turn his head to look at him, but Joan blocked his line of sight first. The woman pressed a hand onto his shoulder and said in a voice only the two of them could hear.

“Don’t look, Albert.”

Zhong Ming didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary. He turned, and his figure disappeared through the doorway.

In the early morning, the sun slowly rose from the edge of the forest, a golden orb hanging high above the black woods. Sunlight spilled down, illuminating the treetops. A flock of large birds was startled from deep within the forest, wings fluttering as they whistled past the window.

The archives were located on the other side of the mansion. Zhong Ming crossed the entire main hall, walked through a dimly lit corridor, and reached the most secluded corner. Only then did he stop and look up at the two heavy wooden doors.

To be honest, he didn’t really want to go in.

Zhong Ming took a few light breaths. After mentally preparing himself, he raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.

A cold male voice immediately came from inside: “Come in.”

Zhong Ming pushed the door open and entered. He saw Tao wearing a moon-white suit, leaning casually against the desk. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose as he read a document.

Hearing the movement at the door, he looked up from the document. After his eyes swept over Zhong Ming, he stood up unhurriedly and snapped the file shut.

All in all, he looked incredibly flamboyant. Watching Tao’s array of poses, Zhong Ming felt that this man was quite different from the other servants in the mansion. From his hair meticulously slicked back with pomade to the angle at which his chin was tilted, the man practically radiated the word pretentious.

Zhong Ming lowered his eyes and stared at his toes. He felt the man’s half-smiling gaze settle on him, followed by the sound of footsteps. A pair of polished leather shoes appeared in his field of vision.

“Let’s get one thing straight.” The man’s mocking voice rang out above his head. “I am not as easily fooled as that peasant Matthew.”

Zhong Ming didn’t react; he remained standing there calmly with downcast eyes. Tao looked at the youth’s submissive appearance and snorted, the words “blockhead beauty” popping into his mind. He really had nothing to say to a foolish farmer with such low-class taste like Matthew.

Losing interest, Tao turned back to the desk and lightly pressed a spot underneath it.

With a click, Zhong Ming looked up. Tao was standing behind the desk and pulled a long, thin black object out of a drawer, placing it on the tabletop—

It was a black leather whip.

Zhong Ming’s breath hitched slightly, and his hands subconsciously curled up.

Tao pulled out a chair and sat down, propping his chin on one hand. As if sensing Zhong Ming’s tension, the corners of his mouth curled slightly. “Don’t be nervous.” He reached out, his ringed finger flicking the whip.

“I won’t hit you without reason.” His eyes behind the lenses curved, strangely reminiscent of a fox. “Punishment only comes if you make a mistake.”

“I usually give my assistants two chances.” Tao held up three fingers and looked at Zhong Ming with a smile. “You look quite stupid, so I’ll be exceptionally merciful and give you three.”

“I will only punish you if you make three consecutive mistakes. Very generous, isn’t it?”

He tilted his head back, his gaze sliding from Zhong Ming’s slightly pale face down to the youth’s straight, slender legs. A faint glint of excitement flashed in his pupils. “I already hit your hand last time. This time, we’ll use your calves.”

After a few seconds, Tao withdrew his gaze from Zhong Ming’s ankles. Seeing Zhong Ming’s expression, as if facing a great enemy, he narrowed his eyes with pleasure. Although he hated Zhong Ming’s pretentious act and felt disgruntled by “that person’s” favoritism toward him, he had to admit that bullying him was much more fun than bullying those rugged, thick-skinned menservants from the lower levels.

After all, the sight of the youth tremblingly holding out a hand that was tender as a white rose and covered in whip marks was quite aesthetically pleasing.

Tao realized he was becoming a bit too excited and took a shallow breath.

Just then, the youth’s weak voice sounded: “Excuse me… what do you need me to help with?”

Hearing that voice, Tao snapped out of his reverie and looked up at Zhong Ming, who was bowing deeply. After a brief thought, he pulled a document out of the drawer and tossed it to Zhong Ming.

“I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Tao leaned back, crossing his hands over his knees, and watched with a smile as Zhong Ming picked up the documents. “Those are the accounts from the past month. I’ll give you the entire morning to sort them out.”

To some extent, Tao wasn’t lying. If maintained properly, a month’s worth of accounts should have been clear at a glance. However, the bookkeeping was a collective effort by the mansion’s servants, and most of them were poorly educated. Some, like Matthew, had been raised with a church education and were essentially illiterate.

As Zhong Ming flipped open the ledger, his eyes immediately met a mess of chaotic handwriting on the first page. He subconsciously knitted his brows.

Watching his expression, the smile on Tao’s lips deepened. He pulled out a chair from the side and gestured for Zhong Ming to sit.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me.”

Tao’s gaze followed Zhong Ming. As he watched the youth sit at the desk, Tao’s posture became even more relaxed, like a benevolent senior.

However, Zhong Ming merely spared him a single glance before lowering his head and beginning to write and sketch on the paper without a word.

Seeing this, Tao’s brow furrowed suddenly. He leaned back against his chair with a mocking huff; it was rare for him to show a bit of kindness, yet this person chose to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.

If the boy had asked, Tao might have been in the mood to give him a few pointers for the sake of that face.

Crossing his arms, Tao watched Zhong Ming’s bowed head as he wrote feverishly. He didn’t even bother to look at what was being written. With a cold sneer playing on his lips, Tao picked up a book and began to read. The two sat at opposite ends of the desk, one focused on the accounts, the other leaning back with a book. For a moment, the atmosphere was actually quite peaceful.

Tao had prepared himself for a long morning, specifically choosing a thick tome to read slowly. The yellowish pages were packed with dense text, but he had barely turned a few pages, hardly finishing the preface, when he heard the soft click of a fountain pen being placed on the desk.

“Done.”

Zhong Ming put down his pen, met Tao’s surprised gaze, and said in his usual low voice, “I’ve finished.”

Holding his book, Tao stared back at Zhong Ming. After a long silence, his brow twitched, and he snapped the book shut with a loud thud. Under Zhong Ming’s calm gaze, Tao approached step by step, a half-smile on his face.

“Are you sure?” He clearly didn’t believe Zhong Ming could finish so quickly. He snatched up the documents with a slightly rough motion, his narrow eyes sweeping over Zhong Ming’s face. “You know you only have three chances, right? If you waste them so carelessly—”

His eyes landed on the papers, and he suddenly froze.

The pages were filled with neat, elegant handwriting. The document clearly and simply categorized every single transaction. As the mansion’s acting accountant, Tao knew the cash flow like the back of his hand. When his eyes fell on the final total, his heart skipped a beat.

Not a penny off. The accounts balanced perfectly.

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