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Wu Ma stood at the doorway, feeding the horse with some tender green grass she somehow found, carefully.

The horse was a uniform tawny color, with a vertical white stripe that ran from its forehead straight down to its nose.

It had been washed clean, its coat glistening and glossy, robust in stature, with even the mane on its shoulders and the long hairs on its tail combed neatly.

It was clearly tended to meticulously by its owner on a regular basis.

This was the most common type of palomino.

Named for its tawny mane.

Horses can’t match oxen in terms of pulling power or endurance, so few households use them for farm work. They are natural-born runners, and even the most common palomino can outrun cattle and donkeys.

Moreover, their back strength is somewhat better than that of an ox, allowing them to carry people or goods.

Their main function is as a ’means of transportation*.

It is a relatively luxurious means of transportation, unaffordable and unsustainable for most families.

Qin Niu might not know how to judge a horse, but he could tell this was a fine one. It had broad, strong shoulders and well-developed muscles in its hind legs, indicating a robust physique. It was likely one of the best among the palominos.

In this world, a person’s status could easily be deduced from their means of transport and attire.

Not to mention anything else, just this horse alone revealed a certain status of the carriage’s owner, but it was limited to that of a local notable.

Using a palomino to pull a carriage and act prestigious in the city? That would be laughable.

Looking at the carriage, its craftsmanship was also decent, but at best it could only be described as sturdy, far from being called exquisite, let alone luxurious.

Just the two shafts alone significantly reduced its value.

You could tell at a glance that they were made from ordinary willow wood, valued primarily for solidity and durability to ensure the carriage wouldn’t fall apart or have a shaft break while speeding along.

Then there was the carriage’s width, three feet wide, about one meter.

This width was suitable for a single-horse carriage.

And it had no coach box, just a tarpaulin canopy, somewhat reminiscent of an ancient boat shed.

The top was arched to facilitate the runoff of rainwater from both sides on rainy days.

Even the canopy top seemed somewhat shabby, just planks fitted together and coated with tung oil. A slightly more upscale carriage would have a brass cap on top, durable and leak-proof.

Luxury carriages were a whole different matter, extravagantly built beyond ordinary people’s wildest dreams.

After quietly scrutinizing the carriage for a moment, Qin Niu concluded that the visitor to Wang Furen’s home must be one of the local lower-tier elites.

His status was above that of Wang Furen, Xu Zhenchang, and Wang Haikun, but nowhere near comparable to Yan Ruohai.

He wondered to himself, could it be that someone was here to propose to Miss Wang?

During Wang Furen’s fiftieth birthday celebration, it was said that he publicly announced his daughter would soon reach the age of marriage and hoped to find her a wealthy gentleman.

Age wasn’t an issue as long as she wouldn’t become a concubine.

‘Becoming a concubine’ meant becoming someone’s secondary wife.

Miss Wang was now at the tender age of cardamom years, which in ancient times was considered the purest and most beautiful time for a girl.

The term ‘cardamom years’ also implied virginity, like a flower bud yet to bloom, untouched by men.

Generally, girls of this age were sought after for marriage.

Many would first send the betrothal gifts, settle the marriage contract, and then wait for the girl to reach the appropriate age before welcoming her into their family.

The appropriate age was fifteen.

In this world, girls were expected to marry when they reached the flowering age of fifteen.

Otherwise, they would be subjected to gossip, as if there were an issue, rendering them unmarriageable.

Boys would usually marry at sixteen, but for very poor families, it wasn’t uncommon to remain unmarried even at sixty-six.

“All Niu, hurry back and wash up, then come over, Steward Yan Qi is looking for you!”

Wu Ma saw Qin Niu coming back from the mountain with a basket on his back and quickly called out to him.

“Looking for me?”

Qin Niu was extremely surprised.

“Yes, he came specifically to see you; he’s been waiting for a good while now. Quickly go wash and change your clothes before coming over!”

Wu Mama nodded in confirmation.

It seemed that Wang Furen had instructed her to specifically guard the entrance to tend to the guests’ horses, while also waiting for Qin Niu’s return.

“Alright!”

Qin Niu didn’t know why Steward Yan Qi suddenly wanted to see him.

For such a summons from a personage of high stature, he currently had no power to refuse.

Of course, he could refuse, but the consequences would surely be grim.

Anyone with a normal intelligence would certainly wash up, change into clean clothes, and hurry over.

Ordinary villagers could not necessarily meet Steward Yan even if they wished to.

He had thought someone had come to propose marriage to Wang Wanyan, but it turned out to be a servant from the Yan Family who had come.

Steward Yan Qi was bought by the Yan Family as a young child and then trained and raised bit by bit.

Nobody knew his original surname; servants generally took on a servile surname.

He was considered a standout and a success story among servants, earning the admiration and trust of Yan Ruohai through hard work, and eventually not only became the steward of the Yan Family but was also granted the Yan surname.

This signified that his status in the Yan Family was equivalent to that of tangential blood relations.

The Yan Family had many stewards, and the most formidable was the chief steward, who was the leader of all stewards.

Qin Niu, being just an ordinary farmer, was already greatly honored to meet one of the Yan Family’s stewards; to be sought personally by the Yan Family’s chief steward? That was indeed wishful thinking.

Without strength and status, one simply was not qualified to meet a person of the chief steward’s ranking in the Yan Family.

He went home, took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and arrived at Wang Furen’s residence.

The opulently decorated main hall contained an exquisitely carved set of rosewood furniture, including a desk, four tall tea tables, four folding chairs, four armchairs, screens, and other items.

Two pots of quiet orchids were grown against the wall of the hall.

From one of them sprouted a light green flower bud, with its faint fragrance drifting gently to the nose.

Mounted on the wall were framed paintings, primarily of flowers and birds.

In the center hung a ‘Hall of Illumination* picture flanked by two long, paired couplets.

The picture of the ‘Hall of Illumination* was not of immortals nor did it depict auspicious symbols for longevity such as gourds or the rising sun. Instead, it depicted an ox pulling a plow.

The top scroll: Heaven rewards the diligent, with this body emulating the hardworking ox.

The bottom scroll: If one fears hardship, in this life how can they leap through the dragon gate?

Quite interesting, isn’t it just about Wang Furen himself?

From humble beginnings, with hard work in commerce, he finally amassed a great fortune, leading a life of affluence many people dream of.

In the main hall’s seat of honor sat Wang Furen and a young man who appeared to be only in his thirties.

A length of beard grew beneath his chin, lending him an air of refinement and gravity.

He was clothed in a blue garment with an insignia the size of a teacup embroidered in black with the character for Yan.

Although the young man’s countenance couldn’t be considered handsome, his eyes were bright and clear, his features well-proportioned, exuding an optimistic and forward-looking air of integrity. A hint of shrewdness lurked in his gaze.

No wonder he could distinguish himself from the multitude of Yan servants at such a young age and achieve such a distinguished status.

With such a temperament, he could never be a mediocre person.

Heaven rewards the diligent; those who strive will naturally not fall too low in life.

If they also possess some wisdom and learning, then they’re even more extraordinary, standing out easily among others.

In conversation with Wang Furen, the young man’s presence seemed to subtly outclass Wang Furen himself. Keep in mind, Wang Furen is over fifty, and this man is only thirty!

Lacking twenty years of life experiences yet managing to surpass Wang Furen in bearing, it’s due to his diligent learning and continual self-improvement.

“Ah Niu, why did you come back so late? This is Steward Yan Qi from the Yan residence, in charge of farming and tea cultivation matters. He came right after noon, specifically to find you and has been waiting for more than an hour.”

Although Wang Furen usually did not pay much attention to Qin Niu, he did look out for him in certain matters to some extent.

“Hurry and apologize to Steward Yan Qi! You just stand there, slack-jawed; no wonder the villagers all call you a fool!”

This was Wang Furen’s way of excusing Qin Niu..