It took Tang Yi an enormous amount of effort to get clean, especially his tangled hair. He almost wished he could shave it all off. Fortunately, there were soap pods in the house, and he finally managed to wash some of the grime away. While he was scrubbing, he spotted a razor tucked in a corner. He cleaned it off and shaved his beard, using the slightly murky water as a mirror.
By the time he emerged, Wen Yan had finished bathing, emptied the tub, scrubbed it, and set it out in the courtyard to dry. Clean, the young man looked much prettier, but he was still wearing the same shabby coarse-cloth outfit. Tang Yi hurriedly tossed him some clothes.
“These are mine. Wear them for now,” Tang Yi said as he dried his hair.
The young man had not changed clothes for one simple reason: these were the only clothes he owned. Holding the clean coarse-cloth garments against his chest, Wen Yan stared dazedly at the transformed man before him.
Tang Yi turned toward him. “What is it?”
Wen Yan snapped back to himself, shook his head, and hurried indoors to change without saying a word.
Tang Yi had always known he was gay. Now that the young man was clean, he realized that the slender, pretty youth was exactly the sort of person he found appealing.
Fair skin, large watery eyes, and pink lips—precisely the type he liked. The former owner had truly been a fool who could not appreciate what was in front of him. How could anyone bring himself to beat such a lovely young third-gender husband? It was inhuman.
Still, Young Master Tang had never lacked companionship. Wen Yan's beauty had impressed him for a moment, nothing more. To Tang Yi, the boy was primarily a character in the System's mission: someone he had to keep fed.
Carrying the clothes into the inner room, Wen Yan put them on in a hurry. Only then did it sink in that the rotten man had washed himself and shaved. He was actually rather handsome. Not so much delicately pretty as rugged and distinctly masculine. Usually he was so filthy and disheveled that it was easy to forget he was only twenty, in the prime of his youth.
Tang Yi's clothes were rather large on Wen Yan, hanging loosely from his thin frame. When he came out, Tang Yi handed him a pair of shoes. “The ground is cold. Put these on.”
Wen Yan obeyed without protest.
Once Tang Yi was presentable, he prepared to go out. He instructed the young man, “Find something to eat at home. Don't go out again today. I've got to make a trip.”
Wen Yan blinked and nodded silently. Was Tang Yi going to contact a buyer?
If Tang Yi had known what Wen Yan was thinking, he would have cried to the heavens to clear his name. He only wanted to go and find work. His mission was to keep them both fed for an entire month. How was he supposed to do that without a job? Besides, he was waiting for his mission reward!
That reward might help him build a better life!
While Wen Yan obediently stayed at home, Tang Yi dressed neatly and headed straight for his elder brother's house, following the route preserved in the former owner's memories.
He met several villagers along the way. They all stared at him as though he were a stranger, leaving him speechless. Simply washing his hair, changing clothes, and shaving had amounted to a complete transformation for the old Tang Yi. No wonder they could barely recognize him.
And it was not just the villagers. When he entered his brother's courtyard and called out, even the man who came to meet him stood stunned.
Tang Shi stared at the tall, thin young man for quite a while before tentatively asking, “Little brother?”
Tang Yi smiled ruefully. “Big Brother, don't tell me you don't recognize me either.”
Tang Shi quickly put down his work, pulled him closer, and examined him from head to toe. “What's happened to you?”
Tang Yi got straight to the point. “Big Brother, I've come to my senses. I can't go on living like this forever. I've got a household of my own now. I need to find myself a proper job.”
Tang Shi was both surprised and delighted. He slapped Tang Yi on the back so enthusiastically he nearly knocked him apart, then laughed aloud. “You've finally figured it out, you rascal! Good, good! That's the spirit. As it happens, a wealthy household in town is shipping goods out and hiring people to move cargo at the docks. I know the manager. I'll take you there tomorrow.”
Tang Yi felt rather miserable at the thought of manual labor, but it would do. At least it was work, and he could earn a little money. He would take things one step at a time. So he agreed.
Tang Shi was overjoyed. He brought Tang Yi inside and talked with him for a long while. Whatever had happened, he still loved his younger brother dearly. For years, he had saved scraps from his own family's meals to give to Tang Yi; otherwise Tang Yi would have starved long ago. To discover that his brother finally wanted to turn over a new leaf and live properly filled him with relief.
Before Tang Yi left, Tang Shi asked his wife, Zhou Rong, to pack five eggs for him. He would need his strength for work the next day, so he ought to eat more.
