When he learned the purpose of the county magistrate's visit, Master Xu was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time, while Madam Xu's face was twisted with resentment.

On the other side.

Several maids rushed to the small, dilapidated courtyard. As soon as they arrived, they immediately had Xu Jingying pulled aside so that he could be bathed and dressed.

Before we could even clean him up, the county magistrate himself came over.

The county magistrate looked at Minghe standing outside and found it strange. The Xu family was a respectable family, so how could they have a servant dressed in such tattered clothes?

Minghe exchanged a glance with the young man in official robes, then walked over and knelt down before him, saying, "My lord... I am pleased!"

The county magistrate looked at the little beggar and was immediately amused, saying, "Good! Good!"

As he spoke, the county magistrate walked over very kindly, reached out his hand to the "little beggar," and helped him up.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Several maids screamed in panic.

Minghe, whose hand was still resting on the county magistrate's, turned around and called out, "Young Master!"

Xu Jingying came out of the house and threw her clothes on the ground.

When Master Xu saw Xu Jingying come out dressed in such tattered clothes, he felt that he had disgraced the Xu family, and his expression became stern.

"Win big! Don't be unreasonable!"

The county magistrate then held Minghe's little hand and looked at the young boy.

This young boy had an incredibly resolute look in his eyes.

Minghe quickly replied, "He is my young master!"

As she spoke, Minghe grabbed the county magistrate's hand and ran towards Xu Jingying.

The magistrate found the little beggar interesting, so he let him lead him to his young master.

Minghe introduced Xu Jingying, speaking like an adult comforting a child: "This is the county magistrate, young master. Say, 'Greetings, county magistrate!'"

Xu Jingying looked up and stared directly at the county magistrate.

The county magistrate smiled, but deep down he felt that this child was not like a child at all.

Xu Jingying seemed not to have heard Minghe's words at all. He knelt down in front of the young man slowly and steadily.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Eh?" Minghe blinked awkwardly and secretly glanced at the county magistrate.

These rules... are pretty strict.

The county magistrate made eye contact with Minghe, squeezed his little hand, and raised an eyebrow at him.

Minghe immediately let go of the county magistrate's hand and, imitating Xu Jingying, knelt down before him again.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Hahaha!" The county magistrate laughed loudly, then turned to Master Xu and said, "Your son is not only exceptionally talented in scholarship, but he has also learned etiquette quite well."

Master Xu chuckled dryly, "You flatter me, sir."

After saying that, the county magistrate personally raised his hand towards Xu Jingying and said, "Get up."

After getting up, Minghe immediately went to make tea. His diligence was truly endearing.

The county magistrate looked around the dilapidated courtyard, but smiled without saying a word.

Even a dog's yard would probably be much better than this.

It seems that the young master of the Xu family is living a truly disgraceful life.

Master Xu had no choice but to reluctantly follow the county magistrate into the house, as he could no longer persuade the magistrate to move.

There weren't even enough stools in the house, so Minghe ran into the kitchen and brought over the low stool used for tending the fire, which finally allowed the three of them to sit down.

The county magistrate didn't seem to care, and in front of Master Xu, he began to inquire about Xu Jingying's studies.

The two, one big and one small, were asking and answering questions, leaving Mr. Xu completely bewildered.

The county magistrate nodded repeatedly and said, "Not bad, not bad! If he passes the imperial examination in the future, I can recommend your son to study at Juxi Academy in Longyang City."

Upon hearing this, Master Xu was so excited that he didn't know where to put his hands.

The county magistrate was very satisfied with his reaction. He then chatted about family matters, saying that he now had four children, none of whom were as intelligent as Xu Jingying.

He also mentioned that his youngest daughter is about the same age as Xu Jingying.

Master Xu immediately understood what he meant.

However, it's not something that can be clearly seen now whether a dragon is a snake or not. Although the county magistrate wouldn't easily arrange the marriage, he did acknowledge a godparent.

Overnight, the least favored young master of the Xu family became the county magistrate's godson.

Mr. Xu was so excited that he couldn't sleep. He paced back and forth, holding Xu Jinying's little shoulders. It was a scene of deep father-son affection, as if the past mistreatment had never existed.

"Oh dear, Ying'er, you absolutely must try your best to please the county magistrate's young lady!"

"You have no idea, our county magistrate is from the capital. He'll be transferred back in a few years!"

"When you pass the imperial examination with flying colors, with his help, your future career will surely be smooth sailing!"

"..."

That very evening, Master Xu prepared a courtyard for him, tidied it up, and let him move in.

They also said that if anything is missing, it can be added later.

Despite it being a joyous occasion, Xu Jinying's stats remained completely unchanged.

Minghe asked him, "Young Master, aren't you happy?"

“I’m happy,” Xu Jingying laughed. “How could I not be happy?”

Xu Jingying took off the pair of shoes that Minghe had sewn for it, and then sat on the clean bed, looking down at them.

Minghe looked at him and walked over.

“My dad wasn’t good to me,” Xu Jingying suddenly looked up and said, “but he’s good to me now.”

“…Hmm,” Minghe squatted down at his feet and asked, “Young Master, do you still hate him now?”

Xu Jingying looked at Minghe with a strange expression, and then suddenly laughed. He was just a young boy, yet his laugh was so beautiful.

[Ding! Xu Jinying's Antisocial Index: 100%!]

Minghe was instantly startled.

Xu Jingying suddenly got off the bed, knelt in front of him, and looked him in the eye. "Brother, do you believe me?"

Minghe said something somewhat insincere, "I believe you, I believe you~"

Xu Jingying hugged him and said, "From now on, Ying'er, will you only trust your brother?"

"Huh?" Minghe laughed. "Young Master, how can a person trust only one person in their entire life?"

Xu Jingying just looked at him and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him, "Yes, from now on, Ying'er will only trust... your brother."

Minghe felt that what he meant by "believe" was not true belief.

"Brother, sleep with Ying'er..."

Lying in bed, Minghe sighed inwardly and asked Xiaoguai, "Xiaoguai, what do you think he's thinking?"

“…I don’t know,” Xiao Guai said with a guilty conscience, “but antisocial personality disorder means that people think differently from ordinary people.”