Chapter 2: The Liu Family

  The newcomer was naturally the second lady of the Sīnánbó estate, this lady surnamed Liǔ and named Rúyù, who had been taken into the estate by Duke Sīnán about a decade ago. This lady's family background was quite impressive, with a national duke among her ancestors within three generations. Therefore, when she married Duke Sīnán as his concubine, it caused quite a stir in the capital - everyone was curious how the Liǔ family could have thought to marry their daughter off to Fàn Jiàn, even though he had already succeeded to Duke Sīnán's title at that time. After all, he was just a distant relative of the powerful Fàn clan. It wasn't until these past ten years, when Duke Sīnán's imperial favor grew and his official position rose, that people finally came to admire the Liǔ family and this lady's sharp insight.

  But it's very strange that Si Nan Bei never made her his official wife, which is absolutely unreasonable from both emotional and social status perspectives of the Liu family.

  Fan Xian's face was filled with a lovely smile as he bowed deeply to the second madam: "Xian'er has seen Auntie."

  The Liu family also had a smile on their face, but in the eyes, there was a flash of inexplicable spirit. They heard that the little boy in front of them tightly grasped the two words "aunt", but did not call themselves "Second Madam" like ordinary people.

  The difference between a wife and a concubine is like the distance between clouds and mud.

  "Come in, come in. What's the point of sitting under the eaves so far away, staring blankly? If outsiders see this, they'll say that our Fan estate is a place that can't tolerate people."

  Can't tolerate others? That's because the other person has something intolerable, Fan Xian sighed lightly in his heart, knowing that his aunt was reminding him of his illegitimate child status, and he also admired the other party's eloquence. Originally, he didn't plan to stimulate the other party too much with words, knowing that the other party had been operating in this Kyoto mansion for a long time, and it didn't make sense to take advantage of it verbally. But then he thought, since the interests of both parties have irreconcilable conflicts, why tolerate too much?

  He thought to himself, it seems that this woman is different from what he had imagined, she shouldn't be the stupid and vicious person he had envisioned - so at this moment, he couldn't understand why four years ago, this woman would resort to using poison to kill someone.

  As the second madam walked into the hall, not far from her, the unique fragrance of a noble woman wafted to Fan Xian's nose. He sniffed it twice and thought this perfume was quite pleasant.

  At this time, Fan Xian was rather pleased with his current state of mind and thought, smiling and chatting idly with Liu Niang.

  The noble lady and the young man really portrayed a few points of maternal love and filial piety.

  ……

  ……

  The tea has arrived, it's authentic Wu Feng Tuan Hua, good tea. The dim sum has also arrived, it's authentic Jiangnan Xiao Su Bao, delicious food. After finishing talking about the sights along the way, and inquiring after the elderly lady who lives far away in Danzhou, mentioning some of the scenic spots on the coast of Danzhou, and what makes Kyoto special, everyone found that there was nothing more to say.

  So the Liu family and Fan Xian simultaneously closed their mouths in tacit agreement, falling into silence. Both sides realized that they were not simpletons, and playing this verbal game of probing was meaningless; since so, it's better to simply respond with silence.

  The atmosphere in the living room was a bit awkward, and the serving maids were as silent as cicadas, even lightening their footsteps when changing tea.

  Only Fan Xian and Second Madam were not awkward, occasionally holding their tea cups and exchanging a gentle glance, with warm and tender gazes.

  Liu's heart felt a slight sense of heaviness, and she found that the young man in front of her was indeed not ordinary. He responded with ease in this situation, without any tension or restraint, and his calmness and composure seemed even more steady than Lao Fuzi's.

  It seems that four years ago, I shouldn't have listened to that person's provocation, and for no reason, let this young man take the lead in treating me as an enemy. Now it's not easy to handle, and many methods can't be used.

  Remaining silent like this, the Liu family suddenly felt that this was weakening their own momentum. After all, they were always the elder in name, so they lightly coughed twice and said: "Your father is currently serving as the Minister of Revenue, this time returning to the capital, are you preparing for next year's imperial examination or directly entering the Ministry of Revenue to do things?"

  Fan Xian smiled and replied: "I will listen to Father's instructions." After a pause, he added: "But I don't know when Father will return."

  To be honest, there were a few people he wanted to see in Kyoto, and the noblewoman in front of him was naturally one of them. There was also Professor Fei Jie and younger sister Ruo Ruo, but the most curious one was his own father.

  He was very curious about how his father, Si Nan Bo, had managed to win over his mother, the richest woman in the world, Ye Jia's female master. In his mind, he only recognized the deceased woman as his mother and did not want to recognize Si Nan Bo as his father, which was probably a strange idea that men had in their hearts.

  "Your father will be back soon."

  Just as they were speaking, the inner courtyard gate was slightly disturbed, and the maids were hastily welcoming someone, but the sound came too quickly, and the maids did not stop her, a young girl walked in.

  The girl wasn't born particularly beautiful, but her eyebrows seemed exceptionally clean, with a natural weakness that still carried a hint of subtle coldness. This coldness was not the kind of ice queen beauty that people usually talk about, which is a disdain for the mundane things around them, but rather a kind of indifference based on some unknown self-confidence, and a feeling of resistance to her surroundings.

  Fan Xian's heart stirred slightly as he thought that this cold and detached feeling on the face of a young lady from a noble family was really not quite right.

  The young girl looked straight at Fan Xian's face, the coldness between her eyebrows gradually faded away, and finally disappeared without a trace. Instead, a few strands of excited red appeared on her cheeks, she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped again, took a step back, and with an extremely slight movement, adjusted her clothes, made a curtsy, and in a soft voice that sounded very polite and self-respecting: "Greetings, brother."

  Fan Xian smiled slightly and stretched out his hand to support her: "Meimei, no need for such courtesy."

  Their eyes met, both were so clear and pure, without a single impurity, only with a faint smile. After exchanging letters for many years, it seemed that the two people who knew each other best in this world were this pair of siblings.

  It was just a rather tactless child's voice that rang out, instantly shattering the wonderful feeling of the brother and sister reuniting after ten years.

  "Hey, you're Fan Xian?"

  Fan Xian turned his face away, looking at the young man who had stepped in from the high threshold. The young man was somewhat fat, with a few black moles on his left cheek that were quite annoying, and a resentful look on his face, gazing at Fan Xian with a hint of disgust.