The grass in midsummer grew tall, and flocks of birds joyfully took flight. In the blink of an eye, it was the season when the fragrance of mugwort and glutinous rice filled the air. However, this year’s Dragon Boat Festival was different from previous years. The Marquis’ Mansion had undergone a series of incidents, with not only two aunts and a princess passing away successively but also the younger generation growing increasingly distant. Although the servants dared not speak openly, they couldn’t help but sigh behind closed doors. It seemed that this year’s Dragon Boat Festival would likely feel particularly cold, even with a family banquet.
Yet, Yuanxi was unaware of the calculations in the minds of the servants. She was seated under a tree, enjoying the gentle breeze and a few plates of honeyed fruits while reading a medical book. Ever since she had completely healed Xiaodu’s injuries, her passion for studying medicine had grown. Just recently, she had specifically sought out the Imperial Physician to learn from him and borrowed many medical books. Whenever she gained insights, she would practice on Xiaodu. Of course, she would find a way to compensate the person who allowed her to practice on them.
The thought of this made her blush slightly. Hastily, she focused on the pages of the book. At that moment, she felt Anhe, who was fanning her, move behind her. Without looking back, she said, “If you’re tired, stop fanning and take a rest.”
However, Anhe did not respond. Instead, she scooped a spoonful of cherry ice cream from a nearby porcelain plate and fed it into Yuanxi’s mouth. Yuanxi’s mouth was filled to the brim, and she couldn’t help but smile as she looked at Anhe, saying, “Why are you being so obedient today?” Yet, her eyes caught sight of a smiling handsome face, and she was pleasantly surprised. Setting aside the book in her hand, she said, “You’re back.”
Xiaodu sat down beside her and continued to fan her with a silk fan. Yuanxi found his appearance quite amusing and hastily said, “Stop fanning, you’ll become a laughingstock if someone sees.”
Xiaodu, however, remained unfazed. “I pity my wife. Who dares to laugh at me?”
Yuanxi swallowed the ice cream, feeling the cool and sweetness lingering in her mouth. She scooped up another spoonful and offered it to Xiaodu, saying, “Try this, it’s both icy and sweet, very delicious.”
Xiaodu reached out to hold her hand and suddenly turned the spoon around, feeding Yuanxi instead. Yuanxi, confused, obediently opened her mouth and accepted it. Then, his lips pressed against hers, his tongue gently exploring the sweetness in her mouth, passionately entwining and tasting until the sweetness spread outward, and they couldn’t distinguish whose mouth it belonged to anymore.
Yuanxi closed her eyes in a daze, feeling as if she had just drunk strong wine, her whole body warming up. The sounds of insects and birds chirping, and the lingering fragrance of flowers surrounded them as they kissed, reluctant to part for a long time. Just then, footsteps approached from afar. Xiaodu cursed inwardly and reluctantly released her lips, pulling Yuanxi behind him to shield her. Then, a servant walked over, visibly trembling. He was about to speak when he saw Xiaodu’s fierce gaze and quickly lowered his head, saying, “Master instructed Master Marquis to have dinner in his courtyard tonight.”
Xiaodu was somewhat surprised. Since the princess’s death, the old Marquis spent his days tending to flowers and practicing calligraphy in the courtyard. He rarely met with anyone, so why would he suddenly invite him for dinner? After a moment of thought, he asked, “Did Master also summon anyone else?”
The servant dared not raise his head and replied, “Young Master Second and Young Lady Third are also summoned.”
Xiaodu’s expression darkened. Since the incident with the betrothal gifts, he had hardly spoken to Xuanyi. He waved his hand, dismissing the servant, and Yuanxi, who had already understood, followed from behind. “The steward probably wants to give you and Xuanyi a chance to reconcile. When you go, talk to her calmly. Don’t get angry.”
Xiaodu sighed softly, then held her hand. “Aren’t you coming with me?”
Yuanxi smiled and held his hand back. “My presence won’t help you. You’ll have to resolve this on your own eventually.”
As dusk approached, a table full of food and wine had already been set up in the Fenghe Courtyard where the old Marquis resided. Xiaodu arrived a bit late. Upon entering, he found Xiaojing and Xiaozhuo already seated, but there was only a cold atmosphere between them, with no exchange of greetings. When they noticed him, they stiffly addressed him as ‘elder brother’, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Xiaodu couldn’t help but smile bitterly in his heart. Since when had their relationship as siblings become like this? He then took his seat and respectfully asked Xiaoyunjing, who had been silently sitting at the head of the table, “I wonder what father has summoned us for today?”
Xiaoyunjing glanced at him coldly and replied, “Is there always a reason for calling you? You are my children. Can’t you come to accompany me for a meal without any special occasion?”
With these words spoken, several of them felt a sense of guilt. Xiaoyunjing had the servants refill their cups, then dismissed the servants to guard outside. He raised his cup and said, “Today, you don’t have to be restrained. Just treat it as accompanying your father for a meal and a drink. If anything is troubling you, speak up here.”
Seeing that the others still seemed puzzled, he sighed, emptied his cup, and apologized, “It’s my fault for not being good enough, for not taking good care of you all. This family has ended up like this, and it’s all my fault.” Seeing the others about to refute, he raised his hand to silence them, his gaze slowly shifting to each person as he continued, “In fact, you are all my children, each one dear to my heart. Seeing the state of affairs between you all, it’s been difficult for me.” By the end, there was a hint of choking in his voice.
At this moment, Xiaozhuo began to cry. She hugged Xiaoyunjing’s arm and said, “No, Dad is very good to us. It’s Xiaoxuan who’s not good. Xiaoxuan has done many wrong things in the past…” She recalled many past events, feeling more and more uncomfortable as she spoke, sobbing uncontrollably.
Xiaoyunjing gently stroked her head and said, “You’re not wrong. It’s Dad’s fault. Dad burdened your older brother too much and only knew how to blame Xiaojing while being overly indulgent to you… Forgive Dad, I don’t know how to be a good father.”
With these words, Xiaozhuo cried even harder. Xiaodu also felt a bit sour in his eyes. He raised his cup, and drank it all, feeling the fiery sensation in his chest, finally releasing the long-buried depression. At this moment, he saw Xiaojing beside him, constantly pouring himself more wine, his face full of loneliness and gloominess. Xiaodu thought: The second brother has become like this, partly because of them. He then lifted the wine pot to fill Xiaojing’s cup and raised his cup to him, saying, “Zichen, your older brother made many mistakes in the past and never considered your feelings. Forgive your older brother.”
Xiaojing looked at him incredulously, his hands trembling slightly, but he said nothing, just drank up the wine in his cup.
After a while, Xiaoyunjing seemed to be unable to hold his liquor anymore. He stood up and said, “I’m old and useless. You guys enjoy your drinks, I’ll go rest in my room first.”
Xiaodu quickly stood up to help him in, but Xiaoyunjing waved his hand, saying, “You stay and talk with your younger siblings.” His drunken eyes suddenly became clear, staring at Xiaodu and saying slowly, “No matter what happens, you are all my children.” Xiaodu was suddenly shocked, feeling a warmth in his chest. Whether his father left him because of a promise or duty, he had raised him as if he were his child, nurturing and teaching him. Without him, how could he have become the person he is today?
As he was lost in thought, Xiaoyunjing had already staggered into the room. Xiaodu slowly sat back down, and there was silence at the table again. Each of the three had their thoughts, just quietly drinking and eating, not knowing how to break the deadlock.
At this moment, Xiaozhuo suddenly put down her chopsticks and smiled at Xiaojing, saying, “Second Brother, do you remember our childhood?”
Xiaojing was taken aback, and Xiaozhuo continued, “At that time, when Big Brother was serving in the palace, he would bring back some rare items from the palace every time he returned. You always said he favored me, and you would fight with him every time. Once he brought back some pastries from a foreign country, and you ate them all when I wasn’t there, ended up with a stomachache, and stayed in the outhouse for days.”
Thinking of the embarrassing incident from their childhood, Xiaojing couldn’t help but lower his head and laugh. Xiaozhuo looked at him, her voice suddenly a bit desolate, “Second Brother, I haven’t seen you smile for a long time.”
Xiaojing met her gaze, feeling a strange emotion in his heart, and his smile slowly faded. At this moment, Xiaodu chuckled again, saying, “You guys were all so troublesome when you were young. Once, you insisted on dragging me to the back mountain to release sky lanterns, but Xiaomei kept causing trouble, and the sky lantern only flew halfway before it fell, almost setting the mountain on fire.”
Thinking back to the frantic escape on the mountain that day, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Later, they reminisced about many childhood memories, and the atmosphere at the table finally became lively. After three rounds of drinks, they were all a bit drunk. Xiaozhuo patted her flushed cheeks and hooked her arm around Xiaodu’s, coquettishly saying, “Big Brother, let’s go release sky lanterns again!”
Xiaodu found it amusing and said, “It’s late at night, where do we find sky lanterns?”
Seeming to be in a very good mood, Xiaozhuo tilted her head and continued to smile, saying, “I know that Aunt Zhang made a batch yesterday, preparing to release them on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival. Let’s sneak out and take them from the backyard.”
The group of them, with Xiaodu leading the way, climbed over the wall into the courtyard, sneaked into the servant’s room, took out a sky lantern, and then ran to the backyard. Sitting together, they prepared to send it up into the sky. Xiaozhuo unfolded the paper in her hand, about to write some wishes, but Xiaojing snatched it away, saying, “Your handwriting is so bad, it’s not afraid of making people laugh.” Xiaozhuo pouted in anger, saying, “Your handwriting is good? Remember what the teacher used to say about you: ‘A child who cannot be taught.'” She imitated the teacher’s appearance, hands behind her back, mocking Xiaojing, who found it funny but couldn’t accept it, saying, “You complain about my handwriting, but didn’t you let me copy books for you back then?”
The two of them argued and bantered, Xiaodu leaned against a large rock, laughing as he watched, feeling as if he had returned to their childhood when they played and fought with each other without any grudges.
Finally, Xiaozhuo managed to grab the paper and quickly wrote a row of characters. Then Xiaodu stood up and held the lantern high, and Xiaozhuo and Xiaojing lit the candles together. The warm flame reflected on the excited faces of the three, with a hint of hope, slowly rising until it illuminated the night sky. Xiaozhuo looked up, jumping and shouting happily, “It’s up, it’s up!”
Xiao Du and Xiao Qing stood side by side, watching Xiao Zhixuan laughing and calling out under the flickering lights in the night sky, a smile playing at the corners of their mouths. Suddenly, Xiao Qing spoke in a barely audible voice, “Big brother, I’ve always admired you.”
Xiao Du was taken aback, turning to look at him. Xiao Qing gave a self-deprecating smile. “When I was young, I always thought you were the most formidable person in the world, and I always wanted to be like you. But others laughed at me, saying you were just a low-born bastard, not worthy to be compared with the heir of the Marquis’ Mansion.” He poured wine from the jug into his mouth, his expression dimming. “Later, when you went to the border, I was proud of you but couldn’t help worrying, afraid you wouldn’t come back. Then, when you returned victorious to the capital, rewarded and granted a title, it was all so glorious, yet you didn’t even spare me a glance. That’s when I realized, that perhaps only someone like the Crown Prince is worthy of being your brother, not me.”
Xiao Du’s heart ached. He quickly said, “How could that be? You’re my second brother, no one can replace you.”
Xiao Qing shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. “Later on, I became more and more resentful. We’re both Dad’s sons, why should you soar while I’m left beneath? Whether it’s Dad, or Xuan’er, even the servants in the mansion, their eyes are only on you. What am I? Then, Aunt told me that everything I had should have been mine. She said there were issues with the princess, and one day she would fight for what I deserve. So I began to hate you more and more, feeling like you had taken everything from me.”
Xiao Du reached out to grasp his shoulder, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry…” His throat felt dry, but he couldn’t find the words to continue.
Xiao Qing smiled, closing his eyes. “It wasn’t until after Aunt passed away, watching you poison yourself, getting hurt, negotiating with them time and time again, that I understood how much you’ve done for this family.” He suddenly took out a ledger from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Du. “Aunt managed the household for these years, and indeed, she spent a lot of money, some went to Uncle, and some helped me set up businesses outside. These should have belonged to the Marquis’ Mansion, so I’m giving them back to you.”
Xiao Du gripped the ledger tightly, feeling its weight as if it were a thousand pounds. He sighed. “You should keep these for yourself. In case anything happens to the mansion, at least you’ll have something to fall back on, to live a normal life.”
But Xiao Qing turned his head. He was already quite drunk, yet his gaze was remarkably clear as he said, word by word, “Big brother, this is our home, all of us. This home shouldn’t be held up by you alone.”
Xiao Du’s body trembled, and then his eyes welled up. At this moment, Xiao Zhixuan jumped over suddenly, grabbing both their arms. “Big brother, second brother, shall we go light more lanterns?” The two smiled helplessly at each other. In their exchanged glances, years of hurt, resentment, and misunderstanding dissipated. They were a family, and no one could separate them.
In the end, Xiao Qing was so drunk that Xiao Du had to carry him back to his room, letting Wang Shiqin take care of him. Xiao Du and Xiao Zhixuan also drank quite a bit. They walked back slowly, dissipating the alcohol in the night breeze. After a while, Xiao Zhixuan suddenly spoke up, “I heard everything you and your second brother said earlier.”
Xiao Du sighed. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t ensure your peace and happiness.”
But Xiao Zhixuan shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. “You’ve done enough, but we’re not children anymore. We have our responsibilities too.”
Xiao Du turned to her, suddenly realizing, “You’re marrying Xia Qing for this.”
Xiao Zhixuan lowered her head. “He told me that as long as I marry him, he will help us.”
Xiao Du became somewhat impatient, interjecting, “He’s cunning and deeply scheming. How could you believe what he says? And I will never sacrifice my family for his assistance.”
But Xiao Zhixuan remained firm. “I’m not sacrificing myself, and I trust him!” She looked up at Xiao Du. “Big brother I’m not as naive and innocent as you think. Xia Qing told me about many things from his past, about how he depended on his birth mother, how he compromised to return to the Xia family, and how he endured disdain and grew up under someone else’s roof. I understand all of that.”
As Xiao Du looked at Xiao Zhixuan’s desolate expression, he suddenly realized. Like Xia Qing, Xuan’er had a mother who couldn’t face the world, a past that was difficult to speak of. How much of her past innocence and simplicity was genuine, and how much was deliberately put on to please herself and their father? Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel heartache. He had never truly understood his sister.
Xiao Zhixuan patted her cheeks and continued, “But I’m luckier than him. He didn’t have a father and brothers who loved and tolerated him like I do, so he resents the Xia family. He has military power and the emperor’s trust. He can help us, protect the Marquis’ Mansion. And I, I can be by his side, supporting him through all of this.”
She looked up at Xiao Du, her voice choking, “Big brother, Xuan’er has grown up. She has things she must do, and responsibilities she wants to shoulder. Can you let go and allow Xuan’er to do what she must?”
Xiao Du felt a surge of emotions in his chest. He hugged her tightly. “Alright, if he mistreats you, come back. This will always be your home.”
A month later, news of the marriage between the Xiao and Xia families spread throughout the capital. On the bustling streets, amidst the sea of red, Xiao Zhixuan sat in the sedan chair, listening to the clamor of drums and music outside the window. Slowly, she took out an ink tablet from her sleeve, and it seemed as if she could hear that man’s elegant voice again, “Third Miss, one’s character should be like this ink, delicate, rounded, gentle, and composed. Luo offers this ink tablet to you as a token of our meeting as master and disciple.”
She gently placed the ink tablet on her chest, closing her eyes and murmuring, “Mr. Luo, Xuan’er is getting married.”