Full House Spring

Chapter 81 Leaving Beijing
Since Xia Li moved into the Fang Mansion, she has been in a stage of adaptation and observation. Although the Fang family treats her very well, she always acts with discretion.

Therefore, even though she knew her father was hiding something from her, she did not delve into it. After returning to the east wing, she picked up the embroidery frame and continued her embroidery. She had to finish the purse for her second brother before leaving Beijing.

At this moment, Qiao He was preparing food in the kitchen. Xia Li was worried about the long journey and insufficient food supplies, so she wanted to make some instant noodles to take with her. She wrote down the recipe and asked Qiao He to make it.

Nanny Zhou went to take care of other matters. She was originally ordered to stay in Kyoto to take care of Fang Jingzhi's daily life, but after Xia Li was found, her heart was on Xia Li. Fang Jingzhi would not care about these things, so he simply let her go back to Laizhou with Xia Li.

Only Shi Mi was with Xia Li in the room. Shi Mi was very good at observing people's expressions and she was devoted to Xia Li. She said carefully:

"Miss, what's the problem with the visitor just now? The attitude of the master and others is a bit evasive."

Xia Li's boneless fingers were sewing quickly. Hearing this, she chuckled and said, "I figured it out too. Dad must have his reasons for hiding it from me."

Shi Mi had been with the old lady for a long time and was deeply influenced by her. She liked to get to the bottom of things. She frowned and said:

"They are avoiding the young lady alone. Could this person have any connection with you? Otherwise, I'd better go and find out a little, so that we won't be caught off guard if something goes wrong."

Xia Li stopped what he was doing, thought for a moment and said, "We are new here, and whatever you want to do will attract attention. It is better to stay still than to move. If you really want to get information, I might as well do it myself."

Shi Mi's eyes rolled and the corners of her mouth rose. She lowered her voice and said, "We don't know what the temperaments of the old master and the eldest master are. The second master is very tolerant of the girl. You might as well start with him."

Great minds think alike. Xia Li thought the same. She said in a brisk voice:
"Don't worry about this. I'll make this purse and give it to my second brother before I go."

Shi Mi smiled so much that her eyebrows curved. She could imagine how happy the Second Master would be when he got the purse made by the girl himself.

Although Fang Zongru didn't want to see Kuang Chengrui, he couldn't do such a thing as to chase him away without respect, so he politely let him stay in his house.

He did not look down on the Kuang family. In fact, he admired Mr. Kuang and appreciated Kuang Chengrui very much. However, he was not at ease to entrust his daughter to him.

It doesn't matter that Kuang Chengrui is five years older than Xia Li. The key is that he is a soldier. Although he has good martial arts skills, he has to go to the battlefield to fight and kill the enemies. Who can guarantee that he will come back safe and sound every time?
In recent years, the Dongyi people have been eyeing him covetously, and there have been constant wars in Jiaozhou Garrison. He really couldn't bear to let his daughter live in fear.

The Kuang family's etiquette was impeccable, and even when Xia Li was abducted, they never neglected her. Kuang Chengrui had previously vowed that he would wait until he was thirty years old, and if he had not found the person by then, he would marry someone else.

Even though Fang Qizhen disliked him, he still respected him in his heart, so he didn't do anything excessive.

Because Kuang Chengrui was there, Xia Li did not have dinner with her father and brother. She hurried and finally finished embroidering the purse before lighting the lamps, and then went to find Fang Jingzhi.

The Hanlin Academy used to have a lot of miscellaneous affairs, and since the emperor had just ascended the throne, everything had not yet had a smooth transition, so Fang Jingzhi had nothing to do.

He was studying the chess game in the room. He was very happy to see his sister coming over. He dropped the chess pieces in his hand and went to greet her.

"Why are you here now? How about dinner alone?"

His sister was finally found, and Fang Jingzhi wanted to be with her every day, but he was afraid that she would find it annoying, so he was very restrained.

He always spoke softly to Xia Li, with tenderness and patience, which made Xia Li feel at ease.

She took out a purse from her sleeve, raised the corners of her lips, and said with a smile: "I am here to give a gift to my second brother. He has everything he needs, and this is the only thing I can give him."

Fang Jingzhi's eyes were burning as he quickly took the purse handed over by Xia Li and stared at it as if he were appreciating a priceless treasure. A satisfied smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth, and deep surprise revealed in his eyes.

"This purse is so exquisite. The gradient color of the petals is very special. Your hand embroidery skills are really amazing."

Fang Jingzhi hung the purse on his waist while speaking. The lotus flower that grew out of the mud but remained unstained really matched his temperament. Xia Li stepped forward to help him straighten the wrinkles on his waist and said softly, "As long as Second Brother likes it, I'll make more clothes for him when we return to Laizhou."

Fang Jingzhi felt very relieved. He declined, "I can wear any clothes. Be careful not to hurt your eyes and don't overwork yourself."

Xia Li nodded obediently and said in a relaxed tone: "I won't let myself get tired. I'm just doing what I can. I noticed that Dad seemed a little bit strange earlier. Who is our guest?"

Fang Jingzhi smiled slightly, hesitated for a moment, and said cautiously:

"The person who came is Kuang Chengrui, who told me about your presence in the Lu family. You should know him... right?"

Xia Li thought of him and the thing that impressed her most was the sense of oppression. She said honestly, "I have met him twice, but I don't even know his name. I can only say that he looks familiar. Is he an old friend of our family?"

Fang Jingzhi didn't expect Kuang Chengrui to be so obedient. He nodded subconsciously and explained softly, "Dad encountered bandits while traveling and was rescued by the old man of the Kuang family. Since then, our two families have had intersections and can be considered old friends."

This explanation was the same as what Xia Li had heard. She walked to the armchair with small steps and sat down, wondering, "If that's the case, why do Dad and Big Brother avoid him as much as possible? It seems like they are afraid that I will have any contact with him. Are you hiding something from me?"

Fang Jingzhi felt very uncomfortable when he heard this. He didn't dare to look Xia Li in the eye and stammered:

"You misunderstood... That villain is a general in the army, a rough man who only knows how to fight and kill all day long. He has a strong evil spirit. We are afraid that he will collide with you, so we don't want you to come into contact with him."

Xia Li looked at him with deep eyes, as if looking for something on his face, and as if judging what he said. The more silent she was, the more pressure Fang Jingzhi felt.

The distrust revealed in her expression made Fang Jingzhi a little overwhelmed. Xia Li stared at him for a moment, and suddenly became depressed and said aggrievedly:
"I understand. I must have not done well enough, so you don't trust me. I can understand why you hide something from me. I shouldn't be ignorant of the limits. I'm sorry for disturbing you, second brother."

After Xia Li finished speaking, she stood up and pretended to leave. Fang Jingzhi couldn't bear to make his sister sad, so he quickly reached out and held her back, lowering his head and whispering:

"Sister, you misunderstood. It's not like that. We love you so much that we wouldn't treat you as an outsider. I really don't know how to tell you this."

Xia Li secretly laughed at his second brother's anxious look, but still pretended to be extremely sad and said, "I understand. I won't embarrass my second brother. I will go back to the house now."

Fang Jingzhi couldn't let his sister sleep with grievances, he sighed:
"Don't be sad. I'll tell you the truth. Kuang Chengrui and you are engaged. It was arranged when you were three or four years old. Back then, Mr. Kuang got Dad drunk and used some trickery to arrange this marriage. When Dad woke up, it was too late to regret it."

Xia Li never thought that this would be the reason. Her first reaction was that Kuang Chengrui was not an easy man to control, and that Mr. Kuang must have great ambitions for doing this. If she married him, she would probably have to work herself to death and devote her whole life to him.

Xia Li immediately stated: "I won't marry. The Kuang family wants to marry a daughter from an aristocratic family. I am not a daughter from an aristocratic family with an orthodox upbringing, so I don't meet their expectations." Fang Jingzhi was not surprised by his sister's attitude. He pulled Xia Li to sit down again and said in a low voice:

"Before you were found, Dad took the initiative to propose to cancel the engagement, but the Kuang family firmly disagreed. They said that unless they were sure that you were no longer alive, they would be willing to wait."

Xia Li sneered and said, "Does the Kuang family intend to stick to this path forever?"

Fang Jingzhi nodded and said with a wry smile: "Now it seems that not only did they bet right, but they are also sure to make a profit."

Xia Li's eyes were sharp, and she said decisively: "If I don't get married, no one can do anything to me. I'm afraid the Kuang family has made a wrong calculation."

Fang Jingzhi didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said. He lowered his voice and said, "This matter will be handled by my family. Just pretend you know nothing."

Xia Li nodded slightly and said as a matter of course: "Marriage is a matter of parents' orders and matchmaker's words. How can it be my turn to make the decision?"

Fang Jingzhi just felt that his sister was being mean. It was a good thing for a girl to be sharp and angular, so that outsiders would not dare to bully her at will. There would always be times when family members could not take care of her, so it was more practical for her to stand on her own.

Kuang Chengrui probably knew that he was not welcome, so he did not move around casually in the Fang Mansion, and had no conflicts with the two brothers. Instead, they lived in peace.

Someone outside spread the news that Fang Zongru had come to Beijing, and the mansion suddenly received a lot of visiting invitations. Although Fang Zongru was unwilling to entertain them, there were some people whom he could not avoid, so he stayed in Kyoto for another two days.

On the day of leaving Beijing, he was afraid of being surrounded, so he set out at dawn. The team of carriages went out of the city in a mighty manner, and from a distance it looked like a caravan.

Xia Li and Fang Tangli were riding in the same carriage. The two sisters were chatting happily. Fang Tangli took a piece of candied fruit and put it into Xia Li's mouth, laughing softly:

"That Kuang Chengrui looks quite impressive. He is so imposing just standing there. I'm afraid that even the guards in our mansion combined together are no match for him. This boy will become a great man in the future."

Xia Li subconsciously looked outside when he heard that. He saw him sitting on his horse with his back straight. It might be because he was not wearing armor, so he did not look as fierce as he did that night. Xia Li said calmly, "Those who fight on the battlefield live on the edge of a knife. How can they survive if they are not fierce?"

Fang Tangli was very perceptive. She smiled slyly and leaned close to Xia Li's ear and asked, "Do you know about the engagement?"

Xia Li nodded, raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "I got it from my second brother. No one else knows. Just assume that I don't know. Don't let it slip."

Fang Tangli curled her red lips slightly, looking even more charming, "I didn't even tell my mother, tell me the truth, do you like Kuang Chengrui? He looks good, and seems to be devoted to you. Apart from his low family background, there is nothing wrong with him."

Xia Li raised his eyelids and said calmly, "He is not completely devoted to me. Even if Miss Fang was replaced by someone else, he would still be completely devoted to me. It has nothing to do with me."

Fang Tangli understood immediately, and she said softly, "It seems to be true. He values his word and is loyal to his own character. Whether it has any influence on you or not, do you want to cancel the engagement?"

Xia Li changed to a more comfortable position and said lazily, "It's not my turn to make the decision. My parents will take care of it for me. Sister, please stop talking to irrelevant outsiders. Isn't your brother-in-law's family at peace?"

Fang Tangli could talk about her husband's family for three days and three nights. She and Xia Li had nothing to hide, so she picked out a few strange things to tell her. Xia Li listened with relish as if she was listening to a book, and gave enough emotional value to make Fang Tangli more and more excited. When they were about to leave the city gate, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Fang Qizheng came to the carriage and raised his voice and said, "Sister, someone is here to see you off. Do you want to come out and see them?"

Xia Li immediately lifted the curtain and asked with a sense of something: "Is it someone from the Cheng En Marquis's Mansion?"

Fang Qizheng nodded. "It's Uncle Cheng En and the eldest daughter of the Lu family who came together. Do you want to meet them?"

Xia Li didn't expect to see Lu Lingchuan again before leaving Beijing. She pursed her lips and smiled, saying calmly: "Brother, please trouble the team to stop for a while. I want to talk to them."

Fang Qizheng would not stop her, but as soon as Xia Li got off the carriage, Kuang Chengrui got off the horse silently and walked to her side. Fang Qizheng looked defensive and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Kuang Chengrui said succinctly: "Protect her safety."

Xia Li didn't want to waste time, nor did he intend to provoke a dispute, so he said softly:

"I'll just say a few words and I'll be back soon, big brother, just wait here."

After saying that, she walked forward without looking back. Fang Qizheng really liked his sister's decisive personality. He glanced at Kuang Chengrui with a smile, but the man had a blank expression on his face and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Lu Lingchuan thought about Xia Li's current situation. When she really appeared in front of him, he realized that what he thought was wrong.

Under the bright sunshine, Xia Li exuded a confident glow. Lu Lingchuan could even feel her powerful aura, as if she had shed her original disguise and revealed her true self.

Even Lu Qinghe seemed a little dazed. Xia Li said briskly, "Young lady, don't you recognize me?"

Lu Qinghe had experienced a huge setback during this period of time. She looked a little haggard and forced a smile:

"How could that be? I just didn't expect you to be so bright and beautiful... I heard that you were leaving, and I don't know if we will have the chance to see each other again in the future, so we came to see you off."

Xia Li thanked him with a smile. Lu Qinghe came mainly to accompany his brother. He exchanged a few words with Xia Li and didn't say anything more.

Lu Lingchuan looked at Xia Li quietly, as if the noise from the outside world could not disturb his tranquility. After a while, he said in a gentle voice:

"I will live up to everyone's expectations and support the Lu family. In the future...if you need help, just send someone to pass on the message, and I will do my best."

Xia Li's eyes were as calm as water, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she said in a gentle voice:

"I believe you. The old lady in heaven would be happy for you. Life is long and this is just the beginning. Don't back down."

Lu Lingchuan nodded heavily. He felt unspeakable pain in his heart, but now he could do nothing but watch her go away.

(End of this chapter)