Chapter 77: Green Tea Abounds, Little Fifth Appears
Chapter 77: Green Tea Abounds, Little Fifth Appears
The eastern wing of the mansion housed the prince's other concubines.
The western wing was originally meant for guests, but the prince later renovated the southwestern wing, so this area became the residence for the young ladies of the mansion.
Now...
Well, it's deserted.
The backyard is where the servants' quarters, various installations, and warehouses are located.
There's quite a distance between the southeast wing and the eastern wing, with a beautiful bamboo grove, garden, and artificial hills and ponds in between.
When the mansion was being constructed, the craftsmen took advantage of the terrain and dug an artificial river between the southeast wing and the eastern wing. The water flows downhill, passing by the western wing before circling back to the main pond in the backyard.
For convenience, an arched bridge was built over the river.
Suisui had no idea how long it would take to get from the eastern wing to the southeast wing.
All she knew was that it had taken her a very long time to get from the front yard of the main court to the southeast wing.
She had passed by countless pavilions, artificial hills, ponds, and small gardens, and by the time she arrived, she was sweating. Only then did she finally catch sight of the southeast wing of the mansion.
The buildings in the southeast wing were connected, with over ten rooms in total.
Currently, seven of them were occupied, corresponding to the seven princes of the mansion.
In the mansion, when the princes turned six or seven years old, they could move out of their mothers' quarters and into the southeast wing to live independently.
Of course, they had servants and attendants to take care of them, so it wasn't like they had to manage completely on their own.
Moreover, living together fostered better relationships and communication among the brothers.
From south to north, the rooms were occupied by the mansion's first to seventh princes, in order of their birthright.
Each prince's courtyard had a different landscape, with some featuring flowers, some grass, some medicinal herbs, and others dwarf bamboo.
Suisui's eyes were already dazzled by the time she reached this area.
"Look over there! That's my brother's room—the one with the bamboo," Feng Xuanrui proudly pointed out as they arrived at their destination.
Feng Xuanbin, standing beside him, didn't want to be outdone. He tugged on Suisui's sleeve and said, "That's mine! It's right next to Sixth Brother's. See the flowers in front? They haven't bloomed yet because of the cold weather, but just wait till they do—they'll be gorgeous!"
Speaking of flowers, Feng Xuanbin couldn't help but boast, "My mother is amazing at growing flowers. When they bloom, I'll pick them all for you, sister!"
Mother?
Hearing this address, Suisui felt a bit lost.
Wasn't the proper term 'royal mother'?
Could they also use 'mother' here? Suisui wondered, tilting her head in confusion.
Unfortunately, neither of them noticed the little girl's bewilderment.
If it weren't for the fact that they were on their way to see Little Fifth, Feng Xuanrui would have loved to take his sister to his room for a tour.
His room was amazing!
Recalling what the royal mother had said about Little Fifth moving back recently, Feng Xuanrui turned to Feng Xuanbin and asked, "Little Fifth just moved back a couple of days ago. Where was he before? Did he go back to his mother's place?"
Feng Xuanbin, being the more informed one about mansion affairs, nodded. "Yes, the Consort was worried, so she had Fifth Brother stay with her in the eastern wing."
Feng Xuanrui listened intently, and upon hearing this, he nodded in understanding without further inquiry.
Little Fifth—Feng Xuanbo. He had heard that Little Sixth had returned with a child in tow.
He guessed that the royal mother would want him to come over.
The fight between them had happened over a month ago, and children that young wouldn't hold a grudge for that long. Even though Feng Xuanbo had been beaten quite badly, he was still Fifth Brother, and they shouldn't hold a grudge forever!
So, he had already let go of his anger.
However, upon hearing that Feng Xuanrui had brought a child back, Feng Xuanbo flew into a rage again!
At that moment, he was leaning against the bed, with a few layers of bandages haphazardly wrapped around his head. Pouting, he sulked in silence.
When Feng Xuanrui led Suisui, with Feng Xuanbin following behind, they saw Feng Xuanbo giving them an angry glare before turning away, refusing to look at them again.
Feng Xuanrui: ?
Quite a temper!
It's been over a month, and he's still holding a grudge?
Feng Xuanrui was tempted to needle him a bit, but the sight of the bandages on Feng Xuanbo's head made him feel a bit guilty.
Recalling how he had caused the other boy's head to bleed profusely...
It was quite a frightening sight.
Even now, he still felt a shiver of fear.
Feng Xuanrui thought: Forget it, it was my fault. I should just admit my mistake.
With these thoughts in mind, Feng Xuanrui first raised his hand to soothe Suisui before letting go of her hand and striding forward. He cupped his fist in a respectful gesture towards Feng Xuanbo and said, "Brother, I apologize!"
Feng Xuanbo: ?
Where did he learn this? What kind of etiquette is this?
Feng Xuanbo was perplexed, standing there dumbfounded, unsure how to respond.
It was only when Feng Xuanrui also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture that he realized...
This was something he had picked up from watching the puppet show, imitating the gestures of the puppets.
As for the choice of words...
Well, he had learned that from a storyteller at a teahouse during their journey.
He thought that he had used the right phrase, so... why was Little Fifth just standing there, looking bewildered?
Was he not going to respond?
Was he trying to put him in his place?
Feng Xuanrui couldn't understand, and no matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he couldn't. So, he decided to try again.
This time, Feng Xuanbo finally reacted.
He leaned back against the bed and turned his head away, refusing to look at them.
Feng Xuanbo was only a year older than Feng Xuanrui, but he was much thinner and smaller in stature.
At that moment, he looked rather pitiful, sitting there with the bandages wrapped around his head.
Feng Xuanrui's heart softened, and he wanted to ask: Little Fifth, what's wrong?
As for calling him Fifth Brother, as Mother Consort had suggested...
He's only a year older. Why should I call him brother?
Who would benefit from that?
Feng Xuanbo turned away, letting out a couple of cold hmphs before speaking, his tone sounding odd. "I don't deserve to be called your brother. Since you already have other brothers, why would you still need me as your fifth brother?"
After saying this, as if still worried, he quietly turned his head to glance at Feng Xuanrui, their eyes meeting briefly before he quickly looked away. His next words were even stranger: "Those brothers of yours from outside are so much better. Not only do they know how to coax people, but they also don't fight with you like I do. They're far superior to me, a fifth brother who only knows how to brawl with his younger brother."
"Little Sixth, you know what I'm like. I don't like to compete with others, so you should just stick with those brothers from outside."
......
Suisui couldn't quite understand what Feng Xuanbo was saying.
However, she could sense that his tone was somewhat peculiar.
With her brother not by her side and Seventh Brother still a stranger...
She felt uneasy standing there with no one to turn to for clarification. Finally, she could only ask Lele for help.
[Lele, I think something's odd about what this brother is saying.]
System: ...
Indeed, it's odd.
Who would have thought that a young master of the mansion would be a little green tea drinker?
The system didn't know how to explain the concept of "green tea" to Suisui, so it could only comfort her for the time being.
[Yes, it's odd, but let's just listen for now. It's good to have a brother, right?]
(End of Chapter)
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