Chapter 174: You Are the Second Person I Admire

Nan Lizhu looked at Nan Fuguang again, her smile radiant: "Nan Fuguang, serving tea and water, one month, don't forget! This is what you said yourself!"

Nan Fuguang looked dejected; since a gentleman's word is as good as a team of horses, he could only bite the bullet, "I didn't say I wouldn't honor it..."

Gritting his teeth, he asked Nan Xueyin: "Sister, are you that good at ball-hitting game?"

Nan Xueyin said indifferently: "I'm not good, I just had a bit of luck today."

Nan Fuguang was skeptical. Good luck?

He had played ball-hitting game himself, and hitting two was already the result of his best efforts, yet the way Nan Xueyin played just now looked so effortless, as if hitting three in a row was as simple for her as eating three pastries in a row.

"Whether Sister is truly skilled or just lucky, in any case, Nan Fuguang, you must remember, for the next month, you must serve! me! tea! and! water!"

Nan Lizhu said this joyfully, then took the club and walked over, bumping Nan Fuguang aside with her shoulder, "Now, this field belongs to us winners to play in! As for some losers, why aren't you off to serve tea and water yet!"

Nan Fuguang:...

He secretly gritted his teeth, but the bet was set by himself, and with so many people watching, he couldn't go back on his word.

He took a deep breath and resigned himself to serving tea.

Nan Lizhu and Nan Xueyin continued to play ball-hitting game.

Nan Fuguang returned after serving tea and huddled on the sidelines with Yu Rang to watch.

Nan Xueyin was as indifferent as ever, and now while playing, she missed several times.

Nan Fuguang thought silently, could it really have just been luck earlier?

This question troubled him, and he remained somewhat distracted.

At dinner, Nan Fuguang glanced at Nan Xueyin across from him from time to time, poking at the rice in his bowl aimlessly.

"What's wrong? Why do you keep looking at your sister?"

Nan Jiyun asked him with an amused expression.

Nan Fuguang made a sound, then raised his head.

Before he could explain anything, Nan Lizhu had already finished a large bowl of rice, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and opened her mouth to say: "Nan Fuguang, I'm thirsty, hurry up and pour me some water!"

Nan Jiyun found it interesting: "What are you two playing at? Haven't you both not spoken to each other for a long time?"

Nan Lizhu said with a grin: "Nan Fuguang and I had a ball-hitting game competition, he lost, and he has to serve me tea and water for a month."

"This is simply nonsense," Madam Wang frowned, "He is your brother after all, and a scholar; serving you tea and water, what kind of look is that."

Nan Lizhu snorted: "He was the one who competed with me and lost, this is a bet. Mother, you keep saying Nan Fuguang is a scholar, don't they also say a gentleman's word is as good as a team of horses?"

Madam Wang was choked, her brows knitting even tighter, "Even so, that won't do! He is your own brother after all."

Nan Lizhu had been in a great mood, but upon hearing this, she became unhappy, "Mother, what if he is my own brother? If I had lost the competition today, wouldn't I have had to serve him tea and water too? When that time came, would Mother have said that I am his own sister and shouldn't do that?"

Nan Jiyun hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, everyone stop talking, let's eat, let's eat."

Nan Lizhu said angrily: "Father, you are always like this, you never take my side! I clearly didn't do anything wrong today!"

"You..."

Just as Madam Wang wanted to say something, someone entered from outside: "Master, Madam, someone from the Yu family has arrived."

Nan Jiyun looked over, "Which member of the Yu family?"

"The Sima of Yu."

The Qingzhou Sima was Yu Rang's father.

Upon hearing this, Nan Jiyun stood up quickly, "Quick! Quickly invite Master Yu in!"

Yu Rang also stood up.

The two of them went to the front to meet the Qingzhou Sima who had returned from Fengdu; Nan Xueyin actually wanted to go too, as only he would know the most detailed news about the situation in Fengdu, how Emperor Yongzheng was doing, and how the Crown Prince was.

But Nan Xueyin's current identity was not quite appropriate.

Moreover, Nan Lizhu felt aggrieved, wiped her eyes, and went back to her room.

Madam Wang sighed and said to her: "Xiaoxue, I'm afraid I have to trouble you to go check on Lizhu."

Nan Xueyin gave an affirmative response.

Nan Lizhu returned to her room, hugging Mimi as she sat on the bed sulking.

Seeing Nan Xueyin, she said huffily: "Sister, sometimes I really want to leave this family! Sometimes Mother seems to love me, but she loves Nan Fuguang more. Father also seems to be very good to me, but he is good to everyone. Do you know why I like the Crown Prince so much? Because I feel that I am a little bit like him. Both he and I are people who have never received firm love at home."

Nan Xueyin sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her head, "But in this world, sometimes love is unstable, and many things will exceed your expectations. If you want love, give it to yourself."

"Love myself?"

"Yes, only you will like yourself without reservation and without bias, isn't that right?"

Nan Lizhu blinked slowly.

Nan Xueyin smiled: "Only when you appreciate yourself and like yourself will you feel that it doesn't matter whether outsiders like or love you that much. It's fine if they are biased toward you, but even if they are biased toward others, you won't always be sad. Only in this way can you clearly know what you should care about, what you like, and what you should cherish."

Listening to her words, Nan Lizhu's eyes became firm; she put down Mimi, opened her arms, and came over to hug Nan Xueyin, "Sister, thank you."

Nan Xueyin hugged her back.

Nan Lizhu looked at her: "Sister, sometimes I always feel that you must have been to many places, met many people, and experienced many things."

Nan Xueyin thought to herself, I have also killed many people.

"Now, you are the second person I admire."

"The first is the Crown Prince?" Nan Xueyin raised an eyebrow.

Nan Lizhu nodded with a smile.

Nan Xueyin couldn't help but wonder, if Nan Lizhu knew that she and the Crown Prince once had a past, would she move directly to first place?

At this moment, footsteps came from outside the door.

Nan Xueyin heard the maid address him: "Young Master Yu."

Yu Rang had come.

He stood outside the door and explained: "I have come to say goodbye."

Nan Lizhu pulled Nan Xueyin along to go out together.

Nan Lizhu said to him, "You should go and say goodbye to Nan Fuguang; you are his classmate, not mine or my sister's."

Yu Rang lowered his eyes, "I already went to say it just now."

Nan Xueyin knew what he had come here specifically for, but at a time like this, she could not worry about that, so she asked as if casually, "What did your father and my uncle talk about?"

Yu Rang shook his head: "Their conversation was in the study, and I did not go in. Father said the matter being discussed was of great importance, and no unauthorized persons were allowed to linger around the study."

From this, Nan Xueyin was certain that what they were talking about must be state affairs.

"Sister Xueyin..." Yu Rang raised his head and looked shyly at Nan Xueyin, "I... am going back."

Nan Xueyin was thinking about the matter of Xiao Youlan and gave a casual grunt of acknowledgment.

Nan Lizhu laughed amusedly: "What is it, do you have to say it to my sister too?"

Yu Rang blushed a little all of a sudden.

He did not know what to say either, and after mumbling for a long while, he said, "I... I will come again in a few days."

After finishing, he left as if fleeing in a panic.

Nan Lizhu tilted her head: "In a few days, he wouldn't come directly to the door to propose marriage to my sister, would he?"

Nan Xueyin was slightly stunned.

She felt that it was not impossible.

If Yu Rang really had his father come to the door to propose marriage, then Nan Xueyin would inevitably have to refuse, and as for when her uncle asked for the reason for the refusal...

Nan Xueyin had to think it over carefully.

Before she could think it through clearly, the following afternoon, Nan Jiyun announced a very important matter in front of the whole family, including Nan Xueyin—

"I am going north to Fengdu!"