As Zheng Chuan's good brother, it was only natural for Xu Zifan to step forward at this moment. He pressed down on Zheng Chuan's wine glass and said earnestly, "Zheng Chuan, I know how long you've been preparing to join the army. You can't change your mind. Your talents can only shine in the military. If you can't make it tomorrow, you'll ruin your life. Even if you stay to take care of your sister, how much can you give her? It's better for you to join the army, work hard, and return in glory a few years later to give your sister honor. Only then can you take good care of her, right?"
These words made perfect sense, and everyone nodded in agreement. Liu Yang also chimed in, "Brother Zheng, you should listen to Yi Zhi. You have your own ambitions; you can't be a hunter for the rest of your life. If you could get a position in the army, you'd be able to support your sister in the future."
Zheng Chuan held his wine glass without speaking, his brows slightly furrowed, indicating he was deep in thought. A classmate asked, "Brother Zheng just said that your sister is your biological sister. Is she married? If she's doing well, Brother Zheng could simply not acknowledge her yet and come looking for her a few years later when you've made something of yourself."
Zheng Chuan frowned even more and shook his head. "I've heard that my sister was in mourning for her adoptive mother-in-law, which delayed her marriage. After that, she got older, and the family's wealth was spent on her mother-in-law's medical treatment. Since she's an orphan, no one cares about her marriage anymore."
"Is that so? This is a bit difficult. It's best for a girl of this age to have someone to rely on or an elder to help with the arrangements."
Xu Zifan thought for a moment, then said carefully, "Brother Zheng, you're leaving tomorrow, so why don't you entrust your sister to me? I'll take her back to town, and my mother and Xiaolian will take care of her. What do you think?"
The others readily agreed, "That's a great idea, the best of both worlds. Brother Zheng, although our town isn't as nice as the capital, Yi Zhi is doing quite well here. His mother and sister are kind people, they'll definitely take good care of your sister, so you can go join the army with peace of mind!"
Zheng Chuan's eyes lit up, and he looked at Xu Zifan, asking, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble? I might not be back for years, I..."
Xu Zifan raised his hand to interrupt her, and laughed, "Why do we need to say such things? Go and reunite with your sister. You can spend one more day with her before you leave. Tomorrow, just go with peace of mind. I will take good care of her."
Zheng Chuan remained silent for a moment, then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. He stood up, glanced at Xu Zifan, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the others, and whispered, "Thank you all," before quickly leaving. This was more in line with his personality; a man who was not good with words yet was extremely excited, everything was understood without being spoken in this situation.
Liu Yang patted Xu Zifan on the shoulder and laughed, "Yizhi, you really are a man of honor and loyalty. Come on, let me toast you!"
The others joined in the fun, raising their glasses. Xu Zifan clinked glasses with them and smiled, saying, "I hope everything goes well for Zheng Chuan." Then he and the others drank quite a bit of wine, using various excuses to explain why.
Of the people at this table, Zheng Chuan was only close to Xu Zifan; he had only known the others and eaten with them a few times. He didn't need to tell them how or where he and his sister met, or any further details, much less bring his sister to them. After the banquet, everyone was quite drunk and showed little curiosity about Zheng Chuan's sister-recognition story. Back at the inn, they collapsed into bed, seemingly trying to make up for the sleep they had missed while studying so hard.
After drinking so much, everyone was naturally unable to get up the next day, so only his good brother Xu Zifan saw Zheng Chuan off as he set off to join the army. By the time they got up to eat and drink hangover soup, Xu Zifan had already seen Zheng Chuan off and arrived at the inn with his sister Zheng Zixuan.
It was Zheng Zixuan's first time appearing in women's clothing in front of outsiders, and she was somewhat nervous. However, only she knew how tense she was. She had been practicing secretly for half a year for this day. Whether it was her walking posture, her tone of voice, or her way of dealing with people, everything appeared perfectly normal on the surface, without a single flaw. As Zheng Chuan's sister, she moved directly into Zheng Chuan's former room, which was next to Xu Zifan's room.
When Liu Yang and the others returned to their room after dinner, they found Zheng Chuan's door open. Xu Zifan was inside talking to Zheng Zixuan, while Xiao Erge was helping to clean the room and change the bedding. Liu Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Yizhi, this...this is Brother Zheng's sister? Where is Brother Zheng?"
The others looked over curiously. Xu Zifan led Zheng Zixuan out the door and nodded. "Zheng Chuan and his acquaintances have agreed to depart at 9:00 AM. Zheng's sister and I just saw him off. Let me introduce you all. We'll be spending a few more days together, so it'll be good to have someone to look after us."
They were all there, and Xu Zifan introduced them one by one. Zheng Zixuan greeted them and bowed to each other, but she seemed very reserved, keeping her head down and not saying much. She was a young girl who had just reunited with her brother, only for him to leave and entrust her to a stranger. This stranger then brought her to meet several other strangers. It was only natural for a young girl to be reserved and wary.
Seeing this, Liu Yang and the others exchanged a few words with Xu Zifan and then dispersed to do whatever they were doing. Firstly, they didn't want to add to the girl's anxiety, and secondly... it was someone else's business, and it really had nothing to do with them. At most, they just thought it was quite amazing that the siblings, separated for so many years, could meet again, and they could talk about it when they got back.
After they left, Xu Zifan took advantage of the empty corridor to enter Zheng Zixuan's room, quickly locked the door from the inside, and then smiled at Zheng Zixuan, "Alright, everything went smoothly."
Zheng Zixuan visibly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. She looked down at the long dress she had carefully sewn, touched the sleeves, and exclaimed happily, "It really is! It really worked!"
Xu Zifan stepped forward, took her hand, and looked down carefully at her face. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes tender and affectionate. "It's a success. From now on, you'll never have to worry about your secret being discovered again. You can be the most..."
Your true identity is revealed to everyone; you no longer need to darken your skin every day, wear twenty pounds of armor; you no longer need to put such thick insoles in your shoes, no longer need to be taciturn, no longer need to avoid others, no longer need to be afraid to see a doctor when you feel unwell… Zixuan, you can do whatever you want from now on. With me here, even if you revert to your female form, you won't be bound by those restrictions."
Without the platform boots, Zheng Zixuan had to crane her neck to see his eyes. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Xu Zifan's hand, reflecting on the past eighteen years. She didn't regret anything, but she did have some regrets, including the hardships of dressing as a man. For example, carrying twenty pounds of protective armor every day, constantly applying ointment to her skin to conceal her true appearance, and enduring illness alone. She hadn't paid much attention to these things before, but now, openly being herself, the memories brought a lot of heartache and grievance.
She looked at Xu Zifan with emotion and said softly, "I'm so glad I met you. Otherwise, I might not be free even after I regained my female identity." She said very softly, "Thank you."
Xu Zifan lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, then reached out and pulled her into his arms—the most unconventional thing they'd done in the six months they'd known each other. But at this moment, with the plan succeeding so smoothly, Xu Zifan's embrace gave Zheng Zixuan a tremendous sense of security. She closed her eyes in his arms, a smile playing on her lips, truly feeling that Xu Zifan was her safest haven. Her confidence in him surpassed everything; she believed he could give her everything, and that none of the things her master had worried about would happen. They would have many children and grandchildren, and a truly happy family.
Zheng Chuan's younger sister kept to herself at the inn, never going out with the group of men. She even had her meals delivered to her room by the waiter, which reflected her recent life-changing experience. Xu Zifan, preoccupied with caring for his friend's sister, also stayed in his room, reading storybooks or medical texts, instead of going out and having fun with the other students.
On the day the results were announced, they spent some money to hire a waiter to check the list, and the waiter quickly ran back to tell them the good news. Of the eight of them, only two passed the exam and became scholars: Xu Zifan and Liu Yang. Xu Zifan was still number one, making a small splash of fame once again. The others were dejected and in low spirits, but they were still young; some of them were still taking the exam even in their fifties. They had only come to take the exam with a try-it-out mentality, so they weren't too disappointed.
Xu Zifan, who had previously disliked studying at the academy, actually achieved the top score, which truly impressed them. They placed Xu Zifan in a higher position from the bottom of their hearts, subconsciously believing that they were inferior to him. Xu Zifan dropped out of school midway and returned home. When his brother became seriously ill, he separated from the family. Instead of becoming depressed, he worked hard and humbled himself to earn money in various ways to shoulder the burden of supporting his family.
He loved medicine and taught himself to be a doctor. In just six months, he became one of the resident doctors at Jishetang, which was already quite outstanding compared to others, making them one of the better-off families in their town. Xu Zifan also insisted on studying, achieving top marks in both the preliminary and final examinations! In just over six months, Xu Zifan had transformed himself into a completely different person. Who could have imagined that this spendthrift, uneducated country boy could become so outstanding?!
Not only did the students think this way, but everyone who knew Xu Zifan thought so. The village had produced a scholar, the only one in the village in the last decade or so. The village headman specially set off firecrackers to celebrate. Even before Xu Zifan arrived home, the village was already filled with joy and excitement, and he once again became the talk of the village. His entire family was also looked up to; the relatives of a scholar were naturally different from those of peasants, everyone thought.
Xu's parents also received the news and went to the city gate every day to wait for Xu Zifan's return. Several days passed, and they finally returned to town. Xu Zifan had rented a carriage and drove it directly to their doorstep. Xu's parents, Xiaolian, and Fang Mingda rushed to the door. Xu's father excitedly stepped forward and grasped Xu Zifan's arm, "Good! Good! You've brought honor to our ancestors! Our family has produced a scholar! Truly an honor to our ancestors!"
Overjoyed, Xu's mother wept tears of joy, tightly grasping Xu Zifan's hands and gazing at him as if she couldn't get enough of him, repeatedly saying, "That's wonderful! My son has passed the imperial examination and become a scholar! That's wonderful!"
Xiao Lian and Fang Mingda stood by, smiling and greeting everyone. Xu Zifan reassured them for a few moments before quickly saying, "Father, Mother, I brought a girl back with me this time. She's Zheng Chuan's sister. Let's go inside and talk. I'll introduce her to you. This is her first time visiting our home, so please don't scare her."
"What? Zheng Chuan's sister?"