As they were all on their way out of the gates, someone ran up to them, calling out:
"Qiu-gongzi! Qiu-gongzi!"
Pealing sweetly like bells, it was a voice that Qiu Yunru recognized. Hurrying up to them was none other than that little girl he had helped, Li Mei--Li Fengguang's adoptive daughter!
She tugged on his sleeve, looking up at him with large, sparkling eyes. Though she was a little bigger now after a year had passed, she still wore the same sort of colorful robes and bright red ribbons in her cutely braided hair.
"Qiu-gonzi!" She chirped again. "I just got back from a trip to the meadows, and now you're here! Why didn't you come looking for me?" She pouted, face rosy. "Yuan-gege says that you have to leave now. Didn't you bring me any presents?"
Qiu Yunru was frozen.
How many awkward situations was he going to fall into in just one day?!
Really, what was he supposed to do here?!
It was clear from the carefree joy on Li Mei's face that she hadn't yet heard the terrible fate her adoptive father had met. She didn't know that he was dead, and she definitely didn't know he had died by poison from his own hand, after confessing to murderously trying to get his nephew killed at the hands of demons!
Conflicted, Qiu Yunru held a light conversation with Li Mei. He asked a little about how she had been, what she had been up to--polite topics to discuss when seeing an old acquaintance.
As she talked, he came to the conclusion that he really shouldn't be the one to tell her. Yes, perhaps it was partly out of selfishness that he didn't want to. How could anyone stand to deliver terrible news to a little girl as joyful and carefree as this one? However, it was largely out of the fact that it would be entirely improper, and that it would surely be a horrible thing to hear from a near-stranger's mouth. Between hearing it from a close maidservant with whom she had grown up with, or from him, someone she had met once a year ago, would the first be at least a little more comforting?
Oblivious to his turmoil, Li Mei yammered on happily:
"Baba hasn't gotten any worse, and he still spoils me, though I'm sad he can't give me so many hugs anymore. And, he can't talk too much, but that's okay--he still makes sure to write me notes every day! Even though he's sick, the doctor said he's not getting any worse, so he can still live a long time!"
"What about your cousin--Li Chenyuan?" Qiu Yunru asked weakly. "Has he treated you well?"
Li Mei nodded enthusiastically. "Yuan-gege is the best! Baba never used to let me talk to him much, but ever since Baba got sick, now both Yuan-gege and Baba buy me things! Yuan-gege gets annoyed a lot, but he plays with me sometimes for a little bit. He doesn't like to look at me, but he brings me dolls and hairpins! Even though he doesn't spend much time with me, he lets me buy whatever I want!"
Wow...this girls standards of being "the best" were truly atrocious!
Not being able to look at her, playing with her here and there, and giving her money--had she ever had someone play with her properly?
At least it seemed that Li Chenyuan wasn't showing too much resentment towards her, seeing as she was the beloved daughter of his abuser. It sounded like he still wanted her to live well, despite, not enjoying being around her.
Li Mei babbled on for a bit longer. Soon enough, her handmaid approached from inside the mansion, her face grim. She pulled the twittering girl away into the mansion, and Qiu Yunru couldn't help but light a row of candles for that handmaid and Li Mei both. Imagine having to deliver such news!
Finally free of the situation, Qiu Yunru joined the group that was packing up to leave.
While flying back to the mountain on their swords, Fang Hai noticed a bright purple glare to his right.
He looked over and saw that this kid, Qiu Yunru, was wearing a fancy hairpin. Not only fancy--it looked like it had to have cost a fortune, custom-made and all!
"Where did Qiu-shidi get this pin?" Fang Hai said casually.
In truth, he was trying to be sly and get a little information out of this kid. From the beginning, ever since Qiu Yunru had told him that he was an orphaned street kid, Fang Hai had suspected something wasn't right. His demeanor was too refined, his reading skills too high, his manners too honed. He thought that, maybe if he asked about this pin at the end of such a long and stressful day, Qiu Yunru might let something slip. Ex.:
Ah, this? It's a gift from my mom, who is a princess. I mean--! What? My mom is dead and was definitely poor, haha...
Ah, this? It's my inheritance from my filthy rich noble parents. Wait, what?
Or something like that.
The real-life answer somehow shocked him even more.
"Ah, this pin?" Qiu Yunru's face turned a little pink, and he seemed embarrassed. "Lord Li Chenyuan gifted it to me on the way out. I tried to deny it, but he insisted. Since it's so expensive, I didn't want to put it in my bag and potentially break it..."
Fang Hai nearly spit out three liters of blood, and nearly fell off his sword.
Giving hairpins to each other, not to mention exorbitantly expensive pins...
Wasn't this a sign of romantic affection?!
Fang Hai shook his head vehemently.
No, that couldn't be it! Two men...? What's more, these two had just met! So, it was impossible. A ridiculous thought, even. Why had he even considered such a thing? It must be a badly thought-out gift on the part of a young Lord who had just come into his wealth.
Still, it looked rather odd in this situation.
"Ahem...shidi...you might want to take it out...It seems a little improper..."
Qiu Yunru coughed. "Ah...Fang-shixiong is right. I'll take it out when I get back and keep it somewhere private. Anyhow, it's not that kind of thing. Li Chenyuan doesn't understand some social customs, so I thought it would be rude to refuse."
Fang Hai nodded in relief. The intelligence this kid had! That made much more sense.
However, he couldn't help but feel that something was a little off, and his face remained red at the thought for a long time.
_____