Zhu Changle had always been a restless person, and a sleepless night did nothing to dampen her energy.
After paying her respects to her grandmother and trying to help her mother (only to be shooed out of the room for causing more trouble), she remembered there was still one person she hadn't bothered... er, played with yet.
"Qiuli, Qiuli, little Changle is here!" Her voice carried from afar before she even arrived.
Qiuli, who had been idly practicing martial arts out of boredom, happily stopped and opened the door.
Qiuli's guest quarters were near a bamboo grove. The gentle breeze made the bamboo leaves rustle, adding a sense of leisure to the elegant surroundings.
Zhu Changle didn't rush into the room. Instead, she took a turn around the bamboo grove before emerging to address Qiuli, who stood with his hands behind his back. "We could set up a hammock here, prepare some food and drinks. Doesn't sound too bad, does it?"
Qiuli raised an eyebrow, silently gesturing at the small bamboo grove as if to ask: Are your standards that low?
"Of course, it can't compare to Immortal Lady Wen's paradise. We can only make the best of what we have," Zhu Changle said, also looking at the grove. "You're being picky. It's not even certain we can set up the hammock. It's too close to the study, and Father will definitely fight me for this spot."
Qiuli glanced at the nearby study, then considered the atmosphere of the Zhu family. Lord Zhu might indeed quarrel with her over this, but in the end, the spot would probably still belong to Zhu Changle.
"Hey, Qiuli, shall we go to the front courtyard?" Zhu Changle's eyes lit up. "I've never seen Father handle official business before!"
Qiuli had no objections. He was free anyway, and doing something to pass the time seemed fine. As for whether it was appropriate or not, was that something he needed to consider?
"This way, this way. Let's be stealthy, don't strut about too obviously." Zhu Changle pulled Qiuli towards a small path on the side. She had long since familiarized herself with all these places. Although there was a door separating the front and back courtyards, there were fewer people here, making it easier.
"See that artificial mountain? We'll go over it."
Qiuli looked up, lightly tapped his toes, and floated up... bringing along the person clutching his sleeve.
"Hey, that saves effort," Zhu Changle giggled softly, keeping her voice low to avoid being heard by the doorkeepers not far away.
This mischievous side of Zhu Changle was endearing. Compared to many others, she indeed lived much more freely.
After climbing the artificial mountain and passing through a small garden, they entered the front hall. The large stone in the center with the words 'Public Gives Birth to Clarity' was particularly eye-catching.
As the place where the county magistrate handled official business, it was different from what Zhu Changle had seen before. First, it was small. On the left was a row of rooms labeled 'Clerical Office, Penal Office, Works Office, Military Office, Ritual Office.' On the right, in the center, was the Household Office, with granaries on both sides. Faint sounds could be heard coming from both sides.
Zhu Changle pulled Qiuli to hide behind the wall of the left rooms. Without the large stone blocking her view, she found her father. He sat in the center, talking to two people below him. After listening for a moment, Zhu Changle lost interest. It was all back-and-forth probing, not interesting at all.
"My father looks so handsome in his official robes, even the seventh-rank ones look good," Zhu Changle praised generously. Then she sought agreement, "Don't you think so, Qiuli?"
"Mm."
Zhu Changle whipped her head around, staring at Qiuli with wide eyes. She had thought he wouldn't respond, given how sparing he was with words, preferring silence when possible.
Then, she remembered that possibility again. This matter was far more important than secretly watching her father. Pulling him back the way they came, she decided it wasn't safe to discuss this at home and ended up dragging him out through a side gate.
Qiuli simply allowed himself to be pulled along.
Once they were far enough from the county office, Zhu Changle finally let go. "Qiuli, I need to discuss a very serious matter with you."
Qiuli nodded, indicating for her to continue.
"You can speak now, so tell me, what's your relationship with my father?"
"Old friend."
"How old are you, and how old is my father? How could you be old friends?" Zhu Changle shook her head vigorously. "I don't believe it."
Qiuli thought for a moment, then added two words, "Old friend's son."
Zhu Changle started to panic a bit. Biting her finger to calm herself, she continued asking, "Is this old friend male or female?"
"Female."
Zhu Changle panicked even more. "Your mother?"
Qiuli nodded, finally unable to resist rescuing her hand from her mouth.
"So your mother knows my father?"
"Mm."
Oh no, oh no, oh no. Is he really her brother fallen from the sky? Zhu Changle spun in a circle, then asked again, not giving up, "Your mother knew my father was in trouble, so she sent you to help?"
Qiuli looked puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
The problem is huge! Zhu Changle felt she must have missed something. Right, "Does your father know my father too?"
"No father."
"No father?" Zhu Changle exclaimed, her voice so loud that people around looked over. But seeing their obviously different attire, they quickly turned away and hurried off.
Zhu Changle didn't care about that now. She squatted down, thinking about what to do. This must be kept from Mother. Father... should Father be told? How could Father do such a thing! Qiuli was clearly younger than her eldest brother, even younger than her second brother. That means it was before her third sister. Did Father leave home during that time? Wah, she wasn't home for more than half a year! Uh, no, that's not right, she wasn't even born then! What to do? Asking her eldest or second brother was definitely out of the question, asking Mother even more so. Maybe ask Grandmother? No, that won't work. Grandmother is old and needs more rest now that she's tired. She can't bother her with this.
Qiuli carefully squatted down, holding up the hem of his robe, and looked at Zhu Changle. He was confused. "It's me who doesn't have one, not you."
"I just feel that I have what you don't, you're at such a disadvantage." Zhu Changle's face fell. Should she help her mother hate Qiuli? But Qiuli was so nice, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Wouldn't that be too unfair to her mother then?
Also, "Should I call you brother from now on?"
Brother? Qiuli thought about Zhu Changle calling him 'brother' in the same tone she used for Zhu Changwang. It seemed... not bad?
So he nodded, "Call me brother."
Zhu Changle felt even more like crying. This made it sound like Qiuli completely knew who his father was and what relationship he had with her. How hurt must he have felt watching their harmonious family all this time!
"Are we... misunderstanding something somewhere?"
Seeing her completely wrong expression, Qiuli, who had been entirely led astray, finally felt something was off. He recalled their entire conversation since leaving the office and found the strange point.
"Is it odd that I don't have a father?"
"Everyone has a father," Zhu Changle said, sneaking a glance at his expression. "It's just that some people have fathers with them, and some don't."
Qiuli, having climbed out of the misunderstanding, regained his senses. He tapped Zhu Changle on the head with his fan, both amused and exasperated. "So you thought we shared the same father?"
"No, no, that's not... I didn't..." A light bulb went off in Zhu Changle's head. She sprang to her feet. "You mean our fathers are not the same person?"
Qiuli didn't want to deal with her anymore. He turned and walked away.
He should have let her call him 'brother' earlier. What a loss.
