Chapter 1226 – Preparing for Battle, Resting and Recuperating (5)
“Alright, alright, Grandpa will eat.”
Xie Qian showed no signs of disdain as he munched on the deformed little pig made of dough, no matter how much sweat it had soaked up; his expression was more affectionate than anything.
Xie Ze, curious, asked, “Is this your cousin’s daughter?”
The Xie family usually had more boys than girls, with a dominance of males over females. In Xie Ze’s generation, there were only two legitimate sisters, while the rest were boys.
In the Xie family, boys were abundant, but girls were rare.
“Yes, her name is Li Nuan, with the nickname Nuan Nuan.” Xie Qian lifted the plump little Nuan Nuan, who was looking intently at Xie Ze with her glistening black eyes, as if she was pondering when an unfamiliar uncle came to their home. “Nuan Nuan, call Uncle.”
Nuan Nuan was a beat slow, but she garbled out the words and then giggled, turning her head to bury herself in Xie Qian’s neck, acting shy.
The call of the cute little angel pierced through Xie Ze’s chest like a sharp sword, leaving his limbs feeling weak and tingly.
He was utterly smitten.
Well, the cousin truly was a cousin; even his daughter was so outstanding—truly the offspring of the Xie family.
By the way—
Xie Ze seemed to have not given up on getting Li Yun to recognize his roots. He figured that if he couldn’t persuade Li Yun, he might as well try with Xie Qian.
After all, as a Xie clan descendant, how could there be reason to change surnames?
Changing names and lineage would make it inconvenient for the Xie family to protect Li Yun in the future.
As Xie Qian contemplated, he skillfully declined Xie Ze’s goodwill on the surface, insisting that Li Yun should continue using the Li surname.
If Xie Ze couldn’t manage Li Yun, there was no way he could convince Xie Qian. It’d be remarkable if he didn’t lead him astray.
“This is Li Nuan’s official name?”
Xie Ze expressed surprise.
Male names were usually single characters, while dual characters were seen as lowly. However, females often had double-character names to avoid single ones.
Of course, this was something only the distinguished families cared about. Ordinary common folks would be content just to have a somewhat decent name, let alone worry about the balance of characters. Names like Li Yun’s childhood nickname, Li Dog Pillar, while not specific, were common enough, and many commoners were named Iron Egg, Silly Egg, and so on.
Having a name that could actually be called was already a blessing; who had the luxury to fuss about it?
Xie Qian said, “The customs in Wanzhou have changed in recent years; Nuan Nuan will probably have to take the military path in the future. A dual-character name sounds too delicate.”
Although Xie Qian couldn’t envision Nuan Nuan, who resembled his wife, Wang Huijun, wielding weapons and blades, this was a family tradition; she had to learn. All male members of the Xie clan had been trained from a young age, and even female members needed to learn some martial arts.
Though Nuan Nuan carried the Li surname, she still carried the pure bloodline of the Xie family within her, so she shouldn’t neglect her heritage.
Xie Ze recalled his lord’s name, “Liu Xi,” and instantly understood where the trend of single-character names for women originated.
Xie Ze’s wife was astonished upon hearing this, unable to fathom her uncle’s thinking. He actually wanted Li Nuan to become a military general on the battlefield when she grew up.
“Uncle, the battlefield is blind to swords and blades; Nuan Nuan—”
Xie Qian replied, “Wanzhou has a well-established military system for women. If Nuan Nuan goes to battle, she would most likely start from the bottom and wouldn’t face danger directly.”
First, she would train her courage, then earn military merits by defeating enemies. Though Xie Qian doted on his granddaughter, he wasn’t indulging her to the point of losing perspective.
It was clear to anyone that Xie Qian was nurturing Li Nuan as a legitimate heir.
“Among the Xie descendants, there’s not a single weak one. Although Nuan Nuan is still young, she’s quite perceptive. It would be a pity not to train her properly.”
Nuan Nuan had no idea what the adults were discussing; she only thought they all looked really good.
She cheerfully entertained herself, sometimes tugging at Xie Qian’s sleeve, sometimes giggling on her own, not crying or causing a fuss.
Seeing such a lovely little angel, what couple wouldn’t adore her?
They liked her so much that they could hardly wait to have a daughter just as well-behaved and obedient as Nuan Nuan.
In contrast, the situation over with Han Yu was a bit awkward.
He had wanted to bring his wife to meet Mr. Yuanjing.
Han Yu had always held his mentor, Yuanjing, in fatherly respect, so bringing his wife to meet him carried significant meaning.
He tried as best he could to ease the tension in their marriage; however, Madam Han’s stubborn and proud nature made the efforts seem of little effect.
Madam Han graciously declined Han Yu’s suggestion, instead using the excuse that it was getting late and urged him to leave quickly, lest they wasted time. Visiting someone also had its etiquette; the most basic rule was not to come unannounced while the host was dining.
Han Yu glanced at the sky; he had no choice but to go alone with lavish gifts to visit Mr. Yuanjing.
Most of the homes of Jiang Pengji’s followers were clustered together, and though Mr. Yuanjing wasn’t under her command, he had been allocated a home in a prime location. Today, Han Yu’s residence was only two streets away from Mr. Yuanjing’s; traveling wouldn’t take much time.
Han Yu’s expression was thunderous.
Even if his wife didn’t say it, her actions betrayed her meticulousness down to the last drop; however, Han Yu, as her husband, couldn’t be oblivious to it.
He could clearly see that his wife’s attitude toward Mr. Yuanjing was distant and arrogant.
This infuriated Han Yu even more.
Due to their efforts in pushing back the northern borders and reclaiming three cities, Mr. Yuanjing’s fame had skyrocketed, becoming a recognized figure across the five nations.
With fame came scrutiny of Mr. Yuanjing’s past.
His ancestors had once been prominent nobles during the Sixteen Kingdoms period but had fallen into disrepute within two generations due to political strife, ending up extremely destitute.
By Mr. Yuanjing’s time, the entire family was left with nothing but an ancestral family tree that still held some significance.
Realistically speaking, Mr. Yuanjing’s starting point was even slightly below that of ordinary poor scholars.
At least poor scholars had social standing, often incorporating new nobles, local tycoons, and newly rich individuals, lacking power and prestige yet possessing wealth.
Even with his widespread renown and reputation, to the old aristocratic families, he didn’t amount to anything significant.
Han Yu noticed his wife’s casualness and neglect, which only fueled his anger.
“Junior Brother Wenbin, you finally arrived.”
As soon as Han Yu arrived, Tang Yao, who had been wandering outside for quite some time, hurried to greet him.
“Does Master know that Yu would come?”
Tang Yao replied, “Master said Junior Brother Wenbin is a stickler for etiquette and would certainly come today.”
People emphasized respecting their teachers, and the saying went, “Once a teacher, for a lifetime a father,” so visiting Mr. Yuanjing was no different from visiting one’s own father.
Han Yu said, “Master is still—”
Upon reuniting with his mentor after several years apart, countless emotions surged inside him, and Han Yu couldn’t help but well up, yet he couldn’t articulate what felt unfair.
Seeing his disciple grow into someone so mature and composed filled Mr. Yuanjing’s heart with warmth.
Mr. Yuanjing was not just an academic teacher; he was a life mentor, and Han Yu’s ability to find his “way” was also thanks to his guidance.
He had never hidden anything from Mr. Yuanjing, just like they were father and son with no secrets.
“Master, there’s something I don’t understand. You once said your principle is ‘Peach and plum all over the world,’ so why are you stuck in Wanzhou now?”
“Old man here is practically practicing his ‘way’ through hands-on experience,” Mr. Yuanjing chuckled, gesturing to the stacks of books piled up on the desk, each stack containing over twenty, totaling five stacks. These were all assignments from students of the Golden Scales Academy.
The improved educational system of the Golden Scales Academy was extraordinarily effective; compared to Mr. Yuanjing’s previous teaching efficiency, it was like riding a rocket.
With so many students, by his old standards, very few had the qualifications to study, and there was only one such genius among them, like Feng Yi.
However, the pace at which the students at the Golden Scales Academy were progressing astonished Mr. Yuanjing deeply.
