Brother and Sister
After helping the little beggar, Kang De felt much better.
Then Hong San persuaded him to go back.
"Sir, let's go."
The Cathayan kept nagging, "Once word gets out, all the beggars in town will know about you. They might even line up to beg for money. If you continue to be so generous, those townspeople will have to wear their tattered clothes to beg from you. Then it'll be hard for them to leave..."
Kang De was somewhat skeptical, yet also somewhat convinced.
Does doing charity require strategy?
All the beggars in town came to him asking for money, but he didn't mind. After all, his life experiences had been so bizarre that he was basically no longer interested in money.
But if it's really as Hong San said... then it's a bit disgusting.
Let's take this one step at a time.
Facing the cool breeze, Kang De and Hong San slowly strolled back to Glimmering Sand Castle. Amid the bows of the servants, he returned to the third floor of the main building and knocked on Tina's door.
The one who opened the door was the head maid of Bedela.
"Her Highness the Princess has gone to visit Samuel, accompanied by the Knight."
Kang De was slightly disappointed. He spoke with the head maid for a moment, then took his leave—he really had nothing in common with this prim and proper old maid.
Back in his room, Kang De chatted with Hong San, remaining vigilant and controlling the conversation. When Hong San brought up Cathay, Kant would talk about his master.
"Actually, I'm very interested in your master."
Kang De asked, "Where does he live now? I'll visit him when I have time."
Hong San replied, "The last time I saw my master, he was still living in..."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Hong San cleverly ran to open the door, and upon seeing who it was, he immediately bent down.
The two children of Samuel, Hannah and Lynch, a young girl and a young boy.
The siblings bowed to Kang De: "We apologize for disturbing you, Your Excellency Kang De."
Kang De stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Welcome."
After both parties took their seats, the young girl looked at Hong San, who was standing to the side, with a hesitant expression in her eyes.
Hong San, being as astute as he was, said to Kang De, "Sir, perhaps I should excuse myself for a moment?"
Kang De nodded, and the Cathayan bowed to each of the three men in turn, then walked backwards out the door.
Only three people remained in the room.
Hannah lowered her eyes, her hair falling from her shoulders like smooth silk. She exuded both girlish shyness and aristocratic elegance, possessing a different kind of charm compared to Tina.
The girl hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Lynch, on the other hand, was much bolder. The little boy looked at Kang De with curiosity, not at all shy.
Kang De waited a moment, then went straight to the point. "Miss Hannah? I don't know..."
Hannah hesitated, unsure how to begin, while Lynch, seemingly impatient with his sister's procrastination, said directly, "Let me speak. My sister is here to apologize, on behalf of that Knight Nostrils..."
Kang De exclaimed in surprise, "The Knight Nostrils?"
Lynch said in a serious tone, "Yes, the Knight Nostrils. That guy was extremely arrogant. Apart from a few of us, he looked at everyone with his head held high, not realizing that this made his large nostrils stand out. That's why he was given the nickname 'Knight Nostrils'..."
Upon hearing this, Kang De laughed heartily, "That nickname seems quite fitting..."
Lynch clapped his hands and said, "Right? I think so too..."
"Lynch!"
Hannah quietly stopped her younger brother.
Lynch scoffed, "What's wrong? You know what Knight Nostrils is like. He's always the one who offends people everywhere, and you're always the one secretly apologizing for him. If you ask me..."
Hannah retorted, "He's not a bad person at heart. I've tried to persuade him, and he's been trying to change, so..."
Lynch shrugged and said, "Don't tell me, tell the victim."
Hannah snapped out of her reverie upon hearing this, then looked at Kang De with an apologetic gaze and said softly, "You're right... Lord Kang De, I've come to apologize. Please don't take Knight Glenn's rudeness to heart."
Lynch couldn't help but say again, "It's strange, sister. If you want Kang De to forgive you, the Knight Nostrils should apologize. What does it mean for you to apologize on his behalf? It feels like you're using your beauty and weakness to force him to forgive the Knight Nostrils. I don't think that's true forgiveness..."
"... Lynch!"
Hannah blushed and pinched the boy hard.
Lynch cried out in pain.
Kang De watched the siblings' banter and interaction and found it rather amusing.
This little boy is quite amusing. He and his sister work together seamlessly, especially in speaking up for Kang De and bringing out his innermost thoughts, which makes the whole situation harmonious and smooth.
Is this what nobility is like? Viscount Samuel's youngest son is quite something.
He didn't mention forgiveness or anything like that, but instead looked at Hannah and teased, "Miss Hannah, you seem quite concerned about Knight Glenn's affairs, could it be...?"
Hannah's face flushed bright red, and she gesticulated wildly, saying shyly, "No! Nothing like that!"
She panicked for a moment, then calmed down, staring at her toes, her hands twisting together, and whispered, "I... I only saw him as an older brother..."
Wow, brother card.
Kang De glanced at the phone camera peeking out of his breast pocket and smiled with satisfaction.
Next, we can find out the Knight Nostrils' attitude towards Hannah. If he harbors feelings for her, then we can deliver a fatal blow... Miss Hannah, I will pass on this card for you!
Having captured the footage he wanted, he said solemnly, "Miss Hannah, let me state my position. The unpleasant incident at the docks was instigated by Knight Glenn. I was merely retaliating, and he has already apologized. The matter is now closed, and I will not pursue it further."
"But."
He stated frankly, "I can tell you clearly that if he holds a grudge and such a thing happens again, I will retaliate even more fiercely. I will not show any mercy just because of your visit today. Do you understand what I mean? Rather than advising me not to hold a grudge, I would advise him to be more careful with his words and actions from now on."
"This..."
Hannah sighed, "I understand. Thank you for your patience and kindness."
Lynch was indeed a clever little fellow, and immediately changed the subject. "I heard that Lord Kang De went out to play? We came looking for you earlier, but the servants said you were out."
Kang De gave a brief account, then, on a sudden impulse, he mentioned the little beggar.
"Ah... how pitiful."
When Hannah heard about the little beggar's family situation, tears welled up in her eyes. "Mr. Kang De is such a kind person..."
Lynch also said softly, "My sister and I often help the people in town, but our pocket money is limited, so we can't help much. We asked Father for help, but he said things weren't that simple. Then he gave us some reasons we didn't understand. He said that with the finances of Glittering Sand Viscounty, of course they could support those beggars, but what would the hardworking townspeople and farmers think? Besides, if the news spread, beggars from all around would flock to the town, and then what would they do? Sooner or later they wouldn't be able to support them. In short, he gave us a lot of reasons..."
Kang De pondered for a moment and said, "There's a saying in my hometown: 'It's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them fish, so they can support themselves.' Perhaps we can start from this point..."
He looked at the siblings before him. "I have money and I can come up with ideas, but I can't stay here too long. If you're willing to help..."
"Willing!"
The siblings said in unison.
Hannah asked eagerly, "What method is it?"
Kang De tapped his head. "I'm thinking, but I can't think of a suitable method in time... But there must be one, don't worry, there will definitely be a way."
Just kidding, I'm a time traveler.
I brought an entire neighborhood with me.
More importantly, my phone has tons of online articles!
His confident attitude inspired both the siblings.
Hannah said softly, "Then we'll wait for His Excellency Kang De's good news. If there's a way to help these poor people, we'll do everything in our power."
It has to be said that this topic inadvertently brought the three of them closer together.
They talked about many things.
They talked about things in Glittering Sand and Goth's country. Lynch was at an age where he was very curious, asking all sorts of questions about things in Cathay, seemingly very fascinated by the East.
Kang De was, after all, a human being born in an age of information explosion. He was well-informed and knowledgeable. Putting aside other things, his perspective and eloquence required a great deal of information exposure. Such qualities were even more rare in a backward world with limited information.
Lynch and Hannah listened to him intently, Lynch eyes sparkling with admiration. Even Hannah listened attentively, her expression filled with respect.
They had a very pleasant conversation.
"If you ask me, the reason everyone treats Teacher Hong San so rudely is because Father lets it go. I've always begged Father to give Teacher Hong San to me as a servant, but he always refuses. If Teacher Hong San were my servant, the people of Glimmering Sand Castle would definitely not dare to bully him..."
Lynch looked at Kang De and sighed, "I really want a servant from Cathay..."
Hannah hurriedly slapped Lynch: "Don't say such things!"
Kang De shook his head and said, "It's alright."
If the Hong San he met was merely working under the Viscount, and was self-respecting, polite, and respected by others, then he wouldn't feel uncomfortable.
Moreover, after today's conversation, he discovered that Hong San's personality... was a bit hard to describe.
That was about enough for our conversation. Hannah glanced at the sky, then pulled her brother to his feet. "Your Excellency Kang De, I apologize for the intrusion. It's getting late, and we need to get back to prepare for a banquet tonight. We hope to see Your Excellency Kang De again so we can have a proper chat..."
Lynch seemed somewhat reluctant to leave, but his sister dragged him out the door.
Upon reaching the door, Lynch suddenly smiled at Kang De and said, "Mr. Kang De, my sister only sees Knight Nostrils as an older brother, so why don't you consider my sister? She has a good personality, is innocent, and doesn't lie. She's quite nice, except that she often concocts some strange drinks for others..."
He had barely finished speaking when Hannah gave him a sharp rap on the head. The girl, blushing, said to Kang De, "Please don't listen to his nonsense! This little rascal is more cunning than anyone else!"
Then Kang De heard Hannah dragging Lynch into the corridor and leaving, and the image of the girl blushing and angrily scolding him flashed through his mind.
Hong San's head peeked out from the other side of the door.
It seems he's been staying here the whole time.
"Sir..." the Cathayan asked, "Did you have a good chat?"
Kang De smiled. "Quite nice. Viscount Samuel's children are both very interesting."
"Is... is that so?"
Hong San forced a smile and said softly, "Sir, you should still..."
Kang De was in a good mood and glanced at him. "What's wrong?"
The Cathayan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, it's nothing."
He said with a smile, "There's a banquet tonight, sir. Would you like to make some preparations?"
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PS1: Third update! Over 3,000 words! I've updated over 9,000 words today! Almost 10,000 words! In other books, that would be five updates a day! Wow, how come I'm so diligent...?
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