"Big sister, big sister, wait for me!" Just as father and son were talking, a voice they'd heard only a short while ago rang out.
"Big sister, big sister, wait for me!" Just as father and son were talking, a voice they had heard only a short while ago rang out.
Was his name Liu Wenqian?
Liu Tian turned to look at the person approaching. Sure enough, it was the person who had struck up a conversation with him on the train. In front of him was someone he hadn't seen before: a girl in a plain black uniform resembling the school uniforms worn by girls in Earth's Republican era. Her long hair was tied into two braids, one on either side. She wasn't pretty, but she had a pleasant, memorable face.
This girl with the icy expression was probably the Sister Wenhan Liu Wenqian had mentioned.
"Huh? That girl looks familiar. Wait, I remember now. Isn't she your Second Uncle's daughter?" Liu Yun's attention was immediately drawn to them. His sharp eyesight let him make out the girl's features even from a distance. She was the niece whose photograph he'd seen the last time he'd returned to his hometown. "Were those two the ones who struck up a conversation with you on the train?"
"So they really are relatives?" Liu Tian wasn't surprised in the least. He watched coolly as the boy lugged a suitcase after the girl ahead of him.
"Son, you guessed it already?" Liu Yun turned to look at Liu Tian, who stood with his arms crossed.
"Wasn't it obvious?" Liu Tian replied. "They're of the same generation, headed to the same destination, and for some inexplicable reason, they seem quite interested in the faraway Hundred Flowers Kingdom. How could they not be related?"
"But I didn't expect them to be Second Uncle's children, the ones you told me about, Dad. If I'd known, I should've come up with a better excuse to brush them off." Though he knew they were his relatives, Liu Tian still seemed indifferent. He'd always been rather detached from relatives he'd never spent any real time with, and didn't consider these two strangers his friends.
"Your mother's staying with Second Uncle's family while she's expecting, you know." Liu Yun sighed as he walked toward them. "When are you going to change that attitude of yours? You'll get yourself into trouble sooner or later."
"Second Uncle was doing you a favor, not me," Liu Tian replied indifferently. "Besides, this is just how I am. I can't change, and I don't want to."
"I warned you the last time you came back," Sister Wenhan said. Though she was clearly angry with her younger brother, she only scolded him briefly before stopping to wait for him. "You have to keep an eye on your belongings. Never let anything valuable out of your sight."
"That was the gift I specially bought in the Capital City for you to give Fifth Aunt when you met her. You told me to have a look, saying it wouldn't get lost. And now you're telling me it's gone?"
"I didn't think anyone would actually steal things on the train!" Apparently, Liu Wenqian had been sheltered too well. He looked dejected, apologizing as he tried to think of a way to make things right. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sister! How about we don't go back just yet? We can buy something here instead."
"I still have some of my New Year's money saved up. It should be enough. If it's not, you can lend me the rest, and I'll pay you back at the end of the year."
Thanks to his good upbringing, Liu Wenqian had no intention of giving up and trying to bluff his way out of it. Instead, he worked hard to come up with a practical solution.
"Money isn't the issue. That item is only available in the Capital City. It was just imported from the Morning Star Alliance, and I picked it out carefully. How could a small city like Pei Commandery possibly have anything similar?" Sister Wenhan sighed again. "I thought your time studying away from home would help you get over that careless habit of yours. How are you still like this?"
"You're always losing things! And haven't I told you before not to talk to strangers when you're out? It doesn't matter how excited you are! You have to be careful and stay safe when you're away from home!"
"Just look at the things you did on the train!"
"You're not a little kid anymore. You should start thinking things through. You're going to officer school next year. You'll be surrounded by all kinds of people from all over the place, and if something happens, your family might not be able to protect you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Liu Wenqian was clearly getting impatient. "You keep going over the same little things again and again, Sister. I'm going to get calluses on my ears..."
"Is this a little thing? I'm doing it for your own good!" As she spoke, Sister Wenhan's hand flashed out with speed beyond an ordinary person's reach. She deftly dodged Liu Wenqian's instinctive attempt to fend her off and grabbed his ear with perfect precision. "You even tried to fight back? Getting bold, are you?"
"Heh, heh..." The moment she grabbed his weak spot, Liu Wenqian went meek. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sister! Dear Sister, lovely Sister, don't twist it, don't twist it! It hurts!"
"Shouldn't we focus on finding a replacement gift?"
"No need. I'd already prepared a gift for you. I heard Fifth Uncle's son was coming too, so I'll give that gift to him instead."
"Sometimes it's better to give a gift to the mother's son directly. It'll serve as a lesson for you, too."
"May I ask if you're Liu Zhengde's daughter and son?" Liu Yun had walked up to them as they spoke and asked.
"The quiet uncle from the train!" Seeing Liu Yun arrive, Liu Wenqian immediately perked up. With a quick twist, he slipped his ear free from Sister Wenhan's distracted grasp and changed the subject. "How do you know our father's name?"
"I'm Liu Zhengyun. By our family's seniority, you should call me Fifth Uncle." After introducing himself, Liu Yun immediately turned and pointed to Liu Tian. "This is my son, Liu Wentian. You met him on the train."
"Just call me Liu Tian," he said. Since there was no avoiding it, Liu Tian didn't plan to keep dodging them. "I wasn't named according to our family's generation order."
"..." Though Liu Tian had the distinctive red eyes, Sister Wenhan was naturally cautious and didn't believe him outright. She pulled her younger brother a step back. "If you really are Fifth Uncle, why didn't you recognize us on the train?"
"Looks like she's suspicious," Liu Tian said, glancing at his father. He didn't answer her. Instead, he looked in another direction, where a black sedan was slowly approaching. "That should be the person coming to pick us up. Why don't you check if you recognize him?"
"I've only seen your niece in a photograph, so I didn't recognize her right away," Liu Yun said, scratching his head as he explained. Then he heard Liu Tian speak. "Where? Let me have a look!"
By the time he turned around, the black sedan had come to a stop in front of them.
The window rolled down, revealing a square-faced man with a familiar face to everyone except Liu Tian. "You're all here together? What a coincidence! Come on, don't stand out in the sun. Get in the car. Lunch is already ready at home."
"Dad?" *2
"Second Brother!"
Judging by their reactions, it was clear that the square-faced, scarred man was Liu Zhengde, the man Liu Yun had mentioned.
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