A Nighttime Talk Between Sister and Brother

After Liu Bei and the others returned to Xiaopei, Gan Qian used missing her sworn younger brother as an excuse to stay at Gan Family Village with Gan Ji for a few days.

Because Mi Zhu had come to Liu Bei's aid in his hour of need, Liu Bei now placed great importance on the Mi Family. Outwardly, he relied on Mi Zhu for civil affairs and Mi Fang for military matters; privately, he doted greatly on Mi Zhen.

It could be said that the Mi Family was now Liu Bei's most dependable support, aside from Guan Yu and Zhang.

Gan Qian did not act like a jealous wife, but when she suggested returning to Gan Family Village for a short stay, Liu Bei understood her feelings and readily agreed.

Liu Bei had already taken several wives and concubines, yet he lacked Cao the Rebel's fervent obsession with women.

As the saying went, brothers were like one's hands and feet, while wives were like clothes. Brothers mattered more when conquering the realm.

When Gan Qian and Gan Ji returned home, Lan Tian busied himself cleaning the house and preparing food and wine to welcome them back.

Living alone, Lan Tian spent his days reading, practicing martial arts, cooking, and tending vegetables. In his spare time, he kept the house exceptionally neat as well.

Gan Qian and Gan Ji felt both delighted and warmly familiar upon returning home.

"Little brother, life has been treating you quite well since we left, hasn't it?" Gan Qian asked, looking at the pile of bamboo slips.

Lan Tian scratched his head. Seeing that Gan Qian had gained the charm of a married woman, he lowered his head and said, "There was nothing much to do at home, so I read to pass the time."

"This kid became the master of an entire village at such a young age. Of course he's living well," Gan Ji teased.

"I'm only managing things for my adoptive father. I'm not particularly competent at it."

Gan Ji was delighted to hear that. This little fellow hasn't forgotten his roots. He called the sister and brother over to eat, and they sampled the novel dishes one by one.

After seeing Liu Bei's troops entering the city at the village entrance, Lan Tian had sensed that his adoptive father and sister would be coming home, so he had asked a villager to buy some fresh mutton.

"Qian'er, Tian'er's cooking seems even better than Xuande's cook in Xiapi," Gan Ji said as he grabbed a lamb rib and gnawed on it.

"Adoptive Father, lamb ribs should be eaten with this." Lan Tian handed him a plate of peeled garlic.

Gan Ji took a bite of raw garlic and ate it with the steaming lamb ribs until sweat covered his head. He praised it repeatedly. "It really does taste even better."

Gan Qian now carried herself like the principal wife. Even while eating, she observed proper etiquette, taking small bites at an unhurried pace.

The family enjoyed the meal together, and they drank some rice wine to add to the merriment.

When the wine had begun to flow freely, Gan Ji could not help asking, "Tian'er, how did you become acquainted with General Gao Shun and that Lady Lu? If not for their care this time, your sister and I might have suffered terribly."

"It was nothing much. They happened to eat the grapes I grew, and they also heard the stories I told, so we formed a bit of a friendship," Lan Tian answered truthfully.

"Are those grapes the things growing on the trellis by the entrance?" Before Gan Qian and Gan Ji had left, the vines had already spread and flowered, but they had not yet borne fruit. Neither father nor daughter had had a chance to taste such a rarity.

"Yes. They'll ripen in another month, and then you can have some. They're juicy and sweet." Lan Tian smiled.

"Little brother, you really are capable. I heard grapes are difficult to grow, and the fruit they bear is often sour and bitter," Gan Qian praised.

Lan Tian scratched his head. "I'm not especially capable. I just happen to have a talent for farming."

"Tian'er, how was the village harvest this year?" Gan Ji asked again.

"There was too much rain in the first half of the year, and several nearby villages suffered major reductions. Still, there should be no problem paying the rents and taxes. With last year's stored grain, we should have plenty left—certainly enough to last until the end of the year."

Gan Ji nodded and sighed. "Farmers live on what Heaven grants them. Since you understand this trade so well, you must benefit the neighboring villagers. You've experienced hunger yourself, so you must never forget your roots."

"Adoptive Father, I understand," Lan Tian said.

"Also, your sister is now married to Xuande. You should interact less with Lu Bu's generals and daughter. Otherwise, it may invite gossip and make things difficult for your sister," Gan Ji added in warning.

"Oh, I understand."

"Father, little brother is only a village boy. Xuande isn't so petty," Gan Qian said.

Gan Ji shook his head. "General Gao and Lady Lu risked themselves to save us. Their friendship with Tian'er cannot be called shallow. It was one thing when Lu Bu first came to seek refuge as a subordinate, but now he is the lord of Xu Province. How do you know Xuande has no other thoughts?"

"Ah..." Gan Qian did not know how to answer. Though her father had been born a farmer, he had spent a long time in Xiapi and had come to understand some of the ways of the world.

"Besides, the Mi Family has emptied its wealth to aid Xuande. I fear your days ahead may be rather difficult." Gan Ji's face was full of worry.

Mi Zhu had come to Liu Bei's aid in his hour of need and ultimately became one of Shu Han's highest-ranking ministers, his status even surpassing that of Chancellor Zhuge Liang. Even after Mi Fang surrendered to Eastern Wu and indirectly caused Guan Yu's death, Liu Bei still did not hold it against him and continued to treat him as before.

"Adoptive Father, there is no need to worry too much. As they say, timing, fate, and fortune determine all. I think Sister has the bearing of a dragon and phoenix. One day, she will surely rise to great prominence," Lan Tian consoled him.

Gan Ji was startled upon hearing this. That fortune-teller had said the same thing back then. Could this child know how to read faces too?

"Fine." Gan Ji collapsed drunkenly onto the table, his eyes bleary.

After the sister and brother helped Gan Ji onto the couch, Gan Qian said, "Little brother, I could not ask too much in front of Father just now. I can see that you and Lady Lu are unusually close. Just how close are you?"

Gan Qian's words were like steel blades and her gaze like a sharp sword, placing enormous pressure on Lan Tian. Though the rules of propriety in this era were not as harsh as those of the Song Dynasty, the boundary between men and women could not be crossed.

Lan Tian answered frankly, "Sister, please rest assured. We merely have favorable feelings toward each other, but we have remained proper and cautious."

Gan Qian nodded. "If not for what happened in Xiapi, I could have asked Husband to arrange a match and propose on your behalf. Given the current situation, I'm afraid it will be difficult."

"Sister, you're thinking too far ahead. I'm still so young. It's far too early to talk about taking a wife," Lan Tian said, shaking his head.

"You call eighteen young? Once Xuande's situation improves, I'll ask him to make arrangements for you. No matter what, we must find you a young woman from a scholar-official family." Gan Qian smiled.

"Sister Qian, you truly needn't put so much thought into this. Huo Qubing once said, 'How can one make a home before the Xiongnu are destroyed?' I have accomplished nothing yet, so how can I speak of marriage and settling down?"

"Little brother, you are being too modest. You do not wish to conquer the realm with Husband, but in farming, you are already among the finest. Your birth parents are gone, so Father and I must naturally decide your lifelong affairs for you. As for Lady Lu, you should forget about her for now," Gan Qian urged.

Lan Tian was instantly speechless. It seemed that in every era, there was such a thing as being pressured into marriage.

At the same time, the girl Lan Tian admired was also facing trouble. Fearing that Liu Bei and Lu Bu would join forces against him, Yuan Shu of Huainan sent Han Yin as an envoy to Xiapi to arrange a marriage. He asked Lu Bu to marry his beloved daughter, Lu Lingqi, to his son Yuan Yao, promising that the grain, fodder, and supplies he had previously offered would be delivered afterward as betrothal gifts.

When Han Yin came to arrange the marriage, Lu Bu was discussing matters with his generals.

Knowing that Lu Lingqi had feelings for Lan Tian, Gao Shun was about to object in the hall when Zhang Liao stopped him. Leaning close, Zhang Liao whispered, "Boping, watch your words. This is our lord's family matter."