If You Cannot Return Home in Splendor, a Distinguished Guest Comes Calling!

Three more days passed!

You read and practiced your writing as usual. Xie Yuan had not appeared again. The days flowed by like water, undisturbed, continuing the peace of the past few years.

Today, the heavens were kind. Bright sunshine drove away the faint chill of autumn.

Dappled sunlight fell across the wall and window lattice, its shimmering warmth lifting the heart.

A familiar visitor came to the little courtyard today: Zhang Yuanlai, a resident scholar in Xie Yuan's household.

Since first reading with Xie Guan, the Xie Clan's son born to a concubine, Zhang Yuanlai had visited him often.

By contrast, He Xiao had never returned to the little courtyard after that first visit to read with him.

Zhang Yuanlai had grown up poor. His parents had died early, and his elder brother and sister-in-law had driven him out. After many hardships, he had studied diligently to reach where he was today. Yet he was past thirty and still felt he had accomplished nothing. He could not help but sigh over it.

Though Xie Guan had been born into a distinguished clan, he had been treated differently from the young masters and young ladies of the manor since childhood. In that respect, his early years resembled Zhang Yuanlai's.

Xie Guan studied hard and never lost heart. That tenacity had made Zhang Yuanlai see him in a new light.

The two sat in the courtyard.

Zhang Yuanlai asked with concern, "Young Master Guan, you're twelve now. Has Xie Manor made any arrangements for your first formal lessons?"

"That Dong Shao hasn't come by in months, either. I thought he was quite learned, if rather rigid. I never imagined he was the sort to fawn on the powerful."

Then he answered his own question. "Though with what you know now, Young