Poor Little Uncle

Liu Ye sighed.

Back then, when his aunt had returned from the palace with little Liu Wan, she had been clutching this winter plum branch.

It looked as though it had been cut several days earlier, but Liu Wan still wanted to see whether it would take root, so Liu Ye had found a gardener to help his younger sister plant it.

To his surprise, it had survived the following year.

She had been delighted, saying she could not wait to see what color its blossoms would be.

Yet in his sister's eyes, he had glimpsed the anticipation and flutter of affection hidden deep in her heart.

On the day his sister agreed to marry Xie Jin'an, he had hesitated to speak, but she had said that the young man's sincerity in kneeling outside the Minister's Residence in the dead of winter to ask for her hand, along with the beautifully wrapped bouquet of winter plum blossoms he held, had won her heart.

Liu Ye sighed. What sincerity? Those had simply been the only flowers blooming in winter.

Liu Wan smiled faintly. "Brother, let's leave this tree here. I'm going now."

A man's deep sigh came from behind her. Liu Wan knew she could never hide these things from her brother.

A few more days passed.

Liu Shi hurried home.

Without even stopping to eat, he drank a mouthful of hot tea to warm himself, then rushed off to find Liu Wan.

"Big Sister! Big Sister, I'm back!"

Liu Wan brushed the dust from his shoulders. "You've lost weight after spending all that time on disaster relief."

"It wasn't too bad. Everything went smoothly, too. Having that assignment fall into my lap was like stumbling onto a bargain. Father said His Majesty intends to promote me from deputy commissioner to commissioner. Sister, once I rise to the same rank as Brother-in-law, I'll help you get even."

Liu Shi had already heard that his sister's mother-in-law had stripped her of her authority over the household.

That Old Madam also favored boys over girls and looked down on Wanwan.

Fortunately, his brother-in-law was decent enough.

If he had not retained a shred of reason, he would have charged over long ago to confront those two old women and demand justice for his sister.

Liu Wan gave a helpless, bitter smile. "I can handle my own affairs. You don't need to worry about Wanwan, either."

[Oh, it's Little Uncle! Little Uncle is so handsome, such a spirited young man. No wonder Li Duoduo keeps trying to get close to him.]

[Hehe, Madam Li once schemed to marry Li Duoduo off to Little Uncle, but she could never swallow her pride and ask Mother to arrange it. Now that Little Uncle is getting promoted, they're bound to get restless!]

[Later, a daughter of the Li family married into the Minister's Residence, and their whole family soared to heaven, chickens and dogs included.]

[When the Male Lead killed Mother, Li Duoduo even helped him keep Little Uncle tied up.]

[After the Male Lead had everyone in the Minister's Residence slaughtered, Li Duoduo despised Little Uncle for having no family backing. She often brought men home and slept with them right in front of him...]

[She even forced Little Uncle to join in, humiliating him without restraint.]

[My poor, spirited Little Uncle. He's probably already accepted Li Duoduo's love token by now.]

Xia Wanwan sucked on the little pacifier Uncle Li had made for her as she sat at the edge of the couch, staring at Liu Shi with her big, round eyes.

Liu Wan's gentle smile gradually stiffened.

Liu Shi looked around in confusion.

Finally, his gaze returned to Xia Wanwan. Could his little niece be speaking?

He had not heard clearly, but Liu Wan's gaze shifted to the brocade pouch at his waist. "You never used to wear brocade pouches, little brother. This is..."

The tips of Liu Shi's ears reddened. "At Wanwan's Full-Moon Banquet, a cat pounced on me. Fortunately, that young lady wasn't bound by convention. She invited me into her bedchamber and treated my wounds. She's the young lady from the extended family staying at your house."

He had heard at the time that avian flu was spreading, and that failing to apply medicine promptly could be fatal.

Naturally, he had regarded Li Duoduo as his lifesaver. Since he had entered her bedchamber, he naturally had to take responsibility for her reputation.

He had accepted Li Duoduo's brocade pouch and promised that, if word of the incident got out, he would ask his sister to arrange their marriage.

Liu Wan froze for a moment. During the Full-Moon Banquet, she had been so focused on saving the Fifth Princess that she had paid no attention to her own younger brother.

"Miss Li? Do you know her well?" Liu Wan asked.

Liu Shi stood up. "Big Sister, she really is a wonderful person. How many women in this world would disregard their own reputations to save me? I'm endlessly grateful to her."

He had made up his mind. If his sister opposed their marriage, he would neither cry nor make a scene, but he would remain unmarried for the rest of his life.

[Little Uncle has been duped!]

Liu Shi's hand suddenly froze, and he glanced again at Xia Wanwan, who was about to tumble off the couch.

This time, he had heard clearly. It was this baby's inner voice.

Moving faster than Liu Wan, he stepped forward and scooped the child up, then sat down again.

Xia Wanwan played with her pacifier in Little Uncle's arms, then popped it back into her mouth to suck on it.

She had made it right to the front lines of the juicy gossip. Hehe.

[That cat is Madam Li's fat tabby. A few days before Mother held my Full-Moon Banquet, Li Duoduo and the mistress went to Golden Mountain Temple to visit Madam Li and brought that cat back.]

[That cat is still in Third Uncle's courtyard.]

[Heh, Li Duoduo goes to Third Uncle's courtyard to sleep with him every night, all while romancing Little Uncle!]

[Poor Little Uncle is still thinking he'll marry no one but Li Duoduo.]

The stream of thoughts rang through Liu Wan's mind, leaving her heart a jumble of emotions and her gaze complicated.

Liu Shi heard those words, too, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

How did his little niece know he had been thinking that?

Could everything she had said be true? His hands trembled as he said,

"B-Big Sister, if you don't agree, I won't marry her. I know Madam Li has treated you badly."

Liu Wan shook her head.

How could she possibly refuse? She had watched Liu Shi grow up and knew him better than anyone. The more she tried to stop him, the more determined he would become.

He might even throw away his future and elope with Li Duoduo.

After some thought, she said, "Since you two share an affection for each other, give this to me. I'll help broach the matter for you. Come to the Marquis's Residence in a few days, and I'll arrange for you two to meet. How does that sound?"

Liu Shi was deeply moved.

He managed to force a smile. "All right. I knew you treated me best, Big Sister!"

"But we haven't quite reached the point of mutual affection yet. Let's get a clearer picture first, haha."

He readily untied the brocade pouch and handed it to his sister.

"All right." Liu Wan accepted the pouch and spent a long time catching up with her brother before having the servants pack their things for the return to the Marquis's Residence.

She also made a point of taking the jade pendant her aunt had left behind.

The carriage jolted along, and the journey took quite some time. Along the way, she heard the common people cheering as they learned that the disaster had subsided.

They also praised Lady Liu of the Ministry of Rites Minister's Residence for her great compassion, and the whole family enjoyed an excellent reputation.

Liu Wan's mood improved considerably.

She kissed the little one who was still playing in her arms.

"You're the treasure heaven bestowed upon Mother."

Xia Wanwan smiled until her eyes curved into crescents, holding her mother's gentle face and nuzzling it again and again.

"Mo... ther..."

"Yes, sweetheart." Liu Wan's smiling face was as lovely as a painting.

When the carriage returned to the Marquis's Residence, Qing Da hurried over to meet them.

"This is terrible, madam! Something disastrous has happened! The Marquis's Residence is finished!"

"The accounts office can't pay the monthly wages, and the servants are making a scene. Fourth Master has seized several of the troublemakers and is going to have them beaten to death!"