Chapter 2: Siblings

  Dizzy and confused, bursting with joy, the wind blows through the clear text, all for a dream of clarity, lightning points scattered throughout the joyful text, highly recommended and collected.

  The quiet bedroom is filled with fragrance, the emerald green bamboo curtain with the word "Fu" (good fortune) embroidered on it separates the room from the outside noise of cicadas. A four-legged reclining chair is placed by the window, covered with a dark green bamboo mat to keep cool and aid sleep.

  A seven or eight-year-old little girl is sleeping soundly, with a round face, cherry lips slightly upturned, two curved slender eyebrows, and long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her eyelids. Her cheeks have a hint of baby fat, making the little girl extremely adorable. With skin as white as snow, living in Huizhou's West Lake, her cheek is as delicate and smooth as if carved from water, filling one's heart with joy and affection.

  "Please, Second Young Master, take a seat." The little maid standing at the door was dressed in a lotus-colored pipa-collared dress, with her hair styled in a bun and a clear, delicate face. A smile revealed two dimples on her cheeks, and she looked to be around ten years old. She was the personal maid of Hui Prefecture's daughter, Shu Yao, and her name was Taozi. Another older maid was called Meizi.

  Tongzhū Cuì Mǎnǎo, Shìshū Nòng Qín etc. Compared to these names of maidservants, my younger sister's maid name always makes people burst into laughter and remember vividly. A ten-year-old boy named Shūmùlù Shūyì, the second son of Huizhou Magistrate Shūmùlù Zhìyuǎn, is one year older than Shū Xiāo who is sleeping in the room.

  Shu Yi's appearance was similar to that of his mother, Guan Jia Shi. His five features were delicate and pretty, with a gentle smile on his lips that made people feel close to him. The occasional flash of light in his dark eyes revealed that Shu Yi was a clever person who couldn't be easily fooled. Although he was the second son, he had an older brother, Shu Xuan, who was the pillar of the family and loved reading more than anything else.

  Since childhood, Shu Yi was taught by Guwalgiya to take care of his older brother who buried himself in books, look after his lazy and sleepy younger sister, and also keep an eye on Ama who always spoke the truth. Under such guidance, it's not surprising that Shu Yi is more mature than boys of the same age. In the mansion, Shu Yi was Guwalgiya's good helper. Shu Yi thought that when his older brother got married and his younger sister got married off, he could finally put down his burden. Now, he resigned himself to protecting his older brother and younger sister from being bullied.

  When he saw his sister, she was in a good mood, her cheeks were pink, like fresh peaches. Shu Yi called out to his sister, Shu Yao, but she didn't wake up. He pinched her cheek, and the fragrance that came from it wasn't from perfume or incense, but a sweet scent coming from within her body. This made Shu Yi's fingers move involuntarily. If there was one weird habit of Shu Yi's, it was that whenever he woke his sister up, he would always pinch her cheek.

  During the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty, although men and women were strictly segregated, Shu Yihe and Xiu Yao were siblings who grew up together. The lady from the Gualgiya clan scoffed at the strict rules of propriety, and was particularly resentful of the practice of footbinding among women. Her two sons and one daughter were not strictly controlled in their treatment of close relatives, and she valued the fraternal bond between them.

  "Older brother, second older brother."

  Shu Yao, who was sleeping soundly, reluctantly opened her eyes. Her small white hands rubbed the drowsy eyes, and she pouted: "You pinched me again."

  Shu Yao rolled over to the side, and the pink satin quilt covering her body slid down. Shu Yi picked up his sister from the chaise longue, pinched her small nose, "If you don't get up now, Mother will come to wake you up personally, and when that happens, it won't be just a pinch, Mother's whip hurts quite a bit."

  "Mother is reluctant to let me go." Although she said so, Shu Yao got up with the help of her second brother's arm, her disheveled hair softly draped behind her head, and her small face looked annoyed. "No one sent you off today?"

  Since the news of Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan's return to Beijing spread, Er Ge Shu Yi became a busy person, saying goodbye and gathering with friends every day. Every time he returned to the mansion, Shu Yi would not be empty-handed, as his friends had given him many gifts, showing off his good relationships.

  "Take a look?" Shu Yi pulled out a gold-plated pocket watch from his sleeve, "It was given by the son of a merchant in the east city."

  Shu Yao held the golden chain of the pocket watch, the watch was exquisite, and the case was engraved with intricate patterns. Shu Yao couldn't bear to part with it, "Is this for me?"

  Shu Yiner took out his pocket watch and was about to give it to his sister Shu Yao, but couldn't help teasing "Can you even use this?"

  Shu Yao received it in her hands. She had wanted a pocket watch before, but the household was not wealthy. Guwalgiya Shi doted on her children and was very strict with them when it came to money. Each month, they only got two taels of silver as their allowance, while a pocket watch would cost over a hundred taels.

  "Second brother, is the person who gave you the pocket watch very close to you? The pocket watch is worth a lot of money."

  "You care about money? All you do is eat and sleep, giving you a watch is just so you can tell morning from evening."

  "Xiu Yao pushed her brother away, her tone soft and gentle: 'Second Brother, you go out first.'"

  "Peaches, peaches."

  "The slave is here, miss, no, young lady."

  After settling down in the capital, the titles used in the mansion gradually changed to conform to those of the Manchu nobility. Taozi carried a copper basin and other items into the room to attend to Shu Yao's toilette, while Shu Yi waited at the door. After a moment, Shu Yao emerged with two buns on her head, wearing a crimson dress that set off her delicate complexion like carved jade. Her eyes seemed more languid and charming than before. Petite Shu Yao was as lovely as a southern girl, small and sweet.

  Shu Yi pulled up Shu Yao's small hand, and she couldn't help but follow. Shu Yao was always dazed when she first woke up. Passing through the pavilions and corridors, the buildings in the Zhifu government office had a strong southern flavor, delicate and elegant. However, Zhiyuan and his wife were Manchu nobles, and although they had entered the countryside to follow local customs while serving in Huizhou, they were different from ordinary southerners. Guali Jia's family loved peonies among all flowers, so they planted peony flowers in the courtyard.

  In the south, peonies cannot survive, but in the government office, they are blooming exceptionally well. Every time the peonies bloom, Madame Gua invites familiar ladies to admire them with an invitation card. Peonies are the king of flowers, rich and gorgeous, admiring peonies while tasting fine wine is the favorite social activity for these ladies. Madame Gua has a generous personality, she is very open-handed towards those who have caught her eye or have a pleasant disposition, often gifting them with a few exceptional peonies. Don't underestimate the gift of peonies, Madame Gua's gesture once helped Zhiyan break through his difficulties.

  Zhiyuan was a younger son of the Duke's mansion, not loved by his mother. His wife, Guwalgiya, had many elders in her family serving in the military, but their family foundation was not deep and they couldn't rely on them for help. The couple could only think of other ways, one of which was to present peonies as gifts.

  Little sister.

  "Huh?"

  Shu Yao's head nodded slightly, and she could doze off while walking on the road. Shu Yi had long been used to it. Outsiders thought that Shu Yao hadn't slept for several nights, but they didn't know that she needed to sleep for seven hours a day. Shu Yi couldn't understand how his sister could sleep so much?

  "Returning to the Duke's Mansion in the capital city, are you afraid?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Yu Yutou's mouth twitched, "Can you give me an answer?" He pinched his sister's hand and asked again, "Are you afraid? There are many sisters in the Duke of Jing City's mansion, they are not easy to get along with, little sister, you have to be more careful."

  Shu Yi pinched Shu Yao's chin, and indeed, she was dozing off again. What he had just said was similar to what he had told Niu Tianqin earlier. Shu Yi recalled the anxiety of his mother last night and thought it would be better for him to pay more attention rather than relying on his sister to be cautious.

  Xiu Yao is lazy and sloppy, but her sense of smell is keen. "With a mother like mine, no one would dare to bully me."

  Shu Yao has a secret that no one else knows, which is the benefit of being a tsundere. Shu Yao has a spatial ring, and also as compensation from heaven for her hard work in her past life, she can sense people's hearts. Don't think that Shu Yao is favored by heaven, sensing people's hearts is sometimes effective and sometimes not. Even if she guesses someone's thoughts, Shu Yao doesn't know if it's accurate or not, so this special ability is actually useless.

  Shu Yao had once flipped off the heavens, and yet they still played her like this. Who didn't know that Shu Yao's grades in history were always single digits? She was notoriously known as the history idiot of the military compound.

  She is a master of optoelectronics, specializing in digital communication. Her family consists of hawkish military personnel, and she was educated from a young age to be patriotic. The Republic began with the humiliation of the Qing dynasty at the end of the Qing era, so Shu Yao automatically shields everything related to the Qing dynasty.

  After pouring her heart and soul into researching the results, she died of exhaustion on the experimental platform. When she opened her eyes again, she had become a one-year-old baby girl who was just learning to speak. At the age of two, Shu Yao suddenly had an extra spatial ring, don't ask where it came from, anyway it appeared out of nowhere, and it even came with automatic ownership recognition, Shu Yao couldn't get rid of it even if she wanted to.

  She worked hard and made contributions to the country, lived up to her parents' expectations, and repaid the country's nurturing. This life, Shu Yao decided to indulge in a leisurely and carefree existence, sleeping till she woke naturally, with the sky falling down having someone tall to hold it up - this was Shu Yao's motto for this lifetime.