Chapter 80: Reunion (Part Two)

Others, upon finding a beloved, would forget their mothers; but Liu Chuyan, upon finding her younger brother, forgot her sweetheart. The scales in her heart always tipped toward her kin, and he was nothing more than a fleeting thought from her past. Xue Ao pursed his lips in silence; he had brought this upon himself. Yet, at such a moment, he could not fault her—who among them could have remained calm and collected in the face of being reunited with a family member lost for over a decade? Even he, Xue Ao, would not have managed it.

When Liu Chuyan went out to greet them, she found Zhou Fuyun had arrived as well—it appeared he had escorted Little Cat back.

Little Cat, seeing her, paused for a moment before glancing at Xue Ao. He had just learned the identity of the one who had harmed him years ago, yet his sister had arrived unexpectedly. On her face, he saw a trace of anticipation, tinged with a hint of estrangement, making him both anxious and unsettled.

“Little Cat, did you get into a fight?” Liu Guanju, seeing the dust that clung stubbornly to him and the smudge on his nose, questioned, “Was it that Li Xiaoren again?”

Just as Liu Chuyan was about to utter a word of comfort to Guanju, Little Cat nodded forcefully, “I gave him a good beating—broke his arm.”

“You did that… to avenge me?” Liu Guanju felt a strange and unprecedented joy and excitement.

Little Cat did not wish her to know she was being sentimental, so he kept silent, staring at the flagstones at his feet.

Little Cat had sought out Li Xiaoren for a fight. A multitude of thoughts surged through Liu Chuyan’s mind, but one idea crystallized: he had confirmed his enemy. She recalled what Xue Ao had told her—that the Li family was deeply entangled with the Lius. In this world, coincidences abounded, but for Little Cat to do this—if he were not her brother, who else could he be? He remembered what she looked like, the surroundings of their childhood home, and even Li Xiaoren.

“Little Cat…” Liu Chuyan took a step forward instinctively, but, seeing Liu Guanju and Zhou Fuyun by her side, thought better of it. She turned to Guanju and said, “Guanju, shall we go to your courtyard?”

“Yes!” With Little Cat home, Guanju felt at peace and promptly instructed a few servants, “See that Little Cat bathes and changes into clean clothes, then bring him to my courtyard.”

“Yes, miss.” Little Cat glanced down at himself—indeed, he was as filthy as a stray cat; no wonder Guanju could not bear the sight.

Though Liu Chuyan’s heart was ablaze with impatience, she knew to restrain herself and followed Guanju to Zhizhou Garden. Xue Ao and Zhou Fuyun accompanied Little Cat to his own quarters, evidently with questions of their own. Better to let Xue Ao sound him out first, lest her own concern cloud her judgment and cause her to lose composure.

At first, Guanju did not notice Chuyan’s distraction. But as she sat in the courtyard, seemingly at ease sipping her tea, her mind was clearly elsewhere. Guanju tugged at her arm, “Sister Chuyan, what are you thinking about?”

Startled, Liu Chuyan came back to herself and smiled, lips pursed. “Guanju, what do you think of Little Cat?”

“He’s beautiful,” Guanju blurted out, but seeing Chuyan’s puzzled look, amended with a bashful laugh, “I was just being silly. He’s brave and just, steady and sincere, clever and talented—just a little shy, a bit withdrawn. It’s like he carries many worries he cannot let go. I think he’s a lot like you, sister.” She gazed up, carefully studying Chuyan’s face.

Liu Chuyan knew she did not refer only to their looks, but their characters as well. Both harbored countless secrets, making them overly cautious and hesitant in their actions. If Little Cat truly was her brother, she would see to his education herself—to help him grow into a man of responsibility, the kind their parents would rest easy knowing he had become.

“Chuchu…” Remembering their parents, Liu Chuyan’s eyes brimmed with tears just as Xue Ao entered, leading Little Cat, who approached step by step.

“You…” Liu Chuyan looked at Little Cat—he was dressed in a dark blue, wide-sleeved scholar’s robe, a pale jade belt at his waist, his jet-black hair tied in a crown. Like this, he truly did resemble their father, save for the lips, which favored their mother.

Xue Ao had deliberately dressed him so, in the wide-sleeved scholar’s attire and the white lotus jade crown beloved by southern literati. Seeing Liu Chuyan’s overwhelming joy, Xue Ao’s conviction only deepened.

Little Cat was now certain Liu Chuyan was his sister. Seeing her smiling with tears streaming down her face, he stepped forward, “Sister.”

That word—sister—though no longer the soft, childish voice of years past, moved Liu Chuyan beyond measure. The floodgates opened; tears cascaded down her cheeks.

“Sister,” Little Cat called again, seeing her nearly dissolve into tears, drawing closer. Standing two feet before her, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the butterfly-shaped birthmark on his upper arm: pink at the center, ringed with a faint golden hue, wings poised to fly—more vivid and lifelike than any painted butterfly, almost defying belief that it was but a birthmark.

It was as if a thunderbolt struck the crown of Liu Chuyan’s head, running through her body to her feet, freezing her in place while her heart was thrown into tumult. Had her own birthmark not been on her chest, she would have shown it for comparison then and there. But she knew this mark so well that she needed no such proof. Yes, he was her brother. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she strode forward and swept him into her arms. “Mo’er!”

Little Cat was stunned for a moment, then hesitated, uncertain. “Do I… have another name—Mao’er?”

“Mao’er?” Liu Chuyan hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, that’s the little name Grandmother gave you. When you were a year old, you grabbed an ink stick and a tortoiseshell ruyi handle at your first birthday ceremony, so Grandmother always called you Greedy Mao’er. You are the Liu family’s eldest son, of the ‘Han’ generation—Father named you Mo, not wishing you to be a prodigy, but to become a cultivated man, carrying on the Liu family’s legacy.”

The Liu clan of Hangzhou was a family of scholars; Little Cat had learned this when investigating Liu Chuyan. Liu Hanmo—this was his name, the hope his parents had placed upon him.

Little Cat—no, he should be called Liu Hanmo now—was already eleven, an astute youth. At first, Liu Chuyan was too moved to let go, holding him tightly, forgetting all propriety. Seeing his flushed cheeks, she realized he was unaccustomed to being so close to women, even his own sister, and gently released him, dabbing his brow with a handkerchief. “Mo’er, my little brother.” There was no need for further proof—this was her brother; any more words would be superfluous.

Liu Hanmo smiled shyly, his voice bright. “Sister.” Youthful yet brimming with joy.

Was this a scene of reunion? Liu Guanju, standing aside, fiddled with the coral beads in her hair and nudged Xue Ao, “Brother Ao, what’s going on?”

“Just listen and don’t interrupt their reunion,” Xue Ao said, drawing her away with a laugh. Watching Liu Chuyan weep with joy, his own heart swelled with an unfamiliar excitement, as if he too shared in their happiness.

Guanju glared at him suspiciously—so Liu Chuyan and her Little Cat were siblings? They did look somewhat alike, and their temperaments matched. She had joked about it before, never expecting it to be true.

“Sister, there are things I must tell you.” Liu Hanmo’s heart was burdened with secrets he longed to share. He was just tall enough to reach her ear, so he rose on tiptoe and whispered.

“All right.” Liu Chuyan glanced around. “Let’s go to your room.”

Guanju immediately pouted, “Little Cat, I want to hear too.”

Liu Hanmo smiled gently, reaching out to smooth her hair. “Guanju, be good. I need to speak with my sister first, but I’ll explain everything to you afterward. All right?”

In that moment, in his eyes and bearing, he seemed to have suddenly grown up—a true young man. Before, Little Cat had always been respectfully distant, addressing her as ‘Miss Guanju,’ never so familiar as to touch her hair. Guanju’s face lit up, her heart melting, “I promise, but you must promise me something in return.”

A corner of Liu Hanmo’s sleeve was still in her grasp. He smiled helplessly, “All right, not just one thing—a thousand things if you wish.”

“Really?” Guanju’s joy was uncontainable as she released his sleeve, her smile bright as the crescent moon.

“Of course it’s true.” She had saved his life; Liu Hanmo thought, he owed her even that.

Guanju was dazzled by his smile and glanced shyly at Liu Chuyan, who looked pensive, her eyes fixed on her embroidered shoes as if noticing they were a bit worn.

“Guanju, go ahead—Mo’er will surely agree,” Liu Chuyan said warmly. Though Guanju was only nine and Hanmo eleven, the innocence of their bond was something she cherished and wished to protect.

Guanju’s words caught in her throat. Hearing Chuyan, she swallowed them and waved her hands, “It’s nothing, really. You go talk—I won’t listen.”

Guanju, usually so boisterous and unladylike, was actually blushing—much to everyone’s surprise.

Xue Ao patted her head with a chuckle. She did not fight back, but turned red and dared not look at the siblings. Even Zhou Fuyun could not help but laugh and say, “Today is truly a rare spectacle.”

Guanju cared little for Xue Ao’s teasing, but refused to let Zhou Fuyun mock her. She rolled her eyes at him, “Your daughter is the real spectacle.”

Zhou Fuyun, realizing she referred to Han Shujing, was slightly embarrassed, but laughed it off without concern.

Thwarted, Guanju stamped her foot and stormed back indoors.

“Guanju!” Liu Chuyan called after her, seeing she was genuinely upset.

Liu Hanmo stopped her. “Sister, let her go—come to my room first.”

Liu Chuyan nodded, only to find Xue Ao following as well. She shot him a glance.

He merely smiled, “Without me, you won’t understand what he has to say.”

Her own brother, and she wouldn’t understand him? Liu Chuyan raised her brows in surprise.

“Sister, let him join us—he’s not an outsider,” Liu Hanmo said with a hidden smile, making Liu Chuyan flush with embarrassment.

Not an outsider? Then what was he—an insider? He was not of their family. She glared at Hanmo.

But Hanmo was unfazed and even invited Zhou Fuyun in. “Sister, some things need their help to explain—otherwise, I can’t make it clear. Besides, Master Xue has helped us greatly; without him, I could never have found you so quickly.”

So he was speaking in Xue Ao’s defense. Liu Chuyan knew it was true, yet could not help but sigh inwardly—she had only just reunited with her brother, and already he was siding with outsiders. Was Xue Ao truly so charming?