Brother, Brother, But I'm a Profligate! - Chapter 11

Ming Si was led to meet Fu Anhuai, with Bing Chun following closely behind.

On the way there, he had thought about what kind of attitude he should adopt. He wondered if Fu Anhuai would reprimand him for the day’s events, but eventually, he stopped worrying. The worst possible outcome was being kicked out.

Being expelled from the Fu family meant nothing to him; he was not a member of the Fu family to begin with. If Fu Anhuai chose to send him to prison instead, the old man would truly be throwing away any shred of dignity he had left.

However, the meal turned out to be peaceful, even somewhat warm.

The round dining table was covered with a brocade cloth embroidered with persimmon patterns. Seated at the table were Ming Si, Fu Anhuai, and a silent young man. Ming Si listened as Fu Anhuai introduced the youth as the second son of the Fu family, Fu Guanqing.

Fu Anhuai had brought some trinkets for Ming Si. Some were made of gold, silver, or jade. Ming Si noted that they could all be exchanged for money, so he accepted them without hesitation.

Ming Si sat beside Fu Anhuai with a beaming smile. As soon as his talent for flattery and social manipulation kicked in, they truly looked like a pair of devoted father and son. He sat obediently in his chair.

Fu Anhuai did not mention the recent turmoil in the manor. Instead, he spoke to Ming Si about his past with Ming Suyue.

Ming Si caught the glimmer of tears in Fu Anhuai’s eyes. As he stared at the man’s moving lips, he seemed to smell a sickening scent of meat. He looked away, his face turning pale.

“Let us speak no more of that. It has been hard on you, staying in Chuzhou for so long. From now on, you shall live well in the Fu family, just like the other children. If there is anything about your food, clothing, or daily expenses that is not to your liking, just say the word.”

“Thank you, Master Fu,” Ming Si said, blinking with a smile.

A circle of laugh lines appeared at the corners of Fu Anhuai’s eyes. “Still calling me Master. In a few days, it will be time to change how you address me.”

Ming Si lowered his eyes, his lips neither smiling nor frowning, maintaining an ambiguous attitude.

Fu Anhuai asked him, “I heard that you and Xiao Jing have been on good terms lately. That is indeed a happy occasion.”

Ming Si replied, “It is because the Eldest Young Master is a kind and good person.”

“He has always been distant from everyone in the manor. He never even looked after the second son.” At the mention of Fu Guanqing, Ming Si followed Fu Anhuai’s gaze. The young man merely pursed his lips in silence.

Ming Si remembered now; this was the second son who had been slapped by Fu Jing during a meal.

Fu Anhuai smiled. “I have heard that your courtyard is too dilapidated and small, and it is inconvenient for you to live alone. It just so happens that Xiao Jing’s courtyard has many empty rooms and plenty of servants. You might as well move in there.”

The smile on Ming Si’s face cracked. “What?”

Ming Si believed he was more comfortable alone. Surely Fu Jing felt the same way; otherwise, the Spring Signal Courtyard would not be located so far away.

He hurried to decline, but Fu Anhuai had already made up his mind. He ordered people to pack Ming Si’s belongings and notified the Spring Signal Courtyard to prepare a room for him.

Ming Si stopped arguing, planning to ask Fu Jing to reject the arrangement once he returned.

The agonizing meal finally ended. Bing Chun led Ming Si back to the Spring Signal Courtyard. Looking at the gate, Bing Chun remarked with a sigh, “I did not expect that after leaving this broken courtyard this morning, we would be back as soon as it got dark.”

The servant carrying the lantern left after delivering Ming Si to the door. The brightest things there were the two large red lanterns at the gate and the crescent moon in the sky.

When Bing Chun turned around, he was startled by Ming Si’s deathly pale face. Ming Si thrust all the gifts Fu Anhuai had given him into Bing Chun’s hands.

“They are all yours.”

Bing Chun held the small handful of jade and gold in a daze. “What? Are they fakes?” That could not be right; how could the things the Master gave be fakes?

Ming Si wanted to say something but could not stop himself from doubling over and vomiting, throwing up everything he had eaten at the table that day.

Bing Chun’s eyes widened. He quickly called for the servants of the Spring Signal Courtyard to bring water and towels and to clean the area.

Ming Si cursed through a mixture of tears and laughter. “How pathetic. I took them anyway. If I give them to you, just use them.”

Perhaps Fu Jing had noticed the state of Ming Si’s fingers, as he specifically had someone deliver an ointment to Bing Chun, with orders to ensure it was applied every morning and evening.

Ming Si also found the scars ugly. These hands were truly unpleasant to look at. Once, while he was out, he noticed people staring at his fingers the moment he showed his hands.

Fortunately, the medicine was applied daily. The scars eventually fell off, revealing the newly grown, slightly pink skin beneath.

Later, Ming Si quietly changed his name. Unnoticed by most, Fu Anhuai began to refer to a Third Young Master.

Whether out of his status as the legitimate eldest son, his future role as the boy’s nominal elder brother, or perhaps moved by those sincere yet reckless actions, Fu Jing had Qiu Yuan keep an eye on Ming Si’s movements to prevent further trouble.

He received a message from Ming Si, written by Bing Chun but delivered in Ming Si’s own tone.

“Your father wants me to live in your courtyard. This is quite inconvenient. You should tell your father to let me go back to my own place.”

Fu Jing thought to himself that he only returned to the Spring Signal Courtyard once every ten or fifteen days. Having one more person in such a large courtyard was perfectly fine as long as he was not disturbed. It was, after all, just a place to stay.

He ignored Ming Si’s request and allowed him to settle into the Spring Signal Courtyard.

However, Qiu Yuan seemed to have misunderstood Fu Jing’s intentions. Every day, he reported to Fu Jing how much Ming Si had eaten, what he had done, how many times he woke up startled at night, his preference for sweets, and when he was in a bad mood.

Fu Jing, exhausted after finishing his official duties, found it unbearable to listen to such trivial matters. He asked irritably, “Are you very idle?”

Qiu Yuan felt wrongly accused. “In response to the Eldest Young Master, these are Bing Chun’s original words.”

“Tell him that if there is nothing important, there is no need to send messages.”

In this way, the flow of information between the two sides was finally cut off.

Perhaps a habit had been formed over the recent period. On a rare day off, Fu Jing inquired about the affairs of the manor. After a few sentences, he asked, “What has Ming Si been doing lately?”

“Ming Si?”

Qiu Yuan said, “The Young Master has already changed his name. He is now called Fu Sili. He kept the same Si and added the word Li. His surname has been changed, and his identification papers and waist token have already been made.”

“Fu Sili.”

Fu Jing rubbed the pages of his book. Staring at the text, he grew distracted as he calculated how long he had been away from the manor. He closed the book and spoke. “I have not been back for a long time. I shall return to the manor today.”

By this season, the colors in the manor had faded significantly. Aside from bare branches, the courtyard contained only pines, cypresses, bamboo, and privet trees brought from the south.

Upon his return, Fu Jing went to the study to see Fu Anhuai before heading toward the Spring Signal Courtyard. He stopped at the gate and happened to encounter Fu Sili, whom he had not seen in a long time.

The youth wore a stone-blue brocade robe with floral patterns. With his red lips and white teeth, he truly looked like a young master of a prestigious family. However, his wide sleeves swayed as he walked, and he took up the space of three people, moving in a very overbearing manner.

Fu Sili walked up beside him, his sleeve even brushing against Fu Jing.

Fu Sili had a lazy smile on his face, and his manner was somewhat irreverent. “Busy man, it has been a long time.”

Fu Jing looked at his fine robe, which was stained with dust and unknown substances from somewhere.

Fu Jing smiled gently and maintained his distance. “Is Bing Chun not following you? He is skilled; if you have anything inconvenient to handle, feel free to command him.”

Fu Sili entered the Spring Signal Courtyard with him and said with a smile, “I am used to traveling alone. I find it uncomfortable to have someone following me.”

He gave a few perfunctory responses and stepped toward his own quarters. Suddenly, Fu Jing called out from behind him, “Ming Si.”

Fu Sili turned back in surprise. The man smiled again. “I should call you Sili now.”

Fu Sili paused, then said tactfully, “Eldest Brother.”

There was no trace of emotion on Fu Jing’s face at being addressed this way. He simply gave a slight smile and turned to leave. Fu Sili stood there blankly for a moment, unable to make sense of the behavior.

Soon, he pushed the matter to the back of his mind and quickened his pace toward his own courtyard.

A few days ago, Fu Anhuai had introduced him to several people. Fu Sili now knew quite a few contacts and had been busy building relationships with them lately; he had hardly stopped moving.

He had a vague idea. Shengjing was a wealthy place with many noble families and thriving commerce. There were many rich people, and he wanted to save money to start a business and engage in trade.

Ideally, these businesses would eventually connect the north, south, east, and west. He could then use the flow of goods to track down the valuables stolen by the people who murdered his mother.

After returning to his courtyard, Fu Sili took a bath, changed into a clean robe, and sat at the table. There were two people in his courtyard: Bing Chun, who guarded the area, and Feng Fu, a servant who did odd jobs. Both managed the courtyard very well.

Fu Sili did not know if it was because he had called him Eldest Brother on the path, or if Fu Jing was simply a generous person, but when he woke up the next morning, he found the light to be somewhat dazzling.

He opened his eyes and saw a tray of silver ingots sitting by his bedside.

Fu Sili was stunned. He sat up in bed, his hair as messy as a bird’s nest. “Where did this silver come from?”

Bing Chun poked his head in, observing Fu Sili’s expression. Seeing that he was happy, Bing Chun felt relieved. “The Eldest Young Master had it sent over.”

Fu Sili picked up a piece and looked at it, feeling exceptionally refreshed today. He smiled with narrowed eyes. “Why put it by my bedside?”

Bing Chun replied, “I noticed the Young Master has been in a bad mood lately. I thought that seeing silver the moment you opened your eyes might make you happy.”

Fu Sili put the silver back and gave a light huff. “Who said I was unhappy? Where is Fu Jing?”

“He went back to the Academy,” Bing Chun said with a sway of his head.

Ming Si had intended to go and offer his thanks, but upon hearing that Fu Jing had left, he abandoned the idea and spent a long time playing with the silver on the bed.

After that address of Eldest Brother, the two managed to share a rare period of peace. Since Fu Sili had previously seen Bing Chun secretly reporting his whereabouts to Fu Jing’s people, he no longer took Bing Chun with him when he went out.

Despite this, his activities could still be heard through word of mouth and would eventually reach Fu Jing’s ears.

Sometimes the two would sit together for a meal. Fu Jing would occasionally give him advice afterward. Fu Sili would extract information from those words and use his small funds to trade goods.

Later on, it became a routine for them to dine together whenever Fu Jing returned. Fu Jing would also bring small trinkets from time to time.

Usually, Fu Jing returned on the first and the fifteenth of the month, though sometimes he would also return once at the end of the month.

Unexpectedly, one day Fu Jing returned to the Spring Signal Courtyard on a different day, and the people in the courtyard were unprepared.

Fu Jing had just attended a banquet hosted by the Crown Prince. After it ended, he immediately had the carriage driven back to the Fu manor.

He took off his wide outer robe, wearing only a snow-white inner garment, and sat in a chair drinking sober-up tea to suppress the effects of the alcohol.

As he leaned his head on his hand, a servant packing his clothes pulled out an object. “Eldest Young Master, this item”

Fu Jing opened his eyes and recognized it as a folding fan with a bright floral pattern on a cold-gold surface and a vermilion lacquer frame, which someone had given to him.

He had his own fans, and this one would only gather dust if kept. Putting it to better use, he raised his hand. “Take it to Sili.”

A moment later, the servant returned empty-handed. Fu Jing asked casually, “He should be resting by this time, right?”

The servant froze and stammered, “Oh, it seems the Young Master is not in the courtyard.”

Having experienced Fu Sili running away several times before, Fu Jing stopped rubbing his brow. “Not there?”

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