In Ning Ziying’s secluded life, she only knew her parents. In the regions south of the Yangtze River, she was confined to the backyard of her home, and could not go out. Apart from her relatives, she did not know anyone, only a girl from the family next door.
But there was an exception. This person was not her family member, but he lived in her house for two years, and they were acquainted with each other for some time. However, she was still a child, and that person was four years older than her. That person was Hua Yunheng, and her parents had asked her to address him as big brother.
For two years, she was happy because she was no longer alone. With Brother Hua accompanying her, her mother did not restrict her anymore. Once, she even secretly went out to the street with Brother Hua. Although her mother punished her later, the two children became closer because of this.
She saw him as a real brother, and he doted very much on his little sister. However, this person who was such a significant figure in her life disappeared inexplicably. Regarding this, she even went to ask her mother, but her mother only said that he needed to go home, and this was not his home.
At that time, her mother was in poor health, and she did not dare to bother her mother regarding this matter. So, she kept this in her heart. And with the passage of time, even she herself could not remember this person. But when she saw the face in front of her, Ning Xueyan was shocked.
Although that face was different from that of the young boy in Ning Xueyan’s memory, when she saw him, Ning Xueyan was sure that he was her elder brother, Hua Yunheng. Brother Yan had addressed him as Childe Hua.
He wore a long, lotus-colored robe, and his handsome face looked as if it had been carved out of stone. His face was white with a jade like sheen, and he had an indescribably elegant figure. There was a gentle smile in his eyes. He looked at the two people in front of him and strode forward with a big smile.
“Childe Hua, you’re finally here. Please have a seat. This is the Second Young Master Ning, my classmate.” Brother Yan stood up and introduced him with a smile.
“Young Master Yan, Second Young Master Ning!” Hua Yunheng greeted them by cupping his hands. His alluring voice sounded very pleasant. Coupled with the smile on his face, it made people feel like they were gently caressed by the spring breeze and made them feel good.
Ning Xueyan lowered her eyes slightly to hide the bitterness in them. She bit her lips gently. Whoever Brother Hua was, she would be Ning Xueyan and had nothing to do with anyone related to Ning Ziying. Everything in the past could only be regarded as a dream. Let bygones be bygones.
At that time, Ning Ziying was able to pass this threshold, and now so was Ning Xueyan.
But even though she thought so, when she heard that unforgettable voice, she could not calm down. She could not help looking secretly at Hua Yunheng.
They had not seen each other for six years, but Brother Hua had changed a lot. But the figure in her memory was so deeply engraved in her mind, that she recognized him at a glance.
“Childe Hua, please take a seat!” Ning Huaijing did not know who this Childe Hua was, but he could tell that he was not an ordinary person. So, he wanted to make friends with him. He stood up as he said this.
“Brother Ning, this is Childe Hua from the regions south of the Yangtze River. Have you heard of him?” Brother Yan clapped his hands and answered with a smile.
“Childe Hua from the regions south of the Yangtze River?” Ning Huaijing was stunned at first, but then he stared at him and asked in surprise, “Is he Childe Yueming, who was known as a child prodigy in the regions south of the Yangtze River, when he was just 10?”
“No. The public overpraised me!” Hua Yunheng said politely, with a smile.
“Childe Yueming?” Ning Xueyan could not help raising her head and looked at Hua Yunheng, whom she regarded as her elder brother since she was a child. In her mind, she always thought that Hua Yunheng’s family was in straitened circumstances. Otherwise, why would he suddenly appear in her family? How could he stay in her family for two years?
The surnames of the two families were different, and they could not be of the same clan. Ning Ziying was sensitive of his feelings at that time, and she was afraid that asking such a question would hurt Brother Hua, so she only suspected this in her heart. She had never asked him openly. But she secretly asked her mother about it.
Her mother told her that the two families had ties of kinship or friendship, so he was fostered to their family. As for the others, her mother only patted her head and told her not to ask anymore. Seeing that her mother looked gloomy, Ning Ziying did not ask her anymore.
At the same time, she also confirmed that the family background of the Hua Family was not very good, and there must be something wrong. Otherwise, her mother would not have such a look. She had a regretful and gloomy look.
But now, she realized that many things seemed to be completely different from what she had imagined.
“Brother Hua is Childe Yueming? How could he be Childe Yueming?”
Master Yueming was the legitimate son of a big aristocratic family in the regions south of the Yangtze River. It was said that he was born with talents from birth and was good looking. Not only was his literary ability unparalleled, but he was also well-versed in music. He was the most famous young master in the area. Besides, the Hua family was a prominent family with a long history in the regions south of the Yangtze River.
Even if the world was in chaos, the family maintained their prestige. They had a sound foundation. It was said that several royal preceptors and some of the Empresses were also from the Hua Family, in the previous dynasty. They were supposedly the representatives from the regions south of the Yangtze River. Not only in the Chu Kingdom but also other places, such a well-known family was rare. Therefore, even in the new dynasty, it was respected.
However, in this generation, there were not many officials in the Hua Family, especially those who came to the capital city. As for this Childe Yueming, although he did not become an official, the fate of the whole family was under his charge. He had various chambers of commerce under his command, which extended to all the places. He had amazing financial resources, and the most important thing was that his financial resources were not limited to this country.
How could such a person be a simple person? Ning Xueyan smiled bitterly. She lowered her head again to hide the bitterness in her heart. She did not know that Xia Yuhang was fickle, and she did not know that her elder brother was not a simple person. So, she ended up dead. Maybe she should not be blaming anyone else.
“What do you think? Brother Ning, don’t you trust Childe Hua? If our family did not have old friendship ties with the Hua family, Childe Hua would not have stayed in my house when he came to the capital. Brother Ning, what do you think of this idea? As long as Childe Hua can contribute a little, we could gain a lot from it.” Brother Yan happily took over the topic and tried to persuade Ning Huaijing.
On the other side, Hua Yunheng smiled and took the teapot. He gracefully poured a cup of tea for himself, tasted the tea, and nodded.
The servant standing by his side generously rewarded a silver ingot to the servant who was waiting by his side. The servant nodded, bowed, and thanked him profusely. The servant waved his hand and gestured for him to leave.
Doing business? Ning Huaijing shook his head helplessly. He wanted to do it, but he did not have much money. Although he had money for the household, it was not enough for him to do business. Although he had never done business before, he was aware of that. How could he not know that sum of his capital was only about the same amount as what the big aristocratic family like the Hua family, gave to their servants as a reward?
What’s more, he was now engrossed in his studies. If he wanted to get Ning Zu’an’s attention and give Madam Yu a good life, Ning Huaijing had to do his best. If he could pass the examination, Madam Dowager would ask Ning Zu’an to promote Madam Yu to a co-consort. Ning Xueyan had helped him to analyze this privately.
After all, there were not many male offsprings in the Lord Protector’s Manor. If Ning Huaijing became outstanding, they would not let him be inferior to others, even though he was only the son of a concubine.
Ning Xueyan’s words sounded reasonable, and Ning Huaijing was in favor of it. Therefore, he would not do this, regardless if it was in terms of wealth or mental strength.
“Thank you for your kindness, Brother Yan. But I have some problems here. And, I have just returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor, so I can’t make decisions on many things. Please forgive me, Brother Yan and Brother Hua.” Ning Huaijing smiled bitterly and apologized. Although he wanted to get along with this famous Childe Yueming, he did not want to rely on this kind of method.
“Brother Ning, why are you so stubborn? As long as you take out some capital, Childe Hua can help us with the turnover.” Hearing Ning Huaijing’s refusal, Brother Yan said urgently.
“It’s not necessary. Thank you, Brother Yan and Childe Hua.” Ning Huaijing shook his head decisively. He could not take advantage of Childe Yueming. It seemed as if he had taken advantage of him. He had just met Childe Yueming, and they had a frank talk with a slight acquaintance. To take advantage of Childe Yueming when they had only met for the first time was not what a gentleman should do. So this time, Ning Huaijing was more determined.
“Brother Ning…” Brother Yan did not want to give up and still wanted to persuade him.
Childe Hua smiled and waved his hand, indicating for Brother Yan to stop. He raised the teacup in his hand slightly toward Ning Huaijing and said with a gentle smile, “Since the Second Young Master Ning has made up his mind, Childe Yan, you don’t need to persuade him anymore. Yueming would like to propose tea in place of wine to Second Young Master Ning. In the future, I’d like to take up the wine cup and have a good chat with Second Young Master Ning.”
“Okay, thank you, Childe Yueming.” Ning Huaijing appreciated Childe Yueming’s gesture, as he wanted to stay friends with him. Since he said that he wanted to be friends with him, he nodded. He picked up the teacup in his hand, toasted Hua Yunheng, and took a big sip.
Seeing that it was useless to persuade him, Brother Yan frowned and also drank reluctantly.
Next, the three people began to talk about other things, ranging from the topic of poetry and calligraphy to the current issues. Hua Yunheng had just arrived in the capital city, so he was not familiar with it. In the end, he listened to them with a smile. Ning Huaijing and Brother Yan talked and laughed as they chatted with each other.
“Second Young Master Ning, is there something wrong in your manor today?” Brother Yan suddenly looked around and asked in a low voice. Immediately, this made the splendid topic shiftier. With Brother Yan’s faint smile, it seemed very shady.
Ning Xueyan had been pretending to be mute, but now, she looked up and glanced at Hua Yunheng. A trace of darkness flashed in her eyes. There was a faint smile on his handsome face. But he was calm and graceful, smiling without saying anything. He waited quietly, which made Ning Huaijing feel a little comfortable.
In any case, he was the heir of the Lord Protector’s Manor. However, Ning Yuling had created a scene like this, which made the family suffer shame.
