[ Why's everyone gotta have at least 2 siblings with similar names LMAO

Thanks for liking and commenting! If this is posted anywhere other than chichilations, then it's stolen.]

The Northwestern wind is desolate. Zhongli Luo is quietly sitting alone on some mountain's top looking far into the distance, the rolling gusts containing bits of dust and whizzing past her ears…

I person suddenly clapped her on the shoulder. Zhongli Luo turns her to see a pitch-black man before her, smiling to reveal a mouth full of big white teeth.

“Good little brother Zhong, you got nothing better to do than to stare at something all by yourself?”

This is one of countless times Zhongli Luo's corrected him. “That… my surname is two characters, Zhongli.”

“Okay, Brother Zhong.”

Zhongli Luo is exceeding helpless in this. This person is named Tan Jun, her roommate. He's alright in other aspects, he just shoots his mouth off a bit and overly familiar, as if he doesn't sense exclusion from anyone.

“What are you doing here, Brother Tan?”

Hearing that, Tan Jun casually sat down next to her and beamed. “We got our wages today. Those reckless brats took the money vanished into thin air to who-knows-where. When I want to find someone to talk and drink with, I can't, so I gotta run off to find you.”

Zhongli Luo knows that he's talking about a few brothers he's acquainted with; as for where they've gone, she can also guess, and he'd gone so far as to rush over here to tell her about a vulgar pickling-room [1] incident like this. She tilts her head, not throwing her own word in.

Noticing that Zhongli Luo is indifferent and uncaring of other's affairs, Tan Jun is unexpectedly not angry, and he continues talking without prying. “Ah, my little wife at home looks gentle and soft, but she's actually a vat of vinegar ready to drown me in it at any time. If she knew I'd gone off to tease other girls, she'd definitely be so heartbroken that the big girl'd go back to her parents' home and not come back. She's a daughter of Zhu Xiucai's family [2] at the village's entrance. Marrying me is enough to be wronged about, how can I not hurt her a bit? Anyways, you're in that period of being a 16-ish young guy who hasn't gotten a wife, what're you being such a prude for? Where you spend that bit of money won't be witnessed. C'mon, tell your big bro. Do you have a lover back home and are waiting a few years to earn a little military merit before you go back and marry her?”

Hearing this guy getting more excessive the more he talked, Zhongli Luo hurriedly shook her head. “I don't.”

Tan Jun stared, then inexplicably gave a wily smile. He pats Zhongli Luo's shoulder. “Brother, if you're telling me the truth, looking at how you are, you're actually still an inexperienced hatchling, right? Here, are you shy? No wonder you can get up so early in the morning full of energy and be bold and fierce, it's frustration, not-“

“Shut up!” Zhongli Luo cuts him off. At such shameful words – even if she doesn't regard herself as acting much like a girl, she is still a girl in the end – her thin-skinned face immediately turns red.

Tan Jun acted like he'd never heard it and kept on blathering. “But I heard recently that there's a few new girls in South Lane; fifteen or sixteen-year olds, nice and delicate with that youthfulness and charm. This is the age girls would love someone pretty and fair-skinned like you, and if you go, you probably wouldn't need any money.”

His voice had barely stopped when he turned his head to look, and… hey, that guy's suddenly gone without a trace?

Zhongli Luo couldn't take it anymore and straight-up left. Ah, the people here are mostly of the same sort; once they get a bit familiar with you, they start to have no filter, and will chat about the heavens, the earth, and beauties. Usually she'll hear the others chat about some haphazard subjects from time to time, but actually running up to talk to her directly about them? What words did she have to throw in about that?

Though she's been here for a long time now, she is still not very accustomed to the method of getting along with these people. Those who were familiar with her beforehand were only the crowd in clan studies, and of them, some were from wealthy homes, some were so poor they only had water to wash with, and plenty were children of the Rong family's servants… it could be said to be a mix of the high and low, the rich and the broke, yet never had they spoken with her about pickling-rooms.

She thinks that the others are probably angry with her behind her back, so young and yet acting so high and mighty, really carrying herself as an upright little Marquis.

When she had just joined, they all made a wager, betting on how many days it would take this fine-skinned little guy to snivel and cry about wanting to go home. They think they all fully understand what the young n.o.ble's son was like; carrying a heroic air and embracing the so-called notion of rendering service to the country, he runs in full of zeal, and not even three days later he's crying to have his family come pick him up.

She also heard some veterans mock a certain joke of a young Marquis some years ago who had jauntily followed in his papa's footsteps and rushed to join the troops. The result was that the day of disillusionment was not even a few days later, when eating things no person should eat, he pounded his bowl wanting to go home; in the evening when he couldn't sleep well, he cursed the worn-out bedding for his lack of slumber and kicked up such a fuss he almost rocked the barrack's tent, and all day long he would shun the rough clothes that chafed his skin until blood came out. Afterwards, his dad had naturally given him a good beating. The little Marquis endured a long time of suffering and was able to live until the time came that he was able to go home. The originally plump and fair-skinned young n.o.ble had turned into a dark and thin monkey, the spitting image of one who'd been abused for years. His wailing at the time was said to be earth-shattering, for those who heard would be heartbroken and those who saw would shed tears… and that's why the old folks on the Northwest side have been laughing about it for a dozen years.

She has, of course, guessed who that was, because her father was the one who personally brought medicine over to Rong Chen after he'd been beaten by the former Marquis Zhenguo. Her dad had told her that the then-16 Rong Chen had been hit until his flesh lacerated, snot and tears all over his face though his crying was silent. As for the Marquis's transformation into a monkey, her dad had also said that that was all Rong Chen's doing himself. He really had been fighting then, eating in the wind and sleeping in the open, yet he was still pretty picky and wouldn't eat this or wouldn't eat that; how could he not lose enough weight to become a monkey?

Every person there felt she'd be the same sort as the young Marquis Zhenguo was and wouldn't last a couple days of these dire conditions, starting to cry and make a fuss; what a pity that they were quickly disappointed. She looks very thin and small, but she's rather st.u.r.dy and hard-working. With her cold words and cold face, everyone felt that she wasn't bad, but had that nose-in-the-air haughty att.i.tude about her just because they thought she had a background. There are also some middle-aged minor officers who knew her dad, and give her a lot of consideration for that reason, not wanting to provoke her for no reason and stir up a fight is all.

There's nothing to be done about all this. She's not someone fond of speaking to strangers by nature, and what's more, she and these rough fellows have inherent differences in themselves. There's some things that really can't be forced.

Zhongli Luo lets out a long sigh, turning over in the bed she laid on to look at the ceiling. Suddenly, she slightly missed the Rong family, and didn't know how they were doing.

As expected, even if this is the place she's been the most eager to go, homesickness is difficult to escape from.

She misses Lord Rong, Madam Yu, and the chattering and pleasant to be around Rong Jiahui, so much so that she'd now be fine with that punk Rong Jiaze glaring at her.

She then remembers what Rong Jiahui had said before, and went to rummage around inside the cupboard, fis.h.i.+ng out a pen and paper. Hey, it's still writing a letter, even if it's just to report that she's safe and sound.

The letter is of course written to the two seniors. Even though the one she's most concerned about is Rong Jiahui, she only dares to put a sentence asking about both siblings at the very end. If she wrote to Jiahui alone, it would be way too undignified.

She doesn't usually like to write letters, thinking it unecessary, and not to mention it'll take a month to get there. If she died, by the time news reached the Rong's home, she probably would have rotted beyond recognition.

When her letter arrived, it was indeed already a month later.

She hadn't given any news in the smaller part of a year, yet suddenly sent a letter, contrarily scaring the constantly-worrying-about-her Rong Jiahui into a great jump. Something didn't actually happen, right?

She s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter from her papa's hand to look at it. There's only a few sentences, and apart from saying everything is good on her end, there's one respectful inquiry.

She looked for her name within those spare phrases, and lightly read aloud, “Are little sister Jiahui and little brother Jiaze doing alright?”

And then what? She turned it over and over and all around to look. Is that really it?

Jiahui felt like she'd been cheated. For this person to write a letter home was rare, and he actually played it down and asked about her in one sentence? But not only did he not ask about just her, but he asked about her along with her brother!

She's definitely alright! She's alright enough to immediately fly over and throttle that Zhongli guy!

While she scrunched the letter up, she turned her head to ask Rong Chen, “Dad, do you want to write back?

Why be superfluous? “Of course.”

“Then…” Rong Jiahui gave a trial question, “If I also write a few things, could you send them together?”

Saying that, she then seemed to want to make something clear, and quickly explained, “You know too, papa, that he's always liked me a lot, and I've treated him like my blood-related big brother. I'm a little sister who's concerned about her big brother, this is only natural.”

Rong Chen doesn't doubt that at all, allowing it unhesitatingly.

Seeing him agree, after the happy Rong Jiahui left behind a word about him being the best papa in all the land, she ran off with the letter crushed in her hand to go write her own.

Rong Chen looked at her energetic appearance, shaking his head. This little girl really doesn't have the look of a proper lady, just a child used to being spoiled by her mom.

Poor Luo… you were just following social etiquette and now Jiahui wants to FIGHT

[1] Euphemism for a brothel. Gotta pickle your cuc.u.mber, right??? (I'll see myself out)

[2] Xiucai could really either be a name or a t.i.tle… (roughly meaning scholar). I'll edit if it's cleared up.