LFHYB -Chapter 105 Fifteen and Coming of Age

Before heading to Zhangye, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba passed through Daxing.

Daxing was not only home to Yuwen Zhu—Changsun Xiaomei and Changsun Sheng were also staying in their ancestral home there and hadn’t returned to Luoyang.

Since Changsun Sheng feigned illness, he had fully embraced a retired lifestyle.

Relying on Yang Guang’s continued favor, Changsun Sheng held the position of Grand General but did nothing, spending his days at home, occasionally sending gifts to Yang Guang and singing his praises. Yang Guang indulged him.

The three elders—Gao Yong, Yuwen Bi, and Xue Daoheng—still had to compile books, which wasn’t free work. Changsun Sheng, however, epitomized the “salary leech.”

While idling at home, he pressured Changsun Anye with filial piety, forcing him to resign from office to “care for his ailing father.”

Changsun Anye finally received the long-overdue love and guidance from his father, though he complained bitterly.

Now, Changsun Anye was much closer to Changsun Wuji and Changsun Xiaomei, since he bore the brunt of his father’s loving lessons alongside Wuji, and Xiaomei was the only one who could convince their father to rest.

Li Shimin complained to Li Xuanba, “Look at how that father teaches his son—why can’t our father do the same?”

Li Xuanba replied, “People who leave behind idioms and historical anecdotes for posterity aren’t comparable to ordinary people. Do you know the value of the story behind ‘killing two birds with one stone’?”

Li Shimin said, “But our father founded the dynasty!”

Li Xuanba said, “Even if he founded the dynasty, he has no idiom stories related to politics.”

Li Shimin hesitated, then whispered, “Do I have any political idioms tied to me?”

Li Xuanba straightened his face. “Yes—‘like a small bird dependent on humans.’”

Li Shimin blinked. “Huh? I praised Guanyin? How is that a political idiom?”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “You praised Chu Suiliang.”

Li Shimin’s handsome face darkened.

He knew Chu Suiliang. He was three years older, also studied calligraphy under Yu Shinan, and although he wasn’t as diligent as Li Shimin, they had some connection. He had a proud and aloof personality; though he was indeed good-looking, could “like a small bird dependent on humans” really describe him?

Li Shimin shook his head vigorously. “That must be a later exaggeration. I would never praise him like that!”

Li Xuanba chuckled. “Chu Suiliang was well-learned and upright. Since he wrote with loyalty and was very attached to me, it was as if he was like a bird leaning on a human, showing his affection.”

Li Shimin stuffed a peeled tangerine into his brother’s mouth to shut him up, eating the segments himself and dropping the subject of political idioms forever.

Li Xuanba spat out the tangerine peel and secretly noted it down in his mental notebook.

When they reached Daxing, Li Shimin immediately dropped his shy younger brother at Teacher Yuwen’s doorstep and strode away with his fifth brother.

Li Xuanba hadn’t even reacted before being abandoned, standing alone at Yuwen’s gate with not even a single guard—or even a hawk—left for him.

“Han Gou! Wudi! All for nothing!”

“Huh? Isn’t this Third Young Master?” the gate servant exclaimed.

Li Xuanba awkwardly couldn’t speak.

Being the fiancée of the young lady in the house, Li Xuanba didn’t require formal introduction; the gate servant welcomed him straight in.

Yuwen Bi was practicing swordplay in the courtyard behind the gate and looked puzzled. “Why are you here?”

Li Xuanba complained, “When we passed by, Second Brother suddenly stopped the carriage and threw me off.”

Yuwen Bi froze for a moment, then laughed. “That’s something Daxiong would do. Are you going to Zhangye for your posts?”

Seeing Li Xuanba empty-handed, with even his spare clothes still in the carriage, Yuwen Bi scolded Li Daxiong a little.

Li Xuanba had just arrived in Daxing and hadn’t returned home to rest when Li Shimin took a detour and abandoned him. He hadn’t anticipated any of this, realizing trusting his brother so much had been a mistake.

Yuwen Bi had bathwater prepared and spare clothes ready for Li Xuanba.

Clothing in this generation was very loose. Yuwen Bi’s family was wealthy, and he only had to have a new set of clothes tailored slightly to fit Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba wanted to leave by carriage, but Yuwen Bi said, “Since you’re here, stay a few days at my house. I think Daxiong wants that too. He probably didn’t plan to return to the Duke Tang Mansion but wanted to stay a few days at the Changsun Mansion.”

Li Xuanba’s scalp tingled.

Damn! With his brother’s audacity, he could really do something like this!

“Bring the fifth brother to Teacher Changsun’s mansion too?” Li Xuanba twitched at the corners of his mouth.

Yuwen Bi said, “It’s fine for Li Wulang to stay at my house, though you might feel awkward.”

He shook his head with a smile, inwardly admiring Li Shimin.

For his timid younger brother, Li Daxiong really worried about things he shouldn’t have and acted way too “extreme.”

Understanding his second brother’s intentions, Li Xuanba could have returned alone to the Tang Duke’s Mansion, but since the teacher had asked him to stay, he couldn’t just leave. He reluctantly stayed.

When Yuwen Zhu learned that Li Xuanba was going to stay at her home, she was so embarrassed that she hid in her room.

The Old Madam teased her, “If you were the young lady of the Changsun family, you’d already be happily chattering away, holding your fiancé’s hand. You and Third Young Master are both shy, both hiding—what will you do after marriage? You’re sixteen already. In a year or two, it will be time for you to marry him.”

Yuwen Zhu was one year older than Li Xuanba, also sixteen by East Asian reckoning this year. Most noble girls could be married at this age. Li Xuanba was younger, and the Yuwen family didn’t want her to marry so soon, so the marriage had been postponed for a few years.

Embarrassed and annoyed, Yuwen Zhu said, “I’m a girl—it’s normal to be shy. Third Young Master is at fault!”

The Old Madam said, “Yes, yes, Third Young Master is at fault. But if he asks you to go out for a spring outing, would you go?”

Yuwen Zhu said, “He wouldn’t dare!”

The Old Madam raised her voice, “Third Young Master, Zhu-niang is asking if you dare!”

Yuwen Zhu froze.

The door opened, and Yuwen Bi pushed it in.

Li Xuanba stood at the doorway, stunned.

Yuwen Zhu stiffened, Li Xuanba froze too—the two of them looked like wooden dolls standing together.

The Old Madam laughed so hard she bent over, wiping tears as she leaned on the young master, “These two children are just too funny.”

Yuwen Bi tried not to laugh. “You know they’re thin-skinned. Don’t tease them. Third Young Master, why are you standing there? No courage?”

Li Xuanba forced a smile. At this point, he couldn’t say no. He had to save face!

“I’ll be staying in Daxing for five days to buy some household necessities.” Li Xuanba pinched himself to look more natural. “I haven’t been back to Daxing for a long time and am not very familiar with the markets. Lady Yuwen, could you assist me?”

The Old Madam nudged Yuwen Zhu.

Yuwen Zhu stumbled slightly, embarrassed, and fixed her hair. “Alright.”

She shot a glance at her grandparents, then suddenly grabbed Li Xuanba’s arm and pulled him away, “Ignore them! Let’s go before they mock us!”

Li Xuanba was taken aback and followed her stumblingly.

The Old Madam laughed again, holding her belly, “Ah, isn’t our Zhuniang supposed to be very brave?”

Yuwen Bi said solemnly, “She is brave. After apprenticing under Doctor Sun, she even disguised herself as a Taoist boy to help the refugees. Hmph, if she caught the plague…”

He trailed off, still shaken by the memory.

The Old Madam wiped away tears of laughter. “You complain, yet you didn’t stop her—you even helped her. What are you complaining about now?”

Yuwen Bi sighed. “I know what she did was right. When she marries Third Young Master in the future, she’ll face even greater dangers. It’s good for her to gain experience under my watch. But worry is still worry.”

The Old Madam took his hand. “That’s true. If you want to complain, only complain to me. Don’t let the children hear. Zhuniang and Dade are both sharp-minded.”

Yuwen Bi sighed, “Understood.”

Yuwen Zhu summoned her courage and pulled Li Xuanba along. After running a bit, she realized that being in physical contact might be a bit improper.

But since it was already done, she didn’t dwell on it.

She let go and looked at Li Xuanba, “It’s been a while; I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Li Xuanba pointed to his hair, “Is it the hair?”

Yuwen Zhu covered her mouth, laughing, “You’ve grown taller too.”

Since growing his hair out, Li Xuanba no longer wore the flat top knot common to Sui men. Instead, he styled it like Han dynasty men: braiding two strands at the back, gathering the rest on top into a pointed knot.

He wrapped the knot with blue cloth, fixed it with a wooden pin, and let the cloth ends hang down—looking like a figure straight out of a Han-era painting.

Only when Li Xuanba mentioned his hair did Yuwen Zhu shift her gaze from his now-mature face to his hairstyle.

She touched her own cross-shaped hair bun, “Your hairdo seems more delicate than mine.”

Li Xuanba hurriedly shook his head, “Not as delicate as yours. Your style is beautiful and suits you perfectly!”

Yuwen Zhu’s style was a typical Wei-Jin-era cross-shaped bun for young women, with a shallow fringe, neat short hair at the back like later ‘sister hair,’ a cross bun on top adorned with dangling beads, lively and cheerful.

Li Xuanba was almost startled when he saw her—he barely recognized her.

The last time they met, both had two small top knots.

Now Yuwen Zhu had reached maturity. Her clothing, appearance, and stature all reflected a young woman.

Previously, Li Xuanba’s nervousness and affection toward her stemmed from “this is a family member who will accompany me for life.”

Now he felt shy to even look directly at her.

Logically realizing she was the opposite sex and emotionally realizing it were completely different feelings.

“Weren’t we going out?” Yuwen Zhu saw Li Xuanba was too shy. Though her courage was limited too, being a year older, she decided to take the initiative.

Li Xuanba nodded.

He reached out to hold her hand but then withdrew it, remembering the gender distinctions of the time.

Yuwen Zhu took his hand, “What are you hesitating for? We already held hands. Are Second Young Master and Lady Guanyin going too? They’re probably waiting.”

Li Xuanba blushed and nodded, “Yes.” It was his first time ever holding hands with a girl of his own age, in both this life and the past.

On the carriage, they didn’t let go of each other’s hands.

They didn’t talk, just quietly held hands.

When they got off the carriage, they finally let go, ears burning red.

As expected, Li Shimin and the young Lady Changsun had been waiting for a long time, already eating a stack of sesame cakes.

Next to them, Li Zhiyun’s cheeks were puffed up; no one knew how much he had already eaten.

“You two are really too slow.” Li Shimin patted the crumbs from the pastry in his hand and bowed slightly to Yuwen Zhu. “Sister-in-law, isn’t my brother troublesome? Don’t dislike him, okay?”

Little Sister Changsun covered her mouth, laughing so hard her whole body trembled. “Dade, why do you always bully my elder brother normally, but in front of Sister Yuwen you turn into a fool? Erlang, Erlang, look at Dade’s face—it’s so funny.”

Li Shimin nodded in agreement. “Indeed, it’s very funny.”

The young, unmarried couples laughed together heartily.

Li Zhiyun continued gnawing on his pastry. At this moment, he wasn’t going to seek attention.

Li Xuanba’s face darkened in frustration. “Do you two look too much like a married couple?”

Thick-skinned Li Shimin replied, “Thanks for the compliment.”

Little Sister Changsun, not lacking confidence herself, teased, “Really?”

Li Xuanba: “……”

Yuwen Zhu sighed and tugged at Li Xuanba’s sleeve. “Don’t argue with them; you won’t win.”

Unexpectedly, it turned out that Second Brother had a personality similar to Little Sister Changsun.

Li Xuanba snorted coldly. “Aren’t we supposed to go shopping? Don’t waste time.”

Li Shimin glanced at Li Xuanba’s sleeve and naturally took Little Sister Changsun’s hand. “It’s you wasting time. Come on, today we shop, tomorrow we go out to enjoy the countryside.”

Little Sister Changsun held Li Shimin’s hand openly. “I want to ride a horse! Sister Yuwen, you should ride too, okay?”

Watching Li Shimin and Little Sister Changsun being so naturally affectionate, Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu felt their own embarrassment gradually ease.

Li Xuanba sneaked a glance at Yuwen Zhu and reached out to hold her hand. “Ride a horse? If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you.”

Yuwen Zhu blushed and nodded.

Li Shimin laughed loudly. “Hahaha, Guanyin, did you hear that? A-Xuan actually wants to teach someone to ride a horse? With his terrible skills, he dares to teach?”

Little Sister Changsun poked Li Shimin’s puffed-up cheek. “Don’t tease Third Brother. What if he gets shy again?”

Li Shimin put on a serious face. “Oh, alright. Ahem, Sister-in-law, actually A-Xuan’s riding skills are not bad.”

Li Xuanba turned red with anger. “Second Brother, shut up!”

Li Shimin laughed again, teasing his younger brother just for fun.

Li Zhiyun silently trailed behind the two couples, munching on his pastry, regretting that he had come along.