TSWPF -Chapter 295 Fierce

Liu Zhiyan fiddled with his fingers, resignedly thinking. He knew that if he didn’t seriously consider it, his grandfather wouldn’t tell him the reason.

After a minute of pondering, Liu Zhiyan spoke somewhat nervously, “Could it be that Fourth Brother chose to be posted elsewhere because he wanted to broaden his own experience?”

Apart from this explanation, he really couldn’t think of any other reason.

He scratched his head in frustration. Why was he so dumb? If he were even half as clever as Fourth Brother, his mother wouldn’t have to nag him all the time.

No way around it—he had grown up with such a pigheaded brain.

Grandfather Liu slowly put down the teacup in his hand, looked up at Liu Zhiyan, and nodded. “Indeed, Zhiyan. If you want to climb higher in the future, you must produce outstanding achievements to show the Emperor. Only then can you earn his trust and favor. If all you have is superficial showmanship, no matter how many people prop you up, you won’t last long. Your mind may not be as sharp, but your diligence can make up for it.”

“Your Fourth Brother has foresight. He chose to be posted elsewhere to lay a foundation for himself, to achieve something remarkable for the Emperor to see. A few years later, when he returns to the capital, only then can he handle the Emperor’s trust. You should learn from him—it won’t hurt.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” Liu Zhiyan glanced at Grandfather Liu, then lowered his eyes again, hesitating as if he wanted to say something. Grandfather Liu frowned and asked what he was trying to say. “Go ahead and say it. Don’t hem and haw like a woman.”

“…Like a woman?” Liu Zhiyan thought. Wasn’t he hesitating only because he didn’t want to upset his grandfather?

And yet, here he was, being accused of acting like a woman.

Feeling a little stifled, Liu Zhiyan gave Grandfather Liu a sidelong glance and directly asked, “Fourth Brother chose to be posted elsewhere… could there be another reason?”

“Another reason? What do you think it could be?”

Liu Zhiyan straightened his back instinctively under his grandfather’s piercing gaze, cleared his throat, and said loudly, “Although I haven’t spent much time with Fourth Brother, I do know him a little. He’s someone who doesn’t like scheming. Not that he can’t… he just detests that kind of life. So… I think Fourth Brother doesn’t want to stay in the capital because our family is too…”

Grandfather Liu fully understood the unfinished words.

He hadn’t expected this, but he hadn’t said it outright either. And now, this “stupid boy” had inadvertently said it.

He sipped his tea to cover his expression, then slowly asked Liu Zhiyan, “You… also don’t like the Liu family?”

The fact that Li Zhimou and the others didn’t like the Liu family saddened Grandfather Liu. No matter what, this is still his family!

Well… admittedly, the household was a bit chaotic.

Liu Zhiyan carefully glanced at Grandfather Liu and asked, “Do you want the truth, or do you want me to lie?”

He was afraid that if he spoke the truth, his grandfather might strike him silent.

“Of course I want the truth. What’s so good about lies?”

“That’s not necessarily true. Some people like lies; if you tell the truth, they get upset!” Liu Zhiyan shook his head, contradicting Grandfather Liu. Today, he didn’t find his grandfather as terrifying as he had imagined. Sitting down and speaking calmly, they could communicate.

So previously, he had just been scaring himself?

Liu Zhiyan silently scolded himself and resolved that in the future, he would speak boldly to Grandfather Liu, without scaring himself first.

Grandfather Liu choked slightly, coughed twice, and urged him, “Hurry up and speak. Don’t waste time here.”

“Grandfather, I’ll start talking. You can’t get angry, okay?”

“Go ahead…”

“I don’t like…”

Those three simple words left Grandfather Liu momentarily speechless. He gave Liu Zhiyan a look of disbelief. Three words… how much did he dislike the Liu family?

But he had promised not to get angry, so he clenched his fist at his mouth, coughed twice, and asked, “Why don’t you like it? Give me a reason.”

This foolish boy… just three words, no explanation? Grandfather Liu thought. Only if he knew the reason could he help him improve.

“Grandfather, do I really need to say it? Can’t you feel it?” Liu Zhiyan looked at Grandfather Liu strangely. How could Grandfather Liu not sense the tense atmosphere of the Liu household?

If his martial skills were sufficient, he would have joined his father to fight enemies long ago. How could he just be stuck at home?

Grandfather Liu felt his pride completely undermined by Liu Zhiyan today. Irritated, he said, “If you’re going to speak, just say it. Why beat around the bush?” So many words were wasted; this grandson… why was his head so slow?

Fine, Grandpa is the greatest, Grandpa decides.

Liu Zhiyan had no choice but to describe his feelings honestly. Once he finished, he saw Grandfather Liu’s face turn as dark as ink, which scared him terribly. He was truly afraid Grandfather Liu might act impulsively.

Of course, he was overthinking. Grandfather Liu would never harm his grandson.

Only the chair he was sitting on suffered—its armrest cracked with a loud snap under the pressure.

Liu Zhiyan swallowed nervously, his eyes darting around. Stammering, he said, “Gra… Grandfather, I have other things to do… I’ll go first.”

Sob… he regretted being so frank with his grandfather. Otherwise, Grandfather Liu wouldn’t have been so furious.

Seeing Liu Zhiyan’s pale face, Grandfather Liu knew the poor boy had been scared. He calmed down and waved for him to leave.

Seeing this, Liu Zhiyan immediately stood and bolted out, running a long distance before finally relaxing his tense heart.

He patted his chest hard. His life was saved—it hadn’t been easy. He would retract his earlier claim that Grandpa was easy to deal with. No, Grandpa was terrifying. A single stern look could scare someone half to death.

He truly admired Fourth Brother and the others for being able to face Grandpa without changing color. So brave.

Someone like him, timid and timid, shouldn’t even approach Grandpa. If he made Grandpa angry, his cowardice would vanish entirely.

Liu Zhiyan’s mind raced as he returned to the Third Residence courtyard. Before entering the hall, Zhang Yun’er asked eagerly, “How is it? What happened?”

“Mother, can I have some water first? I’m dying of thirst.”

“Alright, drink!” Zhang Yun’er laughed awkwardly. She had been too anxious. Seeing Liu Zhiyan drink two cups of tea in a row, she frowned. “Didn’t Grandpa give you tea? Were you that thirsty?”

Quenching his thirst, Liu Zhiyan flopped into a chair, exhaling deeply, and said to Zhang Yun’er, “Do you think I could dare drink tea in front of Grandpa? He would have scared me out of my courage.”

Zhang Yun’er smacked him lightly. “Don’t talk nonsense. That’s your grandfather, not some wild beast.”

Wild beasts might not even be as fierce as Grandpa, Liu Zhiyan thought bitterly.

“Alright, tell me what happened.”

Liu Zhiyan shrugged. “What could it be? Fourth Brother wants to train himself, achieve remarkable results for the Emperor, and requested to be posted elsewhere. I’ve been thinking about it on the way back. Li Zhimou is truly smart. It’s hard to stand out in the Hanlin Academy, but being posted elsewhere changes that. If he achieves something remarkable, the Emperor will notice. Returning to the capital after a few years, he will have solid footing.”

His perspective wasn’t as far-sighted as Fourth Brother’s; he only saw the present, not the future. He truly needed to learn more from him.

Zhang Yun’er wasn’t a fool. Listening to Liu Zhiyan, she immediately understood Liu Zhimou’s intention. She nodded with approval, then looked at her son.

“You really need to learn well from Fourth Brother. If you can learn even half of what he knows, I’ll be at ease.”

No wonder he was Fourth Brother’s son. Smart and far-sighted, not just thinking of the present. She realized she had been blind before—thinking him inexperienced, when in fact, he had insight like a child.

Liu Zhiyan didn’t take offense at his mother’s advice. Indeed, he should learn well from Li Zhimou to become smarter.

“Too bad Fourth Brother will soon be posted elsewhere. If he were in the capital, I’d have a better chance in this year’s autumn examination.”

“What does that matter? If you don’t understand, you can write to Fourth Brother and ask him to teach you.”

Liu Zhiyan sighed. Other than that, there was no solution.

…

Meanwhile, Li Zhimou and the others had no idea what had happened at the Liu residence.

As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw their eldest aunt already waiting at the gate.

Seeing Li Zhimou and the others, she smiled and hurried over.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Aunt.” Li Zhimou and the others called in unison.

“Good, good, come in. Your grandfather and grandmother have been waiting for you since morning, nagging repeatedly.” Eldest Aunt held Li Qingning with one hand and Liu Zhirou with the other, guiding them inside.

Li Qingning and Liu Zhirou often came to visit their maternal grandparents at the Lu residence, so they were familiar with the place.

“You two sisters haven’t visited for a while. Your grandparents have been missing you. When they heard you were coming to stay a few days, they were overjoyed.”

Li Qingning smiled. “My elder sister and brother-in-law went back to the Liu residence. I didn’t go with my brother, so I couldn’t visit our grandparents together.”

Eldest Aunt felt sorry for the siblings, worried they would feel uncomfortable being apart from Li Zhimou and the others.

“Ningning, come whenever you want. Treat this as home, okay?”

Li Qingning nodded happily, then added, “We won’t be able to come after a while. Soon, we won’t be in the capital anymore.”