Chapter 44: Sixth Sister, you clearly knew this character when you were little!

"Is this... for me?"

In a room at the rear court of the Li residence, Fu Zihou gazed in surprise and delight at the clothes Li Cha was holding in both hands.

"Cha made these herself. They've been finished for days, but she never dared to bring them out. Zihou, go and try them on—see if they fit," said Lady Zhangsun with a warm smile. She looked at the bashful Li Cha beside her, herself surprised; she hadn't known when Li Cha had learned to make clothes.

"Alright!" Fu Zihou quickly responded, reaching out to take the set of white garments from Li Cha.

He looked at her—other than his grandmother and mother, this was the first time anyone else had ever made him clothing.

As Lady Zhangsun and Li Cha left the room, Fu Zihou went to the wooden rack and took off his coarse linen garments.

A moment later.

Changing into the clothes Li Cha had made, Fu Zihou was delighted to find that everything fit perfectly—snug but not tight. Compared to his old hemp garments, these were immensely warmer.

He glanced around Li Cha's sparse room; Lady Zhangsun had thoughtfully provided a bronze mirror. Going over, Fu Zihou arranged his hair properly.

When he stepped out, he clearly saw Li Cha stealing a glance at him—only to freeze in astonishment.

"You look truly handsome!" Lady Zhangsun marveled at the transformation. Dressed in the new silk garments, he was completely changed—before, in linen, his face seemed merely pleasant, but now, in Li Cha's handiwork, he presented an entirely different impression.

"I’ll go help prepare tea in the front court. Cha, you stay here and keep Zihou company," Lady Zhangsun said with a smile, noticing Li Cha’s shy, downcast look. With a nod to Fu Zihou, she turned and left.

"Thank you, Cha," Fu Zihou said to her.

Li Cha’s cheeks blushed crimson; she shook her head, nervously wringing her small hands and not knowing what to do.

Fortunately, with many guests in the Li residence today, Lady Zhangsun had already ordered the maids to bring brush and ink to the rear courtyard pavilion, so Fu Zihou and Li Cha didn’t need to go to the study. They could simply sit by the fire and practice reading and writing.

"I overheard that we lost again—many people have fled back to Tiao County..."

"Yes! I heard that too. The officers who escaped said Qinghe County can hardly hold out much longer..."

Li Le, Li Anren, Li Anjing, and Li Zhaotian chatted as they wandered into the rear court. With so many guests, both their grandmother and uncle were busy, so the children, left to themselves, could only gather and talk.

As they spoke, they noticed their sixth sister and her future husband under the pavilion, and instinctively fell silent.

Hearing their conversation, Fu Zihou and Li Cha looked over to see the group arrive.

"It's cold—come, warm yourselves by the fire," Fu Zihou said softly.

Li Cha glanced at them, her expression somewhat awkward, her beautiful eyes clearly shy.

"Alright!" Li Le and the others, not having spent much time with Fu Zihou, exchanged glances at first, a bit hesitant. But thinking there was nowhere to sit in the front court, Li Le nodded, and the others followed.

"Why does Sixth Brother-in-law look so handsome today?" Li Zhaotian muttered, pouting as she approached. For reasons she could not name, the brother-in-law before her now surpassed even her favorite Senior Brother Dai in her heart.

This brother-in-law!

She recalled the mocking words of those senior brothers in the front court and couldn't understand why her sixth brother-in-law seemed utterly unfazed, as though he'd heard nothing, despite their harsh words.

By the fire,

Li Anjing saw her elder brothers and seventh sister had all found seats, leaving only the spot beside her sixth brother-in-law vacant. She pouted in silent complaint, cursing the others for their slyness.

But just as she was about to sit, she noticed her sixth brother-in-law teaching her sixth sister a character and frowned.

"Hey, Sixth Sister, don’t you know this character? I remember when we were little, I saw you writing it secretly in the kitchen..."

Li Anjing pointed at the character, her clear voice innocent and curious. But as she looked at her sixth sister, she saw the usual gentle expression replaced by a blush—Li Cha stared at her in alarm, as if wishing she could tear her apart.

It was the first time Li Anjing had seen her sixth sister like this, and she was confused and aggrieved. She hadn't said anything wrong; back then, she had been small and hungry, and had seen her sixth sister writing this character with a stick in the kitchen.

"Anjing, your sixth sister... knows this character?" Fu Zihou asked, looking at Li Cha’s red, bashful face.

As Anjing nodded, Fu Zihou looked at Li Cha, then suddenly smiled and turned back to Anjing.

"Anjing, you were very little then. How old are you now? After so many years, your sixth sister has forgotten," he said gently.

He turned and saw Li Cha, her face flushed and wishing for the earth to swallow her up, and decided not to tease her further.

"Now that Anren and Anjing are here, let’s continue our reading lesson later," he said softly. Hearing Anjing's words, he recalled his first meeting with Li Cha, and Lady Zhangsun's remark about her frequent visits to the kitchen. Now, he wondered if Li Cha could already read.

But he didn’t expose her.

"Li Le, you just mentioned that those who escaped from Qinghe said the county is about to fall?"

Fu Zihou looked at Li Le and asked quietly.

Among the children, only Li Le was so mature for his age—because of his father's death.

He and Li Zhaotian were both children of Li Shuyun, the third son of the Li family, but Zhaotian was a daughter and Li Le a son.

"Yes. They say most of the officers and officials sent from Tiao County were killed by Zhang Jincheng in Qinghe. Many who escaped saw the rebels scaling the walls and fighting the defenders. Though the attackers were eventually repelled, the adults in the main hall calculated that, without reinforcements, the city could hold out only till tomorrow at most," Li Le replied, telling everything he had overheard without hiding anything.

After speaking, he gazed into the fire, his small hands clenched tightly, then slackened in defeat. His eyes suddenly reddened, filling with tears.

"What’s wrong, Li Le?" Fu Zihou asked with concern, seeing him wipe his tears away.

Li Le stubbornly wiped his eyes again and again, but each time, new tears welled up.

"If... if only I were older! Then I could fight for Qinghe! I could help the Cui family!" he cried, hating his own youth.

At these words,

Li Zhaotian, sitting nearby, suddenly stood and ran straight to her room.

Seeing this, Li Anren and Li Anjing fell silent as well. The brothers knew Li Le wanted to fight for Qinghe and help the Cui family, all for the sake of avenging their father.

The Li family lacked the power, but in their eyes, a noble family like the Cui would have it.

"Li Le, remember this: the least likely to help you avenge your father are those very noble families," Fu Zihou sighed.

Li Cha, her eyes red with sorrow, and the sobbing Li Le, along with the disappointed Anren and Anjing, all turned to Fu Zihou.

"Noble houses are not like individuals. What matters most to them is face and rivalry. The Li family is not the Cui; if the Cui family were to side with the Li and demand the Xie family hand over the culprits, the Xie—being nobles too—would never agree for the sake of their own face," Fu Zihou explained, watching Li Le listen intently, the tears drying on his face.

"So don’t think that helping the Cui or earning their favor will ever allow you to avenge your father. Even if you go to great lengths for it, it will be in vain," Fu Zihou advised, glancing at the now silent Li Le, the melancholy Li Cha, and the disappointed Anren and Anjing.

Recalling Li Le’s earlier words, Fu Zihou frowned. Now was not the time for the Cui family of Qinghe to fall.

He sighed. If no one else could do it, he would have to try himself—he could not just sit and watch Zhang Jincheng conquer Qinghe.

"You all stay here by the fire. I’ll go see how Brother Cui fares. Cha, stay with them," Fu Zihou said, smiling at Li Cha. Then, under their watchful gazes, he rose and headed toward the guest quarters beside the main hall.