“No, if you want to see me, you can come again. That’s your father, he wouldn’t really hurt you.” Qiu Ling’er didn’t quite understand what Zhou Zifang meant.
"He won't hurt me, but he will imprison me." Zhou Zifang didn't want to talk about this awful thing anymore.
His father hoped his son would become a dragon among men, but unfortunately, he was stubborn and didn't like studying or pursuing the official career his father expected.
After saying this, Zhou Zifang took out a tassel woven from silk ribbons from his bosom. "This is for you too."
"What's this?"
Qiu Ling'er picked up the tassel. The pendant was woven from blue ribbon, with a sapphire blue bead in the center.
The pendant looks really beautiful.
Zhou Zifang laughed and replied, "The woman selling the tassels said they were love knots. I thought the name sounded nice, so I bought them."
"Such beautiful tassels, you should keep them for yourself, or give them to your younger sister."
After Qiu Ling'er finished speaking, she placed the tassel in her hand back into Zhou Zifang's hand.
Zhou Zifang looked at the tassel in his hand that he hadn't been able to give away, and felt a pang of frustration.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
"No, it's just that my sister said that one should not accept gifts without having done something right. You always give me things, but I don't have anything nice to give you back, so I feel bad about it."
Zhou Zifang was a little annoyed by the rejection. "Brother Zifang is no stranger."
"I know, Brother Zifang always takes care of me just like my own brother. Sometimes, I even wonder if you're my real brother." Qiu Ling'er smiled, her eyes crinkling and her bright, sparkling eyes blinking.
Zhou Zifang fiddled with the love knot in his hand and laughed, "It's just a pity that Brother Zifang isn't your biological brother."
Seeing Zhou Zifang's furrowed brows, Qiu Ling'er knew he had been troubled lately because of his father, so she comforted him:
“From now on, if anyone asks me how many siblings I have, I’ll say I have one older sister and two older brothers.” Qiu Ling’er felt so happy.
After saying that, she pointed to Qiu Dayu's room: "My uncle should be back soon. Brother Zifang, if you don't want to stay at the academy, you can stay in his room tonight."
Then, she happily went into her room.
Zhou Zifang was both amused and exasperated. "Ling'er, your brother Zifang doesn't want to be your brother."
Poor Qiu Dayu is in a place no one would have expected.
In the afternoon, when the drunken old man chased after him, he ran away.
However, the old man only chased after him a few steps before collapsing drunkenly on Baiyang Street, rambling incoherently. "Qiu Dayu, you bastard, my poor son..."
Qiu Dayu had a headache, so he had no choice but to turn back.
However, as soon as he reached Zhou the landlord, Zhou grabbed his sleeve tightly.
"Qiu Dayu, you bastard, why are you haunting my son? Why... my son, where are you...?"
He rambled on and on, his hands moving faster and faster, as if afraid Qiu Dayu would escape his sight.
Qiu Dayu was devastated. "Don't talk nonsense. Your son is studying at the academy right now."
Left with no other choice, Qiu Dayu sent the persistent old man home.
The old man held onto his sleeve the whole way, never letting go, even in his drunken stupor.
Upon arriving at the Zhou family home, Qiu Dayu intended to escape, but unfortunately, he was detained in the courtyard by Zhou's mother, Yuan, who questioned him about his whereabouts.
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