In the side courtyard of the Qiu family's front yard, there are more than a dozen rows of two-story buildings densely packed together. The distance between the buildings is very small, almost within arm's reach, and the rooms are not large. This is a place for the Qiu family's servants to live, also called "the servants' quarters".
Inside the lower room, Xiaoqing and Xiaohong, their faces bruised and swollen, were crying to their male best friends.
"Waaah, we're so unlucky. We've run into a master who's prone to domestic violence."
"He's not married yet, is he?" a male maid comforted Xiaoqing and Xiaohong.
"It's like this before we're even married, what will it be like after we're married? Waaah..." Xiaoqing cried.
“I had the honor of seeing young mistress Alice once before. She seems to be a refined person. When young mistress takes charge of the household, she will have a good life,” another male maid comforted her.
"I hope so." Xiao Hong gently wiped away her tears. "I'm just afraid that the young master will be henpecked in the future, then there won't be any good days."
"I heard that the young master will be marrying into the Ryan family?"
"The Ryan family? Which Ryan? I've never heard of any prominent family in Xiliang with the surname Ryan."
"I don't know. I only heard the old gentleman mention it occasionally. It seems to be a very powerful family outside."
"Silence! Are you asking for a beating? If the second young lady of the Qiu family hears you talking about your mistress in private, I'll beat you all out of the Qiu family tomorrow, believe it or not?"
The male maids immediately fell silent. Xiaoqing and Xiaohong rolled eggs wrapped in cotton cloth around the eyes of the eggs while sighing and lamenting their miserable lives.
Inside the west wing, Zhang Fan's chest heaved, his emotions still unable to calm down.
That's terrifying!
For the first time, he found himself uncontrollably beating up two complete strangers he had just met, even though they hadn't done anything to wrong him; it was simply because he didn't like them.
But you can't just beat up every single man in the Qiu family, can you? It would be one thing to beat up the servants, but what kind of nonsense is it to beat up the uncles and brothers?
Just bear with it!
Before long, Xiaoqing, still sporting dark circles under her eyes, brought in water, carefully wrung out a towel, and prepared to wipe Zhang Fan's face.
"I'll do it myself!"
Zhang Fan snatched the towel and wiped his face and hands himself. Xiao Qing felt as if she had been granted a pardon and immediately took a few steps back and stood to the side.
Before long, Xiao Hong brought in the food and set the table full.
"You two, stand aside!"
Xiaoqing and Xiaohong immediately stood by the wall. Zhang Fan picked up his chopsticks, but then realized he really couldn't eat.
Turn your faces to the wall, don't let me see your faces!
Xiaoqing and Xiaohong had no choice but to turn around and stand against the wall. Zhang Fan then felt a little better. He hadn't eaten on the space shuttle and was feeling really sullen. He picked up his chopsticks and bowl and started eating his food in big mouthfuls.
Xiaoqing and Xiaohong looked annoyed. It was bad enough that they were made to stand as punishment during mealtime, but why didn't their master seem like the protagonist in the comic books they usually read?
In novels, the main characters generously invite their maids to dinner, and they even get angry if the maids refuse. They treat the maids like brothers and sisters, showing them great respect!
In short, in the eyes of the Qiu family's maids, Zhang Fan was a negative example of someone who abused his status to bully others.
Zhang Fan quickly devoured the entire table of food.
Xiaoqing and Xiaohong muttered to themselves as they tidied the table.
This master is truly unreliable. Men are supposed to eat slowly and deliberately, without talking while eating, and without showing their teeth when smiling. Unlike him, he actually picked his teeth with a toothpick after finishing his meal! Where is the demeanor of a proper lady?
I don't know why Miss Qiu would choose him as her son-in-law.
After finishing his meal, Zhang Fan watched as two effeminate young men with two buns on their heads leisurely cleared the table, exchanging glances as if whispering secrets, occasionally covering their mouths and chuckling. He got angry again and slammed the fruit knife he was using onto the table.
"You two cut your hair! I can't stand it!"
Xiaoqing and Xiaohong were stunned for a moment, then suddenly knelt down on the ground and cried out:
"Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents. If our lord wants to cut our hair, he is taking our lives."
"I don't know where I have done that displeased Your Majesty. Please tell me, Your Majesty, and we will definitely make changes."
"Waaaaah, please, Your Majesty, spare our lives..."
Seeing the two effeminate young men crying their eyes out in front of him, Zhang Fan's lips twitched. He resisted the urge to kick them, otherwise they would think he was an unreasonable, capricious, and vicious person.
In fact, in their eyes, Zhang Fan was already an unreasonable, capricious, and vicious person.
"Shut up! Stop crying! Get up, all of you!" Zhang Fan shouted. "Turn around! I told you not to let me see your faces!"
"Also, how do I get to the Second Miss's residence?"
Zhang Fan felt that if he stayed here any longer and looked at those two buns, he would throw up the food he had just eaten.
Qiu Wanlan's residence was in the east wing, opposite Zhang Fan's residence in the west wing. It wasn't hard to find, but Zhang Fan still deliberately took a longer route because he didn't want to pass through the middle courtyard and run into Black Whirlwind Li Kui again.
"Is Second Aunt here? Your nephew Zhang Fan requests an audience."
During the height of summer, when the heat is intense, the doors to the backyard rooms are usually left open during the day to allow for ventilation and heat dissipation.
After giving a loud greeting, Zhang Fan walked straight into the main hall of the east wing.
Inside the main hall, Qiu Wanlan was having her meal, while Yu Yingnan, the Qiu family's steward, stood to one side with her hands at her sides.
Zhang Fan glanced at the dining table. Although only Qiu Wanlan was dining, the area opposite her had clearly been tidied up. There were still food stains on the table from the hasty cleanup, and judging from the shape of the dishes, there was obviously someone else dining opposite her, which was why they had habitually picked out the food in that shape.
That would be interesting.
Zhang Fan glanced at Butler Yu. Who could this person dining with the second young lady of the Qiu family be?
I always thought the second young lady of the Qiu family looked familiar, but it turns out it wasn't because of Mrs. Qiu, Qiu Wanyan, but because the second young lady's style of dress was very similar to that of Yu Yingnan, the steward of the Qiu family.
They both like to dress in men's clothing and both like to carry fans.
Although it's not uncommon for women in Xiliang to like wearing men's clothing with fans, it's almost a trend, so it's not surprising that the Qiu family has two, Zhang Fan's intuition tells her that something is definitely going on between them.
"What do you want?" Qiu Wanlan asked, putting down her chopsticks after Zhang Fan had been silent for a long time since he came in.
"It's alright, Auntie, you eat first, we'll talk about it later."
"Am I coming at the wrong time?" Without waiting for a response, she greeted the other party and came in. Judging from the displeased look on the second young lady of the Qiu family's face, it seemed that she had disturbed the other party's enjoyment.
"I'm full." Qiu Wanlan picked up a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and Butler Yu immediately came over to clear the dishes.
"Just say what you need to say."
"My nephew wants to take a stroll outside Xiliang City, but since he's unfamiliar with the area, he'd like to invite his second aunt to come along. Is that alright?"
"Steward Yu, prepare the horses."
The housekeeper, Yu, who was clearing the dishes, paused for a moment before realizing that the second young lady was calling her.
"oh……"
"No need, no need!" Zhang Fan waved his hands repeatedly. "I just want to walk around the city. Walking is fine. No need for a carriage."
I'm not some sheltered young lady who never leaves the house. Why would I need a carriage just to go out?
However, in Xiliang, men and women are treated the opposite way. Thinking about it this way, I seem to really belong to the side of ladies from noble families.
“Alright.” Qiu Wanlan stood up. “Butler Yu, have the servants clear the table. Let’s go.”
As they stepped out of the Qiu family's gate, it was just after nightfall, and the streetlights were coming on. The three of them walked along West Market Avenue, with Zhang Fan stopping and starting along the way, looking around with great interest in everything.
At this time, Xiliang City was bustling with activity. The city was ablaze with lights, and the sounds of carriages, drums, music, and lanterns mingled with the moonlight. Folk artists paraded along the streets, singing and dancing, their movements graceful and varied. People performed folk arts and entertainment in the squares and open spaces along the roads. It was extremely prosperous and lively, a feast for the eyes.
"You've come at just the right time." Qiu Wanlan waved her jade fan, looking like a handsome scholar. "Today is the Qixi Festival. Many young people in the family who are of marriageable age will come out to the night market to seek a marriage partner."
"Oh, oh, oh!" Zhang Fan nodded. Isn't this what Qixi Festival and Lantern Festival mean?
"The Qixi Festival is also called the Qiqiao Festival." Seeing Zhang Fan's interest, Qiu Wanlan continued to explain, "Men usually only do needlework at home, hidden away and unknown to the world. On the Qixi Festival, they can take out their needlework and sell it on the street, not for money, but to show off their skillful hands and pray for a good marriage."
“If a woman is interested in a man, she can buy him a piece of men’s embroidery. If they hit it off and are mutually attracted, this item will become a token of their commitment. If they don’t, she can leave the money and go without hurting either of them.”
"Mmm, very interesting!" Zhang Fan nodded and smiled. If you accept the premise of the gender swap, many things here actually seem quite interesting.
There's just one thing: Zhang Fan saw a lot of men cuddling together, holding hands and smiling sweetly as they strolled down the street. It was really an eyesore!
If he hadn't accepted the premise of the gender swap, he would have thought he had entered a gay man's world.
"Pah! That's an eyesore!"
"You damn glass! Come out here and embarrass yourself!"
"Oh dear! In broad daylight, two women holding hands with their fingers intertwined is truly indecent!"
A commotion broke out at the intersection ahead.
Zhang Fan craned his neck and saw a group of effeminate men pointing and whispering around two delicate women who looked like Bingbing and Yang Mi.
"So what if we held hands? Who says women can't hold hands?"
Bingbing and Mimi held hands, their faces flushed amidst the accusations of a group of men, yet they relied on each other and refused to yield to those around them.
"Shameless!"
"It's so ugly for a woman to be this thin!"
"Yes, that tiny waist looks like it's been through a lot."
"And those long, thin, white legs... I've never seen anything so ugly!"
This has escalated to the point of personal attack.
Bingbing and Mimi had tears welling up in their eyes, but they gritted their teeth to keep them from falling.
Public opinion can be overwhelming, and the two of them couldn't win an argument with the men around them no matter what they did, so they simply stood there with their fingers intertwined, letting people talk and curse as they pleased.
"Let's go." Qiu Wanlan looked at the scene before her, her eyes filled with melancholy, and sighed softly.
"Huh? Where is he?" Qiu Wanlan realized that Zhang Fan was no longer beside her. She looked around and saw Zhang Fan jumping and shouting as he tried to squeeze into the crowd.
"Get out of here, you sissies! Yuri is the best!"
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