Chapter 106 The Path of the Zhang Family's Direct Offspring...
"Let's go, I'll ask Brother Zhang for a kite first." Hu Hong looked around the crowd for a while, then spotted a dark-skinned young man and walked over.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Brother Zhang handed over a lifelike crane kite. The design was done in ink wash style, with a touch of red on the top that was just the finishing touch, making it quite beautiful.
Brother Zhang then took out his own kite, a large kite painted with orchids, elegant and graceful, a truly impressive work of fine brushwork.
Qi Chengming was amazed by what he saw, and felt the book box was getting even hotter.
"Brother Qi, come here." Hu Hong beckoned to him and introduced the two men to each other: "This is Brother Zhang Ji, and this is Brother Qi Zhong. Come to think of it, your names match up."
Even though Hu Hong is usually not very talkative, he started joking around in front of his friends.
Zhang Ji looked at Qi Chengming with surprise, and Qi Chengming returned the greeting subtly before looking back at him: "...Yes, our names are based on our birth order. Since Brother Zhang is older than all of us, I will address him as Brother Zhang."
The eldest, second, third, and youngest sons.
Qi Chengming used the alias Qi Zhong, implying that he was the second child in his family, and that Zhang Jimao was the youngest child of his generation.
Some people in the common folk, though talented, don't know how to name their children, so they name them according to the order of birth (e.g., elder, younger, etc.), which is considered both pleasant-sounding and elegant.
As people tend to gather in groups, Zhang Ji, with his dark skin, seemed rather awkward in conversation with strangers. He said stiffly, "Then I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Qi. I'm the fourth child in my family, but my eldest and third brothers don't call me Uncle Zhang and Uncle Zhang."
Qi Chengming restrained himself; it wouldn't be polite to show a smile at a time like this.
If a child's name is a single character, then the way uncles, nephews, and cousins address each other will be completely confused.
"What are their names?" a curious voice chimed in, asking the question Qi Chengming had been wanting to ask. Hu Hong then greeted them, "Brother Huang Shi, Brother Huang Lan."
The two young men who arrived were one tall and one short, with no resemblance in appearance. They were wearing long gowns from Liuzhou Academy and each carried an easel and paints. They were classmates and greeted the stranger Qi Chengming familiarly, then waited curiously for his answer.
“My eldest brother’s name has been updated with a character, becoming Bo Ming. My third brother’s name has also been updated with a character, becoming Shu Ye,” Zhang Ji honestly answered his doubts.
"What a great name!" "What a wonderful name!" The group exclaimed in admiration, and Qi Chengming joined in the praise.
Zhang Boming and Zhang Shuye are both auspicious and meaningful names. The two characters also have a poetic and picturesque beauty. It seems that there are famous historical figures with such names, which are very familiar.
But... compared to that, the name Zhang Ji is rather unremarkable.
Qi Chengming was somewhat puzzled. Since the Zhang family had decided to give their children nice names, it was fine to include their birth order in the names. They had already given the eldest child such a name, but he didn't know the second child's name. However, why did they just give the fourth child the name "Ji" and call it a day?
The group looked at each other, none of them daring to ask any further questions.
It sounds like Brother Zhang isn't very favored at home.
"Come on, let's go! There are many students from other places here today... Many of them have even brought their sisters. Let's get to know each other!" Two cheerful young men surnamed Huang, one tall and one short, greeted them like this.
Whether it was Qi Chengming, Hu Hong, or Zhang Ji, they all quickly waved their hands or politely declined, indicating that they wouldn't get involved. Hu Hong was still thinking about flying kites, and his face turned slightly red: "You guys go first, we'll... go over later."
After the two left, Hu Hong introduced them: "They are both local students, both surnamed Huang. It is said that their ancestors were one family many years ago. They both like to paint, and coincidentally, one likes to paint craggy rocks, and the other likes to paint misty clouds. As we called them, we started calling them Brother Huang Shi and Brother Huang Lan, which also makes it easier to distinguish them. The teacher who teaches 'painting' especially likes them."
"I heard they arrived here in the middle of the night yesterday! They even rushed to paint a sunrise this morning."
Qi Chengming listened with great interest: "Then I'll go take a look at their paintings later."
Although he didn't look older than most of the people present, listening to these naive stories made Qi Chengming feel as if he were a few years younger and more innocent.
"I'll go put down the luggage first. Brother Qi, Brother Hu, leave it to me." Zhang Ji stretched out his hand. They couldn't exactly fly kites while carrying their bags and backpacks.
Qi Chengming readily handed it over, taking out his own swallow kite. Before he could even cover it up and prepare himself mentally, Hu Hong approached, watching Zhang Ji's departing figure, and whispered worriedly to him, fearing that Qi Chengming, his new friend, might have a bad impression:
"...Brother Qi, please forgive me. Brother Zhang is an outsider who has only recently arrived at Liuzhou College. He used to study at home and is also an illegitimate son, so he is not very familiar with social customs."
...He's really not good at interpersonal relationships; you could say he's overly dull.
During the time Qi Chengming was traveling under an alias, everyone politely addressed him as Brother Qi, regardless of his apparent age. However, Zhang Ji bluntly called him "Brother Qi" from the start, and his awkward greeting didn't sound like he was saying it himself. It seemed like someone around him had said it, and he was just imitating it roughly, which was quite clumsy.
The person he's imitating must be a peer of slightly higher status, someone who considers themselves more central in their social standing. Otherwise, this subconscious way of speaking sounds rather disrespectful. Could it be one of Zhang Ji's direct brothers?
Given this situation, how could Qi Chengming possibly be angry with Zhang Ji?
"A son born out of wedlock?" But he was very curious about this, so he whispered even lower his voice next to Hu Hong and asked.
Having traveled through time, aside from Qi Chengming's knowledge of the concepts of legitimate and illegitimate children within the palace, he had no other experience with such matters. Liuzhou was mostly populated by impoverished people, with few wives or concubines, and officials without sufficient rank couldn't afford to buy them. Now, Qi Chengming had unexpectedly encountered one, igniting a strong thirst for knowledge within him.
Before he time-traveled, he and his sister watched so many melodramatic ancient dramas and novels, with all sorts of stories about legitimate heirs and slavery. Later, his sister righteously insisted that ancient times weren't like that at all, and that it was just a form of artistic expression that modern young people like to watch...
So, what exactly was the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in ancient times?
“Their family has strict rules; they’re the kind of family that has wives and concubines. Some of their elders are officials in the imperial court. You should be able to tell that Zhang Boming and Zhang Shuye are both legitimate sons, while the second son, Zhang Zhong, and the youngest, Zhang Xiong, are both illegitimate sons…” Hu Hong lowered his voice, unwilling to say any more.
This perfectly explains why Zhang Ji, a taciturn student from out of town who wasn't very socially adept, was actually quite popular. Hu Hong was subtly giving him a hint.
Qi Chengming quickly understood.
Most students, like Hu Hong, came from ordinary families. Their families didn't even have the concept of concubines or mistresses, and they had no uncles or elders in the clan who held official positions to rely on. Who would care that Zhang Ji was an unfavored illegitimate son in their family? Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; they were too busy envying and relying on him.
Too conspicuous to speak directly, Hu Hong lowered his head and began to struggle with the reel of his kite. His movements were clumsy, as if he had never played with one before. He asked curiously, "Brother Qi, I heard you say that you also have an elder brother. If I have asked inappropriately, I apologize in advance. Could it be...?"
Compared to ordinary people's families and official families, merchant families are more likely to take concubines, so it's no wonder that Hu Hong made such a connection.
Even though he wasn't good with words, he wasn't as lacking in common sense as Zhang Ji. Having known the Qi Zhong brothers for so long, and with the conversation flowing freely, he dared to cautiously ask such a question.
Qi Chengming also clumsily pulled on his kite string. Although he didn't understand how to adjust it, his mind raced as he tried to tell the truth: "Neither my elder brother nor I are legitimate sons. My biological mother has passed away, and I only have my current mother."
When Qi Chengming lied last time, he said that his elder brother was working outside with their father, while he, the second son, stayed in Liuzhou.
Hu Hong tried to sort out his thoughts and suddenly realized.
That must be this merchant lord... His legal wife had no children, so he took a concubine who bore him two sons? It's uncertain whether they were raised under his wife's name, but the eldest son will obviously inherit the family business with the treatment of a legitimate son, and Brother Qi, as the younger son, is also quite favored.
Brother Qi's biological mother has passed away. The way he was intimate with the old woman last time didn't make anyone realize that he wasn't her biological son. So, Brother Qi was probably raised under the name of his legal wife.
Hu Hong still prefers that both children be raised under the name of Old Mrs. Qi.
In any case, Hu Hong understood. If both children in a family are illegitimate sons, then their treatment is the same as that of legitimate sons. No wonder Brother Qi had no knowledge of this and was so curious to ask him.
Before attending the academy, Hu Hong was completely ignorant about the relationship between legitimate and illegitimate children in wealthy families, and he was curious about it.
He explained to Brother Qi, "I've heard that apart from the fact that legitimate sons can inherit the family business and receive special training, as well as the benefits brought to them by their mothers, there isn't much difference between legitimate and illegitimate sons. Families also raise illegitimate sons, and even if an illegitimate son's achievements surpass those of a legitimate son... that's because of the family's support, the stronger the better."
"But Brother Zhang..." The topic has circled back again, leaving Qi Chengming puzzled.
Has Zhang Ji been driven insane by being locked up?
"What?" Zhang Ji happened to return and overheard. He was also bewildered by Qi Chengming's repeated apologies, and even insisted on knowing what they had said that had offended him. After hearing it, he explained normally, completely unaware that others had done anything wrong by talking about him behind his back.
"Is it because my family is different from other families?"
Zhang Ji paused, a troubled look on his dark face: "My eldest brother is the legitimate son, and he doesn't like my appearance. He has never allowed me to take him with him when he goes out to do things since I was a child. This time, Father said he wanted to send a brother to Liuzhou to study. Originally, it was supposed to be my third brother, who is also the legitimate son, but he fell ill many times on the way. My second brother also had a hard time coming here. I heard that the climate in Liuzhou is even hotter, so Father had no choice but to send me here."
"...Does your family have to come all the way from here to study in Liuzhou?" Hu Hong asked this question, which was difficult to explain, with great ease, clearly not the first time. He casually turned to Qi Chengming and explained, "Brother Zhang is from Sichuan."
Zhang Ji stopped talking, shook his head, and looked blank.
Qi Chengming took a closer look at Zhang Ji. Aside from his slightly dark complexion, his features were surprisingly good, much more handsome and refined than the other students. Perhaps... perhaps it was this skin color that was the culprit?
Before his transmigration, Qi Chengming had seen Sichuan people with fairer skin. Well, it's undeniable that this skin tone might be due to sun exposure in the south.
In short, Qi Chengming had a general idea of what was going on; the Zhang family was probably after him, Prince Rui. Compared to other ancient families, the Zhang family sounded more like the legitimate families Qi Chengming remembered.
"Hey, are you guys still flying kites?" A girl's clear, cheerful voice rang out.
Hu Hong froze instantly, and Zhang Ji wasn't much better off. Qi Chengming turned to look at the lakeside, where several smiling young girls stood. Some of them had already started flying kites, holding the strings in their hands. Others were preparing to fly them. The girls all watched with smiling eyes as the three of them struggled with the strings for quite some time. It was unclear how long they had been observing from afar. Two of them covered their mouths and whispered to each other, glancing over at each other.
These girls behaved and acted quite differently from ordinary people you usually see in the city.
Zhang Ji's lips trembled, unable to speak, but he could only subtly nudge Qi Chengming, who was standing further forward, in the waist.
Qi Chengming: "..."
We're not that close yet!
He replied curtly, "We're all beginners, we don't know how this kite string flies—hiss!"
This is when Hu Hong, in his anxiety, nudged his kidney with his elbow from the other side.
Qi Chengming raised his eyebrows and gave him a questioning yet annoyed look: "?"
Hu Hong returned a look of disappointment and anxious panic: 'How could you say you're no good in front of a girl!'
Young people all care about their image, but Qi Chengming is an exception.
He held back from rolling his eyes—you can say it, you say it!
Hu Hong, his face slightly flushed, quickly pleaded in a low voice, "Brother Qi, please, please! I'll treat you to a meal as soon as I receive my scholarship."
...His scooter has been sold again this month!
Zhang Jiyi followed suit and promised, "I'll also treat Brother Qi to a meal!"
"Anyway, would you all like to fly kites with us?" The two meals he had tricked into giving him were an unexpected treat, so Qi Chengming was able to easily skip over the half-finished sentence he had just spoken and continue to extend his invitation.
The girls didn't share the consensus that they could only play with girls their own age. They exchanged teasing glances and then turned around and cheerfully replied, "Come on, let's play together!"
Hu Hong and Zhang Ji couldn't hold back any longer and let out a low cheer before suppressing their excitement and patting Qi Chengming on the shoulder as they walked over.
"Wait, I can walk by myself!" Qi Chengming couldn't help but smile as he looked at their impatient and awkward manner. If he let these two restless teenagers carry him over, Qi Chengming was afraid he would be thrown off his feet.
Tsk tsk tsk, young people these days...
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Author's Note: Qi Chengming: The beauty and warmth of youth makes my lividity fade...
(First update, a long chapter of 4,000 words!)
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