Chapter 8: Old name, new name, warmth hidden in the heart
The morning light from the lotus pond had just filtered across the stone steps. Fang Yan squatted beneath a willow tree, picking lotus pods, his fingertips slightly cool from the dew. He wore a moon-white gown, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing his sturdy wrists. He was placing the largest lotus pod—Fang Ci's favorite, saying it was so plump it felt like sunlight—into a bamboo basket.
"Brother! Slow down! Don't break the lotus stem!" Fang Ci's voice came from behind, accompanied by a crisp smile. She wore a light yellow short coat and muddy water-green trousers. She ran over with half a nibbled lotus pod in her hand, the tassels on her braid brushing her cheek. "I just counted them. This basket is enough for us to eat for three days!"
Fang Yan turned around and saw the green lotus juice on his sister's nose. He couldn't help but smile and reached out to wipe it off for her: "Little greedy cat, you're thinking about lotus seeds right after breakfast." He handed her the bamboo basket and leaned against the willow tree, his eyes fixed on the bamboo forest in the distance, where he had hidden traces of his secret sword practice. "Ci'er, there's something I want to tell you."
Fang Ci held the basket and looked up at him with sparkling eyes: "What's the matter? Are you going to teach me how to climb trees and dig out bird nests again? Mom said that girls should be polite..." She deliberately dragged out her tone, but the corners of her mouth could not hide the mischief.
Fang Yan ruffled her hair, his expression suddenly becoming serious: "It's not about climbing a tree." He paused, as if mustering up his courage, and spoke in a low but clear voice, "My real name isn't Fang Yan, it's Xiao Jian. This is the real name my parents gave me. I used Fang Yan for the sake of stability. From now on... you can call me Xiao Jian, okay?"
"Xiao Jian?" Fang Ci was stunned, her grip on the bamboo basket tightening. The name pierced her heart like a familiar warmth, making her nose tingle. She recalled countless times in her past life when she had called out "Xiao Jian" in the martial arts world, and remembered his back protecting her in the wind and rain. Her eyes instantly reddened, "Brother, is this... your real name?"
"Yes." Fang Yan (now Xiao Jian) looked at her red eyes, his heart aching. He reached out and straightened her hair that was messed up by the wind. "I used to use a pseudonym because I always wanted to live a stable life. But I always feel that the name Xiao Jian is really who I am." He looked into his sister's eyes, his tone becoming gentler. "And you, Ci'er. When you were a child, you always chased the swallows under the eaves, stumbling and running. Your parents and I privately called you 'Little Swallow'. Do you remember?"
"Little Swallow..." These three words seemed to have a magical power, making Fang Ci's heart skip a beat. The laughter in Shufangzhai in her previous life, the emperor's helpless doting, and Ziwei pulling her and calling her "Sister Little Swallow" suddenly came to her mind clearly. She sniffed and said in a choked voice, "I remember... I remember!" She threw herself into Xiao Jian's arms and buried her face in his long gown, "Brother, I like this name! I want to be called Little Swallow!"
Xiao Jian's body stiffened, then he gently put his arms around her, patting her back as if to soothe a wronged little animal: "Silly girl, why are you crying?" He looked down at his trembling sister in his arms, his voice as soft as the spring water in a lotus pond, "From now on, I'll be called Xiao Jian, and you'll be called Xiaoyanzi. Let's not call each other Fang Yan and Fang Ci anymore, okay?"
"Okay!" Xiaoyanzi raised her head, tears still hanging on her eyelashes, but the corners of her mouth were raised high, "Xiao Jian!" She tried to call out this name, and there was joy in the crisp voice, like a wind chime after the rain.
Xiao Jian smiled, wiped away her tears, and touched her warm cheek with his fingertips: "Little Swallow." He called her nickname softly, and looked at her eyes that lit up instantly. He felt that there was no more beautiful name in the world.
"That's right!" Xiaoyanzi suddenly remembered something, took Xiao Jian's hand and ran to the edge of the lotus pond, pointing at the reflection in the water, "Look, look! When you were Fang Yan, you always wore a long gown, like an old pedant; now you are Xiao Jian, and you look so energetic in your tight clothes (he had just changed into tight clothes after practicing sword)," the young man in the water had an upright posture, and there was a bit of chivalrous spirit between his eyebrows and eyes. He was indeed different from the gentle appearance when he was "Fang Yan".
Xiao Jian followed her finger to look at the reflection, and suddenly held her hand tightly: "Brother will teach you martial arts in the future. When you have practiced well, we will protect our parents together, and no one will be able to bully us."
"Really?!" Xiaoyanzi's eyes widened, and she grabbed his hand and shook it, "Just like in the storybooks, flying over the eaves and walls?" In her previous life, her martial arts skills were poor, and she was always bound by the rules of the palace. In this life, she was able to learn martial arts to protect her family, and her heart was already exploding with excitement.
"Really." Xiao Jian scratched her nose, "But you have to do horse stance first. You can't be lazy like you did when learning the piano."
"I'm not lazy!" Xiaoyanzi puffed out her chest and clenched her fists tightly. "I want to learn the most powerful martial arts to protect you and my parents in the future!" As she spoke, she raised the lotus pod and imitated sword practice. She slipped and almost fell into the water. Xiao Jian was quick to catch her. They both laughed, and the laughter scared away the dragonfly on the lotus leaf.
As the morning light flooded the lotus pond, Xiao Jian carried a bamboo basket, and Xiao Yanzi held his hand as they walked toward the main hall. As they walked along the bluestone path, she kept muttering, "Brother, do you think Mom and Dad will like our new name?"
"Of course." Xiao Jian said firmly, "Dad and Mom love you the most. They like everything you like."
Just as she reached the main hall door, Fang's mother came out carrying candy cakes. She smiled and waved, "Yan'er, Ci'er, come in and have some candy cakes..." Before she could finish her words, her daughter rushed over, her face flushed, and shouted, "Mom! My brother said his real name is Xiao Jian, so call him Xiao Jian from now on! Also, when I was a child, I was called Xiao Yanzi. Can you all call me Xiao Yanzi from now on?"
Mother Fang was stunned for a moment, then she smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Silly child, what's the difference between real name and fake name? Just whatever you like." She looked at her son, her eyes full of tenderness. "Jian'er, if you want to call me by my real name, just call me by it. I will listen to you."
Father Fang walked out of the inner room, a scroll in his hand. He looked at his noisy children and laughed out loud, "Little Swallow? That's a great name, lively and auspicious. From now on, our family will have Xiao Jian and Little Swallow!"
Little Swallow threw herself into her parents' arms, her heart warmed as she looked at Xiao Jian, who smiled beside her. As the sunlight streamed through the window lattice onto them, she suddenly felt that no matter whether her name was Fang Ci or Little Swallow, no matter whether her brother was Fang Yan or Xiao Jian, as long as her family was around, it was the best life. She would hold on to the peace of this life tightly in her hands and never let go.
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