Chapter 20 So, how about we play a game?
My name is Loquat, but I have never eaten a loquat.
It just so happened that one year a loquat brought by a bird took root in a corner of my yard.
I inherited this name from a tree by chance.
The loquat tree, whose origins are unknown, was able to grow peacefully in my yard until the year I can remember, not only because of my mother's kindness and my father's indifference, but also because of its own merits.
It just so happens to grow in such a secluded place, quiet and unassuming, neither competing nor fighting for anything, useless and not getting anyone's attention.
My mother said that the same principle applies to living, especially for people like us. We are not much different from the roadside weeds and the small trees by the fence.
All of us come into this world by chance, growing upwards by instinct. Even if we can't become towering trees admired by others, we can still shrink into our own little corners and live, grow old, get sick, and die on our own.
If one is unlucky enough to be caught in a fire, or if one is trampled or broken by human actions, that is fate.
What you can't avoid, you just have to accept.
Those who survive are alive; those who don't simply return to where they came from, like water dissipating under the sun's heat. A heavy rain falls, and it's another cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, endlessly repeating itself.
She hoped that I would be like the loquat tree in the yard, unremarkable in appearance, living a plain but peaceful life, achieving nothing, but always maintaining health and tranquility.
Unexpectedly, it was the name "Loquat" that gave me the opportunity to stand out from the group of children waiting to be chosen.
Because Young Master Lan's sister loved loquats the most during her lifetime.
What kind of girl was she? According to Li Xiao's account, she was probably a pampered young lady who was loved by everyone.
As the only daughter of the Lan family and the only younger sister of Young Master Lan, she was loved by her parents and brothers and took good care of the maids and servants in the mansion.
Needless to say, the little girl was born beautiful and lovely, intelligent and kind.
Despite her privileged background and pampering, she did not become spoiled or arrogant. Instead, she developed a well-mannered, kind, and understanding nature, making her extremely likable.
Sadly, this lovable child only lived for nine short years before an accident took his life.
Such a beautiful child could not escape the capriciousness of fate and died at the tender age of a flower bud.
"It's quite a coincidence, really. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Su's passing." Li Xiao gazed at the void ahead, sighed with deep emotion, then turned his gaze to me, who was listening intently, and suddenly gave me a cryptic smile.
"I was wondering before, out of so many people, why did I pick the most inconspicuous one? With such small arms and legs, looking like she has no strength at all, at first glance, I didn't know who would take care of whom. Until I learned your name, to be honest, it was the first time I'd ever heard of someone with that name, it just didn't sound like—"
Li Xiao paused abruptly upon reaching this point.
But I knew what he hadn't finished saying, because Li Xiao had once said that the name Pipa sounded strange and didn't sound like a person's name at all.
In fact, this is not really a personal name.
Strictly speaking, it's just a nickname.
I thought to myself silently.
"You...you're not sad because you heard about these things, are you?" Li Xiao suddenly spoke again, her voice carrying a rare, unfamiliar caution.
I looked at him and saw the hesitation on the boy's face. I could tell that, at least for this moment, he seemed to be genuinely worried about me.
I calmly shook my head, even managing a smile that wasn't particularly attractive, but was undeniably sincere, at the corners of my mouth. Then I saw the boy opposite me look genuinely relieved.
I think that although Li Xiao has a sharp tongue, is impulsive, and has a bad temper, he often acts arrogantly towards people because his family is rich.
But in essence, he can be considered a pretty good person, albeit barely.
As for his absurd demands—frankly speaking, it's simply because we are two completely different kinds of people, and he has no need to, and it's difficult for him to, empathize with me.
Just as cats and dogs cannot understand the thoughts of ants, mice will not care whether the animals in the jar are willingly eaten.
Conversely, I don't need to force the other party to understand or put themselves in their shoes—some people and some things are destined for their fate from the very beginning.
People with different principles cannot work together; this is roughly the idea behind it.
"That's right."
Li Xiao got the answer he wanted and looked cheerful. As he spoke, he reached out and patted my shoulder affectionately. He said, "You should be happy that you were fortunate enough to receive Brother Lan's favor because of your name."
—I am indeed happy.
Previously, I felt both fortunate and bewildered that I had been chosen by Young Master Lan for no apparent reason and treated well by his side.
After hearing Li Xiao's explanation, and knowing that Young Master Lan made that decision because he missed his deceased sister, I could finally feel at ease.
It was as if a stone that had been hanging over my head for a long time had suddenly fallen to the ground. I thought I would be hit, but the stone just grazed my head and rolled past, leaving me stunned and belatedly unharmed.
Perhaps it was my tact and understanding that won Li Xiao's favor.
After breakfast, he actually offered to take me to pick a place to bury the two front teeth that fell out yesterday.
I had completely forgotten about the teeth, it's amazing that Young Master Li still remembers.
I couldn't help but glance at Li Xiao a few more times. Noticing my gaze, Li Xiao immediately looked uncomfortable, as if he were being pricked by something.
He even turned around and solemnly told me not to overthink it.
"After all, you chipped your tooth, and there was a tiny bit of my fault in that. I just didn't want to live with myself. It's a reflection of my own good character, and it has nothing to do with you. Do you understand?"
I heard it, and then nodded repeatedly under Li Xiao's gaze.
He silently stepped aside, keeping a distance from the boy.
The snow that fell last night has stopped, but it has piled up in a thick layer outside the door, like a huge, white cotton quilt spread out.
The sunlight streamed down, filtering through the icicles hanging from the eaves and creating a halo of colors.
The air was cleaner and fresher than ever before, making one instinctively slow down their breathing.
"What an ignorant fellow, he's dumbfounded by a little bit of snow."
Ahead, Li Xiao had already stepped down from the eaves. Seeing that I didn't follow immediately, he turned around and looked at me from the snow. When he saw my absent-minded look, he couldn't help but complain.
I looked at Li Xiao standing in the snow-covered courtyard, and for a moment, a completely different figure appeared before my eyes.
The person was dressed entirely in black, with her beautiful black hair tied high behind her head with a red ribbon. She stood under a plum tree in full bloom after the snow, her face aloof and cold, with a wisp of hair that had fallen unintentionally while she was practicing her sword.
That woman, who seemed unapproachable to strangers, gently shook off the plum blossoms from the tip of her sword when she looked at me, and then suddenly broke into a familiar and affectionate smile.
My red lips parted slightly, and I distinctly heard that person calling out to their junior brother affectionately…
Unfortunately, that vivid scene vanished in the blink of an eye.
The courtyard was quiet, with only me looking lost and Li Xiao, who seemed to have been waiting impatiently for a long time.
I shook my head to banish the inexplicable dream from my mind, and then took three steps at a time towards Li Xiao.
As a result, just as I stepped down the short ladder, my foot suddenly slipped and half of my body sank into the snow.
I was stunned. I had thought the snow was quite thick, but I didn't expect it to be this thick. It went up to my calves in an instant.
But... when I looked at Li Xiao before, there was clearly no such situation.
When I looked up again, I saw that the other person was holding their stomach and laughing so hard they were practically rolling on the floor. They seemed to think that my situation was such a rare and hilarious joke that they were laughing uncontrollably.
I ignored Li Xiao's gloating; after all, this young master had made fun of my predicament before.
I used to feel a little embarrassed sometimes, but now I feel nothing at all, and even feel a sense of relief.
I'm glad that I can be the butt of jokes, because at least it means that I have value to the person being amused in this respect.
As long as the means of amusement aren't too excessive and are within my tolerance level, it's fine.
As I thought to myself, I kept trying to climb out of the snow.
Unfortunately, after pulling out the left foot, they started pulling out the right foot; it just never ended.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiao smiled even more broadly and walked over. Despite the equally thick snow, he walked steadily on it, showing no sign of sinking in.
When Li Xiao saw me struggling in the snowdrift, only to sink deeper and deeper, his smile stretched almost to the back of his ears.
"Hey, you look really troubled."
Li Xiao bent down, half-squatting, and looked at me as I once again plopped down in the snow because of my unsteady center of gravity. His eyes curved into two thin crescent moons as he smiled: "How about I, this young master, take pity on you and lend you a hand today?"
I looked at Li Xiao with suspicion. His unrestrained laughter just now and his overly enthusiastic behavior now made me doubt the authenticity of his offer of help.
Then I remembered that even the idea of burying the lost tooth was first proposed by Li Xiao.
I don't even remember myself, so why would Li Xiao care so much, unless he's deliberately looking for an opportunity to embarrass me?
"Oh dear, is this a sign that they doubt my good intentions? How hurtful."
As Li Xiao spoke, he pretended to wipe away non-existent tears in mid-air, then pretended to bury his head in thought for a moment before revealing his true intentions.
"How about we play a game?" the boy suggested with great interest.
I blinked, indicating my doubt.
"Don't worry, considering your situation, our game isn't complicated; it only requires a little cooperation from you."
The more casually Li Xiao spoke of it, the stronger that bad premonition became.
really--
"The game we're going to play is called 'A Day in the Life of a Pretender Dog and its Owner.' You'll play the dog, and I'll play the loving owner of the well-behaved puppy. The next part of the story is that the owner rescues the pet who accidentally buried itself in the snow while playing in it."
"..."
"That way, you won't have to worry about me having any bad intentions. After all, a good owner wouldn't just stand by and watch their obedient puppy get into a bad situation."
It's clear that Li Xiao is really looking forward to this game.
but--
“Young Master Li, Pipa… I thought I had already made it clear to you before that I am a human, not a dog.”
I struggled to overcome the inconvenience caused by the air leaking from my front teeth, speaking slowly and laboriously, trying my best to convey every word clearly.
Hearing my answer, Li Xiao seemed a little surprised, and he raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
“I know you’re human,” he said. “Last time, I made a bet with your Young Master Lan.”
"...A bet?" I opened my mouth in confusion, then subconsciously closed it again, and then I heard Li Xiao casually recount what had happened.
After Li Xiao learned my name, he guessed why Lan Yunzhi would choose me.
In Li Xiao's original plan, he wanted to select someone from his own family, or even someone close to him, to take on this responsibility. Not only would they know him well, but they could also protect Lan Yunzhi's safety.
However, the other party flatly refused.
But that didn't matter much. In Li Xiao's opinion, choosing a servant was just a matter of choosing anyone. As long as they weren't missing any limbs, were smart enough, and weren't particularly ugly, it would be fine.
As for his character and background, he will have someone investigate him beforehand, so you can rest assured about that.
Therefore, it would be fine for Lan Yunzhi to make a blind choice with his eyes closed; in fact, the more random his choice, the better.
But Lan Yunzhi chose me out of the blue, and my name, while not particularly special, just happened to remind Li Xiao of the former's sister who had passed away many years ago.
What Li Xiao could think of, Lan Yunzhi, the loving older brother who doted on his younger sister, would only think of much more.
He knew his friend's personality; he was always indifferent to outsiders, which he described as humble and polite, but was actually quite cold. However, Lan Yunzhi always valued those close to him, especially his family, very much.
It is said that when the youngest sister of the Lan family had her accident, Lan Yunzhi fell seriously ill and almost died. It was only because Madam Lan cried and begged her son that he could not abandon his elderly mother, and even threatened to kill herself, that she was barely pulled back from the brink of death.
However, the young master Lan, who had regained his composure, seemed to be different from before.
He used to be indifferent to outsiders, but after recovering from his illness, he became much more distant from his family members, including his close friend of many years.
Although he still maintained a smile on his face, his words were as kind and caring as before.
But it gives people the feeling that there is a layer in between.
Until one day, Li Xiao happened to see Lan Yunzhi buying rouge on the street. At that moment, the smile on the young man's face was so genuine and gentle. Li Xiao even thought that Lan Yunzhi had secretly fallen for a girl behind his family's back.
It turned out that the owner of the rouge shop later told them that the young man had come to choose rouge for his sister.
Madam Lan had given birth to a son and a daughter. Li Xiao knew that with his friend's personality, it was impossible for him to use a dead person as a shield to make up lies and fool people, especially since that person was his little sister whom he had once cherished.
The owner of the rouge shop dared not lie, Lan Yunzhi would not lie, and besides, that day was the winter solstice of that year.
Li Xiao immediately understood. Calculating the time, if Lan's younger sister were still alive, she would be at the age where she loves to wear lipstick and rouge and loves to dress up.
The influence of her deceased younger sister on Lan Yunzhi is immeasurable.
Therefore, whether out of affection for Lan Yunzhi or out of consideration for the care that Madam Lan had given him over the years, Li Xiao would not stand idly by and watch someone take advantage of the situation to try and steal something that did not belong to him from his close friend.
—He would never allow that.
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