Chapter 1
Siam in March was extremely hot even at night, but in Prince Saya's palace, people were dressed in elegant clothes and drinking. No one was afraid of the dull and sticky weather. They wore gorgeous clothes, held champagne and chatted happily.
Although there were ceiling fans in the banquet hall, they were of little use in the steaming heat of the room. Women could still gracefully wave their small fans, creating a gentle breeze that didn't quite relieve the heat, but it was better than nothing. The men, on the other hand, could only endure it.
Han Yunkai felt like he was sweating profusely in his formal suit. Not to mention the vest, wearing a tie in this weather was more uncomfortable than hanging his neck. He was incredibly thankful he'd used hair wax and pomade to style his hair back today, otherwise his bangs would have definitely turned into a door curtain in the harsh weather.
He really misses the time when he was shirtless and wearing a longji at Xiangyun's house. At least a pair of wide-leg pants will do!
He finally couldn't help but loosen his tie a little. When his cousin Se Manli saw this, she quickly left the other girls chatting with her and came over to help him tie it straight, complaining, "Your eldest cousin is hosting a party and not only are you not helping to greet the guests, but you're also so disheveled. Be careful she sees you and scolds you."
Han Yunkai was already feeling irritable due to the heat, and hearing her nagging only made him even more irritable. He said unhappily, "Aren't you the one running around?"
Se Manli had just fastened his tie when she rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are her biological brother, okay!" Although her tone was dissatisfied, the hand that was holding the tie rested on his chest.
Han Yunkai wanted to shove her away, but doing so in public would seem like flirting. His uncle had long wanted to form an alliance with his family, and he didn't want to give him the upper hand.
Prince Saya's second daughter-in-law, the eldest daughter Han Huanyan who married into the family of Prime Minister Yun, had just finished greeting a group of guests. When she saw her younger brother and cousin talking in front of the window, she prepared to go over and chat with them.
Han Yunkai felt like he had seen a savior when he saw his elder sister. He took the opportunity to shake off the two evil hands of his cousin on his chest and shouted, "Elder sister." while walking quickly towards Han Huanyan.
Seeing his brother sweating profusely, Han Huanyan pulled out a handkerchief from his belt and wiped it for him, scolding him, "Why is it so hot?"
He tugged at the silk shawl that her sister had draped over her shoulders and said sourly, "If I could wear a tube top and a skirt, I wouldn't feel hot either."
Afraid that he would pull the shawl askew, Han Huanyan slapped his mischievous hand away, glanced at him and said, "Then put it on! Do you want me to ask Lin to take you upstairs to change? You'll look good in a green tube top on white." After saying that, she imagined the scene and covered her mouth with her hands, laughing so hard that she fell back and forth.
Han Yunkai rolled his eyes at his sister. "Tsk." Suddenly, he thought of Se Manli's outfit today and said with a playful smile, "If I were in women's clothes, I'd definitely look better than Se Manli. Look at what she's wearing today. The tube skirt is fine, but the top has these ridiculously large puff sleeves. The sleeves are so big they cover me completely. Look at her. She's got a big back and strong shoulders, like a man. Standing next to her, I look so slender and delicate."
Han Huanyan almost couldn't help laughing when she heard his analogy, but she knew her brother was a pushover. If she gave him a sense of approval, he would be even more enthusiastic. So she suppressed her laughter and said seriously, "What do you, a man, know? This has been popular for the past two years. All the nobles in Qingdong dress like this."
"Popular?" Han Yunkai sneered: "Should it be a tribute to their Commonwealth masters?"
"The clouds are clearing!" Han Huanyan's expression darkened as she whispered to stop him from saying anything more unpleasant. She looked up, saw no one had heard, and quickly pulled him into a corner, lecturing him, "No matter how much you despise them, you must remember that they are Madam's family, and Chief Qingdong is our uncle."
Han Yunkai knew he had gone too far, but he felt he was right. Seeing his sister unhappy, he turned his head away unhappily too.
Looking at his brother's stubborn profile, Han Huanyan sighed that his mother was too pampering to his younger brother. When he was a child, he was outspoken and could say that children speak without restraint. Now he has been to England and seen the world, but he still has such a childish temper. How can he help his elder brother manage Yun Xiang in the future?
Knowing that he was a pushover, she didn't want to lecture him harshly. She took Han Yunkai's hand, patted it, and said earnestly, "Things in this world aren't black and white. A weak nation can only be exploited by others. As a man, you should understand this better than I do. Although my father is a well-known figure in the Nine Meng Thirteen Circles, who outside that area still knows him? If it weren't for my uncle, I wouldn't have been able to marry into the prince's mansion, and you wouldn't have been able to study in the UK. Having different standpoints doesn't necessarily mean we have to be on opposite sides. We should know how to be grateful! Your uncle was so good to you when you were a child. He always gave you food and toys. Your first bicycle was bought for you by your uncle. What you said today will hurt my wife's heart."
Han Yunkai recalled his mother's longing for her hometown and his uncle's love for him and care for his eldest sister over the years. His expression finally softened. "I understand. I won't be so outspoken in the future."
After Mao was smoothed, it was time to whip him. Han Huanyan remembered the letter she had received from home last night and complained again, "You are getting wilder and wilder. I can't find you these past few days. Did you not go back to the mansion and go out with Su Shiyue and the others?"
Han Yunkai innocently denied it, "No, I didn't run around and stayed at home!"
Han Huanyan sneered, "Then why did the messenger say he waited for you at the gate of the mansion for several days but couldn't find you, so he had no choice but to send the letter to me."
Han Yunkai was neither embarrassed nor ashamed after being exposed. He asked naturally, "Oh, what did the letter say?"
Han Huanyan knew that his brother was always thick-skinned, but she didn't expect him to be so shameless. She said angrily, "That's a letter for you. How would I know what it says?"
"Don't come on, my wife and father only wrote to me. Have you ever seen anyone herd only one pig?"
Han Huanyan was amused by his analogy. "You weren't mentioned in the letter to me, but I could have guessed it. During the Water Splashing Festival, the leaders of all factions would come to pay tribute. You're the young master of the mansion, so it would be a shame not to go back. Besides, you're already eighteen, so it's time to discuss marriage."
When he heard his sister mention his marriage again, he curled his lips in disapproval.
Looking at her brother's handsome face that resembled their mother's, she smiled and pinched it, saying, "My brother is so good-looking, but I don't know which girl will marry him?"
Han Yunkai pouted towards Se Manli: "No one can get a bargain, but she can."
"That's not necessarily true. A closer relationship is the common dream of my uncle and his wife. Besides, Semanli is so good. She is dignified, virtuous, capable, and beautiful."
Han Yunkai sneered: "Sister, I'm afraid you have some misunderstanding about being dignified and virtuous. A little girl is not learning her lesson and staring at men all day long. How can you call this dignified and virtuous?"
"Don't talk nonsense, who is she staring at?"
Han Yunkai said confidently, "It's me! She was talking to someone with her back to me just now, and she saw me as soon as I pulled my tie. If she wasn't staring at me specifically, then maybe she has eyes on the back of her head."
How shameless! Han Huanyan was furious: "Go away, go away, go away! My lungs hurt just talking to you."
Han Yunkai refused to leave. Instead, he put his arm around his sister's shoulders and started to act coquettishly: "Sister, please ask my father to let me stay a little longer! The goods I ordered haven't arrived yet. I promise to go back during the Havasa (Closing Festival) and even go to the temple to bring food to my wife."
Han Huanyan shook off his hand, looked at him with a half-smile and said, "What kind of goods are so delicate that it takes four months to make? Besides, the wife won't care about you bringing her food. If you go back now, maybe your second daughter-in-law will bring it to her."
Seeing that his elder sister was not willing to persuade him, Han Yunkai was ready to slip away angrily: "Forget it if you don't want to help me. I'll go back to the mansion to pack my luggage first." After saying that, he wanted to slip away. Once he left the door, no one would care whether he returned to Yunxiang or went to Southeast Asia.
Han Huanyan knew his brother's character very well. He grabbed him and said sternly, "Don't even think about running away. Father wrote that Lan Yingde has moved his family to Yunxiang this time. You have to go back no matter what."
"Lan Yingde?" Han Yunkai was surprised to hear the name. "The Lan Yingde who used to be a doctor at Yuncheng?"
"That's him. He controls most of our family's business now. You should be aware of this. If father becomes a Buddha in the future, you will be Li Yang's right-hand man. Don't just spend your days dealing in cigarettes, sugar, and cloth. How much are those things worth?"
Han Yunkai thought to himself that his father was still in high spirits, having just had his third brother with the Eighth Wife. It was still too early for him to become a Buddha! He didn't disagree with his sister, but agreed sullenly, "I understand. Don't worry."
Han Huanyan remembered another thing his father mentioned in the letter and quickly told his brother, "I'm telling you this so you can have a plan in mind and not be a hands-off boss. I'm not telling you to go against Lan Yingde, as he could very well become your third brother-in-law."
Han Yunkai's eyes widened in disbelief. "My third sister has been widowed for only a few months, and my father wants to marry her off again. How could he be so open-minded this time, promising her to a bachelor? I thought my father would at least find my second sister a leader from our Mengquan."
"What's so picky about a widow remarrying? Besides, Lan Yingde is a man. Before, our family's goods could only be sold to those soldiers, and they exploited us so much. Lan Yingde has connections and Lu Ziguang, and he can talk to the army in Kunming. The French and British also give him some face. He is much better than those chieftains who only know how to fight cocks and drink."
Han Yunkai thought for a moment and exclaimed, "That's not right. His wife has been dead for more than ten years, so why hasn't he remarried?"
"No, he said that he was away from home all year round and couldn't take care of the family. He was afraid that the woman he married next would be mean and his daughter would feel wronged, so he simply gave up looking for someone else." Han Huanyan thought of Lan Yingde's daughter Lan Yueming and sighed, "Oh, his daughter is afraid of growing up. When she was little, Yuyan and I used to play with her. She used to follow us around and call us sister, but now she might have to call Yuyan "Mom."
After saying that, he poked his brother with his arm and said, "You should remember that you made her cry."
Of course Han Yunkai remembered it. He was even beaten for it, so how could he not remember it?
When Lan Yueming was just two years old, Lan Yingde was preparing to take her back to Kunming and brought her to say goodbye to Tusi Han. While the adults were talking in the living room, the children were playing together. Lan Yueming was at the age of playfulness, naive and obedient. The Tusi's three daughters adored her so much that they took her to the garden to dress her up with clothes and flowers. Eight-year-old Han Yunkai had no siblings, and the sight of Lan Yueming, with her hair full of flowers, was simply adorable. In his hand, he held a green walnut, picked for him that morning by a servant. He treasured it so much that no one else was allowed to touch it. His older sister had been trying to coax her into giving it to him all morning, but she couldn't get it. Seeing his younger sister's cuteness, he generously offered it to her to play with, but the silly girl just picked it up and put it in her mouth.
After just one bite, the walnut's green skin numbed her and she burst into tears. Han Yunkai was so frightened he didn't know what to do. The adults in the house heard the noise and came out to see Lan Yueming crying loudly with her big, dark mouth wide open. They thought she was poisoned. Later, they realized it was the green walnut he had given her that had caused the trouble. Han Tusi grabbed him and gave him a good beating.
He didn't want to recall this miserable childhood with his sister, so he changed the subject and said, "Then I'll give you the invoice, and you can have someone help me store the goods in the mansion."
Han Huanyan showed little interest in his flea-meat-like goods and said to him, "Just give it to the butler, and he will help you with it when the time comes."
Han Yunkaiben wanted to say a few words to his sister, but he caught a glimpse of Se Manli walking towards him with a glass of wine in her hand. He hurriedly said goodbye to his elder sister and fled.
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