The visitor was naturally the Second Madam from the Si Nan Earl's manor. This madam's surname was Liu, her given name Ruyu. She was taken into the Earl's household over a decade ago. Her family had a deep background, with a Duke among her ancestors within three generations. Therefore, her marriage to Si Nan Earl as a concubine caused quite a stir in the capital back then. Everyone was curious about what the Liu family was thinking, to marry their daughter to Fan Jian, even though Fan Jian had inherited the title of Si Nan Earl at the time, he was after all, just a distant relative of the large Fan clan. It wasn't until the past decade, when Si Nan Earl's favor with the Emperor grew, and his official position rose, that everyone admired the Liu family and this woman's shrewd vision.

However, strangely enough, Si Nan Earl had never formally made her his primary wife. This made no sense, both in terms of reason and from the perspective of the Liu family's status.

Fan Xian wore an adorably innocent smile, bowing deeply to the Second Madam. "Xian'er greets Auntie."

Madam Liu also wore a smile, but a strange light flashed in her eyes. She noticed that the boy carefully emphasized the word "Auntie", unlike others who would address her as Second Madam.

The difference between "Madam" and "Auntie" was like heaven and earth.

Madam Liu said with a smile, "Come in. What's the matter with sitting under the eaves in the rain all the time? If outsiders see it, they'll say our Fan residence is inhospitable."

Inhospitable? That naturally meant the person had some unforgivable fault. Fan Xian sighed inwardly, knowing that the Auntie was reminding him of his illegitimate status. He admired her beautiful way of speaking. He hadn't planned to provoke her with words, knowing that she had been managing affairs in this residence in the capital for a long time, and gaining a verbal advantage was meaningless. But then he thought, since their interests had irreconcilable conflicts, why show so much tolerance?

He thought to himself, it seemed this Auntie was different from what he had imagined. She wasn't the purely malicious and foolish woman he had pictured. So, he was a little confused as to why, four years ago, this woman had resorted to such a foolish move as poisoning to kill him.

As he followed the Second Madam into the hall, not too far from her, the unique fragrance of a noblewoman wafted into Fan Xian's nose. He sniffed a few times, thinking the perfume smelled quite nice.

Being able to think about these trivial things at a time like this, Fan Xian was somewhat pleased with his current state of mind, chatting idly with Auntie Liu with a smile.

The noblewoman and the young man truly played out a scene of maternal love and filial piety.

……

……

The tea was served, genuine Wufeng Caihua tea, excellent tea. The snacks were also served, authentic Jiangnan shortbread cookies, delicious food. But after talking about the sights along the way, inquiring after the health of the old matriarch in Danzhou, and mentioning some of the scenery of the Danzhou coast, and what was unique about the capital, they found they had nothing more to say.

So, Madam Liu and Fan Xian tacitly closed their mouths at the same time, falling into silence. Both realized that neither of them were easy to deal with, and there was no point in playing these verbal tests. Since that was the case, it was better to simply respond with silence.

Therefore, the atmosphere in the living room was somewhat awkward. The serving maids were as quiet as cicadas in winter, even lightening their footsteps when changing the tea.

Only Fan Xian and the Second Madam were not awkward, occasionally glancing at each other while holding their teacups, their gazes gentle, a gentle knife.

Madam Liu felt a slight heaviness in her heart. She found that this young man was indeed extraordinary, actually handling the situation with ease, without any nervousness or restraint. His maturity and composure seemed even more steady than that of an old scholar.

It seemed she really shouldn't have listened to that person's instigation four years ago, needlessly letting this young man take the lead in seeing her as an enemy. Now it was not easy to handle, and many methods could not be used.

Just as they were silent, Madam Liu suddenly felt that this was weakening her momentum. After all, she was nominally an elder, so she coughed lightly and said, "Your father is now serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. This time you return to the capital, are you preparing for the imperial examination next year, or going directly to work in the Ministry of Revenue?"

Fan Xian responded with a smile, "I'll listen to my father's arrangements." He paused and then said, "I just don't know when my father will return."

To be honest, there were several people he wanted to see in the capital, and this noblewoman in front of him was naturally one of them, along with Teacher Fei Jie and his sister Ruo Ruo. But the most curious one was naturally his father.

He was very curious as to how the Si Nan Earl of that year was able to catch the eye of his mother, the wealthiest woman of the Ye family. In the depths of his mind, he only recognized the deceased woman as his mother, but he didn't want to recognize the Si Nan Earl as his father. This was probably some kind of strange thought in a man's heart.

"Your father will be back in a while."

Just as she was speaking, there was a slight commotion at the gate of the inner courtyard. The maids were rushing to welcome someone, but the sound came too quickly, and the maids didn't manage to stop her. A young girl walked in.

This girl was not particularly beautiful, but her eyebrows and eyes were exceptionally clean, with a natural weakness mixed with a hint of indifference. This indifference was not the icy beauty that people generally spoke of, a contempt for the turbid things around her, but a nonchalance based on some unknown confidence, a sense of resistance to her surroundings.

Fan Xian's heart stirred slightly, thinking that this kind of cold feeling appearing on the face of a girl from a high-ranking family was really out of place.

The girl looked straight at Fan Xian's face, the indifference between her eyebrows gradually fading, eventually disappearing without a trace. Instead, a few traces of excited blush appeared on her cheeks. She opened her lips to speak, but stopped, took half a step back, and adjusted her skirt with a very slight movement. She performed a curtsy, her soft voice sounding very polite and reserved. "Greetings, Brother."

Fan Xian smiled slightly, reaching out to support her. "Ruo Ruo, there's no need for such formality."

The two's eyes met, both so clear, without a trace of impurities, only a faint smile. After years of correspondence, it seemed that the most understanding people in this world were this pair of siblings.

Just then, the voice of a rather clueless child rang out, immediately breaking the beautiful feeling of the brother and sister reuniting after ten years.

"Hey, are you Fan Xian?"

Fan Xian turned his face to look at the boy who stepped in from outside the high threshold. The boy was a little fat, with a few annoying black moles on his left face, and a look of resentment, looking at him with a slightly disgusted expression.