Vol 7 Chapter 5 (1/2)

VOLUME 7 CHAPTER 5: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS SUN QUAN’S PREDICAMENT (4)

Liu Bei POV

Because I came here on a carriage, I didn’t pay too much attention to the surrounding scenery and was preoccupied with guessing what Sun Quan would be thinking as well as the weirdoes that Feng Xian talked about. Now that I have the chance to take a good look, I found that there were patches of peach flowered in full bloom with clear river streams running by. The song of birds, the cries of insects and the sound of water running came together harmoniously and enhanced the beautiful natural scenery. From time to time, a gentle breeze would bring some scents that made one even more enthralled.

By right, I shouldn’t be letting Sun Quan wait at the door with me for the missing Feng Xian, or perhaps I ought to go and look for her. But I didn’t act on these thoughts, nor did Sun Quan leave, and I couldn’t think of a way to have her leave without it seeming like I’m driving her away out of irritation.

It was a good thing that the scenery was so enchanting that I completely forgot about all my troubles while I took it all in. After about 30-45 minutes, maybe even an hour, the awkwardness had dissipated and the issues from before didn’t seem so important anymore.

“Umm, what does Lord Sun Quan like to do in her free time?”

After a long while, I still couldn’t help it and tried to make some conversation.

“Eh?” At this sudden question which broke the silence, she was surprised but she soon understood and began to seriously think about it.

As for me, I wasn’t in a rush and quietly waited for her to respond. After a few seconds, she began to reply in an unsure voice, “P, probably… Handicraft?”

Handicraft? Why does she have to put it that way? Or does she actually mean anything that involves making stuff by hand?

“You mean, like making clothes?”

“Un, un, I also make shoes and do embroidery, stuff like that.”

Looks like my guess was on the mark.

“If that’s the case, then I would really like to see your work.”

These words might seem like words said out of courtesy’s sake but I really was interested. Sun Quan’s handmade clothing wasn’t something you could see anywhere after all.

“Ah, if that’s the case, then you can find Zhou Tai. I designed her clothing.”

Eh! Zhou Tai… That short girl who speaks very little right? Her clothing is really–

Avant-garde? It looks nothing like anything in this era at all.

(TL: Go see the character designs for Zhou Tai… It’s basically gothic lolita.)

I couldn’t help but feel that fate was playing games with me, as I never expected that Sun Quan’s hobbies would predict future fas.h.i.+on trends. It really is inexplicable.

On the other hand, I also couldn’t help comparing her and her elder sister again. They really are worlds apart in various ways. Compared to Bo Fu, Sun Quan is a lot more gentle and quiet.

“Wh… What’s so funny?!” Sun Quan suddenly flared up at me for some reason.

Only when I heard this did I realise that I was smiling, and it probably looked like I was sneering at her.

“No no no, nothing is funny!” I hurriedly retracted my smile and explained myself, “It’s a misunderstanding. I just thought of you and your elder sister and how you both are so different.”

“Ah… Un, I see.” Sun Quan seemed to be a little deflated when she heard these words. This was the second time I was mentioning Bo Fu to her, and also the second time that she became silent for some reason at the mention of her sister.

Just as I was thinking that we were going into another period of awkward silence, she suddenly added, “Father was very strict with big sister, which is why big sister has become so unapproachable.”

As she said so, Sun Quan had a pained expression on her as she held her hands in front of her chest with tears in her eyes.

Only now did I know that Bo Fu’s demeanor was caused by uncle Sun Jian. Before this, I’d never heard Bo Fu complain about uncle Sun Jian after all.

But uncle Sun Jian personally oversaw Bo Fu’s upbringing huh… When I think about it, it does make sense as Jiangdong will be handed over to Bo Fu who is the eldest in line so naturally she will have to bear a greater burden.

But it doesn’t seem very fair from my point of view.

“U, umm…”

Un?

Sun Quan was tugging on my sleeve with her eyes closed, as though she was afraid that I would berate her.

“Umm, even though big sister always has that kind of face, she’s actually a really good sister and is really kind… On the inside, umm…”

Looking at how Sun Quan was defending her elder sister the best she could, it was clear that she loves her. To the point where she is willing to take on her elder sister’s work and live a life that she clearly doesn’t want.

“I know.” As an onlooker, I clearly understood this, “I’ve known since a long time ago that Bo Fu is a very good person.”