Vol 1 Chapter 16 (1/2)

Chapter 16: I present to thee, a vegetable knife

(if that ain’t one of the best chapter names, then I don’t knohat is ~SirFreezus)

There would always be a few lines in the letters betraying a feorries unbecoht have been because of the otherbrazen after the Eldest Wife’s death As the Count was usually busy with official work, she must have been alone in the Capital otten a lot of trouble froiven birth to a son

Picking up his brush, he dabbed a little ink with it thoughtfully and began his reply He wrote in a very veiledhis sister to try to spend more time with the Count Also, she should act adorably and delicate in front of their Father and not gruh,she should appear melancholic

Incidentally, she ant step-brother The good are always bullied; in order to ensure she does not get bullied, she should at least show that she will not tolerate any nonsense from them

Also, she should be nice to the servants in her house, especially the butlers who serve the Count personally Looking at the her admiration of them should do the trick

Finally, she should try to offend the mistress and be hurt Afterwards, she should attempt to find a way to let the Master know about that incident All males have a natural instinct to protect, least of all if that person happens to be his own daughter Under these circumstances, the Count would definitely rehter she left for him

However, such family politics should be practiced with restraints Fan Xian hinted subtly in his letter (the above 4 paragraphs were not written out explicitly,that if Ruo-Ruo would understand what he was getting at if she was sh His only concern hether the techniques he had learnt from period novels would be useful

He restlessly waited for a reply, afraid that the ideas that he blindly cairl

After two months, Fan Ruo-Ruo’s reply came He was uncertain if it was because the techniques were successful or that there was no mistreatment by the step-mother in the first place; it was obvious that his sister was very happy recently

In the letter, though, Fan Ruo-Ruo expressed her inability to understand why she should be nicer to the servants in the house It was only then that Fan Xian realized that, in such a hierarchical society, not everyone view social relations like he does Thus, he sent another letter with a few anecdotes to explain the idea that the act of respecting not only pleases others; it is also beneficial to oneself

Originally, Fan Xian wanted to copy a few novella of The Deca/wiki/The_Decameron ~MCM) from memory into the letter to the Capital The critics back in the previous world were full of praise for Giovanni Boccacio’s exposition on love and social and gender equality After deliberating though, Fan Xian remembered that there were plenty of explicit parts within The Decameron and dismissed the idea

This particular episode was only a small part of Fan Xian’s life Yet, he has become rather enthusiastic about it, alirl in the Capital has become a quintessential part of his happiness

Although Fan Ruo-Ruo was young, she was able to sense that her brother faraway in Danzhou was different froed between these two brothers and sisters who differ greatly in their psychological age It was obvious that Fan Ruo-Ruo began to be influenced by Fan Xian – her prose began to becoirl Her view of the world has also slightly changed

There were kites in spring, carps in sueese in winter As the letters went back and forth, so too did the days roll by

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Whenever Fan Xian wrote a letter to Fan Ruo-Ruo, he would shake his head and laugh drily His wrist was in a bad shape for the past few years; if it was not swollen, it would hurt like a son-of-a-bitch There were tiht hand, so he wrote it with his left When Fan Ruo-Ruo received the letter in the Capital, she wouldof her next letter would be different

This happened because of that night a year ago