"Are you showing off your superiority?" Xiang Youyou chuckled dismissively. "Don't think you're the only one who receives autumn spinach. I've been receiving it since birth, and by now, I've collected at least seven or eight thousand carts of it. I don't like autumn spinach, so I've thrown them all into the garbage heap. If you go to the garbage heap now, you might still find a few leaves, but you have to move fast, or they'll be snatched up by cats and dogs."
Listening to the shameless boasting of each other's superiority, Shao Meiyun narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You two really match each other. Could it be that you were a couple in your previous life?"
Li Nianlong chuckled lightly upon hearing this. "I think we were friends in our previous life. And Teacher Xiang was definitely a manly man in her previous life. Look at how straightforward she speaks and how she walks with such vigor. She's definitely a real man."
"Haha, hearing you say that, it really seems..." Shao Meiyun sized up Xiang Youyou and clicked her tongue. "You know, I never noticed before?"
This seemed to imply something, but Li Nianlong and Nalan Ruyue didn't catch it. However, Xiang Youyou did and looked a bit embarrassed. "What's wrong with being a real man? Speak your mind, laugh when you want, and throw punches when you need to. Much better than being a delicate lady."
Only Shao Meiyun understood the implication behind this answer. She smiled and squinted her eyes. "Being friends is fine, but being a wife wouldn't be."
Xiang Youyou rolled her eyes. "I'm only twenty years old, it's too early for that!"
Shao Meiyun smiled slightly and didn't say more. "You guys talk. I'll go to the kitchen to check. You'll eat here tonight, Youyou!"
Xiang Youyou didn't refuse. "Thanks, Sister Meiyun."
"Not at all, you guys talk." Shao Meiyun smiled and left.
After Shao Meiyun left, Xiang Youyou stretched lazily. "Ah, finally relaxed."
Li Nianlong smiled. "What? Can't relax with your sister here?"
"Yeah!" Xiang Youyou admitted quite straightforwardly. "Sister Meiyun is so much older than me, there's inevitably some generation gap. Out of respect, I wouldn't dare to be too casual even though I'm at her place!"
"That sounds tough for you." Li Nianlong smiled faintly and asked, "How did Teacher Xiang and my sister meet?"
"Why even ask?" Xiang Youyou crossed her legs and took on a manly posture. "The Xiang family and the Liu family have a good relationship, so our families often socialize with each other, and we got to know each other gradually."
"I see." Li Nianlong nodded understandingly and chuckled. "It seems that Teacher Xiang and my sister have a good relationship. Did she tell you about my injury?"
"Yes!" Xiang Youyou nodded. "Sister Meiyun seems to know that we've known each other for a long time. She said we're friends, and when a friend is injured, a friend must come and see. So here I am."
With a hint of helplessness, Xiang Youyou shrugged and spread her hands. "Actually, I feel like I was kidnapped here."
Li Nianlong and Nalan Ruyue both laughed.
"Teacher Liu, what about you?" Xiang Youyou looked at him. "I really didn't expect that a physical education teacher I knew in the past would become the head of the Liu family. And I never expected that you also have half of the Long family's bloodline. Your background is truly rare, even in movies."
Li Nianlong restrained his smile and said lightly, "Let's not talk about the past. From now on, I'm just a member of the Liu family, with no connection to the Long family."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Youyou seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "That's good. You're the supreme head of the Liu family, but at the Long family, you're just someone else's son, and not even the heir. If it were me, I would choose to be the head of the Liu family too."
Li Nianlong looked at her with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and Xiang Youyou felt inexplicably scrutinized. She touched her face. "Is there something on my face?"
Li Nianlong chuckled. "Teacher Xiang, are you relieved that I chose the Liu family?"
"Uh..." Xiang Youyou's heart tightened, pretending to be calm. "Why do you say that?"
"Don't be nervous." Li Nianlong smiled slightly. "I know about the conflicts between the Long and Xiang families. It's normal for the Xiang family to be concerned since I, as the head of the family, am Long Qingyun's son."
Xiang Youyou looked at him, sighed lightly, and spread her hands. "Teacher Liu is right. Your identity is too sensitive. Anyone would be concerned."
"I understand." Li Nianlong nodded.
"No one would have expected Teacher Liu to be Long Qingyun's son. When I heard this news over the phone, I was really surprised. If the head of the family finds out, it will definitely cause a sensation, and perhaps change the future direction of the Xiang family."
Xiang Youyou's words astonished Li Nianlong. "Teacher Xiang, you mean the head of the Xiang family doesn't know that I'm Long Qingyun's son?"
"Of course not." Xiang Youyou shrugged. "At the moment, only I know in the entire Xiang family."
Li Nianlong frowned. "Really, only you know?"
"Doesn't it seem unreasonable?" Xiang Youyou asked back, seeing Li Nianlong nod, she chuckled lightly. "Maybe it's because Sister Meiyun and I are close! She's willing to tell me this news. Besides, Sister Meiyun also knows that you're my friend. I value loyalty and friendship a lot, maybe Sister Meiyun trusts that I won't divulge the information."
"I see." Li Nianlong suddenly realized, looking at Xiang Youyou with a smile. "I also think Teacher Xiang is a loyal person. If you were really a man, I would definitely chop off a chicken's head and burn yellow paper, and become sworn brothers with you."
Xiang Youyou laughed heartily. "It doesn't matter. Although I'm a woman, I can still become sworn siblings with Teacher Liu!"
"Do you really think so?" Li Nianlong asked.
"Why not?" Xiang Youyou nodded earnestly, smiling at him. "Teacher Liu, do you want to acknowledge me as your sister? But you have to think it over. I'm just a collateral female of the Xiang family, and I'm not good-looking. Becoming sworn siblings with you would be me taking advantage of you."
"Hahaha, what I, Li Nianlong, fear the least is being taken advantage of!" Li Nianlong laughed heartily, getting up from the bed. At this moment, Nalan Ruyue didn't stop him, just supporting his arm with a face full of concern.
"It's okay." Li Nianlong smiled faintly, putting on his slippers and standing up. "Someone! Come in!"
"Master!" A servant walked in immediately. "What are your orders?"
"Prepare the incense altar. Today, I want to swear brotherhood with Xiang Youyou and become sworn siblings!" Li Nianlong smiled.
The servant paused for a moment, then respectfully replied and went to prepare the incense altar.
"Really?" Xiang Youyou looked at Li Nianlong's towering figure in surprise. "Are you really going to swear brotherhood with me?"
"Would I joke about something like this?" Li Nianlong smiled and looked at Xiang Youyou, saying, "I value fate a lot. Even if some people are very close to me, I don't want to look at them more than necessary. But with some people, I feel a connection with just one glance."
Xiang Youyou blushed at Li Nianlong's boldness. "Alright! I'm all in." She took Li Nianlong's hand. "Mr. Liu, let's go swear brotherhood now."
"That's the spirit." Li Nianlong laughed heartily, holding Xiang Youyou's hand in return. "Let's go, let's swear brotherhood!"
Watching the spirited pair, Nalan Ruyue always felt that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. After thinking about it for a long time, she couldn't figure it out, so she just shook her head and followed to see how the two would swear brotherhood.
Swearing brotherhood is a widely practiced tradition, which originated from the Liu family. Over eighteen hundred years ago, the founding emperor of the Shu Kingdom, Liu Bei, swore brotherhood with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in the Peach Garden, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu. After the fall of Shu Han, the Liu family firmly established itself in Tianfu.
Perhaps to uphold tradition, there was a small peach garden in the backyard of the Liu Mansion. Unfortunately, it was now late autumn, the peach blossoms had withered long ago, and even the peaches had been picked and eaten. Although the dry environment didn't quite fit the conditions for swearing brotherhood, Li Nianlong and Xiang Youyou were not ones to fuss over details. With the incense altar ready, they were ready to swear brotherhood.
"Stop! Hold your horses... Ahem, that's not it, wait a moment!" Shao Meiyun ran over from a distance, followed by Master Liu.
Seeing them, Li Nianlong smiled. "Grandfather, cousin, why are you here too?"
"Don't you 'why' me!" Shao Meiyun gasped for breath, scolding him. "Swearing brotherhood is such a big deal, and you didn't even inform us? If it weren't for the servant's report, Grandfather and I would have been kept in the dark!"
Li Nianlong scratched his head. "It's just swearing brotherhood, not a big deal..."
"What do you mean 'not a big deal'?" Shao Meiyun sternly corrected him. "Menglong, you are now the head of the Liu family. Your every word and deed affect the future of the entire Liu family. Haven't you been to primary school? Didn't the textbooks teach you a saying: Even if it's your own affair, it's still a minor matter, but if it's about the country, even a small matter is a big deal? Like the nation, the family is also important; the family cannot afford minor matters. You are the highest leader of the Liu family, even a cold or a fever affects the destiny of the family, so how can you treat it lightly?"
Li Nianlong furrowed his brows, about to retort, but then he heard Xiang Youyou say, "Mei Yun is right. Family matters are not trivial. Mr. Liu, maybe we should reconsider..."
"No!" Li Nianlong cut in decisively. "Who I want to swear brotherhood with is my own business, unrelated to the family. Mei Yun, I know you care about me, but Xiang and I get along well. If you wish me well, I appreciate it, but if you oppose..."
"Alright, alright." Shao Meiyun interrupted Li Nianlong. "Consider me scared by you. If you want to swear brotherhood, go ahead! But in the future, you must consider things more comprehensively and not make decisions impulsively."
"What Mei Yun said is right." Master Liu walked over, his gaze towards Xiang Youyou carrying a hint of curiosity as he chuckled. "But there's no big problem with swearing brotherhood with a girl from the Xiang family. It's just that the peach garden is withered at the moment. Given this scenery, aren't you afraid that after swearing brotherhood, it will be as desolate as this withered peach tree?"
Li Nianlong said calmly, "The current withering is just for the spring blossom. Xiang and I met under inconspicuous circumstances, and our relationship is not mixed with factors from the Liu and Xiang families. Even if we swear brotherhood, our relationship won't be influenced by the power of the families. When Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden, did the three of them ever abandon each other for personal gain? I am the head of the Liu family, but first and foremost, I am Li Nianlong. Xiang is a member of the Xiang family, but first and foremost, she is Xiang Youyou."