The aroma of wine instantly filled the entire pavilion. Luo Fengming's eyes stung from the wine stains, turning red and welling with tears. He wiped his face with some shame and whispered, "I wanted to say something about my second aunt..."
"What's wrong with your second aunt? What's wrong with your cousin? Did your family not give you money or backbone? If they hit you, they hit you. Apologize if you need to, pay compensation if you need to. If they want to hit or scold you, just take it. What's the point of hiding?!"
Luo Cuiwei's eyes were also red, and she threw the wine jar heavily on the ground in exasperation. "The Luo family hasn't fallen! The Luo family can handle this little mess you've caused, what are you afraid of!"
The floors of the elegant rooms in Lingyin Tower were covered with thick velvet carpets, so when a wine jar fell to the ground, it only made a dull thud.
Luo Fengming rushed over and hugged her arm, his voice choked with emotion: "Sister, please calm down, I know I was wrong..."
"Is Zhang Wenping worth you personally taking action against, only to be caught red-handed by the Prefect of Jingzhao? And in the end, you didn't even dare to clean up the mess yourself!" Large tears rolled down Luo Cuiwei's cheeks. She kicked his leg, pushing him away. "Don't call me 'sister' anymore. I don't have a good-for-nothing brother like you!"
She hadn't lost her temper like this in a long time.
At this moment, Luo Fengming understood that his elder sister was not angry that he had caused trouble and hit people, but that he had not planned ahead before causing trouble and had not had the courage to take responsibility for cleaning up the mess afterward.
Since her father Luo Huai was injured, Luo Cuiwei has carried a heavy burden on her shoulders these past few years. Apart from Xiahou Ling, Luo Fengming knows best how heavy that burden is for her.
Furthermore, the Huang family had been putting considerable pressure on the Luo family in the past two years. Although Luo Cuiwei appeared calm and composed, she was, after all, just a young girl, and one can imagine the immense pressure she was under.
As her younger brother, I not only failed to help her more during this time, but also made her angry and disappointed.
Luo Fengming raised his hand and vigorously wiped the wine stains off his face, then bent his knees to kneel down.
Luo Cuiwei immediately raised her toe and kicked his knee, scolding in a deep, gruff voice, "I haven't even angered you to death yet, what are you kneeling for?!"
Luo Fengming swayed slightly, but after regaining his balance, he began to explain the whole story: "Today I and..."
"Have someone bring a basin of water to wash your face, sit down and talk slowly," Luo Cuiwei sniffed, raising the back of her hand to wipe away the remaining tears in her eyes, "It's just hitting Zhang Wenping, can't you even use your wealth to commit violence? Explain what happened clearly, and your sister will teach you how to cause trouble without giving anyone a handle to use against you!"
A deep, slightly drunken voice suddenly rang out from the corner of the wall, near the screen: "Luo Fengming, your sister... how can she be so kind..."
Luo Cuiwei was dumbfounded. She slowly turned her head and noticed a drunken young man in a brocade robe sitting against the wall under the screen.
Who is this?!
7. Chapter Seven
"I am... Gao Zhan," the man seemed quite drunk, leaning swaying between the wall and the screen, he chuckled softly, his words somewhat slurred, "Nice to meet you."
Seeing Luo Cuiwei's bewildered expression, Luo Fengming quickly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "The young master of the Duke of He's mansion."
The Duke of He was not surnamed He, but Gao. The character "He" was an honorary title bestowed upon the Duke.
Strangely enough, the Duke and Duchess of He had six children, all of whom were boys. Gao Zhan was the youngest in the family. As the youngest child born late in life, and with his five older brothers all being much older than him, he must have been pampered and spoiled by the whole family as he grew up.
Luo Fengming was about the same age as him and wasn't the type to take care of others. In addition, he was afraid of being scolded when he got home after causing trouble, so in his confusion, he didn't take care of him and let this pampered young master get drunk and sit in the corner laughing foolishly.
Seeing him sitting there in a slightly disheveled posture, his drunken eyes filled with a layer of moisture, yet he was trying his best to maintain the appearance of an elegant young nobleman, Luo Cuiwei found it amusing, but also felt a little sorry for him.
Although she often plays and jokes with her younger siblings, and occasionally yells at them when things get serious, she is still the older sister, and she can't help but care for and look after them when they are wronged or embarrassed.
Seeing Gao Zhan's appearance, Luo Cuiwei couldn't help but put herself in his shoes, thinking how heartbroken his parents and brothers would be if they saw him.
Normally, she would have gone up to comfort him, but she had just lashed out at her younger brother in front of everyone, yelling, kicking, and smashing things, and even spouting nonsense about teaching him how to cause trouble without giving anyone a handle to use against him...
The word "shameful" is completely inadequate to describe Luo Cuiwei's current predicament.
Luo Cuiwei forced a smile and replied perfunctorily, "My name is Luo Cuiwei. It's a pleasure to meet you."
After saying that, he quickly turned his head back, then looked at Luo Fengming with an awkward expression, leaving only the back of his head for the drunken young master to see.
“I came by carriage. I’ll have someone take him back to the Duke of He’s mansion by carriage later. We’ll walk back together, and we can talk about your matter on the way,” Luo Cuiwei said to Luo Fengming in a low voice.
At this moment, Luo Fengming naturally obeyed whatever his sister said. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly asked someone to bring hot water, quickly washed away the wine stains on his face, tidied his appearance, and then asked two Luo family servants at the door to help Gao Zhan up.
Given Gao Zhan's identity and the fact that he was completely drunk, it was not advisable for him to attract attention. So Luo Fengming led everyone down the side staircase and then came out from the back of the Lingyin Building.
After leaving the Listening Pavilion, two servants spent a lot of effort helping the drunken Gao Zhan into the carriage to lie down.
To his surprise, Gao Zhan noticed that the Luo siblings hadn't gotten into the car, and struggled to peek his head out from under the curtain: "Luo... Luo Weiwei."
"It's Luo Cuiwei." Luo Cui smiled and hummed in response, casually correcting him.
"Oh, Xiaowei," Gao Zhan squinted and grinned mischievously like a naughty child, his words mumbled, "Your method of causing trouble without giving anyone a handle to use against you... teach me that too, okay?"
Luo Cuiwei thought to herself, "What can I possibly say to you when you're this drunk?" But she laughed and said nonsense, "This is a secret technique passed down through the Luo family. It's not convenient to reveal it to outsiders. Please forgive me."
Gao Zhan squinted, tilted his head, and thought for a moment. A slightly naive smile appeared on his drunken face: "Then, I... I can... I can marry into the family."
Luo Fengming, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle.
"Get lost, you drunkard! What are you trying to prove, you tiny kid pretending to be a dashing young master?" Luo Cuiwei rolled her eyes, then boldly stuck out her index finger and poked Gao Zhan's forehead, pushing his face back into the carriage.
"Send him back to the Duke of He's residence. Don't say anything. No matter what the people from the Duke of He's residence ask, you can't explain it clearly." After giving instructions to the coachman and two servants, Luo Cuiwei led Luo Fengming home.
As Luo Fengming walked, he glanced at Luo Cuiwei's embarrassed expression and tentatively advised, "It's alright. He's so drunk, he probably won't remember your...heroic figure when he wakes up tomorrow."
“That’s true,” Luo Cuiwei smiled helplessly, took out a towel and wiped the still-wet wine stains on his clothes. “If he remembers when he wakes up, he might not have a good impression of our family. It will be difficult for you to get to know him well.”
Luo Fengming, the new friend of Gao Zhan, the young master of the Duke of He's mansion, has an older sister who is as fierce as a shrew and as ruthless as a local ruffian—it's truly a heart-wrenching story.
You really can't force relationships between people; just let things take their course.
"Sister, don't take the blame on yourself, this isn't your fault..." Luo Fengming quickly comforted her when he saw that she was a little down.
Luo Cuiwei glared at him, trying to hide her embarrassment with a huff, her cheeks puffed out: "Of course it's not my fault!"