Chapter 52: Second Brother Is Somewhat Different

As the newly released book recommendation goes live, those gentlemen who vote for me shall be blessed by the gods...

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The moment Li Ke, that dazzlingly radiant and handsome fellow, departed, Fang Jun instantly felt a wave of relief. That guy was simply too handsome, and standing beside him put one under immense pressure, easily damaging one's self-esteem and shattering confidence...

Fortunately, however, this brother here wins by intellect rather than relying on his face. This is what one might call "three thousand strands of brocade in the chest, a crystal-clear heart, and a warm disposition"...

Even the immensely romantic and charismatic Prince of Wu, Li Ke, could not help but praise with a line like, "Er-lang's marvelous strategy pacifies the realm," could he?

After indulging in a bout of self-amusement, his mood lifted tremendously.

For some reason, ever since transmigrating into Fang Yi'ai, his personality seemed to have shifted along with the physical vessel, as if he had returned to the soaring, unrestrained days of his seventeenth or eighteenth years—easily moved to joy or anger, acting entirely on impulse.

Fang Jun could not tell whether this change was ultimately good or bad. In any case, he remained secretly vigilant, reminding himself never to look down upon the ancients simply because he possessed an extra millennium and more of insight. Generations of brilliant talents emerge continuously, and the wisdom of the ancients was not to be underestimated. Especially in this era where the law of the jungle prevailed and democracy and the rule of law were virtually nonexistent, any incredible thing could happen. Otherwise, if one were to accidentally capsize in a gutter one day out of sheer carelessness, it would be too late even for tears...

His mind had wandered off...

By the time he snapped back to reality, Fang Jun widened his eyes in shock and yelled, "Li Siwen, are you a pig?"

Lo and behold, the table was a complete mess of cups and plates. Li Siwen had dumped the food from all the dishes into the hotpot in one go, a pair of chopsticks flying at lightning speed...

Li Siwen turned a deaf ear to this level of sarcasm, merely mumbling vaguely, "Too delicious..." as he continued to wield his chopsticks and wolf down the food heartily.

Fang Jun was just about to mock him a couple more times when he suddenly caught the tinkling sound of jade pendants from outside the doorway. Turning his head to look, he saw his own younger sister, Fang Xiuzhu, walking hand in hand with Li Yulong.

The moment they stepped inside, the little noses of the two lasses twitched upward like little puppies. They sniffed hard, and Fang Xiuzhu exclaimed in surprise, "It smells so good! Second Brother, both of you brothers, what are you eating?"

Li Yulong's pair of lovely eyes shone brightly as she staredfixedly at the bronze hotpot on the table, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

When Li Ke was present earlier, the two young ladies had hidden away in the inner courtyard, completely engrossed in chatting endlessly about girlish secrets and only casually nibbling on some pastries. Now, catching the fragrant aroma of the meat and vegetables, their little bellies could not help but rumble audibly.

Seeing this, Fang Jun knew that the two lasses probably hadn't eaten yet. He called the maidservant inside to clear away the bowls and dishes from the table, replaced the hotpot broth with a fresh clear soup, and instructed the kitchen to prepare a brand-new portion of vegetables and mutton.

Li Siwen did not mind at all that his bowls and chopsticks were cleared away before he had finished eating. He rubbed his belly, let out a burp, sighed contentedly, and said, "Only today have I learned that the taste of mutton can be so supremely delicious. All my previous years have been lived in vain! Fang Er, make a hotpot like this for me too."

Fang Jun invited the two lasses to sit down and said to Li Siwen, "No problem at all. One hundred guan per piece, cash on delivery."

Li Siwen stared wide-eyed: "Just this piece of junk, and you actually dare to ask for a hundred guan?"

Fang Jun snorted disdainfully: "Why wouldn't I dare? His Highness the Prince of Wu just bought one, as if you didn't see it."

"I mean, aren't we good brothers? You can charge the Prince of Wu whatever price you want, but you can't sell it to me at such an exorbitant rate! Where am I supposed to get as much money as the Prince of Wu?"

"Even true brothers settle accounts clearly, let alone good brothers! Whether you have money or not is your own business, and I didn't force you. If you're willing to buy, buy; if not, tough luck!"

Unmoved, Fang Jun continued to argue back and forth.

Li Siwen was so furious his face turned beet red: "Do you place monetary wealth above friendship?"

Fang Jun was amused to the point of anger: "Your head! With a dog's belly that can't even hold two taels of ink, you still try to quote classical literature like scholars do? Your lips don't match the donkey's jaws, aren't you ashamed?"

Turning back to Li Yulong, he said, "Little Yulong, in the future, if your second brother acts like this, tie him up with a rope at home and don't drag him out to embarrass himself..."

Li Siwen flew into a rage: "Are you calling me a dog?"

Fang Jun rolled his eyes: "Are your ears broken? When did I ever say that?"

Li Siwen was mad enough to die: "You didn't say it outright, but that's precisely what you meant!" He then asked his sister, "Yulong, you tell me—isn't that exactly what Fang Er meant?"

Li Yulong desperately held back her laughter, her pretty face flushed red as she thought to herself that these two fellows were both stubborn as mules, neither one any better than the other...

Just in time, the maidservant brought in the sliced vegetables and mutton. Li Yulong chimed in with a sweet voice, "The dishes are served!"

Li Siwen clearly doted on his younger sister immensely. Seeing her excited expression and unwilling to ruin her mood, he glared bitterly at Fang Jun, sat back down, poured himself a full bowl of wine, tilted his head back, drank it all in one go, and let out a wine-soaked burp.

Ignoring that fellow entirely, Fang Jun picked up the communal chopsticks, placed vegetables and mutton into the boiling hotpot, and began to speak in a soft, gentle voice, explaining the precautions one should take when eating hotpot: the vegetables shouldn't be boiled too long, or the vitamins would be lost; the mutton only needed to be swirled until its color changed before it could be eaten, otherwise it would lose its fresh and tender flavor...

When the broth boiled fiercely, Fang Jun picked up some greens and placed them in his own sister's bowl. Instead of putting them directly into Li Yulong's bowl, however, he placed them neatly on the small dish right in front of her, and then skillfully continued to swirl mutton for the two lasses.

Li Yulong's pretty face blushed crimson, her bright, clear eyes rippling like a lake. Biting her red lips lightly, she said in a tender voice, "Thank you, Second Brother Fang..."

Ripples of emotion stirred endlessly within the young girl's heart. Even her own biological second brother had never cared for her with such meticulous attention...

Fang Xiuzhu, meanwhile, gazed at the soft-spoken, considerate, and thoroughly attentive second brother, feeling slightly dazed.

She knew not when it began, but that reckless and vulgar Fang Er-lang of her memories had somehow transformed into a caring, considerate, and utterly attentive brother. Watching him smile as he served food and swirled mutton for her and Li Yulong, gently picking out slightly yellowish vegetable leaves to discard, and tirelessly reminding them that the mutton was too hot and would burn their mouths, yet if it grew cold it would develop a gamey odor, making it crucial to eat it in one bite right before it became too hot to handle...

A thick sense of warmth and happiness welled up from the bottom of Fang Xiuzhu's heart, sweet enough to almost eclipse the fresh deliciousness of the mutton.

Having a brother like this truly felt wonderful...

As for Fang Jun, he gave it no further thought at all.

The life experience of a man in his thirties from his past life could not simply be discarded. The vicissitudes of time brought by the years were naturally concealed deep within his bones. Facing these two pretty young lasses who were practically young enough to be his daughters, the tenderness characteristic of a mature man inadvertently radiated outward.

A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by Fang Jun's soft, gentle murmurs. Both lasses were young ladies of noble birth who had undergone rigorous etiquette training—veritable gentlewomen. They merely lowered their eyelids slightly, their red lips parting gently as they chewed the delicious food.

Yet those four beautiful eyes belonging to the two lasses would occasionally steal a glance at the seemingly nonchalant Fang Jun. Gradually, their two pretty faces grew even more flushed and rosy...

Ultimately, Li Siwen remained the ultimate mood-killer.

That fellow said in a boorish voice, "What's this? Trying to imitate His Highness the Prince of Wu and act all cultured and refined? Hehe, it's not that I'm putting you down, Fang Er, but with that dark face of yours, how could you possibly match even a tiny fraction of the Prince of Wu's handsome appearance?"

The more he watched this fellow trying to curry favor in front of his own sister, the more irritated he became. Throughout the entire city of Chang'an, who didn't know what a clumsy oaf you, Fang Er, really were? What were you putting on airs for?

Li Yulong was instantly displeased. Pouting her pretty face, she chided, "Second Brother, your words are too harsh!"

Fang Xiuzhu was equally dissatisfied. How could anyone disparage another person so severely? Besides, was her second brother really that unattractive? The little lass stole a sideways glance, thinking to herself that at the very least, his facial features were well-proportioned and he had thick eyebrows and big eyes...

Fang Jun, however, took no offense. Raising an eyebrow, he smiled and said, "If you think I cannot compare to the Prince of Wu, it's simply because you lack the appreciation for it. Beauty is never lacking in this world; what's lacking are the eyes that perceive beauty..."

Those words carried an air of absolute sophistication!

Unfortunately, the people in the room were incapable of comprehending that level of philosophical realm...

Li Siwen scoffed disdainfully: "Oh, give it a rest! Who doesn't know how to tell beauty from ugliness? His Highness the Prince of Han's newly taken concubine is a famously renowned beauty in Chang'an city. Anyone with eyes would agree she's gorgeous, but if you asked everyone to evaluate you, hehehe..."

He had intended to cite an example merely to tear down Fang Jun, but unexpectedly, Fang Jun instead asked, "The Prince of Han has newly taken a concubine?"

Li Siwen was momentarily stunned, failing to keep up with Fang Jun's train of thought: "Uh, yes, you didn't know?" *I was saying that the Prince of Han's concubine is universally praised as gorgeous, not talking about him taking a concubine, alright?*

Fang Jun furrowed his brow, sensing a vague intuition that something wasn't quite right. The Prince of Han, Li Yuangao, had newly taken a concubine, and as a result, the eldest sister, the Princess of Han, returned to her maiden home?

Could there be some hidden connection behind all this?