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Fei Qian was chatting with Xu Shu when Pang Tong and Zao Zhi returned from outside.
Pang Tong poked his head in and asked, "Ziyuan, is... is "she" back?"
It was actually quite amusing. The Pang and Huang families had long been close, and the younger generations often interacted. Pang Tong was slightly younger than Huang Yueying and had likely suffered plenty of bullying from her over the years. So when Huang Yueying was set to marry Fei Qian, Pang Tong had been overjoyed—finally, someone could rein her in.
Pang Tong had assumed that after marriage, the wild Huang girl would at least temper her personality. This would have been the perfect opportunity for him to finally get some payback after years of torment—
But to his surprise, Fei Qian did little to restrain Huang Yueying's nature. He never imposed restrictions on her, never told her "you can't do this" or "that's not allowed." As a result, Huang Yueying continued dealing with Pang Tong's teasing in her usual way—if she could out-argue him, she did; if not, she resorted to grabbing whatever was at hand and settling things physically. This left Pang Tong utterly exasperated. He once lamented that the two were truly a match made in heaven—Fei Qian, with his history of bullying others by virtue of being older and stronger, paired perfectly with Huang Yueying's wild temperament. The only one suffering was himself...
Fei Qian naturally knew who Pang Tong was referring to and smiled. "She hasn't returned. She's staying there for some matters."
"Oh..." Pang Tong muttered under his breath as he walked over, "...might as well stay there forever..."
When Xu Shu saw Pang Tong, he immediately stood respectfully and yielded the seat to Fei Qian's right. Only after Pang Tong and Zao Zhi had taken their seats did Xu Shu sit in a lower position.
Watching this, Fei Qian suddenly realized something. He had always felt there was something off about Xu Shu's behavior lately, and now he understood—it wasn't just his appearance but his demeanor. The Xu Shu before him bore little resemblance to the confident strategist of history. Instead, he seemed more like Tai Shi Ming when he first arrived—reserved and somewhat insecure.
Thinking of Tai Shi Ming, Fei Qian guessed he was probably holed up in his room reading, just like Xu Shu often was. So he called out to him, inviting him to join. Since everyone was here, it was a good opportunity for them all to chat and bond. There was no point in living under the same roof yet remaining distant.
Tai Shi Ming emerged from his room and, seeing so many people, froze in nervousness, his eyes wide with uncertainty.
Xu Shu noticed and immediately stood, gesturing for Tai Shi Ming to sit beside him, easing his discomfort.
Fei Qian removed his headpiece and placed it on the table in front of him. "Since we all have time today, let's sit and talk freely. By convention, Yuanzhi is the eldest here, and Shiyuan holds the highest family status. But I suggest that since we live under the same roof, we should respect and care for one another. So today, let's set aside formalities and speak casually. What do you think, Shiyuan?"
Pang Tong immediately took off his own headpiece. "Good. Wearing this thing every day is exhausting. It's nice to take it off for once..."
Though Pang Tong's appearance was unremarkable, his mind was sharp. He instantly grasped why Fei Qian had singled him out for agreement. Lately, he hadn't been particularly friendly toward Xu Shu, and if this continued, it could create a rift. Given that Xu Shu was now studying under Pang Degong, any open discord would reflect poorly not just on him but on his entire family.
So this was a good opportunity to mend relations—at least to ease the awkwardness between them. Pang Tong understood this in an instant and played along, his tone light and joking as he removed his headpiece.
Sure enough, seeing Pang Tong's actions, Xu Shu and Tai Shi Ming visibly relaxed and also removed their headpieces. As for Zao Zhi, he was always the second "Master Water Mirror"—a peacemaker by nature—so of course, he had no objections.
Pang Tong shook his head, his loose hair swaying. "Ziyuan, I heard Kuai Yue of the Kuai family came to apologize to you?"
Zao Zhi, equally curious, added, "Yes, Ziyuan, is it true?"
Fei Qian was puzzled. "Weren't you two in town shopping? How did you hear about this?" Had they run into Kuai Yue on the way back? But that didn't make sense—Kuai Yue hadn't traveled with any grand entourage, just an ordinary carriage with no markings. Even if they had crossed paths, how would they have recognized him?
"Ah, the whole market district is talking about it..." Zao Zhi said.
Pang Tong studied Fei Qian's expression and snorted. "So it's true... Hmph, that Kuai family..." He couldn't help but look down on the Kuai family's methods—they were too petty.
Fei Qian chuckled, understanding immediately. Since the Kuai family had sent Kuai Yue to apologize, they naturally wanted to maximize the impact. Otherwise, wouldn't they have lost face for nothing? How many people would have witnessed it if it had only happened at Lushan? But by spreading the news in the markets, "everyone" knew now.
Fei Qian teased, "Well, that's only because of "your" influence, Shiyuan..."
"Absolutely nothing to do with me! Clearly, it's because "you've" gotten fatter, Fei Ziyuan!" Pang Tong shot back without hesitation, playing along.
"Hah! Nonsense—I've definitely lost weight these past few days!" Fei Qian laughed, watching as the lighthearted banter between him and Pang Tong gradually dissolved the lingering awkwardness among the group. "Alright, enough of that. I've been pondering a few small questions lately and wanted everyone's thoughts..."
"What defines a noble family? What defines a commoner? Is this world led by noble families or by commoners?"
Zao Zhi exclaimed, "Ziyuan! You call these "small" questions? Then what do you consider "big" questions?"
Fei Qian answered with mock seriousness, "Big questions? Like what to eat tonight—millet or wheat? "That's" a big question..." His response earned him a round of eye rolls, but everyone understood his point—they should speak freely, without restraint.
Zao Zhi laughed and pointed at Pang Tong. "Noble families? "He's" a noble family!"
Pang Tong immediately protested, pointing at Fei Qian. ""This" guy is the real noble family! "I'm" a commoner!"
Xu Shu, now relaxed, chimed in, ""I'm" the commoner here..."
Even Tai Shi Ming, caught up in the mood, added with a smile, "In that case, I guess I'm a commoner too!"
Fei Qian laughed and shook his head. "You're all right—and all wrong! In my view, commoners and noble families aren't divided that way!"
"Then how would "you" divide them?"
Fei Qian picked up a scroll and placed it on the left side of the table. "Let's say this represents commoners..."
Then he picked up another scroll and placed it on the right. "This represents noble families..."
Finally, he pointed to the empty space between the two scrolls. "...All of us? We belong "here"."