"Wait, Hua'er, you're not even calling me with brother!" Nan Luo suddenly protested. He couldn't stand being silent any longer when his twin little sister was about to be snatched by other people! She didn't even call him brother, ah!
Nan Hua looked at Nan Luo. "You're only a moment older."
They were twins.
Why should she call him with brother?
Nan Luo felt aggrieved as he stared at his twin sister as if asking her to call him with the word brother. She used to call him that way when they were young but as time passed, she chose to call him with his name directly. He missed the time when he teased her about their age difference very much.
Old Madam Long laughed when he saw the twins. "Now I know why that stingy old man didn't want you to come here."
"Yes?" Nan Hua turned to look at Old Madam Long.
"How could he bear to let go this cute creature?" Old Madam Long pinched Nan Hua's cheek gently. "Your cheek is plumper, did you eat well?"
"Yes, I eat properly."
"How about your twin brother?"
"I'm eating well too, Grandmother Long."
"We'll be relative in the future, so you can just call me grandmother."
"Yes, Grandmother!"
Long Qian Xing merely watched with no change in his expression as he continued to smile faintly. Behind him, Song Chuan was watching with confusion. Wasn't it usually the mother and grandmother in law creating things difficult for their granddaughter in law? But they hadn't even got married yet and the grandmother in law had already treated the granddaughter in law better than her own grandson?
Old Madam Long nodded then turned to look at her grandson. Her eyes narrowed. "You should introduce the man you brought from the battlefield, Ah Xing."
"Yes, Grandmother. This is Song Chuan, who will be staying in the Capital City for the time being in order to learn in the academy. I plan to let him stay in Long Family Residence since he didn't have any relative," Long Qian Xing introduced Song Chuan.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Song Chuan quickly cupped his fist in accordance to etiquette.
Nan Hua turned to look at Song Chuan as she recalled that this was the name of the promising politician who would be working under Emperor Yang Zhou in the future. She didn't remember him much since the novel only mentioned that Long Qian Xing brought him to the Capital City but afterwards leaving him alone because there were some other missions that he had to finish.
Well, the promising commander couldn't possibly relax and do nothing.
Long Qian Xing's dream was to become a great general like his grandfather. In order to achieve that, he had to work hard and gather more experience.
"Since he's going to study in the academy, what will he focus on?" Nan Luo asked curiously. He was also studying in the academy, even if he often skipped classes and studied at home.
"Politics," Long Qian Xing answered with a smile.
Nan Luo let out a faint 'oh' before he lost interest. Since it was politic, he didn't have much interest to interact with the other party. If anything, he didn't really want to talk with Song Chuan since his knowledge regarding politics were fairly low.
Nan Hua nodded then turned her head to look at Old Madam Long. The latter started to talk about the recent rumors in the Capital City.
Of course, Nan Hua listened carefully. The news that her grandfather and twin brother collected was vastly different from Old Madam Long. This would allow her to gain more information.
"Grandmother, I would like to spar with Young Master Long. Is that possible?" Nan Luo asked after some time. He couldn't bear to stay here and listen to Nan Hua listening to Old Madam Long any longer. The rumors were mostly very boring for him since he was not interested in them.
Old Madam Long laughed. "What do you think, Ah Xing?"
"If he's prepared to lose, I don't mind," Long Qian Xing replied with a smile.
"You still don't know who will lose." Nan Luo growled. As if he would lose against Long Qian Xing.
"In that case, let's move place. You're…. Song Chuan, right? You can follow if you want," Old Madam Long then instructed the servants to clear the table as they walked to the other side.
The servants were speechless. What was the use of the table if it was left empty, then? Originally Old Madam Long wanted to teach Nan Hua about the art of making tea after some talk but because of Nan Luo's request, she changed her schedule.
They reached the field soon enough.
"Woah, it's more spacious than the one in ours, Hua'er." Nan Luo was amazed when he saw the large field. He was sure that if his grandfather asked him to run around the field, he wouldn't be able to finish the laps in time. This place was much larger than the one in his place.
Long Qian Xing looked at Nan Luo and chuckled. "Warm up first."
"Yes~!"
"We can sit and talk while waiting for them to prepare for their spar. How's your study recently, Hua'er?"
Her study?
Nan Hua blinked her eyes then replied honestly, "I didn't learn much, Grandmother. I only know a bit of the four arts."
Four arts: zither, painting, poetry, and calligraphy.
They usually also learnt the art of tea making, though. Each of them had their own set of rules that made it difficult for them to learn it. Nan Hua was not very accomplished in either one of them, so she felt a bit awkward when Old Madam Long mentioned them.
Though, she still knew some.
"How about if I teach you some? That stingy old man might not care much about your education since his attention is in his grandson, but I can help you to learn more," Old Madam Long offered.
"Many thanks for your kind offer, Grandmother."
"Silly girl, it's not difficult at all."
At the side, Song Chuan was honestly wondering whether Old Madam Long was actually Nan Hua's blood related grandmother or not. Though, it was practically impossible since their features were too different from each other. Not to mention, some of their characteristics also showed that they were not blood related.
The two of them talked a bit more and Nan Hua learnt a lot from Old Madam Long. Even though Old Madam Long was confined in this residence and very rarely came out, she was still very knowledgeable about the recent news.
"Old Madam, the young masters are ready for the spar."
"Ah, finally. Would you like to watch your brother and your fiancé's fight, Hua'er?"
"Yes."
Nan Hua shifted her gaze to the two young men on the field. She had never seen the two of them sparred against each other before, so she was honestly a bit curious.
"Ready?"
"Anytime," Long Qian Xing replied with a smile.
Nan Luo scoffed as he focused all of his attention on the young man in front of him. His gaze sharpened as he sprung forward.
Clang!
The sound of their blades met each other reverberated on the field. Nan Luo swiftly changed his stance when he saw Long Qian Xing stabbed the sword forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two of them traded blows very quickly that it was hard to follow with naked eyes. It could be said that they seemed to be of equal stance from a distance away. Normal people wouldn't be able to follow their movement and only experts would be able to distinguish the stance and skills they were using.
Song Chuan could feel his backs covered in sweat when he watched them. He did learn martial arts but not as intensive as those who were aiming to become a soldier. As the result, he knew very well that he couldn't follow either one of these two. He started to wonder whether children from military family were actually very scary. The two whom he had met so far were absolutely terrifying.
'Long Qian Xing is holding back.'
Nan Hua could see from their body posture and movement that Long Qian Xing was holding back. He didn't use his full power but he utilized his skill to make sure that he would not lose his balance against Nan Luo.
It was just like a teacher who was testing their student's ability.
After several blows, Nan Luo also noticed Long Qian Xing's relaxed attitude. He furrowed his eyebrows.
The difference couldn't be this much, right?
Clang!
Suddenly, Nan Luo switched his stance and his speed turned faster. He sprang forward towards Long Qian Xing with his sword.
Swish! Tep!
Instead of blocking, Long Qian Xing tilted his body to the side and evaded Nan Luo's attack. his sword rested near Nan Luo's neck.. He smiled faintly and said in a slightly annoying tone, "You still need a lot to learn, Young Boy."