Chapter Eight: The Etiquette Between Men and Women

Xiao Fei had “disappeared,” leaving behind endless questions for Cheng Hongyu. When the bandits had rifled through Young Master Xiao’s body earlier, he’d been stripped of everything except that letter—so how, in the end, did a thirty-tael silver note suddenly appear? And how did he vanish so quickly, without a trace?

Of course, what remained with Cheng Hongyu was also an endless hope. Clutching the letter tightly in her hand, she silently vowed: Brother Xiao Fei, I will come to find you.

As for Xiao Fei, though he regretted turning down the Cheng family, he knew that in such chaotic times, a good man must first establish himself before he can settle down and care for his beloved. Otherwise, what could he offer her?

“Don’t worry, Yu’er. Once I’m settled, I’ll take good care of you,” Xiao Fei promised silently in his heart.

In the blink of an eye, he was nearing the small thatched courtyard behind the Xiao family’s grand estate. Only then did it occur to him that, when he left home, his sister-in-law had still been cooking; he’d flown out without even a word to her. Now, at least three or four hours had passed since his departure.

Lost in thought, Xiao Fei caught sight, from afar, of a girl with disheveled hair and an anxious expression, pacing back and forth outside the gate of their thatched courtyard—obviously worried.

Looking more closely, who could it be but his sister-in-law, Liu Susu!

Afraid of startling her by suddenly appearing, Xiao Fei landed some distance away and hurried toward the courtyard.

Hearing footsteps, Liu Susu looked up anxiously. When she recognized Xiao Fei, her heart, which had been pounding in her throat, finally settled.

She rushed forward a few steps, meeting him with concern. “Uncle, where have you been? I was so worried! If something happened to you, how could I ever face my late husband in Jiuquan?”

Seeing how much his sister-in-law cared, Xiao Fei was flooded with guilt, inwardly berating himself as he hurried to apologize. “Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry. It was my fault—I left without saying a word. I won’t do that again.”

At these words, Liu Susu’s expression grew even more anxious.

Heavens, was this really the same young uncle? When had Xiao Fei ever spoken to her with such courtesy? He’d had countless nights out, never returning, yet never shown such politeness. Already, his miraculous recovery and shrewd sparring with the third concubine had left Liu Susu baffled—now, this behavior was even more perplexing.

“No, no, Uncle, don’t say such things! You’ll overwhelm me. Please, don’t speak to me so formally again,” Liu Susu protested quickly.

“Then in the future, you mustn’t humble yourself before me, either,” Xiao Fei replied with deep feeling. “Remember, you’re my sister-in-law, an elder—and now, you’re the only family I have left in this world.”

Hearing this, Liu Susu’s heart quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Yes, she had severed all ties with her own family; how could she not regard Xiao Fei as her only kin in this world?

Sigh, are all sisters-in-law made of water? Why is it so easy for them to cry?

Xiao Fei wanted to step forward and wipe away her tears, but then he remembered the old saying, “There are boundaries between uncle and sister-in-law; propriety forbids familiarity”—best not to risk a slap. He held back.

“Uncle, it’s cold outside. Let’s go inside, and I’ll warm up your meal,” Liu Susu said, heading into the thatched house.

“No need to trouble yourself, Sister-in-law,” Xiao Fei replied, following her into the makeshift kitchen. “Let me help with the cooking.”

Seeing him come in, Liu Susu grew flustered. “No, Uncle, that wouldn’t do! A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen—how can I let you cook?”

“Oh, Sister-in-law, let’s do away with these old-fashioned feudal notions. In the future, I’ll be a man who truly cherishes women—cooking for my sweetheart will be a piece of cake, and besides…”

Rolling up his sleeves, Xiao Fei began to chatter away, forgetting that his greatest secret—that he was a man from the future—must never be revealed. Even if he tried, no one would believe him; they’d think he was mad.

Noticing that she was staring at him in a daze, Xiao Fei realized he’d let something slip and quickly covered up. “Oh, well, you’d better do the cooking, Sister-in-law. It’s true, a gentleman should keep away from the kitchen, haha.” He let down his sleeves and beat a hasty retreat from the kitchen.

Liu Susu stood there, scratching her head—she seemed to half understand, half not. But remembering that her uncle must be starving, she quickly lit the fire and began to reheat the meal.

Xiao Fei returned to his room, suddenly recalling that his laptop was still hidden under the bedding. He hurried to take it out.

“Ha! What a treasure. There’s still some battery left. After dinner, I could watch a movie with Sister-in-law—wouldn’t that be nice?” he thought gleefully. “But suddenly producing such a strange device might frighten her. I’ll need a good excuse.”

He pondered for a moment but quickly thought of a solution. In the original Xiao Fei’s memory, he would often spend lavishly on foreign curios, even trading his father’s antiques for them. He could simply claim that this device was something he’d bought from a foreigner. Even though the world’s first computer wouldn’t be invented for another thirty years, and there were certainly no laptops in the early Republic, his inexperienced sister-in-law would probably believe it.

“Ha! I’m really starting to admire myself,” Xiao Fei laughed.

Just then, he heard her footsteps outside. He quickly hid the laptop under the quilt, but in his haste, he left the bedclothes in disarray, one corner trailing on the floor.

The little courtyard had only two livable rooms—one for each of them, with nowhere proper to eat, so tonight’s dinner would be in Xiao Fei’s somewhat larger room.

“Uncle, the meal is ready. It’s simple fare, I hope you won’t mind,” Liu Susu said as she set out bowls and chopsticks on the table, glancing disapprovingly at his messy bed.

“Not at all! Anything you cook, I’ll love,” Xiao Fei replied.

Truth be told, he’d been in this early Republican world for a while now, and he was genuinely hungry.

Damn, who would’ve thought that even transmigrators get hungry, he joked to himself.

As he was about to sit, Liu Susu stopped him. “Wait, Uncle, this is your seat.”

“Hm? Is there a difference?” Xiao Fei asked, puzzled. He had no idea that, in a feudal society, the divide between men and women was so great that even within a family, men were hosts and women guests, with strict seating arrangements.

After searching for some time, he finally found what he considered the “purest” film in his collection, “Under the Hawthorn Tree.” (Xiao Fei’s laptop was filled with explicit and violent content, so finding something innocent was a real challenge.)

“Ah… what is this?”

When Liu Susu saw so many people and moving images on the screen, dressed and speaking in a way not unlike herself, she was startled and hid behind Xiao Fei, leaving him both amused and exasperated.

“Come, Sister-in-law, sit with me and watch,” Xiao Fei said, fetching her a stool and sitting beside her.

Liu Susu was completely mesmerized by this strange and fascinating device, utterly absorbed, forgetting her place and even sitting side by side with her young brother-in-law.

What a bizarre scene—an 80s child of the 21st century watching a movie on a laptop with a young woman from 1914. Even Xiao Fei could scarcely believe it was real.

Liu Susu watched, rapt, while Xiao Fei’s heart was lost in the sweet, ambiguous atmosphere, sitting so close to her, breathing in her gentle fragrance—utterly enchanted.

In his previous life, Xiao Fei had read in a magazine that a woman’s body scent was inversely related to her libido—the stronger the scent, the lower the desire, and vice versa. By that logic, Liu Susu must be a woman of strong passions.

Nonsense! Xiao Fei scolded himself. How could he profane his pure, innocent sister-in-law?

Yet, even as he berated himself, his hand involuntarily reached toward her shoulder.

But before he could touch her, Liu Susu suddenly gave a startled cry, covered her blushing face, and fled the room.

“Eh? What happened?” Xiao Fei wondered, turning to see the film’s male lead shirtless, while the heroine, Zhou Dongyu, was in a swimsuit about to swim.

Heavens! She reacts like this—good thing he hadn’t shown her an adult film, Xiao Fei thought.

To save power, he closed the laptop and had his digital assistant, Xiao Ling, stow it away. Lying on his bed, he replayed the day’s events in his mind.

His first killing, the first time a woman pledged herself to him, his first intimate moment with Liu Susu, their first “candlelit dinner” together—each of these moments was forever etched into the history of his new life.

Thinking thus, he drifted into a sweet slumber, a line of drool nearly reaching his neck.

Perhaps he was dreaming, but suddenly Liu Susu’s frantic cries rang out: “Help! Someone, help! Uncle, run—the house is on fire!”

“Fire, so what? Stop shouting…” mumbled Xiao Fei, rolling over in bed.

But in his mind, Xiao Ling’s urgent voice echoed: “Master, wake up! Don’t sleep—there’s a fire!”

Xiao Fei bolted upright, suddenly remembering that, in the old days, “fire” meant a blaze.

“Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!” he shouted, running out, only to find the flames raging even more fiercely on his side of the house.

Not far from the blaze, a sinister figure sneered, “Heh, a year from today will be your death anniversary!”

[The climax is about to erupt, brothers—what are you waiting for? Add this book to your favorites now with just a click, and join Xiao Fei as we step into that age of chaos and heroes! Let us fight together!]