Because this wasn't a random piece of cloth torn by the girl's mother for her own daughter to make into clothing, the details on her clothes were full, clearly a lot of labor and thought had been put into them, and the overall pairing was very harmonious, portraying the elegance of an esteemed young lady.
Most importantly, the girl had a fair complexion, and eyebrows shaped like crescent moons. Though she had an oval face, it also bore the right amount of baby fat, making her resemble a finely crafted piece of art. You simply could not find anything that needed changing in her, as if any additional touch would be a desecration and a sin.
At the moment, she was sitting on a bench inside the threshold, her feet placed on the doorstep, staring straight ahead.
The last stubborn glow before the sunset stretched a line of light and shadow right where the doorstep was, precisely where her feet rested.
Li Zhiyuan lowered his head, continuously staring at someone was impolite, although... she was really beautiful.
She must be Aunt Liu's daughter.
When he looked up again, he saw she still maintained that pose, gazing forward.
Logically, standing from a high point on the second floor, being quite visible, and looking at her, she should have noticed him, at the very least, glanced at him.
Could it be that she was lost in thought?
Li Zhiyuan raised his hand and waved, sure that this gesture would catch her attention, but... it didn't.
The girl still sat there, her feet on the doorstep unmoved, her head unturned, and she did not even blink.
Li Zhiyuan called out: "Hello."
The girl still did not react.
Was she deaf and mute as well?
A deep sense of regret welled up in Li Zhiyuan's heart.
Children of this age have very clean and pure hearts, untinged by the thoughts of adult men and women, and Li Zhiyuan was no exception.
He felt purely heartbroken, thinking that if the girl in front of him was disabled, it would be like a bloody gash gruesomely slashing through something beautiful. Regardless of gender, anyone would feel deep regret.
Aunt Liu's voice came from behind. She walked over to Li Zhiyuan and said with a smile, "Xiao Yuan, this is Auntie's daughter, Qin Li."
"Alright, Xiao Yuan, come inside first. Auntie will help you sort out your things."
Li Zhiyuan was slightly surprised, for Aunt Liu only introduced her daughter's name without following up; usually, one would ask about age, determine siblings, and add a line: "You can play together in the future."
The items were not many, and after arranging them neatly, Aunt Liu clapped her hands and said, "The bathroom is at the back of the first floor. You can use the chamber pot in the room at night."
"Alright, I understand, Aunt Liu."
"Then Auntie will go cook. I'll call you when it's ready."
Walking out of the room again and returning to the second-floor terrace, Li Zhiyuan's gaze involuntarily moved back there.
The girl still maintained her previous posture, still gazing forward, as if frozen in place, having never moved.
Then, he saw Uncle Qin walk up to the doorstep, kneel in front of the girl, and gently speak to her.
However, from start to finish, the girl kept her posture, not even sparing a glance for her father.
It felt as though, although she was there, she had no sensory contact with this world.
Uncle Qin noticed Li Zhiyuan and waved, "Hello, young friend."
Li Zhiyuan responded, "Hello, Uncle."
"Little Yuanhou, come down for dinner!" Li Sanjiang's voice came from downstairs.
Li Zhiyuan was a bit surprised. So fast?
After descending the stairs, in the gaps between the figurines on the ground floor, two square wooden stools were pushed together to serve as a dining table. A plate of braised pork head meat, a plate of braised pig ears, a plate of cold kelp, and a plate of fried peanuts were placed on them.
No wonder it was prepared so quickly; it must all have been bought from the market during the day.
"Sit." Li Sanjiang opened the cap of a Baijiu bottle and filled a large cup for himself.
Li Zhiyuan sat down on a small stool opposite him, looking at the large bowl of rice piled high in front of him.
"Grandmaster, I can't eat so much."
"Heh, Grandmaster knows." Li Sanjiang smiled, "You eat first, the leftovers are mine."
Li Zhiyuan started to eat.
Li Sanjiang passed the cup over, asking, "Little Yuanhou, want to drink a little?"
Li Zhiyuan shook his head, "Children can't drink alcohol."
"Right, that's proper." Li Sanjiang just jesting, took back the cup and took a big sip_continuously scooping up several peanuts into his mouth, "You don't get such good dishes at the Hanhou house, do you?"
"Grandma's pickles are also delicious."
Li Sanjiang put a piece of pork into Li Zhiyuan's bowl,
"Your grandparents are foolish, spoiling those kids too much. If you ask Grandmaster, caring for my son's generation is enough, still having to look after the grandchildren, damn, half one's life spent as servants to their own children.
Actually, if your grandparents' house didn't have so many kids and mouths to feed, they wouldn't need to drink watery soup, and he could even afford a little alcohol every night."
Li Zhiyuan silently ate, not responding.
"You're different." Li Sanjiang waved his hand, "Your mom has given money, it's those uncles of yours who really take without giving, a bunch of shameless things."
Li Zhiyuan continued to eat.
"The soup is here." Aunt Liu brought over a big bowl of loofah and egg flower soup, placing it on the stool, "Eat up."
Then, she left, and Li Zhiyuan realized that Aunt Liu's family didn't eat with Grandmaster.
"Little Yuanhou, there's something Grandmaster needs to remind you of, you can wander anywhere while you stay here, just avoid that eastern room."