Chapter 2

Chapter 2: What Lies Ahead

Xiang An opened her windows and watch as the leaves of the Dawn redwood fall and cascade through her whole courtyard. Just outside her courtyard lies a garden she never appreciated before, it was full of red and oranges leaves as it is Autumn at the moment.

Simple things like this makes her hollow heart feel slightly full, like there is a reason to live. Xiang An got up and took out her painting set, she positioned herself in front of the window.

'It's a shame not to record such magnificent view. My old courtyard doesn't have this view from all the time I've stayed there.' She thought to herself. As she began painting, she blocked out the sounds from her surroundings unconsciously and immersed herself in her own world.

When Xiang An was isolated, other than reading books, she liked to enhance her four arts (Calligraphy, painting, qin, and go) not to impress anyone but to relieve herself from boredom. Instead of accomplishments, she practices the four arts as a form of entertainment. She had a jade guqin, an old set of painting, and a go board in her abandoned courtyard as it was used by who god knows before it was isolated.

But Xiang An forgot one fact- or she just don't care but the past Xu Xiang An never touched four arts, making her a talentless fool who lacks attention but ever since she entered the third prince's manor, she diligently practiced the four arts so that she won't be left out by his concubines, and as stated from above, after she got isolated, she used it as a form of entertainment.

A girl in front of the window, facing a canvas, holds a huge painting brush that creates a contrast to her small jade-like hands, her silky black locks falls down like a waterfall, with her silky inner robe that she uses when she sleeps, her ethereal face creates a lazy and laid back aura in the atmosphere. This painstakingly beautiful scene is what Chen Yi saw when she entered the room.

She keeps on calling for her mistress but after a while she never got an answer so she shamelessly walked in to inform her master about dinner.

'This Young miss... something is certainly different about her! Ever since she woke up hours ago, she acted out of her usual character a! She does not have the arrogance air around her anymore, it was replaced with an entirely different temperament! And she stopped asking for reports about the third prince whom she's very obsessed with, what's more, when did this master of hers know how to paint?! She never touched any of the scholarly arts for the reason that she found them troublesome a! Not to mention, the painting she's currently creating is very lifelike a! Oh my!'

"Young Miss, it's time to eat dinner with your family.." Chen Yi said in a low voice as she bowed in greetings.

Xiang An, who's immersed in her world, saw Chen Yi in her peripheral view. She clearly did not hear what she said but she predicted it's about time to eat dinner. She puts down her paint brush and left her unfinished painting. "En."

Chen Yi helped her mistress get ready. This miss stayed inside her courtyard ever since she woke up so she clearly missed out her chance to meet with the third prince as the prince's entourage left not long ago.

Xiang An frowned as she puts on a simple purple robe that emphasizes her youth. This will be the first time she will meet her whole family after their assassination from 14 years ago, and she clearly don't know how to act around them.

She knows that her past self acts like a dog who's asking for attention from this family of hers, but the her now will never do that. She pursued her lips, 'Well it's not like I care if they feel like I'm different from before.' She thought and finished getting ready and left for dinner.

Her courtyard is not that far from the dining room and it only took a few minutes to get there. As she walked ahead, she didn't noticed the servants that bows when she walked past them, she only remained indifferent not caring about anything. Chen Yi walked behind her miss, and noticed that instead of her usual haughtiness when she meets with the servants of the manor, she only gave out an air of indifference which leaves with many people very confused. This miss likes to proclaim her authority towards the servants before but now... they shook their heads and continued with their choirs.

When Xiang An arrived at the scene, she saw everyone at the table, her father, her mother, and her three elder brother present. There are also some servants who's serving the dishes, it appears that they already started eating without her. Her mother noticed her arrival but only glanced at her coldly. She replied with an apathetic gaze but still did the ceremonial bow she needs to do when meeting with elders. But still, no one paid attention to her.

She sat two seats away from her third brother, which finally gained a look from everyone. This Fourth miss usually sits beside her mother or beside her third brother but now.. everyone frowned. Xiang An didn't mind the stares she received and silently ate what's already in her plate.

The dinner was like this, the General and the Madam keeps on inquiring about the three brothers' day and vice versa, while unintentionally leaving out the young miss at the back. The past Xu Xiang An always answers her father's question towards her brother and she will always gain a scolding from her brothers and a death glare from her father, but today surprisingly, she finished her meals silently and left immediately.

Xu Nan Yan, who noticed this, frowned at her daughter's unusual behaviour. Even though she never really paid attention to this fourth child of hers, but still as a mother, she knows when something is off. But when she glanced at her three sons faces, she immediately forgot about her worries.

Xiang An went back to her courtyard and asked for Chen Yi. 'I don't really like dealing with the whole family so I should just request to eat my meals in my courtyard to avoid encountering them in the future' She thought to herself and nodded. She will do just that.

"Chen Yi, asked the kitchen to send all of my meals to my courtyard from now on, This miss does not like the atmosphere in the dining so I wish to eat my meals here." She said and lazily laid back to her bed.

Chen Yi frowned, but still replied with acknowledgement and left.

Xiang An thought about her future through while she was painting that piece. The 'her' in the present does not wish for anything anymore, so she does not know what her future looks like but she decided, since Xu Manor is still her blood and flesh, she will save them from their demise 4 years from now. To do that though, she needed power and backing for herself, as the one who's behind the annihilation of a General's manor shouldn't be

a simple character. It must be someone with the same power as the emperor, or the emperor himself. Her eyes hardened. With her current self, don't even mention going against a dog but that could change.

In all honesty though, Xiang An does not care whether the Xu Manor exist or not, but she treats it as a repayment for granting her another life(though she didn't need it) and after saving the Xu Manor from that catastrophe, she will leave immediately and look for those sceneries that she did not manage to see in her past life, and maybe dedicate her life into finding new sceneries and paint them herself. This thought did not excite her, but it gave a feathery feeling in her heart.

She closed her eyes after she thought about the things she needed to do years later.

'What a troublesome thing future holds for me.' She thought as her consciousness drifted away.

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