Sun Yan poured a drink, picked up a piece of pastry and threw it into his mouth. He mumbled as he chewed: “The troops are still outside, only I can come in.”
He looked up and took another gulp of wine, then casually inquired after her. “But enough about me. What about you? How are you doing? What happened that day anyway? When I saw General Wen that day, he said you had released sky lanterns. Your name and Wang Hong’s name were also written on them in Hu script. I was fearful for you when I heard that you were at the prince’s estate and immediately thought that you were in danger. If not, you wouldn’t have risked alarming others by releasing those sky lanterns and writing Hu script.”
He pounded the cup onto the table, stared at Chen Rong and indignantly said, “Why did you write Wang Hong’s name? Why didn’t you write my name? Dammit, even if I couldn’t have saved you, I could’ve looked for Wang Hong like I had!”
Chen Rong watched the young boy huffing and puffing and couldn’t help smiling despite herself.
Upon seeing her smile, Sun Yan came to realize that his words were quite irrational and he therefore glumly lowered his head.
Chen Rong had wanted to talk to him about this matter. Now that he took the lead in mentioning it, she cleared her throat and began to speak.
Sun Yan’s face darkened. He slapped the stone table and growled: “I can’t believe Chen Yuan is that kind of a person!”
He raised his head worriedly. “When will your father and brother come to Nan’yang? Or… should I find a way to bring you to Jiankang? You’ll get into trouble sooner or later under this man’s custody.”
My father and brother in Jiankang?
Chen Rong smiled wistfully and shook her head.
Sun Yan studied her and, when he saw that she had seemed sad, a thought came to him which made him smile wryly: “Your name is as good as destroyed by the Prince of Nan’yang and Wang Hong. Or else, I could go ahead without the approval of my family and marry you.”
Chen Rong’s head was bowed in silence. She naturally understood Sun Yan’s meaning. Although the boy was footloose, he was after all a direct descendant of the Sun house in Jiangdong. Even if his parents were no longer by his side, he couldn’t arrange himself a marriage that would bring dishonor to his family and ancestors. For him to marry someone with a ruined name like her, he’d first need to win his family’s consent.