I’ve to present credit score the place it is due right here. The pharmacist’s diaries put stress on himself by teasing this Lakan storyline for too lengthy. However when it needed to ship, it really occurred. I used to be very happy with the decision (for now), though I might undoubtedly prefer to see extra of Lakan and Maomao sooner or later. They’re each fascinating characters, and now that the reality is popping out, we all know she would not have an excellent motive for rejecting him the best way she did.
I’m additionally happy that I used to be not fooled by the deception the place Lakan was involved. To me, he by no means felt like a villain, and positively not a nasty man. Only a man who’s too used to coping with individuals who aren’t as good as him and has develop into conceited due to it. His want to have a relationship together with his daughter was utterly real, and in actuality, he actually did not do something to make him undeserving of it. That is to not say Xiaomao is incorrect if she feels any resentment in direction of him, however she is wise sufficient to comprehend that it’s unwarranted to take action to the extent she apparently does.
The one side I battle with is Lakan’s willingness to simply accept his daughter’s phrases Xiangqi guess. When it’s actually full teetotalerappears unwise – except his conceitedness is so nice that he assumed he would not lose. However that is not proper, as a result of that conceitedness would make him consider in his daughter’s nice intelligence. And he would have identified from the beginning that he would lose no less than as soon as on objective to verify she wasn’t poisoned. Possibly she additionally gave him some type of drink, simply to verify one drink could be sufficient.
Nevertheless, the backstory was an unconditional win for me. I do not know what is going on on with Lakan’s face – it seems to be an actual medical situation (selective prosopagnosia?) – however he clearly suffered from it from childhood. It was definitely fascinating to be taught that the uncle who was his sole supporter within the household was Loumen. That makes Xiaomao’s oyaji her nice uncle, and doubtless explains why he took her in when he did. Loumen taught Lakan to differentiate folks’s identities primarily based on their voice and odor, and to make use of Xianqi items to recollect them. The primary face Lakan ever acknowledged as a face (not even his mom’s) was a courtesan at Verdigris named Fengxian.
F
engxian is performed by Kuwashima Houko, an actress who is aware of a factor or two in regards to the setting of a Chinese language imperial courtroom. It was her mental equality that made this occur, not her bodily magnificence – despite the fact that she had it in abundance. Many video games of Go and Xiangqi adopted, and as Fengxian grew to become extra widespread, her value rose to the purpose the place the comfy however not fabulously rich Lakan might afford to go to her solely as soon as each three months. On a kind of visits a unique type of recreation was performed, and shortly afterwards the “clumsy” expulsion of Loumen from the Internal Palace came about. As punishment for being too near him, Lakan was despatched to “examine overseas.” He anticipated to be away for six months, however his absence would final three years.
I can definitely perceive why it appeared to the outdated woman – and doubtless later to Maomao – that Lakan had deserted Fengxian after she grew to become pregnant. He did not, and he is just about innocent about this complete factor, apart from the truth that he did not talk about his absence with Fengxian earlier than he left. Actually, the massive query hanging over this example is whether or not Fengxian instigated intercourse with Lakan in hopes of getting pregnant and decreasing her value sufficient that he should purchase her out. On the one hand, that might make her much more indignant at him for abandoning her (and at Maomao for present). And brothels definitely had technique of guaranteeing that undesirable pregnancies didn’t happen. However alternatively, how might she make sure that one act of group would get the job achieved?
Anyway, he did not know till he got here again and noticed the pile of letters from her – and the one with the severed fingers. That in itself is a little bit of a thriller, as I by no means observed any irregularities with Maomao’s palms (though Google informs me {that a} severed fingertip can generally develop again). However it’s fairly clear that it was Maomao’s recreation to get Lakan to purchase Fengxian from Verdigris – the “withered rose” in query. It isn’t totally clear how a lot Xiaomao is aware of about what occurred, however I hope she’ll no less than hear Lakan totally sooner or later. She’s not doing herself any favors by reducing him out of her life, and no less than he deserves that.
