Chapter 4 The Golden Bell "Hanging on the Ankle?"

As she came out of Ji Changyue's courtyard, she was met by a robust man with a beard. Guessing who he was, and to show respect, Banban followed her mother's example and opened her palms, placing her right hand over her palm in a gesture of greeting.

Ji Hao stroked his beard, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

He traveled to many countries and saw such a delicate little girl for the first time. She was only five years old. Although she was slightly round and had a chubby face, her eyes were unusually large. With her delicate eyelashes, pretty nose and cherry lips, her eyes were lively and charming. She looked like a simple and innocent child.

"gentlemen."

Ji Hao turned away. The student stood under the eaves, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, looking quite troubled. "There is something unclear about this scroll."

Ji Haoying smiled broadly and took two steps at a time, saying, "What is it that you don't understand? Let me see."

Ying Zheng reached over the gentleman's arm and glanced at the small figure that disappeared into the courtyard.

Not long after they left, the sound of reading could be faintly heard from the courtyard behind them, accompanied by sighs and lamentations.

Cong Yun asked, "Young lady, now that your wish has been fulfilled, why are you still sighing?"

"Congyun, you don't understand. I'm just worried about my cousin. He has to go to class tonight." She pretended to wipe the corner of her eye, and said with great regret, "From now on, all the good food, drinks, and fun things will be enjoyed by me alone."

"..." Cong Yun couldn't help but chuckle, "Little lady." He pretended to put on a fierce face.

The two, one big and one small, walked back hand in hand. Yun, familiar with gossip, said, "The gentleman that the lord invited back is named Ji Hao. It is said that he is an extraordinary person, very self-important, and even thinks that he can be compared with Confucius."

Banban blinked, "That's too narcissistic."

"Narcissism?" Cong Yun asked with a hint of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Banban paused slightly, scratched his head, and said, "I just said it casually. The general idea is that I'm overly obsessed with myself, and I'm overly confident and arrogant."

Cong Yun suddenly realized, "Young lady, you are truly learned!"

She has some amazing knowledge.

"Ji Hao was indeed confident and arrogant. Perhaps because of this, no lord was willing to take him in when he traveled around the states. He had no choice but to return to Handan to teach in a sorry state."

Upon hearing this, Banban raised her little face suspiciously, "There have been countless proud geniuses throughout history, so it's not like no one would take him in. Could it be that he has no real talent or ability?"

"I don't know about that." Cong Yun held up three fingers and muttered in a low voice, "The lord went to the Handan Academy three times to invite him back, and it cost three times the dowry."

"ah?!"

“My cousin is probably extraordinary. I heard that he was not planning to start a formal lecture tonight. But for some reason, Ji Hao talked with him for a while and then started the banquet immediately. I was thinking to myself—oh, my cousin.”

Before she could finish speaking, her little hand suddenly broke free, and she lifted her skirt and ran away.

He couldn't catch the cloud, so he chased after it with a sigh.

Panting, they returned to the main courtyard. After exchanging a few words, they turned around and bumped into an empty sedan chair. A maid stood beside the chair and curtsied, "Madam, you're back."

Banban slammed on the brakes, touched the red hair on his head, and obediently asked, "Huanchun, has my great-mother arrived?"

Huan Chun was a servant of the First Mother, and she was needed almost everywhere she went. Unexpectedly, she was made to stand outside and wait today.

Huan Chun nodded. "Go inside and warm up quickly," she said reproachfully. "Don't run around like this in winter, or you'll catch a cold."

Yun Cheng was filled with trepidation and admitted his mistake, saying, "Yes."

Banban gave a low hum, not entirely convinced, and excitedly squeezed inside. He expected that just as he reached the entrance to the front hall, a low, mournful sob would drift out:

"...Teach me what to do. I don't care what happens to me, but not to Zheng'er. Mother, my life is so bitter."

Cong Yun grabbed her hand and shook his head at her.

Banban frowned slightly, hesitating for a long time.

Another elderly voice rang out, as if it had been pondering for a long time, "In my opinion, there may still be room for maneuver, Yue'er, don't panic."

indoor.

Madam Pang comforted her youngest daughter, saying, "I don't think Yiren is the kind of person who would easily change his mind. It's possible that Lady Huayang coerced or tempted him. That child is only three years old, what can he possibly understand?"

Ji Xiu nodded repeatedly and comforted her gently, "That's right. At worst, little sister can just live at home for the rest of her life. Would your brother let you suffer?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu's expression changed slightly. She barely managed to restrain herself from tearing her husband apart on the spot, fearing that her displeasure would displease her mother-in-law. She forced a smile and said, "Yes, yes."

Unexpectedly, instead of reacting, Madam Pang's face darkened. "Nonsense! What kind of husband and wife don't stay together?"

She rolled her eyes at her son, then turned and took her daughter's hand. "Yue'er, your mother won't let that strange man forget you. Here's what we'll do: you go back and sew a love knot, and I'll find a way to deliver it to him and test his attitude first. If he's really so heartless... humph!"

Ji Changyue's expression softened slightly, but she still looked somewhat sorrowful. "Daughter understands."

As Mrs. Pang pondered, the flickering shadows under the moonlight caught her attention.

As soon as she came into view, the half-round shadow by the door suddenly withdrew, and two shadows, one tall and one short, filled the room. The shorter one was sneaky, like a caterpillar on a treetop in spring.

A smile spread across Pang's face as she took a sip of tea and coughed softly.

Ji Changyue recognized it, "Chengyin?"

The little shadow froze, then slowly poked its head out again, revealing a pair of bright, large eyes, its long eyelashes fluttering as it couldn't hide its guilty conscience.

With so many people watching her, Banban felt immense pressure. She silently clenched her little hands and jumped out, saying, "Greetings, Great Mother." She hurriedly gave a curtsy and then snuggled up to her, trying to avoid being punished. "Banban saw Huanchun and knew that Great Mother was here, so she couldn't wait to come and pay her respects."

After saying that, she added, still a little worried, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Upon hearing this, the adults all laughed. Mrs. Pang gave her granddaughter's head a big rub, saying, "My darling, Grandma loves you so much."

Ji Changyue couldn't resist and took the opportunity to pinch Banban's chubby cheeks. "You came back from your cousin's place?"

"Yes, my cousin is studying with his teacher. He's very diligent." Banban carefully examined her aunt's face and touched her hand with concern. "My cousin hasn't rested at all. He's very hardworking."

Ji Changyue was slightly taken aback. Was this child trying to comfort her?

Her nose tingled, and she smiled gently, "Zheng'er and Chengyin are both good children."

As night deepened, the adults quickly dispersed.

Zhu and Ji Xiu saw their mother-in-law off in her sedan chair at the door. Remembering how she had subtly urged her to get pregnant before leaving, Zhu looked displeased and said, "I think your mother is just worried that I didn't give you a son."

Ji Xiu said, "With such a large family business, who will she entrust it to in the future? Having another son would be helpful, and no matter who she marries, having a pillar of the family will prevent her husband's family from easily bullying her."

Zhu felt indignant but helpless. "But Banban doesn't like her younger siblings. You forgot that last time, she was so scared that she cried all night and wouldn't let go of me."

Ji Xiu pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Let's wait until she's a little older." He had always doted on his daughter, and her tears always made him feel bad.

Banban knew nothing of this and was fast asleep on his parents' bed.

For several days in a row, she was extremely happy. She would wake up and eat, eat and sleep all day long. She kept asking her cousin to have what she had. Ji Xiu couldn't stand his daughter's crying and fussing. She was like a devil, so he had no choice but to take her to the Golden Jade Marriage and ransack the place. They bought all sorts of things, such as hairpins, headdresses, seasonal clothes, shoes and socks. The carriage couldn't hold them all. When Zhu Shi came back, she scolded the two of them for being wasteful.

The year has passed, and spring is in full bloom.

The snow in Handan has melted, revealing its original beauty.

Banban really managed to keep the periwinkle alive. She took it out to bask in the sun during the day, loosened the soil, and took meticulous care of it.

The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is to go barefoot to see the periwinkles.

The flower had been transplanted to the soil in the front yard. Banban got dressed, ate breakfast, and went to visit the flower as usual.

"Huh?"

A golden bell hangs from the lush, smooth green leaf, suspended by a red string. When you flick it with your finger, it makes a tinkling sound.

On the edge of the hardened soil, a few characters were drawn by a tree branch.

She didn't recognize the characters. "What kind of characters are these?"

Was it my cousin who came last night?

“He has to attend classes during the day, and he comes to see the flowers every night, but his wife is already asleep by then,” Congyun explained. “Last night, there was a sudden downpour, and he was worried that the flowers would be ruined, so he came in the middle of the night to have a shed set up to shelter them. Look, there are four holes here.”

“It really rained heavily last night.” The sound of the rain was so loud that it woke her up once. Sure enough, there were four holes made by wood in the soil, and it was damp. “So my cousin also cares about periwinkles.” She felt very gratified.

However, she hadn't visited him in a long time.

Since she no longer needed to practice singing and dancing, she rarely went to see him.

Thinking of this, Banban hesitated slightly.

Cong Yun chuckled, "I recognize these characters; he taught me them last night."

"Changchun is renewed every day."

"Changchun...renewing every day?" Banban repeated, "What does it mean?"

"The periwinkle's other names are 'everlasting spring' and 'everlasting renewal,' which are probably derived from this?" Congyun said, "I don't know either."

"This bell, was it a gift from my cousin?" Banban took off the bell and held it up to her left and right. "It doesn't look good on my wrist." She was quite annoyed, not understanding why he would give her this.

After lunch, Banban took some of her favorite snacks and fruits to visit her cousin.

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

She peeked inside. He seemed to have grown taller in the two months she hadn't seen him. A dark robe accentuated his waist, and the afternoon sunlight bathed him, making his black hair seem to glow with a pale orange light. His skin was exceptionally white, and his delicate eyelashes drooped like fans, casting small shadows on the side of his nose, exuding an inexplicable indifference.

"...Cousin?"

Banban called out to him softly.

He didn't turn around, slowly writing something. His wrist, holding the brush, showed prominent bones that were almost transparent and jade-colored when the sunlight shone on it.

"Cousin!" Why aren't you answering her?

Banban ran over and poked his arm.

Ying Zheng slowly put down his brush, looked her over, and asked, "Who are you?"

Banban: "?"

Ying Zheng pondered, "Do we know each other?"

"I am Banban, my full name is Ji Chengyin! My nickname is Banban!"

"That name sounds familiar."

"!!!"

They stared at each other, he fixed his gaze on her intently, while she, having gone through confusion and anger, gradually realized the reason behind his words.

"Cousin, are you angry?" Banban shook his arm, hiding her panic, and said confidently, "I've been very busy lately."

"Is that so?" Ying Zheng brushed her hand away, not wanting to say more. But as his sleeves swayed, the red rope and gold bells made a clear tinkling sound. He glanced at it a few more times and couldn't help but ask, "You wear this on your hand?"

"Isn't it supposed to be a wristband?" Banban took off her sleeve, revealing a section of her arm that looked like a lotus root.

He untied the bell. "Sit down."

Confused, she sat down on the steps next to the table, her bottom barely warm, when suddenly her left leg was lifted up by the other person. His fingers were white and slender, and when he gripped her, they squeezed her skin a little.

"Why--"

"Don't move."

Ying Zheng skillfully tied a red rope around her ankle and hung the bell on it. As she swung her feet, the golden bell jingled melodiously.

Banban swung her toes and blinked strangely.

Wouldn't that mean there would be a jingling sound every time you walk?

"You don't like it?" Ying Zheng stared intently at her face. "Didn't you say you would listen to me?"

"Besides, you haven't come to see me for two months. I'm not just a tool you use to slack off, am I?"