When is the county school's spring festival?

Huo Xiaolong sat at the table in the main hall of Fengyue Tower, holding a rice bowl, and talked to his sisters about the Spring Festival.

"The teacher said that in seven days, the students should bring their parents along."

Cen's mother and the Huo family were definitely going, leaving only the girls. These young ladies, who had never blushed or competed with each other before, suddenly became very competitive.

"I'm not going to fight you for it, don't count me in," Chunying said, putting a piece of chicken heart into her mouth.

"I won't snatch it either." Liu Xu smiled slightly. She was good at light footwork, and she would find a good place to watch it together with Miao Cuifang.

“A branch of the Zhou family is studying at the county school. I’ll go there and visit them to cheer on Long’er,” Zhihua said, putting down her chopsticks and looking at her sisters.

"Alright, alright, go ahead! I'll make arrangements with the county school." Mother Cen was also worried that the girls might cause trouble and tear down the roof. They had all practiced martial arts for so long, and if they fought, only she would get hurt.

"Hehe!" Huo Xiaolong chuckled foolishly while holding his rice bowl.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes! I'm happy!" Everyone went to watch her compete, and she was genuinely happy!

She still remembers all the competitions and activities when she was in school in her past life. Everyone else's parents, grandparents, and other family members would come, but she was all alone.

When she saw others cheering and encouraging their children, Huo Xiaolong felt envious. She hadn't acknowledged it before, but she wiped away her tears and relied on herself to move forward.

But now, she admits it: she just envies others.

But it's okay, she has it now too.

There are many people who cherish her just as much.

The leaves were lush and green, accompanied by the occasional chirping of cicadas, signaling the start of the county school's spring festival. Students from each class filled the courtyard, while their parents sat in the outer viewing area. The prefect's wife was also present.

While Hua Luan was chatting and exchanging toasts with the ladies, everyone at Fengyuelou kept their eyes glued to the shortest girl in the crowd, who was wearing an academic cap and swaying her head.

"Our Long'er is quite the little man!"

"It's so beautiful when they read the hymns!"

"How's your drawing going, sis?"

"Right away, right away, don't block my view." Zhihua held her paintbrush without stopping, while Huo Xiaolong in the distance occasionally winked at them and smiled brightly.

"First event! Class A vs. Class B! Shoot!" the chief priest announced from the platform.

Da Ni'er grew up on the grasslands and was even better at riding and archery than Huo Xiaolong. The young girl, dressed in short clothes, looked at her classmate, who was a head taller than her, and clasped her hands in a respectful greeting.

"After you?"

"good"

Five arrows were fired in succession, hitting the bullseye perfectly. Granny Wang watched with some nervousness, but her daughter remained calm, bowed to everyone, and then drew her bow and shot an arrow.

"Wang Tianci, first arrow! Full target!"

—Whoosh, another arrow shot out.

"Wang Tianci, second arrow! Full target!"

On Da Ni'er's target, five arrows were stacked together, their arrowheads splitting the fletching in two one after another. The little girl looked back at her sisters and parents clapping for her, and for the first time, she felt that winning was such a joyful thing.

She raised her bow, head held high, and bowed to everyone. Grandma Wang's eyes were a little red, and her hand, gripping her husband's, trembled slightly.

"Our daughter is really amazing."

"Yes! It's ours!"

"Class A! Victory!" The chief priest announced, holding a peony that had not yet withered and placing it in Da Ni'er's hair.

Feng Yuandao raised his head at Guo Fengnian, a provocation. Guo had initially thought they could at least fight to a draw, since there were far more women on deck than on board, and they would definitely be inferior in horsemanship and archery. But unexpectedly…

"Second item! Music!"

"Hou Xiangxiang from Class A versus Feng Zining from Class D".

Miss Feng's mother comes from a family of musicians. The only two people in Class A who can play the piano are Sun Zixi and Hou Xiangxiang, making them the tallest among the short.

"It's okay, little sister! Winning or losing doesn't matter!"

"Don't be nervous, Long'er will win it all back for you later."

Huo Xiaolong turned to Da Ni'er, who had taken the responsibility upon herself, and nodded, though she didn't quite understand.

"No problem, my dear!"

She really is her best friend!

As expected, Hou Xiangxiang lost. In terms of skill and talent, she couldn't compare to Miss Feng. Most importantly... she hadn't touched a zither since coming to the red-light district. If it weren't for today's competition, the zither her mother had bought for her with a thousand taels of silver would still be gathering dust in her room.

Lady Hou looked at her daughter, who was still laughing and joking with her friends even after losing, with eyes full of love. She had thought her daughter would be unhappy after losing, but now it seemed that she had worried too much.

"Does Xiangxiang seem more lively since she came to Pingyang County?" the Prefect's wife asked.

Lady Hou nodded.

"She's become much more lively. Did you see those two little girls laughing and talking to her over there? They're her new friends."

"I remember, isn't that Miss Hua Xuetang?"

"Yes, it's her."

"My two kids are the same. After returning from the county school, they became much more sensible. Not only did they do much better in their studies, but they were also no longer spoiled."

"Kids should still have some childlike innocence. There's no need to restrain them with those empty formalities. I feel sorry for Xiangxiang because she was restrained too much before."

The Prefect's wife held the Marquis's wife's hand and said

"You've done a great job as a mother."

Not everyone can sever ties with their husband and divorce him immediately after his death for the sake of their daughter. Perhaps she wasn't a good wife in the eyes of others, but as a mother, she was competent. Countless rumors circulated in Beining, but Lady Hou didn't care.

Seeing her daughter and her friends smiling brightly, their smiles as radiant as the sun, the woman felt that everything was worth it.

"Hou Xiangxiang, haven't you played the zither in ages?" Miss Sun asked.

"That's for sure. Apart from me studying it a couple of times during music theory class at school, I don't even look at it the rest of the time."

"What's wrong? Why aren't you practicing the piano at home?"

The little girl tucked the violin behind her back and said to her

"I don't have time. Every afternoon when I go back, I read medical books. Those medical books, ah... you have no idea, there are so many. I feel like I'll never finish reading them in this lifetime."

"Dingban! Wins!"

"Next match! Imperial chariot! But the children in our county school are too young, so let's skip the imperial chariot and change it to martial arts."

"Huo Xiaolong from Deck Class vs. Feng Ziqi from Class D"

"Are they twins, a boy and a girl?" Sun Ziyang asked.

"Yes, just like you two," Hou Xiangxiang nodded in reply.

The little girl walked confidently onto the stage, looked at the boy in front of her who was about the same age as Hou Xiangxiang, and said...

"please."

"please."

His master had taught him that the worst thing to do in a fight is to underestimate someone, especially a child or a woman. Even though Huo Xiaolong was a head shorter than him, Feng Ziqi was completely focused.

It's a pity; brute force can overcome any skill.

That day, those guarding the city wall were all given a message by Cen's mother and Wang Zheng, asking them not to spread the word that Huo Xiaolong could pull the heavy crossbow. This child has too many tricks up his sleeve, and neither Fengyue Tower nor she herself can beat that person in the capital. It's not a bad thing to keep a low profile.