The small pearls are small and round, milky white, and lustrous; they are clearly of superior quality.
Wanwan placed it in her palm, held it up to Xiao Qi's eyes, and asked with sparkling eyes, "Brother Xiao, isn't this pretty? How about Wanwan gives this bead to me?"
Xiao Qi stared at the pearl in front of him and suddenly remembered that during the last fierce battle with the bandits, Wanwan used the mermaid pearl to transform into a water dragon to control the water. His eyebrows suddenly furrowed and his usually calm eyes flickered.
"Wanwan." Xiao Qi reached out and curled her fingers, forcing her to hold the pearl again. "How did you conjure the water dragon during the night battle with the bandits last time?"
"Water dragon?"
With her exquisitely beautiful face, Wanwan's round eyes, brighter than pearls, slowly filled with a look of confusion. "Brother Xiao, how come you remember that Wanwan can turn into a big water dragon?"
Wanwan remembers that many people couldn't see the water dragon.
Xiao Qi frowned slightly, a thought flashing through his mind. The idea of turning into a water dragon was absurd to anyone. The young girl probably didn't want to talk about it, and his abrupt question had forced her to avoid the topic.
Thinking of this, Xiao Qi smiled, his eyes filled with tenderness, and he raised his hand to touch Xiao Qi's curved head. "It's nothing, Brother Xiao remembered wrong."
"Oh," Wanwan replied, but her eyes still held no doubt.
However, she quickly put the matter out of her mind and handed the pearl to Xiao Qi again, asking patiently, "Brother Xiao hasn't told Wanwan yet if the little pearl is pretty! Brother Xiao and Brother Xie are both boys, so if Brother Xiao likes it, Brother Xie will definitely like it too. If Brother Xiao is satisfied, Wanwan will give this as an apology!"
Xiao Qi glanced at it patiently, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "It's just an apology, there's no need to send such a precious gift."
Her dark, curved eyes were full of confusion. She tilted her head in bewilderment, and the bangs that adorned her forehead, like the feathers of a fledgling bird, tilted to one side with her movement.
"But Wanwan's relationship with Brother Xie is also very important. Wanwan's friends are more important than Pearl."
After Wanwan finished speaking, she smiled brightly and charmingly. Her innocent appearance was like a small needle gently pricking Xiao Qi's heart.
The boy, who was usually sharp and alert, was immediately startled by this strange feeling, and his eyes rippled with emotion.
"Sister Wanwan!"
Lin Yang'er suddenly shouted and rushed into the storeroom, her face glowing with excitement. Her green clothes and small shawl fluttered in the wind, making her look like a green clump of mugwort running towards the two of them from a distance.
She ran closer quickly, her forehead damp with sweat, her face flushed a delicate pink, and her eyes shone with excitement.
Upon seeing Wanwan, she rushed over and grabbed her shawl, jumping up and down as she said, "Sister Wanwan! Come quickly with Yang'er! Yang'er has found a gift to give to Brother Xie!"
Upon hearing this, Wanwan's eyes lit up like stars, her round eyes seemingly filled with bright sunlight. "Okay! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Xiao Qi watched the two little girls laughing happily on the spot, and stood there calmly, motionless.
Wanwan and Lin Yang'er linked hands, lifted their little skirts, and ran away with their short legs.
After walking for a while, Wanwan looked back worriedly. Seeing that Xiao Qi was still standing there, she stretched out her short little arms and waved them vigorously in Xiao Qi's direction, shouting loudly, "Brother Xiao! Hurry up and come over! You're going to lose Wanwan!"
In the distance, a girl in a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) stood bouncy and cheerful in the wind, like a glutinous rice ball made of peach blossoms. Her soft and sweet voice was blown away by the wind before it reached Xiao Qi's ears.
Xiao Qi unconsciously curled a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, sighed silently in his heart, and walked towards the two of them.
When Wanwan saw him coming, she turned around and ran away with Lin Yang'er, turning back to tell Xiao Qi to hurry up and catch up.
Just as Xiao Qi was about to quicken his pace, a figure suddenly darted out from behind him.
Before Xiao Qi could react, a figure had already darted in front of him. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person was Wan Yuechi.
Wan Yuechi held a half-open book of poetry in his hand, one hand resting on his knee as he panted, while the other hand held onto Xiao Qi as if afraid he would run away.
"Young Master Xiao, I've finally caught up with you."
He took a while to catch his breath before straightening up and handing the book to Xiao Qi. "I came here to ask you a question. What does this poem mean? I just can't understand it."
Xiao Qi's gaze followed Wan Yuechi's finger for a while, and he saw the poem he asked about. After thinking for a moment, he said seriously like a teacher: "When reading poetry, one should not be too rigid. Poetry is the poet's sentiment. The first thing to do when reading poetry is to understand the poet's circumstances. When being demoted, one is sad; when reuniting with old friends, one is happy; when stationed, one is resilient. Most poems are recited casually when the poet's mood is right. If you write them down and carefully analyze them, you will lose the joy of reciting poetry."
"Oh, I see..." Wan Yuechi seemed to understand but not quite, scratching the back of his head. "Young Master Xiao is right. I will do it this way from now on. I hope Young Master Xiao will patiently guide me on anything I don't understand."
"We should certainly learn from each other." Xiao Qi nodded.
"Not bad, not bad!"
A familiar voice came from behind them. The two turned around and saw Wan Suizhou stroking his beard, strolling leisurely towards them. When his gaze swept over Xiao Qi, he clapped his hands a few times in a leisurely manner.
"Hello, Grandpa."
"Hello, sir."
The two bowed respectfully, and Wan Suizhou's smile widened, even his gray eyebrows twitched.
"Xiao Qi is exceptionally talented. His writing skills have improved even more in just a few days," Wan Suizhou said, stroking his beard and looking at him approvingly.
Xiao Qi lowered his head, his expression humble. "I wouldn't dare. I was just repeating what you said, sir. Young Master Wan is also very talented and eager to learn from me."
Wan Yuechi scratched his neck sheepishly, his cheeks slightly flushed. In the end, it was always him who asked Xiao Qi questions, but Xiao Qi had never asked him any profound questions.
"He has a solid foundation and is also humble."
Wan Suizhou was even more satisfied, his face crinkling with a smile. "Your skill level is already high enough to teach students at a private school in my place."
Xiao Qi understood the implication, looked up at Wan Suizhou, and asked respectfully, "What does the master mean?"
Wan Suizhou placed his hand on his shoulder, applying a firm but trusting grip. "I see you have the potential to educate people. It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. When you have time, go to the private school and tutor some students for me. It will help you review what you've learned and learn something new."
"As you command, sir, I will gladly oblige," Xiao Qi replied modestly.
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