Time flies, and the days pass by in the blink of an eye. Wanwan quickly grew from a toddler into a lively twelve-year-old girl.
Her face had lost much of its baby fat, and although she was still young, she had become much more radiant. Her eyes, which used to sparkle like black grapes, were now clearer and more transparent. Her slender eyebrows were like two crescent moons, and her long eyelashes were soft and downy. Her curious little face now had a greater urge to explore.
She had grown much taller; the little dumpling had become graceful and elegant, with a slender waist that could be encircled by a single hand. She still walked with a bouncy gait, dressed in a green robe. Her black hair, which had always been styled in a topknot, had been transformed into two small and adorable buns, some adorned with newly picked red flowers, others wrapped with crisp, emerald-green ribbons.
When she hopped and skipped out of the bamboo forest, she was like a fairy emerging from the mountains.
In the vast Wan family compound, over the course of nearly ten years, Wan Yuechi and Wan Yuekui have gradually grown into the people they aspired to be.
Wan Yuechi was much taller than Wanwan, but he was thin and always dressed in white. His gentle eyes always shone with a thoughtful light. He had a scholarly air about him. He was well-read and had passed the imperial examination twice. He was preparing to go to the capital to take the imperial examination.
With the eldest and second eldest brothers about to leave home one after another, the Wan family compound is likely to become increasingly deserted.
She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the flowers and plants in the corner of the courtyard.
She didn't know when the orchids had withered and died, so she personally uprooted them and planted a clump of forsythia instead.
It was a sunny season, and the forsythia had grown into clumps, blooming with bright golden flowers that covered the gray low wall completely. The delicate fragrance filled the entire courtyard.
"Wanwan, are you spacing out again?" Wan Yuechi walked over slowly.
His younger sister seemed to have developed some girlish thoughts, and lately she had become more inclined to think about her own things alone. It seemed like only yesterday that she was a little dumpling with her back to him, lost in thought, and today she had become a slender and graceful young woman.
Wan Yuechi walked over to the low stool next to her and sat down, admiring the forsythia in the corner with her. The bright sunlight shone on the two siblings, and Wan Yuechi's white clothes shone faintly, like a piece of white jade.
Wanwan, dressed in a blue dress, exuded a youthful and beautiful aura under the sunlight. Although she was silent, she still gave people a sense of liveliness. A gentle breeze brushed their cheeks, and the small flower in Wanwan's hair swayed slightly, as if it were about to grow on her body.
She was still resting her face on her hand, her cheeks softly squeezed out by her palm.
"Second Brother will be going to the capital soon." Wanwan didn't look at Wan Yuechi, as if she was talking to herself, and seemed a little disappointed. "This courtyard will be even more deserted afterward."
As Wanwan spoke, she let out a soft sigh, her small shoulders slumping as if bearing a tremendous burden.
Seeing his little sister's distressed expression, Wan Yuechi felt both affection and amusement. "Wanwan, are you reluctant to leave your brother? How about your brother takes you to the capital with him?"
Wan Yuechi glanced at Wanwan, but could only see her profile.
The little girl had a high nose bridge, smooth and rounded profile, blunt corners of her eyes, and a pair of dark pupils that made her look even more innocent. A green ribbon hung down her cheeks, caressing her curved, creamy face with the wind.
What was said in jest was taken to heart by the listener. Upon hearing this, Wanwan's eyes immediately lit up, her face beaming. She slapped her knee and turned to Wan Yuechi excitedly, saying, "That's right! I'll go tell Grandpa right now, why don't we all move to the capital!"
The young girl's fiery personality remained unchanged. After saying this, she left Wan Yuechi and went to the backyard to find Wan Suizhou.
"Hey, hey, Wanwan, wait for me!" Wan Yuechi chased after him desperately.
Wan Suizhou and Wan Kongshan were busy pruning the branches of the red wintersweet that had been infested with insects in the backyard. Each of them had a pair of scissors and they were carefully identifying the insect holes in the thin and bony red plum clumps.
The red plum blossoms had mostly withered, leaving a thin layer of dry, yellowed petals on the ground. Stepping on them felt soft and spongy, like walking on a carpet made of petals.
Zhang Xiu was fertilizing several clumps of Cymbidium goeringii when he saw Wanwan and Wan Yuechi. He told them to slow down.
"Grandpa!" Wanwan's eyebrows danced with joy, her face full of happiness. "Second brother said that since the Wan family's shops have spread all over the country, and eldest brother has gone to the army to serve as a guard, and he is also going to take the imperial examination, why don't we move the whole family to the capital? We can take care of the shops then."
Wan Yuechi was shocked and his eyes widened. When did he give so many reasons?
Wanwan showed no remorse for her little tricks; she had hidden her cunning well, and her joy remained undiminished.
The three adults were all taken aback when they heard this.
That's right. Now that Wan's shops are all over the country, it's becoming increasingly difficult to manage them in the small village. It would be better to move directly to the city so that they can take care of Wan Yuechi, who is studying hard in a faraway place.
Zhang Xiu wiped her hands on her apron and walked over, her eyes sparkling, eagerly awaiting Wan Suizhou's words.
Wan Kongshan had grown some mustache on his chin, which was already a bit gray. He had also picked up his father's habit of stroking his mustache when he was thinking, his eyes glancing downwards.
After a moment of silence, Wan Suizhou stroked his gray beard and spoke up, "Yue Chi is right. Let's do it this way. While the weather is nice, let's pack our bags first."
"Great! I'll go book a carriage!" Zhang Xiu said happily, wiping her hands vigorously on her apron before heading out.
Wan Kongshan followed his wife to pack their luggage.
The adults agreed so easily that Wanwan was so happy that she insisted on pruning the insect-infested branches for her grandfather.
Three days later, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the sun was shining brightly. The carriage that Zhang Xiu had ordered arrived on time, and everyone helped carry things inside and out.
As Wanwan was carrying her grandfather's flower seeds out, she suddenly heard Wan Kongshan calling her, saying that someone was looking for her.
She quickly put down the seeds and went out the door.
The person searching for her was Xiao Qi.
The fifteen-year-old boy was tall and slender. The childishness on his face had completely faded, and he had become more resolute and steady. The gloomy and sharp look that always appeared on his face in his childhood had been greatly restrained, and his eyes were more profound and indifferent. His ink-black hair was held in place by only a black hairband, and his black clothes made him look even more aloof, but also gave him a cold and refined elegance.
"Wanwan." The boy's voice was clear and melodious, like the clinking of jade pendants. Wanwan was delighted to hear it and quickly came out to greet him.
"Brother Xiao!" Wanwan's face lit up with joy, and she called him affectionately as she had when they were children.
"I heard that your family is moving away from Hailan Village, so I came here specifically to find you. May I speak with you in private?" Xiao Qi's eyes were gentle, even more polite than when he was a child.
Wanwan didn't care about the other person's politeness, whether intentional or not, and nodded repeatedly before following him to the beach.
The afternoon sun warmed everyone, and the beach and sea were also lazy and leisurely, slowly surging up and then leisurely receding. Xiao Qi's profile was turned towards Wanwan, and the sunlight shone on his cheeks, creating a halo around them.
His dry, constricted throat actually swallowed.
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