12. Fallen leaves return to their roots
A blue-curtained carriage slowly drove out of the Beiding Marquis's residence.
Little Jinlanyue leaned against the car window, her embroidered skirt spread out on the seat cushion like a blooming flower.
She suddenly pointed out the window and exclaimed with delight, "Grand Tutor, look! Candied hawthorns!"
Qu Zijin looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw several small stalls set up on the shore, among which strings of bright red candied hawthorns looked particularly tempting.
"Moon wants to play by the river~" The little dumpling turned around, gently shaking Qu Zijin's sleeve with her tiny hand, "Just for a little while~"
Qu Zijin looked down at the little girl who was acting cute. Today, she had her hair styled in two buns with a pale yellow ribbon tied in her hair, which made her face look even whiter and more delicate.
There are two small holes at the bottom of the ribbon, which look like there used to be some kind of pendant, but now it's been covered by leather.
Those big, watery eyes were looking at him expectantly, making it impossible for him to refuse.
“One hour,” Qu Zijin finally relented. “When you get back, you must memorize the first three chapters of the Three Character Classic.”
Jin Lanyue's mind was filled with the fact that the Grand Tutor had agreed.
What?
endorsement?
She didn't hear it.
"Great!" Little Jinlanyue cheered, eagerly trying to climb out of the car, almost tripping over her own skirt.
Qu Zijin quickly pulled her back, shaking his head helplessly: "So clumsy."
He then personally straightened her clothes and tied on an apricot-red gauze cloak: "It's windy by the river, be careful not to catch a cold."
The carriage stopped on the riverbank.
Little Jinlanyue was like a bird released from its cage, hopping and skipping forward.
Qu Zijin followed behind at a leisurely pace, watching the cheerful little figure dart among the weeping willows.
"Grand Tutor, come quickly!" The little dumpling stood on a stone bridge waving, the ribbon in her hair fluttering in the wind. "There are so many little fish!"
Qu Zijin walked forward slowly and saw that there were indeed schools of small fish swimming in the clear river water.
Jin Lanyue was trying to dip her tender little feet into the water.
"No," Qu Zijin stopped her in time, "the river water is cold."
The little dumpling pouted in grievance, but then Qu Zijin magically produced a small paper packet from his sleeve: "Here you go."
"It's roasted chestnuts!" Little Jin Lanyue immediately beamed, holding the warm chestnuts in her little hands like a little squirrel that had just received a nut.
The two walked slowly along the riverbank.
The little dumpling would squat down to watch the ants move their house, and then chase after the butterflies. Its tender yellow figure stood out among the green willows and red flowers.
Qu Zijin didn't urge her, but only gently called out to her as she ran away, "Teacher, don't run too far."
Jin Lanyue's face quickly turned rosy from playing, and the stray hairs on her forehead were damp with sweat.
She suddenly hugged Qu Zijin's leg, tilted her little face up, and said, "Grand Tutor, you're the best!"
Qu Zijin, as if possessed, understood what she meant: "You still have to memorize the books."
Jin Lanyue pouted, then sadly rested her head on his knee: "Alright then..."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already let out a small yawn.
Qu Zijin had no choice but to lead her back. Jin Lanyue's pace slowed down, and when they reached a big tree, she stopped and started acting spoiled.
It wouldn't be accurate to call it cheating.
The little dumpling stood still, trying to lift its head, staring at him with a pitiful, wet look like a little puppy, its little hands tightly gripping his fingers, its little mouth slightly pouting, looking both wronged and expectant.
"...You..." Qu Zijin had the words of refusal on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't say them.
He said with difficulty, "I'm not the kind of person who spoils children..."
He really isn't.
Jin Lanyue took a few quick steps closer, pressing her soft cheek against the back of his hand, her big eyes blinking: "Grand Tutor~ Yue'er doesn't want to study..."
“But…” Qu Zijin began to doubt himself.
Is he really not the kind of person who would spoil children?
"Please, please... please..."
"..." Qu Zijin closed his eyes and admitted that he was the kind of person who would spoil children.
“Never mind,” he said, “just consider it a picnic.”
"Yay! A picnic! A picnic with porridge!" Jin Lanyue cheered.
Qu Zijin returned to the carriage, retrieved a blanket, and spread it under the tree.
As soon as the blanket was laid out, Jin Lanyue happily rolled around on it.
Qu Zijin's heart softened more and more. He not only gave up the extracurricular tutoring, but also took the initiative to say, "You stay here and don't move around. I'll go buy you some snacks and I'll be right back."
"Roar~"
Qu Zijin headed towards her beloved candied hawthorn stall, turning back to look at her every few steps, as if afraid she would run away.
However, Jin Lanyue remained obediently seated on the blanket, and waved her arm at him when he turned around.
Jin Lanyue watched expectantly as Qu Zijin got closer and closer to the candied hawthorn stall, feeling that his back looked as majestic as her father's.
Qu Zijin bought candied hawthorns and some snacks as well.
A three-year-old child has little patience and can't sit still after a while.
But Jin Lanyue remembered that the Grand Tutor had forbidden her from moving around, so she twisted and turned but did not climb out of the blanket.
She lay sprawled on the blanket, looking up listlessly.
There were no stars or moon, but there were lots and lots of leaves.
A leaf twirled down and landed right on her nose.
Jin Lanyue sneezed, then sat up, clutching the leaves in her little hands, and exclaimed happily, "Leaf, this is fun!"
A night breeze blew by, and a shower of leaves fell from the trees.
"Leaf! So many leaves! It's so much fun!" She giggled and reached out her little hand to catch the leaves.
When Qu Zijin returned, he saw Jin Lanyue frantically trying to catch the leaves.
She stood up, tiptoed, and carefully protected a leaf with one little hand, while trying to grab it with the other, but the leaf always slipped away from her grasp.
Undeterred, she went to grab other leaves.
Sometimes she would lose her balance and fall onto the blanket with a thud, startling Qu Zijin. But she would get up on her own and continue catching leaves.
He flashed a bright white smile, clearly enjoying himself.
Qu Zijin thought, no wonder everyone dotes on her so much, even he couldn't escape it.
It's really hard not to like such a beautiful, cute, well-behaved, and lively child.
"Are you playing with leaves?" Qu Zijin put down his snacks and casually took a leaf and handed it to her.
"Thank you~ Yue'er has two leaves now!" Jin Lanyue grabbed a leaf in each of her two little hands and smiled sweetly.
She waved her hands, mimicking the falling of leaves: "Leaves are falling from the trees~"
"Hmm, you fall down, and then what?" Qu Zijin couldn't be serious anymore and couldn't help but smile as he watched her perform.
Jin Lanyue shouted even louder: "Splash, splash, splash, it falls to the ground!"
She ran to the tree roots with her short legs and placed two leaves there.
"Yes, this is called returning to one's roots."
The little boy seemed to understand but not quite: "Ruoye Guigen..."
“It’s like fallen leaves returning to their roots,” Qu Zijin walked to her side, squatted down, and explained, “After the leaves fall, they eventually return to the roots of the tree, turning into nutrients to nourish the tree. This is the destiny of leaves, and the same is true for people. Everything has its own destiny.”
As he spoke, he became somewhat melancholic.
Where will he find his final resting place?
He was once full of passion and eager to make a name for himself. He believed that in writing his book, a true man should carry a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats.
But soon, the cold reality extinguished his passion, along with his ideals and his pride.
He studied diligently for over a decade and finally topped the list of successful candidates, but in the end, he was reduced to serving as a tutor to a princess.
The emperor who once lavishly praised his talent has now forgotten him.
He longed to serve the court and to have his talents recognized, but reality did not allow it.
He could not see his future, nor could he see where he would end up.
“Ding doesn’t understand…” Jin Lanyue picked up the leaf and looked at the Grand Tutor.
She sensed that the Grand Tutor seemed very sad, but she didn't know how to comfort him.
Then she remembered how her mother comforted her when she was unhappy in the past.
She reached out a hand and touched the Grand Tutor's cheek: "Don't cry, don't cry, let me touch you..."
Qu Zijin was stunned for a moment.
Her little hands were warm, but also dirty.
When you touch his face, a dark fingerprint is immediately left behind.
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