The golden autumn in August shone brightly with a radiant sun.
On the boundless land, the golden sea of rice under the caress of the breeze, lifted wave upon wave of rice waves.
In the swaying dance of the golden waves, a little girl in a green jacket and skirt, her hair combed into double buns, closed her eyes and spread her arms wide, her face a picture of contentment as she immersed herself in the rolling rice fragrance.
"Daohua~"
"Daohua~"
The distinct, carefree, and joyous voice of youth traveled from afar, rapidly spreading into the waves of rice along with the breeze.
Upon hearing the voice, the little girl's eyes immediately snapped open, and tilting her head, she saw the boy on the ridge running towards her at breakneck speed, waving his hand as he came.
Seeing the boy, the corners of the little girl's eyes curved, and a radiant smile instantly appeared on her face. She raised her hand and waved back, "Third brother, I'm here!"
Yan Wentao saw the little girl and his face lit up with joy, his long legs carrying him even faster now.
In the golden waves of rice, the little girl stood smiling gently, her eyebrows green without painting, her lips red without gloss, her eyes like stars, and her skin creamy and luscious.
Even after nine years, Yan Wentao still found he could never get enough of looking at his eldest little sister, who resembled a celestial maiden by the side of deities.
"Third brother, why have you come?"
As soon as the boy arrived, the little girl greeted him with a beaming smile, her fair, delicate cheeks slightly reddened by the sun, making her look even more endearingly naïve and charming.
"And you're asking why? With such a blazing sun, what on earth are you doing running out here? Aren't you afraid of tanning your skin?"
As soon as Yan Wentao arrived, he promptly took the straw hat from his head and carefully placed it on the little girl's head.
"Look, your face is all red. Grandmother will definitely scold you when we get home."
The little girl stood obediently, letting the boy put the hat on her. Once he had done so, she affectionately looped her arm through his and coaxed, "If Grandmother gets angry, Third brother, you have to plead for me."
"You, oh you!" Yan Wentao tapped the little girl's forehead with his finger, his expression a mix of doting affection and helplessness, "Come on, let's head back. Uncle has sent a letter, and Grandmother is waiting for you to read it."
"Ah?"
The little girl was taken aback for a moment, "Why would a letter come at this time?"
Yan Wentao shook his head: "Harvest is approaching; it's probably an inquiry about when we will visit Uncle at his post in the county town."
The little girl shrugged with indifference, showing that she didn't really care about it.
Seeing this, Yan Wentao chuckled, "What, don't you want to see Uncle and Aunt?"
Little Daohua was born in the year when Uncle passed the imperial examination. The following year, he was appointed as a Seventh-rank County Magistrate with the distinction of placing third in the imperial examination. At that time, Little Daohua was too young and Grandmother was in poor health, so it was inconvenient for Uncle to take them with him upon his appointment, and they stayed behind in the family home.
Eight years passed in this way.
Watching his eldest little sister, who had only seen her parents a few times by the age of nine, a twinge of heartache crossed Yan Wentao's eyes.
"I do want to see them!"
Little Daohua replied halfheartedly.
Compared to being confined in the inner quarters of a large household, she preferred the unrestricted life of the countryside. If possible, she would rather stay forever in the fields, living a life of leisurely ease.
By this time, the siblings had stepped onto the village road, and people were suddenly all around them.
"Oh, look, it's Daohua and Wentao!"
"Third Uncle!"
"Mr. Wu!"
"Sixth Auntie!"
"Uncle Wu!"
The two siblings politely and happily greeted everyone, which deepened the smiles on the faces of those around them.
"With such a big sun, how come you two are out too?"
"What else could it be, Daohua must be out inspecting their family's paddy fields again."
At this, everyone burst into happy laughter.
The little girl laughed along, "I have to check, my family is counting on this harvest."
"Daohua, listen to your auntie, your dad is the County Magistrate, big lord, you don't need to work hard like us. Go home and enjoy your blessings."
The little girl replied with a smile, "Auntie, County Magistrates need to eat too!"
"Hahaha, look at our Daohua, so young but already knows how to help out her family, no wonder Old Lady Yan dotes on her so much."
"Exactly, if this old man had a granddaughter like her, I'd spoil her to death too."
Listening to everyone's light-hearted banter, the little girl always wore a smile, one hand holding onto her third brother, the other running through the rice plants at the edge of the field. With light steps, she hopped and skipped towards the most imposing house in the village.
As the siblings walked away, discordant voices emerged from the crowd.
"What's the use of being adored, in the end, she's still just a girl!"
"Bai Er, you better shut your mouth, what has Daohua done to you?"
"I just can't stand how you all fawn over a little girl. If her County Magistrate father valued her slightly, he wouldn't have left her in the old home for eight years."
"If you don't know, then stop talking nonsense. Daohua is showing filial piety to Old Lady Yan on behalf of her parents."
"Hmph, that's just a story to fool outsiders, and you believe it? I've heard that County Magistrate Yan took a concubine from a Scholar Family during his tenure, and that concubine bore him boy and girl twins. The girl looked as beautiful as flowers and gems, and County Magistrate Yan is extremely fond of her. Daohua, who grew up in the village and looks like a village girl, he'd like her? I doubt it..."
The farmer had a particularly loud voice, and combined with the openness of the countryside, even though Wentao and his sister had walked a distance away, they could still intermittently hear the people's conversation.
"Third brother, what are you doing?"
The little girl quickly grabbed Wentao, who wanted to turn back and argue.
Wentao was tall and strong for his age; at just thirteen, his height almost matched that of an average grown man, and the little girl nearly didn't manage to hold him back.
"I'm going to teach that scoundrel Bai Er, who can't spew anything but filth from his mouth."
Looking at the fiery Wentao, the little girl couldn't help but laugh, "Wow, third brother, look at you, all eloquent now!"
Wentao was famously averse to studying, and hearing his sister's teasing, the anger in his heart subsided a bit.
The little girl took the opportunity to pull him back, "Why take such idle gossip from outsiders so seriously?"
Wentao reached out to ruffle the little girl's hair but was stopped by her straw hat, "Daohua, don't listen to their nonsense. You are the legitimate eldest daughter of our Yan family. That concubine's child surely can't surpass you. Even if... even if..."
The little girl tilted her head to look at the red-faced Wentao, her round, mischievous eyes twinkling, and she asked with a bright smile, "Even if what?"
Wentao clenched his teeth, "Even if Uncle really does like that concubine's daughter, don't be afraid. You still have grandmother and us. We definitely won't let you be bullied!"
The little girl grinned broadly, revealing her somewhat dazzling white teeth. Her right hand kept flipping through the rice plants as she saw a deepening green color on the rice flower in her palm and the laughter in her eyes intensified.
"Right, with grandmother around, no matter how high a rank dad holds, he wouldn't dare to disobey her, would he?" Her tone lacked any hint of worry.
"Daohua, you crazy girl, hurry back to your old woman before you get roasted into charcoal!"
A robust and powerful shout came from the courtyard more than ten meters away; one could tell the person speaking was in fine fettle.
The little girl shivered, then with a resigned expression, she hurried toward the gate with tiny steps. As she ran, she shouted back, "Grandmother, your beloved Little Daohua is back!"