A paper ball landed on Ji Ai'er's desk. Without opening it, she knew it was another signal from Ji En to skip school. Every time he wanted to skip class, he would throw a note at her, informing her to follow him. Ai'er turned to look at En, who sat a row behind her on the left. He was packing up his things.
"This class is so boring," En thought, carelessly stuffing his books into his bag as if he were handling trash.
En was very smart. Even though he often skipped classes, it never affected his high scores. At this school, he, Zhongyi Cheng, and Jun Tang were the top students and best friends. No matter how hard Ai'er worked, she could only barely maintain an average standing.
Ai'er had a good impression of Zhongyi Cheng. He was always polite, and she had never seen a chauffeur driving a fancy car to pick him up, so he didn't have the air of a spoiled rich kid like En. Despite the Ji family's impeccable manners, Ai'er couldn't see much refinement in En's behavior.
After climbing over the school's wall, En threw his backpack to Ai'er. She understood why he always made her follow him when skipping school—he needed someone to carry his bag.
They took a taxi to a creek. Ai'er's whole body tensed with unease as she looked at En, not knowing what he intended to do.
"I found a lot of small fish here!" En said excitedly. He took off his school jacket and tossed it aside, rolled up his pants, and waded into the creek. This was a treasured spot he had found, with mountains, water, beautiful scenery, and fresh air.
"En, we shouldn't do this. The butler will scold us later!" Ai'er worried. If his clothes got dirty, she would be the one to get blamed, not him. Although the butler constantly reminded her to call En "Young Master," En always intimidated her into not using the title.
"You're such a coward. Get in here, or I'll tell the butler you pushed me into the mud!" En threatened her without a change in expression. He enjoyed scaring her and watching her distressed reactions.
If Ai'er could honestly and bravely name the person she disliked the most in the world, it would be En without hesitation. But she had no choice; she could only put the two backpacks on a patch of grass she deemed clean, cover them with their jackets, roll up her pants, and follow him into the water.
The creek water was clear, allowing them to see many small fish swimming in groups. They were only two to three centimeters long. The water was cool and shallow, reaching only to their knees. Standing in the sand and soaking in the water felt like a relaxing massage.
"What are you daydreaming about? Help me block that side," En's voice snapped Ai'er out of her reverie. He needed her to block one end while he drove the fish toward their prepared net.
However, Ai'er wasn't as agile as the small fish, so they easily slipped past her hands and feet. After three attempts, they caught nothing. En was furious, calling her as clumsy as the big guy in the cartoon "Popeye," who was always being bullied.
Ai'er resignedly accepted his insults, knowing that arguing was pointless. Her only option was to find a way to help En catch fish.
They eventually changed their strategy from a two-sided approach to a single direction. They stood in a line, driving the fish toward the net together. Ai'er imagined the net full of fish jumping around when they lifted it.
En excitedly lifted the net, but instead of a bunch of small fish, there was a single, unknown, black, slippery creature struggling in the net.
En grabbed it and suddenly thrust it in Ai'er's face. She screamed reflexively, nearly falling into the creek. From that moment on, she knew her greatest fear was loaches.
**Butterfly Poems**
**[Tang] Xu Yin**
Moths struggle to fly, yet butterflies, where flowers bloom, always pass by.
The wind carries them lightly away, mocking the spider's futile web.
Pairs flutter gently against painted railings, beauties stealing glances repeatedly.
Don't underestimate their short wings, catching them in the flowers is hard enough.
Vivid yet unbound, the wild gardens and deserted paths abound.
Without hearing silk and bamboo, who taught them to dance? Perhaps the oriole's song.