I Will Truly Keep Waiting

"Xiao Mo, how do you pronounce these two characters?"

"Yǎotiǎo."

"And this one?"

"Qiú."

"'Yǎotiǎo shūnǚ, jūnzǐ hǎo qiú.' Xiao Mo, what does this sentence mean?"

"It means—that beautiful and virtuous lady is a good match for a gentleman."

"Then how do I become a virtuous lady?"

"Read books."

"I am reading books."

"Not enough, you need to read more."

"Then how many books do I need to read?"

"When you've read enough, you'll know yourself."

"Oh."

Bai Ruxue made a sound, then lifted her delicate head and looked at the top of Xiao Mo's head.

"Huh? Xiao Mo, you seem to have grown taller."

"Have I?"

"Yes." Bai Ruxue stood on her tiptoes and measured, "You used to be as tall as me, but now you're a whole head taller."

"It seems so." Xiao Mo looked at the girl in front of him. "But why haven't you grown?"

"That's right." Bai Ruxue blinked. "Why haven't I grown?"

"Maybe this is just how tall you are." Xiao Mo patted her head, continued reading his book while leading the ox, and walked forward.

"Impossible." Bai Ruxue caught up to Xiao Mo's retreating back. "Xiao Mo, I will still grow! I'll definitely grow very, very tall, and my legs will be very, very long."

Xiao Mo smiled. "Alright, I'll be waiting then."

Every time Xiao Mo went up the mountain, he would meet this young girl.

The girl never said where she came from, and Xiao Mo never asked about her home.

When Xiao Mo read while riding the ox, the girl would sit behind him, her little feet dangling from beneath her skirt, swinging as she looked at the white clouds, the grass, and him.

Since the girl started appearing, Xiao Mo spent much less time collecting herbs.

Mainly because Bai Ruxue would collect the herbs and bury them in the ground.

Every time Xiao Mo arrived, she would excitedly pull him into the mountains, saying, "I've found so much Purple Sun Grass and Green Waterfall Flower again!"

Xiao Mo taught her to read and write, and Bai Ruxue would pick up silver fragments to pay Xiao Mo as tuition.

But even with Bai Ruxue's good luck, she couldn't find money every day.

When Bai Ruxue didn't find money, Xiao Mo would comfort her, "It's okay, you can pay tuition with rabbits or pheasants someday."

After that, every time the girl came to see Xiao Mo, she would be carrying a rabbit or a pheasant in her fair little hands.

"You should have said so earlier, rabbits and pheasants are much easier to find than silver," the girl said.

However, Bai Ruxue still picked up silver fragments every day.

There was no other reason.

Bai Ruxue heard Xiao Mo say that reading was expensive, and she wanted to pick up money to give to him for his studies.

Summer arrived, and the weather gradually became hot.

Snakes liked cool places.

Bai Ruxue stood at the entrance of the cave, not wanting to go out as soon as she saw the bright sun.

Bai Ruxue even felt that if she crawled out, her belly would be scalded, and she would turn into a roasted snake.

But today, Xiao Mo said he was going up the mountain to graze the cattle.

Looking at the time, Xiao Mo should have finished lunch and already ridden the ox up the mountain.

"Xiao Qing, I'm going out, sister," Bai Ruxue said, gathering her courage.

Xiao Qing, who was lying on a cool stone, lazily lifted her head. "Sister, come back early."

With the passage of time, Xiao Qing no longer wanted to say much about her sister going to find that human.

Anyway, her sister wouldn't listen even if she said it.

Besides, that human seemed quite foolish, not realizing that his sister was a Yao yet.

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Bai Ruxue transformed into her human form and specifically checked her little feet.

They were indeed not tails, and Bai Ruxue happily hopped out of the cave.

Sure enough, on the path he often took up the mountain, Bai Ruxue saw a person and a cow.

"Xiao Mo." The young girl waved happily.

Just like usual, the two rode the big black cow, swaying through the mountains.

It's just that the sun was really scorching.

Bai Ruxue felt like her eyes were going blurry, and her head was dizzy.

Just then, a shadow fell across the young girl's face.

Bai Ruxue looked up. It was an oil-paper umbrella.

"Take it. It's hot, don't get heatstroke," Xiao Mo handed the umbrella to the young girl.

"Good of you to be thoughtful."

Bai Ruxue happily took the umbrella, leaning it against her shoulder, and like a child, she gently twirled the handle.

On the cow's back, the girl sat sideways holding the umbrella, while the boy sat astride reading a book.

The birdsong and insect chirps in the mountains mingled together.

A gust of cool breeze blew, rustling Xiao Mo's hair.

The young girl took a deep breath, her eyes comfortably narrowing. The wind carried the scent of the earth and him.

It seemed summer wasn't so bad after all.

Late autumn.

The weather gradually grew cooler, and the leaves on the trees turned increasingly yellow.

Many of the medicinal herbs in the mountains had also withered and died.

Sitting on the rock along his usual path up the mountain, the young girl propped her chin with her fair palm, looking somewhat melancholic.

Compared to summer, Bai Ruxue found she disliked autumn even more.

Because in autumn, he didn't come up the mountain to herd cattle and gather herbs as often.

Although he came to visit her every few days, he wasn't as diligent as before.

She gazed and gazed.

Every day, the young girl would sit on this rock and look out, from sunrise to sunset.

Unknowingly, it was already evening.

In another half an hour, the sun would set.

Just as the young girl thought he wouldn't come today, a familiar figure appeared on the small path.

The young girl's eyes lit up instantly.

"Xiao Mo." The young girl ran over happily, "Why are you coming up the mountain so late today?"

"I happened to have some free time today, so I came to see you. I thought if I met you, I'd tell you something. I didn't expect you to still be on the mountain," Xiao Mo smiled.

"I... I'm about to go down the mountain too." The young girl's eyes darted around. "What did you want to tell me?"

"The village elder said that I've learned well enough these past few years and should be able to pass the Imperial Examination for Children. I've already registered, and I'll be taking the exam next spring. The village elder told me to prepare well and strive for a good ranking. Since winter is coming soon, I probably won't be coming up here anymore."

"Oh..." Bai Ruxue lowered her head, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I won't be able to teach you anymore during this time."

"It's okay, it's okay!" The young girl waved her hands quickly. "Then you'll definitely come back next spring, right?"

"Mm." Xiao Mo nodded.

"Then let's pinky swear." The young girl extended her slender pinky finger.

Xiao Mo extended his finger as well.

"Pinky swear, no cheating, a hundred years, no changing."

Their fingers hooked together. The young girl shook her finger, her light and pleasant voice echoing through the mountain forest.

"Xiao Mo, next spring, I'll be waiting for you here. You must not lie to me!"

The young girl raised her beautiful eyes, looking at Xiao Mo with reluctance.

"What if I lied to you?" Xiao Mo joked.

"Don't lie to me."

The young girl pouted.

"Because... I really will wait forever."