"Xiao Mo, how do you read these two characters?"
"Yao-tiao."
"And this one?"
"Qiu."
"Yao-tiao shu nü, junzi hao qiu — Xiao Mo, what does this line mean?"
"It means—that graceful, virtuous maiden is a fine match for a gentleman."
"Then how do I become a virtuous maiden?"
"By reading."
"But I am reading."
"Not enough. You have to read a lot more."
"Then how many books will I have to read?"
"By the time you've read about enough of them, you'll know for yourself."
"Ohh."
Bai Ruxue made a little sound of agreement, then raised her pretty head and looked at the top of Xiao Mo's head.
"Huh? Xiao Mo, I think you've gotten taller."
"Have I?"
"You have." Bai Ruxue rose on her tiptoes to measure. "You used to be about my height, and now you're a whole head taller than me."
"I suppose so." Xiao Mo looked at the girl in front of him. "But how come you haven't grown?"
"That's right..." Bai Ruxue blinked. "Why haven't I grown?"
"Maybe this is as tall as you get." Xiao Mo patted her head, then went on leading the ox with one hand and reading as he walked.
"No way." Bai Ruxue chased after his receding back. "Xiao Mo, I'll still grow! I'm definitely going to be really, really tall, and my legs are going to be really, really long."
Xiao Mo smiled. "All right, then I'll wait."
Every time Xiao Mo went up the mountain, he ran into this girl.
The girl never said where she came from, and Xiao Mo never asked where she lived.
When Xiao Mo rode the ox and read, the girl would sit sideways behind him, her little feet swinging beneath her skirt, looking at the white clouds, at the grass, at him in front of her.
Ever since the girl appeared, Xiao Mo spent much less time gathering herbs.
Mostly because Bai Ruxue would gather those herbs up and bury them in the ground.
Every time Xiao Mo came by, she would excitedly drag him into the hills, saying, "I found lots more Ziyang Grass and Qinglong Flowers!"
Xiao Mo taught her to read and write, and Bai Ruxue would pick up bits of silver to pay his tuition.
But even with Bai Ruxue's luck, there was no way she could pick up money every single day.
On the days she found no money, Xiao Mo had to comfort her: "It's fine. You can pay your tuition with a rabbit or a pheasant or whatever, whenever you like."
After that, every time the girl came to see Xiao Mo, her soft white hands would be carrying a rabbit or a pheasant.
"You should've said so earlier! Rabbits and pheasants are way easier to find than silver." That was what the girl said.
But Bai Ruxue still picked up silver every day.
For no other reason.
Bai Ruxue had heard Xiao Mo say that studying cost a great deal of money, and she wanted to pick up money to give him for his studies.
Summer came, and the weather gradually grew hotter.
Snakes love cool shade.
Bai Ruxue stood at the mouth of the cave, and the moment she saw the blazing sun she didn't want to go out at all.
She even felt that if she crawled out there, her belly would be scorched right through, and she'd turn into a roast snake...
But today Xiao Mo had said he would be up the mountain herding cattle...
Judging by the hour, Xiao Mo should have finished lunch by now and already be riding his ox up the mountain.
"Xiaoqing, your sister's going out..." Bai Ruxue said, screwing up her courage.
Xiaoqing, sprawled on a cool rock, lifted her head lazily. "Come back early, Sister."
By now, Xiaoqing didn't have much left to say about her sister running off to see that human.
It wasn't as though her sister ever listened anyway.
Besides, that human seems like a bit of a fool — he still hasn't figured out that my sister is a demon.
"Mm. I'm off."
Bai Ruxue shifted into human form and carefully checked her little feet.
Definitely not a tail. Delighted, Bai Ruxue hopped out of the cave.
Sure enough, on the little path he always took up the mountain, Bai Ruxue spotted a man and an ox.
"Xiao Mo..." The girl waved happily.
As always, the two of them rode the big black ox, swaying along through the mountains.
It was just that this sun really was vicious...
Bai Ruxue felt like her eyes were swimming and her head was going dizzy.
Just then, a shadow fell across the girl's face.
Bai Ruxue looked up. It was an oil-paper umbrella.
"Here, take it. It's hot out — don't get heatstroke." Xiao Mo handed the umbrella to the girl.
"Hmph. I suppose you mean well."
Bai Ruxue happily took the umbrella, propped it against her shoulder, and twirled the handle lightly like a little child.
On the ox's back, the girl sat sideways holding the umbrella, while the boy straddled the ox and read.
Birdsong and the chirring of insects blended together in the hills.
A cool breeze swept past, stirring Xiao Mo's hair.
The girl inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing in comfort; the wind carried the smell of earth and the smell of him.
Maybe summer wasn't so bad after all.
Deep autumn.
The weather gradually turned cold, and the leaves grew more and more withered and yellow.
The herbs in the hills had mostly wilted and dried up as well.
Sitting on that rock on the road he had to take up the mountain, the girl propped her chin on her soft white palm and looked rather melancholy.
Compared with summer, Bai Ruxue found that she hated autumn even more.
Because once autumn came, he hardly went up the mountain to graze cattle or gather herbs anymore.
True, he still came to play with her every few days, but not as often as before.
She watched and watched, and watched and watched.
Every day the girl would sit on that rock looking out, from sunrise all the way to sundown.
Before she knew it, it was already evening.
In another hour, the sun would be down.
Just when the girl had decided he wasn't coming today, a familiar figure appeared on the little path.
The girl's eyes lit up all at once.
"Xiao Mo..." The girl ran over happily. "How come you came up the mountain so late today?"
"I happened to have a little free time today, so I thought I'd come by. I figured if I ran into you, I'd tell you something — I didn't expect you'd still be up here." Xiao Mo smiled.
"I... I was just about to head down too..." The girl's eyes darted about. "What did you want to tell me?"
"The village chief says I've learned enough these past few years and should be able to pass the preliminary examinations. I've already registered — early next spring I'm going to sit the exam. The chief told me to prepare properly and try for a good ranking. Winter's about to set in anyway, so I probably won't be coming by anymore."
"Ohh..." Bai Ruxue lowered her head, a flicker of disappointment passing through her eyes.
"Sorry. I won't be able to teach you to read for a while."
"It's fine, it's fine." The girl waved her hands quickly. "Then, next spring, you'll definitely come back, right?"
"Mm." Xiao Mo nodded.
"Then let's pinky-swear." The girl held out her slender little finger.
Xiao Mo held out his finger as well.
"Pinky swear, seal it tight — a hundred years, no changing."
The two fingers hooked together, and the girl swung their hands; her light, delighted voice carried through the mountain forest.
"Xiao Mo, next spring I'll be waiting right here for you. You mustn't lie to me, all right..."
The girl lifted her lovely eyes and looked at Xiao Mo, unable to let go.
"And if I do lie to you?" Xiao Mo said teasingly.
"You're not allowed to lie to me."
The girl pouted.
"Because... I really would keep waiting forever..."