Chapter 1, Ripples

Yan Hupo's home is not far from the Yan Family, just a couple of alleys away. Early in the morning, Grandma wanted to buy tofu, and suddenly, Baicao remembered that the tofu shop was very close to Yan's house, so she quickly got out of bed and said she wanted to go with Grandma. After getting ready, Baicao changed into a light goose yellow dress with powder blue floral patterns and went out with Grandma. The summer morning air was filled with a soft, humid mist, making one feel like a gentle fish breathing in water. The magnolia flowers were blooming, large and abundant, occasionally falling with a soft thud—she was in a wonderful mood, picking up the thick, plump petals along the way. The summer morning air was filled with a soft, humid mist, making one feel like a gentle fish breathing in water. The magnolia flowers were blooming, large and abundant, occasionally falling with a soft thud—she was in a wonderful mood, picking up the thick, plump petals along the way.

As the sky darkens, the moonlight is splendid. The sound of the wooden clapper has faded, and the protagonist has made her appearance. Baicao suddenly cannot find Xi Ai, looking around and spotting a slender little girl jumping and dancing in the crowd. The little girl is of a similar age to Baicao, with particularly large eyes that possess a wildness Baicao has never encountered before, stirring her heart. Baicao is momentarily stunned, and the little girl smiles, revealing her white teeth. Unable to help herself, Baicao asks, "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before." The little girl is of a similar age to Baicao, with particularly large eyes that possess a wildness Baicao has never encountered before, stirring her heart. Baicao is momentarily stunned, and the little girl smiles, revealing her white teeth. Unable to help herself, Baicao asks, "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before."

Xi Ai can sing opera. ... "The Tower Meeting," "Eighteen Farewells," "Jade Hairpin" ... . ... She sings with great flair and precision, and in Bai Cao's eyes, she is no less skilled than the performers on the stage in Qing Mian Town. The ancient opera stage in Qing Mian often hosts troupes from the city. On a summer evening, Xi Ai received the news early and, filled with joy, rushed to the Chen family to pull Bai Cao, who was having dinner, to the opera stage. She was as nimble as a fish, weaving through the crowd! Someone shouted, "You dead girl!" On that summer evening, Xi Ai received the news early and, filled with joy, rushed to the Chen family to pull Bai Cao, who was having dinner, to the opera stage. She was as nimble as a fish, weaving through the crowd! Someone shouted, "You dead girl!" She immediately retorted, vying for the position of the little girl, not caring about her face! Xi Ai was already famous for her sharp tongue, and Bai Cao felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it was inappropriate, but she did not want to show it on her face. Xi Ai had already torn open a bag of salted peanuts for her, and she was delighted. After securing a good spot, Xi Ai took her to play backstage. The backstage was filled with a large number of hurriedly dressed young girls and fairies, some draping costumes while others waved their sleeves, and there were groups of girls chattering as they applied makeup. The leading roles, such as Yang Guifei, Zhu Yingtai, and Lin Daiyu, did not need to rush to get ready; they had people to assist them, just like young ladies being served by maids ... . Xi Ai could never get enough of it, "Oh, Bai Cao, look at the embroidery on that costume, it's to die for; oh, Bai Cao, look at that lady's hairpin, it sparkles like water; oh, Bai Cao ... ." The leading roles, such as Yang Guifei, Zhu Yingtai, and Lin Daiyu, did not need to rush to get ready; they had people to assist them, just like young ladies being served by maids ... . Xi Ai could never get enough of it, "Oh, Bai Cao, look at the embroidery on that costume, it's to die for; oh, Bai Cao, look at that lady's hairpin, it sparkles like water; oh, Bai Cao ... ." Bai Cao was not that interested; after watching for a while, she walked out to get some fresh air. The first act was about to begin, and the area in front of the stage was very crowded. The river's surface shimmered with a light mist, dissipating the summer heat. Vendors selling boiled peanuts and tender water chestnuts were weaving through the crowd.

It is still Feng Xi'ai who cares for Bai Cao. Xi'ai's family runs a tailor shop in the town, and she has a big sister look with her slender eyebrows and eyes. For no reason, Xi'ai feels heartache for Bai Cao. If any boy bullies Bai Cao, she is the first to roll her eyes at him, utterly detesting it, and threatens, "If this continues, I'll knock your teeth out!" Xi'ai is tall and an expert at jumping rubber bands, effortlessly performing various tricks, making it desirable for other girls to be in her group. However, Xi'ai only wishes to jump with Bai Cao. Girls are inherently small-minded. Even in the first grade, they understand the divisions among themselves. If someone is isolated by the mainstream girls, it can be very painful; no one talks to her, everyone can tease and mock her, and boys will look down on her, with people pointing at her as she walks down the street. Fortunately, with Xi'ai around, Bai Cao gradually integrates into this group of girls.

Baicao usually sleeps with her grandmother, as she enjoys the warm, sun-kissed fragrance of her grandmother. Her grandmother and grandfather have been sleeping in separate beds for many years, which she finds very puzzling. Why do her parents like to sleep together? On summer nights, the three generations relax in the courtyard. The moonlight is cool like water, and the starlight flows gently. Lovely fireflies flit about, twinkling enchantingly. The herbs, moistened by the night dew, exude a fragrance as beautiful as poetry. Many little insects whisper softly in the corners of the walls. Her grandfather sits in a bamboo chair while she leans against her grandmother on a cool bamboo bed, with a little cat curled up at her feet. Her grandmother applies Liu Shen flower water on her and dusts her with Shuangmei prickly heat powder. Baicao loves that warm yet somewhat ordinary mixed fragrance. Her grandmother asks if Baicao will remember her when she grows up and moves to the city.

In the height of summer, my grandfather, while harvesting the delicate flowers on a sunny day, said, "This is Albizia, it is neutral in nature, sweet in flavor, and helps to relieve depression and calm the mind. It is used for restlessness, melancholy, and insomnia.

Bai Cao gently leaned close to her grandmother's ear and said that she would be back soon. The grandmother smiled, knowing that you came out so early to play tricks, just remember the way home

Xi Ai turned to look at Bai Cao, and suddenly felt soft-hearted. The little one seemed a bit sorrowful, "Bai Cao, will there be a day when you no longer pay attention to me? When you grow up, you will return to Jin An. By then, will you still remember to come back to Qing Mian to see me?"

In mid-spring, my grandfather brought a bunch of delicate light purple flowers to the steps and said, "Bai Cao, this is Yanhua. It is harvested in spring before the flowers bloom, impurities are removed, and it is dried. It is cold in nature, with a bitter and pungent taste"

Xi Ai, drenched in sweat and panting, found Bai Cao at the riverbank, where Bai Cao was holding hands with Chu Ran, admiring the ripples in the water. Xi Ai felt anxious and somewhat wronged. Raising her voice slightly, she asked, "Bai Cao, how did you end up here?"

Xi Ai can tell many stories. Ghosts, deities, and strange creatures, any story that comes from her mouth can be vividly narrated. She believes in the existence of gods, stating that trees have tree spirits, flowers have flower spirits, and water has water spirits, each fulfilling their respective duties. The tree spirit is an old man with a long beard, the flower spirit is a beautiful and graceful fairy, and the water spirit is a strangely-looking man in a white robe. Bai Cao listened in astonishment.

Bai Cao and Hu Po do not usually have much interaction. Hu Po is very quiet, tall, and her grades are not very good. Sitting in the corner of the classroom, she is naturally forgotten by others. Bai Cao remembers that Xi Ai once laughed with her about the birthmark at the corner of Hu Po's eye. This makes Bai Cao feel a bit embarrassed at this moment. Hu Po is flustered by Bai Cao's arrival, almost feeling overwhelmed by the attention. She looks much older than Bai Cao, completely resembling an older sister. She cautiously reaches out to take Bai Cao's hand, asking, "So early, have you eaten?" "I have freshly pickled eggplant and new melon jam at home, it's really delicious. Also, there's porridge, thick and sticky. Oh, and there's fragrant melon, both glutinous and sweet. ... I'll go pick some now, you should take a few back for your grandparents to eat ..." Bai Cao notices Hu Po's birthmark again and can't help but want to laugh. Her smile makes Hu Po even happier, and she immediately goes to the backyard field to pick melons ... Bai Cao stands alone in the yard, the sun rising higher, the lush grass brushing against her calves. ... She turns around and sees the blooming trumpet vine on the west wall. The girl she saw yesterday, Chu Ran, is sitting on the wall picking flowers. She is agile, inserting the picked trumpet flowers into her braid, her long black hair thick like seaweed, complementing the orange-red flowers that are enchanting and charming. She also throws a few flowers to Bai Cao, who smiles and pins the flowers in her hair, saying, "Come down quickly, be careful not to fall."

Baicao nodded vigorously, remembering that grandmother liked to eat peach crisps, as well as sha qima and orange cake

Grandmother was extremely satisfied, holding Baicao in her arms. Baicao fell into a deep sleep in Grandmother's soft embrace

Baicao spoke to herself, saying that her name is Lin Churan, and she is half a month younger than me. She came from Jin'an and is spending the summer vacation at her aunt's house. Oh, her aunt is Yan Hubo's mother

Bai Cao nodded vigorously, remembering, must remember.

Baicao, a fragrant and refreshing name. As a child, Baicao was very quiet, eating and then sleeping, waking up to open her dark and clear eyes to look at her grandfather's garden filled with flowers and grass, being a very well-behaved little girl. Her grandparents loved her dearly, allowing her parents to focus on their business ventures outside, leaving her in the serene hometown.

Later, Baicao arrived in Jin'an City and often reminisced about the snacks from Qingmian Town. Occasionally recalling them brought a sense of melancholy that flowed all around.

On her first day of elementary school, Bai Cao cried. She was the youngest child in the class, assigned to the front row of the classroom. During recess, a boy asked with a grin, "Chen Bai Cao, shouldn't you be in the middle class? How did you end up in the first-grade classroom?" The girls played jump rope and were unwilling to include her, finding her too small. She sat alone by the flowerbed, watching the roses bloom carefreely, and suddenly tears fell from her eyes in grievance. But she quickly composed herself; if others saw her crying, they would surely mock her even more. So she quietly wiped her tears and returned to the classroom to recite her lessons. She had already self-studied the phonetic alphabet and multiplication tables, and recognized quite a few characters. At that time, Bai Cao already understood the importance of being a good student, preparing in advance and memorizing her lessons.

Those delightful snacks

Lady Liu placed two pieces of snow-white tofu into grandmother's basket, Aunt Chen, your granddaughter truly captivates the heart!

You haven't done much. Your tone still seems a bit harsh.

Xi Ai understands many things beyond just studying. In the first few days, Grandma came to pick up Bai Cao every day. Later, Bai Cao said she wanted to go home with Xi Ai. Originally, the school was not far from home, and Grandma quite liked Xi Ai, so she felt at ease handing Bai Cao over to her

Bai Cao has started kindergarten. Her mother returned from the city, bringing back a beautiful pink backpack, along with various stationery and a lovely lace layered skirt. Bai Cao was very happy, but she appeared calm on the surface. In front of her mother, she maintained a demeanor of quiet composure, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction and distance due to her mother's prolonged absence. Seeing that Bai Cao had grown up fair and healthy, her mother felt reassured, but she disliked the double bun hairstyle that Bai Cao's grandmother had styled, thinking it made her look too much like a maid. Therefore, she had Bai Cao sit under the garden's gardenia tree, loosen her hair, and style it into a high ponytail, securing it with colorful hair ties. Afterward, she admired her daughter, thinking she looked just like a little girl from the city. However, Bai Cao was reluctant, feeling that her mother's way of styling her hair was not gentle at all and that it pulled her scalp painfully. She preferred the gentle touch of her grandmother. Moreover, the character Shangguan Wan'er on television also had a double bun hairstyle. So, when her mother returned to the city, Bai Cao once again insisted that her grandmother style her hair.

Returning home with Xi Ai is much more interesting than going home with Grandma. Xi Ai buys various snacks for Bai Cao at the small shop outside the school. The sour plum powder, packaged in a small bag, releases a refreshing aroma as soon as it is torn open, and the light purple-brown powder is very tempting. It is eaten dry in winter and soaked in tea in summer. Rose silk, a small food resembling shredded radish in red and green, is also packed in a very small bag, slightly sour and sweet. Its beautiful name once filled Bai Cao's childhood with fantasies, as she believed it was made from rose petals, and thus she would hold it in her mouth for a long time, reluctant to swallow, in hopes of capturing the faint, distant scent of roses. Cotton candy, a large fluffy mass, is whiter and softer than clouds, as if a gust of wind could blow it away. When gently licked, it seems to have a faint sweetness, and when it melts, it leaves only a small puddle of light yellow sticky syrup. It is like a dream, a magic trick, a secret, and has always been Bai Cao's favorite from childhood. Glutinous rice pearls, a type of small dumpling, are served in a very small bowl, with sweet soup and the fragrance of fermented rice. The chewy little balls are plump and round. A bowl can be bought for just 0.4 yuan, cheaper than panda ice cream. Moreover, Xi Ai always sweetly coaxes the grandmother selling the glutinous rice pearls to give her a little more.

That year, they were all around ten years old

Thus, Baicao spent the changing seasons amidst the fragrant flowers and herbs. Grandma brought out freshly steamed sweet cakes and playfully scolded Grandpa, saying, "You and your herbs, how can my little Baicao remember so many things without getting tired?" Baicao, come here to Grandma.

Throughout the journey, Xi Ai remained silent, having a minor disagreement with Bai Cao. Bai Cao cautiously said, "Xi Ai, I will not do this again in the future"

Baicao likes that pink backpack. Alone in the room, they packed all the scattered items such as books and stationery into it, and when they put on the backpack and looked in the mirror, they were utterly enchanted

In early spring, my grandfather pointed to the white magnolia and said, "This is Xin Yi (Magnolia flower)." It is harvested before the flowers bloom, with the stems removed and dried in the shade. It disperses wind and cold, and opens the nasal passages. The poem states, "Moreover, there are Xin Yi flowers, their colors mingling with those of the hibiscus."

Bai Cao, I do not know how I found you

Qingmian is a beautiful and peaceful small town. Upon the birth of Baicao, his grandfather set down the mortar and pondered for a moment, then carefully wrote on paper the name—Chen Baicao

The Yan family has a large flower garden. The fragrant scent of the flowers can be smelled from a distance. Baicao sees Yan Hupo's mother tidying up the potted flowers to sell at the market and greets her sweetly. Yan's mother asks Hupo to attend to the little guests while she hurries off to sell the flowers

Xi Ai can embroider, a skill she learned from her mother. Xi Ai's mother is the most skilled seamstress in town, and she always emphasizes that girls should learn embroidery and sewing. No matter how the world changes, it is essential for girls to be meticulous. Feng's mother is quick and nimble, preferring to wear clean, plain blouses, adorned with a shiny silver embroidery needle. The needle's eye is still trailing colorful silk threads. A small aster flower is embroidered in the corner of Xi Ai's school uniform, which makes everyone envious. That was embroidered by Xi Ai herself. On her way home from school, Xi Ai takes out her needle and thread from her backpack, sitting by the bridge where the green vines sway, to embroider a tiny gardenia flower in the corner of Bai Cao's uniform. Xi Ai truly cares for Bai Cao, as she only embroiders for her. However, when Bai Cao expresses a desire to learn embroidery, Xi Ai refuses. She tells Bai Cao that she is destined to attend university and become a teacher, so how can she learn embroidery? Your hands should only hold pens and books, not embroidery needles.

Baicao carried her beloved pink backpack to school. Grandma accompanied her all the way to the stone bridge in the small town, where the elementary school was located on the other side of the bridge. Grandma reminded her to wait at the school gate after class. Baicao felt that she was now in elementary school and was a big kid, so she felt a bit embarrassed about being picked up by Grandma. However, she found it difficult to express this to Grandma, so she made a face.

However, Xi Ai does not perform well academically; she has been struggling with the phonetic table for a long time and still stumbles over it. Her mental arithmetic is even slower. Therefore, she often asks Bai Cao to lend her homework. Bai Cao, of course, is willing to lend it, but sometimes she worries and quietly says, "Xi Ai, what will you do during the exams?" Xi Ai laughs and replies, "I am just not cut out for studying, unlike you. Bai Cao, your family lives in the city; you will have to take the university entrance exam and become a teacher in the future." Bai Cao suddenly feels melancholic and gently tugs at Xi Ai's sleeve, saying, "Xi Ai, will there be a day when you won't pay attention to me anymore?" Xi Ai playfully pinches Bai Cao's nose and says, "Silly girl, don't say that!"

Grandma chuckles, does Baicao remember to bring peach crisps for Grandma to eat

That is the clear smile that Baicao will never forget in a lifetime

She smiled, and I am Lin Churan

Xi Ai was almost moved to tears. She held Baicao's soft little hand, as if to apologize for her earlier attitude. Baicao naturally did not take it to heart. The two little girls were once again inseparable.

She had bright and clever eyes, shh—don't let my sister know. Then she gently leaped against the wall and landed safely. Baicao let out a sigh of relief, and the two little girls held hands, as if they were old acquaintances. She gazed intently at Baicao, ah, I didn't expect you to really find me.

Bai Cao's face turned red. Xi Ai felt that Chu Ran was unfamiliar, so she pulled Bai Cao over and coldly asked which family Chu Ran belonged to. However, Chu Ran displayed a look of disdain, snorted, and walked away. Just a few steps later, she was seen cheerfully picking dew-kissed wild strawberries by the roadside, gradually walking further away.

The Liu family's tofu shop has arrived, and people jokingly refer to Liu Niangniang as the Tofu Xishi. Liu Niangniang is quite pleased to accept this title. The Liu family's tofu is the best in Qingmian. Upon seeing Baicao, Niangniang's face blossomed with a smile, and she hurriedly served her a small bowl of soft tofu pudding. Baicao loves to eat it, but she did not take it; she simply lowered her head slightly, silently waiting for her grandmother to speak. Grandmother smiled and said, "Quickly thank Niangniang." Niangniang laughed, saying, "Baicao, this girl is becoming more and more beautiful, as tender as a flower bud."

Bai Cao has started elementary school. She only attended half a year of kindergarten in the small class, yet she plays very well with the children in the big class. When the big class children took their entrance exams, they all smiled at her, saying: "Bai Cao, we are going to first grade, and you still have to go to the middle class and the big class!" Upon hearing this, Bai Cao felt extremely dejected, pouting her lips and carrying her pink backpack to take the exam as well. Clever as she is, Bai Cao scored full marks. The principal was quite surprised and called Bai Cao's mother. Bai Cao hid behind her mother, feeling shy and bashful. The principal said, "What a smart child, scoring full marks." Her mother was very pleased and kissed Bai Cao on the forehead. The principal said he would make an exception to admit Bai Cao and playfully asked if she was willing. Bai Cao hid further behind her mother, looking very timid. After a long while, she softly said, "If my mother is willing, then I am willing too." Everyone praised her, saying, "What a well-behaved little girl!"

Bai Cao said earnestly, of course I will come back, my grandparents are still in Qingmian