One day, the heroine returned from the county

yamen

again.

“It’s settled this time! The county magistrate said we’ll get the reward money in a month!” Heroine Wu said. “Indeed, your method worked better.”

“What about that person?”

“Lying in court and deceiving the officials should have earned him a thorough beating, even if he wasn’t sent to jail. But he seems to have suffered enough already. I spoke a few good words for him, so he received fewer lashes.”

“You have a kind heart.” Song You smiled, finding the situation amusing.

A few days ago, she had been the one threatening to leave the city with a knife to cause trouble for the man, claiming she would kill him. It seemed that if she had really gone, she might have resorted to violence. Yet today, she was the one speaking in his favor in court. There was something quite interesting about it.

“It’s not really about kindness; I just couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore. I remembered how, when I first arrived in Changjing, I had some impure thoughts too. Saying a few words doesn’t cost anything.”

“Did you act on those thoughts back then?”

“Of course not, but I did think about it.”

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“It’s natural to have such thoughts.”

“Hehe, it just means I’m smart.”

“...” Song You shook his head and then said, “The reward money is taking quite a while to be settled.”

“There’s no helping it. If we could have caught the ghost and brought it to court, the payment could have been made on the spot,” Heroine Wu sighed, adding with a hint of complaint, “I said it wasn’t really necessary; we’re old acquaintances. The county magistrate recognized me today, yet he can’t even offer this little bit of trust even as an old acquaintance.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Don’t mention it. Do you have enough money for this month?”

“I should be fine.”

“Good, then let’s go.”

With that, Heroine Wu turned and walked away. She was incredibly efficient.

Song You got up to see the guest off but didn’t move his feet. After she left, he went upstairs and retrieved the money that was hidden in the rat hole by Lady Calico, checking how much was left.

The nearby neighbors had also benefited from Lady Calico's presence. Since she arrived and began hiding money in the rat hole, she had been worried that the rats might steal it. Consequently, half the street had become a rat-free zone. Every night, she would have to walk a long way to catch the rats, but she didn’t mind the effort.

“Over a thousand qian...”

The rent for this month was already paid, but given his current relationship with the heroine, it wouldn’t hurt to delay it a bit. Changjing had high living costs, much higher than Yidu.

Song You himself was not engaged in agricultural production. There was no grain in the granary, and no vegetables in the fields—everything had to be bought. This thousand or so qian could last for a month, but his finances would be a bit tight, and he might have to cut back on eating meat.

In addition, over the next month or so, some might occasionally request him to exorcize evil spirits and demons or request Lady Calico to catch rats. This would bring in some income to improve their living conditions.

With these thoughts, Song You felt relaxed and carefree. He left the money on the table, went downstairs to close the door, and planned to take a nap.

When he came back, the money on the table was gone. Instead, a little girl in a tricolor dress was in the room.

“You’re back already?”

“Yes!”

“Where’s the money on the table?”

“I hid it.” The little girl looked at him seriously, seeming quite stern. “Why did you leave it on the table? It might get stolen.”

“It’s broad daylight. It’s not so easy for it to be stolen.”

“You should spend less money. Don’t use it all up. You don’t eat rats either, so you might starve.” The little girl expressed her concern.

“Got it.” Song You found it amusing but still took the little girl’s advice. He looked her over carefully and suddenly said, “Lady Calico, you seem to have grown a bit taller.”

“I’ve grown a bit taller!”

“I think so.”

“Really?” The little girl became interested immediately.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I haven’t measured before, but we can measure now. When you grow taller in the future, we’ll know.”

Song You pulled the little girl to the wall. She obediently stood with her back against the wall, allowing him to measure her height by marking the wall. Her eyes were fixed upward, trying to see the top of her head.

When she moved away from the wall, there was now a mark on the wooden wall.

“What is this?”

“This is how tall you are now.”

“I’m this tall!” The little girl stared at the mark on the wall.

“We’ll measure again in a few months, and then we’ll know if you’re growing taller.”

“How can I grow taller?”

“When you grow up, you will.”

“But I’m already a grown cat.” The little girl tilted her head, looking at him with confusion.

“All things in this world, once they gain sentience or attain enlightenment, are no longer the same as they once were.” Song You thought for a moment and patiently explained, “I’ve heard that some demons, even after they’ve grown up, might still appear as little people until they gradually grow bigger.”

“How can they grow bigger?”

“When the mind matures, they will grow.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You need to study,” Song You thought for a moment and smiled at the little girl, “If you want to study, you need to learn to read and write. How about I teach you to read?”

“What’s the use of reading?”

“You can read books.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“You asked me about it before.”

“Is reading fun?”

“It’s not exactly fun, but some people find it interesting.”

“Some people!”

“Some people find it difficult.”

“Difficult!”

“Yes.”

The little girl’s eyes moved around, and she changed the subject, “Will I grow as big as a tiger in the future?”

“That sounds familiar.”

“I’ve asked you that before.”

“So you already know the answer, right?”

“What if things change?”

“It won’t.”

“Then what will I be like when I grow up?”

“When you’re a cat, you’ll probably be the same as before. But when you turn into a human, you’ll grow taller, probably as tall as the heroine next door. You’ll become mature and rational, gradually form your own ideas, find more interests and your own path. You’ll become bold and composed.”

Song You thought for a moment. “You might also be confined by other things, or you might find genuine freedom.”

“What is my own path?”

“It’s about what you want to do, what you don't want to do, where you want to go, and where you don't want to go.”

The little girl thought for a while, then said carefully, “I don't need to think about where to go. I can just follow you.”

“Maybe you will understand in the future.”

“Will I leave you?”

The little girl stared at him without blinking, her expression similar to when she was a cat.

Song You couldn’t help but smile.

When he first met her, she probably intended to accompany him for a while. Once the incense fumes on her dissipated, she would return to her mountain to catch mice and live freely, right?

With a smile, the Daoist replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no, but those are your own decisions far in the future.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Do you want to learn to read?”

“It’s difficult.”

“But you’ll become smart.”

“I’ll become smart!”

“And you’ll become capable.”

“I’ll become capable!”

“Do you want that?”

“Yes!”

“Then it’s settled...”

The Daoist’s smile grew wider as he said, “After I take a nap, I’ll buy a sandbox, break a willow branch, and teach you to read.”

“Will it cost money?” The little girl’s expression suddenly became serious.

The Daoist was a bit speechless. To be fair, after spending so much time with her, he had never conveyed these thoughts to her. He didn’t know how she became so frugal.

A good nap later, he felt refreshed and ready to go. He took some money and went out. The sandbox was inexpensive, and it was just a shallow square dish.

There was plenty of sand outside the city walls, and he could break some willow branches downstairs.

That evening, with the doors downstairs closed and the windows upstairs wide open, the Daoist spread the sand flat on the tray. Using the twilight, he held the willow branch, said to the little girl, “Let’s start with the first character.”

“Okay!” The little girl focused intently on the sandbox, ready for the lesson.

The Daoist drew three horizontal lines on the sandbox. “This is

san

. Three horizontal lines represents

san

, just like the

san

in your name[1]”

“

San

.”

“Isn’t it simple?”

“Very simple!”

“Have you remembered it?”

“I’ve remembered it!”

“Good...”

The Daoist then waved his hand in the air, and the yellow sand on the tray instantly became perfectly smooth. He then handed the willow branch to Lady Calico. “Try writing it yourself.”

“Try writing it myself.” The little girl repeated softly as she took the willow branch from him and carefully made three strokes on the sand.

Her grip on the pen wasn’t perfect, but her writing was quite neat, not much different from what the Daoist had written before.

Song You didn’t immediately correct her pen-holding technique. It was the first day, and she wouldn’t form a habit from writing just a few characters. It was better to wait until tomorrow to teach her proper pen-holding. For today, there were more important things to do.

“Lady Calico, you’re truly smart. I only taught you once, and you already remembered the word

san

. Your writing is identical to mine. Not only is your memory excellent, but you also have extraordinary talent. You’re truly a prodigy.”

“...!” The little girl’s expression became serious, and her breathing paused.

“Since you learned the word

san

in an instant, let’s move on to a more complex one. How about learning the character

hua

from your name?”

“Okay!”

Without hesitation, the little girl handed him the willow branch.

The Daoist took the willow branch and wrote the character

hua

on the sandbox, explaining the strokes as he went.

“This is

hua

.”

“

Hua

!”

“Have you remembered it?”

“...”

This time, the little girl leaned close to the sandbox, tilting her head to the right, then to the left. She carefully examined the character for a long time before saying, “I’ve remembered it.”

“Then...”

“I’ll try writing it myself!”

The little girl took the willow branch from him with great seriousness and meticulously started writing on the sandbox.

Her strokes were slow but accurate, and the character

hua

gradually took shape.

“Hmm?” This time, Song You was a bit surprised.

The previous character

san

had only three horizontal lines and was simple, so it was normal for Lady Calico to write it similarly to how he did. However, the character

hua

was much more difficult. Lady Calico’s writing was not only neat but also looked very similar to his own.

“Is it correct?” The little girl glanced at him secretly, clenching her fist.

“Yes!” The Daoist widened his eyes, astonished. “I didn’t expect that you could learn such a difficult character in one go. You truly are a prodigy.”

At this point, the Daoist showed a look of hesitation. “Originally, I planned to teach all three characters of

san

,

hua

, and

niang

at once. However, learning two characters a day is already the limit for most people.

“Even though you’re smart, learning more might be too much. I’m afraid you might feel overwhelmed. Besides, the character

niang

is more difficult than

san

and

hua

. I’m worried that you might not be able to learn it. How about we continue another day?”

“I want to learn today!”

“Huh?”

“I can still learn!” The little girl was eager to learn.

“Well then...” The Daoist furrowed his brows, hesitated for a long time, and finally made up his mind. “Alright then! Your talent and eagerness to learn are things I have rarely encountered in my life. In that case, I will go against the ancestral teachings of the Hidden Dragon Temple and make an exception for you to learn more characters!”

“Okay!”

“Please also gauge your own capacity. If you really can’t learn anymore, don’t push yourself too hard. Be sure to stop in time!”

“Okay!”

“Watch carefully...”

The willow branch traced over the sandbox, the sound as gentle as the evening breeze outside the window and the murmur of passersby on the street.

The Daoist wrote meticulously, and the little girl watched with great focus. Today was spent leisurely but not wasted.

1. Lady Calico’s name in Chinese is

Sanhua Niangniang

. ☜