Ye Yunfeng pursed his lips, suppressing the emotions in his heart, and said in a low voice, "I know."
His sister rarely mentioned their past. It had only been three short years, but it already felt like a lifetime ago.
Ye Jingyan sighed inwardly.
It was already a great blessing that they could live such peaceful and quiet days now.
If they returned to the Capital City, who knew what kind of storms it would stir up.
「...」
It was during dinner that Ye Chutang noticed Ye Yunfeng had been punished.
Seeing the bright red mark on his palm, Ye Chutang asked, "Did the teacher discipline you again today?"
Ye Yunfeng said nonchalantly, "I just couldn't recite an essay. The teacher has a strange temper, as you know, Big Sis."
He often got into fights, so an injury like this was nothing to him. But on the days he went to the academy, he would get hit five days out of ten, which was a bit too frequent.
Ye Chutang was already used to it and nodded lightly. "You haven't used up the ointment I gave you last time, have you? Apply some yourself after dinner."
Ye Yunfeng didn't really think much of the injury, but he was still happy about his sister's concern. He grinned. "Big Sis still dotes on me the most!"
Ye Chutang then looked at Ye Jingyan and asked about his studies for the day. "Did you learn a new essay?"
Ye Jingyan shook his head. "Still the same one from last time."
Ye Chutang wasn't surprised by this answer and commented, "That's a bit slow."
Jiangling was a small place with few students and even fewer teachers.
She had met their teacher, Mr. Yang. He was stubborn and old-fashioned, and most importantly, not very skilled.
At this rate, it would definitely hold back Yan's future prospects.
Ye Chutang said, "Oh, right, Yan. I picked out a book for you. You can take a look when you have some free time."
Ye Jingyan's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Big Sis."
When they first moved to Jiangling, they had nothing. He once thought it was a question of whether they could even survive. Unexpectedly, his sister later supported the family all by herself and even sent them to the academy to study.
But on the very first day, the teacher misinterpreted a poem. Ye Jingyan politely corrected him, only to be harshly reprimanded.
From that day on, Ye Jingyan knew there was no hope in studying here.
His sister didn't say anything after learning about it, but the next day, she went out of her way to buy him a book. And ever since then, she would go pick out books for him periodically.
Whenever he came across something he didn't understand, he would ask his sister, and she could always explain it with perfect clarity.
He didn't take anything the teacher taught to heart, but he committed every word his sister taught him to memory.
A quarter of an hour later, Ye Jingyan looked at the book handed to him, a little curious. "The *Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government*? Big Sis, where did you find this book?"
Ye Chutang said casually, "Oh, I ran into a bookseller on the road a while back. This one looked pretty good, so I bought it."
This world seemed to be parallel to her previous one. The historical dynasties she had studied and read about before were completely different from the ones here.
After realizing this, Ye Chutang was completely at ease.
Back when they were on the run, there was a long period where they didn't have enough to eat or a good place to sleep. Ye Chutang could only tell them stories to distract them.
Yan and A Feng would listen with rapt attention. Xiao Wu couldn't understand, but she would still lean against Ye Chutang's chest, blinking her eyes and listening obediently.
Later, after arriving in Jiangling, Ye Chutang discovered the academy wasn't up to par, so she started going out to buy books.
But Yan read incredibly fast and had an extremely high aptitude for learning; ordinary books could no longer satisfy him.
In the end, Ye Chutang decided to take matters into her own hands, writing out a copy of *Records of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms* from memory for him. As expected, he loved it.
After that, Ye Chutang started doing this often.
It was only at times like these that Ye Chutang felt her past life as a top-tier overachiever hadn't been for nothing. Having been reborn, she was at least putting her old skills to good use.
Ye Jingyan opened it and began to read eagerly, quickly becoming engrossed.
Ye Chutang was taking Xiao Wu back to her room when she happened to run into Lian Zhou.
"Doctor Ye, this is the payment for today's medicine."
He respectfully handed over a purse.
A faint smile touched Ye Chutang's lips as she accepted it without ceremony.
"Your master is recovering well. He should be fully healed in another three days."
In all his years, this was the first time Lian Zhou had seen a doctor change the prescription daily and collect payment daily. But seeing his master's condition clearly improving, he felt the money was well spent.
Hearing Ye Chutang's words, Lian Zhou also breathed a sigh of relief. He cupped his fists. "Thank you for all your trouble, Doctor Ye."
Ye Chutang tucked the purse into Xiao Wu's arms and smiled. "Don't mention it. It's what I do."
「...」
Back in the room, Xiao Wu climbed onto the bed, pulled out several more purses from a box at the head of the bed, and counted them back and forth three times. A huge smile bloomed on her chubby little face.
'Silver! So much silver!'
Ye Chutang clicked her tongue lightly and tapped her on the forehead.
"You little money-grubber."
Xiao Wu tilted her head up, looking at her expectantly.
Ye Chutang couldn't help but laugh. "Want some Furong Cake? Alright, I'll take you to buy some in a bit."
The weather had warmed up considerably. Plus, the family had been through a lot recently, and the atmosphere had been quite oppressive. It was a good chance to take Xiao Wu out for a walk to lift her spirits.
Only after they left the house and saw the bustling streets, hung with festive lanterns, did Ye Chutang realize it was the fifteenth of the third month—Jiangling's Spring Lantern Festival.
On this day every year, everyone in Jiangling—men and women, young and old—would go out and parade through the streets with all sorts of lanterns.
Ye Chutang walked through the streets holding Xiao Wu. The area was thronged with people, and the atmosphere was lively.
"I should have asked Yan and A Feng to come with us," Ye Chutang said.
After all, they were only twelve or thirteen, an age full of playful energy. It was a rare occasion for Jiangling to be so lively; it was a shame for them to be cooped up at home.
Xiao Wu nodded vigorously.
'It's so pretty! I want to see it with Big Sis, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother!'
Ye Chutang thought for a moment and decided to go back and get them.
After they left the bustling main street, the crowd thinned out a bit. Xiao Wu, afraid that her sister would get tired from carrying her, asked to get down and walk on her own.
So Ye Chutang held her little hand and they started walking back.
Suddenly, a cheer rose up from behind them. Ye Chutang turned around just in time to see a firework bloom in the sky.
Just then, Xiao Wu tugged on Ye Chutang's hand, signaling for her to look in a certain direction.
Ye Chutang followed her gaze and saw several exquisite flower lanterns swaying at the end of the street, magnificent and brilliant.
"You like them?" Ye Chutang instantly guessed her thoughts.
Xiao Wu nodded, her big, grape-like eyes sparkling.
She handed her own little purse to Ye Chutang.
This was a purse Ye Chutang had specially prepared for her, containing her allowance and New Year's money.
Ye Chutang couldn't help but smile. "What, you want to buy one for your big sis?"
Xiao Wu nodded earnestly.
'The prettiest one is for Big Sis!'
Ye Chutang teased, "Those flower lanterns are gorgeous, so they're definitely not cheap. Does Xiao Wu really want to buy one for her big sis—"
Suddenly, her voice caught. She snapped her head up and looked at the flower lanterns again!
'Something's wrong!'
'I've seen this exact scene in a dream!'
Ye Chutang's heart sank, and a sudden chill shot up her spine from the soles of her feet.