25th

Zhao Li had prepared the backpack early on, an army green one.

Last time when visiting her uncle, she saw two army green military bags at his place, Lan Tian looked at them a bit longer, and Zhao Li took one away afterward. No need to adjust the pockets, just the straps, shortening them to a suitable length for Lan Tian to carry.

Zhao Li came out with the bag, hanging it on the door latch. Lan Tian glanced at it; the bag was bulging, but it was unknown what was inside.

After eating, she slung the backpack over her shoulder, bouncing and following behind Mo Yuanle cheerfully.

"Grandma, Auntie, I'm off to school." Amidst the bounces, there was a 'swish swish' from inside the backpack. Curious, Lan Tian opened the bag to see a handful of dried peanuts and two unripe tangerines inside.

Today was Lan Tian's first day of school, dressed in new clothes and shoes. She wore a red corduroy short-sleeve, double-breasted shirt and bright red corduroy lantern pants, a red flower silk scarf on her bundled hair, with red buckle cloth shoes, her bun-faced complexion fair and tender, looking both festive and adorable.

The sun had been shining for two days, leaving the mud road semi-dry and damp. Stepping out of the yard, Lan Tian's shoes were covered with mud. She hopped to the roadside, her feet rubbing back and forth on the grass. Mo Yuanle, silently standing by, lifted her once the shoes were clean, and walked on without another word.

Lan Tian shot him a glance, noticing the corners of Mo Yuanle's mouth forming a slight arc. When encountering villagers along the way, he proactively nodded and greeted them. The villagers were pleasantly surprised to see Mo Yuanle in such a good mood today, finding it rather strange.

Mo Yuanle's arms were strong and steady, Lan Tian was securely seated on them. Peeling the tangerine, they took turns eating slices. When they stumbled upon playmates, she waved her paws, floating away amidst everyone's envy and jealousy, especially under Taohua's intense gaze, which almost burned a hole through Lan Tian's back.

Mo Junhua, returning from the mountains with firewood, ran into Mo Yuanle sending Lan Tian to school. He greeted the pair, and Mo Yuanle treated him better than the others because Mo Junhua had once carried Lan Tian during the busy farming season and remembered the kindness.

Lan Tian didn't want to socialize with others, turning her head away pretending not to see. Mo Junhua didn't mind her petulance; seeing her sharing tangerine slices with Mo Yuanle, their joy was evident, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Lan Tian didn't pay much attention to this interlude. On the first day of school, classes hadn't started. The parents' task was to pay the tuition fee. After payment, the parents left, with plenty of work waiting for them in the fields.

The kids who wanted to go back home could do so after getting their textbooks; those who preferred to stay and play at school could as well.

Tie Jun and Black Dog had informed Lan Tian of these matters during the summer break.

Taohua, Tie Jun, Black Dog, and others were in the first grade, while Lan Tian, along with Shitou and Cha Hua, were in the preschool class.

Those who stayed at the school either played traditional girls' games like jump rope, handkerchief catching, and shuttlecock kicking, or boys' games like eagle catch chicks, or played war games, often bullying the girls.

At their young age, the older kids didn't like to play with them, leaving them to play with mud. The children who got their hands dirty with the black mud would giggle foolishly, getting it all over themselves. Some naughty kids even smeared it on others' clothes and heads.

Lan Tian had no interest in playing around. With free time, she thought it was better to memorize more herbs.

Mo Yuanle still wanted to keep Lan Tian company. After running through the usual routine, someone from the village called him back to gather herbs.

He repeatedly instructed Lan Tian not to wander, to sit obediently in the classroom and wait for him, promising with a pat on her little chest before departing.

After receiving the textbooks, finding the classroom, and getting assigned to a seat, recognizing the teacher, she was ready to head home with her backpack.

The school catered not just to the kids from the Mo Village, but also those from a few nearby villages. Apart from Shitou and Cha Hua, Lan Tian didn't know anyone else in the class.

Before the seating was arranged, Shitou, puffing out his little chest, pledged to Lan Tian that they would sit together. But when the teacher made the arrangements, it was one girl to a desk, and the boys similarly paired up.

Shitou's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He looked at the teacher in a daze, then at Lan Tian, and after a while tried to remain calm, turning around to comfort Lan Tian that he'd sit beside her, just separated by an aisle, close enough that they could touch each other's hands. It would be as if they were not separated at all.

But as it turned out, Lan Tian was seated in the second row, Shitou in the fifth, with more than just an aisle between them—there might as well have been two galaxies.

Shitou clung to Lan Tian's hand, refusing to let go, sobbing uncontrollably. The teacher might have left well enough alone, but the attempt at consolation resulted in Shitou throwing a tantrum on the floor, smearing his snot and tears all over Lan Tian's pants, creating a soggy mess that made the veins on her forehead throb. Lan Tian shook her leg a couple of times but couldn't shake off this sticky piece of toffee.

At his wit's end, the teacher gave in and allowed him to sit next to Lan Tian, finally putting an end to it all.

Cha Hua always tagged behind Taohua; they were as inseparable as one. They looked down on Lan Tian, who, for her part, had nothing to say to them.

Whether out of fear of the people from the Mo Village or for some other reason, the teacher placed Cha Hua beside Lan Tian.

Shitou was waiting for Lan Tian early in the morning, blocking her at the classroom door, grabbing onto her backpack strap.

"Lan Tian, wait for me, let's go play by the river. Yesterday, Tie Jun, Black Dog, and the others caught a bunch of crabs there. Let's go catch some too. Tie Jun told us to meet at the entrance."

Lan Tian paused; it had been a long time since she had fried crabs, and she was starting to crave that crispy meaty crunch. She nodded in agreement.

"I'll take my bag back home, then meet you by the river." After walking a few steps, she turned back around. "Shitou, you better not leave the backpack at our place. If you damage your books, your dad will beat you to death."

The textbooks were still brand new, the smell of fresh print lingering. Shitou didn't want to leave them, but the threat of his dad's wrath persuaded him, albeit reluctantly, and he followed with a face as gloomy as if he'd lost his parents.

Lan Tian, seemingly oblivious to his gloom, snatched the bag and left.

A group was gathering at the school gate, only missing Lan Tian and Shitou. Black Dog lay on the earthen wall peeking inside, and his eyes lit up upon spotting them heading to the entrance, turning back to tell Tie Jun, "Here they come, here they come."

He waved his hands at them, and upon spotting who was following behind, his face turned as sour as if he'd eaten a fly. Sliding off the wall, he looked at Tie Jun and the others, their faces crestfallen like frostbitten eggplants. "Taohua's coming too."

Why did Taohua know?

Cha Hua was right there when Shitou loudly bugged Lan Tian earlier. Cha Hua, Taohua's constant shadow, never failed to relay any tidbit she heard directly to Taohua. Whether or not Taohua was already aware did not matter; her shadow played her role perfectly.

Enraged upon hearing the news, Taohua wondered why she wasn't informed about afternoon activities with friends—why was she excluded?

Why should an outsider, a beggar like Lan Tian, get to participate? She stuffed her new books haphazardly into her bag and chased after them from behind, with Cha Hua in tow.